Thunder Bay, Ontario
Something New
nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svaminn iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura vani pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
It was our morning-time focus,
When we offered you a lotus
At guru puja; always so cheerful —
No trace of anything at all tearful
It was the start of the year in Guyana
Where in abundance grow the lotus and banana
We didn’t know what was coming —
Temple operations were smoothly running
Then reports arrived in the month of January:
An attack came from a strange adversary,
An invisible creature who takes human lives,
A threat to children, men and precious wives.
Theories of conspiracies began to surface
As to the origin of a virus to hurt us
Going by the name COVID-19 –
A virus so ominous, dark and mean.
The public demanded answers to the questions they asked
And were told, “To be safe you must be masked,”
And social distancing at 6 feet is standard,
Wall coming together is now abandoned.
This pandemic spreads at the pace of a cheetah,
And disease is mentioned in Bhagavad-Gita,
Locked in arms are Kali and Covid —
You direct us to Krishna or Govind.
It is not surprising that bad omens come:
Sastra states duhkhalyam asasvatam.
Life’s leisurely ways are cut short;
We know it to be a reality distort.
The vision you share makes it all clear;
You offer hope when trouble is near.
Your question: “Are you able and ready?”
The answer: “When sadhana and love are steady.”
Prabhupada, you are helping us through this;
Your teachings burn a hole through this crisis.
Vaikuntha comes when the cycle is over,
Only when our hearts have that solid makeover.
Bless us to be tolerant like a tree.
Lessons on life are not always free:
They come at a price; we have to adjust.
It is as essential as the Earth’s crust.
Your servant,
Bhaktimarga Swami©
May the Source be with you!
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