| | THE NIGHT WATCHMAN
Siva, My Lord, your Naga is wrapt so taut
about your famous Neelakanth blue throat, the blue line
shows up as a blue linga running along the rounded throat
so cool your throat appears, to end the heat of Hala-Hala
the formidable Naga is an inspiration of Fear, who is it?
that saiva, who can look fear in the snakes eye?
so that, the saiva can kiss the cheek of the high lord
how close this saiva must be to take the chill aum
from your hands, and lips, all done to the eye of Naga,
of the worrisome Ganas, Ganapathi and Nandin, all protective eyed.
what fear there is, in the nearness to the menacing Lord
as an acrobat wavering on the high wire, so is, the duality
so is, the fierce and compassion mixed so finely
the lustre of brillant blue, this is the color of his compasion,
the cool amber eyes of Naga are the eyes of fiercenesss
so, this is the understated Lord of the grey Ash,
is that a splatter of blood that marks the hidden eye?
it appears as tilaka, but what red could be so deep?
the eyes of the Lord hold the colors of the emotions,
as a chameleon they are shifting colors,reflecting and refracting
the blue sky, rocky mountains encircling, Uma's face
the ganga flowing and the long rounded snout of Ganapathi
Siva, Siva this is the shifting current of the saiva mind
I look into the AtmaLinga and become forgetful
seeing you poised on the skin of Narsimha, there is wonder
there too, you on the holy mount Kailash palace with Uma so close
and that old one said, 'Who can recount all the names ?'
but who is it, that can not resist the temptation ?
yes, who will not try to know the whole saiva tradition ?
to this solitary saiva sage, what more is there?
there is no need to fold the legs in padmasana,
resting on one pillow to my right I gaze on Siva's image,
and how is it this vision, so ancient, so old, so ageless
cuts apart the black monotony of these black ashen walls
is that Kali's skin that's been flayed and wrapped upon these walls ?
or is it the black of the eternal night, or the secret inner void
that truth lays somewhere, in the black print of the Siva Sutras,
the Bhairava songs, in the Saiva Agama sung by olden sadhus
olden sadhus of the mountain king, mountain lord,
the Night WATCHMAN.
Poetry from Shankara's Siva Recollections.
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| | Posted 4/5/2005 1:30 PM - 28 views - 0 comments
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