Go inside

(990)  Kar tare tui pathe ghuris

For Whom are you meandering,
Oh you foolish psyche?
The One you have been madly seeking,
Your very own is He.

Non-stop, inside a mental corner,
Secretly He stays alert.
It's His lamp you have been carrying,
Moving about incessantly.

How long will you be roving path to path?
So much of time You do not have!
Only within the mind will you find Him,
If you but take determination.

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Reflections

(989)  Maner gahane ki jani kemane

I know not how, in the depths of psyche,
Dear me, a strange good man did enter there.
In that man's absence, privately,
My heart swims in tears.

Year after year, away time went;
My fount of nectar, he stayed absent.
At last he turned up at this auspicious moment,
In monsoon season, with a subtlety effulgent.

My longtime weariness has been severed;
Peace has arrived in a trice and with a thrill.
Only by his compassion, only by his greatness,
An ocean of beauty does glitter.

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Getting acquainted

(988)  Tumi ucchala priiti hiyara sarathi

You are surging love, heart's charioteer,
A blue lotus sweetness-smeared,
The song unsung on a moonlit night,
A tender shoot rising in the mind.

Your splendor is great beyond measure,
Your fondness is the essence of this world.
With Your laughter, with Your lásya,^[1]
Hard times dance in Lalit Nrtya.^[2]

On my eyes You apply love's collyrium,
With the stick of enlightenment.
By Your touch and Your ambrosial stream,
You show me Your identity.

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Almost ready

(987)  Tomar tare base base, diner pare din cale jay

Waiting eagerly for Thee,
Days after days, they pass.
Won't You come into my dwelling...
Tears are putting out its lamp.

Even now there is love,
Filled with expectation.
The atoms of my mind, fascinated with infinity
They're yearning to be held by Thee.

In Your light do I proceed;
By Your strength alone these words I speak.
In Your musing having been consumed,
My mind wishes to merge with You.

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When He came...

(986)  Ananda ucchal pariveshe

All around there was lively delight;
In my home He had arrived.
Effulgence was in the blue sky
And inside everybody's mind.

Frangipani were all fragrant,
Mariposa were abashed,
And tuberoses dispensed
Their scent to heart's content.

Blooms were scattered by medlar trees,
Orchids were in matchless beauty,
And palash wore their flaming earrings,
For Him they had received.

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On tenterhooks

(985)  Man jiniya nilo ke se anuragii

Who is the Lover that vanquished my psyche,
For Whose sake my eyes lose sleep?
Taking my everything, detached He made me;
For Whose sake am I awake constantly?

On a sandal-coated moonlit sky,
Whose portrait always floats before my eyes?
Who is He, transcending space and time,
Whom I always see yet pray that He come into sight?

In life and mind, in heart's recess, Who is He,
Secretly inside my every deed?
Who is He that loves and smiles very tenderly,
The Cosmic Gamesman I cannot forget by any means?

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Help me

(984)  Ami tomar tarei jege achi

I keep awake only for Thee.
Taking Your lamp in hand,
Your mercy ever I beseech.

On Your passage I am but a mote of dust,
A wee droplet in the sea...
Just a firefly on roads lightless,
A tiny pebble in the stream.
With confidence confined and my heart broke,
I survive on a mere ray of hope.

Fathom my heart, perceive my yearning;
On Your path alone, I have journeyed.

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It's a new day

(983)  Mama madhavii kuinje puinje puinje

Swarming in this myrtle grove of mine,
Oh dear, why buzz the bumblebees?
In the kadam bower's blue lotus of mind,
Whose light is shining presently?

Within the mind a southern breeze has blown;
And in that warming wind screwpine have told:
"Keep awake, keep your eyes peeled today;
The Traveler wants to grant His embrace"

Phalgun has arrived; a fire it has lit
Upon the fruitless palash trees of forest.
Now the rains have ended with hope fulfilled;
All the fog is lifted.

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Centripetal motion

(982)  Tumi cakranemii

You are the axle;
Around You everybody spins.
I teem with emotion,
Thinking of You time and again.

Lord, come to my heart's inside;
Dwell within each act of mine.
Let both those rosy feet abide,
Yoked day and night to this my life.

If You have not a thing to speak
With the use of those two lips,
Then go on smiling silently,
Filling my heart up to the brim.

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He cares for everybody

(981)  Tumi ucchala caincala e kon mayay

You briskly surge within this awesome maya;
You're the radiant lotus in everybody's heart.
Those who have been spurned, dwelling on the street;
Regarding them, You awakened fresh sensitivity.

Please arrive stately, enter smiling tenderly;
On a gentle southern breeze, lovingly appear.
You're the flower's nectar and the moon of distant sky;
Into this mad beauty show, come with sweet moonlight.

You are in blooms and fruits, at the root of everything;
You are on both banks of the rivers racing upstream.
Unparalleled are You, the most adored and esteemed;
More dear than life, by all You are received.
In the hope of Your coming, everyone is waiting;
You fulfill their expectation, bringing love's meaning.

