Gave memorial honours to his dead father

ShantaIntermediate

शपथ है तुम्हें इस विरागी हृदय की

Shapath Hai Tumhein Is Viragi Hriday Ki

7 verses · ~1 min

शपथ है तुम्हें इस विरागी हृदय की अधूरी तपस्या तुम्हें माँगती है!

न जीवन रहेगा, न आँसू बचेंगे, न पिर-फिर यही राग चलते रहेंगे, न मिट्टी इसी रूप में रह सकेगी, सदा ही न ये प्राण बहले रहेंगे!

मिटी आश, चिन्ता न इसकी मुझे, पर न मिट पा सकेंगी अभी साधनाये, ढलेगा दिवस और रजनी ढलेगी, चलेंगी अभी मौन आराधनाये!

स्वयं ही तुम्हें पास आना पड़ेगा कि ये जल रही प्राण सी आरती है!

अभी वेदना श्वास को बाँधती, पर रहेगा सदा ही न अस्तित्व मेरा, जनम-मौत खींचे लिये चल रहेंहैं, मिलोगा कहीं तो मुझे ठौर मेरा!

अरे, पत्थरों से भले तुम रहो, पर कभी आवरण यह हटाना पड़ेगा, कभी मृत्तिका में खिलेंगे सुमन वह, कि जिनको तुम्हें सिर चढ़ाना पड़ेगा!

अरे देवता, तुम न पत्थर रहोगे कि जब तक यहां भावना जागती है!

इति

Rasa: Shanta
Stanzas: 7
Lines: 22
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Geet (lyric song)
Metre: geet
Rhyme: irregular

The poem radiates a profound shanta (serene) aesthetic, blending the austere stillness of penance with the restless intensity of unrequited devotion. A painting would depict a solitary, meditative figure amidst a desolate, earthy landscape where the cycles of day and night transition into a soft, glowing twilight, symbolizing the soul’s patient waiting. The imagery is anchored in the contrast between cold, unyielding stone deities and the warm, flickering flame of an internal aarti (offering), implying a narrative of spiritual persistence that transcends the mortal cycle of life and death. The tone is deeply contemplative and devotional, capturing the quiet dignity of a seeker whose profound detachment paradoxically anchors their final, eternal longing for the divine.

शपथ है तुम्हें इस विरागी हृदय की (Shapath Hai Tumhein Is Viragi Hriday Ki), by Pratibha Saxena runs to 22 lines across 7 stanzas, set as Six short stanzas with a strong emotional and spiritual tone.. Its governing rasa is Shanta, shaded by Karuna. The metre is geet. Rhyme falls as irregular.

Read it for अधूरी साधना को पूर्ण करने की व्याकुलता and जड़ता (पत्थर) के भीतर चेतना जगाने का प्रयास. 3 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Gave memorial honours to his dead father: Bathed in a warm, reverent emotional atmosphere, the watercolor captures a solemn act of filial piety and ancestral worship within the traditional Hindu Shraddha ritual. A devoted son sits in quiet concentration,…

Words worth pausing on

विरागी: वैरागी, जिसे संसार से मोह न हो
रजनी: रात
ठौर: स्थान, ठिकाना

Threads

Devotion Detachment

The Poet

प्रतिभा सक्सेना

Pratibha Saxena

Dr. Pratibha Saxena holds a distinct and vital place in contemporary Hindi literature. Her work connects the rigorous intellectual demands of academia with the sensitive realities of human relationships. Born on February 9, 1938, in Madhya Pradesh, her life path took her from the lecture halls of Kanpur, where she worked as an educator, to a diasporic existence in the United States. This geographical shift is highly visible in her diverse literary output, which includes poetry, short stories, and satire. In collections like Uttar Katha and Seema Ke Bandhan, she examines the modern domestic sphere. She highlights the subtle constraints placed upon women and the shifting dynamics of family life with deep psychological insight. Her language carries a quiet and confident thoughtfulness that never shouts but still commands complete attention. Saxena has spent decades enriching Hindi literature, demonstrating that a writer can remain deeply rooted in their native culture while living far from home.