Transcendental Commentary on the Issues of the Day
The world's most mighty man, it seems,
Is under seige again,
Another lovely lady claims
An after-hours' sin.
The charges may or may not stick,
But if you catch the hint,
This man of power, protected by
Atomic armaments,
By admirals and by generals and
By armies, east and west,
By smoke alarms and bodyguards with
Guns, the very best,
Cannot forestall instrusion from
Persistent allegations,
Relating to the urge to scratch
A slight itching sensation.
What army or assassin's gun
Could undermine his reign?
Instead he's under pressure from
A piece of flesh, untamed.
In India, the elephant,
Of matchless strength and size,
Forgoes his independence and
Becomes the hunter's prize.
While rushing toward his female
Who enchants him with her eyes,
He drops into the hunter's pit
And learns, to his surprise,
That one may rule the jungle
Or the forest or the waves,
But one who serves the senses
Will become the senses' slave.
A mighty king named Bali, who
Commanded land and sea,
Proposed to give to Vamana
His choice of charity.
The boy asked for three paces
Of King Bali's boundless land.
"That's all?" the king retorted,
For he couldn't understand.
"You see," the boy instructed,
"If I had your land and gold,
I'd still be wanting something,
Were my senses not controlled."
Now Bali got the message and
He altered his condition.
Today the mighty leaders need
To slow down and just listen:
"Don't scratch that blasted itching
Even though the urge is great!
You're smarter in the long run
If you learn to tolerate."
You'd think the mighty leaders
Would grow tired of being trampled,
And set aside the scratching mode
To lead by good example.
Why do we Hare Krsna folks
Chant mantras every day?
The higher taste of chanting
Makes scratching seem passe.