A Second in Tirupati

The ocean of crowd waited outside the door

And in that ocean, a drop was I

Like how for the waves, waited the shore

Millions of people, waited by

Hours of people standing through

All of them, coming from miles away

All of them, waiting for a split-second’s view

All of them, chanting all through the way

In a crowd where even air couldn’t traverse the ground

In a crowd where a moment of peace is scarce to get

Amongst the growing discomfort of the people all around

Yearning only to see him, I waited yet

The grand door opened at last

And rushed to see him, the people there

Forgetting the future, present and past

People rushed in to see a glimpse mere

Through the force of the people barging in

Through the majestic shine of the diyas dim

Like how a garland is pierced through by a pin

The search of my eyes, ended in him

Finally the boon of his presence did he allow

And even to blink, my eyes wouldn’t dare

And the second turned to yugas somehow

As I saw the deity standing there

Govinda! Was the only name I heard

Govinda! Was the only name I said

Govinda! Apart from him, everything had blurred

As Govinda, I have seen from feet to head

The more I looked, there was more beauty to see

In describing his grace, my words had failed

I filled myself with him in front of me

For when compared to his shine, even the stars had paled

My heart tried to memorize everything

The magnanimous presence that I was in

The comforting warmth his form could bring

And the chants of his name that rang within

The most glorious second then came to end

And the reality once again, I couldn’t ignore

And I left, as his might I attempted to comprehend

And I left, wishing only if I could see him once more

-Veda Samhita

9/12/2024