Alan Jacobs

BUTTERCUP

2012-01-05T22:53:00.001-08:00

Wild humble golden yellow flowering cup,
From which zealous bees sweet nectar sip.
The bee's an emblem of our spiritual trip.
The work effort pilgrim needs to awaken
From sleep, ceasing to be always shaken,
Sniffing at vain pleasures with greedy lip,
Licking at each juicy bit. We lose our grip
If ego indulges in every poisonous drip.

Child Krishna loved and cupped butter's sweet taste,
Churned from fresh milk for healthy nourishment.
If we wish to be free from soul's direst detriment,
Then we too must churn the mind with all due haste,
Using the great rod of Self Enquiry, God's instrument,
To save us from sad samsara's painful punishment!

WINTER

2012-01-03T16:05:00.001-08:00

The wintry sun streams through my window frame
Opening wide to limitless vasts of saphire blue,
Snow drops are sparkling with diamonds of dew.
My heart hymns praises to Him without a Name,
A love for Self and all are equally the same.
I draw the curtain in my room, enlarge the view,
From tattered folds, a powdery dust soon flew
Across the scene, obscuring sunlight's flame.

As cloud did clear I saw each dusty grain,
As a world held in a solar radiant beam,
Universes in Brahman's mighty magic dream.
My mind fell in my heart, no words can explain;
I am the light, the sun, the room, the view,
The dust, the Self, and Brahman; so are you.

BEAR WITH IT PRINCE AND PRINCESS

2012-01-02T20:15:00.001-08:00

Let's welcome challenge as our golden gate to Liberation!

Any resistance prevents the gain of our promised Realisation.

Mind must never strain to explain nor ever needs to complain,

About what in His great wisdom our dear Lord deigns to ordain.

He blesses us with the most precious gift in the whole of creation.

So pray to surrender irreversibly without any condition!

Worry, fear,despair and anxiety must cease ever more,

Leave all burdens and concerns to God to solve in His way,

Yet we strive to do the very best we can each and every day.

And we let go all of the past, they were just fantastic dreams,

As that which appeared was unreal, and not what it seems!

THE ARCH USURPER

2012-01-01T15:34:00.001-08:00

THE ARCH USURPER

To claim I am the sole doer all alone,
Is the cardinal crime of woman and man;
It means that ego's usurped God's throne.
To be free of this grave sin, if we can,
Surrender monkey mind at His lotus feet,
Then Self Enquire with all of one's might.
This way we'll soon be whole and complete,
Revealing Self, source of truth and light.
The Universe is held in Brahman's arms,
In joyful bliss of sat chit ananada,
Devotees are blest by Bhagavan's charms,
Inside our hearts dwells Great Lord Ramana.
Let him take over the whole burden of life,
This way we end all mental storm and strife

SURRENDER

2011-12-31T21:11:00.001-08:00

Seek for the source where mind is effaced.
You travel alone on a mystery train;
By this metaphor we're comfortably placed,
To travel by providence free from all pain.
So put your heavy baggage on the rack,
Only a poor fool wears it on his head!
Be glad, accept the predestined track,
Rest quietly, safe at home on your bed!
Surrender in joyful jubilation!
Surrender utterly to God's almighty will,

Surrender with total resignation,
Surrender knowing all will be well,
Surrender whole heartedly with one accord,
Take safe refuge in the all loving Lord!

VICTORY

2011-12-30T21:33:00.001-08:00

Victory to the power of Great Lord Ramana!
Which flow from the blessings of His kind
Removal of sorrow from the mundane mind;
He frees us from great grief of samsara
To know soul's lagoon flooded by Nirvana.
Such awakening from hypnotic sleep we find
Are streams that cleanse the soul, they wind
Through dense mud and mire of false ajnana.
They cause destruction of pain and sorrow,
Live in the present, with no fear for tomorrow.
We thank Sri Bhagavan with all might and main,
Chanting His praises, for sacred is His Name.
We read the miracles of His great life story,
And bathe in the bliss of His Effulgent Glory.

