The Bells of Life

My blogger friend Harekrishnaji, loves to travel on the small roads in Maharashtra, and finds places unknown to others. He spied this ancient bell at an old ( 1000 years) Shiva temple that he visited recently; and the other photographs are here.

It just rang a bell somewhere in my old mind.... a Marathi verse resulted. The English version follows.

(photo by Harekrishnaji)
आयुष्याच्या कितीतरी
डोंगर माथ्यांवर
मनाच्या देवळात घंटा वाजतात .....
"अरे, जरा जपून "... ची घंटा ,
"दहा अंक मोज रे , मग बोल " ची घंटा,
"खोटं बोलू नकोस "....ची घंटा ,
मग कधी कधी
हर्षभराने वाजवलेली घंटा,
यशाने हुरळून जाउन वाजवलेली घंटा ,
कधी
देवाला आळवून पाणावलेल्या डोळ्यांनी वाजवलेली घंटा ....
आणि
एखाद्या पावसाळ्यातील ढगाळलेल्या
संध्याकाळी ,
दुखरे गुढगे सांभाळत
खरे डोंगर चढून ,
नातवाला उंच करून
"जय बाप्पा "
म्हणून वाजवलेली खरी घंटा ...
आणि गाभार्यातला तो म्हणतो ,
"आयुष्य हे असा असतं...."

The bell chimes
so many times,
filling our minds,
high up,
in the
Temples
of our life.

It chimes to say
"Take care...",
Then again,
to ask you,
to count till 10,
before blowing your cool;
Then a warning chime,
saying.
"Please Don't lie...";

And then
inexplicably,
sometimes
it chimes
with the sounds of Joy,
and
the flush of success
sometimes
decorated
with a tinge of
hope and sadness.....

Many moons later,
Late
on a cloudy monsoon evening,
as you trudge
up the hill,
to the temple,
on sqeaky arthritic knees,
and lift your grandkid
to
ring the
real bell,
joining him
in celebrating
and
praising the Big One,
He peers at you
from the inner sanctum,
nods, winks,
and says,
"That's Life for you !...."