Abhimanyu

My chest is strangled by an unknown pain,
My shoulders wilt under a wrenching strain
My horses tremble like desolate deers,
Amidst a rising mist of fear

At a distance stand the enemy’s line,
With rabid tongues, bloody eyes,
Rage in their growling spiteful breaths,
Stoke tempest, in an arc of death

The circle of death that none could vanquish,
Save son of Kunti, and the Lord himself,
Usurp I may, but I may not assume,
That this be not my certain doom

The greatest warriors on this earth
Stand in front of my forlorn path
What with the naivety of my youth,
To save the king from the enemy’s wrath?

Have I seen my folly too late?
Now a mere gambit of fate
I've come unwitting to my final place.
Vasudeva, is this thy final grace?

***

"Oh son of Arjuna, fear not to act,
Let not delusions of fear distract,
Sure, your course is strewn with peril,
But look through it, for the end tranquil"

"Your enemy is sin, not mortal men -
Misguided worldly impediments,
Who wish in vain to hold your way,
And change the fated end of this day."

"Let not your senses weaken your soul,
Let your actions be your goal,
Life lived in righteous duty is worth
A thousand lives in fear of death"

"For you were here before you were born,
And be you will, long aft you are gone,
The circle of life won’t cease to be,
You do not perish but be one with me"

"That’s my grace and that’s my word,
That’s the only way of this world,
So, wipe thy brow and lift thy bow,
The earth stands waiting; and the skies above"

***

My mind is still now, my vision is clear,
My senses alive, they know no fear
A wave of vigor now bursts through my frame,
And fills my sinews with force anew

Mother. I thank thee, do give me leave,
Father, be with me, I must be brave
Uncles, have trust, I will succeed,
Lord forgive, I doubted thy creed

Warm rays of the sun and wind caress,
The stubborn stir of my chariot wheels
I hear war trumpets welcoming me
The gates of heaven are beckoning me

***