FAITH

2011-12-29T22:48:00.001-08:00

Take the deep leap into firm certainty of Faith,
With determined unshakeable fearlessness!
Let Your mighty sacred mountain be our shield
Against sense storms of restless monkey mind.
Enjoy complete untroubled care free unworried calm,
By handing over our whole fictional burden
Of distress, concern, stress, and fancied anxiety
About our ordained duties and many affairs,
To our Lord of Love and infinite compassion,
Great Power in the heart, Self of our own Being,
To whom we've unconditionally surrendered,
Taking sole refuge with worshipful devotion.
Even tribulation is welcomed as for the best!
We gain mind control through repetition of His Name,
And dive into the Heart, questing for the source of 'I',
Full of gratitude for his boundless love and grace.

POETRY AND MUSIC

2011-12-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

POETRY AND MUSIC

Just as good music is poetry with sound,

Good poetry should be music with words,

Hear the dawn chorus of chirrupingl birds

Then this hidden secret could be refound.

That's why we need the joy of chosen rhyme,

In the best poem meaning will always lurk,

It helps to make the stanzas more sublime.

But music can express the spirit of the work.

Set music to a verse and it becomes a song,

To lift the hearts of folk as they wend their way.

Song beautifies the soul as she strolls along,

Bringing much love and joy to yet another day.

Some claim music is the highest form of art,

But poetry follows quickly in the chase,

But place the two together from the start,

Musicality in poetry then takes first place.

THE GOLDEN KEY

2011-12-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

Feel ‘I am awareness’, absolute, pure, ever free

From strife. Let your skiff’s white sail unfurl to bless;

Be kissed by the soft breeze of love, on the open sea,

Feel ‘I am awareness’.

Unattached to mind or body, our life is choiceless,

Free as an auburn autumn leaf which tumbling from the tree,

Is blown by the breath of breeze and rests effortless.

To sip love’s flowering scent like a bumble bee,

In the radiant rose garden of essential beingness;

That, for you, dear friend, is the golden master key.

Feel ‘I am awareness’.

LIBERATION

2011-12-26T19:13:00.001-08:00

LIBERATION

From Liberation is there anything new to gain?
Yes, freedom from suffering and endless rebirth,
The precious pearl of Self Realisation' s worth;
So from sadhana never ever cease or complain,
There's need to cleanse the mind from all its stain.
The end of life's dream is not the end of mirth,
For with deliverance there's no drought or dearth
Of perfect joy and blessed bliss beyond all pain,
A life of sunshine without dark disaster's reign.

A Pilgrim climbing slowly up the mountain path,
Was refreshed by a shower of grace divine,
'Twas as if washed pure and clean in a temple bath
Of Love, much sweeter than costly vintage wine.
So in Freedom there's no more fear, just one's Self to shine!

DIVINE LAY MOUNA*

2011-12-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

The loving lustrous smile of Divine Lady Mauna,
That most lovely lady of liberation,
Dispels the darkness that obscures Realisation.
Whatever labours fate forces you to complete,
Cherish as pure gold, the worship of her lotus feet.

Through her grace bestowing glance, so auspicious,
The delusions of wealth and family, however propitious,
Like smoke from the chimney, will soon cease to be,
So praise that maiden with the strong wish to be free.

That's the most fitting of all righteous dharmas,
The very best of all desirable karmas.
So cherish as the most lofty brahmacharya,
To live in union with our dear Lady Mauna.

In her presence, don't raise your head as `I',
Or a glimpse of her face, she'll surely belie.
If you remain subject to her domination
She will reunite you with Self Realisation,

Harmoniously and with blissful delight,
Embrace her at heart with all your might.
Let your life in a state of Oneness and bliss,
Be a model for others they won't want to miss.

So merge with Lady Mouna deep in the heart,
The best householder' s dharma, till death do us part.

*Silence

EXTRACT FROM SHELLEY'S DEFENCE OF POETRY

2011-12-25T01:15:00.000-08:00

The Defense of Poetry

P. B. Shelley, a great Romantic poet and critic, defends poetry by claiming that the poet creates human values and imagines the forms that shape the social and cultural order.

