Tuesday 5 January 2016

The celibate monk

The Celibate monk                                                 poet Rajiv Borah   Translated by Bhaskar J Nath  

                                          
Prologue: Childhood bewails,scourged in the incessant cascading ebb of tradition. An exasperating journey from mothers lap to the land. Pangs of life .....consolation of fulfilment of life...I have seen the faces glimmering in the light emnating from that pillar that rises above the ordinary debate of meaning and meaninglessness.And I saw the painful faces of cowherding peers on the river bank in the morning. I saw the childhood hiding in the bushes of river bank,dragged by them to metamorphose them to monk. Bird that once was free, gnawed and screamed after tied to that rigid cycle of discipline.one day he fled away ........then again the same cycle...oneday I saw him as my classmate...clad in the attire of self diminution he was a complete stranger.his ways were resolved with firm vows.....How he stood firm while we all surrendered to the wind of youth like a plaintain fore leaf of a tree....how indifferent is this world for those who are attuned to that cycle of discipline and customs after fighting the tideof the rock moss ocean of conflicts !!!

 From afar visible are the lions Faced each other,
curved alive by unknown sculptor
Nails of rock piereced my awe stuck heart
 Never I dared to ask that question With panick stricken voice
 Why is the gate adorned with elephants instead of flowers.
The lord says -chanting of lord krishnas name is simha....

***


 After i frittered without the warmth of love ,
 and accursed by the scourching heat of poverty
 I had to embrace the devutter land ..
.Fathers earning was too meagre to raise the family with seven children

***

Mother sisters and brothers Transient are the power and pelf....
Thus grow the aides tender hand harder
 Following the strange riddles
 fingers accustomed to the graceful movement like a danceuse
 That once wiped away mucus of nose...

 ***

Crawling and rolling on the rock and silts
 like a handful of water straming through the tradition Life destined for an eternal journey

 ***

 Where is the sea Where is the vow of that greater life sublime
For how many days cries the dove in my heart In my dream
 i saw the white and black stripped horse obstructed the passage
Heard the earthen pot drown in to water and filled up

***

Curse and accursed Blessed...
blessed with that surrender to lord krishna
 and dismissal of transient life of pleasure

***

 Rock-moss ocean of self diminution
 Invincible pillar of brahma at the distant horizon
 Mysterious tune flows from the flute

 ***

 Epilogue:
 I saw him that day
 He dimissed the burden of his celibacy
 and he tiiled and harrowed his life with " xoroxoposar
" Now he is a complete house holder thriving delicately

***

How are you ?
:again the same voice of complaints , dissatisfaction
 Which is so concealed and private
 A bewailing pangs of unfulfiment writ large on his eyes


 Notes and references & study tools :
1) celibate monk; denotes the devoted religious souls who embraced that vaisnavite marg of shankar Deva and abstain fro any worldly pleasure like marriage etc 2)"bird that was once so free"-- life of the disciples were so independent and free that was not constrained to anything 3)"childhood hiding in the bushes'-- cowherding is a common practice in the rural life of assamese society...childrens are very deeply connected to the nature
 4)clad in the attire of self diminution'-- after accepted the celibacy of manstery tradition undergoes a severe metamorphosis from external to the deep moral and spiritual. one used to wear the traditional satriya apparels that is dhooti and kamiz etc
 5)from afar visible are the lions'-- the gateway of satra adorned with the sculpture of lions standing tall and stout signifying the root of origin of religion ...that originates from the etymological 'Dhri" ...
6) xoroxoposar-- sixteen elements used to offeer during religious ceremonies and worship
 ( About the poet ;- Rajib Borah is one of the prominent assamese poet . he stated writing from the last decade of the 20th century. His poetry is not merely the bleak musing or interp[retetion of life in rhythmic language , but stritclt escape from emotion and personality) A bewailing pangs of unfulfiment writ large on his eyes

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