DEATH-PERCEPTION : LIFE-PERCEPTION

Death-Perception : Life-Perception



POET : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar



Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's is one of the significant post-independence voices in Hindi and Indian English Poetry, expressing the lyricism and pathos, aspirations and yearnings of the modern Indian intellect. Rooted deep into the Indian soil, his poems reflect not only the moods of a poet but of a complex age.

Born : 26 June 1926: Jhansi (U.P.), Edu. : M.A. (1948), Ph.D. (1957) from Nagpur University; Retd. Professor.

Several volumes of poetry in English are published, viz. In French 'A MODERN INDIAN POET : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : UN POÈTE INDIEN ET MODERNE; In English  Forty Poems of Mahendra Bhatnagar  After The Forty Poems  Exuberance and other poems  Dr.Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry  Death Perception : Life Perception  Passion and Compassion  Poems : For A Better World  A Handful of Light  Lyric-Lute. etc. Poems are translated in most of the Indian languages.
Published research & critical studies : (1) Living Through Challenges : A Study of Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry (2) Poet Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : His Mind And Art.

Adviser — 'POETCRIT'. At present — Reasearch Guide in many Indian Universities.

Contact : 110 BalwantNagar, Gandhi Road, Gwalior — 474 002 (M.P.) INDIA / Phone : 0751-4092908 / M – 098934 09793
E-Mail : drmahendrabh@rediffmail.com

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THE MOTIF OF DEATH
IN THE POETRY OF MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR :AN ASSESSMENT

