Today's Beautiful Gem: `The Dance of Shiva' by M. Udayakala

"Which is the way it all began?
A big bang or a continuous creation?
The egg or the chicken?
We know not; know we may never.

"Swirls of dust and clouds of smoke hid forever the sun;
The night was long, dark and unending;
The cold was brutal, bitter and unbearable;
Rivers of poison ran in search of oceans of Death.

"Charred trees, scarred walls and a welter of decay--
That was all that remained after the rain of ruin.
Nothing living was stirred by the winds of Death
What did not die was dying, slowly but surely!

"Was it the Dance of Shiva?
Brahma had gone to sleep!
And so did Vishnu.
No phoenix will ever rise from those ashes.

"When ignorance reigns and pride prevails--
That's the way it will all end.
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!

"Perhaps I dreamed, I'm glad it's a dream;
Perhaps I worried, I'm glad it's a nightmare;
Brahma is awake and at work-- creating;
Vishnu is wide-eyed and protecting us;
Shiva is dancing, but not the Dance of Death;
Let's pray for noble thoughts and nobler deeds.

"But-- if ignorance reigns and pride prevails--
That's the way it will all end.
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!"

Om Santih! Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao

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