Mahathi is arguably one of the best Indian English poets of the 21st century. Though started his poetic cruise like any other poet, composing
poems on such hackneyed subjects like, nature, love, beauty and burning HARE KRISHNA social issues, later started focusing all his poetic skills in exploring the deep sacred niches of spiritual realms and heights of ecstatic poetic expression. His mastery over prosody, philosophical approach, clear diction, finest use of figures of speech, aesthetics, clever strokes of satire and pun and thrilling narrations made him a poet of enviable literary supremacy. His 6th book viz. FINDING THE MOTHER, a trans-creation of SRI SUNDARA KANDA, the 5th Canto of SRIMAD RAMAYANA stands out as an all time classic of English literature. Mahathi believes that avidya (lack of spiritual education and practice) as the root cause of all social maladies and that ever human by treading the Dharmic path alone can bring eternal peace and prosperity to the world.
HARE KRISHNA is Mahathi’s 8th book, based on the eternal Indian epic, SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM by H.H. Sage SRIKRISHNA DWAIPAYANA VYASA. HARE KRISHNA is the melodious saga of Lord Sri Krishna’s childhood adventures composed in lyrical and narrative ballads with an authentic analysis and philosophical explanation of the mystical and wondrous exploits of the Godhead on earth.
Here is an intensely, explosive poetic gem on the supreme empowerment of Lord Krishna – emblazoned with rich lyrical and narrative skills. So transcendental, esoteric and yet everlasting to delight the heart with tranquility and joy... a real tour de force. —Leonard Dabydeen, ON, Canada - Author of Watching You, A Collection of Tetractys Poems (2012), Searching For You, A Collection of Tetractys and Fibonacci Poems (2015). Mahathi Mahathi in quintessence is a spiritual ambassador. His words, full of insight and understanding, express the authentic experience of enlightenment filled with great word play, aesthetics and classic metaphor. —Dr. Reshma Ramesh, renowned Indian English poet
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harekrishna_cover_NEW.indd 1 21/03/17 7:33 PM INTRODUCTION
—O scion of the Bharata dynasty, whenever there is a decline in Dharma and increase of adharma, then do I manifest Myself. -Srimad Bhagavath Gita
A fight between the good Godly forces and bad demonic forces takes place in every yuga or eon. The God programmed the earth in such a way, the earth survives as long as the virtues are upheld and Dharma is followed. Dharma means ‘acceptable social behaviour’ which includes legality, morality and amity. But the unmindful demonic spirits from the underworld try to possess the human bodies to quench their carnal and worldly desires. When demonic forces thus take a dominance over the earth, the result is chaos, dwindling of virtues and upraise of sins. That is when the God descends donning an Avatar to save the earth from increasing weight of sins (paapa bharam). STORY: A Yadava king by name Kamsa is thus possessed by a demonic spirit by name Kalanemi. His behaviour changes.
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One day a cosmic voice tells him that the 8th son of his cousin, Devaki would kill him. Kamsa jails his cousin Devaki and Vasudeva, her husband. He kills six of his cousin's infant sons (nephews) as soon as they were born. But the seventh time, there was a mysterious miscarriage. And as the eighth child, Lord Narayana Himself descends. By Lord's command and mystical help Vasudeva escapes from jail, swaps the infant with Yashoda's just born female child and returns to jail. Kamsa was astonished looking at the female child. Nevertheless lifts his sword to kill, but that female child turns into fierce Kali Ma and warns him again that his killer is growing somewhere else. The divine spirit of the seventh aborted fetus of Devaki grows as the son of Ma Rohini, the first wife of Vasudeva with the name of Balarama alias Sankarshana. The eighth child who escapes from jail, is none other than Lord Narayana, who grows as the son of Ma Yashoda and father Nanda, with the name Krishna at Vrajapuram, a village of cowherds, with Nanda as their Chief. Kamsa pretends to have changed his ways, and invites Devaki and Vasudeva back to palace. But the very next day he leashes out a reign of terror in the surrounding villages by sending down his demon knights to kill every new-born baby. Here in Vrajapuram Krishna starts showing his Godly traits even as an infant boy. First he kills a poison-lady called Poothana, one of Kamsa's cronies. Thus start his divine exploits and he despatches to heaven, one by one of Kamsa's demons. Balarama too kills a gigantic demon by name Pralamba. Scared of the demons' menace the cowherds shift to Brindavanam a grand greenly place at the foot of mountain Govardhanam. Besides Kamsa's demon warriors, he also kills the rowdy son of Lord Maya and teaches a good lesson and drives away Kaleeya, a
