Kids Corner

Poetry

Guru Prakasham

A Poem by A P J ABDUL KALAM

 

 

 

 




Many many years ago our Gurus lit the lamp
And the Prakasham was born carrying power of the soul
This light of truth on the lands of five rivers
It orbited and orbited around the sun
Along with the earth that carried it as sindhur
This earthly Prakasham is so powerful
Of human's universal message of one God
Four hundred orbits gone in no time
The great Prakasham has even out-glowed the Sun
As it orbits all around the sun, even sun bows in enhanced reverence
And salutes the earth, for all that it carries
The Greatest Prakasham of Guru Granth Sahib




[A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (October 15, 1931 - July 27, 2015), a nuclear scientist, was also the 11th President of India (2002-7). He passed away yesterday.]

July 28, 2015
 

Conversation about this article

1: Harminder Singh (Jalandhar, Punjab), July 28, 2015, 11:59 AM.

He was one of the greatest son of India. He was an inspiration to our youth. He was a symbol of humility who loved and cared for humanity. May his soul unite with God and rest in peace.

2: Kaala Singh (Punjab), July 28, 2015, 12:51 PM.

Among the ghosts of Zail Singhs and Pratibha Patils, the only noble soul who ever lived in India's presidential palace.

3: Sangat Singh  (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), July 28, 2015, 5:16 PM.

As a nuclear scientist par excellence, while he looked skyward, he had his feet firmly on the ground. He was a picture of humility despite the trappings of the President of India. You will remember when he called on Khushwant Singh to wish him on his birthday. One thing that rankles my mind was why wasn’t he offered a second term as President. Maybe he was not an apple polisher and felt more at home with the humblest of the humble. Where could you find another match of him?

4: Kaala Singh (Punjab), July 28, 2015, 11:20 PM.

@3: The President of India is supposed to be a "rubber-stamp" of the ruling political party and that is why he did not get a second term. His intellect and character made him unsuitable for the Congress who replaced him with Pratibha Patil -- yes of the Jalgaon Sikh massacre notoriety. Like all other mass-murderers, she had to be rewarded because her quantum of murders was better than Tytler's and Sajjan Kumar's. Otherwise these guys too could have qualified to become President. Once Manmohan singh praised Patil as a lifelong loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty. Looking at her appearance, public speaking skills, education and intellect, a lot of people wondered how she got chosen for this post.

5: Harry Singh (New York, USA), July 28, 2015, 11:35 PM.

Why did he give the Hindu fascists a thermonuclear bomb?

6: Kanwal Prakash Singh (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA), July 29, 2015, 8:40 AM.

The glowing words of President AP J Abdul Kalam about Guru Granth Sahib in his poem, "Guru Parkasham": "...even sun bows in enhanced reverence / Salutes the earth, for all that it carries / The Greatest Prakasham of Guru Granth Sahib" - they speak in amazing grace the humility and remarkably enlightened spirit of this noble "sun" of India. His light, much like that of the late Rabindra Nath Tagore and Dr. Sarpalli Radhakrishnan, and the living global spiritual Rattna of our times, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will shine through the ages and remind us that amidst the darkness in our world, there appear souls that usher in the Grace of the Divine and direct our attention, energy, and reverence toward all-embracing Wisdom enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib, other sacred Scriptures, celebrated timeless testimonies, and above the senseless rancor and divisive distractions that we see all around, and discover personal peace and our collective well-being. In Dr. Kalam as well as other rare and venerated souls, we witness humanity, humility, exemplary character, distinct commitment, talents and enlightened teachers who give a living testimony of lessons that distinguished them. We saw them manifested in Dr. Kalam's words, actions, and as President of India. May his soul rest in peace among the stars and his light and wisdom guide our way.

7: Sangat Singh  (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), July 30, 2015, 4:23 PM.

Some 19 years ago I was in Tel Aviv attending a radio conference. Since it was a prolonged affair one day I decided to play truant to go and see the Dead Sea. There are two seas in Palestine. Both come from Jordan and are entirely different. One is the Sea of Galilee whose water is fresh and plenty of fish abound. Its banks are adorned with brilliantly hued birds and beautiful foliage. The Dead Sea's water is stagnant and the air is heavy and shunned by birds. Both seas come from the same river. The difference is that the Sea of Galilee permits its water to flow in and out. The Dead Sea hoards every drop it receives. It is A P J Abdul Kalam who was the Sea of Galilee and had freely shared his learning with abandon. He remained a teacher throughout his life. He was awarded the highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, and had the unique honour of receiving an honorary doctorates from 30 universities. Even in dying he had thanked minutes before the soldier who had to stand for hours as his security detail. A lot of stories about his utter humility are appearing ... to be shared later. Wish to end with the befitting ‘tuk’ and prayer: “Maa-ee khatat aa-i-oo ghar pootaa” [GGS:495.15] - “O Mother, your son has returned home having earned a profit.”

Comment on "Guru Prakasham"









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.