Ah! At last, the bright spring is here. Mercifully, after a long-drawn winter, God’s colorful Canvas is changing. The mounds of snow have melted. The lawn is getting greener cleansed with lovely snow drops. The sun is shining beautifully and the temperature hovers in the pleasant sixties. No drug has as much soothening effect as a sunny spring day.

I see a new lustre in the leaves of the potted plants kept inside the home for the past few months. It seems they were long waiting for this glorious day. The banana trees have grown taller with long light green conical shoots.

It is time to take a walk around. You cannot feel the spring’s magic on you by watching the TV or playing on the iPad. One needs to step out, smell the fresh air, take time to wander around and watch the transforming landscape. On some trees, I was happy to see nice little flower buds peeping out of leaves. Who taught them the seasons and the secrets of life?

Hindu Puranas describe vividly the beauty of the seasons. Here is a nice verse from Srimad Bhagavadam.

हरिता हरभि: शष्पैरिन्द्रगोपेच्श्र लोहिता ।
उछ्हिलीन्ध्रकृतच्छया नृणा श्रीरिव भूरभूत ॥11॥
haritā haribhiḥ śaṣpair indragopaiś ca lohitā
ucchilīndhra-kṛta-cchāyā nṛṇāṁ śrīr iva bhūr abhūt

The newly grown grass made the earth emerald green, the indragopa insects added a reddish hue, and white mushrooms added further color and circles of shade. Thus the earth appeared like a person who has suddenly become rich.SB 10.20.11

At this time, I recall the following Sanskrit poem that I learnt in school:

काकः कृष्णः पिकः कृष्णः को भेद पिककाकयोः
वसन्तसमये प्राप्ते काकः काकः पिकः पिकः

Kakah krishna pikah krishna, Ko bheda pika kaka yoho?
Vasanta samaye praptey, Kakah kakah pikah pikaha!

The crow is black, and the cuckoo is also black
What, then, is the difference between a crow and a cuckoo?
When spring arrives, the crow is a crow, and the cuckoo is a cuckoo.

Last spring, a sparrow couple built a nest in our porch over a lamp shade. As they made a mess of the place, I removed the the first nest they built. Undaunted, they came again and started rebuilding. I watched with great pleasure the way they built a cosy home and later raise a family of three young ones.

Let’s enjoy the spring in full bloom. As William Shakespeare said, “April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”

Welcome to Spring!