Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Forget me not



(356)  Jhara kusumera vyatha bojho na

Don't You know the sorrow of the falling flower?
I wither in tears and drop as I shrivel–
How do Your eyes remain dry?

I've displayed beauty and bestowed fragrance;
I've mesmerized with sweet surges of emotion.
Now as I decay, like the wicked,
Don't bring me to an end.

In the bloom of youth, I was in Your mind;
I blossomed in Your heart.
As I pass away and when I die,
Please don't forget me.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Dear mother



(355)  Ogo amar adarer mati

Oh my dear mother,
Mine of gold and diamonds, purer than sugar...
On my coming to this world, I saw you first.
Before your beauty, mind fills with verdant grace;
Mother, by your presence, I'm indebted in many ways.

You provide for me the food and drink I crave;
Your sweetness inundates my life with fragrance.

By serving you I'll faithfully serve the universe;
Your deliverance will shatter fetters everywhere.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Monday, September 28, 2015

Sleight of hand



(354)  Prabhu tomar liilar chale

Lord, with Your sleight of hand,
Why do you distract me?
Enough of Your magic I've seen;
Now I look at the Magician.

Beneath Your red lotus feet,
My submissive mind lies prostrate.
Your ready instrument am I made;
Set me to Your work unceasingly.

Days come, and days pass by;
Alas, my life's work has not begun.
Food and pleasure induce idle slumber;
Unobserved slips away the time.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Future visions



(353)  Nutan prabhate tumi ele ele

At break of dawn You came, You came,
Bathed in crimson light.
To save the world You came, You came,
Having set aside all pride.

Heart stealer, why were You careless so long?
Please tell me; tell me, please.
Can the jewel of my eyes ever stay far away?
No, He cannot; He cannot do that.
Impassioned prayers about impassable barriers
Came to an end, this day; they came to an end.

Today, future visions are not flowers in the sky;
They are jewels of the earth, jewels of the earth.
Budding ideals don't appear only in the mind–
They shine constantly; constantly they shine.
You have come personally, giving respect to all,
And deeming every being equal.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Boundless



(352)  Cira nutanke kache peyechi

I've got close to the Evernew;
I will never let Him go.
In my mind, I clutch Mohan;[1]
My flow of joy admits no bar.

Oh, my happiness, it is endless;
Today my heart thrills with delight.
Like a parched tree in an arid desert,
My emerald luster had been lost.
Then I attained the One I sought;
And now my holy quest is fulfilled.

In a sea of voices, I was submerged;
Bereft of glee, I grew fatigued.
Then at the shore of forms, I found the formless
And lost myself in attainment of bliss.
Free from impediment is the mind I now know;
This mind heeds no bounds.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Hang on



(351)  Kena go ebhave ele

Why did You come like that?
Tired from calling and calling,
I had fallen off to sleep.
Suddenly, in my dream You came;
And suddenly You went away again.

Your coming and going this way–
My mind, it did not satisfy.
Next time, dreaming or awake,
After You've come into my mind,
I'll ensnare You secretly–
You'll not be able to leave.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

None else



(350)  Tumi bina ke ba krpa karite pare

Besides You, who else can show clemency;
Who else is universally revered?

Everyone longs for Your tenderness;
Every mental lyre plays the same strain.
Everyone's grief, every regret,
Is alike in Your sea of grace.

Heedless of virtue or sin, You love everyone;
The foolish and illiterate You never scorn.
You are everyone's life, everyone's aspiration;
And so, around You the felicity of all revolves.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Going home



(349)  Ogo prabhu ceye dekho

Oh Lord, behold–
For You I stay awake.
Come, please come to my abode;
I await with garland prepared.

Lord, on Your name I get high;
In Your work alone I am engaged.
With Your tune I identify;
Naught but You I appreciate.

At the color festival in spring,[1]
My many and varied hues dissolve.
I send back a mind that's missing
To the vicinity of its true home.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

It's your choice



(348)  Keu tomar lagiya jage diva rati

For You, night and day, some don't sleep;
And others, in hope of You, take heart.
To relieve their pain, some sing songs;
And others shed an endless stream of tears.[1]

Some do not and cannot forget
Their honey-coated memory
Of the day that You gave impact.[2]

Some thread a garland of bygone days,
And others make the world colorful.
Some go on playing Your game of light and shade,
And others persist with heart full of joy.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Like a doll of salt...



