Leaving it all behind

(1019)  Je analashikha dahe ahamika

The flame that consumes vanity,
In that fire may I get Thee.
May I get Thee, may I get Thee.
In the ocean-dance that ruins what's petty,
In that I keep witnessing Your majesty.

Star-specks dot a sky of flawless blue;
A tiny heart contains the sea with no root.
In Your grand creation, oh my Cosmic Moon,
Nothing else is there without You.

Tender affection and love's feeling,
Cordial friendliness and wishes sincere...
Invested in You are all of my yearnings;
Hence, Unbodied One, I crave Thee.

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Keeping His home ready

(1018)  Tumi eso mor mandire

Lord, enter my place of worship;
In each age a temple I've built
For the sake of Your arrival.

I have raised an altar by dint of heart's yearning
That You may take Your ease after doing myriad deeds.
The path of Your coming I am watching endlessly,
With my mental lyre jingling.

Having brought much color, gone are many springtimes;
And many stars have fallen, dressed in golden light.
But still upon that avenue, You did not arrive.

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Your plaything

(1017)  Tumi amar dhyaner dhyeya

You are the object of my meditation—
You are the beloved of my life.
For Your sake, I take birth time after time,
Coming and going, my Chosen One.

Near to You I want to be incessantly;
Without pause, on Your path do I proceed.
As I know the meaning of life to be You only,
It is You that I esteem more than everything.

Why stay afar; say what You want from me...
With cosmic game's deceit, why cause me to weep?
But if You take delight compelling tears,
Then make me cry for Thee.

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The more things change...

(1016)  Tumi ke go ele ei varasay

Oh, in these rains, Who appeared,
Drops of water smeared upon Your body?

The kadam pollen quivers with a thrill;
To a dance beat, delightedly the peacock shrills.
Psychic bees move about in swarms;
They race in hope of flower-nectar.

The tune of the riverstream now surges with bliss;
With new zeal the bamboo grove is restless.
Filled with sweet scent, the lotus petals,
With whole heart, for Whom do they yearn at present?

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Consecrated

(1015)  Surja takhan digvalaye

The sun was then upon horizon
In dawn's crimson color.
Twixt You and me our viewing was
Bursting with fervent emotion.

Its petals outspread, a bloom went on calling,
"Hola, Sweet Friend", bashfulness forgotten.
In its heart was a fluttering
With vibrating pollen.

From its nest with a mellow chirping
Is one bird today in cadence and song.
For all good people, through that very cooing,
It infuses them with devotion.

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Lost in Thee

(1014)  Hariye gechi aj ke ami, gechi hariye

I have gotten lost; who am I at present?
Lost I have gotten.
Pondering why did I come, I have perceived
It was with work... some deeds to achieve.

Great was my road-weariness;
Delusions aplenty there had been.
I've walked the path, forgetting destination;
So everything got muddled.

Now weariness no longer rises in my mind,
Nor does delusion infiltrate my life.
Today, my goal I've realized...
I found You through self-sacrifice.

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The bright white line

(1013)  Tumi andhakare jyotirekha

You are my lightray in the dark;
Averting all my downfall,
A bright white line You draw.

On a night of rain and dense darkness,
Lightning-like You dazzle, oh Beloved.
On startled but thrilled kadam pollen,
Matchless One, You lavish a sweet fragrance.
In my broken heart the hopeful, crimson Lord You are.

On my pathway constant inspiration You do give;
You never say to pause due to obstruction.
You're the zest within a lifeless heart,
Full of cadence and color, Sweet and Subtle One.

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In truth...

(1012)  Tumi jana ami jani

You know, and I know...
It is known to the two of us alone.
With whom shall I speak my thoughts inmost?
Is there someone in this world who is my own?

So much mental anguish perseveres;
So much fancy always pries and peeps.
So much grief and so much grieving
Burn inside me, morn and evening.

So many days come and pass by uselessly;
So many nights only make plain some history.
So many mirages go on evaporating;
So many hopes are floating on duplicity.

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Springtime in the mind

(1011)  Shiiter kuyasha katiya giyache

The winter fog has lifted;
In the heavens, stars have risen.
On a pleasant southern breeze,
You have come, smiling tenderly.

Fragile young shoots have arose;
On withered branches buds have taken hold.
A lukewarm stream has flowed within the sea;
You've arrived affectionately.

The chirps of birds drip ambrosia;
Full of nectar are the flower-blossoms.
Inside psyche, I've arranged a row of lamps
To welcome Thee with satisfaction.

O Gorgeous One, with rosy feet please come,
Having made Earth bright and colorful.
Tracing Your eyes with love's mark,
Come to my waiting heart.

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My Reviver

(1010)  Ghana varasa rate ketakii mayate

On a stormy night, mid the passion of screwpine,
Searching for a vanquished heart, You have arrived.
Within unbroken darkness, time after time
Your matchless ankle bells had chimed.

Singlehandedly, all gloom You removed;
Just one moon, You cast light upon sky-blue.
The Lord of Shrines, You are everyone's companion,
Fit to be received the same in everybody's heart.

