The eternal self, in essence pure, is never mixed with taint
Fallen souls just think they are the dirt, living in fear and restraint.
Like diamonds in matrix, their glory is hidden
Forgetting eternal identity, now Maya’s slaves bidden.

Alone the atmas are darkened, their spiritual power grown small
Shackled by Enchantress Maya, as under evil spell enthralled.
They’re forcibly dragged through birth and death,
Caged in earthly bodies, existing from breath to breath.

Living bright sparks, from the Eternal Flame,
Now in foolishness and misery, to Martya Loka tightly bound
No hope of freedom and light, until they hear the Holy Name
Like the ringing of a bell, waking sleepers, with sound.

For the soul there is never birth nor death, no end and no beginning.
Travelling in bodies large and small, from insect to animal, spinning
Enjoying the throne or kicked as a dog - dunked under water, then up for a spell
Changing species, from good to bad, peaceful in heaven, tormented in hell.

Like a person in a coma, beset with evil dreams
Imprisoned by five material elements – nothing is as it seems,
Earth and water bodies, fire and air surrounds us,
The ethereal mind a bad guide, every choice offered confounds us.

Our fantasies trun failure, future plans miss their aim.
What we do unto others is done unto us - the cause behind every pain,
The castles and hovels we settle in, none is destined to last.
The fruit we harvest today are seeds we’ve sown in the past.

Bitter fruits of pain and fear – or happy times with laughing cheer,
An endless circle going round, fulfillment never drawing near.
Sunny weather and bitter frost, peaceful time and war,
Always the atma travels hungry, always wanting more.

The abode of bliss and wisdom pure is the only home of the soul
Like a stranger lost in the forest, we’ve forgotten our life’s goal.
Para Vyoma – the Kingdom of God, the immutable reality –
Vaikuntha, eternal realm of joy, is the home where we’re meant to be.

I Look to Thee in Every Need

I look to Thee in every need, and never look in vain;
I feel Thy strong and tender love, and all is well again.
The thought of Thee is mightier far than sin and pain and sorrow are.
Discouraged in the work of life, disheartened by its load,
Shamed by its failures or its fears, I sink beside the road.
But let me only think of Thee and then new heart springs up in me.

Thy calmness bends serene above, my restlessness to still;
Around me flows Thy quickening life, to nerve my faltering will.
Thy presence fills my solitude, Thy providence turns all to good.

Enfolded deep in Thy dear love, held in Thy law, I stand;
Thy hand in all things I behold, and all things in Thy hand.
Thou leadest me by unsought ways, and turn my mourning into praise.

- Samuel Longfellow

For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

B.G. 2.20

A person who sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord, and sees all entities as His parts and parcels, and who sees the Supreme Lord within everything, never hates anything, nor any being. One who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things. What is there as illusion or anxiety for him? Isopanishad 6-7