For Shelley, each poetic mind, recreates its own private universe and poets, thus are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.For Shelley, Poetry is the vehicle to reach to the ideal world or platonic world. He argues that all forms of arts and science depend up on nature but poetry improves the nature and creates better than it. Here, his views share similarities with Aristotle, who said that a poet is not only an imitator but also a creator.

Reason and imagination are the two faculties of mind. Reason breaks the things in to parts and analyses it. Thus the reason is the principle of analysis. On the other hand, imagination synthesizes the components. Since imagination is the principle of synthesis that can false contradictory forces.

Imagination has soothing power that pacifies the mind and the people become moral. It creates the best mind and the happiest moment so, peaceful mind is required to produce the poetry.For Shelley the best mind and the happiest moment, produced by imagination are the ways to get the essence but Coleridge’s imagination does not soothe the mind, instead it is just a creative force.

Shelley believes that poetry strengthens the moral faculty and gives pleasure so he treats imagination both as creative and pragmatic aspects.The poet is a moral teacher who gives idea and pleasure to the society by teaching indirectly. Poet is a prophet and legislator who create social norms rules and moral lessons with the help of poetry.A poet to him is not only the author of language of music of the dance, and of architecture but is also the legislator of laws the founder of civil society. Thus, poetry, unlike to Peacock has its social and moral functions along with its aesthetic pleasure.

In this way, Shelley defends poetry from, the idea that romantic use of language brings cultural decadence and reinforces that poetry creates novelty where we can see the seed of revolution.

This extract from one of the finest essays in the Englsh language should be studied again by those of the current fashion in reducing Poetry to the level of thoughtless prose.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

2011-12-24T08:23:00.001-08:00

Ruddy radiant dawn breaks and shatters dark black night,

Revealing a gleaming world full of splendid life and light;

So it will be with the fractured inner life of pilgrim's soul,

Sudden Realisation dawns, ending dark night, and makes him whole.

All is due to grear Guru's grace, of Sri Bhagavan Ramana,

When light breaks and we dwell in blissful sat chit ananda.

God is perfect love and he calls here us on Earth to save

Us from harmful tendencies acquired, and if we're brave,

And follow all his promptings, felt deep in the spiritual heart,

He'll surely lead us to His Realisation and the needed art,

So ruddy radiant dawn breaks and shatters dark black night,

Revealing again His gleaming world of splendid life and light.

A SESTINA "TE DEUM"

2011-12-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Our hymn is sung to the Great and Wondrous One
Who dwells in splendour, a dazzling radiant light
That shines in every Heart and each manifest Sun
Of Self-effulgent beauty, blazing bright.
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done,
Oh make our actions worthy, in Thy holy sight.
Oh Lord, we pray to keep Thee ever in our sight,
Oh Thou whom we adore, our God the Holy One.
Your rays of Grace and Love are ever bright
In strength and power, as the awesome crimson Sun.
Oh keep us from all wavering, fix our Heart on light,
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done.
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done,
Not foolish will of ego, lest it darkens sight
And screens us from the bliss of Thee, oh Kingly One.
Thy blinding brilliance of eternity bright
Is stronger, deeper than the summer mid-day Sun.
Let us bathe in blissful balm of blessed light.
Oh lead us Lord, from nescient dark to conscious light!
Thou art All and thy mighty will be done
And ever mindful we are resting in Thy sight
For thou art Father, Mother, Teacher, Friend; oh Holy One
Your perennial fire is flaming clear and bright
Deep in the heart, a resplendent inward Sun.

He who within us hides and bides is also in the Sun,
Black clouds dispelled by beckoning beacon light.
On bended knee we glorify Thee, oh Primordial One
Who through Grace revealed demists this frosted sight.
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done
Polish the mirror of our Souls and make them ever bright.
Oh Jewel of Faith that ever sparkles diamond bright
And shines fiercely as our bosom friend, the Sun,
Thaw the frigid heart with warmth and light
Thou art All and thy mighty will be done.
Oh let our acts be worthy, in Thy holy sight,
A hymn to be sung to the Great and Wondrous One.
Praise to the Holy One, ever burning beryl bright,
May His wisdom light guide us as the Sun
And may His will be done, in His all loving sight.