– Dr. D. C. Chambial

Life is poised between the two antipodal points of birth and death. Where there is birth, there is death. Where one begins the other ends. Birth is welcome and rejoiced. Death is considered terrible and is, therefore, mourned. Enmeshed in the enigma of existence man has been trying since time immemorial to dive into the mysteries of life and death. All metaphysical systems of world are the outcome of man’s endeavour to find truth in this regard. In the modern age of science man has toiled hard to lay bare the mystery of death. However, it still remains beyond the domain of science. Where the domain of science ends, the domain of metaphysics begins. What is outside the physical world is left for the philosophy to explain. Mahendra Bhatnagar has, in his book, 'Death-Perception : Life-Perception', tried to perceive the mystery of life and death. In this paper my endeavour shall be to explore Mahendra Bhatnagar’s views about death.
In order to answer the question : What is death? The poet has nothing to say different from the commonly held notion about it that death is ‘an earthly end’ and compares it to ‘a horrendous night’ (‘Life - Death’ : 22). What the poet calls ‘a horrendous night’ is the state of existence after death. However, this ‘horrendous night’ begins with death. As the one side of a coin cannot be severed from the other, similarly, birth and death are also integral and cannot be separated : ‘an unbreakable string / tied to birth’ (Ibid.) The poet declares the Vedic truth : ‘Death - a truth’ (Reality’ : 32). It is also the truth of existence. Where there is life, there is death.
Man, ever since he began to speculate and meditate about the fate of life after its termination on this terra firma, has found death an enigma to explore. It was, and still is, an enigma for him.
There is a lot about death that one wants to know : what is death? What happens to the individual on death? If body is the dwelling of soul, as the Hinduism and most of the other world religions maintain, then, what happens to the soul on and after death? What would happen if there were no death? Etc. The poet also believes in this arcane nature of death and states : ‘Death? / A question-mark!’ (Contemplation : 10). He, once again, repeats this mystery of death in his poem, ‘Conclusion’, with the same words and is staunch in his faith that man is ever engaged in unraveling and unmasking the secrets about death. He says though ‘death’, at present, is ‘a question-mark’, but a day will certainly come when ‘The mystery of death / to be unmasked ... revealed’ (‘Conclusion’ : 20)
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar, the poet, opens his discourse about death and tells the readers about its imminence. He says : ‘Death is imminent / Unavoidable’ (Gratitude’ : 2). It is very much intone with the Hindu philosophy that states : ‘Jatasya hi dhruvo mrityu ...’ (the Ghagvadgita : II, 27). He further expounds that death which is the end of life on the earth ‘ ... is certainly / Unavoidable!’ (Experimenting’ : 38). The fact that whosoever has life and is born on this earth is bound to decay or die. An individual’s life is limited. One cannot go beyond this limit. None can abjure the verity that one day this life on earth has to come to an end. There is no way out. The poet sings :
One day from the body
Life-bird
will fly away,
That will
Never return!
Fly away!
Life-bird
Will fly away!
(‘Truth’ : 94)
Here the poet, with the help of the symbol of a bird, tries to explain that one day JIVA or PRANA will have to forsake this body. It cannot live in for good. This body is subject to the laws of destructibility and transience.
Death has never been a welcome. The very origin of death, according to Christianity, is cruel, for it is the result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God : they disobeyed the God, ate the forbidden fruit and the God, in turn, not only expelled them out of Eden but also inflicted death on them. Death has been with man since his first disobedience and the original sin. The poet calls death a cruel wheel that spares no one :
Cruel is
the wheel of death
very cruel!
Under which
Lifeless - living
Gradually grinding and changing
Every moment, every minute!
This earth rocks horribly!
invisibly / Silently
Continuously moves
This wheel of death.
(‘The Wheel of Death’ : 6).
This wheel always goes on like the wheel of time and one and all fall prey to it without any distinction.
The termination of life from the physical body is termed as death. Death is death whatever be its kind or form. The philosopher poet, Dr. Mahendra also declares that ‘Though the end, the same death!’ (‘Forms of Death’ : 18). Nonetheless, he differentiates and recognizes two kinds of death : one, natural or accidental death; two, the unnatural or suicide or murder. In this regard the poet writes : ‘Death natural / or accidental / ... / end of a conscious life’ (Ibid.) These both kinds of death, natural and accidental, are so called because they are the ‘writs of Providence’ (Ibid.) But, about the second kind, ‘suicide / or / murder’, the poet says that it ‘isn’t death, but, a murder.’ (ibid.) Thus, the poet acknowledges two
kinds of death with clear difference.
The poet is of the view that one should not fear death. While living one should be free from its fear. Living constantly under the fear of death will make the individual a coward and one will not be able to accomplish anything in one’s life. Thus the whole objective of life and living will be defeated. One is supposed to live and, while living, do such acts that are helpful for the progress of humanity. With this motive in mind, the poet says that ‘Fearing death / will make / living futile! / weight heavy / dry onerous / pleasure less heart.’ (Free From Worry’ : 8). Under the constant fear of death, life loses its meaning. In order to make life meaningful one has to be free from the fear of death. So, the philosopher poet says :
Life
only meaningful,
when every moment is free
from the dread of death. (Ibid.)
The poet seems to echo what the Hindu philosophy says :
What should not be worried about you should not worry say the wise
Whether one lives or dies does not bother the pundit.
(the Bhagvadgita : II, 11).
The poet, in his poem ‘The Philosophy of Death’ (72) posits :
Death :
When a certainty,
In vain
Why
to doubt
to fear
so much?
O, tell death —
‘Come; when you please.’
There is no need either to nourish any doubt about death or fear it; it is imminent. In another poem, he says :
It is preordained that