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Not a zero-sum game

(980)  Tumi esecho bhalo besecho

You've arrived, and well You've liked;
Forgotten is all pain and every lamentation.
You've replied and sweetly smiled,
Winning the heart of everyone.

My love knows You exclusively;
It lures You through both tune and beat.
In happiness and misery, in dignity and conceit,
You may be everybody's, but You belong to me.

Your love's imprinted on flowers and leaves;
Just like a psychic bee, lonely, I long for Thee.
Mid all that's lost, You're the note promissory;
The only thing that's mine, You are my everything.

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His light

(979)  Arun rauna purvakashe

Sun on a crimson, eastern sky...
You have arrived.
Lord, You have been gracious;
You have given love.

Flower buds have spoken up;
Gone is dark night's affliction.
Bearing love the world wide,
You have lavished light.

Those asleep in their nest,
The touch of life they did get.
With giving them great happiness,
You have been enthusiastic.

With light, light, and more light,
You have filled the universe.

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I am His, so He is mine

(978)  Alor rathe asbe tumi

On light's chariot You will appear;
Today I know with certainty.
Dispelling all the darkness gloomy,
You will render me beyond fear.

Garland in hand for Your sake,
I've been waiting night and day.
This day, at night, the right time came;
My doubts are washed away.

Counting hours, counting days,
Contemplating Your New Age,
Your melodies reverberate
On invincible lightrays.

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Vistara

(977)  Akash vatas raune bhara

"Full of merriment are sky and air,"
The One Who brought that fun does say.
"The gloomy prison in the mind–
Come now, get it pulverized."

Lagging behind, oh, I am that;
He says, "You go on holding back."
The One Who moves in front of me
Is saying, "Please proceed."

On gazing backward do I see
Torpid thought, so very gloomy.
To the front is an ocean of light,
Shining with the zest for life.

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If only

(976)  Tumi sakal hiyar madhyamani

You are every heart's most precious thing,^[1]
Heaven's floral fragrance, never fading.
Within my anáhat^[2] had You arrived,
It would have been a great delight.

Why not let Yourself be held;
You love but do not speak.
In creation, station, and termination,
You're engaged throughout the year.

The fire of melody You dispersed in forest after forest;
Devotion You supplied in mind after mind.
You're the Eternal Traveler
And warm breath of my life.

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My all

(975)  Tomarei ami bhalobasi

I'm in love with You only;
Of You only do I speak;
On just Your path do I proceed;
Without You there's none else for me.

In the midst of stars, the moon's rays...
Your splendor, it attends always.
Inside my heart, both night and day,
For Your favor, that alone I pray.

Within Your mind everyone is there;
In joy they dance, in grief they weep.
Getting momentum from Your vitality,
I sing Your song incessantly.

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A twist of fate

(974)  Tomar e vishvaliila

This cosmic game of Yours,
It's drawn nigh the distant ones.
With love's sweet sap,
It's made us teary and affectionate.

Knowing or unknowing,
Mindful or unminding,
In a niche of each heart, unseen
Your homestead has been abiding.

Everyone's beloved, everyone's identity,
The furthest star but the nearest psyche...
After setting out on You to think,
My all was lost; mind merged in Thee.

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Entwined

(973)  Ami shubha path dhare calibo

Along the path of welfare I will move;
Clinging to welfare's course.
In word and deed, in all my thoughts,
I'll remember You.

Energy and discernment You have granted;
The ability to do work You've afforded.
Utilizing every opportunity for service,
Your oath I'll fulfill.

Upon each atom of this body
Falls Your sweetness constantly.
In Your mind is my psyche,
Ever we'll remain embracing.

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Just magic

(972)  Aji nrtyer tale uttal nadatanu

Today, Shiva,^[1] with a billowing dance beat,
Pours fragrance of screwpine^[2] into a humid breeze.
Governed by that beat, scented pollen is drifting,
Having fashioned such a magical dream.

From what unknown place comes the wellspring?
Mind's peacock prances on a stream of glee.
It bursts into song of passionate greeting,
Dancing even now with rhythmic multiplicity.

Today, on a restless wind, the earth was keen,
Bound by Whose love, I can't conceive.
Who is that Unseen One, that heart-thief?
He has ensnared me in a web of sorcery.

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Unless He confess

(971)  Tomari mohana banshii

Your flute, so fascinating,
And Your smile, the world effacing...
For whose sake do they exist;
Pray tell, what is their purpose?

Inside Your mind what is there?
As to that, one can't conceive.
Why such inscrutability?
Why do You mislead?

The flower that tomorrow blossoms,
Is it known today by anyone?
Why make all this secrecy...
Who asked for it, won't You speak?

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In His story

(970)  Esechi tomari krpay

I've appeared by the grace of You only;
So in Your song, in Your study,
In Your work, my life proceeds.

In the jasmine^[1] magic of autumn eves,
In the silent speech of monsoon evergreens,
My keen yearning for Thee
Sings a dreamland melody.

In prewinter's^[2] chilly atmosphere,
In life's revival come spring,
My thrilled heart is made replete,
Uplifting my psyche.

