vAgarthAviva sampruktau vAgarthapratipattaye
jagatah pitarau vande pArvatIparameshvarau
'To attain mastery over the language, I pray to Parents of the Universe, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, who are united with each other as a word and its meaning'
Kalidasa,
Benedictory Verse of 'Raghuvamsa'
May you join in wedlock like our holy rivers,
Flowing from elsewhere, indistinct from now,
Hand in hand from mountains to the plains,
Let ancestors rest, render our lands fertile.
Rivers are ever pure, born far above our earth,
It is worshipped still, bearing corpse to fish,
This bond makes you pure, this touch innocent,
Gush on, pausing neither to regret nor to plan.
Assimilate from the sky, absorb from the earth,
And let many streams surge from your womb,
They will reach where you can never voyage,
Celebrate you in lore of priest and song of ferry.
Long summer does not last, nor do floods of fury,
Yield to rains as they fill and to sun as they dry,
In rhythm of seasons nothing is left to achieve,
Gently let yourself into the great embrace of sea.
(Chennai, 10th June 2012)