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serpent who was poisoning the green fields of Brindavanam. He relieves the sons of Lord Kubera from the curse of Divine sage Narada. In the meantime, the cow maids develop love for Krishna and ask him to take them all. Krishna tries to teach them Jnana...but stunningly the maids give him a taste of Bhakti. Krishna, the God himself was awed. There are other episodes like the abduction of Nanda; Krishna taking on a divine flight his cowboy friends into the fascinating realms of upper worlds; sage Garga's revelations about Krishna and the greatness of the name Vaasudeva; Krishna gulping the wild fire; Krishna revealing his Godly might to Lord Brahma and lifting the Govardhanam hill to rescue the villagers from the wrath of Lord Indra etc. By the time Krishna attains eleven years of age, he gets rid of the demonic forces one by one. Kamsa desperate makes a last ditch effort by inviting Krishna to Madhura, his capital city, for a final face-off. Krishna and Balarama take the challenge of a gigantic four- tusked mammoth called Kuvalayapeedanam and kill it. Then they face a number of trained wrestlers of Kamsa too and get rid of them. Kamsa's army sensing a turn of tables secretly release Devaki, Vasudeva and Ugrasena from the jail. In the final gruel encounter, Krishna slays Kamsa to the cheers of all the humans and devathas. The story runs in lyrical and narrative ballads. Though the format is old and style is classical, the way it's told is very modern, in simple English, keeping in mind the modern reader's interest and propensities. At the same time this is not a simple
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story narration. This book also discusses in deep, various spiritual conundrums at length, and tries to explain many issues in the Hindu epics often subjected to doubt and criticism like Rasa Leela, curses and boons given by saints/sages, the never-ending feud between the Godly forces and demonic forces, the adamant and arrogant way sinners think and how and why their meet their disastrous end.
लोकाः समर᳢ताः सुिखनोभवंतु Mahathi
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Hare Krishna.indd 20 3/16/17 5:50 PM CONTENTS
1 Avatar...... 1 2 Kamsa ...... 13 3 Maya...... 19 4 Evil Schemes...... 25 5 Vrajapuram...... 30 6 Nanda and Vasudeva...... 34 7 Poothana...... 37 8 Demonic Cart Sakatasura ...... 45 9 Lord Vaasudeva...... 58 10 Pounding Stone...... 68 11 Divine Sage Narada...... 73 12 The Two Sal Trees...... 78 13 Brindavanam...... 84
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14 Cowherds...... 88 15 The Ugly Crane...... 94 16 Aghasura, the Snake...... 101 17 Missing Cows and Cowherds...... 109 18 Lord Brahma...... 114 19 Dhenukasura ...... 126 20 Kaleeya...... 137 21 Pralamba...... 153 22 Monsoon...... 159 23 Winter...... 169 24 Gopikas...... 176 25 Hungry Cowherds...... 187 26 Indra Yagam...... 204 27 Angry Indra...... 212 28 The Storm...... 219 29 Indra Concedes...... 235 30 Nanda Kidnapped...... 246 31 Spring Time...... 256 32 Krishna on Bhakti...... 271 33 Rasaleela...... 283
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34 Sudarshana...... 295 35 Sankhachooda...... 303 36 Idylls ...... 307 37 The Demon Bull...... 312 38 Kesi...... 319 39 Vyomasura ...... 325 40 Akrura...... 333 41 Akrura with Krishna and Rama...... 346 42 Odyssey...... 354 43 Mathura ...... 360 44 The Night Before...... 377 45 Kuvalayapeedanam ...... 382 46 The Wrestlers ...... 386 47 End of Evil Kingdom...... 394
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Hare Krishna.indd 23 3/16/17 5:50 PM PRAYER AND DEDICATION
OM I scrawl ‘Hare Krishna, Krishna’; my quill as Ram impels! When sure can quell all sin; my ink, why other tales I tell?
A Rosary why, to chant His names, His scents when heart respires; why seat for aasan tight, while dance thy feet in His empire!
On bosom my, I bear His foil, a lotus like, so light, and spirit His, inside my heart, that ever burning light!
