Soldier of God

(50)  Raktim kishalay

I am a tender reddish leaf.
On a straight path I proceed,
Never on a path that's winding.

In front of me is beauty green;
On both my sides, a crimson sheen.
Head held high, I go forward,
Never with head bowed.

In my arms is thunder's power;
In my eyes, clear vision.
My thoughts are candid,
Words never curved.

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Yellow leaves

(900)  Piita parnaguli jhare jay

Yellow leaves are dropping off;
And, in the bamboo grove, no stir is brought;
Alas, without a sound, on the wind they waft.

The moon that was in the heavens–
Where has she gone, now sunken;
And who wants to keep looking for her?

That cloud, upon which seeing
Peacocks were all dancing,
To what distant realm has it vanished?
The Unscheduled Visitor
Who'd intoned His song,
His memory floats away, off to kingdom come.

Some remnant of His sweet smile,
A jingling tone did it revive–
It plucks the strings of my heart's lyre.

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True leadership

(49)  Dak diye jai jai jai

I go on calling and calling.

Those who want to follow the path of light–
Them I would identify.

People have borne many ills, troubles, and sufferings;
People have borne much bereavement and grief.
Those who want to wipe away their tears—
Them I would like to meet.

People have sustained the flames of starvation;
They have tolerated insults and neglect.
Those who want to smear salve on their injuries–
To them I would pay heed.

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Who gets hurt?

(899)  Je tomare bhalobase

One who loves You,
Why not let that person catch You?
Every minute playfully dissembling,
What is this style of hide-and-seek?

Those who call for You in earnest,
You look not back in their direction.
By Your game aggrieved, aggrieved,
By Your game aggrieved and suffering,
They let fall a stream of tears.

I know Your cosmic game's unceasing
And thereby You don't intend misery.
Through Your merciless relentlessness,
Devoid of any trace of malice,
With Your liila only Your own mind is filled.

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For the protection of Dharma

(48)  Alo jhare pare jhalake jhalake

Light falls in cascades;
The Lord of Light has come.
The Lord of Light has come today;
The Lord of Light has come.

All dark shadows are receding;
Apprehensive, they rose trembling.

Thunder resounds, a storm is blowing;
The Holy Destroyer roams, proclaiming:
"Oh ye, don't be afraid, have no fear;
All the fog has cleared."

With stars and moon mid rumbling clouds,
The whole world has been roused.

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Words cannot express

(47)  Kuinjavanete guinjaranete

In the bower with their humming,
Honeybees, which words would they speak?
They want to speak, oh yes, they want to speak.

On the strings of heart's lute,
The mystics, what ache would they make heard?

As many feelings as have been, so much speech is not;
As many yearnings as have been, so much skill is not.
And so all greatness and all glory,
At Your feet, prostrate they wish to be!

Stainless or blemished, every lotus
Wants to be in a vase offered to Thee.

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Let me be

(898)  Tomake caichi jata jao je sare

As much as You I crave, You go that far away;
What is this game You play?
My journey, will it terminate?
What is this game You play?

In a river-current I keep drifting;
Finally, I reach the sea.
But even there it's not the finish;
Wave after wave, they still appear...
Your play incessant, what is this?

Like straw before a storm is my will;
From place to place I get hurled.
Lo, at the very edge of space,
Weariness sets in one day.
Please pardon this my disgrace;
Understand my unvoiced pain.

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Spread the wealth

(46)  Era kannay bhaunga rudhirete rauna

Broken and weeping are the downtrodden,^[n1]
Crushed by despair and absolutely ruined.
They've no self-esteem or satisfaction,
Nothing bright, absent direction.

Come, let's bring them to the bath of light,
Let's satisfy their desires.
All deprivation let us banish,
Having called lovingly, our hearts abrim.

One person's grief is our collective suffering;
This rich Earth belongs to everybody.

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No end in sight

(45)  Bakula gandhe madhuranande

With bakul scent and bliss so sweet,
He had come in the rhythm of a honeybee.

"Even after termination did await an outset;
There is no finish." That is what He'd said.

"Life's current is eternal, without any end;
Never is its movement lost inside of a desert.
On your passage, at your speed,
In your stream, ever did it proceed."

