Special Edition: Meenakshi Mohan

Meenakshi Mohan

The cosmic vision

 

But you cannot see Me with these eyes of yours, therefore, I give you divine eyes with which to behold my mystical opulence.

Bhagwat Gita 11.8

 

(In memory of my mother. I often wondered if the Trimurti bestowed upon her the vision to witness the mystic opulence of the dawn and dusk of her life, which she accepted with her serene persona towards the end.)

 

as she lay on her bed, she gazed out her window

at the cerulean, starless sky,

only a burning orb through the veils of ragged,

smoky clouds like a cyclops' luminous gaze

peered down at her to make her journey

peaceful to the other end of the cosmos.

 

she was peaceful and calm

her breath slow, hanging on a fragile thread

I wondered if her deep spirituality gave her this strength

while the leaves of the diary next to her night table

softly fluttered in the fan’s gentle current

whispering her words.

 

when my end comes

I want to thank thee by kneeling before you

on the altar of the cloud, for giving me space

in the world you created –

childhood newly sprouted, fresh and full of promises,

youth with its brilliance, a reservoir of love and patience

motherhood with profound joy and connection

and my silver year, a serene, illuminating sunset,

oh! The Architect of my life

when I close my eyes

wet my lips with the heavenly elixir

and guide me to your promised land

 

as the clock struck twelve, midnight on January 7^th, 2005

with Hey Prabhu, she closed her eyes

only a soft splatter of rain on the windowpane

played a sermon under the heavenly light.

 

Dr. Meenakshi Mohan (USA) is an internationally published writer, scholar, art critic, children's writer, painter, and poet. She is on the editorial Committee for Inquiry in Education, a peer-reviewed journal published by National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois. She is an Advisory Editor for Confluence, UK. Meenakshi received the Setu and Panorama International Awards for Excellence in Literature. Her book, Symphonies of Life, won the Sudesh Kamra Memorial Award for the best debut poetry book at the Bhasha and Beyond Literary Festival, Pune. Meenakshi lives in the USA.

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Setu, October 2025