Spiritual Warrior:
A painting-inspired poem about discrimination

O Jiva, in the position of meditation you sit
Seeking the Awareness of the Silence of your Self.

Nothing could be easier:
Nothing could be harder.

The world cries for you to stop,
To go no further,
To return to the ways of family and friends.

The wind blows,
Whispering for you to leave your seat,
To stop such a waste of time
And to take to the comfort of your bed
Where pleasures you will find.

To go and ride your steed
Madly into the fray
And to grab all the gold you can,
Your sword dripping red.

To find a castle
To defend against marauding foes,
To keep your treasures safely within
For the coming days of age.

But what can the wind offer
That can last but as long as itself?

O Jiva, no longer take up the sword of the world.

In its stead grab fast Discrimination’s awesome blade,
Eliminating from your goals all that is fleeting.

Desire only what is Eternity’s.
Let come and let go what is time’s.

And let no one call you
From the path of discovering who you are.

— Janaka Stagnaro

Thank you for reading. Years ago I did a series of “Jiva” paintings. Jiva is Sanskrit for the individual consciousness, or soul that resides in all of us. Though it is not separate from Brahman, the Absolute, and is the same divine substance, there is still the part to play of evolving spiritually. Along with these paintings, I wrote poems to each, of which this is one.

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Inspirational Poem: Beyond the Beyond

Inspirational Poem: Freedom