Gravity is the root of lightness;
calm is the master of excitement.
Thereby do exemplary people travel all day
without leaving their equipment.
Though they have a look of prosperity,
their resting place is transcendent.
What can be done about heads of state
who take the world lightly in their own self-interest?
Lack of gravity loses servants of state;
instability loses heads of state.

– Thomas Cleary

 

Heavy is the root of light
still is the master of restless
thus a lord might travel all day
but never far from his supplies
even in a guarded camp
his manner is calm and aloof
why would the lord of ten thousand chariots
treat himself lighter than his kingdom
too light he loses his base
too restless he loses his command

– Red Pine

 

As weight anchors lightness
And calm governs impulse,
The wise leader, all day on the march,
Stays by his stockage train
Within his guarded cordon,
Safely positioned, beyond harm’s reach.
Could the lord of ten thousand wagons of war
Risk his own self for the sake of the world?
Let such lightness lose him his anchoring base?
Such impulse his rule?

– Moss Roberts


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#212: The Most Popular Story in Ancient India Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 1/12/2026: Tonight, I read from the oldest religious poetry from India, the collection of 1,028 ritual hymns known as the The Rig Veda. Specifically, I read from the most popular story found there, the defeat of the serpent Vrtra by the god Indra and the freeing of the waters of the world.I begin by telling the story briefly and then sharing examples of the short references to it that are scattered all over the Rig Veda (from hymns 1.51, 1.56, 1.57, 2.19, 4.17, 4.30), which in themselves are indications as to how well-known the story was. Finally, I read a handful of hymns (1.32, 1.80, 4.19) in their entirety that tell the story in different ways.The translation and commentary I read from is by Stephanie Jamison and Joel Brereton; it took years to find a good and decently priced used copy of these volumes, but I would recommend them to anyone interested in Hinduism, poetry, or religion.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, due out next year, is now available for preorder. Other books include Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
  1. #212: The Most Popular Story in Ancient India
  2. #211: Who Was William Cullen Bryant?
  3. #210: Memories & Legends of William Shakespeare
  4. #209 – Being a Jew in 1900, Being a Jew Now
  5. #208: Bach & God
  6. #207 – Death, the Gods, and Endless Life in Ancient Egypt
  7. #206 – The Discovery of Indo-European Languages – 1876
  8. #205: Learning to Read, c. 2000 BCE
  9. #204: Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," 1856
  10. #203: Bruce Springsteen Talks About "Nebraska" – 1984

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