Longing of Chakor
Hidden I kept the the feelings in my heart
Never confessed to you the state of my heart
Had it escaped, it would not have had any value
Desires are those, which never ever come on lips
I keep on flying like the Chakor holding its longing
I have become a cloud that is filled with lightning
O God, a lover whose longing is so volcanic
One day that writer will reach the lips of his beloved
Chaahat Chakor by Sandeep Silas ‘deep’ in Saada Khayal (2009)
In the above couplets the lover’s longing for his beloved is similar to the Chakor bird’s longing for the Moon. A description on the legendary bird Chakor follows for readers:
“Chakor
The Chakor is described in Hindu mythology as a bird that thrives only on moon-light for its food.
Deep into the full moon night, the Chakor sheds its tears in longing, releasing the song of unrequited passion, for its alluring beloved (i.e. the moon) is unattainable high in the skies. The bittersweet pain of the fullness of its love makes life worth living, for on this occasion of the full moon night, it can see the beloved from afar, undisturbed, in her full glory.
The great ascetic guru and philosopher of Advaita, Adi Shankaracharya, describes the divine glory of the Goddess Tripurasundari as Amba, revealed in the face of the Full Moon. The Goddess rises from the ocean, clad in the luminescent jewels of the spray of the surging tide. High above in the sky, the luminous sweep of her full light releases waves of chaitanya – cosmic consciousness – dripping with the nectar of immortality. And the Chakor, thirsting for the charm of her enchanting smile, drinks in this nectar, which brings the fulfillment of his life’s purpose!
Adi Sankaracharya refers to the Chakor as a bird that is supposed to have drunk to the brim the moonlight of Goddess Amba’s smile, which is so sweet that it benumbs the bird’s beak. To counteract this numbness, the bird drinks moonlight, which in comparison to the smile of the Goddess, is termed ‘sour gruel’.” Source: http://arunachalagrace.blogspot.in/2012/05/legendary-birds-in-hinduism.html)
