Upon encounter, some know my soul
Others merely my shadow see.
I know He is I,
However, I do not know who I am. Arjuna, the archer par excellence of Kurukshetra
Perplexed and paralyzed at the crossroads
In old entrenched dharma:
Nurturing disinterest in worldly possessions and
Seeking to live the ideal of kinship and respect for elders —
Unaware of the innate dharma:
Becoming His follower for
He is the only true Charioteer of self —
Heeding the call of true Dharma:
Engaging in alchemic aspirations of spirit
Liberated from the transient righteous notions of duty
Transcending stifling moral conceptions of right and wrong
Becoming His instrument, agent and worker,
Consecrating integrally self, ideals, and act
Offering the fruits and outcomes of toil
As the prayer of body, mind, and soul
Pursuing His will and becoming His-minded.
Arjuna, the pursuer of the self-Yagna after the epic war
Exploring the realms visited once but now in search of inner-self
Discovering greater reality within and beyond
Recognising the enduring lessons of transience of life’s affairs
Like a droplet of water in a perpetual cycle of ‘cloud to ground to ocean’ —
It is in Oneness with Him that
Arjuna’s body, mind, and soul find fulfillment.
O Arjuna of Krishna! Invoke within me
The Spirit that leads me to my destiny at His feet.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!
September 12, 2005
Published in Mother India: Special Issue, p. 299.
(April 24, 2006)