you
one day
will sleep
in the lap of death
silently!
× × ×
in the pitch dark
of the death! (‘Preordained’ : 96)
and then talks about the destruction of the body after death by consigning it to fire : ‘fair form / will be reduced / to ashes!’ (Ibid.) The JIVA forsakes body; body becomes dead because it is senseless to all external stimuli of the physical world, and finally the body joins the five elements - fire, earth, water, air, and sky, the PANCH BHUTA — out of which it had taken shape.
All this happens, the poet argues, when body becomes unsuitable for the soul as it’s dwelling. Then the soul leaves it and looks for a new one that is befitting for it, the poet says :
What?
Body
Not worth living;
Therefore ...
Soul!
You left
In quest of new.’ (‘A Puzzle’ : 12)
as if the soul unfolds the secret of its leaving the body, that is death, to the poet. The poet’s philosophy seems to echo the Vedic philosophy :
As a man discards the old and worn out clothes,
Likewise the soul discards old body and enters new one.
(the Bhagvadgita : II, 22).
In the absence of death there would have no God nor the need for any such supreme divinity. The poet continues his argument that ‘If there were no death, / God wouldn’t have any existence’ (‘The truth’ : 14). It means that in the absence of death man would have thought himself to be the Supreme Being and the God were to be something non-existent. It is the existence of death that makes human being inferior to God and man needs some super power to attribute to that power all the enigmas of physical and metaphysical existence that are beyond the human ken. In the absence of death, even ‘The whole philosophy / hell and heaven’ (Ibid.) would have become redundant. But, there is death that necessitates the existence of God, before whose will the man bows. Therefore, the man realizes the ultimate truth that ‘Ram nam satya hai / (God’s name is the only TRUTH)’ (Ibid.) In other words, the poet contends that only God is the Reality.
It is not that death has made the existence of God feasible but it also has a purpose. The poet maintains that death is not without purpose. It also has its utilitarian value and makes life not only useful but also beautiful for existence on this earth. He posits :
Death's made life very beautiful,
Transformed this world, in fact,
into a pleasant heaven,
We learnt the meaning of love,
only then / true's true,
Transformed man into higher beings
than immortal god!
(‘Gratitude; Again’ : 4)
Whatever man tries to achieve in life and art is also death’s gift to him; so, the poet firmly holds :
Death’s given
Beauty to life
Such
Endless - vast!
Death’s given
Man
Life - art - efficiency
Such
Embellishment - adornment!
(‘Gratitude’ : 2)
It is a fact that death has some objective. But, the poet not only encourages the mankind to shed the fear of death but also suggests to belittle death by finding a purpose of living because :
We
who are the artisans of life
should talk only about life
discover
the meaningfulness of life.
and know
about the essence of life.
(‘Purpose’ : 56)
His panacea for belittling death is :
If death
destroys us
let us
strike back at it. (Ibid.)
But, how can we strike back at death? The poet has himself answered this question successfully in the poem itself that it can be done by discovering ‘the meaningfulness of life’ and by singing ‘the glory of life’ (Ibid.) The ‘meaningfulness of life’ suggests a purposeful life so that he is remembered even after he is dead.
Death is imminent. It cannot be avoided. It is the fate of all living beings on this earth. It can only be relegated to pettiness. Then there is no need to fear death : ‘let human self / not be terrorized / of death care’ (‘A Wish’ : 58). The living ones should always be ready to welcome death. There is no alternative to it. Therefore, the poet has debunked death of all its power and fear and and welcomes death to
come,
do come one day!
And take me away
in your flying-chariot
away ... far away (‘An Invitation’ : 74).
perhaps, like the persona in Emily Dickinson’s poem, ‘The Chariot’1
To conclude our discussion, we can say that the poet comes out with some very concrete suggestions to tear off the hitherto much significance attached to death. He does not believe in any type of ritual, because these do not form part of the eternal truth; these have been devised and followed by the survivors. He exhorts the mankind : ‘Let the last act be / free from rituals’ (‘The Last Will’ : 110). What is more important. in order to find the ultimate truth, to unmask the enigma of death shrouded in the mystery, is to approach the hitherto unsolved riddle of death single-mindedly. For this he suggests : ‘let mind be set / only on the mystery beyond death!’ (Ibid.) He also consoles those who are left behind wailing and bemoaning in these words : ‘End - / a sign of perfection, / a successful stage / why to bewail’ and should
follow in the footsteps
of the departed
to attain the meaning of life
glorify it.
(‘Kritkarma’ : 112).
It is ‘the meaning of life’ that has not been found yet and the quest for which is ever going on like the journey of life as propounded by Aurobindo Ghose2. Mahendra Bhatnagar, the poet and philosopher, has very deeply studied and experienced, in his imagination, the concept of death and has made some very radical observations that make him stand all alone as a sedate thinker in the contemporary poetry.
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Notes :
(1) In the Dickinson’s poem, Death is one of the occupants in the chariot. Death asks the poetess / persona to accompany him. The opening lines of the poem are :
Because I could not stop for death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And immortality.
In Mahendra Bhatnagar’s poem, the poet / persona invites Death to take him / her with himself, because he is not afraid of death and ready to go with him.
(2) In his poem, ‘Is This the End?’, Aurobindo Ghose says that death does not put an end to the journey or quest of life. The poet refers to soul that is immortal and continues its journey ceaselessly. It goes on even after the goal has been achieved. The last two stanzas of them poem, that have relevance to the argument in the present article, are :
The Immortal in the mortal is his name;
An artist Godhead here
Ever remoulds himself in dimmer shapes,
Unwilling the cease.
Till all is done for which the stars were made,
Till the heart discovers God
And the soul knows itself. And even then
There is no end.
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[1] GRATITUDE

