Post enlightenment

The English translation of a poem inspired by conversations with TMK from the TMK unplugged event and with my wife later that night. Thanks to Vaidehi for the suggestion to write this poem from the perspective of a woman which, I think, vastly improved it.

Once upon a time,
I attained enlightenment.
Right here, at my home,
I attained enlightenment.

Amidst
cawing crows,
barking dogs,
buzzing flies,
my wailing daughter,
my blithering husband,
and
my boring work

I left this illusory world
and attained rapturous enlightenment
in Siva’s Kailash.

In Siva’s Kailash
ten minutes passed
post enlightenment.

In Siva’s Kailash
crows don’t caw,
dogs don’t bark,
flies don’t buzz,
my daughter doesn’t wail,
my husband doesn’t blither.
Blithering, the word itself doesn’t exist.
Work isn’t boring.

In fact, there is no work to do.
And there is nothing called boredom.

In Siva’s Kailash
ten minutes post enlightenment
I was utterly bored.

Utterly bored,
I begged Siva a boon:
To be born;
To be born again and again;
And to never set foot in rapturous enlightened Kailasha.
With this boon
born and saved
I returned home.

The best of the best enlightenment
doesn’t compare to the worst of the worst at my home.