Standing alone at the wayside

(56)  Ke go tumi pathapashe danriye eka

Who are you standing alone at the wayside,
Eyes full of tears, eyes full of tears?
Who are you, gazing alone at the blue yonder,
Arms lifted upward, arms lifted upward?

What you wanted, you did not get.
What you got, you did not want.
The longings of your mind are not satiated.
The love filling your heart has evaporated.

Those you wanted, you loved.
From them in return, you received hate.
You have lost everything, and what have you gained?
Your only acquisition is the song filling your throat.

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Because You came

(30)  Tumi marme ese amar ghum bhaungale

Because You came my deep sleep was shattered. You painted my mind with Your own color. Gone is the road weariness. Gone are the misunderstandings. The disturbing attachments of life are no more; With Your own hand, You removed them from my mind. In Your rhythm my existence is graciously given to dance. Gone are honor and insult. Gone are gain and accumulation. You removed these burdens from my mind; You graciously filled me with Your effulgence.

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Baba's exposition:

You roused me from my deep slumber, and You have colored my mind with Your color. The tiredness of my journey is gone. The misunderstandings have disappeared. And all the pollutions of mind have vanished. You removed them with Your own hand. Because of Your intense love for me, my very existence has become a dance, full of rhythm. You have touched the very core of my mind. Gone are the feelings of pride and prestige. Gone are the thoughts of gain and accumulation. You removed all these heavy burdens from my mind and filled me with Your infinite light.

Great expectations

(29)  Amay chotta ekti man diyecho

You have given me a small mind But expect so much from it. You call me from the stars, Twixt the rifts in the clouds. With the fragrance of earth, with tree leaves, With the river current, with the distant azure sky— I fall into the bondage Of countless hindering entanglements. My Friend, I know You remain very close. Why then do You call me from afar? How can I gaze on You? Tell me Your position.

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Baba's exposition:

Oh, Macrocosm, You have given me a very small mind, a unit mind, a microcosmic mind; and You expect so much from this little mind. You are calling me from the twinkling of distant stars, through the openings of the clouds. But You know, there are hundreds of bondages in this world, and I am entangled in all these bondages – in the fragrance of the earth, in the leaves of the trees, in the flow of the rivers, in the distant azure sky – how can I respond to Your call? Oh, my Lord, if You are very near to me, then why do You call me from such a distance? I know it is because You want me to be still closer to You. And I also want to be still closer to You. And I also want You closer to me.

When You came

(903)  Tumi jakhan esechile

When You came
The moon was full.
Playing peekaboo with the moon
Was the motion of the clouds.

Nebulae of the distant sky
Were drawn in sandalpaste.
A newly arrived swan
Had forgotten the way.

So many moonlit nights came and went;
The seat of my heart remained empty.
With the sound of Your footsteps,
My heart was filled with moonlight.
That swan came again.
The path was recognized and taken.

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Everyone's own self

(170)  Sabara apan tumi sabara apan

Everyone's own self, You are everyone's own self.
You are with all, filling their life.

Amid flowers, You are the honey essence.
Amid minds, You are the color display.
For days gone by, You are the light aroma.
In heart and soul, You abide, ever aware.

On knowing You, You remain unfamiliar.
On understanding You, You remain obscure.
On catching hold of You, what gets caught?
What gets caught is only Your charming feet,
Your charming face.

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I will heed

(28)  Bandhu tomay kii balibo

My Lord, what shall I say to You— You who have shattered my dark slumber? The path of light alone I will tread— I will tread, I will tread, I will tread. My budding flower lay neglected. You have threaded it in Your garland. The sullied offerings of my mind You have taken on Your lap. In exchange for all, I received You. Only Your words I will heed— I will heed, I will heed, I will heed.

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Baba's exposition:

O Lord, what shall I say to You? You have broken my dark slumber, and now I shall move on the path of light. My flower, which was long neglected, You have threaded into Your garland. Those offerings of my mind were soiled with the dust of pettiness. You have graciously taken them on Your lap. I have given away my all, and then only I have received You. Henceforward, I shall move along Your path. Only Your words I will hear. Only Your dictates I will follow. This is the proper path for me.

You have come

(169)  Esechile prabhu ghum bhaungate

You have come, Lord, to shatter slumber,
To lead me on the path of consciousness.
Forgetting You, I had gone astray;
On my own, I could not make my way.

How many days went by and evenings passed—
How many nights were spent in weeping.
I could not progress on the path,
But today You've come to guide me.

All suffering, all despondence,
Is over, for You are come.

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Come back, my Lord

(27)  Dao sara ogo prabhu chande gane

Come back, my Lord, in rhythm and song.
Come back, my Lord, in dance and cadence.
O my dearest and most revered,
When lethargy prevailed, You Yourself shattered it.
Come dancing in rhythm, come dancing in rhythm.

