On the raft of Your name

(724)  Tomar namer bhelay

On the raft of Your name,
My life I've set adrift.
Nothing would I ask from Thee;
Wanting is like decease.

In Your form, in Your color,
In Your sweet affection,
Having wed my cadence to Your beat,
Your song I will sing.

Upon idle and lethargic eyes,
The salve of knowledge You applied.
Being smeared with that balm,
I'll perform the muktisnán.^[1]

In Your rhythm, in Your tune,
In Your love's allure,
Heart filled with Your melody,
That is my odyssey.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

The flood

(723)  Ganer kakhano shes hay nako

Never will there be an end to songs;
In melody's realm, there's not just one.
The lamp of life cannot be extinguished,
As on Your lampstand it is kept.

Whatever the tongue, whatever the tune,
All have come just from You.
Whatever the song, it's Your gift only,
Your majestic chariot-wheel.

Each utterance of Yours, it carries great weight;
It flows ever on in music's seven-note scale.
Tempus eternal exists within Your consciousness;
Always remaining engulfed by bliss.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

It's okay

(722)  Tomar liila tumii bojha

Your cosmic game is understood by You only;
By anyone else it simply can't be fathomed.
Not knowing the sport, I'd know the Sportive One,
Who is the very base of life for all persons.

Why does the sun rise on eastern horizon;
And why does it set, immersed in vermillion?
Why does but one moon shine in the sky,
On moonlit nights, casting spellbinding dreams?

On the peak of lofty mountains,
White snow, why does it blanket like umbrella?
Why were the heavens colored blue,
And why do emeralds bear green beauty?

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

The one true friend

(721)  Duhkhaharan duhkhiira vyatha

Taker of anguish, the pain of suffering,
If You did not empathize, who would feel for me?
Redeemer from affliction, when I'm in jeopardy,
If You did not arrive, who would come to me?

Planets and stars move per Your decree;
The polestar shines per Your direction.
By Your inspiration, in the sky and in the air,
Feelings of amity pervade.

Grant me sambodhi,^[1] ambrosia unending;
With a smile on Your face, kindly ferry me.^[2]
For those who have no one, You are theirs;
Forever You'll remain.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Down low and up high

(720)  Andhar rate alor jhilik tumi

You are a flash of light on my dark nights,
On cloudy days, a golden lotus fully open.
When I'm heartbroke, You are words of hope,
In my shattered life, a glittering paradise.

Often I've been lost, and then I've managed to return;
I've cried in such pain, then laughed in joy again.
Without You, there is no song, there is no life...
Without You, I have no supplies on this earthly journey.

In an instant brilliant, You arrived dressed like a king;
Then to some distant place You went, leaving me destitute.
Once more in my time of need, swathing me with love,
You've sent my pain afar and wiped away my tears.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Instruments in His orchestra

(719)  Kabe ami baire elum

Long ago outside I've come,
Singing only Your song.
Forgotten have I the hour that was
And the color of Your fair strand of love.
With what inspiration and ambition
Was I looking forward?

Perhaps, at that time, the clouds were dark;
Or maybe the floodtide was harsh.
Perhaps at that time, that night or day,
None else was there to take my place.

Perhaps, looking at the thorns on my way,
Maybe I wept out of dismay.
Perhaps, holding danger in contempt,
I have marched ahead.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Intellect's limit

(718)  Pache dhara para tai ananta

Lest You get caught, so You remain limitless;
Given this fact, there's nothing more to grasp.
Lest You get lost by mingling with everybody,
Cautiously, You keep Yourself concealed.

You've kept hidden in the sky and in the ocean,
In the heavens and abyss, in gusts of wind and mountains,
In galaxies and distant nebulae,
In that love whose boundary I don't find.

You've kept hidden in the veins on every leaf,
In dense downpours, and in each raincloud's body,
In ruin's dismay and in sweet consciousness...
In mind's casket, despite knowing this, I am remiss.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Your great heart

(717)  Tomar saunge mor paricay

With You my acquaintance is
A tale of not just two or four ages.^[1]
It's not enscribed in history;
No one knows the story.

The first year arrived;
The first rains appeared.
Pleasure smiled, having received
The kindness of Your mind.

Nectar entered the first flower;
The moon's face shone with the fun.
A gentle breeze came in, bearing
The exuberance of joy's attainment,
The tenderness of Your great heart.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Confluence

(716)  Ganer sagar jethay meshe

Where the sea of song meets
With the ocean of melody,
Lord, I'll find Thee,
Forever in that clatter.

With rhythm and dance sustained is
The stream of life in the universe.
Should that stream ever evaporate,
Who would want to be on this earth?

With love's beauty there awake
The musical modes of mental state.
Should those modes ever diminish,
Only the deaf-and-dumb would remain.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Eyes open

(715)  Tai bhavi go mane tomari smarane

So I resolve, thinking of You,
On my way I'll go, under Your refuge.
What my heart would deem to be its own,
It is not mine; awake, that I know.

The power of speech with statements of conceit,
Eyes ever looking to be revered,
And ears, in meditation, such thoughts hearing...
Just the din of Your game are all these.