Death is;
Death is imminent,
Unavoidable —
That's why
Life is so desired!
That's why
There's such a semblance
Between life and death!
Death's given
Beauty to life
Such
Endless — vast!
Death's given
Man
Life - art - efficiency
Such
Embellishment - adornment!
In dubiously
Transience,
Death element / feeling
Minute by minute death - tension
Are acceptable,
Gratitude
To death
Life's gratitude!

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[2] GRATITUDE; AGAIN

Death's made life very beautiful,
Transformed this world, in fact,
into a pleasant heaven,
We learnt the meaning of love,
only then / true's true,
Transformed man into higher beings
than immortal god!
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[3] THE WHEEL OF DEATH

Cruel is
The wheel of death
Very cruel!
Under which
Lifeless - living
Gradually grinding and changing
Every moment, every minute!

This earth rocks horribly!

Invisibly
Silently
Continuously moves
This wheel of death
Uninterrupted ... unchanged!

Before it
Stability has
No existence
Its motion
Always controls
Life and death,
Earth and sky!
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[4] FREE FROM WORRY

Fearing death
will make
living
futile!
weight heavy
dry onerous
pleasureless heart.

So
Life
only meaningful,
when every moment is free
from the dread of death.

It is ill-ominous
to talk about
the fear of death,
or cataclysm
for this reason.
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[5] CONTEMPLATION

Death?
A question-mark!
To know the mystery
not only difficult
but also
all unknown
for man.
Body
merges into five-elements
everything scatters
and ends.
Life's
not to return;
impossible
to revive again,
and know the mystery.

When there's no self
death — a puzzle
queer puzzle!
Uninterpreted to-date,
A wonderful puzzle!

All efforts futile —
to explicate
the meaning of death;
it's very intricate difficult
to contemplate.
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[6] A PUZZLE

What ?
Body
Not worth living;

Therefore ...
Soul !
You left.

In quest of new
On an unknown path;

Where ?
But where ??

Unknown,
Everything unknown!
A pitch dark night,
Everything
Mysterious!

Who questions ?
Who answers ?
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[7] THE TRUTH

If there were no death,
God wouldn't have any existence,
man
would have never reconciled
with his fate!

God — a symbol,
God — a proof
of man's helplessness
of readiness after death.

The whole philosophy
of hell and heaven
is an imagination.

Man
at each moment
is afraid of death, and
horripilant again and again!
He knows —
'death is imminent'!

So, his each step
is frought with suspicion.
Not only this
he is also
absolutely ignorant
of the so called
Yam's1 world.
That's why
he takes refuge
in God
for eternal peace in death!

That's why
he sings the long song -
'Ram nam satya hai!'
(God's name is the only TRUTH)
O, birth and death
is nothing
save for his cruel-amusing act!

[1 God, dispensing death in Indian mythology.]
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[8] FORMS OF DEATH

Be death natural
or accidental
conclusion is the same -
end of a conscious life,
to change into a senselessness
active life
to sleep for good
palpitation of heart!
Both are the so called
writs of Providence,
the script of fate : invisible, indelible.

But
an act of terminating life
by suicide
or
by murder,
or destruction of the ferocious
in self or social defense,
isn't death,
but, a murder.
Though the end, the same
death!
True death or untimely death.
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[9] CONCLUSION

Death?
A question-mark?

