Tyaa fulaanchyaa gandh koshi: Part 2

1.

त्या फुलांच्या ~ गंधकोषी ~ सांग तू आहेस का...

Tell me, are you present in the fragrance of those flowers? 

Flowers are the best natural gifts that bring joy to everyone. Their various forms and colors bring happiness and peace at once.

Whether it is Javed Akhtar’s poetry set against the backdrop of tulips in the Netherlands “ Dekha ek khwaab to ye silsile hue, door tak nigah me hai gul khile hue”, or William Wordsworth enchanted with daffodils saying “and then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils”.

Flowers reach the heart!

Fragrance is a quality that in many ways is superior to the appearance of the flowers. You may be in your bedroom and a light breeze from the window may carry the fragrance of orange blossoms or jasmine right up to you. Or you may be wandering in the open hills or meadows and the fragrance may lead you to find the flowers.

A visually impaired individual can avail of the fragrance. Flowers are often gifted on special occasions. Much after their petals are drying and the color fading, the fragrance fills the home (and heart) so much that you don’t want to throw away the flowers. 

Each flower has its own distinct fragrance or essence. Thus is the reality with people. Each is born with his/ her special qualities. Someone with a kind and generous heart, someone with a melodious voice, yet another with some unique set of skills. These fragrances may be missed if you look at the outward appearance. Just as in flowers , this fragrance in people lingers much longer even after they are gone. A good example is our beloved singer Lata Mangeshkar whose melodious voice will stay forever and generations will revel in it.

 Somewhere in these subtle, hidden qualities is the hint of the source from where it all came. The underlying commonality here is that no matter what the quality, it is an essence of beauty and joy. Thus finding God in the fragrance of flowers could have a much bigger meaning than what comes to mind at first instance reading this first line of the poem.

2.

त्या प्रकाशी तारकांच्या ~ ओतिसी तू तेज का...

Are you the one who pours brilliance into those stars that shine in the night sky?

The night sky is perhaps the best example of the infinitude of Creation. Billions of stars and constellations that are located billions of miles away shine for billions of years and light up the sky for us to behold here from Earth. If this is not enough to make us wonder and feel the awe about the universe what else can? Every nation with a space program endeavors to explore the far away galaxies and wants to find the center, origin and age of the universe. Yet no one can conclusively assert any of these until now. It is a challenge to the human intellect. What or who can possibly keep this light shining on this scale? Extending the concept of infinitude to other things we come across, like the number and kind of fish in the ocean, trees in a forest , languages spoken or different faces around the world helps understand how universal infinitude is. To imagine a role of divinity in this is but natural. 

The Marathi poet Borkar has aptly said :

दिव्यत्वाची जेथ प्रचिती
तेथे कर माझे जुळती

Wherever I experience grandeur/divinity, there my hands fold with respect 🙏🏼

3.

त्या नभांच्या नीलरंगी ~ होऊनिया गीत का...

Are you the song in the vast blue sky?

Once the cover of the night sky with its  twinkling stars is pulled aside how would it feel to wake up to nothing? Unsettling? Empty? Not to worry. The vast expanse of the deep blue sky fills up for the absence of the stars and brings a song into the heart. The starlight is replaced by daylight.This is the case in our lives too. One door closes and another opens. We need faith( a song in the heart) to see the inevitability of the next door opening because that’s the hallmark of the design of this creation.There is a forethought to everything.There is kindness, generosity and hope for everyone in Nature. 

In my post about Vriksh valli I had alluded to Sant Tukaram’s reference to the sky as a canopy over his head when he lived in the mountains. आकाश मंडप पृथिवी आसन

The sky is perceived as a shelter that protects us human beings. 

Poet Jagdish Khebudkar seeks blessings from the Lord saying May your love be upon us like the vast sky.

आभाळागत् माया तुझी आम्हावरी ऱ्हावूदे 🙏🏼

The vast expanse of the sky serves as an inspiration for imagination and creativity. It has no boundaries. Infinite ideas can take flight from the human mind and bring forth amazing creations of art, literature, scientific discovery and more. 

The sky is also a metaphor for freedom. All living beings are born free. If they are shackled it is a natural instinct to break free and achieve their right to freedom. We often use the term “free bird”, implying free to fly in the open sky, a person having no limitations, no obligations, no entanglement.

In Hindu literature the color blue has been often associated with the Divine Being. Ram and Krishna, the incarnations of Vishnu are depicted as having a blue complexion. Perhaps the poet associates this characteristic( color of divinity) with the blue sky. 

4.

गात वायूच्या स्वरांने ~ सांग तू आहेस का...

Is it you who sings the notes of the wind?

If God is the song in the blue sky HE makes Himself heard through the sound of the wind.

The sun in the daytime can get scorching, a metaphor for difficult times. But a gentle breeze can swing by and make it easy to carry on. There is a song in the wind and we simply have to learn to listen to it. Had it not been for the soothing song of this wind imagine how hard it would be to toil under the heat?

The scorching Sun may be compared to expected hardships like our daily work life or family life. We try to juggle so many things into our day and at times are unsure if we can get past it all. And then you find a neighbor or a coworker or even a boss who lends a helping hand and it feels like finding shade under a tree or a calming breeze relieving us from the heat of the hour.

This line reminds me of a sweet song in the voice of Suman tai Kalyanpur .

Naavikaa re vaaraa vaahe re

Doulaane haak jaraa aaj naav re

Oh boatman, the wind blows( over the waters, making them turbulent)

Please row this boat confidently today( so I reach the shore safely)! 

That’s for another day. 

Saree is a cotton Jamdani in pink from West Bengal. The saree has a touch of turquoise in the border and pallu design.

Paired it with a cotton Pochampally ikat blouse.