Soul: The Temple Within

The body is a wandering, mortal temple

Whose walls grow in size and tremble with age,

The two even pillars uphold its sacred frame, 

Human form, a marvellous tabernacle.

The rising hands, the gopuram in a holy cascade,

The face, serene and still, the temple’s sacred façade;

The eyes, twin lamps illumining its inner colonnade,

The nose, the guiding ridge of the tower in its upward braid.

The fingers, the fine relics that serve the temple’s art;

The lungs, deep wells sustaining every sacred part;

The stomach, the homa-kunda where life’s offerings flame;

The heart, the sanctum sanctorum where the soul rests in its eternal aim.

Though each body bears a shrine, crafted with a sacred grace,

Yet travels far in longing, seeking holiness in every place;

From pillar to post wandering, yearning for a fleeting spark,

Though the silent Divine within waits in stillness, glowing through the dark.

And when the outer temple quivers, weakened and worn, 

The inner deity rises, untouched, eternally reborn.

Whoever seeks the heavens may gently close their eyes;

For the Light sought in temples dwells where the inner heart lies.

- Dr. Sudevi Basu (India)