My accumulated weariness You withdrew right away,
And in a trice You snatched from me all of my despair.
Drawn by ebb-tide, I was drifting listlessly;
You made flow the high-tide, oh my Dearest Darling.

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Excelsior

(1009)  Alor rath jay

Light's chariot, it proceeds,
It proceeds, it proceeds.
Having passed by groves of Kans grass,
Traversing jasmine-littered paths
And cutting cross the dew-soaked tracts,
Toward the sky it does spy, spy, spy.

Having consorted with life's pollen,
Flashing in a mental niche
And crushing walls of obstruction,
To an unknown place it does race, race, race.

Having cleared aside amassed clouds,
Thereby the colored heavens roused
And a sweet touch brought about,
The hymn of remote country it does sing, sing, sing.

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From out of the rain

(1008)  Jhainjha jhatika sathe varsamukhara rate

On a night of pouring rain, with tempest and hurricane,
You had arrived, affording grace.
Silently, secretly, on a lonesome forest trail,
You had stepped out for my sake.

Lightning scorching with thunderous bolts,
Still You'd come and perched on my heart's throne.
Casting not an eye to obstruction,
You came to me, abrim with love.

Breaking the sky, in torrents was the rain falling;
Wet had it become, and very slippery.
With rainwater had Your eyelids become veiled;
Brushing that away, having taken form, You came.

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Bliss embodied

(1007)  Tumi ashar alo dekhiye jao

Rays of hope You keep revealed
But think not to Your coming.
Having given hope, You sustain me
But hold Yourself concealed.

Snaring me in a hundred threads of maya's web,
Such divine sport You go on making, days on end.
Placing everyone in slumber deep and dense,
You keep awake, always by the head of those abed.

On a many-colored sky or through a floral essence,
In the touch of gentle wind coated with sweetness,
Hid from everyone, You are smiling with mirth,
Everything in reach, You wrap it in laughter.

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It's a wonderful world

(1006)  Calar pathe eta kanta

So many thorns on the footpath...
Why is that, I don't grasp.
My time that goes in clearing thorns
Could have been used for doing work.

When obstructions come in the lead,
That wakens power, so I hear.
With Your zeal the mind gets filled;
Mayhap that's why You give so many obstacles.

If darkness were not present,
Light's worth, who would comprehend?
With pain and sorrow distressed,
Mind understands joy's abundance.

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Once in a while

(1005)  Jyotitaraunge tumi eso

With a wave of light, please arrive;
Arrive, arrive, please arrive.

Should melancholy encompass
And no sympathizer persist,
With a call to me piercing the darkness,
Time to time, gently smile.

By Your grace have I gone on;
I've overlooked obstruction...
I have crossed the trackless mountains,
For I know that movement's what You like.

There was no start to my movement,
Nor has it even any finish.

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Never leave

(1004)  Tumi eta dakar pare aji esecha

Today, after so much calling, You've appeared;
Having come, You've promptly begun saying: "I will leave."
I have built my heart's altar to Your liking;
I won't let You go immediately.

From flowers durable I have strung a wreath;
My wicker tray^[1] I've brought with love's offerings.
Please do stay, and simply see...
I shall adorn You wholeheartedly.

With essence of sandalpaste and distilled psychic nectar,
With a carefully selected and longlasting jeweled necklace,
I am awake, and I cling to Thee...
With fresh-minted passion I'll behold Your rosy feet.

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Could it be?

(1003)  Tumi esechile bhalobesechile

Come You had, and loved You had;
Afterward You went away, oh why, please say.
Coming and then going, it only gives pain;
Not coming would have been more pleasant than that.

The garland You had worn, spreading its fragrance...
The flowers have all fallen; the string is become vacant.
But even now that memory, in my mind it's radiant.

The seat on which You'd sat, coating with sweetness...
Even now a sigh it elicits in heart's niche.
With both pleasure and pain, it remains copious.

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Love me true

(1002)  Tumi je baste bhalo bhulo na

Don't You fail to hold dear,
Tear not my strung and tendered wreath.
Please don't fail to hold dear...
Don't neglect to love me.

From the propitious moment of sunrise,
I've kept that nectar active in my mind.
In fiery heat, under sunshine,
Don't let it run dry.

On moonlit nights, bathed in light,
A song we've sung combined.
With toss of storm or fall of aerolite,
That line of memory, please don't wipe.

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Love, love, love

(1001)  Tomar katha anek shunechi

About You have I heard a great deal;
And still I can't perceive, what a pity!
After thinking much, this alone have I conceived:
There is no way without Your mercy.

What does a drop achieve; will it attain the ocean?
Having gone to get, it but dissolves therein.
The glow of a lamp, to hold the moon,
Into moonlight will it go and get subsumed.

Between You and me, throughout the ages,
Known or unknown, there is love...
That very love which You awaken,
Ignorance replacing with eternal knowledge.

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He is love

(1000)  Arunodaye rauniin hrdaye

At daybreak, in a painted mind,
My first meeting materialized
With an empyreal lightray.
Till then I could not appreciate,
As yet I did not realize,
The things that lovers say.

You were the only one upon my sky;
Hid by the light were those on every side.
By Your bright splendor, with boundless delight,
I became preoccupied.

