Oh! HYMA, Thou are the boundless love,
Diffusing the very beauty, well poised.
Did you leave us for the ethereal realms?
Those are verily beyond earthly sorrow
Transcending the very clouds soaring high
Truly unable to suffer this world’s sorrow,
Not tarrying here even a little longer.
You are but the merciful glance
Equally the fount of compassion for us
Even so left us on your journey beyond
Not enduring the anguish of this world
Did it outstretch Thy boundless mercy?
This lesser self unable to look at thy
Frail form, nor hear thy sweet voice
Forgive me, the one tricked by fate
Thy being the completion of goodness
Meant for us truly in this dismal world
Thou being matchless even for all the good
Ever could be summated on this earth.
Thou assumed all our sorrows in
Your fragrant life scented with rose water
Thou merged in eternity and winged to
The realms beyond the human reach, while
We with eyes tear laden always long
For every merciful glimpse,
try to get close to your adorable being.
Simply pining that you left us, not
Heeding or pausing for your lifetime.
HYMA has been amidst us for hardly a brief spell. To be precise, she paused for a couple of decades plus and left. This is not to mean that she ceased to be with us. She attained eternity and adorned the pedestal of divinity. AMMA bestowed divinity on her. As declared by AMMA even this act of conferring divinity on HYMA is only for our sake.
Though one may seek solace that Hyma is eternal and timeless, being placed in the supreme position of gracing us, granting every wish and overcoming our woes, the memory of her form remains with us. Those of the Jillellamudi fraternity who had been close to HYMA and had association savor all such moments.
Brother Raju here pens the eulogy on HYMA singing about her form, person and even the uncommon, unique nature of HYMA. Underneath these lines the pathos and the pensive touch of missing HYMA are to be felt by the readers. This is the powerful suggestion contained in this lyric.
To begin with Hyma had a frail form and suffered an indifferent health. Nagging headaches was her constant companion. Her movements are delicate and poised. Viewed in any way, she is out of the ordinary and her stature uncommon and peerless. Her person and form conveyed some unearthly feel and beauty of its own. This concept of beauty stretches beyond the merely physical. This is the unique beauty of the soul and a touching; feeling heart ever empathizing over the suffering of others.
Such beauty borders truth and as the English poet Keats cited “Beauty is truth and truth is beauty. That is all ye know and all ye need to know “. Even in the Indian context, beauty is synonymous with truth and auspices. To convey the same here may be put forth as “Satyam, Sivam, Sundaram”. Conventionally true concept of beauty actually relates to the heart, mind and evolves to the soul. Such beauty is true, auspicious and well boding for one and all. Such beauty is further mellowed and sweetened to the point of being adorable with HYMA’S concern for others’ slightest suffering and their well being.
HYMA’S continual sensitivity bordering on total empathy for others’ woes never let her be in peace and lead a normal life. Even a bird falling from the nest touched her and moved her. Not to speak of the ills and woes of other humans around. Such nature hardly allowed her to be quiet and be in peace minding her own comfort or joy, like others do normally.
Some felt she could hardly suffer this world and all its maladies if she were to live long. Rightly she ceased her mortal journey and gained eternity. Presumably she could not endure this world with all its frailties and consequent anguish. Verily she left, soaring into the unearthly realms, rightly giving up this imperfect, inadequate world of sorrow and suffering for persons like her.
Even so from her eternal posture, she continues to grace the world and shower her mercy. She is always working for our sake from a divine pedestal. Even AMMA decreed that Hyma shall fulfill all the mundane needs and lead the person to the spiritual goal. She is verily a synthesis or confluence of the temporal and the spiritual aspects at one singular point.
Here it is appropriate to present that AMMA even conveyed that in HYMA, the postures of Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman and Lord Shanmukha shall be perceived evidently by the knowing and aware devotees. Thus HYMA is the confluence of worldly bounty, devotional intensity and the strength of committed action even tiding over the blocks in the seeker’s path. All these traces and elements contained in each of the three divine persons are embodied in HYMA. These are the subtle aspects contained in HYMA revealed to the aware and realized. Even so, granting all this, HYMA is more widely seen and perceived as the source of relief and refuge to the troubled and distraught in whatever manner or mode.
Despite Hyma being full of compassion and mercy, it is felt that she left or considered Hyma detached herself presumably because the world’s pain and suffering were too much to be directly exposed in her case as a mortal. Thus persuaded, Hyma chose to be the immortal or divine from where she could be of greater help and solace.
Even so the lesser mortal always feels and pines that he is missing her delicate, frail physical form which one used to see. In the instant case, Brother Raju songs of that pathetic void as a person having lived and associated with her as an individual. Still her very glance is but mercy and comforts us offering solace in all our troubles and struggles. Thus Hyma, while ceaselessly trying to comfort mankind, ever feels that much more needs to be done, with all her kindness seems to cope with.
The individual after Hyma entered the sanctum grieves that he is no longer able to neither see her physical form nor hear her sweet voice and listen to her soothing words. At the very same time consoles himself that the entire goodness in the world summated shall not match up to the divine Hyma who is ever wishing well and minding mankind. Even so, the individual as a lesser mortal feels that he is tricked by fate in that he finds himself distant and apart from the human Hyma whom he has known and found much endearing.
As a finale he concedes that Hyma has taken the load of all our sorrows not confining herself to the fragrant, scented path created for her that is very well filled with perfume, and sprinkled with rose water. Despite being perched on a lofty, unattainable pedestal, and soaring to the heavenly realms beyond, Hyma continues to care for us and comfort us.
The fraternity of human beings shall only pray to her and long for her grace.
At times, or many a time people shed tears that she is placed in realms beyond our reach. We always feel that she left us and this world much ahead not fully passing through her lifetime.
Even we have little option but to submit our worldly woes and mundane needs to her for relief, ever longing for Hyma’s adorable being, now the divine seamless mega self. HYMA, gentle and delicate that she has been in real life always responds to our ardent prayers soon. HER grace and compassion shall find a way to each individual to meet his need.
(Adapted from Brother Mannava Butchiraju Sarma’s ‘Anubhava Saram’ Song No.54, page 58 titled ‘Avadhule Leni Prema’ – eulogy on HYMA with a pensive note of deep love, popularly sung by the devotees)