O River From Heaven Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

Think of thine descent heaven-born,
Think who brought thee on earth, what for,
Long years ere, one historic morn,
O to flow right across ashram door.

And born wert thou as Kaushikee—
The family name of the sage
Of royal lineage known for rage;
Better known now as Vishvamitree,

Thine mission to purify was,
To make the place a paradise;
But what has become of that cause?
Ye revolt nose, irritate eyes.

Wonder if alive art thou at all,
What once flowed, pure nectar that came,
It's hard to see, oh what a fall!
The filth that flows shames thine sure name.

Wish, ye had returned with the sage
From holy hills that both of you once roamed
When cherished was thine fair image,
I doubt thine divine spirit is still home.

What's left seem to me just flesh and bone,
Shelters wherein silt of man's greed,
Lodged therein, man's greed has outgrown,
Polluted it has human creed.

But when Ganges gets no fairer fate,
In silence suffering her destiny,
Pity, how long can small rivers like thee!
I scarce can even guess a date.
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There was time when rivers were holy, and they really were. Mahabharata says that sage Vishvamitra invoked a river from heaven for his morning ablutions and worship, and called it Kaushikee, now known more as Vishvamitree.
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Musings | 01.05.12 |
Topic: river