Raga Basant
by RamanandaEnglish version by Nirmal Dass
Original Language Hindi
O my brother,
where shall I go,
why should I wander?
The pleasure I seek
is in my very own home.
My mind will not stray,
for my heart
is now steadfast.
One day,
a yearning arose in my heart,
and I went with
sandal shavings and essence
and so many perfumes,
so I could worship Brahma
in the temple.
But then the guru told me
that the Brahma I sought
dwelt in my very own heart.
Wherever I went
I met only water and stone --
but You remain
all-pervasive
and forever unchanging.
I read and searched
all the Vedas
and the Puranas;
I go to them
if I do not find Him here.
O my true guru,
I am your handmaid,
your living sacrifice,
for you have cut away
all my hardened doubts,
all my great fears.
Ramananda's lord
is the all-pervasive Brahma --
a guru's word
can destroy a million sins.
-- from Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth, Translated by Nirmal Dass |
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Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth | ||||