…And The Prison Gates Flung Open…
Parthinandan Radhey Shyama…
Hey Giridhari Sai Murari…
Dwapara Yuga,
With brutal atrocities the earth shook,
The time was imminent for the birth of the Lord,
For the simple and the pure hearted a heavenly accord,
Demons and demonic kings were on a rampage,
Divine companions were sent ahead to set the stage…
The four armed Narayana,
With Shankh, Chakra, Pushpa and Gada,
As His parents chose Devaki and Vasudeva,
Though imprisoned and harassed by Kamsa, her brother,
Devaki was radiant for she was the chosen Mother…
The Lord did reveal Himself to His parents,
But soon the fog of maya grew dense,
The prison gates flung open,
Then,
Unseen were the showers,
Of heavenly flowers,
Celestial beings together did proclaim,
Tathastu, Jai Ho, Ameen, Amen…
Yamunaji parted to make way,
For the Lord,
As mystics and sages continued to pray,
And the hood of Adi Sesha formed an umbrella,
Protecting the charming Gopala,
Even as Gokuldham,
Opened wide its arms,
To receive Narayana as Krishna…
Nand ke dulara,
Yeshoda ke bala,
Endeared Himself to the gopis, gopas,
Peacocks, each blade of grass, birds and flowers,
Cows and calves,
Changing fears and tears into merry laughs…
Krishna and Radha,
Radha was the adhaar of Krishna,
The embodiment of bhakti,
The personification of devotion was she,
Radha and Krishna together constitute,
The absolute truth,
Gaudiya Vaisvanism worships Her as the Goddess Shakti,
The most important incarnation,
Of Mother Laxmi was She…
The gopis yearned for Krishna,
For them He was the only Purusha,
The rest prakriti,
Replete knowledge, complete bhakti…
The individual and the Super Soul,
An inner understanding of the supreme goal…
A mental transmission,
Not a conception,
From the mind of Vasudev into the womb of Devaki,
A feat possible with achieved beings, you see,
Then, from Mathura to Gokul to Brindavan,
Krishna charmed all in Madhuban,
Everyone rejoiced with Madhusudhan…
His cherubic face, His mischievous ways,
Oh, the enthralling sound of His flute as cows did graze,
In pastures green,
Celestial beings joyfully watched, though unseen,
Heaven descended on Earth,
With the Lord’s birth,
Slaying of demons was a mere play,
Antics of Kanhaiya kept growing each day…
Giridhari, Mukunda, Madhava, Keshava,
Janardhana, Damodara, Murlidhara,
Soon slew the mighty Kamsa,
The pride of all was Nand Kishora…
Pandavas, Kauravas and Kurukshetra,
To the warring brothers,
When Krishna,
Offered Himself,
Or His army,
The Kauravas chose an increase in their military,
But the Pandavas never did deter from their choice,
‘Only Krishna’,
Said the Pandavas in one voice…
On the battlefield, Krishna,
Taught and advised Arjuna,
Timeless teachings, transcendental wisdom,
Compiled later into the sacred Bhagawad Gita…
And this,
Is how it was in Dwarka,
Rukhmini, Sathyabhama,
Expansions of Laxmi and Radha,
Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravrinda,
Nagnajiti, Bhadra and Lakshana,
16100 maidens He rescued from Narakasura,
Marrying them and reinstating,
Their respect in society,
A mass women rehabilitation,
As captive women were degraded by society,
Even so, these maidens had attained this ultimate status,
After many, many lifetimes of austerity…
Krishna expanded the same form into many,
He could do so with His mystical potency,
As He is of Godhead, the Supreme Personality,
For His Queens in Dwarka ensured peace and harmony…
Krishna is the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranam,
Meaning – the Dark One,
The One who attracts, the attractive One,
And also – The Existence of Bliss,
In spite of this, all names and forms are His,
Traditional belief based on scriptural details,
Zeroes down the date of the birth of Lord Krishna,
To 21st of July 3228 BCE,
And He is said to have ascended from Earth,
Possibly on 18th February 3108 BCE…
Lord Krishna gave up His mortal coil,
At Prabhasa,
He ascended to Vaikunta,
The sky did glow luminescent and bright,
But Earth had lost its brilliant light…
That was Dwapara Yug,
And this is what we read and hear,
But did He even once stand close and near?
With the delightful Lord Krishna,
Were we ever face to face?
Did we witness those leelas that still do us amaze…?
Together let us proclaim as it was done then,
Jai Ho, Halleluiah, Ameen, Amen,
The prison gates have once again flung open,
This time of the mind,
For time has been gentle, time has been kind,
Shades of blue, Krishna blue,
Has taken on an orange hue,
Pitambar dhari,
Is now Sai Murari,
Oh, what a boon and blessing,
The very sight of Him does bring,
The self same Krishna,
Is residing on Earth right now,
As He frolicked in Vrindavan, we were maybe,
A dust particle beneath His lotus feet,
A blade of grass, a gopa or a gopi,
Or perhaps a calf or a cow,
To be in His divine presence,
Blessed again somehow…
Devakinandan, Yashoda ke Bala,
Is here as Eashwarinandan, Sai Gopala,
He has come to fling open the prison gate,
Of our mind,
To elevate our fate,
So that we may find,
The mind can be a foe,
The mind can be a friend,
If we master the mind,
Miseries would end…
A desiring mind and many a mindless desire,
Sai Krishna is here to guide us some place higher,
Of trivial pettiness,
And petty trivialities to rise above,
To be an instrument of His unconditional love…
Teachings so simple yet profound,
His voice so pure, the most soothing sound,
If we but allow it to,
It will fling open the prison gates,
Of a narrow mind,
And we will find,
Him, in all that we do,
And all that He exhorts us to,
Oh, what a wonderful view,
Is just waiting for us all,
To one family we do belong,
Different notes of the one divine song,
A fatherhood of God and a brotherhood of man,
For that is His divine plan,
All creatures both great and small,
Beloved Bhagwan created them all,
Oh, what a wonderful view,
Awaits us all,
If we only but Help Ever, Hurt Never,
Love All and Serve All…
