6 verses · ~1 min
जब-तब नींद उचट जाती है पर क्या नींद उचट जाने से रात किसी की कट जाती है?
देख-देख दु:स्वप्न भयंकर, चौंक-चौंक उठता हूँ डरकर; पर भीतर के दु:स्वप्नों से अधिक भयावह है तम बाहर! आती नहीं उषा, बस केवल आने की आहट आती है!
देख अँधेरा नयन दूखते, दुश्चिंता में प्राण सूखते! सन्नाटा गहरा हो जाता, जब-जब श्वन श्रृगाल भूँकते! भीत भवना, भोर सुनहली नयनों के न निकट लाती है!
मन होता है फिर सो जाऊँ, गहरी निद्रा में खो जाऊँ; जब तक रात रहे धरती पर, चेतन से फिर जड़ हो जाऊँ! उस करवट अकुलाहट थी, पर नींद न इस करवट आती है!
करवट नहीं बदलता है तम, मन उतावलेपन में अक्षम! जगते अपलक नयन बावले, थिर न पुतलियाँ, निमिष गए थम! साँस आस में अटकी, मन को आस रात भर भटकाती है!
जागृति नहीं अनिद्रा मेंरी, नहीं गई भव-निशा अँधेरी! अंधकार केंद्रित धरती पर, देती रही ज्योति चकफेरी! अंतर्यानों के आगे से शिला न तम की हट पाती है!
इति
The Poet
नरेन्द्र शर्मा
Narendra Sharma
1913 · 1989
Pandit Narendra Sharma occupied a brilliant intersection between high classical literature and mass broadcast media. Born in 1913 in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, he evolved through the Chhayavaad romantic era to become a vital voice in the progressive poetry movement. He possessed a profound understanding of classical Sanskrit aesthetics, which he elegantly adapted for the modern Hindi audience. Beyond his distinguished poetry collections like Pravasi Ke Geet, he was a foundational architect of Vividh Bharati, shaping the auditory landscape of Indian radio for decades. Furthermore, he brought immense literary dignity to Indian cinema, penning immortal lyrics including the title track of Satyam Shivam Sundaram. He passed away in 1989, leaving behind a legacy defined by cultural stewardship. He was a poet who ensured that the classical soul of the Hindi language thrived seamlessly within the machinery of modern entertainment.
Paired Painting
Bhairavi as Shamashan Kali in the Devotee's Vision
This exceptionally powerful miniature captures a profound mystical encounter within the desolate expanse of a cremation ground. Goddess Bhairavi manifests in the vision of an accomplished spiritual seeker, radiating an intense divine energy that transcends ordinary perception. Seated amidst rising pyre smoke, skeletal remains, and wandering jackals, the fiery red deity embodies the fierce aspect of liberation, dissolving fear and ego. Beside her, a devoted ascetic sits in quiet reverence, utterly transfixed by the terrifying yet sublime spectacle of the Divine Mother. Every brushstroke invokes the deep esoteric traditions of Tantra, where the cremation ground becomes the ultimate stage for spiritual awakening and transcendence.
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