[When you look into a whale eye, it is like gazing at the eye of God.]
When God looks at us
through the whale form
we see Him/Her
not-
we would rather blind its eyes-
when God sings in the bird voice
we hear Him/Her
not-
God has lovingly become
our universe:
the sun, moon, stars, seas, rivers, trees,
nature and all life forms-
but neither do we see Him/Her
nor hear-
God has become the Man
pouring Love
but we would rather
crucify him-
we read God is
transcendent and immanent
but we do not care-
not for once do we consider
that He/She who is Life
can also be Death-
so now,
we are appalled
to see how
God is breathing Death-
and
dancing in “Destruction’s dance”-
we get what we deserve-
The quote is taken from a poem by Swami Vivekananda. I used the Vedanta Philosophy as the base of my poem. Vedanta Philosophy is in a nutshell below with link for those who are interested
[Fundamental philosophy of Vedanta : “Consciousness of the Beyond is the raw material of all religion.” Religion is singular in essence and diverse in manifestation. Every religion may be likened to one pearl strung with others on a necklace whose common cord is the universal soul of each of those religions. Vedanta is concerned with timeless truth and upholds the view that no religion has a monopoly on truth or revelation. Its fundamental teachings include: (1) the impersonality and universality of Supreme Truth; (2) the divinity of the soul; (3) the unity of existence, or the oneness of matter and energy, or the ultimate oneness of God, man and nature; (4) the harmony of religions; (5) the immanence and transcendence of God who is both the material and the efficient cause of the universe; and (6) Mukti or total freedom from bondage, i.e., spiritual union with the divine during one’s lifetime. Because these are the eternal teachings of Vedanta, Vedanta is also referred to as the “Eternal Religion” or Sanatana Dharma.]
Posted for Sherry’s prompt WHALES! And Other Wonders at What’s Going On Blog
sumanar/lekha 
WOW!!! Yes! Looking into whales’ eyes teaches us where God is, and O, unfortunately few recognize the truth. Once we know and look around, we should be able to see more and more how God reaches us! May we come to deserve life! I read the Vedanta Philosophy with great interest. Thank you.
WOW!!! Yes! Looking into whales’ eyes teaches us where God is, and O, unfortunately few recognize the truth. Once we know and look around, we should be able to see more and more how God reaches us! May we come to deserve life! I read the Vedanta Philosophy with great interest. Thank you.
Sumana, what a powerful and amazing poem. I do feel we are watching destruction’s dance, and that it is the result of our own way of being on the earth. I appreciate reading about the Vedanta philosophy. A wonderful post.
Such a thoughtful and reflective poem – wonderful!
What a profound message, Sumana! And yes, we DO get what we deserve indeed!
I like the whale-like shape of your poem, Sumana, and love the idea you have taken about looking into a whale eye and the direction in which it took you. Thank you for the explanation of the Vedanta Philosophy.
Yes you have made this your own – a fascinating poem.
An interesting poem and an interesting view of God (I take it you are referring to the Christian God – I wonder how the poem would read if you wrote it about Shiva? Suzanne – Wayfaring – WordPress blog
I guess it could be also about Shiva, the destroyer who breathes death and dances in destruction’s dance. In the concept of the Hindu Trinity, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the transformer or the destroyer.
I guess I was thinking about the transformative aspect of Shiva – that destruction leads to rebirth or regeneration.
I LOVE the idea of God singing in a bird voice! I love birds and that just struck a chord for me.
This is a powerful poem. 🙂
Riveting poetry, Sumana, capturing the “transcendent and immanent” with urgency.