Dedicated to: LORD SRI KRISHNA VAASUDEVA
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Hare Krishna.indd 24 3/16/17 5:50 PM AVATAR
The two dumb torches glowing in vain in grim silence of jail… gloomy, gloomy…who harkens there a mother’s painful wail?
O’ Devaki, O’ Devaki what gain this labour pain; eighth time thou deliver, alas to stick to javelin!
The innocent nascent cry wakes up the tyrant wild. With strides long, long, he comes and jumps to slay the tender child!
Vasudeva, Vasudeva, O’ shackled father’s love helpless to help thy wife art thou or save thy child art thou!
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Hare Krishna.indd 1 3/16/17 5:50 PM Hare Krishna
Whence raised a light filling the cell. The sticky oily dirt assumed oho, divine perfume. What’s that…that dazzling spurt?!
It’s blue, sky-blue with golden streaks, a thousand stars as if appeared on earth with a piece of sky, as stunned couple stayed stiff.
A voice melodious whence spoke; divine like temple toll “O’ Mother Devaki, in womb thine holy; lies my soul!”
Thou be my father O’ the pure and pious Vasudeva and Mother Devaki my Ma; Me God in fact in awe!”
“It’s not in here I further live, but in Vrajapuram, the greenly green village of plain cowherds of love wholesome!”
“Me there thou take O’ father pious, where start I first, my play and come to thee, O’ my beloved in course of time and way!”
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Hare Krishna.indd 2 3/16/17 5:50 PM Avatar
“Nanda’s the Chief of that village… his wife Yashoda Ma will deliver of a child, female tonight; when thou me Ma!”
“O’ Mother Pure and Father Pious I’ll drink Yashoda’s milk this’ my edict, the Karma rule, and grow with cowherd-ilk.”
“Thou take me there O’ Father pious and swap the kids and bring that child, female into this jail and place before the king.”
With great amazement sipped that blessed couple, the sweet nectar of sacred light, missing nothing of that greatest specter.
Vanished that light whence cried the child like bluish cloud – a boy Krishna; the light, the path and sought Krishna, Krishna, the name a joy.
The joyous mother pressed the child to bosom hers with tears blessing the kid; as father looked around alert all ears.
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Hare Krishna.indd 3 3/16/17 5:50 PM Hare Krishna
With shackled hands and legs, the proud but scared Vasudeva doubled on knees and kissed the child’s two cheeks, rosy and raw.
The moment touched he the child, the chains binding his limbs were snapped with creaky sounds like click, click…click! By stunned silence he’s ‘nwrapped.
With panic he tiptoed towards the prison door, clasped tight the bars and looked at corridor… when heard more ‘clicks’…he gasped.
With sudden jerk the prison lock broke open, fell on ground then opened bolt as well and dropped making a heavy sound.
Alarmed Vasudeva had jumped backwards, whence opened door as if by some invisible force. Benumbed he glued to floor!
But soon he came to consciousness, walked out of jail and pried. The guards were lying still on floor as if quite long they died.
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Hare Krishna.indd 4 3/16/17 5:50 PM Avatar
He rushed inside, told Devaki “It’s time I shall fulfil the Lord’s decree, before the dawn, ere raises demon’s shrill.”
“Give me the child, O’ Devaki; a just-born son, I know, I know the pain of parting dear but remember His vow!”
“My son too He’s, O’ dear! Endure we have to oh this woe. God hath His ways, arcane and weird. His game we’ve to follow.”
“We had the signs…what signs, nay, nay we saw the Lord Himself, we heard His voice and saw His light. He needs no aides, no help.”
“Give me the child, O’ Devaki it’s time I go, it’s time to reach Vrajapuram, ere bells of fort’s first morning chime.”
She gave the child; her tears washing the tender baby skin off fetal slime and shaky hands her wiped the dripping blood.
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Hare Krishna.indd 5 3/16/17 5:50 PM Hare Krishna
He took the child so tenderly enwrapped by sari cloth and said, “Shouldn’t rue when rift rescues; it’s time I hit the swathe.”
He swiftly walked outside the jail. The corridors were calm. Silent was fort in deep repose. At sight he found no harm.
A zephyr cool besmeared balsam The stars twinkled delight! A sweet perfume loaded the air. he felt his body light.
