THOUGHT FOR THE NEW YEAR

NOTE:On the Eve of this NEW YEAR, with the year 2007 Ringing Out and the NEW YEAR 2008 Ringing In,I wish to share with all the Readers of KAVITANJALI the following Thought to practice in the NEW YEAR which is just round the corner.This Thought is not my original and was composed by by an Annanimous writer.It made such a deep impression on me that over the last few years it has become habitual for me to read it out to myself on every such occasion of NEW YEAR EVE such as TODAY and carry it with me as a Thought To Practice as the NEW YEAR Dawns.

If You Think You Are Beaten,You Are
If You Think You Dare Not,You Don't
If You Like To Win but You Think You Can't
Tis almost Certain You Won't.

If You Think YOU Will Lose,You Are Lost
For Out Of The World We Find
Success Begins With A Man's Will
Tis All A State Of Mind.

Many A Race Is Often Lost
Even Before A Step Is Run
Many A Coward Fails And Falls
Even Before His Work Is Begun.

Think Big,Your Deeds Will Grow
Think Small,You Will Fall Behind
Think You Can, Am Sure You Will
Tis All A State Of Mind.

If You Think You Are Outclassed,You Are
You Have Got To Think High To Rise
You Have To Be Sure Of Yourself
Before You Can Ever Win A Prize

Life's Battles Do Not Always Go
To The Faster OR Stronger Man
And Sooner Or Later The Man Who Wins
Is The Man Who Thinks He Can.


Compiled By BAIYU Dec 2007

Profile Of A Happy Man

Acknowledgement:Reproduced from the Original composed by SIR WOTTON.One of the few poems of poets of yester years that made a deep impression on me.

Blessed Is He In Thought And Action
Who Covetheth Not Another's Will
Whose Armour Is His Honest Traction
And Speaking Truth His Valued Skill.

Whose Passions Not His Masters are
Whose Mind Is Tuned To Self Within
Who Hath His Life From Rumours Freed
Whose Conscience Is His Strong Retreat.

Who Doth Pray To God Everyday
More For HIS Grace Than Gifts To Send
Who Spends His Time In A Harmless Way
With a Well Chosen Book Or Friend.

Such Man Is Free From Servile Bonds
Of Hope To Rise Or Fear To Fall
Lord Of Himself Though Not Of Lands
Having Nothing Yet Hath All.

Compiled by: Baiyu ; Mumbai August 2000

WHO CAN SHE BE?

She is with me right thro'the day
She is with me thro' the night as well
She is with me as seasons change
She is with me as you ring the bell.

She consoles me when I am depressed
She comforts me when I am in need
She corrects me when I go wrong
She praises me when I seek her praise.

She knows well where my happiness lies
She ensures this without a fail
She knows my taste well and thro'
She provides a pallet none else can brew.

I know her heart breaks when she sees me sad
I know I can trust her in good or in bad
I know her happiness lies in my smile
I know for me she will walk that extra mile.

She is my friend, companion and all
Without her I know my life incomplete
She does everything before I ask
I cannot live without her backing me.

If I am what I am today
I owe it all to her thro'and thro'
The proverbial saying of a woman behind every man
Is well portrayed in my case as I see.

What gives her the strength ,I ask myself
Tireless service day after day,
And what in return I gave to her
Some material comfort?
She would have got it any way.

I know I cannot repay all that she gave
At best I can thank her thro'these lines of mine
I pray you guess who can she be?
She is my love,She is my life
And yes if you guess her right
SHE IS MY WIFE.


COMPOSED BY BAIYU ALUVA JUNE 2001
@all rights reserved.do not copy.

WHO AM I ?

I went in search of my Master one day
To know from him the ultimate say
To seek an answer to my eternal quest
WHO AM I AND HOW DO I REALISE THE SAME?

To this my Master answered thus
This cannot be taught by anyone yet
One can know this only thro' Self
Can at best help me find my way.

As I seeked his help to guide me thro'
He prepared the base by Saying Thus
What you are does not change
And what changes is not you.

