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Yoga / Hindu : Shakta / Tantra (Goddess-oriented)
18th Century

 

About Ramprasad

Timeline (1718? - 1775?)

 

 

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English version by
Rachel Fell McDermott

Original Language
Bengali

Ma, You're inside me;

Themes
  Heart
  Lotus
 
 
 

 

Recommended Books

Devoted to the Goddess : The Life and Work of Ramprasad, by Malcolm Mclean
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, by M. (Sri Mahendra Gupta) / Translated by Swami Nikhilananda
Grace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair: Ramprasad Sen - Selected Poems to the Mother Goddess, Translated by Leonard Nathan / Clinton Seely
Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna, by Lex Hixon
Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar, by Elizabeth U. Harding

More >>

Ma, You're inside me;
who says You keep Your distance, Syama?
You're a stony girl, terrible illusion,
dressing in many guises.
For different methods of prayer You put on
the five chief forms.
But once someone realizes
the five are one,
there'll be no escape for You!
Understanding the truth,
he won't encumber You with false worship
and You'll have to stop
as if You'd sneezed
to tak his burdens.

Once he knows the value of gold
will he welcome glass
by mistake?

Prasad says, My heart is shaped like a flawless lotus.
I place You there, my mental Goddess:
Now dance!

 

 

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

 

 

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Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2005 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.