Rhythm and song, my heart drenched by,
It went on dancing only in direction Thine.
By Your touch sublime, with bliss entire,
I've got Consciousness Personified.

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Security

(999)  Ami kahakeo nahi kari bhay

I'm not afraid of anybody;
No one do I fear.
I know that in each war, eternally,
Only Yours has been the victory.

In the summer heat, with its severe sunbeams,
Or in the shade of a tree, You have been with me.
The force of sin, with its prowess mighty,
By Your firm hand restrained You keep;
Of Your power there is no defeat.

After the winter's frozen snow appears,
Grains of Your light fall, glittering.
On pitch-dark nights, silently and secretly,
A tiny piece of Your mercy stays with me.

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Pathetic fallacy?

(998)  Hrday bhare nivir kare

Having packed my heart tightly,
Oh Peerless One, I gained Thee;
You are novel and amazing.
Smiling sweetly, You came near,
Tunes ever new You made me hear.

Today You arrived upon the earth,
And rows of flowers blossomed.
Forest-flowers and psychic flowers
Jointly filled your flower basket;
How unique Your liila is!

The sky of mind and cosmic heavens,
As one did they become manifest.
Made fragrant was all the wind;
Drunken with rhythm, the ocean.

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Central intelligence agency

(997)  Andhar rate ujan pathe

On a dark night and an uphill path,
Oh, Who arrived, lamp in hand?
Your form I am unable to see,
Your voice is unknown to me;
But still I sense that You are here,
That I am always in Your company.

You piece together the heart that's broken;
To the dry creek You bring a stream of water.
Every lack of hope You fill
Through honey-sweet eyelids.

In only thoughts of You ever new,
You brighten my life with many hues.
You occupy me in Your service
In hope to make me fruitful.

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No grounds for despondency

(996)  Alor pathe je eseche

Those who've come onto the path of light,
By darkness they are not defeated.
Those who've worn a sweet smile,
With tears they are not filled.

Here You are, and here I am;
I've forgot all else but that.
Those who've come onto the path of hope,
They're not within despair's control.

In a car of seven colors sitting,
You appeared, ever laughing.
Getting You, all were blessed;
The world did brim with usefulness.

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The connection

(995)  Pasharite tare jata cai tabu

As much as Him I would neglect,
About Him I just can't forget.
My zeal extends each and every day;
Love's climbing ivy regenerates.

Having met the sea, the sky tells me:
"Only in whispers speak this story,
The tale of pain-filled longing."

Into storm's ear says the ivy:
"It's no time silence to keep.
Asleep and dreaming, make me hear
The sweetness that is not in writing."

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Move on

(994)  Naviin mukule hasi makha phule

In buds brand new and in blooms dabbed with a grin,
See that their hearts be filled up to the brim.
All their likes and every thirst,
Make them sway with same illumination.

Having lagged behind with what is out of date,
For that you've fretted and wept bitterly in vain.
The tears shed have been all-pervading;
In their place, a battlesong please sing.

No longer must black night besiege,
A new dawn lies ahead of thee.
Wiping away all shameful burdens,
Fix your gaze upon the morning sun.

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Transcendent beauty

(993)  Puspe puspe alake alake

In each flower, in each tendril,
In the sky, Whose beauty flies?
Never savored, beyond words,
Heaven's nectar keeps on falling.

That beauty shoots out of a raging tide
From days gone by to far past time.
Spreading beyond the world of form,
Mid formlessness it does succumb.

In the life that's unitary, rising and falling
On a rolling path are many daring journeys.
That same beauty is always there, being everlasting,
Thwarting untold number of blockades
On a sea of light in the cosmic game.

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How to communicate

(992)  Eta daki tabu sara nahi dao

Often I call, but You don't answer;
So hard a heart is impossible.
Perhaps my call You cannot hear,
Or maybe I lack austerity.

On You I've called, gripped by selfishness;
I've curried favor to clear impediments.
I've wanted honor, fame, and worldly wealth;
But You don't listen to such requests.

I've craved liberation and salvation;
I've asked to cross this worldly ocean.
But You heed none of my entreaties;
You're unmoved by all importunity.

Now, seeking nothing, I would give my all;
Please do not fail to take my love.

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By His grace

(991)  Amar maner madhuvane

In my mind's pleasure grove,
On first meeting with Thee,
I was asleep and all alone.

In many piles clouds did assemble;
The rain came down in torrents.
With thunderbolts, the sky was broken,
Flaming streaks afflicting.

Now clouds are gone, the rain did lift;
The thunder has abated.
By Your gentle hand's application,
Awakened are light's tracings.

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He brings welcome change

(1100)  Maner majhe dola diye

Creating oscillation in the mind,
Which Unknown Traveler arrived?
He took the far and made it near;
He cast aside obstruction's binding.

What had dwelt in a fanciful place
Came down into the realm of shape.
With sound and touch, smell and taste,
Sensation's flood He did wake.

For so long, age after age,
I'd been waiting for whose sake?
That selfsame guest, disregarding the fixed date,
To my invite reply He gave.

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