Even after reading the lines of your own destiny and future yourself,
How can you manage
To live with so much joy…?
Being so far away from your loved ones,
How do you still manage to weave
Bonds of deepest reverence…?
Ahead lies a completely dark and desolate road,
Yet, where do you find the courage
To keep advancing forward…?
While the entire path is filled with questioning eyes,
How can you still walk your way smoothly…?
Amongst the familiar, friendly faces,
Are you unable to see
Their mocking, derisive smiles…?
Here, when light arrives, even one’s own shadow
Abandons the body.
To apply healing ointment on a wound of the right hand,
Even the left hand refuses out of sheer contempt.
Within the sweet messages of well-wishes,
Can you really not see
The venom of bitter criticism…?
Beholding the urn of nectar (Amruta Kalasa),
Before you close your eyes to drink from it,
Recall Chanakya’s verse, just once!
— Ratnamaya Tripathy
Adhyayana, Balangir
Original Odia : Ratnamaya Tripathy
Translated by : Dr. Khyatimaya Tripathy
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