With this as base He further said
He would query me to which I reply
One reply leading to another query
Would help me address my unanswered quest.

The process appeared simple and plain
Readily agreed to what He said
To the maiden Query my Master put,who
I think I am, I mentioned my name.

On my so saying my Master countered
Were you not christened after you were born?
Being so you were present before you were named
How then you say you are your name?

I then realised His logical thought
Besides being christened days after birth
Name can still change without me changing
This being so how can I be my name?

Realising this I asked my Master
To proceed further querying me
He said He has the only same query
Who I now think I am?

Chastened from my earlier lapse
I answered with caution,am my Father's son
To which my Master retorted thus
Are you not also Father to your Son,
Husband to your wife, Brother to your sister,
Student to your teacher and many such Roles,
All capped in one ?

This being true, how can I be what I said
which is different at different times
I so said meekly to my Master
I realise, I realise what I am not.

You are then in the right track, my Master said
To know what you are,must know what you are not
I hence ask you once over again
Who you now think you are ?

Prompt came my reply now
Feeling certain I was right
My body,this body,tis'what I am
Being with me from cradle to my grave.

My Master smiled,a mischievous smile twas'
Noting my confidence born out of ignorence
Are you certain your body does not change,
As only then you can be your body as you say.

Knowing my Master and His wisdom well
I paused and pondered at His say
Tis the body that changes as a person grows
From Infant to Youth ,to Old Age onto Grave

Besides the body further changes thro'
Health,to Sickness and to Decay on days
If these be the changes the body goes thro'
How can I being changeless be my body as I say?

Knowing my Master would tell me the same
I ventured to correct without waiting for His say
Tis not my body Oh Master,I realise,tis' my mind
Which is me,am sure of what I say.

My Master to this paused to respond,For
A moment I thought I was in the right
Little did I realise then,His pause arose
To my failing to see the Light.

With a deep breath my Master said
Think before giving tongue to your thought
If the body you realise changes fast
Do you think your mind ,if any,is lagging behind?

I felt small, crestfallen on my face
Slowly but steadily recouped myself
Realised the mind is ever so fickle
Changes its state every moment of day.

Mind is cheerful at a point of time
Moments later is sad and morone
Besides with body changing as it does
Tis' but well known,Mind does not lag behind.

Realising this I felt small and shaken
In casting my views with undue haste
Surrendered to my Master in all humility
Prayed He showed me the Light on the Way.

My Master patted at my back and said
No cause to feel any sorry or shame
This is the path one has to tread
You are treading it fast and in right way.

When to my Master I now cried in full
Unable to look any further beyond
My Master in His Infinite mercy
Chose to change the pathway for me.

He now ventured to address me thus
What you are is not just merely the same
Tis' also blissful at all times ever,Knowledge
Of this leaves all other happiness behind.

Sensing perhaps I was still not clear
My Master chose not to await my response
Instead said to remember this
Material happiness is but transitory
The state of what you are is the
State of Bliss At All Times.

He now asked me pointed and blunt
How I felt after a deep sound sleep
And whether this feeling remained the same
Without any change in measure every time?

Startled at this query put with a Razor Edge
Unrelated I thought to what was so far said
My response to Him was instant and clear
A Blissful Joy I cannot explain.

You are right,said my Master,patting me again
This is the State of your Inner Self
This is where the Self in you,remains
Undisturbed by your body and mind
This is the state of Eternal Bliss
Beyond all Realms of Human Mind.

Seeing me shaken with a face that was blank
My Master ventured to throw further light
Without my asking He proceeded thus
This state of yours is the same for all
Is neither born nor does It die
Remains unaffected by emotions within
Also unaffected by the external world
Is the state you realise your True Inner Self
Knowledge of this makes worldly life futile and naive.

Although I felt what told was clear
Creeping doubts surfaced in my mind
What my Master said I still found Vague
I was not clear of what to say.

Reading well my thoughts as only He can
My Master chose to address the same
Spoke to me in a clear gentle tone
That did well in keeping my concerns away.

