Special Edition: Usha Kishore

Usha Kishore

 

Eye in the Sky

 

Eye in the Sky        that watches all

from afar       I invoke you

Dark Stallion studded with pearls

neighing at the gateway

of the astral world            that reins

the earth in thunder clouds

Guardian of the heavens           whom

the souls who once were flesh and blood      

rise to meet            O discerning spirit

ordained at the altar of flame    

bountiful in soma            dark is the ascent            

above the earth towards distant light             

where dwell           Indra            Mitra

Varuna                   all robed in waters.

 

 

Eye in the mind-sky         that envisions

heaven in anuṣṭup and triṣṭup

which summon the gods            in smoke

that spires skyward          from the yagna

of passion              seeking some

unknown divinity             invoking eternity

in incense and ghee          borne in

the hands of Agni            these were

the rituals of afore time              when

men and women dreamt of heaven

in hymnal chant               while the universe 

breathed in ice and fire              plotting

the centre of the earth                and

celestial spirits       arose in metered verse.

Notes

Acknowledging the Ṛg Veda and the Ralph T. H. Griffith translation.

·       In Proto-Indo-European myth, Dyáus or Dyēus is considered the all-seeing sky.  In the  Ṛg Veda, Dyauṣpitṛ (trans. Sky Father) is a sky deity, often associated with daylight sky. However, the deity is also considered a dark stallion studded with pearls, with reference to the night sky.
·       Anuṣṭup and Triṣṭup are Vedic meters.
·       Soma – can  be described as a sacred drink (ambrosia)
·       Indra is considered the King of Gods in Vedic myth and Varuna, Mitra and Agni are deities of water, the rising sun and fire.

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Bio: Indian born Usha Kishore is a British poet, editor and translator, resident on the Isle of Man.  The author of three collections of poetry and a book of translations from the Sanskrit, Usha has been widely published and placed in international competitions. She has recently defended her PhD thesis at Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland.

 

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Setu, October 2025