I love You because I love You
Why meet —
To me You are air
Present everywhere
Doris Kareva
last day of summer
Tag: bhakti
luster
a poem for Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī… 
luster
burnt with longing,
i am a river scorched
by the summer sun
shimmering haze of light,
my swithered heart
i find you in the pause
i have not seen heaven
but i have seen moon’s luster
dripping onto your hips
he who dwells in my heart
is the white lord of pandharpur,
the one who plays
monsoon one,
your waist is my altar
there is no need
for pearls
when you are there
wishing beautiful celebrations to everyone! Jai Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the enchanter of the heart!
Mahārājñī
She who shines like golden dew
She who is robed in silks of ruby
and adorned with gems of splendour
She who abides in the oblatory fire
and wears rising suns as earrings
She whose tender face is of flowers
and whose eyes are the triad of time,
i take refuge at her feet.
aureate enchantress of desire,
melt the greed nestled in the pools of my heart
make it so i do not again defile the fruit of your womb that is existence itself
and bless me to tread gently in this life
to walk in harmony with your children,
enamoured with the highest truth that is You. 
from an in-the-works poem of mine entitled “Mahārājñī”, written on the last day of retreat with my beloved saṅgha & teacher, which culminated with an all-day intensive open to the public consisting of the exquisite Siri Jyoti Pūjā, designed by our Kavithaji’s paramā-guru – Śrī Amritananda Natha Saraswati of Devipuram. the pūjā has been the most beauty my eyes have ever beheld at once.
: my first time wearing a saree with the occasion of the pūjā, which i believe to be the most beautiful garment ever created. / adulating the Śrī-cakra, photo credit – @sabda_institute.
deeply touched, in awe & grateful. śrī mātre namah 
i bank at your feet
“the world’s a boundless ocean
there’s no crossing it,
but i bank at your feet.
i see the waves,
the bottomless waters
and shiver in terror of dissolution.
be merciful,
save your beloved.
harbour me in your boat
to your feet.
the tempest storms without lull,
so too my shaking body.
i’m immersed in your name…Tārā!
the essence of the world.
fulfill this desire of You.”
my rendition of a few verses written by Bhakti poet Ramprasad Sen & picked from a poem dedicated to Tārā. the original translation belongs to Rachel Fell McDermott!
happy Navāratra! today is the last day of Śabda Institute’s immersion into the exquisite vidyā of Tārā, the luminous Mahāvidyā who embodies the very essence of pure expression – the north star that guides us to the self. we learned to chant the Tārā Dhyānam and explored highly esoteric concepts such as Vāk and Śabda Brahman from the standpoint of practical applications in our day-to-day lives. truly, what i love most about this approach is how highly practical and immediate the application is.
this Navāratra was wondrous, and i am grateful it is the second one i have spent in the company of our saṅgha. my heart swells for the glistening of the stars that shall guide me home…
śrī mātre namah!
prayer by Téa Nicolae
mother, my mother,
may your piercing hum shatter my chest
and imbibe my being with radiance.
mother, my mother,
may my eyelids burn at the sight of your lustrous sword,
and may my tears bathe the soles of your feet.
mother, my mother,
you are the darkness of the night sky
and the golden stars that gleam through.
one glimpse of you,
and i am humbled
before the blissful truth
that all that i am
and all that is
is dribble
gliding on your tongue.
i am so, so very honoured to have my poem included in the introduction to my beloved teacher’s upcoming course, accompanying the spellbinding art created by the incredibly talented Rashmi / Rashmi Thirtha Sacred Arts Studio
the wisdom Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan imparts in her courses is exquisite and authentic. each time i listen to her, i feel my heart cracking open, bit by bit, to the vidyā flowing through. Kavithaji offers direct applications for one’s life: thus, the teaching does not remain an esoteric, abstract concept – the shift occurs instantly. i highly recommend her courses & her work to all sādhakas!
Kavithaji’s mesmerising words:
“It was the autumn Navarātra of 2015. I got out of the car and began walking. It was a clear night and I had been meditating on Tārā all day. It had been a day of alternating turmoil and bliss, both evoked by deep meditation. When I looked up at the star-studded sky, my legs suddenly stopped working. As if paralyzed, I stood on the sidewalk, staring at the sky. In the profound silence of that moment, the life purpose I had so ardently sought became clear. The path opened up before me… and also the obstacles that stood in my way – my self-deceptions and the demons of my own making. In retrospect, it was a defining moment, which would lead me to my guru. Like all the other Mahāvidyās, Tārā is fierce and her sādhanā is uncompromising. Her supreme vidyā is that of the Śabda Brahman. And of course, tārā also means star – how serendipitous…This Navarātra (February 17-21, 2021), we will throw ourselves at her feet, and implore her to show us the way. With her yantra as the focal point, we will explore her iconography, history, symbolism… and importantly, how she shows up in our lives. As always, this course is all about practical applications of the highest principles. We’ll see how this great goddess is constantly manifesting in our lives, our breath, our speech and our action. We will learn to invoke her in all of these areas.”
to enroll:
more information:
I, Lalla
kneeling at the cradle of the skies and the seas,
she prays with her hips
and she asks the Earth for forgiveness.
~ these are my favourite lines from an ending poem belonging to my final year project: a devotional collection about the feminine mystique. while writing it, my greatest influence was Lalleshwari, who also is my favourite poetess. i’ve been fondly thinking of her today as i revisited my poems. from her collection “I, Lalla”:
Wrapped up in Yourself, You hid from me.
