A Poem
Sri Krishna
It has been five thousand years since Krishna spoke the Bhavagad Gita to Arjuna but only five hundred since he appeared in this world again, this time with a golden complexion, in what is now West Bengal. He was known as Lord Chaitanya, and he lived as a devotee, constantly chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra to set an example and to taste the pleasure of a devotee’s life.
The following poem was inspired by “Jiv Jago,” a poem by Thakura Bhaktivinoda, a spiritual master in our disciplic line. (Maya is the goddess who keeps us in illusion.)
The forms of Lord Chaitanya (right) and his expansion Lord Nityananda, ISKCON Hong Kong. photo: Umapati Swami
Note: On a mobile phone, this poem is best viewed by holding the phone sideways.
Wake Up, O Sleeping Soul
Wake up, wake up, and chant, O sleeping soul.
Lord Chaitanya has come to show the way.
The Maya witch has held you in her sway.
Too long you’ve let illusion take its toll.
You’ve been asleep, you’ve long forgot the goal.
Be blind no more. Let in the light of day.
Wake up, wake up, and chant, O sleeping soul,
Lord Chaitanya has come to show the way.
You’ve roamed this world of night from pole to pole,
Although you promised once you’d never stray.
You’ve wept for what is only crumbling clay,
But Krishna’s blessed name will make you whole.
Wake up, wake up, and chant, O sleeping soul.
Eternally touching my head to the lotus feet of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada,
⁓Umapati Swami, August 16, 2018
photo top: Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy (Jishnu Das)
Write to me: hoswami@yahoo.com
Srila Prabhupada
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the teacher who brought Krishna Consciousness from India to the West and then to the rest of the world. He is the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement as well as the author and compiler of many works of Vedic knowledge. He left this world in 1977.
Umapati Swami
One of the first American devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement, he became Srila Prabhupada’s disciple in 1966. Since then, he has preached Krishna Consciousness in many countries and is the author of “My Days with Prabhupada,” available from Amazon. Now 84 years old, he has started this blog to share what he has learned.
© 2018 Umapati Swami
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