Besotted with Maya, racing is my psyche;
But over mind I can achieve mastery.
Under the shade of Your grace, by Your mercy,
My thoughts I dedicate to contemplating Thee.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Divine mystery

(714)  Kon sudurer srote bhese esecho esecho

On what stream from far away have You floated in,
Dispensing nectar with Your life's pollen?
What is that heavenly message You have brought,
Obliterating all the pain and bitter thoughts?

Today, the hens^[1] sing in my garden;
And, in the thorny jungle, screwpine^[2] want to blossom.
Coated with sweet scent, a gentle breeze wafts by;
Filling hearts, You arrived.

In a cloudless sky the stars, they beam;
Untiring in spring, superbly the cuckoo speaks.
In a rush come bumblebees with what fond ambition?
Being just one, how did You assume so many forms?

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Torn in two

(713)  Cakrer paridhite ami

I am on the wheel's rim;
Stationed at its hub are You.
I am wed to joy and grief;
You transcend those two.

There are likes, and there are worries;
There are loves, and there are smiles and tears.
Your seat is higher than everybody's;
By nothing are You flustered.

Of getting lost there is fear;
Will to acquire is also there;
Being mid outward and inward propensities,
The doe of mind is thrust into dilemma.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Stay

(712)  Manera majhe khunji

Within the mind I seek
You, and You only.
Shrouding You in my psyche, those bygone days
That produced memories, they surround me.

Dark clouds appear and then drift away,
Having gripped the mind with a light-shade play.
Crowds of ships come in and sail off once more;
Left on my own, I linger by the river-shore.

Come near, and cast a smile that's honey-smeared;
Make games no longer, but give reprieve.
If truly You love me, sit by my side;
Don't play hide-and-seek time after time.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Rock me

(711)  Rupatiita prabhu tumi

Lord, You are beyond form;
Yet Your game is in the realm of form.
Tiny or huge, humble or great,
Thinking of You, restless grow they.

In the pollen of a tiny rose,
In the finely grained whetstone,
And in the glacier's fearsome flow...
You're the flame in each volcano.

Come, oh come into my dwelling place;
Having filled heart's lotus, please remain.
Ever vigilant over my vitality,
Let Your cosmic cradle swing.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Last will

(710)  Arupa akashe rupera pradiipe

On a lovely lamp in the formless sky,
I move onward, having kindled a light.
With monsoon kadam in unstained blossom,
Mid blazing flames I arrange my garland.

You've bode within the shrine of my psyche,
Inscribing its silk with reverie's stream.
Neath the leafy shade of lemon flowers,
From a lotus blossom I siphon the nectar.

Even after the end, I know there's beginning;
Form is hid inside formless, that I believe.
In the bud of heart is a piece of Your beauty;
Hence, to that would I keep on clinging.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Everywhere

(709)  Manera gahane mama ke

Who is in my heart-cave?
Oh, Who is it that came?
Who is in my life-sphere?
Oh, Who awakens me?

The gates of gloom have been cracked,
The pitch-dark night has passed.
Echoing were the unstruck tones^[1]
In novel tune and musical mode.

Reckoning want-and-get is in vain;
It's pointless to look back today.
He pervades every little thing,
Both outside and inside of me.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Ineffable

(708)  Udvela hiya kare cay

For Whom is my ebullient heart yearning?
Resting, dreaming, sleeping, waking...
Who is the Magician constantly summoning me?

In every direction wafts a gentle breeze;
Between the clouds, a light is beckoning.
Flower pollen smeared with scent of honey,
About what distant kingdom does it sing?

Though mind won't agree to stay at home,
The response to that call, it does not know.
My aggregate unexpressed consciousness,
Having broken all impediments, what does it express?

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

All that matters

(707)  Tomar pather shes kothay

Your path, where does it finish?
Night and day I think about it.
I move on; I will proceed
With ambition to find Thee.

Star-studded are the heavens above my head;
Beneath me quivers a tired and lonesome earth.
A sweet and gentle scent wafts in
Upon exhilarating wind.

To get beat down is no misfortune;
To get picked up is no pleasure.
Of all my hopes left is one only—
I would reach Your proximity.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Home improvements

(706)  Tumi ki bheve calecho

What You were expecting...
Better had You told afore.
Those tasks that You want done...
If known, our minds would be ready.

Bathed in light is this earth,
Filled with forms, flavors, and scents.
On the stream of divine play, all they
Would have wanted is to float away.

Rotation of the six seasons,^[1]
In motley raiment they elapse.
Had they known Your grand design,
They'd have sung in well-drilled chime.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Essence of knowledge

(705)  Jukti tarke dhara nahi dao

With logic and reason You can't be fathomed;
You go on chanting the message of freedom.
In Your manifest world full of ignorance,
You set in motion a current of education.

You never accept defeat by anything;
You pause for no hindrance or boundary.
Unruffled by any panic or fear,
Ever You sing virtue's victory.

