Kabir for Nomi: FV

Showing posts with label FV. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 20, 2000

Garden: I speak truth...

I speak truth, for I have accepted truth in life; I am now attached to truth, I have swept all tinsel away.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 17 (partial); 2.61. grah candra tapan jot varat hai]

Here is the full poem:

XVII

II. 61. grah candra tapan jot varat hai

The light of the sun, the moon, and the stars shines bright:
The melody of love swells forth, and the rhythm of love's
detachment beats the time.
Day and night, the chorus of music fills the heavens; and Kabîr
says
"My Beloved One gleams like the lightning flash in the sky."
Do you know how the moments perform their adoration?
Waving its row of lamps, the universe sings in worship day and
night,
There are the hidden banner and the secret canopy:
There the sound of the unseen bells is heard.
Kabîr says: "There adoration never ceases; there the Lord of the
Universe sitteth on His throne."
The whole world does its works and commits its errors: but few
are the lovers who know the Beloved.
The devout seeker is he who mingles in his heart the double
currents of love and detachment, like the mingling of the
streams of Ganges and Jumna;
In his heart the sacred water flows day and night; and thus the
round of births and deaths is brought to an end.
Behold what wonderful rest is in the Supreme Spirit! and he
enjoys it, who makes himself meet for it.
Held by the cords of love, the swing of the Ocean of Joy sways to
and fro; and a mighty sound breaks forth in song.
See what a lotus blooms there without water! and Kabîr says
"My heart's bee drinks its nectar."
What a wonderful lotus it is, that blooms at the heart of the
spinning wheel of the universe! Only a few pure souls know of
its true delight.
Music is all around it, and there the heart partakes of the joy
of the Infinite Sea.
Kabîr says: "Dive thou into that Ocean of sweetness: thus let all
errors of life and of death flee away."
Behold how the thirst of the five senses is quenched there! and
the three forms of misery are no more!
Kabîr says: "It is the sport of the Unattainable One: look
within, and behold how the moon-beams of that Hidden One shine
in you."
There falls the rhythmic beat of life and death:
Rapture wells forth, and all space is radiant with light.
There the Unstruck Music is sounded; it is the music of the love
of the three worlds.
There millions of lamps of sun and of moon are burning;
There the drum beats, and the lover swings in play.
There love-songs resound, and light rains in showers; and the
worshipper is entranced in the taste of the heavenly nectar.
Look upon life and death; there is no separation between them,
The right hand and the left hand are one and the same.
Kabîr says: "There the wise man is speechless; for this truth may
never be found in Vadas or in books."
I have had my Seat on the Self-poised One,
I have drunk of the Cup of the Ineffable,
I have found the Key of the Mystery,
I have reached the Root of Union.
Travelling by no track, I have come to the Sorrowless Land: very
easily has the mercy of the great Lord come upon me.
They have sung of Him as infinite and unattainable: but I in my
meditations have seen Him without sight.
That is indeed the sorrowless land, and none know the path that
leads there:
Only he who is on that path has surely transcended all sorrow.
Wonderful is that land of rest, to which no merit can win;
It is the wise who has seen it, it is the wise who has sung of
it.
This is the Ultimate Word: but can any express its marvellous
savour?
He who has savoured it once, he knows what joy it can give.
Kabîr says: "Knowing it, the ignorant man becomes wise, and the
wise man becomes speechless and silent,
The worshipper is utterly inebriated,
His wisdom and his detachment are made perfect;
He drinks from the cup of the inbreathings and the outbreathings
of love."
There the whole sky is filled with sound, and there that music is
made without fingers and without strings;
There the game of pleasure and pain does not cease.
Kabîr says: "If you merge your life in the Ocean of Life, you
will find your life in the Supreme Land of Bliss."
What a frenzy of ecstasy there is in every hour! and the
worshipper is pressing out and drinking the essence of the
hours: he lives in the life of Brahma.
I speak truth, for I have accepted truth in life; I am now
attached to truth, I have swept all tinsel away.
Kabîr says: "Thus is the worshipper set free from fear; thus have
all errors of life and of death left him."
There the sky is filled with music:
There it rains nectar:
There the harp-strings jingle, and there the drums beat.
What a secret splendour is there, in the mansion of the sky!
There no mention is made of the rising and the setting of the
sun;
In the ocean of manifestation, which is the light of love, day
and night are felt to be one.
Joy for ever, no sorrow,—no struggle!
There have I seen joy filled to the brim, perfection of joy;
No place for error is there.
Kabîr says: "There have I witnessed the sport of One Bliss!"
I have known in my body the sport of the universe: I have escaped
from the error of this world..
The inward and the outward are become as one sky, the Infinite
and the finite are united: I am drunken with the sight of this
All!
This Light of Thine fulfils the universe: the lamp of love that
burns on the salver of knowledge.
Kabîr says: "There error cannot enter, and the conflict of life
and death is felt no more."

