Elevate Thyself Poem by Venkateswaran Krishnan Sreenivasan

Elevate thyself in body and spirit
By ennobling thoughts every minute
Peep not with eagle’s eye into other’s guilt
But look inward to find a surfeit of it.

Stoop not too low to conquer and win
To treat others as equal may not hurt your shin
Our nature is the offspring of what we call gene
That lends everyone its own sheen.

Anger, hatred, greed and pride
We gather like pebbles as through life we glide
Our journey ends with this beastly load
That keeps us away from our Maker, the Lord

Man is born in the image of God
The saints proclaim; it is half the truth;
So are all the creatures on earth
But imbued with intellect, man emulates the Lord.

Kindness, compassion, mercy and love,
Virtues that emanate from the Divine above
Keep us afloat in the samsar below
To help those in misery, distress and woe

Imbibe His virtues in sorrow and joy
And impart to your brothers without any ploy
Nobility trickles down not by precept
But by living examples hard to reject

Elevate thy soul by its innate strength
Let it not weaken by thoughts of sin
Your soul is thy nearest kin within
That turns your fiercest foe at length

Your soul is your sole pacemaker
That tunes your body, mind and brain
For energy, thoughts and deeds that drain
Your earthly bonds; the eternal peacemaker