(347)  Andhara nishay diipashikha tumi

At darkest night, You're the flame of the lamp,
The focus for those who've lost their path.
You endure, so everyone lives;
Without You, nothing exists.

In everyone's heart, You're the Lord of Lords;
In Your presence, there's no shame or fear.
No compunction, no contrition–
No indecision persists.

Make my heart brim with devotion;
In thought of You, let it be fused.
With Your name and Your song,
Fulfill my spiritual endeavor.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

At long last



(346)  Prabhu tumi elei jakhan

Lord, only now You came again;
Why did You make so much delay?
Watching the path on which You arrive,
For me, many ages went by.

When You know how to love,
Why do You make a playful sport?
With all my heart I long for Thee,
To receive the ferry of Your feet.[1]

In hope of You day and night,
An ear to the ground was I.
After dangling hope and despair,
At long last, You graciously came.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Friday, September 18, 2015

Taunting devotion



(345)  Tomar lagi kata vyatha

Due to You there's so much pain;
You don't keep track of that.
You keep busy with the universe–
With big works You stay engaged,
And trifling matters You don't hear.

At this time, in my mind,
I'll pick flowers from the forest.
My garland strung to offer You,
Let me see if You receive it or not.

I'll go on singing Your tunes,
Rousing a humming in my heart.
I'll go on dancing around You;
Let me see if You notice it or not.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Thursday, September 17, 2015

It's no secret



(344)  Tomay dhare rakhbo prabhu

Lord, I would give You an abode
In a private niche, a mental alcove.
On searching, such place I do not find
In my mind, in my mind.

By my day or by my night,
If in any thoughts of mine,
You kindly allow embrace,
Please take Your seat anyplace.

As I am in love with You,
In my mind many flowers will bloom.
I will use those flowers for Your finery;
I will arrange Your seat conscientiously.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Master key



(343)  Tomari liilay bhara e bhuvan

The universe brims with Your divine sport;
Around You everyone dances.
By playful oscillation of light and dark,
All come and go, time and again.

On seeing the liila, I get fascinated;
I disregard its transcendent wellspring.
Only the game's pleasures and pains
Sweep me away, eyes wet with tears.

Please dwell in the core of my heart;
Please dwell in all my actions.
Making Yourself visible to me,
Never depart and be distant.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Monday, September 14, 2015

The power of His name



(342)  Sumukher pane cale jabo ami

Straight ahead I will proceed,
Taking Your name with me.
My feet will not falter;
My heart will not quiver from fear.

In this world, from mountain to sea,
Nothing can prevent me
From doing the work I came for
With steady self-confidence and zeal.

My days, passed and passing,
About them I will not grieve.
For the sake of the days to come,
I will not suffer any uncertainty.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Merciful Lord



(341)  Dayal prabhu balo go tomay

Merciful Lord, about Yourself please say...
Why are You named as "merciful"?
On flowers, why do thorns stay;
And why do cataracts cross over pebbles?

Full of fragrance, the lotus flower–
Why does it blossom in dirty water?
Abounding with life, this joyful planet–
Why does it traverse a lonesome orbit?
Constellations, blazing starlights—
Why project only on new moon nights?

Like blossoms are babies– why then
Do they weep so long and so often?
The light of moon– why does it shine
Only in gaps when dark clouds hide?
The gentle and congenial wind
Rains down hail with a raucous grin.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Right action



(340)  Vrtha janama gamayalun

I passed my life for no use:
I did not serve the Lord
And lost the font of all virtue.
Harmful were my actions,
Not anointed by one drop
From the ocean of compassion.

My birth was all for naught;
Serving the Lord never began.
Available was He and close at hand;
But I did not take Him in my life;
I did not hold Him in my heart.

It all happened due to action;
The nearby treasure disappeared
When I entered not His service.
Righteous deeds will I perform;
Henceforth, I will do His work.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Hanker for the unknown



(339)  Udasii hiyate kajala rate

On pitch-dark nights, stoic is my mind;
Why does that happen to be?
Again and again, when time stands still,
My soul yearns for the unrevealed.

Where are You? You remain hidden,
Hunted throughout the seven worlds.[1]
Deeply afflicted, tears flowing,
My heart hankers to obtain Thee.

