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High on Waves

India the land of contrasts
Of bullock carts and limousines
Of lepers, peacocks, palaces, and poverty
Of majestic snow-capped mountains where vultures wheel
And villages of squalid huts and holy Tulsi trees.
The land where all the world religions have a home
Where spirituality and materialism go side by side
Where East and West become united.

India - the home of saints, sages, sadhus
And sannyasins who own nothing
Yet fly the world around in jumbo jets.
India, who kept alive the ancient science of yoga.
Which modern science is testing now.
The birthplace of the Vedas and Vedanta
And scriptures not composed by mortal man
But revealed in meditation to the sages
Who transmitted them to the chosen few
Thus preserving them through the ages.
Where holy River Ganga flows from Himalayan heights
Down through fertile plains and paddies to the sea
Lapping its waters on the shores of many lands
To liberate from worldly illusions
The seeking hearts of man.

Bharata - the land of acceptance
Where all people, all religions, all thoughts
Mingle and combine
For she, like a mother, is accepting.
Accepting technology from the affluent nations
Accepting wisdom from celestial beings
And offering worship according to scripture
Knowing Devi will hear, and bestow divine grace.
The land where miracles can and do still take place
Because of the faith of her people.

Swami Yogananda Saraswati