I am sympathetic to the perspective of those who have been disturbed by the Sanskrit poems, though I have personally enjoyed them and have asked to be added to Madhav's new list.
At the risk of sounding preachy, I just want to note that many of the Indic traditions that those of us on this list study point out precisely the importance of reflecting on the fragility of our (material) existence. Only for those who are interested, I am sharing some reflections in this regard, by Swami Tyagananda, of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society in Boston:
Series Editor, Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical
Lexington Books
"One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of life." (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)
"We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." (Carl Sagan)
On Friday, May 1, 2020, 12:26:02 PM EDT, Camillo Formigatti via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
Dear Herman,
I hesitated to write a similar message until now, but I cannot hold myself any longer. I found the Sanskrit poems about the coronavirus disturbing from the very start and to me they were not a distraction, they represented rather the contrary. They were always
a reminder of the fragility of our lives and in this incredibly sad moment, this is even more in my mind than ever. I haven't read a single one fully and I don't plan to read any in the future, regardless how refined their language might be. I just don't want
to read them.
Best wishes,
Camillo
From: Tieken, H.J.H. <H.J.H.Tieken@hum.leidenuniv.nl> Sent: Friday, May 1, 2020 8:14 AM To: indology <indology@list.indology.info> Subject: [INDOLOGY] corona deaths
Dear List members,
At the risk of being a spoilsport, personally I do not find the "a distraction from the Coronavirus" mails, in which we try to outdo one another like poets in a kavisamāja, appropriate any longer, now that colleagues are actually dying of the virus.