Blinded by the world, I was benighted.
Like the sun You came into my life anew.
With Your lustrous beauty, what did You do?
You painted my life, my mind, with Your color.

You entranced my mind, entranced my mind.
Come dancing in rhythm, come dancing in rhythm.
Piercing all fog, enter the core of my heart.

Sarkarverse article
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Baba's exposition:

O Paramapuruśa, come to me with the rhythm of Your dance and with Your sweetness. Do not come in any crude form – in the form of violence, in the form of darkness, in the form of terror. I want to have You through the sweet melody of songs and the sweet rhythms of dance. I want to be one with You through these rhythms. I was in deep slumber, and You awakened me. You led me on with Your sweetness and rhythm. You coloured my life with Your colour. Now, please come close to my heart. Please touch me.

Love has borne fruit

(168)  Arune raunano sab asha

Today all hopes are dyed crimson—
Love has borne fruit.

The forest creepers are laden with flowers;
My mental creeper kneels in joy.
Today, all expressions are delightful.

Come, let's set forth toward the sea of effulgence;
Everything, let's deem it auspicious.
Come, let's give voice to most pleasant conceptions,
Forgetting past tears and smiles.

Come, let's associate with all in kinship.
Let's sing songs that foster intimacy,
That coat with honey and affinity.

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Holy dust

(167)  Vishvatratar caraner renu

Dust from the feet of the messiah
Is sprinkled throughout the universe.
It is in every corner of the universe.

In the mind of everyone, in each and every atom,
It is there, hidden secretly.

However much we roam about in search,
In the outer world, we do not succeed.
When we see outer and inner as one,
Then it is everywhere.

We attain the goal through love, through compassion—
We attain it through heartfelt sympathy.

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Where's the time?

(24)  Hathata ele hathata gele

My abiding friend,
Suddenly You were here; suddenly, You were gone.
In my deepest night,
You came and said with a smile, "I am hard at work;
Now I must go, go, go."

"Many people ask for many things.
At least something I must give.
In giving and taking, I remain engaged.
So time there is not, not, not."

"In many corners of the earth,
Many people request personal contact.
To them also I must go.
So time where to find, find, find?"

"Those who don't ask for anything,
They are the ones who desire everything.
To their call I must respond—
They are the ones I want, want, want."

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Baba's exposition:

You appeared before me suddenly in the night and said smilingly, "I am very busy with so many activities and thus I cannot stay with you. I must go, I must go, I must go!" What is this? You said, "Everybody in this world wants something from Me, but it is not possible to grant everything they ask for. And you know, some of these demands are logical and justifiable, some are not. Even so, I am to satisfy them, at least giving something. If not fully quenching their thirst, at least partially, I must quench their thirst. And with these matters, I remain engaged. There are many people who say, 'O Paramapuruśa, You are mine, so You should meet me secretly, confidentially in my heart; I want personal contact with You.' I am to go to them also, and this requires some time too. So there is shortage of time, there is paucity of time. There are also some very intelligent people who say, 'O Paramapuruśa, I don't what anything from You, I want You!' Those who say this actually want everything, because they want Me. They are the most clever and intelligent sádhakas. So I am to respond to their call also. I am to fulfill their demands and their desires. In fact, it is these people whom I like the most. So you sádhakas, I have a great deal of work to do. I have come for only a short while, and so it is difficult for me to remain long with you. I must go, I must go, I must go."

Toward infinity

(166)  Alokera dheu andhara bhediya

Piercing the darkness is a wave of light.
Toward infinity He races.

Inviting all, He moves on.
Vibrating all, He moves on.

Mental shoots dance to His beat.
Peacocks and wagtails pray for His grace.
With immense imagination and speed,
Everyone He attracts.

What was before, what is now,
Whatever will remain— all that He unites.

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You are the pristine light

(23)  Nutaner alok ogo

My Lord, You are the pristine light.
From what great distance have You come?
Now the rhythms of the universe
Dance round and round You.

I remember my gloomy nights,
Clouded with deep solitude.
Spreading ever-new wings
You came flying, piercing the darkness.

All dejection has lifted.
Today, every hope has blossomed.
All-pervasive love
Now floods the whole cosmos.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Baba's exposition:

O Paramapuruśa, You are the new light. Piercing through the veil of Cimmerian darkness, soaring on Your ever-new wings, You have appeared before me and the world as an apostle of newness and an apostle of life. And all the rhythms of the universe are dancing around You. With Your arrival, all frustrations have disappeared, and today hope prevails everywhere. The entire universe has been flooded with a wave of love, and all living beings have started to love each other.