Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Yoga / Hindu : Shakta (Goddess-oriented)

19th Century

About Mahendranath Battacharya

Timeline (1843 - 1908)

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English version by
Rachel Fell McDermott

Original Language
Bengali

Oh Ma Kali, for a long time now

Themes

Sky

Water

Recommended Books

	Singing to the Goddess: Poems to Kali and Uma from Bengal, Translated by Rachel Fell McDermott

Oh Ma Kali, for a long time now
          You've masqueraded in this world
          as a clown.
But I am punished inside
          and there's nothing funny about Your jokes.
Oh Ma, sometimes You're the air we breathe,
          sometimes the sky in the seventh underworld
          furthest away, and
sometimes the water in the sea
          You assume so many forms!
I have traveled to countless lands
and worn countless costumes; even so,
          Your marvels -- ha! -- never cease.

Premik says,
My mind is a cad; that's why it's sunk
in attachments. Why else
          would these tricks of Yours
               keep working?

-- from Singing to the Goddess: Poems to Kali and Uma from Bengal, Translated by Rachel Fell McDermott

Amazon.com

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Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

About Mahendranath Battacharya

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World