 Nandikeswara
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Behold the white bull that Siva does ride!
Colorfully decorated he guards with pride;
O’ Leader of Ganas! Righteous and wise!
Justice and purity you do symbolise!
For misrelaying information HE did send
You back to earth as herd keeper and friend;
Obstructing our path, how you tease!
As you smile and relax with enviable ease;
Your inner strength I dare not gauge
Lest you unleash your rage O’ sage!
Emblem of the generative, evolutionary power
O’ celestial, cosmic guardian of the hour!
Just teach me devotion, escort of Ishwara,
Dear Lord of Joy* - O’ NandikeshwarA!
*Lord of Joy - Nandikeswara, also a rishi.
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(In the Indus Valley Civilisation scripts unearthed, the Nandi represented a man with a bull head; some sources refer to the Nandi as a lesser Hindu god but over time Nandi has come to be recognised as an independent diety representing permanent inner strength, overcoming desire and achieving self knowledge.
Another well known legend associated with the Nandi coincides with the third day of Pongal (Mattu Pongal). According to this, Lord Shiva once asked his faithful bull ‘Nandi’ to go to earth and tell the people that they should have an oil bath every day and eat food only once a month. But I guess Nandi turned out to be a confused fellow as he told the people that they should eat food daily and take oil bath once a month! This definitely displeased Shiva and He decreed that, since the people would now need to grow more grains, Nandi would have to remain on earth and help them plough the fields. And so the poor bull has roamed the earth forever. Yes, all that for getting the message wrong...)
Rajeshwari Iyer
Profile of the author
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Rajeshwari Iyer lives in Brampton, Ontario and teaches Chemistry at the College/University level in Toronto. She is the mother of a special needs child and enjoys reading, music and travel. She has contributed poems to SAWF (South Asian Women's Forum), Magazines such as KALA, Marina, quarterly publications based in Toronto. She has also contributed to e-zines such as Poetry.com, Thinnai, and Tamilonline. |
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