Garden: Traveling by no track...

Kabîr says: Travelling by no track, I have come to the Sorrowless Land: very easily has the mercy of the great Lord come upon me. They have sung of Him as infinite and unattainable, but I in my meditations have seen Him without sight.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

Garden: As the seed...

As the seed is within the banyan tree, and within the seed are the flowers, the fruits, and the shade: so the germ is within the body, and within that germ is the body again. The fire, the air, the water, the earth, and the aether; you cannot have these outside of Him.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 46 (partial); 1.98. sâdho, sahajai kâyâ s'odho]

banyan tree. This is the national tree of India, and it is especially associated with Krishna. Learn more at Wikipedia.

Banyan tree.

Here is the full poem:

XLVI

I. 98. sâdho, sahajai kâyâ s'odho

O sadhu! purify your body in the simple way.
As the seed is within the banyan tree, and within the seed are
the flowers, the fruits, and the shade:
So the germ is within the body, and within that germ is the body
again.
The fire, the air, the water, the earth, and the aether; you
cannot have these outside of Him.
O, Kazi, O Pundit, consider it well: what is there that is not in
the soul?
The water-filled pitcher is placed upon water, it has water
within and without.
It should not be given a name, lest it call forth the error of
dualism.
Kabîr says: "Listen to the Word, the Truth, which is your
essence. He speaks the Word to Himself; and He Himself is the
Creator."

Garden: Others who have wakened...

Others, who have wakened, have received jewels: O foolish woman! You have lost all whilst you slept. Kabîr says: "Only she wakes, whose heart is pierced with the arrow of His music."

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 36 (partial); 2.126. jâg piyârî, ab kân sowai]

Here is the full poem:

XXXVI

II. 126. jâg piyârî, ab kân sowai

O friend, awake, and sleep no more!
The night is over and gone, would you lose your day also?
Others, who have wakened, have received jewels;
O foolish woman! you have lost all whilst you slept.
Your lover is wise, and you are foolish, O woman!
You never prepared the bed of your husband:
O mad one! you passed your time in silly play.
Your youth was passed in vain, for you did not know your Lord;
Wake, wake! See! your bed is empty: He left you in the night.
Kabîr says: "Only she wakes, whose heart is pierced with the
arrow of His music."

Garden: Kabir, that Path...

Kabir, that Path is difficult; no one can follow it: those who went never came back, none ever came back to tell about it!

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: CV 3.10.1]

Garden: Where is the night...

Where is the night, when the sun is shining? If it is night, then the sun withdraws its light. Where knowledge is, can ignorance endure? If there be ignorance, then knowledge must die.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 37 (partial); 1.36. sûr parkâs', tanh rain kahân pâïye]

Here is the full poem:

XXXVII

I. 36. sûr parkâs', tanh rain kahân pâïye

Where is the night, when the sun is shining? If it is night,

then the sun withdraws its light. Where knowledge is, can

ignorance endure?

If there be ignorance, then knowledge must die.

If there be lust, how can love be there? Where there is love,

there is no lust.

Lay hold on your sword, and join in the fight. Fight, O my

brother, as long as life lasts.

Strike off your enemy's head, and there make an end of him

quickly: then come, and bow your head at your King's Durbar.

He who is brave, never forsakes the battle: he who flies from it

is no true fighter.

In the field of this body a great war goes forward, against

passion, anger, pride, and greed:

It is in the kingdom of truth, contentment and purity, that this

battle is raging; and the sword that rings forth most loudly is

the sword of His Name.

Kabîr says: "When a brave knight takes the field, a host of

cowards is put to flight.

It is a hard fight and a weary one, this fight of the

truth-seeker: for the vow of the truth-seeker is more hard than

that of the warrior, or of the widowed wife who would follow her

husband.

For the warrior fights for a few hours, and the widow's struggle

with death is soon ended:

But the truth-seeker's battle goes on day and night, as long as

life lasts it never ceases."

Garden: Kal stands at the head...

Kal stands at the head of your bed: Wake up, O my dear Friend! Away from kindly Ram, how can you sleep in peace?

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: CV 3.15.1]

Kal = Kala. This is Time personified, who is also associated with Death and the god Yama.

Ram = Rama. This is an avatar of the god Vishnu whose story is told in the Ramayana.

Garden: The harp gives forth...

The harp gives forth murmurous music, and the dance goes on without hands and feet. It is played without fingers, it is heard without ears: for He is the ear, and He is the listener.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 83 (partial); 3.84. jhî jhî jantar bâjai]

Here is the full poem:

LXXXIII

III. 84. jhî jhî jantar bâjai

The harp gives forth murmurous music; and the dance goes on
without hands and feet.
It is played without fingers, it is heard without ears: for He is
the ear, and He is the listener.
The gate is locked, but within there is fragrance: and there the
meeting is seen of none.
The wise shall understand it.

