Boundless Love

By Deepali M. Patil

When a child is born,

a mother is born too,

and so is a father.

And when I ask whose love is greater?

You would say don’t question, that’s better.

Me standing in the center, searching for the answer,

trying to weigh in vain mother’s love is greater or father’s?

Crosses my mind one such story,

of a loyal friend at whose feet laid glory.

He was the most unfortunate one,

whose mother left him to sail alone?

Yes, you know him, you guessed it right,

“Karna” the son of Kunti and Surya so bright.

When Karna was born, wasn’t Kunti his mother?

then what took her so long to confess it to others?

She approached Karna at the place of war,

not until now, why on the night before?

Did she love Karna, equal to her other son’s?

no, I don’t think so, not this one.

Karna in his life had committed no sin,

in Kurukshetra, this noble warrior was fighting for nothing.

Till the end, he stayed loyal to his friend,

knowing his birth mother never loved him, till the end;

because she was just attempting to end the war,

to succeed she knew, Karna was the only solution for.

On the other hand story of a humble dad;

On a rainy night, when the sky was pouring,

Waves of Yamuna, raised high and roaring.

This dad placed his son in the basket,

unaware of the situation, that was at stake.

He crossed the river and placed his son safe,

for the future to unfold, lord Krishna had escaped.

What Vasudev showed was unconditional love,

for his son’s life, he crossed the Yamuna like a dove.

So can we really weigh mothers' love as deeper?

Fathers love or mothers whose love is greater?

I am asking you because someone asked me the same;

I thought the question was just too lame.

Then I reflected on the stories I knew,

listening to which, each day I grew.

Thinking of why would one ask such a question?

Would it give any relief to a soul listening to my opinion?

I think love is beyond genders,

father or mother doesn’t matter.

Father can be as nurturing as a flower,

and mother can be an instilling power.

Father can keep us safe and warm,

and mother can be both majestic and calm.

Don’t assign genders to love, of any form;

Don’t try to give it a name and do it all wrong.

Love is God, love is you,

Love is parents, isn’t it true?

By Deepali M. Patil