Now that you have heard the state of your Self
Know it the same as the Self or the Soul
Housed in the mortal body and mind
It acts only as a witness to their actions galore.

Slowly but surely I felt my doubts declined
Ventured to ask my Master how to realise the Self
Finding my request sincere in purpose,
He hastened to tell me further on the same.

To realise the Self,Learn to look Within
Mind as the carrier bring under control
This can be done by cleansing off its dust settled
Over it for years thro'your acts and failures.

Cleansing is done thro'a detached outlook
To all worldly affairs your Body plays
Hasten the process by providing support thro'
Scriptures and prayers and following the saintly says.

Do not forget,Never ever forget
All that you see in the material world
With all its actions,dramas and scenes
Is but an illusion as is a Dream.

You realise this illusion once the mind is cleaned
You then wake up from the sleep of Wordly Hounds
You then see and realise your true inner Self
A merger with this frees you from all wordly bounds.

Hearing this I felt a chill running thro'my veins
As I got up to thank and take leave of my Master
I knew the seed to realise my Self has been sown
Tis'now for me to nurture it and grow
Which I pledge I will try to do without fail.

But when I say this,I also realise
If what my Master told me of Self
I found it so difficult to absorb in me
How much more difficult I will find it to be
As I go thro' the process to realise the same.

COMPOSED BY BAIYU LONDON MAY 2004
@all rights reserved.do not copy.

OH MY DARLING CLAMANTINE

Preface:The Original Poem Titled The same Is a Children's poem composed of just two stanzas.When I went thro it for the first time in a library at SURREY (Near London)sometime in 2002, while on a holiday to my son's house in UK, I felt an urge to rewrite the same to correct what I considered as the following shortcomings in the ORIGINAL----
1)No link between the two stanzas. 2)The cause for losing the child is not clear.3)The last line of the second stanza of the original "Dreadful Sorry Clamantine"immediately after saying "you are lost and gone forever"conveys wrong message to the children for whom the poem was meant.

The composer (self) of this revised version therefore recomposed the original with the following changes----
1)A Link between the original two stanzas made.
2)Last line of the original second stanza changed.
3)Story developed further to have a happy ending.
4)Also given a musical stance for narration.
This revised version is dedicated to the same children to whom the original was meant.I leave it to them to decide whether or not the changes made by me on the original serve the purpose.

For a better appreciation of the changes made for the Readers,I,as the composer of this revised version, also present the two stanzas from the original for a ready comparison.

ORIGINAL


In The Cavern,On A Canyon
Excavating For A Mine
Sat A Miner,Forty Niner
And His Daughter CLAMANTINE.

Oh My Darling,Oh My Darling
Oh My Darling Clamantine
You Are Gone And Lost Forever
Dreadful sorry CLAMANTINE.

Revised

In The Cavern ,On A Canyon
Excavating For A Mine
Sat A Miner, Forty Niner
And His Daughter CLAMANTINE.

Little Darling ,Who Was Then Five
Lost Her Mother When Born
Brought Up By The Father Miner
Whose Only World was Clamantine.

So It Was On An Off Day
Little Clamantine Was At Site.
Holding To Her Father's Right Arm
Looking Down The Deep Mine.

As The Child Was So Engrossed
A Tiny Spider Teased Her Eyes
Clamentine Then Left Her Hand Hold
To Catch The Spider Flying High.

Poor Child Then Slipped And Down Fell
She Fell Down With A Bang
Though The Miner Saw Her Falling
Twas by then too late.

Oh My Darling,Oh My Darling
Oh My Darling CLAMANTINE
You Are Gone And Lost Forever
And With You My World, Dear Child.

With My World Lost,How Do I Live
Oh Tell Me, Darling Child
So Saying Father Miner
Also Fell Down In The Mine.

On The Next Day,Other Miners
When They All Came To The Mine
Both Bodies Found Embraced
In Their New World At Site.

