Rhapsody in a rice field

by Mark Ulyseas

In Gethsemane: Transcripts of a Journey www.amazon.co.in

The spell begins as one sits down in a rice field. The land is dry, the harvest is over and the rains have yet to impregnate the land again.

It is time to listen to the mesmerising murmurs of spirits that rise and fall with wind eddies and be seduced by the tinkling of payals (anklets) as Gopis dance the dance of Krishna.

The god of love is here living in the tree of life, the banana tree, which flourishes in a land of worshippers who with their continuous ceremonies appease the pantheon of gods and goddesses.

Come, let us sit down and feel the warm earth and the energies of vibrant lives that have made this their home.

Krishna is omnipresent. He feels our sorrow, heartbreak and joy – wayfarers without a compass. He knows that we possess an enormous power to change, change the land and return to it virginal glory, to sweep away the debris of human excess and waste.

And he is here to help us find that power within.

But are we listening?

Often one can hear wailing on a night lit up by fireflies. Is it the anguish of Krishna and the sobbing of Radha as they bear witness to the desecration of paradise?

Sometimes when the effervescent light of dawn creeps across rice fields I see them rejoicing to the rhythm of cowbells and cries of parrots that careen across the sky.

I want to find my Radha,
to dance with her in the morning mist as it rises to the heavens.
I want to adorn her with frangipani
and hold her body close to mine.
I want to serenade her with music
and honour her like Krishna.
And then hand in hand we shall help sweep away
the debris of human excess.

Alas, this is a dream and dreams are meant for dreaming while memories, that sorcerer, keeps us entangled in the vagrancy of humanity.

The rhapsody in a rice field can be heard anytime. Felt anytime. For one has only to listen for the flight of the flute, the laughing of Radha and the excited shouts of Gopis to know that He is here. Reach out and touch the tones with your palms and caress them with your emotions, for this is the world of Krishna, a world that has no barriers, no hatred and no anger…only love for one another and respect for the land we live on, and in.

If you find the rhapsody, hold onto it for it will keep you from all things that darken the soul. Be content for the god of love will be with you.

I shall leave you now for I must move on, to wander through paradise in search of my Radha with memories and dreams as companions and the cooing of doves to remind me of Vrindavan.

Haré Krishna Haré Krishna
Krishna Krishna Haré Haré

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om

©Mark Ulyseas
April 14,2010

 

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