If He wants

(207)  Tar man jadi cay sab kichu hay

If His mind fancies, everything is possible For any object in this world. Should a river return from coast to mountain, Who or what can protest? If He wants, in a trice, the earth He can make extinct. If He wants, to an arctic iceberg He can bring heat. If He wants, with a stone prison, He can make the flower bloom. If He wants, at darkest night, He can radiate light. Come, oh my companion, come sit in my meditation— With mind and heart I welcome You. Do not go, do not go, far away do not go, Letting drop a veil of mist.

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Lines of love

(206)  Manera ankhi satata rakhi

My mind's eye I always keep Trained on Your songs, abiding friend. Day and night, with the stream of melodies, I behold You in the core of my heart. By the crimson glow of dawn's sun, Life is filled to the brim. The colorful luster of evening sun Stimulates new awareness. What an amorous sport is Yours! Ever-new experience Etches lines of love On my mind and on my heart. So it is, the denizens of earth and heaven Welcome You with devotion in their meditation.

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To be Thee

(205)  Eso go sakha tomari ashe

O my companion, looking for You, On my eyelids is no sleep. To match my cadence with Your beat, Mine gets canceled at every wink. My mind moves toward mean thoughts, Passion for colors, a stained illusion. To dance ahead in only Your current, Furnish the might, day and night. Bring on thunderbolts, bring on meteors. Keep on giving the power to fight them.

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One family

(2192)  Manus jena manuser tare

For the sake of humankind let humans Go on doing anything and everything. And this fact also let them heed— that beasts And birds are not their foe; even trees wish to live. The path is getting lost under gloomy darkness; Why else are the people weeping bitterly? Our hopes and whatever love They will take and pull near, over and above. Those who lack in food and education, Scorched by fate's conflagration— Everyone taken and given protection, This we will forge into a heaven.

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At Your will

(204)  Eso go kache eso dharara dhuli rupe bhare dao

Come, Lord, come close, infusing earth's dust with beauty. The flowers, veiled in shyness— fill their hearts with sweetness. On this moonlit Chaitra1 night, why do the chukars2 smile? In my mind, bumblebees come buzzing— what do they mean to say? And on a tree branch, peacocks sing— let me hear everything. If You wish, on withered branches flowers bloom, the dumb speak.

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Chhayanat

(203)  Eso go bandhu mama ksudra e hrdaye

Come into this poor heart, my abiding friend; For eons, I am ardently awaiting Your advent. Though it is known that You are everywhere, I don't know that. As I deem You bound by space, You come and go incomprehensibly. Despite what I imagine, You draw me to You; In Your Self, I am merging, merging, merging. Let Your effulgence strike the canvass of my mind; Let Your lyre play the Chhayanat raag.[1] My abiding friend, please be seated with a honey-coated smile; I am ardently waiting for You to absorb my cadence in Yours.

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Sadhana

(202)  Prathama jiivaner harano surer

The lost tunes of my early life, In my heart, the songs still reside. Full of color and style but ringed by modesty, How will I sing those songs publicly. Oh my Empathic Friend— Oh my Empathic Friend, carry me beyond shame; Today, let the flowers of my mind blossom. By Your divine sport, by Your divine magic, Everything blooms with sweet beauty. Covered with leaves were the buds of my mind; They were peeking through gaps between leaves. Today, ignoring shyness and fear, I proceed From the world of forms to the formless through sadhana.[1]

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Infatuation

(201)  Caeti haoyay mana jare cay

In the air of Chaitra,[1] the One whom my mind craves, Oh, how distant He is. Mind races on the path of His arrival, Afflicted with pain. Why oh why oh why does He remain afar? If anyone is knowing, please tell me. On contemplating Him, I get intoxicated; That mental state I cannot put out of mind. On this lonely night, in the company of moonlight, Suffering, I die weeping. The buzzing bumblebee murmurs in my ear A melody full of hope.

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A basket of flowers

(200)  Tumi esecho man je kerecho

You have come and enticed my mind. You have made me forget innumerable woes. In my stream of thought, both day and night, With music, You have strung a garland of songs. The scorch of meteors became like sandal paste On my obtaining Your touch of divine life. My desert-like thirst has gotten lost; Somewhere it vanished in Your verdant shade. Today, all my pains, all my sorrows— Lo, they have become a basket of flowers. Waiting and waiting, heart churning, Constantly soul-searching, This alone I've realized and paid heed— You love profusely.

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Divine irony

(199)  Hiyara majhare niirava prahare

In the core of my heart at hours[1] when I am silent, Oh, who calls me in the language of songs? He says, "Come, come, sit by my side; Why are you remote at this uncommon time?" Gone are so many bright dawns And so many twilights in my turbulent life. Why didn't You come; why didn't You sit— Why didn't You answer one who besought Your reply? O distant Lord, by what magic Do You now bind me with a cord of flowers? After so long, to me is owed a great debt; I will place this garland around Your neck.

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Pangs of separation

(198)  Amar e manoviina chandahiina

The lyre of my mind is passive; It resonates only when He plays it. A tune in harmony with His tune Must be played by the lyre. Under all conditions, He just smiles. When seated, He does not sit nearby. To where does the radiance of my heart flow; Oh, in which faraway land does it vanish? He gazes toward my eyes but eludes their grasp; Dancing, He departs with melodic magic.

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Whirling

(197)  Sathii amar bandhu amar

My companion, my abiding friend, In what faraway land have You been? All my heart's embankments get breached On seeing and loving You. You exist, I exist; To Your oscillation, I go on dancing. Today, You left everything behind to be with me— Why did You come, smiling so brightly? Now my life sways to Your tune; In the dance, I float and float.

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Gopal Krsna

(196)  Amare ke nebe bhai

Krsna Brothers, who will take me? I want to give myself, Diffusing in all minds. Your doors are closed, Your path obstructed— How can I proceed? Cowherds[1] Come, brother, all of us, We are ready Your hand to take. Removing the pebbles from your path, Our minds bright With light we do make. Krsna Then, brothers, I will make everyone dance. Come, one and all, In recollection and reflection.[2] None of you are far from me; You reside in the core of my heart, In the pulse of my existence.

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Unfair trade

(195)  Eso mor prane eso mor mane

Come into my life, come into my mind; Come with the expression of dance. Thou, sea of grace, the pitcher of my heart— Fill it to the brim. Every half-opened flower bud Relies on Your light. In the blue yonder, all are mum, Waiting for Your tune. With Your light, with Your tune, You bring to earth a pulse that is new. You love those who love You; You even feel for those who love You not. At every opportunity, in exchange for mind, You fill one with the elixir of life.

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The secret of happiness

(194)  Tomake bhuliya ke kotha thakibe balo

In absence of You, tell me, where would anyone remain? This vibrant universe is filled to the brim With only You, resplendent. In absence of You, whatever we think would be mere fantasy, Whatever we say would be just idle talk. Without Your touch, everything would be a futile entanglement— All the world's laughter and light. On seeking Your blessing and realizing Your touch, Everything feels good.

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Beyond the dark waters

(193)  Andhar sagare patha hariye

When the way is lost in an ocean of gloom, Just don't forget the polestar of life. Lo, beyond the dark waters is the ethereal beloved, He who dances round and round despair. Place many a fresh flower on the altar of mind; Attentively sprinkle them with dew-washed smiles. Across the fair firmament, watch His radiance float On a sea of form-free spirituality. Of no avail is prayer or seek-and-find; Just see Him very near, and life is replete.

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Your altar

(192)  Manasa mandire eso prabhu krpa kare

Lord, kindly come into the temple of my mind; I've been keeping Your altar adorned. You come in human form from the formless world; Please take Your seat nearer by. I kindle my life's lamp and perform árati,[1] Saturating the offering with sweet fragrance of mind. The budding thousand-petaled flower of my soul Is the bouquet I have brought today. Without vanity of knowledge or burden of pride, I bear a buoyant heart.

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Paradise unveiled

(191)  Tumi puspete madhu enecho

You have carried nectar to flowers; You have bestowed melody on music. With the ocean of light's billowing rays You have undulated the universe. In the silent moonlit night, You have sung the song of consciousness. Inside the cavern of utter darkness, You have delivered awakening. You are in every place and every time– Every time that was and ever will be. Dwelling in the core of every heart and mind, You sing the song of infinity. For every yearning and every acquisition, You have brought heaven.

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Lost and found

(190)  Campaka vane haraye phelechi

In the magnolia grove I have mislaid My incomplete poem. To the sweet aroma I concede defeat. Seeking not within, I moved about without— I did not heed Your message. Now all pains embedded in heart's core, All words— they have vanished. Whose fragrance wrought this transformation. I cannot fathom. My verse, my song— They are not mine, I know that.

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