‘Amma’s Gospel by Rajender Krishan
Paperback ISBN-13 : 978-1-947403116 Amazon ebook ASIN : B08LSYFLN4
Available on Amazon USA | Amazon India

About the Poet:

Rajender Krishan, born in India, is an alumnus of Delhi University, India. Presently residing in New York, USA, the founder of Boloji.com, is a great admirer of the famous poet Kabir and has dedicated numerous poems to Kabir. He is the author of ‘Solitude and Other Poems’ published by Cyberwit.net in 2013. A lover of Poetry, Photography and Visual Art, he is ‘a passionate observer of man and society.’ Respect and honor for human feelings and relationships are his greatest attributes.

Quoting Rajender Krishan’s words:

‘Life is a great teacher. The joy is in living. Life itself is an expression. It is the only constant that is forever changing. Yet, in the eternal change is hidden the ‘agocharik’ principle. This, therefore, makes life itself creative and throws challenges for one to seek, discover, discriminate and live.’

About the Book:

The book ‘Amma’s Gospel’ by Rajender Krishan, is a wonderful collection of beautifully written forty-five poems touching all the aspects of life and human existence.

Commencing with the chanting of the holy and pious ‘Om’, the poet creates a magical and enchanting atmosphere for the readers to delve deeper into the meaningful and engrossing verses that sprinkle charm and beauty.

The essence of life, the core of life experiences and the messages revealed through life itself form the basis of the poems that unfurl the quiddity of the Ultimate Reality.

Love, the basis and the crux of humankind, finds a generous expression in Rajender Krishan’s book ‘Amma’s Gospel’. Love - the love for one another, the love for motherland, the love for all earthlings - is the golden thread around which the beautiful priceless pearls of wisdom of the forty-five poems are intricately woven and presented as a garland of gratitude and intimate human bonds that remain unshattered and undeterred even in the harshest times and the severest storms of life. The reverence and respect for human relations are reflected in almost all the poems, such as ‘Amma Ji’, ‘Greetings’, ‘Amma’s Gospel’, ‘Why Pray’, ‘Quest’, ‘Amma’ to name a few.

The marvelous illustrations by Niloufer Wadia are like a jewel in the crown. The paintings are the picturesque and realistic interpretation of the poems, enlivening the verses for the readers to adore and cherish forever.

P C K. Prem’s Foreword gives a kaleidoscopic and elaborate view of the wondrous poetry that awaits the readers to glide through and enjoy.

Like a flame that burns in silence, like a perfume that rises straight upward without wavering, like the child who does not reason and has no care, the poet, Rajender Krishan, loves and trusts the Divine, greeting and praying for the Divine Light to manifest and the peace to radiate amidst the ocean of troubled waters. Letting himself flow irresistibly towards the blessed realms as a peaceful stream that flows incessantly, he expresses his immeasurable gratitude and offers a ceaseless worship that goes up from his heart, his mind towards the Divine like the pure aroma of incense.

With a heart as pure as a crystal, the poet aspires to attain the Divine peace and to see the Divine in the purity and serenity of that Peace. Wishing for His glory to be proclaimed, sanctifying life and His Peace reigning on Earth, the poet bows to Him in a profound silence. The Divine Light dissolves all shadows and illusions, alleviating all suffering. In the stillness of the heart, the melodious chant of the Divine voice is heard, as the poet quotes in the poem ‘Namaste’.

‘The symphony playing the notes
Of love, light, truth, harmony
In our throbbing hearts’ solitude.’
(Namaste, p. 35)

The Divine has showered enormous power to the human race – the meaningful expression of emotions and the wavering thoughts. The prodigious miracle uplifting the psyche, the calm, pacifying soothing words create a similar magic as the mellifluous songbirds. The piercing words pierce the bleeding hearts; their soaring dreams plummet down and the highest aspirations are drowned in the sorrowful oceans with the confidence and self- worth falling nosedive. Words, once spoken, heal or hurt, as a weapon fired, never to revert. They express the emotions, light-hearted or strong. They may cost a life or become someone’s success song. Moments of ridicule or jocular pranks could remain afloat in the mind, as the weightless planks. Life’s precious, so are the words, opines the poet in the poem ‘Word’. They may be sparingly used as the charming sprinklers. They may shatter lives or spread cheer and bliss.

