What is that flute whose music thrills me with joy? The FLAME burns without a lamp; the LOTUS blossoms without a root; flowers bloom in clusters; the moon-bird is devoted to the moon; with all its heart the rain-bird longs for the shower of rain — but upon whose love does the Lover concentrate His entire life?
Where to next: FLAME or LOTUS?
[Source: RT 53; 1.122. kaum muralî s'abd s'un ânand bhayo]
moon-bird. This is the chakor, an Indian partridge who feels a love for the moon that is both intense and unrequited.
rain-bird. This is the chatak bird (a type of cuckoo), who thirsts for the rain.
