A Visit To Sringeri- 2 Poem by Indira Renganathan

That was the unruly mob most undisciplined
Albeit supposedly the most pious devotees
That dissuaded my watching the pooja
Venting my heart no bit of a stand
To get in there with my prayers...
That left me enshrouded much with regrets and despair

After a long while another visit recently
"Guru must have read my mind" I well guessed
There were hardly fifty people this season
A blessed feeling that I felt even earlier
Pagoda flowers giving illumed welcome throughout
While winding through the ghats to Sringeri

All was well at Sringeri
With all the preaching of the Jagathguru
With all the blessings of His Holiness
With all the visits to the temples there
With all the dharshan of the deities there
With all the gentle soothing showers, heaven adown

Heaven adown, yes, all along with river Tunga...
Calm, blissful myriad heavens in her convened
A feeling to be felt drowned in her charm
A visual to be visioned by soul into her soul
Tunga was pregnant with verdure on both banks
Supporting flora, fauna and a pantheon of gods

Neither Kaalabhairava nor Kaali nor Durgha
Despite the deity of the wild woody forests
Was fearful but invitingly bewitching
Even the Sun God of Suryanarayana temple
Like the sun of the sky wasn't burning
But was at once pleasingly blessing, bestowing

The blue sky was carpeted with mellowed grey
Whence in controlled perforation
Elysian rose-water-drizzles kept on drizzling
Tunga was scented all along in high pleasance
And in beaming mercy Mother Sharadha
Blessing, blessing, blessing Her aqua-kid

And there the fishes big biggies playing happily
That I found them fear-free of being fished
And there Lord Hanuman in height blissful
I found installed firmly rejoicing Tunga-breath
And me, to fall lain at the Mother's feet Tunga-way
Awaiting yet again one more visit to Sringeri