Immutable Perfect Consciousness,
All-embracing, free from desire,
God of the homeless,
Refuge for the whole universe,
With myriad appetites why make us dance?
Take pity and tell me what You demand.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Riddled

(704)  Jhainjhay tumi uddama

With rainstorm You can't be controlled;
But once in touch, You are amiable.
You're every fancy, every hope;
But from up close, You're most remote.

There's naught You want, naught that You take;
You go around, doling out love beyond compare.

Never feigned is Your affection,
And so You are the most beloved.
In heart-caves, in mental ripples,
Fairly You glow, dispelling darkness.

The sweetness of a heart that's lost,
You're all that is mine own.
Mine only, mine exclusively,
My Lord and Master.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Turning point

(703)  Krsna rajanii jay cale

The dark night goes away;
Bright days come again.
Those bent under loads of pain today
Will bask anon in joy's aftertaste.

Sweet memories about to be lost
Are scented songs filling the forest.
Tortured nights, lashed by grief,
Come to an end with proximity.^[1]

Worn-out rags are getting torn off,
Admitting gleams inside pitch-dark hearts.
Today's king, tomorrow's casualty;
Today's casualty, tomorrow's king.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

For the welfare of all

(702)  Tava preranay puspita halo

Goaded by Thee, with flowers were
All the trees in an arid desert.
Become fragrant and well-colored,
Pleasantly cool was that once-dead desert.

It's something I could never dream
And even still I can't conceive...
Broken hearts were restored;
They began to speak once more.

For all corporeal beings, You are ubiquitous;
But even being stationary, Your movement is quite rapid.
You make a planet’s ocean of light spill over
By spinning the nectar-axis in reverse direction.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Cosmic nucleus

(701)  Mahapraneri parash enecho

You've brought a touch of cosmic energy,
Sending a tremor through the seven spheres.^[1]
Gladdening and reverberating,
Obliviating estrangement's grief.

Time after time comes a herald of light,
Ever proclaiming sweet, hope-filled tidings.
You've arrived and removed the gloom;
At the eastern gate there is sunshine.

In your voice a trumpet did sound;
With your import the sun spun round.
The lotus of consciousness has blossomed,
Gyrating in the realm of total cognition.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

A personal God

(700)  Tumi sudhataraunge

On an undulating ambrosial stream,
Merrily You have played
With everyone always.
Tirelessly, fatigue-free,
You go on working constantly.

Dancing, from the cosmic hub You emanate,
Extroversial by Your own strength.
To Your lap You draw from far-flung place,
Introversial by Your own strength.
No obstacle can make You deviate.

When planets and stars weren't in existence
And nebulae in the vast sky weren't swirling,
In that hoary past, unrecorded by history,
You were there, upon the current of eternity.
Without respite You have been transcendent.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Maker and heartbreaker

(699)  Kabe jatra halo shuru

When did I begin the journey?
I've forgotten that history.
How many thorns I've trampled on the way...
In my mind is not that pain.

In such blazing heat I've been burned;
In torrential rains I’ve been drenched.
With such autumn beauty I've been whelmed
And sung bursting with earnestness.

In many golden fields I've laughed when autumn passed;
In many ice-cold storms on winter nights I've shivered.
Many batches of spring blooms I've witnessed,
And danced bursting with eagerness.

From so many woeful blows I've wept;
From sorrow’s load I've been bent.
Still I gaze in only Your direction,
Oh my revered Maker.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Moonbeams and starwinks

(698)  Phulera papri mele

Flowers, when their petals spread,
In Whose direction do they gaze?
Their bosoms full of sweetness,
Silently, in the mild breeze, they sway.

Their two large eyes wide open,
Coated with a magic, blue cosmetic,
Imbued with deep yearning, the celestial nymphs...
Toward which distant place, to music do they drift?

Take my mind's inner desires and set them afloat,
Hearing from the Infinite a call unknown,
The moonbeams and the bright starwinks
And Your loving flute all sing in the same one melody.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Apex of intellect

(697)  Tomake pavo bale

I will obtain You soon;
Just thinking of You I continue.
Before the end of one thought comes,
I plunge into a hundred more.

I have been loving You,
And I know You love me too.
Which one of us loves better?
Even pressured, I won't utter.

Lord, many are my misdeeds,
But all such things I never think.
Were I to ponder sins and shortcomings,
I'd fail to study only Thee.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Ineffable

(696)  Svarna shatadala sama tumi go

You are like a golden lotus,
Of such loveliness I do not find.
You endure, girded by thorns;
Fearing the pricks, I don't go close-by.

All my fear and shame, please wash away,
So I may get You near, filling my life.
Frankly I speak my heart's desire:
Far from Thee I would not stay.

Craved by all is the sweetness of Your pollen,
For that same honey do I keep awake.
Your greatness and Your fragrance,
No words are there to express.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

To everyone is divine purpose

(695)  Kahakeo papii bheve

Considering even the sinners,
Oh Master, don't feel fear.
If we sinners weren't there,
What glory could be achieved?

Some persons invoke You always
With folded hands and teary eyes...
Were You thinking that only they
Are Your votaries, Lord of the Universe?

Those people labeled sinners,
In their minds too, devotion resides.
Having given their load of sins to Thee,
They'd not want to be carefree thereby.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording