She Vanished Into The Panchttatva—five Elements

Under the starlit skies The pyre was lit And slowly and sadly Saw I my mother Vanishing into the gloom. Sitting, wearing new And bathing Or rounding about, Placing on the logs And the fire was lit. Under the skies, She lay burning And they giving Hari bols, Hari bol, Hari bol, Hari bol, Bol Hari bol, Hari bol, Ram nam satya hain, yahi sabo ka gatya hain. The body burnt to ashes, The navel kept burning, The figure disfigured it And as thus lost I my mother. Wept I, called I tearfully With the tears trickling down the cheeks, Falling down, Dropping down to earth, Dried and half-dried. Ma, ma, Mother, my mother, But the mother was gone, Gone for ever, Nowhere to be found again, The body finished into the panchattatva, The five elements. , The earth to earth, Fire to fire, Water to water, Wind to wind And spirit to spirit And it remained not anything else To be called own, Of my mother’s. Fire embers, ashes, coals, Burnt and unburnt logs, Broken earthen pitchers and bowls, Thrown off clothes, Just denoted they That a body burnt it there And disintegrated it.