Stable
Unanswered,
adamant,
stands
as an adversary.

But, man
accept not defeat,
not a bit
think of God
in defense,
in an answer to the question,
no, not!

The mystery of death
to be unmasked ... revealed
sure
sure
some day!
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[10] LIFE-DEATH

Death :
An unbreakable string
Tied to birth,

Birth :
One end;
Death :
The other extreme end !

Birth - a shore
Death - an opposite bank;
Birth :
Why a jubliation ?
Death :
Pain ...!
Why ?

Birth - death
When equal ?

One / well shaped;
The other / completely invisible!

Birth -
A beginning,
Death -
Destruction : an assault!

Birth ... known,
Death ... un-known!

Birth : beginning
Death : end,

Birth - initiation
Death - an earthly end!

Birth : yes, a being,
Death : ah! a non-being!

Birth : a new dawn,
Death : a horrendous night!
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[11] A PAIR

Sandy desert spread
all around
like the dying lamp-flame
brown
yellow
Palish-green
waterless
slipping age
at he verge of death!

But
countless
waving ... green
oases
Thorny
leafless
growing trees -
flags
of life!

Lake —
a resting place ... life giving
infusing life!
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[12] THE OPPOSITE

Life : a jubilation
Death : the last breath
A melody / a cry!
Pious action / loud lamentation!
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[13] EQUAL

Morning is red
Evening is red
Morning-evening are one.

Wail on birth
Wail on death
Birth-death are one.

It is
the true wisdom,
the real knowledge,
every other consideration
is in vain.
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[14] SAKHI

What makes you so sad ?
Why do you lose your wits ?
Life - very precious; true
Death - eternal, why do you rue

[1 A detached saintly statement.]

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[15] A DESIRE

May all children and young live!
Heart-rending is untimely death!
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[16] REALITY

''Death —
a birth
over and over again
of soul.''

It's untrue
to consider this idea true?
A blind faith
an irrational faith!

Life / blends in five-elements,
the end / of a creation,
the end / of a person,
a being.
No where
here ... there.

It's true
there be an eternal fusion.
Neither there is any Hell,
nor there is any Heaven,
this manifest world is the only truth.
Death — a truth,
Life — a truth!
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[17] THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE

External motion —
physical vibration,
Internal motion —
Life.

The transporter of life-motion
I
Ceaseless controller —
I
as long as
life is in flux
History will be created by
human-mind
human-body.

Never there be catastrophe;
Life ever be full of melody,
Every particle be in motion.

To fuse is
To lose internal motion.
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[18] EXCELSIOR

Struggles and strifes
lead to life,
to be inactive,
an indication - of the approaching death,
to stop - the end of life.
Life : only a flux
ceaseless flux!
To grow,
to change
is to be alive!
Stasis
an established trait
of the lifeless.

Life has a thrill, a throb,
a continuous palpitation in the live hearts!

To stop —
de-existence
invitation to ill-ominous death,

Excelsior ... excelsior!
The only 'mool-mantra'1
to prove life!

[1 Key principle.]

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[19] EXPERIMENTING

In man
Wish for life —
Eternal and strongest,
Whereas
The final truth
About every life
Is death!
Yes, end is certainly,
Unavoidable!

But / it is also true -
impatient passion for
Immortality and youth
Will never wane,

Man's queer valour
Longs for melody,
Not for tears!
Everytime
Continuous struggle
With the eternal challenge
of death is welcome!
He will be
A mrityunjaya1; he will be!

[1 victorious over death.]
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[20] MEANINGFULNESS

Mere living
isn't a proof of
life's meaningfulness,
Living -
only helplessness
like death - an exit.

Which is natural
in adopting it
without any specificity,
'Living-being'
doesn't mean
to be 'a human being.'

Declaration of
human glory only when
there is perfect peace of mind -
when we give
a new meaning to life,
in pitch dark
open doors
to a world full of lights.

Know the mysteries of life,
Talk to the moon and stars.
Let selflessness
be the motive of our living,
let's devour materialistic hurdles
at every step.

