Sri Krishna
A Sonnet
What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage. (Bhagavad-Gita 2.69)
5,000 years ago, Krishna reigned as king in the city of Dvaraka on the west coast of India. Queen Rukmini was actually Maha-Laksmi, the goddess of fortune.
The following poem is in the form of an Italian sonnet.
Krishna (left) as King of the city of Dvaraka, with Queen Rukmini. ISKCON Los Angeles.
(Photo: Umapati Swami)
Day and Night
O atheist, you live in darkest night.
But Krishna’s servant lives in light of day.
The atheist, though, sees the other way.
That friends of Krishna all have lost the light.
Lord Krishna
They cannot be both right and both misled.
And yet the question always will arise.
So let us seek the word of someone wise.
Five thousand years ago, here’s what she said.
Goddess Rukmini
“O Lord with lotus eyes,” Rukmini stated,
“The aims of those who live for you alone
Cannot by common men be understood.”
“And thus the world considers as ill fated
Those saints whose frame of mind remains unknown
Until one sees in you life’s highest good.”
Eternally touching my head to the floor at the lotus feet of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, for showing me all this.
~Umapati Swami, November 15, 2022
Photo top: Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy (Jishnu Das)
(Note: The opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organization or any other person.)
Write to me: hoswami@yahoo.com
© Umapati Swami 2022
Scriptural passages © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
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 85 years old, he has started this blog to share what he has learned.
Umapati Swami's Blog 