All afflictions, all impediments...
Those iron gates He had shattered.

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1=∞

(44)  Ar kono katha ami mani na

Another's words I heed not;
To heed them I want not, I want not.

From the dark unto light I proceed;
From chasm deep, with a starsong I speed.
Taking to heart the inner pain of everybody,
Another's words I hear not;
To hear them I want not, I want not.

In a dance beat I move toward Thee,
Filled with Your song and life's beauty.
Taking to heart the inner thought of everybody,
Another's words I know not;
To know them I want not, I want not.

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Our day will come

(43)  Tomra ja khushi tai balo

Say anything that you please,
I will proceed relentlessly.
Relentlessly will I proceed,
No wailing when I speak.

The sky is filled with clouds of silver,
And the air sways with kans colors.
The night jasmine^[1] diffuse perfume,
Excited by the dew.

I do not find the One I seek,
But I know He also looks for me.
With my songs He is threading
One garland very tiny.

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Communication

(42)  Tomare peyechi

I have found You...
In the crimson light on cheery mornings,
In the cooing at the lotus gardens,
In the breeze at dawn, in water-springs,
In forest vistas solitary.

I have found You...
In the ups and downs on my journey,
In the dance and laugh, the beat and melody,
In my heartsong and its sweet memories,
In everything heard and conceived.

I have known You...
I have loved You and found You near,
Speaking frequently in dream and reverie.

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That we may know

(41)  Andhar periye apani esecho

Lord, You have come, crossing the darkness;
You have come into human existence.
You have loved unconditionally;
You have loved me.

In the small mind You've put desire;
With petty thoughts You've kept it twined.
And yet so great are You that You have taught
How to make Yourself one's own.

Contemplating and remembering You...
You've told it's how to know oneself.

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Magnolia grove

(40)  Campaka vane dakhina pavane

In the magnolia grove, on southern breeze,
With burst of song, today You appeared;
With burst of song, in person You appeared.

Vanquished are distress and disappointment;
You made me forget all deprivation.

On my journey intertwined with memories,
Twixt hope and despair I'd been wavering.
Playing the flute of love constantly,
With all sweetness You've been filling me.

With that brilliant light's streaming cascade,
You granted Your embrace in a hundred ways.

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He brings bliss

(39)  Tumi asiyacho shata janapada vahiya

You have come, passing through so many dwellings,
Filling countless throats with melody.
You have come, cutting through so many galaxies,
Tripping to countless dance beats.

The world has got life through Your benison;
The world has got mind through Your thought.
With Your boundless gift, Your sensation,
The world has learned to sing and dance.

In Your absence, no song is there, no dance is there;
Countless incantations came, only to remember Thee.

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Rejoice

(38)  Se je eseche mor hrdaye guinjariya

He has come, and in my heart there is a humming;
Nectar is pervasive, honey is percolating.
The Unseen Lord dwells at the core of my psyche;
Everything is shining brightly...
Honey is percolating, percolating.

Why does He arrive with such charming attire?
Why does He beam so heart-exciting smiles?
His light upon the clouds of my afflictions
Fills me with rainbow colors.

All the world's songs, melodies, and keys
Conveyed to Him an ardent greeting.

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Freedom

(37)  Kon bhule jaoya bhore sahasa samiire

On some forgotten morn with a pleasant breeze,
On mind's mirror You appeared.

Smiling with golden effulgence,
Floating on a honeyed fragrance,
Wiping out all of the darkness,
You did blossom like a flower.

Smearing pollen of existence,
Etching images of newness,
Sending out a thunderous message,
You did shatter all the fetters.

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Olly olly umphrey

(36)  Sabar bandhu sabar apan

Abiding friend of all, everyone's own self,
For everybody, You are their life's quest.

On the dark night, You are a festival of lamps,
A fountain of water on the desert-path.

When everything has been proclaimed,
Of what use are hide-and-seek games?
With Your true identity, come into my heart,
Letting loose the flow of sweet compassion.

On Your path resplendent,
Do not think of keeping hidden.