The power of words finds expression in the heart-touching verse ‘Word’.

‘Imagine if one contemplates
On the Word of words;
Would not one
Get the key to unlock
The supreme potential within…’
(Word, p. 63)

The ‘Guru’ is irrefutably the messenger of God – a modest, humble, self-effacing Divine. The Guru’s compassion and guidance, as Rajender Krishan writes in ‘Gurudwara’, open a new path and illumine all. Steering through the darkness, shattering the ego that rules the psyche, the Guru emerges as a beacon of hope and a blissful ray of light. Blinded by ignorance, the distracted soul when embraced by the ever-loving, ever-forgiving Guru, elevates to the highest realms of consciousness and becomes ‘One’ with the Supreme, attaining the Ultimate Bliss and Quietude. The being, once clasped by viciousness and the egoistic self, is set free by the Guru’s blessings.

‘The Guru will destroy
Your most precious possession
 -The Ego’
(Gurudwara, p. 103)

When the myriads of thoughts, buzzing humming crisscross the mind as the swarm of bees, the focus and attention go haywire and the chaotic, disarrayed reasoning is withheld. The simultaneous attacks of the adverse forces shake the dauntless, undeterred resolve and befog the vision, thus muddling the choices on the path of life. When the light is discovered; when the aim, the pivot is zeroed in; when neither the pursuits nor the ventures affect the being; when neither success nor failures impact the self; when neither criticism nor praise alter the love; then the earthling attains the tranquil peace in the love-filled heart, as Rajender Krishan ’s poem ‘The Mystic’ elaborates.

‘Youth dynamically acts
As go-getter vibrant
Exercising will power;
The mystic conquers all.’
(The Mystic, p. 115)

A rose without the thorns, a life without impediments would be devoid of all beauty with no lessons learnt, no enlightenment achieved.  As a learner lost in the path without a Guru, a torch bearer, a guide – the being without any hurdles would lead a meaningless, aimless life. The hurdles appear to brighten up the path, to enlighten up the soul. They are the trustworthy companions that never betray, rather prove beneficial in creating an environment conducive to change, paving way for the being to achieve the unthinkable, to attain the unreachable summits and to live a meaningful worthy life drafted out by the Divine Will to be lived and cherished as a true ‘Karma Yogi’ as the poet mentions in the beautiful poem ‘Impetus’.

‘…and strives dedicatedly
To overcome the obstacles
Is actually the true Karma Yogi.’
(Impetus, p. 117)

Every being, in all the aspects, is interdependent on other earthlings. The individualistic outlook of the beings leads towards a self-destructive mode of their existence. The love, the gratitude, the surrender, the faith is rekindled in the heart towards the ‘One’ who sheds off the darkness, dissipates the ignorance, dispels all fears and evanesces all distress. The Divine aura shimmers as the candle emerging as the ray of hope when all seems lost and gone haywire. The Divine embosoms all, despite the flaws just as a mother ignores all the follies of the little child and showers immense love unconditionally. The humble gratitude towards the Divine is offered in the poem ‘Independence’.

‘Surrender in all humility
To the Witness within
The only Sovereign
Unperturbed and carefree
As the eternal concept.’
(Independence, p. 127)

The deeds, the toil, the sweat and the service elevate the soul to the highest realms and towards the climax of the tale of life, as the poet Rajender Krishan  beautifully writes in ‘Leaf’, the contended heart is fulfilled and gratified for all the springs and the blossoms that have been joyfully and blissfully experienced. The poem ‘Leaf’ expresses the gratitude and the contentment for having loved and being loved and for gladly following the Divine Decree, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of life – Nirvana. Enjoying the stay on the Heavenly Earth, the being cheerfully alights as the falling leaf, gladly receiving the gifts showered upon him by the grace of the ever-loving kind hearted Almighty.  Walking down the enlightened path armoured with faith and surrender, accepting all that comes along the way, the being finally achieves eternal bliss and serenity.