Oh My Darling,Oh My Darling
Oh My Darling CLAMANTINE
We Will Now Live Our New Life
Oh My Darling,You Are Mine.

So Screaming As He Got Up
Father Miner From His Sleep
Thanked JESUS For HIS Kindness
In Making All This But A Dream.

His Little Daughter,Darling Clamantine
Found Sleeping By His Side
But Since Startled By His Screaming
Also Got Up From Her Bed.

Looking At Her Loving Father
His Little daughter Gave A Smile
Touched By The Warmth It Gave
He Took His Daughter In His Stride.

Holding Her Tight Father Miner
Thanked JESUS Once More
And Then He Uttered These Words
To His Darling Little Child.

Oh My Darling,Oh My Darling
Oh My Darling CLAMANTINE
We Will Always Be Together
Oh My Darling,YOU ARE MINE.


Composed By BAIYU----------LONDON AUGUST 2002
@allrights reserved.do not copy.

CHANGE THE WORLD

The world we live in needs a change
To make it a better living place
All those living Far and Near,may
Then live together as Near and Dear.

I see people in such a world,Free from
Prejudices of colour and creed
Human blood is but red in all
Also common are the peoples'needs.

But how do we do this,I ask myself
What role in it have I to play?
I feel tis not my job to change the world
There is a Government in place to do the same.

But then is't the government formed by men
chosen by people like You and Me?
Why am I then helpless to make the change?
Is it I find it too complex to face?

If this is the way others also find
How can this world ever change?
But if all of us play our role well
Why should I doubt the world cannot change?

If on my own I cannot do this,I can
still play my role in some small way
And if all together we play our roles
The world would sure change without my say.

I can make a start with Human Care
Adopt a helpless orphoned child
Or help perhaps an aged man,Or teach
A trade to a less fortunate maid.

If each spreads the message of love and cheer
If those who can teach do it on a top gear,
If we all together share our gains
The world would sure change at an early date.

I know the past has seen such men,Who did
All they could to effect the change,But the
Impact was small,nay almost unseen,Since such
Men were then A Few and Far Between.

But if this is done as a MASS UPROAR
Twill Surely make the Impact seen
All that We need is a Will to Start
Let Us Join Hands To Start TODAY.

Composed by


BAIYU-------- London April 2004
@all rights reserved.do not copy.

CIRCLE OF LIFE

Acknowledgement:The theme behind this poem composed by me was taken from a similar thought found expressed in another write up of a similar nature in the Surrey (Near London)library while on a holiday in my son's house in UK in Summer 2004.I am indebted to the original writer for providing Food For Thought in my composing this poem.

Life cycle begins its journey
No sooner than a child is born
Takes a circular pathway route
Thro a path of Roses and Thorns.

As an infant in the early stages
The child grows to become a Man
With passing time as he further ages
Readies to enter the Unknown Land.

Lo and Behold from the Unknown Land
The Man reappears as a Child
Remaining in the circle as before
Is oblivious of his previous life.

Is it the Life Cycle so Simple as This
That it treads the simple circular way?
Or is it as a witness for its rebirth
That it takes the endless circular shape?

Life Cycle is not so simple
As it here appears to be
Somewhere in the midway path
I see a change in their Inter Roles.

As a child grows and becomes a man
His confidence grows in Leaps and Bounds
Sure of Himself and of Others
He oozes this confidence in All his Hounds.

What happens to his Parents then
Who are fast approaching the Judgement Day ?
Self Willed and Stubborn so far,Now see
In the path Their Confidance fade.

I see no need to puzzle further
The picture appears simple and plain
As the Child becomes the Man
The Parent becomes the Child.

Times there are in the above cycle
When the Life Journey goes astray
The Child or the Man without ageing
Leaves the Circle without a say.

They both still RE Emerge, as a
Child back in the circular path
Unaware of their past living,They
Resume their journey as in the past

And so the Life Cycle moves forward
In the circular path it chose
Glued to a circle remains endless
As destined by GOD before.


Composed by BAIYU LONDON MARCH 2004
@all rights reserved.do not copy.