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Find Him in His ideology

(35)  Akash vatas sudhanirjas

Sky and air are nectar's essence;
From dark clouds comes a summons.
Sweetly sounding in the core of heart
Is Páiṋcajanya^[1] conch.

Oh what notes of dance and song;
Inside the mind is a light-flood!
Once lost, now waiting, I am hearing
The cry that I've attained everything.

I was going nowhere... with such sweet song,
Who is He that gave to me this call?
Hiding in the words is He,
The One Who is calling me.

After darkness came the light;
Suddenly, my life was satisfied.
It was filling my entire mind...
The unstruck chord divine.^[2]

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Life eternal

(34)  Tomar nayantale sab kichu nece cale

Dancing under Your eyes everything proceeds,
Beneath Your feet the Earth keeps on enduring.
The days of old, lays then intoned,
The tales once told, inside of You they flow.

Many times I have come; I have danced and also sung...
Often I have loved, and often I have torn illusion.
Many games I have played, as I have gone toward Thee;
Always moving, the world, with dust it goes on mingling.

And yet this dusty earth, without You it does not exist.
In Your rhythm it lives; toward immortality it ever drifts.

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Detached and liberated

(33)  Tomar name tomar gane

In Your name, in Your song,
Engrossed have I become.
A darkward-traveling pilgrim
Has obtained the lightstream.

Drunken wind with strings deceptive,
Even should she want to bind me,
Smiling sweetly, to her I'll say:
"I've pulverized that stone-jail."

All alive are worthy of esteem;
Receive my humble greetings.
All with a mind are one of a kind;
Please do accept these respects mine.
I had arrived with movement's penchant,
Just like honey in a flowerbud.
Now, with enchanting name's invitation,
I have been released from bondage.

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The big question

(32)  Ucatana mana na mane barana

My restless mind heeds no impediment;
It only wants to go toward Him...
Why do I have this wish?

Earth's pollen and the chirps in a shady retreat,
Forsaken are even they, my days of honey;
With them all combined, the sweetness of my psyche,
It still faints within Him only.

Whatever may be the history, all respect received
And any unvoiced wounds to my prestige;
Now, into one they all are melding...
Why do they race toward Him only?

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Life of my life

(31)  Kon timirera par hate phute uthecho

From what far shore of darkness have You risen,
Polestar of my existence?
From what celestial kingdom have You brought
This earth's flow of ambrosia?

Come, Lord, in the scent of my life;
Come, Lord, in the lamp of my mind;
Come, Lord, in the kadam of my heart...
You make this planet fragrant.

Come, Lord, in the tune of my life;
Come, Lord, in the song of my mind;
Come, Lord, in the rhythm of my heart...
You wake those who are dormant.

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Only one thing matters

(30)  Tumi marme ese amar ghum bhaungale

Into mind's core You came and broke my sleep;
With Your own color You painted my psyche.

There was road-fatigue,
And there was misunderstanding...
Existence was poisoned by the lack of peace;
But with Your own hand You removed those things;
You made my life dance to Your beat.

There were fame and infamy,
There were standards to achieve;
But You removed all my anxieties...
With Your effulgence You made me replete.

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High hopes

(29)  Amay chotta ekti man diyecho

You've given me a mind that's small,
Storing so much hope in it.
And yet You call me from the stars
Amid the clouds, rift after rift.

With scent of earth and leaves on trees,
With yon blue sky and river-streams,
Entangled have I fallen
Into countless binding rings.

I know, my Friend, quite near You stay;
So why call me from far away?
Is there a way for me to gaze
At Thee, my Lord, please say.

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The deal of a lifetime

(28)  Bandhu tomay kii balibo

Abiding Friend, what shall I say to Thee?
You broke my dark and gloomy sleep;
Now, only on light's path will I proceed...
I will proceed, I will proceed.

The budding flower lying slighted,
You have threaded on Your garland.
An offering of soiled psyche
You've accepted on Your lap.

In return for all, You I've received.
Now, Your words only will I heed;
I will pay heed, I will pay heed.

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Ready for the dance

(27)  Dao sara ogo prabhu chande gane

Oh Lord, with rhythm and song reply to me;
Master, give Your answer with a dance beat,
Oh Dearest Dear, my Deity...
In person, You did break my sleep;
Kindly arrive with a dance beat.

