Varanasi

Pilgrims and vagrants throng its Ghats Beggars, seers and mendicants all, Shrill peal of bells, the chant of hymns And waters holy do enthrall. Shiva’s trident nudges the soul The Dhamak Stupa stands forlorn, Their speak of legends distant past Of antiquity long bygone. Come chant and sing a Vedic verse Do prostrate at the altars high, Know Moksha will then beckon you From pyres lit where corpses lie. Pray walk across its ancient lanes Inhale the scent of wood and smoke, Its din and dust will soon embrace Your senses with its blessed cloak. This mystic land its hallowed air Bathes all men with its pious smear, Here mortals come to breathe their last For doors of heaven opens here. ***********