Prasad Dudhgaonkar Poems

ख े ल ख े ल म े ं थ ा ए क र ा ज ा औ र ए क उ स क ी र ा न ी ,
अ ध ू र ा र ह ग य ा ख े ल र ह ग य ी अ ध ू र ी ए क क ह ा न ी

र ा ज ा क ह त ा 'म ै ं त ो ह ू ँ त े र े प ् र े म क ा प ् य ा स ा भ ू ख ा
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'Sarvā tmakā Sarveshwarā ' was written by noted Marathi poet V. V. Shirwadkar alias Kusumā graj. This poem is a prayer which urges the supreme being for the enlightenment and upliftment of one's self and it is rendered by Kach, the son of Bruhaspati, on behalf of Devayā ni in the play 'Yayā ti ā Ni Devayā ni' (1966) . The play is based on a famous tale from Mahā bhā rata. This prayer is a fallout of an incident as portrayed in the climax of the play; when Yayā tee, having lost his youth and vitality due to a curse by Devayā ni, is lying weak and pale on the ground. Kach urges Devayā ni to reconcile her anger and in turn makes her agree to forgive Yayā ti and to give him back his youth. The prayer is an invocation and in the play it is rendered as the sanjeevani mantra. I have tried to interpret the poem in English prosaic form as it is the best I could arrive at. I am aware that it is difficult to call the lines typed below as verses. Never the less I have made every effort to be as conforming as possible to the original meaning of 'Sarvā tmakā '.

Oh, you the one, who is infinitely wise
One, whom each mortal being worships
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There are many ways in which the existence of the human being, or of any other creature for that matter, can be described. Each one of these ways has some uniqueness in its description. Well known Marathi poet B. B. Borkar described this existence as a sublime physical entity where upon a duty to undergo the cycle of life is entrusted by The Creator, Brahma as per the Hindu philosophy and beliefs. As per this philosophy, each of the creatures has a certain brahma-tatva inside him. The brahma-tatva can be best defined as the elemental extract of The Creator himself. This idea is not much different than the amber eyes inherited by the son from his father or the blond hairs inherited by the daughter from her mother. This brahma-tatva leads us to follow a certain destiny as per the philosophy. Poet Borkar has presented this philosophy in a metaphorical manner in the Marathi poem, ‘náhi puNnyáchi mojaNie’. The metaphors he has presented are simple but the message that his poem conveys is in sound conformation with the Hindu philosophy. In this article, I have made an effort to interpret the poem to the best of my ability and to present the same poem in English even though it is next to impossible for me to match the precision and economy of Poet Borkar. If the English version conveys the message even partly, I will consider it as a great achievement for my limited literary ability.

We don’t count any good deed
To no guilt we need to pay heed
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</>Look above up in the sky
Greater heights there do lie
Bother you not from the dark eye
Never ever give up but apply
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This poem was a reflection of my thoughts after spending some quality time near the cage of an Indian Eagle at a zoo in Chennai.

One day I found myself alongside an Eagle,
There with ordinary creatures he was to mingle.
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