Garden: O man, if thou dost...

O man, if thou dost not know thine own Lord, whereof art thou so proud? Put thy cleverness away: mere words shall never unite thee to Him. Do not deceive thyself with the witness of the Scriptures: love is something other than this, and he who has sought it truly has found it.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 59; 1.52. khasm na cînhai bâwari]

Garden: Beautifully built...

Beautifully built is that city, everywhere full of delights — yet if it harbors no lover of Ram, to me it's a desert!

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: CV 3.4.6]

Ram = Rama. This is an avatar of the god Vishnu whose story is told in the Ramayana.

Garden: Within the Supreme Brahma...

Within the Supreme Brahma, the worlds are being told like beads: look upon that rosary with the eyes of wisdom.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE this time, or answer the call of the VEENA again?

[Source: RT 14 (partial); 2.56. dariyâ kî lahar dariyâo hai jî]

beads. These are the prayer beads known as japa mala.

Here is the full poem:

XIV

II. 56. dariyâ kî lahar dariyâo hai jî

The river and its waves are one
surf: where is the difference between the river and its waves?
When the wave rises, it is the water; and when it falls, it is
the same water again. Tell me, Sir, where is the distinction?
Because it has been named as wave, shall it no longer be
considered as water?
Within the Supreme Brahma, the worlds are being told like beads:
Look upon that rosary with the eyes of wisdom.

Garden: We don't know the name...

We don't know the name of that Village; without knowing, how can we go? A whole age has passed, walking, walking to that Village nearby!

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE this time, or answer the call of the VEENA again?

[Source: CV 3.10.6]

Garden: It cannot be told...

Kabîr says: "It cannot be told by the words of the mouth, it cannot be written on paper: It is like a dumb person who tastes a sweet thing — how shall it be explained?"

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE again, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 76 (partial); 3.48. tû surat nain nihâr]

Here is the full poem:

LXXVI

III. 48. tû surat nain nihâr

Open your eyes of love, and see Him who pervades this world I
consider it well, and know that this is your own country.
When you meet the true Guru, He will awaken your heart;
He will tell you the secret of love and detachment, and then you
will know indeed that He transcends this universe.
This world is the City of Truth, its maze of paths enchants the
heart:
We can reach the goal without crossing the road, such is the
sport unending.
Where the ring of manifold joys ever dances about Him, there is
the sport of Eternal Bliss.
When we know this, then all our receiving and renouncing is
over;
Thenceforth the heat of having shall never scorch us more.
He is the Ultimate Rest unbounded:
He has spread His form of love throughout all the world.
From that Ray which is Truth, streams of new forms are
perpetually springing: and He pervades those forms.
All the gardens and groves and bowers are abounding with blossom;
and the air breaks forth into ripples of joy.
There the swan plays a wonderful game,
There the Unstruck Music eddies around the Infinite One;
There in the midst the Throne of the Unheld is shining, whereon
the great Being sits—
Millions of suns are shamed by the radiance of a single hair of
His body.
On the harp of the road what true melodies are being sounded!
and its notes pierce the heart:
There the Eternal Fountain is playing its endless life-streams of
birth and death.
They call Him Emptiness who is the Truth of truths, in Whom all
truths are stored!
There within Him creation goes forward, which is beyond all
philosophy; for philosophy cannot attain to Him:
There is an endless world, O my Brother! and there is the
Nameless Being, of whom naught can be said.
Only he knows it who has reached that region: it is other than
all that is heard and said.
No form, no body, no length, no breadth is seen there: how can I
tell you that which it is?
He comes to the Path of the Infinite on whom the grace of the
Lord descends: he is freed from births and deaths who attains
to Him.
Kabîr says: "It cannot be told by the words of the mouth, it
cannot be written on paper:
It is like a dumb person who tastes a sweet thing—how shall it
be explained?"

Garden: The fire is in the wood...

The fire is in the wood; but who awakens it suddenly? Then it turns to ashes, and where goes the force of the fire? The true guru teaches that He has neither limit nor infinitude. Kabîr says: "Brahma suits His language to the understanding of His hearer."

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 45 (partial); 1.97. sâdho, ko hai kânh se âyo]

Brahma = Brahman: The "ultimate reality" or "creative principle" (ब्रह्मन्), usually transliterated into English as Brahman, while Brahma (ब्रह्मा) is the creator god. (Tagore uses the English spelling Brahma for both.)