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Big question

(969)  Jyotir mahasagar majhe

Mid the vast ocean of effulgence,
Who lit the lamp with limitation?
Within the magnitude of consciousness,
The puny I, why did it come?

On a sweet night intoxicating,
A pleasing smile, Who beamed?
All forsworn, moving toward the One,
What Great Person dragged me along?

Inside the cosmic ether's Om mystic,
Who brought a chirrup of the birds?
Bursting the wall of all obstacles,
Whose joy brightened my spirits?

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Together we proceed

(968)  Aj egiye calo sakal manus bhai

Today, come on. All people are kin.
To everyone we make this invitation;
Please do come on.

Humanity's been sprawling in the dust;
The evil demons have it crushed.
Come, shoulder-to-shoulder and hand-in-hand,
Let us look ahead.

Mixed with dirt the floral pollen has gotten;
And lunar light, it too is getting ruined.
Come, having rowed our boat with a strong arm
And fought off obstacles, onward we march!

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Long time coming

(967)  Tahara lagiya unmada uttal

For His sake, excited greatly
Is this heart of mine today.
Expecting His advent I've kept waiting,
Gazing at the roadway.

I see lightning streaks amid the gloom of clouds;
Peacocks dance, fanning their tails, oh wow!
So now, can my Sweet Dear appear far behind?
My heart and mind rise thrilling with delight.

How many falls went crying out the door;
How many springs did quietly withdraw!
My garland of hope, dried up had it become;
But He came at long last, hearing my call.

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White knight

(966)  Aloker ei jharnadharay

In this same streaming light-fountain,
Immaculate, You have come.
I'd borne the filth of degradation;
Catching hand, You've raised me up.

In glad times I've been negligent;
When in trouble, I've called then.
Profit's joys for me I've taken;
Heaps of sins to You I've given.
Upon Your feet I never even gazed,
But at my face You have stared.

I've always thought only of me;
About You, that I do not think.
I've floated on a stream of self-seeking,
Not doing any work that's worthy.
I've taught precepts but never listened;
You've brought me on the path of righteousness.

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At whose call

(965)  Esecho kahari dake

You have come at whose summons;
At whose summons have You come;
At whose summons?

You have come in hades and in heaven,
In my mental catacombs and in the remote firmament,
In forests and in gardens, in wind and in water,
In each and every atom, in each and every interstice.

You have come in deserts that are burning
And in the verdant beauty of trees that are laughing.
On white snow-covered mountain peaks,
Embedded, You have shown up everywhere.

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Stand up

(964)  Akashe aj kiser alo

Today, what light is in the sky?
Within my mind who does arise?
In my bower Who has arrived;
With Phalgun color^[1] He made it bright.

A bee did come, and in my ear it whispers:
"Your condition too, it is observed.
In springtime's motley atmosphere,
With whose colors will I paint your psyche?"

The moon, emitting heaps of moonlight,
Speaks out with a candied smile:
"Loosing modesty's veil, please do come in,
Into the rose garden of divine nymphs."

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My song

(963)  Tomare shonabo je gan

Such a song will I sing
That You look up and notice it,
That You dispense heaven's sweetness
On the blooms and fruits of psychic earth.

All those who adore You,
All those who laugh and cry for You...
I've composed my song
On the shore of their love.

Full of melodic lyrics, full of life,
A hope-filled, splendid ray of light...
Scintillating, it dances ahead,
Ignoring obstacles, wings outspread.

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His rebuttal

(962)  Ami tomar pather kanta nai

I am not a thorn upon your path;
I am a flower full of fragrance.
I am no unsought burden that betides;
I caper to and fro, granting delight.

I am a happy memory of days bygone;
I am the vanquished heart's honeyed song.
I am the olden love most cherished,
A rose coated with sweetness.

I come and go eternally;
My path, it knows no boundary.
I have come, I shall return, I will give love;
Your every blunder I'll ignore.

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Tired of waiting

(961)  Jadi alasa prahare more

If in Your own sweet time, about me
You should ever stop and think,
Just cast aside that memory;
Dismiss from mind that I love Thee.

For the sake of Thee my hair
I've braided and a garland strung.
Now, like a cobra lacking precious gem,^[1]
Bitterly I weep, with a burning sensation.
From Your golden chariot
I've descended, I am sunk.

Forget how many mornings bright
I've plucked flowers, You to beautify.
All sweetness has crossed limits mine,
It has been spent kissing the sky.

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Suddenly it happened

(959)  Acin se kon sure hrdayeri madhupure

With some tune unknown inside my heart's sweet abode,
He appeared, illuminating everything.
The one I've always craved, in the looking glass of psyche,
He seduced my mind; He came into my fold.

My all rhythms, my all ragas and raginiis,^[1]
All the mornings full of hope and the nights full of honey,
All of them in concert and joined in a single prayer,
With one mind they played my monochord today.

All the sandal-perfumed groves there were,
And all the floral-fragrant air currents,
All of them, pouring nectar into but one dance-beat,
With one immortal song, they went on singing.

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