By worldly darkness I'd been stupefied;
Like the sun You came anew into my life.
What's this You did through splendrous light...
My life and mind, with hues You made them bright;
With a dance beat please do arrive.
To my psyche, You brought great delight;
With a dance beat please do arrive.
Piercing all fog, You entered this heart mine;
With a dance beat please do arrive.

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Total transformation

(26)  Bandhu gao gao gao madhugiiti

Abiding Friend, Your ambrosial song please sing;
Kindly shatter my deep sleep.
Abiding Friend, gaze at me incessantly,
Oh my beloved, my dearest dear.

Today, severed is life's lethargy;
Mind's exquisite beauty filled its place.
Now, by Your whim, with cascade of honey,
Kindly take and remake me.

Now, in seamless light, in heaven's stream,
Pack me with transcendent feeling.

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Yearning till it hurts

(897)  Tumi bhalobaso bhalobasite jano

You love and know how to love;
Why do You make such cruel sport?
I know You as my Lord and Master;
Why then do my eyes cry nonetheless?

The day breaks upon Eastern Mountain,^[1]
And painted crimson is the horizon.
This my night, this dark night,
Why don't You fill it with that light?

When moon's splendor brightly glistens,
Blue sky teeters on the brink of ideation.^[2]
In my heart-sky, with similar divine debut,
Hold out love's lantern... why don't You?

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His gift

(25)  Duniyavalon takte raho

Oh people of the world, behold!
Those who were seeking  Me, I fulfilled their longing.

Now humanism's light has spread.
Spiritual humanism, every mind it has entered.

Those with a heart, what have they done?
Inside their heart, they've bound Me inextricably.

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Giving of Himself

(24)  Hathata ele hathata gele

Oh my Friend, suddenly You came and left
Amid the night so dense.
With a smile, You came and said: "I am very busy;
Now I take my leave, my leave."

"Many persons crave so many things;
Surely something I must give.
In negotiation I am occupied;
And so there is no time, no time."

"In many corners of the earth,
Many persons plead in confidence.
Go to them also must I;
The time, where do I find, I find?"

"Those who ask nothing from Me,
In truth they want just everything.
To their call too I'd give reply;
Theirs is the call that I desire."

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Who needs angels?

(23)  Nutaner alok ogo

Oh my Lord, Light of Novelty,
At a distance You had been.
Now the rhythm of the earth
Is dancing all around Thee.

On that, my night of utter darkness,
Concealed were You somewhere in secret;
Spreading wings ever-new,
You flew in, piercing the gloom.

All despair has been removed;
Today every hope has bloomed.
Love all-pervasive and ubiquitous
Is floating now, soothing the cosmos.

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How do You do?

(22)  Ogo bandhu balite paro

Oh my abiding Friend, can You say...
How do You accommodate an entire day?

Whatever comes, whatever leaves,
It all occurs beneath Your feet...
Writ in Your mind is everything;
How do You recall so very many stories?

All of the happiness and all of the sweetness,
All of the sorrow and all of the discontent...
Bearing so much divine sport, how do you manage it?
There must be something more; tell me Your secret.

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You know

(19)  Naviina prate ei arun alote

In this crimson splendor on a fresh morning,
With form's rhythm, You entered my psyche.

You know how to make me laugh, You know how to make me weep;
You know how to play diverting games of hide-and-seek.
Today You came to fill my life with Your lustrous beauty.

You know how to play the lute, You know how to compose melodies;
You know how to make the world dance to Your tune and beat.
You know how to love us all in happiness and suffering.

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Temporarily

(896)  Damka haoyay ke go cale jay

Who goes away with blast of wind,
Dousing the light, making it dark?
Outside He is diffused,
And inside He imbues;
Yet He lies hidden without and within.

Who went away, speaking nothing;
And who keeps seeking His identity?
Why did He go...
No word He told!
Too soon, too soon, He withdrew;
With music, this heart He'd subdued.

He will come, yes, He will come again,
Lighting lamps, He'll smile once more.
The Unknown Traveler is no stranger;
He is famous even on this very earth.

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