Let's acquire
such capabilities,
then
life may be
dedicated to death.

No regret,
no sorrow.

There isn't
the least difference of opinion.

This life is successful
this life is rare.

Blessed is the Earth!
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[21] A PRAYER

I long
not for immortality,
I long for
youthfulness.
Perfect health, diseaselessness,
absolute peace
of human mind and body.

This desired boon
is sought
not from any god.

Self-achieved by self-efforts
not by any prayer.

Body free from pain
mind free from torture.

Yes,
May
we live for
125 years!
For ourselves,
for others.
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[22] A MIRAGE

Self-willed and ambitious
man
runs after money
after pleasures
at the cost of life.
How strange
at this queer, dirty intention!

If there is life / money must flow in,
If there is life / pleasure must dog in!

Shattered and disorderly life
malady-stricken / frustrated wounded life
momentary
eager to fall into
the death-pool!

Blind, perplexed, ignorant
Man
Construes money to be supreme
thinks pleasure all in all!

He'll spoil / the precious life,
and will lose life / the gift of God!

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[23] A VOW

Absolutely loyal
we,
have descended in
the formidable duel of
life and death !
being soldiers of
an immortal army of life,
will not be surrounded
by the deceitful trick of
any adversary !

May be vanquished,
but, will never admit the supremacy
of death a bit,
won't let our right
to live
be snatched away!

The triumphant-call will echo
till the last breath
struggling
life-strength will fight
till the last edge of hope / effort!
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[24] THE CALL OF CONQUEST

The whole world sleeps —
who weeps
in the dead of night ?

It's heard -
in the house hard by
death has suddenly charged,
it's true —
someone has died.

The sharp dagger
of theYama-doot1
has once again
touched the man!

Reach
with ambrosial heart-felt condolences,
may this man
live again and again!

Let life-drum sound
every moment

though
biers be laid!

[1 Emissary of Yam / God dispensing death in Indian
mythology.]
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[25] A CALL

They who sing Alakh1
have come,
who sing the sweet beloved song
of new life
have come!

Singers of Sohar2
have come!

Players of life-song
on every string of the violin of heart
have come!

Mentally vanquished!
Awake!
Strike by stretching!
Awake!

Jump
into the live sea
of life
O divers!
Stir the stupor!

[1 A word urging inspiraton.
2 An auspicious song sung at the birth of a child.]
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[26] ONE DAY

Have faith
Life
will be victorious,
fear not the wicked,
fear not!

Let's destroy
every doubt!
Have faith
life will be victorious!

Deep darkness
of dead death
will surround / frighten;
have faith in

the sun's strength / firmness
Let's unmask
every particle of it!

Let's floodlight around!
Have faith
life will be triumphant!
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[27] PURPOSE

We
who are the artisans of life
should talk only
about life,
discover
the meaningfulness of life,
and know
about the essence of life!

If death
destroys us
let us
strike back at it,
let us
sing the glory of life,
let us
strike a severe blow at
Yama, death!

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[28] A WISH

let there be
no existence of death-serpent
in the garden of life,
let human self
not be terrorized
of death scare!

let every person
enjoy life
without any doubt,
let his each moment be
mellifluous!

Let a lover of life
play with life,
and live life fully
by embracing
every pleasure!
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[29] LONGING

As long as
I wished

to live,
lived heartily!
Imagine
the lamps burnt on
even in rains!

None
was kind,
struggled -
with firm faith in

self potence!
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[30] PROVED

With a wish to live
one won't
wait for death!
Gold
pure, drossless -
why should it take
a fire-test ?

End the illusion,
Bend the kaal-chakar1!
Associate with life!
Give up this stupor!

[1 Cycle of death / time]
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[31] HEALTHY VISION

Live
by thinking self
immortal,
laugh and sing
without any concern,
eat and drink
without any worry;
should it
be termed
true living?

When face to face
with the end
Or
Should remain ignorant of it
Should
we call it
true living?
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[32] COMPATIBILITY

I sing
I sing the songs
of victory!
I sing

about the triumph of life
over death!
I sing dauntlessly
the triumph of life-bud
of the dearest thing!

I sing
again and again!

The sounds that echo
in the sky of the graveyard
of the liberated-selves of carefree birds
are translations
of my
life-sentiments!
The compatriots
of my
life-adorations!
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[33] DREADFUL

Beware!

We have
hoisted the red flags,
on every house, in every village,
in every town,
of life, new life!

In every locality, at every cross,
here, there -
everywhere!
Hoisted
red flags!

Now
the demon of death
won't be able to carry out
his terrorist, fatal, men-devouring
maddening trick!

Ambushes
on entering into the body,
proclaims himself
an unvanquished doota1
of Yama2
lays down
within the body
explosives,

and ...
remote-controls
by hiding
in invisible places!

Let's see,
where from he comes now!
[1 Emissary. 2 Lord of death.]
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[34] THE PHILOSOPHY OF DEATH

Death :
When a certainty,
In vain
Why

to doubt,
to fear
so much!

O, tell death -
'Come; when you please.'

At this time
Come,
Let's sing and dance!
Play on varied musical instruments!

Let's end this silence;
Who cares
for death ?

[35] AN INVITATION

Death
come,
do come one day!
And take me away
in your flying-chariot;
away ... far away
into hell!
That I may
unite all those
living in hell,
urge on them
for a revolt,
prepare them
for a change in life!
I don't acknowledge
any Chitragupta1
any Yama;
I'll challenge them!
Just, let me jump
into the hell-pond!
Just, let me mingle
with the huge crowd of
hell-denizens!

[1 According to Indian mythology an official in the court of Yama
who keeps record of righteous and unrighteous actions of living beings.]
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[36] TO THE FAIRY OF DEATH

O death, come
I am ready!
Never think,
I am helpless.

Won't you
Inform ?
Won't you
Oblige me ?

You'll come —
On tip-toes,
Surprising
Like a clever girl.

Alright,
Accepted!
My beloved,
Your this game
Is welcome!

Come quietly,
Come, o death
I'm ready!

I know
It well
That of the book of life
Thou art the end!

Therefore,
For me
Thou art the good news
Of totality!

Come
O death, come
I'm ready!
Awaiting you
I've bedecked myself,
I'm ready!

[37] A REQUEST

Death —
it hardly matters
if you are feminine,
I can befriend you!

Why do you feel shy ?

Come
be my comrade!

If not a cohabiter
be my neighbour!

You beautiful like the moon,
from the opposite window
peep out,
evaluate —
and one day
all at once
make me accompany you
to the land of the dead!
Just
taunting and teasing!

[38] THE MODE OF DEATH

Death might be overtaking
while dreaming,
Prana1
might be out from the body
just then.

A dreaming man
passes away!
What does he know ?

Ask those living
who
have covered the dead body
with a sheet of cloth!
what happened ?
What happened ?
At last ?

[1The life-force]
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[39] A COMPARISON

Between Shiva
and shava1
the difference lies only in the 'I'
(the first vowel sound)

Shiva —
is goodness,
gives comfort!
Shava —
ill-ominous,
only decays!

Shiva has three eyes,
Shava is blind!

A great imbroglio!

[1Shava — a dead body.]
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[40] THE DISTANCE

You remembered
Thanks!
Gave a sweet pain
Accepted!

How strange the coincidence
That the last farewell
O, the first love!
Came
On the disappearing path,
With a wish -
Never to be fulfilled,
Sometime with a true physical touch
Our co-feelings
Never to be distanced!

I go —
Go with memory,
Go with pain!

[41] THE END

Strife
Where is it now ?
Journey —
Where is it now ?

Everything stood still
The running, jumping, the liquid river water
Everything frozen —
Like blood in veins!

All bones of body
Continuously
Crackle with pain,
Who'll press them
Now
Till the dying breath ?
Dark surrounds
While none is around!

Now there is no flutter
Only a stasis,
Now life -
A fatigued filament;
A scatter!


[42] A BLOW

I ...

kept you alive —
so

I'll carry
your living but decayed corpse!
Carry it silently, helplessly!

You
murdered
the faiths,
you
burnt the wishes
in a flaming furnace,
sham, hypocrisy
well enacted
and filled every moment of life
with unbearable pain!

Never became a loved one;
never became a murderer!
O, never snatched the right to live -
though the doubt was unmasked,
every doubt!

When kept alive
I'll burn in the hell-fire
bear all by
being insensitive!

Early or late
all
in an eternal sleep have to fall,
dust unto dust!

O unfortunate!
Then, why to weep ?

[43] TRUTH

Life-bird
will fly,
fly away!
Life-bird
will fly away!

Why you try so hard,
sing hymns every morn and eve,
nothing is in your control
you bow in every temple,

one day from the body
Life-bird
will fly away,

that will
never return!
Fly away
Life-bird
will fly away!


[44] PREORDAINED
It is preordained that
you
one day
will sleep
in the lap of death
silently!

It is preordained that
you
one day
will be lost
in the pitch dark
of the death!

It is preordained that
you
one day
renouncing name and fair form
will be reduced
to ashes!

[45] A PROCLAMATION

Tell
the world -
now
Mahendra Bhatnagar sleeps!
Sleeps in an eternal sleep!

What
is to happen
happens;
O Man!
Why do you weep?

Life
that is one's own,
one has no right
over it too,
hearth - wealth
that is one's own
that too
in fact
has no essence!
You've no claim
over that!

Becoming
silent - stoic

set out
leaving everything

set out
severing all relations
new and old!

Everyone
has to experience
this moment,
death's eternal
then
why to fear it?

O immortal death!
You may consider me
helpless,
end,
I voluntarily
accept you,
accept you from body and mind!

I sleep
on the comfortable
soil-bed!
I lose my identity
by fusing with the particles
of this soil!
I sow a new life!
As I have accepted life
likewise
O death
I do accept you!

I go,
I go from this world!
I go from this
lovely home, lovely world!
I go
for good ... for good!
I go!

[46] I BOW THEE

Adieu!
O the springs of the world
Adieu!
O, the shining moon
The twinkling bright stars
Adieu!

Hills ... valleys
Slopes ... marshes
Adieu!

Adieu
O, the high waves of the sea!

Fluttering
wings of illusion,
Eyes

Profuse with love
Adieu!

The strings of
An inextricable knot
The unrealised hopes
Adieu!
Adieu!



[47] GOOD BYE!

We
Beaten by fate,
We
Defeated
In the game of life,

Ah!
Tortured by dears,
Hurt on heart,
With a bowed head
Silent
Go for good —

Never
Remember,
Even today
Listen,
Do not light the memory-lamp!


[48] AN ASCETIC

To overcome death
one more Siddharth1 — an ascetic
has set out!

Who at each step
trampled the elusive moves of
Yama's legion!

Wasn't trapped
in any vyuha2
tied his noose hard
on death!

He who sings
songs of life
at the edge of doom,
one day —
he will attain
an immortal place
by changing his shape,

preserve this
by changing his shape,
preserve this
heritage
by making it a stupa3

[1 initial name of Buddha. 2 phlanx, the war movement
arrangement of an army to surround or capture the enemy.
3 a Buddhistic tope / sacred spot.]
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[49] THE LAST WILL

Never weep,
Never be disinterested!

Bear a blow
Never lose temper.

Let the last act be
free from rituals
let mind be set
only on the mystery beyond death!

Life after death
when none has known
when none has seen ...
All established systems :
imaginary,
illogical.
To follow them — not desired!
O never be a blind-follower,
Let refinement of worship be
in the splendour of knowledge.

Follow —
good faith and good feelings!


[50] KRITKARMA1

Why bewail?
Why bewail
on the renunciation of body?

End —
a sign of perfection,
a successful stage
Why to bewail?
The end of life —
A stage
Why to bewail?
Let us
follow in the footsteps
of the departed
to attain the meaning of life,
glorify it.
Take the last salute!

[One who has finished one's duty / [karma]

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