It’s new, all new experience; his own city looked strange, with rare unknown beauties, and world as entered virgin age.
It’s Krishna Ashtami, the eighth diem from full Moon day of Sravana month. Oh the night was dim, chilly and gay.
The faint moonbeams were fighting hard to throw on path their light when flashed an aureole around the child, divine and bright.
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Hare Krishna.indd 6 3/16/17 5:50 PM Avatar
The trees shuddered with ecstasy, the earth it seemed did spin a bit faster than its routine and sparked Levins in welkin.
Whence started thin trickles of rain to soon become a storm. lightings had flashed in continuum as thunders clapped “Om, Om!”
The rivers flowed with gushing vim, the ocean waves had raised like thirsty tongues to sip the rain as worlds beheld amazed.
Vasudeva looked up skywards with dumb astonishment and tried to wrap the child with his outstretched upper garment.
The rain was drenching skin and bones. The showering drops of rain eddied on baby’s skin like pearls on blue sapphire arcane.
By then, a stoic that father great had chanted loud the name: “Narayana, Narayana, Narayana!”, whence came…
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Hare Krishna.indd 7 3/16/17 5:50 PM Hare Krishna
Whence came, a huge ophidian1 with thousand hoods outspread and eyes like burning Suns and stood shading that father’s head.
He looked upwards with eyes widened, got terrified, but held his nerves, his faith unfailing. Calm in name Divine, he dwelled.
He walked briskly, “Narayana, Narayana”, chanting as sacred serpent slid behind with spread out hood-awning.
At last he reached the lushly shores of river Yamuna with silky sands, bounded by rich flora and spry fauna.
Oh, Yamuna’s in violent rush, gushing forward, brushing the shore, like an voluptuous belle kissing her beau blushing.
1 Ophidian: (n): snake
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Hare Krishna.indd 8 3/16/17 5:50 PM Avatar
Vasudeva unperturbed closed his eyes and cried again “Narayana” that great mantra by which what not we gain?
He continued, “Narayana, Narayana”, this time aloud and hoarse, “Narayana, Narayana”, it’s time…
It’s time of greatest miracles unseen, unheard ever. The bursting clouds turned boisterous; the rain and gales severe.
The tidal waves of Yamuna uprose with roars and rage, then broke with deafening sounds and forked to make a wide passage.
Oh, Yamuna, the river blessed did pave a boulevard grand welcoming Lord, the first of sorts of grainy silver sand.
Isn’t Yamuna, the nature-maid; Maya, Her other name, enshrouding HIM, HIS own aura, HIS veil, HIS strength and fame!
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Hare Krishna.indd 9 3/16/17 5:50 PM Hare Krishna
He walked and walked to reach the banks. Rain stopped, vamoosed the snake, and Yamuna glided as usual with lovely navel shake.
The strange phenomenon that waxed till then had waned quickly. With saintly smile, he looked around and walked forward briskly.
The storm mellowed to fine drizzle as gales turned mild tailwinds. The clouds grumbled somewhere softly; lightening managed just winks.
Vrajapuram, located at the foot of Govardhanam, a hill with thick verdure, echoed with bees’ sonorous hum.
A small village of naive cowherds, Vrajapuram, a place with scents of milk, butter and grass and oozing love and grace.
It’s all silence, except some sounds of lashing tails of cows and their low growls at teasing bees and creaks of swinging boughs.
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Hare Krishna.indd 10 3/16/17 5:50 PM Avatar
He moved through lanes familiar, watching the homes in drowse; smelling the scents of milk and ghee and entered Nanda’s house.
Nanda, his own cousin was fast asleep and all women who kept a watch on Yashoda, so tired, slumbered by then.
Enshrouded by Maya, mother Yashoda didn’t realize she delivered of a child; Maya in temporal disguise.
Vasudeva had quickly swapped the kids and moved towards his jail, nay, nay, not anymore; the provenance2 of Lord!
In all silence he reached the jail and looked at his consort; asleep; weary of ecstasy -in rhythmic thumps her heart.
2 Provenance: (n); the place where something first came from
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Hare Krishna.indd 11 3/16/17 5:50 PM Hare Krishna
For once he kissed the child and tenderly placed beside his wife; sighed, peeked around with feelings interlaced.
His legs and hands he quickly chained and sat with mind serene. His heart thumping with joy and lips chanting His name with preen.
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare
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