To Thee we sing

(325)  Sakal manete sthan kariyacho

You've made Your abode in every mind;
Your seat is in every home.
You are the passion of every life;
Other than You there's nothing more.

We are but a tiny candle flame;
We get our fire only from You.
Our candlelight is just Your blaze;
We carry on our brow its soot.^[1]
You exist, so all exist;
We find You in the public midst.

Tenderness and affection, love and compassion,
Knowledge and comprehension... all that we attain,
By Your grace, everything occurs;
Under Your shelter, we make headway.
Into our heart of hearts, come regally;
We want to hold You near.

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Political leaders

(432)  Rupkathar ek raja chilo

In legend, there was a king;
Alas, he knew not how to laugh.
With his hands he would walk;
Puffed rice he ate with his feet.

In the cool sunshine at midnight,
He dined on pie off a row of backs.
With strength of tongue he chewed sugarcane;
Its juice he sucked with his teeth.

In the middle of the tennis court,
He spread a net to catch fish.
Fearing ghosts in the afternoon,
Beneath the river he hid.

Soaring upward with his racing sailboat,
He fanned himself in the distant sky.
During work hours his eyes were closed;
Pretending to sleep, he snored.

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Be all and end all

(324)  Moder dhara rup peyeche

Our earth took its shape,
In the guise of Your grace.
That's why I behold Thee
Inside every entity.

You are there in every stream;
That's why nothing is missing.
Within You I also live;
I come and go in Your service.

In every thought You abide,
And all dwell in Your mind.
Even by mistake, I can't imagine
That outside You something exists.

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Should've been impossible

(323)  Bhalabasiyachi tomare

Lord, I'm in love with You...
In my life and in my psyche,
Outwardly and inwardly.

Seeing that honey-sweet smile,
Hearing that magic flute,
Somewhere my mind goes soaring—
With such a cord You've bound me.

Tell me, how do I forget
This chain of flowers?

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Piercing the clouds

(322)  Tumi esechile varasar rate

You came on a rainy night,
Heady with fragrance of screwpine flowers.^[1]
Inkstained was the day of that dark fortnight,^[2]
When the ambrosia of light was cast.

Then, amid deadly thunderbolts, budding kadam^[3]
Shuddered over and over again.
On that stormy night, the bamboo grove
Gave off a sound of flogging;
And rain-filled clouds were floating,
Weeping and weeping in sorrow.

Indoors, smiling daughters
Plait their hair,
Adorning it with jasmine sprays,
Pinned to a topknot that dances.

Even now Your screwpine fragrance
Is imprinted upon my heart.

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Struggle and seek

(321)  Sabar majhe hariye gecho

Amid the throng You went missing;
Are You this person or that?
Whether I may find You or not,
Dawn to dusk, I seek, I seek.

Kindly take pity on me;
To my upraised eyes catch hold.
Tell the mantra to summon Thee;
My lips will never stay closed.
I will surely find You... I seek.

As I am in love with Thee,
I can but rush in Your allure.
All blockading walls I breach;
I will surely get You... I struggle.
I will surely find You... I seek.

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Caetanya

(320)  Nandanavana manthana kari

Harvesting a garden of eden;
I brought sandal and honey.^[1]
Spreading the pollen of amaranth,^[2]
I dispensed the nectar of life.

Then, on a moist breeze, jasmine fragrance
Drifted down from the distant heavens.
My mental lotus, its heart swelling,
Blossomed in self-realization.
Amid that transition, beginning alone,
I threaded a garland for Thee.

Then, assembling in the tamal grove,^[3]
Were bumblebees, both light and dark.
With sandal perfume and tonal accord,
To greet You wholeheartedly,
Those bees were gathering.
Enraptured by this very atmosphere,
I composed my songs to Thee.

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