Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “A butterfly woman”.)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 11☆

☆ A butterfly woman ☆

Let them

Keep looking at your bodily beauty-

The luminous colour of your skin,

The pretty patterns on your wings,

The magnificent gait while you fly!

You should concentrate

Only upon your wings

And its innate strength!

One day,

You will have touched the sky

And that’s what

A butterfly woman

Is meant to do!

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “The blindfolding of Gandhari”. This poem is from her book “Tales of Eon)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 10☆

☆ The blindfolding of Gandhari   ☆

O lord! I blindfold myself!

That my husband was blind I knew not

Never had I thought of such a union

But together, the destiny has brought

O lord! I blindfold myself!

As I learn of my future and fate

What is ordained, cannot be modified

I shall suffer, as does my mate!

O lord! I blindfold myself!

Know not what speaks is protest or disgust

My exploitation, I shall not permit!

O lord! Let me disable myself first!

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Drona and Drupad”. This poem is from her book “Tales of Eon)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 9☆

☆ Drona and Drupad ☆

“O Drupad! My childhood friend!

Your promises I come to remind

Do you remember our oaths to share

Wealth of all kinds?”

“O Sage Drona! Blessed am I!

My kingdom your presence bestows

A learned man are though

And before thee I bow!”

“O Drupad! My childhood friend!

Married I am, and have a son too

Distinguish he can’t between rice water and milk

And I have come to ask for a cow from you!”

“O Sage Drona! O learned man!

A cow I present thee in alms

Friendship stays only between equals

To state that, I have no qualms!”

“O Drupad! My childhood friend!

It is not daan that I seek or ask

Listen to your heart and the love

In your glory, do not bask!”

“O Sage Drona! O learned man!

Pray do not claim cow in friendship’s name

Upholder of Dharma am I and in charity believe

As such, you have no claim

“O Drupad! Ashamed I am

I ever called you my friend

One day, greater than thou I shall become

But, from my ideals, never bend!”

And thus were sown the seeds

Of disillusionment and revenge

His ambitions soared high and high

Drona had forever changed!

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Pandu’s end”. This poem is from her book “Tales of Eon)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 8☆

☆ Pandu’s end ☆

A young man that he was

Difficult it was for Pandu to restrain

Tried his best to desist

But could not adjust to a life of pain

Life futile made by Kindama’s curse

Roamed he like an ascetic  though

Evening the bearing of sons by Dharma

Could not bring back his glow

One day, the stunning Madri he saw

And his vision turned lustful

In his moment of yearn, touched her

And in his arms was his wife beautiful

The opportunity to mate had come after long

They caressed each other in delight

Completely lost they were in love

For a moment forgot, what is wrong and right

The curse soon came calling

And Pandu was no more

Reduced to flames was he

Who had been the mighty king of yore

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Pandu’s sons”. This poem is from her book “Tales of Eon)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 7 ☆

☆ Pandu’s Sons☆

Cursed by Rishi Kindima

Into the realms of the forest, Pandu retired

The news of pregnant Gandhari

In him, the desire to have a son fired.

Seeing him desolate and murky

His dutiful wife, Kunti consoled

“For his wife to bear another man’s child,”

She said, “The law of Dharma allowed”.

“Let me call a Rishi,” said Pandu

“Let us call a Deva,” Kunti stated

Blessed by Rishi Durvasa, she had a boon;

The knowledge made Pandu elated.

Pleased by Kunti’s solution

First to be invoked was Lord Yama

She gave birth to Yudhishtra

Who would be the upholder of Dharma

Next to be summoned was the God of wind

Of all Gods, most powerful and mightiest

And thus was born courageous Bhima

Who, one day, would be the strongest

And then, blessings were sought

From Indra, King of all Devas, who ruled the sky

Arjuna, the valiant archer was born

He became Kunti’s favourite by and by

And then, Kunti could invoke no more

Four were the maximum allowed

Pandu thought for a few days and then

For Madri, his second wife, implored

The Ashwini twins were invoked for Madri

The Lord of morning and evening stars

Nakula, the handsomest man was born

Along with his twin, with knowledge of near and far

Pandu, thus had five sons

Together, they came to be as Pandavas known

Had the wisdom of ‘King perfect’ collectively

Honesty, strength, skill, beauty, and wisdom they honed

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Pandu’s curse”. This poem is from her book “Tales of Eon)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 6 ☆

☆ Pandu’s curse☆

King Pandu, out to hunt

Unable to bear child frustrated

Heard some din in the surrounding

An arrow in his bow mounted

Rishi Kindama and his charming wife

Transformed into an antelope and a doe

Invoking magical powers

Were in the open, making love

Pandu’s arrow, struck the antelope

Upon the antelope, death hovered

Pandu watched helplessly the repercussions

While the afflicted Rishi cursed

Pandu was banned from touching a woman

Having hindered brutally a couple in mating

He was to die then and there

If he ever engaged in love-making

A man who cannot father a child

To be a king is deemed unfit

Left Hastinapur for good and forever

To lead the life of a hermit!

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Ambika’s infuriation”. This poem is from her book “Tales of Eon)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 5 ☆

☆ Ambika’s infuriation ☆

(When asked by Satyavati to bear a child with her son, Sage Vyas)

What am I taken to be, great Bhishma!

Taken away from my father by force
O Bhishma I was forced to wed
Not you, the one who brought me here
But Vichitravirya, as you then said.

Disturbed and humiliated was I
But I made no protest, nor dissent
Accepted what fate decreed and so,
Were seven best years of my youth spent!

Have you now heard this, mighty Bhishma,
What mother Satyavati asks of me?
She wishes me to consort with Sage Vyas

Bhishma! What now, I ask of thee?

Sage Vyas is here now, mighty Bhishma
And his awful odour fills the room
O! So terrible and dark his visage is
How do I take his seed in my womb?

The clan may prosper or come to end
No! I just can’t bear a son by him…
Oh! No one listens to me…and so…
My eyes shall remain closed to him…

What am I? I ask you Bhishma!
What did I do for this disgrace…
I have no choice, I give in Bhishma,
It is my end, I hide my face!

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is Executive Director (Systems) Mahametro, Pune. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Dushyanta’s Regret”. This poem is from her book “Tales of Eon)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 2 ☆

☆ Dushyanta’s Regret ☆

(Dushyanta speaks when he is told by Gods that Shakuntala is indeed his wife and Bharat is indeed his son)

O dearest Shakuntala,

How could I forget you-

O beautiful damsel?

Regret flows through my eyes

As I remember

I called you lowly, wicked and without virtues.

Shame envelopes me

As I recall the moments

When I  refused to accept Bharat,

Our lovely son!

O dearest Shakuntala

Holy was our union

Already sanctified by heavens above;

And Bharat, the most handsome son

Any man could have.

Proud I am having you as my wife

And possessing Bharat as my son

And I bow in front of Sage Kanwa

Who patronised you!

O dearest Shakuntala

Ready I am to repent and accept any penalty

That you may impart me.

Forgiveness I what I ask of thee,

Reprimand me or punish me,

But restore honour

To this mighty kingdom

And my soul

And accept to be

My wife.

Oh virtuous, chaste and beautiful lady,

See! even the heavens desire

That you be my wife, the queen!

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

(All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the author.)