Light Of Asia And Darkness In Me Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

Light Of Asia And Darkness In Me



Light of Asia and darkness in me

May be, I was studying in my fifth grade
We had a lesson in Gautama Buddha
A Tamil version of The Light of Asia

That piece was about Kisagotami
The mother with the dead child

We were taught in brief
How this poor woman
Got married to a rich merchant
How this baby boy was more important to her
Than what a child means to its mother
As this boy brought her peace of mind
And in her a special status in her husband's circle

She could not accept the death
But still believed that the baby is just sick
And can be revived
No one could make her understand
That her child was no more alive

She heard of Gautama Buddha
And his miraculous cures of both body and mind
Approached him with a plea to do something
To save her child holding the dead in her arms

"Mustard seeds" said the enlightened one
Astounding everyone around
"Not even handful, a few will do" he continued
"But from a house where no one has died" he added

She was pleased as she thought it would be very easy
She was sure that the child would be revived
She went hither and thither, far and wide
She came across no house matching this specification
Of no death of anyone
She came to realize that
Not only was she stricken by the death of a loved one
But this was the common human fate
Death is the destiny of all human beings

What words could not convey to her
Her experience of meeting people
Who suffered what she was going through
Explained to her the reality of life

She became clear that life is uncertain
While death is certain
Kisagotami was relieved of her illusion

But I was not
The child mind in me was telling me that
My house was a one
Where no one had died since the day I was born
Kisagotami could have come to our house
For the mustard seeds Buddha has asked for

I had seen people dying in our neighbourhood
And I was sure that no one had died in our house so far
I did not dare to ask any of my elders at home
As to any had died in our house

It took about two years for me to make out
People do die in my house as well
When my mother died due to pregnancy complications

Kisagotami understood the theory of existence
After the death of her baby boy and
I understood the same
By the demise of my mom

Was it an enlightenment
With a long-lasting darkness setting in

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Colleen Courtney 16 June 2014

Love this beautifully told story with it's wonderful imparted message. The innocence of the child's mind. How sad but yet also enlightening when truth finally takes hold. Enjoyed this great poem!

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