6 verses · ~1 min
शरण खोजते हुए फिर हम तुम्हारे पास ही आएँगे।
नक्षत्रों में नहीं मिलेगा कहीं ठौर – देवता मुँह फेर लेंगे, स्वर्ग-नरक की भीड़ में पुरखों का नहीं चलेगा कहीं पता-ठिकाना – अजनबी की तरह देखेंगे मित्र और पड़ौसी।
छोड़ नहीं पाएँगे पीछे अपनी यादें, तज नहीं पाएँगे पुराने कपड़ों की तरह अपने मोह, किसी चबूतरे पर अवैध कुछ की तरह चुपके से रख नहीं पाएँगे अपने शब्द, ओझल नहीं हो पाएँगे किसी बियाबान में – किसी प्रार्थना की तरह गूँजकर देवघर में हवा में दूर बह नहीं जाएँगे। अपने घाव, अपने चेहरे पर धूल, अपनी आत्मा में थकान लिए, अपनी आँखों में उम्मीद का आखिरी क़तरा गिरने से बचाए हुए
जन्मांतर और नामहीनता की राहत अस्वीकार कर, हम फिर इसी मटमैले पर वापस आएँगे।
मिले, न मिले यहीं शरण पाएँगे ...।
(1990)
इति
The Poet
अशोक वाजपेयी
Ashok Vajpeyi
1941 · 2008
Ashok Vajpeyi occupies a towering position in contemporary Hindi letters as both a prolific poet and a master architect of cultural institutions. Born in 1941 in Durg, he joined the civil service and subsequently shaped India's modern arts landscape by founding institutions like Bharat Bhavan. Despite his immense public responsibilities, his poetry remains fiercely dedicated to the intimate and the personal. He views poetry as a civilizational defense against the crushing impersonality of the modern world. In collections like Shaher Ab Bhi Sambhavana Hai and his Sahitya Akademi Award winning Kahin Nahin Wahin, Vajpeyi explores the themes of love, death, nature, and absence with remarkable linguistic precision. He writes in free verse, employing a sparse and exact vocabulary to capture fleeting moments of domestic quiet or sudden metaphysical dread. His work has been translated across the globe, bringing modern Hindi sensibilities to a vast international audience. Vajpeyi demonstrates that a writer can navigate the complex machinery of the state while keeping the solitary flame of the poetic conscience brilliantly alive.
Paired Painting
Fragment of Buddhist Mural Depicting the Life of Shakyamuni Buddha
This sacred fragment preserves a profound chapter of devotional art born along the ancient Silk Road, originating from the oasis of Turfan where Buddhist teachings flourished across diverse cultures. The imagery draws the viewer into the sacred narrative of the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, capturing celestial and earthly beings caught in divine devotion. Recently restored with utmost care at the State Hermitage Museum, the mural whispers tales of ancient monasteries, flickering butter lamps, and the enduring spiritual journey of travelers, monks, and artists who poured their souls into rendering the dharma visible.
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