Living Peacefully in the World
POETRY FORMAT, 5 Sep 2022
Dr. Ravi P. Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
Our Mounting Needs Are Spoiling the Environment
Oh my God, I am a small individual
But with needs that are large and huge
I feel pain, and so I call you often
I feel it is my duty solemn
Be it morning, be it day, be it night
Be it dry or be it rainy and wet
You wonder whether I am calling you
Or your many cousins to quench my pain
Be it hot and dry or be it rain
You are Devta— the kind and gracious God (Dev)
With your cousins Agnidev, Varundev, Pavandev
Agnidev — the God of Fire
Pavandev — the God of Breeze
Varundev — the God of Rain
Indradev— twin of Varundev
You know when people call you or your cousins
How do you come to know the needs of people
Peoples’ minds are complex, complicated
Their needs difficult, their desires fascinated
No problem you say
When it is cold, people call Agnidev to keep warm
When dry, bad for crops, they call Varundev
Or his twin Indradev to get some rain
For some breeze, people will invite Pavandev
But what happens when they don’t know whom to call
Then the Head of the Gods — Devta comes to help
Both humanity and the animal world
Devta is gracious, kind to the world
These days with people spoiling, destroying our environment
Some countries having nuclear armament
Even Devta has difficulty maintaining peace by his presence
And preventing the mounting decadence
So my friends, know how people are spoiling the environment
And bothering the Gods by their needs
Limit your desires and your needs
And live peacefully in this, the only world we have
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Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, an educationist, Gandhian scholar and peace researcher. Retired professor, Delhi University. His new book, A Garland of Ideas—Gandhian, Religious, Educational, Environmental was published recently in Delhi. ravipbhatia@gmail.com
Tags: Poetry
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 5 Sep 2022.
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