All day I looked for You
and when I found You hiding inside me,
I ran wild, playing now me, now You.
As the moonlight faded, I called out to the madwoman,
eased her pain with the love of the One.
‘It’s Lalla, it’s Lalla,’ I cried, waking up the Loved One.
I mixed with Him and drowned in a crystal lake.
I wore myself out, looking for myself.
No one could have worked harder to break the code.
I lost myself in myself and found a wine cellar. Nectar, I tell you.
There were jars and jars, and no one to drink it.
i aimed to emulate her character into the female voice i created: an embodied woman devoted to the supranatural, whose esoteric experiences were deeply personal, imperfect and feminine. 
Lalla (or Lal Ded) was an enchanting Kashmiri mystic and saint, who created the prominent style of spiritual poetry known as “vakhs”. she wrote heart-wrenching, devotional poetry to Lord Śiva, who she was enamoured with. she wore nothing but the tresses of her long hair and lived the life of an ascetic: she renounced all worldly possessions and would wander, bare, sharing her wisdom and teachings. some lauded and worshipped her, some threw rocks at her, but she paid no mind. she wrote:
They may abuse me or jeer at me,
They may with flowers worship me.
What profits them whatever they do?
I am indifferent to praise and blame.
Can a few ashes a mirror befoul?
^ i wish to tread through life so wildly. 
excited to share this collection of mine with you in the (far) future, when the time is right.
Poem to Kālī Ma
a blessed Diwali, dear ones! today i am sharing a short (but dear!) devotional poem i wrote sometime ago, which was shared here in summer.
i place my loss
on a gold platter with silver rings
and offer it
to Kālī,
the divine mother of the universe.
i burn my loss on incense sticks
and dampen it with cold water.
i place quartz stones
on my loss and i beg.
i adorn my loss with scarlet flowers
and fresh apples.
i offer my loss to Kālī
and beg her to eat it.
sink your teeth in my loss, mother
drink my pain
swallow my worry
and inhale my woe.
i met Reva in October 2019 during some incredible & transformational days at Mandala Yoga Ashram, where i was touched by her devotion & gentleness. so i was especially moved & honoured when she invited me to contribute to her brand new website with a poem about Devī! 
the painting of Tārā is the creation of my friend and mentor, Rashmi Thirtha Sacred Arts Studio: and the pūjā book got me through some dark times two years ago – or pulled me through the keyhole, for those familiar with that Kālī metaphor…
may there be light!
photos of the shrine i adorned for this occasion, dedicated to Kālī and Tārā.
on this blessed day, also sharing a glimpse of grace… these mesmerising artworks, painted by the divinely talented Rashmi, have recently arrived at my doorstep from the US 
i am truly enchanted! i fell in love with Rashmi’s art while attending a life-changing retreat on the wisdom of the Mahāvidyās led by two brilliant beings who transformed my life, Kavitha M.D. (whom i am now blessed to call my teacher) and Christopher Hareesh Wallis. it feels surreal that only a few months later these pieces are adorning my room and i am thanking Rashmi not as a stranger, but as a mentor and friend: thank you once again, i will treasure these deeply! pictured: MahāLakṣmī, Lalitā yantra, Kālī yantra, and currently framing a portrait of Tārā! the perfect birthday gift! dear friends, be sure to check out Rashmi’s newly launched website. 🙂
Created with RNI Films app. Preset ‘Agfa Precisa 100’ 
Created with RNI Films app. Preset ‘Agfa Precisa 100’
The heartfelt tale of Mīrābāī: poetry, subversion and unbridled devotion
Ankle Bells
Mīrā dances, how can her ankle bells not dance?
“Mīr is insane,” strangers say that. “The family’s ruined.”
Poison came to the door one day; she drank it and laughed.
I am at Harī’s feet; I give my Beloved body and soul.
A glimpse of the One is water: How thirsty I am for that!
Mīrā the Lotus
My One, the love that binds us cannot be broken.
It is hard as the diamond that shatters
the hammer that strikes it.
As polish goes into the gold, my heart
has gone into you.
As a lotus lives in its water, I am rooted in you.
Like the bird that gazes all night at the passing moon,
I have blinded myself in giving my eyes to your beauty.
She who offers herself completely asks only this:
That the One loves Mīrā as fully as the One is loved.
🌷 A Great Yogi 🌷
🌷 In my travels I spent time with a great yogi.
Once he said to me.
“Become so still you hear the blood flowing
through your veins.”
One night as I sat in quiet,
I seemed on the verge of entering a world inside so vast
I know it is the source of
all of
us. 🌷
~ poems written by Mīrābāī, mystic poet, bhakti saint and devotee of Krishna. 
she is a great inspiration of mine! although she was married off to a prince at a very young age, she refused to become a homemaker and did not renounce her smouldering devotion to Krishna. she thus continued dancing ecstatically, singing in temples and openly conversing with sāddhus. her in-laws could not accept a woman so free, and tried to kill her repeatedly. they failed each time, and, in turn, Mīrā left and set out on a series of pilgrimages. she devoted her life to illumination and bhakti poetry, and it is said that she merged with the image of Ranchorji at the time of her death. may we all dance through life so freely
amaryllis 