As many as are the waves of the sea

by Dadu Dayal

English version by K. N. Upadhyaya


As many as are the waves of the sea,
     so many are the desires of the mind.
Stilling them all, one sits with contentment
     holding the thought of the One
     in his self.

As in the presence of a magnet the iron
     is drawn,
So do thou attach thy senses, mind
     and dispositions to the One alone.

When one discovers the true seat
     of the mind, then all regions come
     to his sight.
When he brings back all five senses
     to that one point, then the secrets
     of the holy scriptures are revealed
     to him.

The fickle mind wanders in the four
     directions. Bind it with the instructions
     of the Master,
And bring it into the company
     of the Saint, then will it be united
     with the Supreme Lord, O Dadu.

Making millions of efforts, many were
     consumed by death, but the mind
     continued to run in all ten directions.
Only with God's Name as the barrier
     will it stop; no other way is there.

Let the mind be the horse, the vigilant
     aspirant the rider, and one-pointed
     attention the bridle;
Using the Word as a whip,
     some wise, holy aspirant will reach
     the goal.

Vanquish the mind by means
     of the Name; discipline it through
     the teachings of the Saints.
Remove whatever duality is there, then
     will there be bliss within, O Dadu.

Once the mind is attached to God, how
     can it go anywhere else?
Like salt dissolves in water, it enters
     into the Lord, O Dadu.

-- from Dadu: The Compassionate Mystic, Translated by K. N. Upadhyaya

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Dadu: The Compassionate Mystic The Hindi Biography of Dadu Dayal



As many as are the