Here is the full poem:

XLV

I. 97. sâdho, ko hai kânh se âyo

Who are you, and whence do you come?
Where dwells that Supreme Spirit, and how does He have His sport
with all created things?
The fire is in the wood; but who awakens it suddenly? Then it
turns to ashes, and where goes the force of the fire?
The true guru teaches that He has neither limit nor infinitude.
Kabîr says: "Brahma suits His language to the understanding of
His hearer."

Garden: I have stilled...

I have stilled my restless mind, and my heart is radiant: for in Thatness I have seen beyond Thatness. Living in bondage, I have set myself free: I have broken away from the clutch of all narrowness.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 48 (partial); 1.107. calat mansâ acal kînhî]

Here is the full poem:

XLVIII

I. 107. calat mansâ acal kînhî

I have stilled my restless mind, and my heart is radiant: for in
Thatness I have seen beyond That-ness. In company I have seen
the Comrade Himself.
Living in bondage, I have set myself free: I have broken away
from the clutch of all narrowness.
Kabîr says: "I have attained the unattainable, and my heart is
coloured with the colour of love."

Garden: It is but an empty dream...

It is but an empty dream that the soul shall have union with Him because it has passed from the body: if He is found now, He is found then; if not, we do but go to dwell in the City of Death. If you have union now, you shall have it hereafter.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 3 (partial); 1.57. sâdho bhâî, jîval hî karo âs'â]

Here is the full poem:

III

I. 57. sâdho bhâî, jîval hî karo âs'â

O friend! hope for Him whilst you live, know whilst you live,
understand whilst you live: for in life deliverance abides.
If your bonds be not broken whilst living, what hope of
deliverance in death?
It is but an empty dream, that the soul shall have union with Him
because it has passed from the body:
If He is found now, He is found then,
If not, we do but go to dwell in the City of Death.
If you have union now, you shall have it hereafter.
Bathe in the truth, know the true Guru, have faith in the true
Name!
Kabîr says: "It is the Spirit of the quest which helps; I am the
slave of this Spirit of the quest."

Garden: Have you not heard...

Have you not heard the tune which the Unstruck Music is playing? In the midst of the chamber the harp of joy is gently and sweetly played, and where is the need of going without to hear it?

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: RT 54 (partial); 1.112. s'untâ nahî dhun kî khabar]

Here is the full poem:

LIV

I. 112. s'untâ nahî dhun kî khabar

Have you not heard the tune which the Unstruck Music is playing?
In the midst of the chamber the harp of joy is gently and
sweetly played; and where is the need of going without to hear
it?
If you have not drunk of the nectar of that One Love, what boots
it though you should purge yourself of all stains?
The Kazi is searching the words of the Koran, and instructing
others: but if his heart be not steeped in that love, what does
it avail, though he be a teacher of men?
The Yogi dyes his garments with red: but if he knows naught of
that colour of love, what does it avail though his garments be
tinted?
Kabîr says: "Whether I be in the temple or the balcony, in the
camp or in the flower garden, I tell you truly that every
moment my Lord is taking His delight in me."

Garden: O servant, where dost thou...

O servant, where dost thou seek Me? Lo! I am beside thee. I am neither in temple nor in mosque: I am neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash: Neither am I in rites and ceremonies, nor in Yoga and renunciation.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE this time, or answer the call of the VEENA again?

[Source: RT 1 (partial); 1.13. mo ko kahân dhûnro bande]

Kaaba. This is the sacred "House of Allah" in Mecca; read more at Wikipedia.

Kailash. = Kailasa. A sacred mountain in the Himalayas, and home to Shiva.

Yoga. You can read at Wikipedia about the practice of Yoga and also about the practitioners known as Yogis,

renunciation. This refers to the life stage known as sannyasa, the final stage of the four stages of life known as ashramas.

Here is the full poem:

I

I. 13. mo ko kahân dhûnro bande

O servant, where dost thou seek Me?
Lo! I am beside thee.
I am neither in temple nor in mosque: I am neither in Kaaba nor
in Kailash:
Neither am I in rites and ceremonies, nor in Yoga and
renunciation.
If thou art a true seeker, thou shalt at once see Me: thou shalt
meet Me in a moment of time.
Kabîr says, "O Sadhu! God is the breath of all breath."

Garden: Even a flickering instant...

Even a flickering instant you cannot hold, and you make plans for tomorrow! Kal will pounce on you suddenly, as the hawk upon the partridge.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE this time, or answer the call of the VEENA again?

[Source: CV 3.15.2]

Kal = Kala. This is Time personified, who is also associated with Death and the god Yama.

Garden: If you know you're alive...

If you know you're alive, find the essence of life. Life is the sort of guest you don't meet twice.

Next: This is the end of a path, but not the end of the garden. Return to the beginning: would you like to follow the FLUTE, or answer the call of the VEENA?

[Source: LH:S 10]