The ocean of light, the mire of gloom—
Thoroughly I seek in every direction.
You are there, that I do assume;
But I cannot hold You in apperception.

Nearest and dearest of my life,
Why do You play hide-and-seek with me?
Come stand before me with a smile,
Beyond the sea of suffering.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Friday, September 11, 2015

With a paintbrush



(338)  Raunberaune sabare sajayecho

Variegating, You have dressed everyone;
Per Your liking, You bestow the clothing.

You have given the dawn's light a crimson hue,
And the distant heavens, a continual blue.
To plants and vines, You accord verdancy;
With green beauty, You imbue their psyche.

You have given sweetness to the human mind:
Tenderness, love, and the grace of sacrifice.
With a paintbrush, You raise our dignity;
You bring humanity close to divinity.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Path of light



(337)  Aloker path charibo na ami

I will not leave the path of light.
Outer and inner will be consistent;
I will not bow my head before sin.

A straight road I'll travel; straight words I'll speak;
With straight thoughts I'll remain engaged.
On any occasion and before anyone,
I will not promote myself.

I have come to do Your work;
Your message is my life's virtue.
Resting, dreaming, asleep, or active,
I will not keep in mind anything but You.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

In a temple of form



(336)  Tomari hasite tomari banshiite

With Your smile, with Your flute,
You keep pleasing the world.
With matchsticks of Your splendor,
You've told us to light our lamps.

Near or far, whatever we perceive,
Other than You, nothing else we see.
Near or far, whatever we imagine,
All thoughts are suffused with Thee.
From Your sandalwood trees in Eden,
You've let us strip the sweetness.

With worship of the formless in a temple of form,
Day and night, You let us hear Your voice.
Dispelling darkness and entering hearts,
You've borne us out of bondage.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Monday, September 7, 2015

Into the unknown



(335)  Tumi kon deshete jao re bandhu

Oh, where do You go, abiding friend;
Where do You go?
Awash with secret inclinations,
You run against the flow.

Casting aside shore's moorings,
You rush free like a cyclone.
What driving tune excites You so—
That, please do tell me.

Candle wax extinguishing,
A stormy night arose.
What thunderous melody stirred You so,
Set Your boat off sailing?

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

A bucket list of One



(334)  Labhi jadi punah manava janama

Should I attain human birth again,
The work of You alone, I will perform.
In Your service I will devote myself,
O Supreme Ruler of the heart.

At Creation's very genesis,
Did I not exist within You?
In this cosmos, my final status,
Lord, may it be on only Your lap.
The trail of Your footdust—
Let that now lead me to my goal.

Across so many rises and falls,
I have journeyed ever toward Thee.
I have not forgot nor can I forget You,
Lo, the universe's undisputed king.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Heartache



(333)  Amar hiyar vyakulata

The angst of my heart is
Only due to my wanting You.
Take away my gloom;
I beg mercy, I beg mercy.

I know You're always with me;
But I don't see You, can't embrace You.
Day and night You're ever present
With a melodious stream of song.
In each and every cell of my mind,
Joint and several, Lover, You reside.

In bright moonbeams at dusk of night,
In mild sunrays at break of dawn,
In the flash of lightning bolts,
In deepest dark and truest light,
Outside and in, You envelop me;
So due to You, I'm without sleep.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Friday, September 4, 2015

This garland of mine



(332)  Phulera malati

This garland of flowers
Was strung for You alone.
You did not put it on;
Why have You pained me so?

The eastern sky was wrapped in crimson,
And the wind was smeared with love.
Entwining color and devotion,
Woven was my heart's affection.

Behold, my garland got drenched in tears;
The flower petals, they steadily dropped.
You did not come; You did not appear—
You did not assuage my yearning.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Proximity



(331)  Tomari bhuvane tomari bhavane

In Your cosmos, in Your mansion,
Days go by awaiting Thee.
On Your footfall, on Your recall,
Light shines at darkest night.

With Your colors and forms, incense and lamps,
A speck of Your divine grace rains down.
With Your ties of love as lutes resound,
With Your sweet songs sung out loud,
With Your abundant radiant smiles,
In a forlorn life, hope is revived.

In the fragrance of flowers caressed by You,
My life teems with ecstasy.
Dancing with delight on playing a touching tune,
My mind floats on ambrosial stream.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording