“Who deserves Heaven?”
asked the teacher then.
“Mother.”
“Father.”
The pupils’ replies deferred
“You good sir.”
“All godly men.”.
“What Kanaka, is your answer?”
“I deserves Heaven”
“Heaven he fancies!”
“How dare he dream!?”
The furor and screams
never did ease.
“What said you?”
The preacher asked in peace.
“If your kind sir may please,
‘I’ merits Paradise.
The I in me, the I in you,
the I in these men who rue,
these ‘I’s deserve Paradise.”
The answer rang so true,
it immensely pleased the guru.
For I when exiled,
Selfdom is dead.
The I-less self can flaunt no ego
Kanakadasa knew this
so long ago!
The above anecdote is a true incident in the life of the great poet-saint of Kannada, Kanakadasa. Kanaka’s devotion to Lord Sri Krishna was legendary. So unshakeable in fact, that it is believed that the idol of the lord in the Udupi shrine did a 180-degree turn to give darshan to this devotee!
Kanakadasa is believed to have had this conversation with Sri Vyasa Raja, another great saint of those times.
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Congratulations. This truly a wonderful poem! I'm so glad that you chose to base your poem on the teachings of the saints.
Best regards and wishing a lovely week hosting the next contest,
Harry
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a true realized soul
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powerful take on ego Shantalanil..and you expressed really very well
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Loved readin this.
Avinash
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nice take on the pix...liked it
madhvi
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Reminds me of Fritz Perl's Gestalt Prayer:
I am I
And
You are You
If by chance we meet
Its fine
And even if we don't
Its fine too
Thank you for sharing - an apt post on Guru Purnima
~CB
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