Kl18. The Autumn In Vrindavan Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

KRISHNA LEELA

A jolt of the thunder rumbling,
Followed by a flash of lightning,
With the dense clouds overhead,
The arrival of autumn, it marked.

A blanket of clouds spread,
On the lightning sky overhead,
Like that of a spirit Soul's cover
To three modes of material nature.

It was time for the Sun to release,
In the form of rain, all to appease,
The water it drank from the earth,
Its eight months' stored wealth.

After a flash of lightning stroke,
The dense clouds itself broke,
Swept by the fierce wind blow,
For the people's wealth to grow.

The Earth scorched by the Sun,
Moistened by the God of Rain,
Became fully nourished again,
To relieve it from the drying pain.

The one emaciated by austerities
Undergone for material purposes,
Got his body fully nourished again,
As a result of these acts to regain.

The twilight of the rainy season,
Invited all the glowworms soon,
But not the stars, up on the sky,
As the darkness covered its way.

Just like Veda's true knowledge,
Overshadowed in the Kali's age,
By the sinful atheistic doctrine,
From which they can't refrain.

The rain clouds rumbling noise,
Provoked the frogs' loud voice,
On the best days of their choice,
To break their erstwhile silence.

Like Brahmin students in silence,
In their usual study practice,
Recited their lessons aloud,
When their teacher so told.

The countless streams dry,
Strayed its course nearby,
From the set route main,
Due to incessant rain,

Like a man diverts his money,
And his hard earned property,
Driven by the urges of his senses,
He is committed to do offences.

The Earth turned emerald green,
With all the green grass seen,
Swarmed by insects reddish,
Like a sudden rich man foolish.

The fields gave all the joy,
For the farmers to deploy,
Their resources for grains,
To their maximum gains.

But those fields kept barren,
Led some of them heart broken,
For they knew not God's hand,
That controlled their land.

The creatures of land and water,
Grew up well in the rainwater,
Appeared more care free,
Like a Lord's sincere devotee.

The wide ocean-river-junction,
Disturbed by the waves' agitation,
Caused by a blow of wind-gust,
Like a Yogi not free from his lust.

The mountains stood up tall,
They minded not the rainfall
That came to attack nonstop,
Like a firm devotee's mind-set-up.

The roads were in the rainy season,
With all sorts of debris unclean,
Like the undesirable scriptures,
Not fit to be studied by Brahmins.

Split by lightning, the clouds dense,
Strayed away from their defense,
Broke their ties in between,
Like an adulterous women.

The curved shape of rainbow
Unlike the wooden bow,
Rested not o'er a string,
Despite its bow shaped ring.

Like the Supreme Lord,
Appeared in this world,
Material-qualities-free,
Also material-conditions-free.

The illuminated shining moon,
The clouds that covered it soon,
Appeared like a pure Soul,
That took an egocentric role.

At the clouds' sight in the sky,
The peacocks danced with joy,
Like the householders distressed,
While the devotees were impressed.

The rain water, the dry trees drank,
Their growth once again came back,
Like the weak body strong it grew
That observed austerities a few.

The lake cranes had their pain,
Due to the down pour of rain,
Like a mad old materialist,
All troubles he had to enlist.

Lord Indra sent rains as a ploy,
The irrigation dams to destroy,
Like the atheists' false theories,
That broke the Vedic boundaries.

The rain water, the clouds released,
And the living beings went pleased,
Like a king, listening to a Brahmin,
He gave his wealth to everyone.

The Vrindavan forest was abound,
Filled with dates trees all around,
Krishna and Balarama found,
Well ripe fruits on the ground.

The weighty milk bag below,
Kept the cows' movements slow,
Around Krishna they stood,
Under His care in the wood.

The joyful tribal forest girls,
The resounding waterfalls,
The dripping sweet tree sap,
Led to hidden caves in trap.

A cave gave a shelter,
For them all to enter,
They stayed safely there,
Away from the rain water.

When they came to meet,
They all took their seat,
O'er a stone, near the stream,
They ate food with cream.

The sight of a contended bull,
The cows-calves push and pull,
And the cows' sacs milk full,
These sights were wonderful.

The presence of the rainy season,
In and around the City Vrindavan,
Gave them an immense pleasure,
They had plenty of time leisure.

The autumn season came in,
For them to find things clean,
With cloudless sky, clear water,
Gentle breeze, the life was better.

The reappearance of lotus flower,
The existence of pure water,
Was like a Sage's fallen mind,
But he got it back to find.

In autumn the sky was clear,
Animals roamed everywhere,
Dust-free became the Earth,
Its water freed from filth.

The members in the same way,
Of the four spiritual orders may
From all the troubles be freed,
Once He blessed their every deed.

The clouds freed from any influence,
Shone bright with purified effulgence,
Like a sage with no material desires,
For a sin free happy life he aspires.

The mountain and the season cater,
Sometimes crystal pure water,
Like a sage, who gives knowledge
In proper time at every age.

The fish in shallow water,
For its depth, it doesn't care,
Like a man feels not so precious,
When he's not time-conscious.

A miser's life in poverty,
Attached to his property,
With no proper self control,
Is like a fish with no goal.

Like a land freed from sandy soil,
Where the plants may spoil,
The wise sages free from ego,
With no attachment they go.

The lakes and ocean bow to autumn,
Keep absolute silence at the bottom,
Like a sage detached from material action,
He gives up his loud Veda recitation.

The farmers erected bunds around,
To store water in the ground,
Like a yogi keeps his sense control,
Built up pure consciousness in his role.

To save the life from the hot Sun
The autumn moon cooled everyone,
Like a wise person in misery,
Is saved by the Lord's mercy.

Just like the autumn sky shines.
With stars' twinkle, with no rains,
A devotee spiritually conscious
Of the Vedic scriptures always is.

The sky shone in the full moon light,
Encircled by stars above its height,
Like the Yadu dynasty shone,
Under Krishna's mercy alone.

The wind carried the flowers smell,
That lessened their miseries well,
Unlike the gopies of Vrindavan,
Whose hearts Krishna had stolen.

The season favoured everyone,
To be so fertile in that season,
Like services to the Lord rendered,
Go not waste, when Soul is surrendered.

When the autumn Sun rose,
The lotus flowers also rose,
Unlike the flowers kumut,
That bloom like thieves at night.

Vedic fire sacrifice festivals,
At every right intervals,
Were held to honour the grains,
And to celebrate their rich gains.

They were happy with Krishna,
And His brother Balarama,
Thus the earth full of treasures,
It gave them good pleasures.

The Kings, Sages and merchants,
And the young bachelor students,
Who were during rains inside,
To play their role came outside.

Like a person of perfection,
In the present life can
Leave this body in time,
To attain his new form.