‘Eventually to become dust
And dissolve into
The eternal embrace
Of Mother Earth.’
(Leaf, p. 135)

The beauty of the moment, the pleasantness in the air, the fragrance of the bloom, the humming- chirping of the birds in the trees, the soothing touch of the gentle breeze – when felt with the inner eyes of the self, touch the heart and flutter the mind to the extent to which the being is receptive of the waves from the environ. The calm, tranquil mind, as propagated by the poet Rajender Krishan  in ‘Heaven And Hell’, delves deeper into the beauty of life spreading cheer and happiness abound, whereas, on the other hand, a heart that bleeds disrupts the peace and harmony of the ones around whom the strings of his heart are intricately woven. The little joys of life, the tiniest moments of glee, the silliest jokes cracked mindlessly, the bleakest smiles that waver without any reason – are the rungs of the ladder that lead the beings towards the Golden Gates of the Heaven that resides in and around us.

‘Both Heaven and Hell
Are echoes and images
Revealing the temperament
Of one’s own persona.’
(Heaven and Hell, p. 139)

A pure, swift brook spiraling around the hefty mountains, humming and singing sweet songs, touching soft pebbles underneath does not stop even for a while; rather maintaining the focus, dancing and curling, hopping and curving, it overcomes all the hurdles, the obstacles and reaches the destination quenching the thirst of the millions down in the plains. Similarly the focussed, the never-tiring ants, as the poet observes in the poem ‘Musing’, attain in unison their coveted aim as if seamlessly gliding away exhibiting patience, virtues and mental strength vanquishing all the impediments. The hurdles seem mandatory for the success, the progress; rewarding and exhilarating.

‘The idea will emerge
Lively and worthy
To be awarded the verdict
As an ideology…’
(Musing, p. 145)

The moments passed in digression often lead a being towards the crossroads in the muddled path of life. Encountering the hurdles abound, the being paves way with all his might – stumbling, rising, mounting, soaring – in the meandering serpentine course of life. Failing at moments with desires unfulfilled; climbing the ladder stumbling on each rung; foundering, alighting, oft stuck in hardships; each loss a reminder, each fall a blow! The hapless being thus strives – all color, all obstacles ultimately pave way. The choices made, the path thus chosen determine the ultimate resulting conclusion of the story of life, as the poet mentions in ‘Purpose’.

‘Sown today to sprout tomorrow
Into a fruit deserved
As the prize or punishment.’
(Purpose, p. 147)

The life well-lived, the journey of life well-tread is a blend of love, laughter, smiles and pain along with the feelings of jealousy, hatred, pride, the ever-dear Ego. The life, as it slips away like the sand in the tightened fist, is an eye-opener with all the enlightening experiences, the lessons well-learnt and the deranging emotional upheavals. The vanity of the multitude of actions and the futility of the multifarious reactions flash upon the inner self as the earthling approaches the ‘Exit’ of the drama of life, as marvelously expressed in the poem ‘Renunciation’ by the poet Rajender Krishan.

The ripples created in the calm, tranquil heart that once ruled the being’s world, no longer exist in the realms, nor do the stormy waves in the vast ocean of feelings disrupt the harmonious quietude in the peaceful heart. The aroma, the purity, the calmness that fills the heart sprinkles the gift of life in its purest form.

‘One, fearless of any loss
Or worrisome of any gain
Immerses in pure relaxation
Until the vacation is over.’
(Renunciation, p. 149)

The book ‘Amma’s Gospel’ is a mirror of the human life in its entirety. The verses in the book are the priceless treasures, as the white luminosities of the Heaven, sprinkling the spiritual riches. They resonate the chant of the Divine harmonies gladdening the soul by the voices of the silence and in the peaceful, tranquil reposed self, the poems resound the echo of the depths!

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