MOVE OUT

2011-12-23T03:18:00.000-08:00

MOVE OUT

In monkey mind's-bundle are many strange places,

Some seriously bad some auspiciously good.

We must move out of lust and dust, leave their traces,

True love and kindness is much better spiritual food.

Putrid places rob us of noble worthy self esteem,

They're the grotty gutter in galavanting mind.

So don't stay with such muttering in life's dream,

We'll feel and breathe much better.Then we'll find.

Guru guides, he guides, he guides, he always guides,

Unless into the stinking sewer the fool back slides.

A good pilgrim was practicing atma vichara,

Following the preachings of Great Lord Ramana,

'Till one day he stumbled into lustful thoughts,

And in this muddy mire he was stickily caught,

But the Guru out of great compassion and grace,

Soon restored him back to his rightful better place.

PANCHATRATHNAM OF SONNETS ON SRI BHAGAVAN'S TEACHING

2011-12-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

All beings yearn to be happy, always;
Happiness without a tinge of sorrow,
To enjoy a life of carefree days,
Taking no burden of thought for tomorrow.
When restless mind's at peace in deep sleep,
What glimpse of worry, grief or despair?
So happiness lies therein, buried down deep.
How to find this treasure, awake, aware?
Ask the question, who am I, and from where?
That's the essential means of the holy task,
Ending ego's `me' and `my', that's there.
No pleasure endures in things of this Earth.
Surrender whole heartedly with one accord,
Take safe refuge in the all loving Lord!

Enquire within, who basks behind our mask?
To regain that Selfhood we lost at birth.
Just seek for the source where mind is based.
You travel alone on a mystery train;
By this metaphor we're comfortably placed,
To travel by providence free from pain.
So put all your heavy luggage on the rack,
Only a fool carries it on his head!
Be glad, accept the predestined track,
Rest quietly, safe at home on your bed!
Surrender in joyful jubilation!
Surrender utterly to God's almighty will,
Surrender with total resignation,
We leave it to grace, to grant us release.

God will do this through the gaze of his Sage,
He sends down His messenger for every age,
To those who yearn and pray for great peace.
The Realised Sage lives on here to please,
Without confusing the Self with the mind.
Humble, compassionate, loving and kind,
Wisely profound, as his way clearly shows.
He steers the vessel of firm devotees,
Fulfilling everyone's spiritual need.
In deep silence, he sits, with perfect ease,
To awaken those, whom his teaching well heed.
Graciously, his great glance of initiation,
Drives the mind inwards, to Self Realisation!
Take safe refuge in the Lord. He knows, He knows!

Driving the mind inwards, to Self Realisation,
He grants safe passage through life's stormy ocean;
What frail soul will ever be excluded
From the presence of the holy Supreme?
No matter how depraved or deluded,
His mercy never ends, and will always redeem,
Raising the soul from the depth of depression,
To free one from the `I am this body' obsession.
From passions that churn desire and aversion,
His fair breeze wafts clear equanimity;
Enmeshed no more in worldly adversity,
Never perturbed by praise nor foul enmity,
We learn that there's the greatest giving
In knowing all are Self, and so truly living.

In knowing all are Self, and so truly living,
We thank the great Sage who is ever giving.
We praise the Lord, who leads us to his feet,
His gracious gaze is eternally sweet,
Without ceasing, he's forever reviving,
He grants that freedom, our real surviving.
He severs the grip of bondage's chains,
He frees the soul, where confusion reigns,
He bestows both compassion and deep peace,
He sends out his grace to grant us release.
He teaches the truth that Consciousness is all,
And Self Enquiry to raise us up from our fall.
We praise God Almighty whom is ever living,
These five of my sonnets is our thanksgiving!

MODERNIST POETRY

2011-12-22T10:14:00.001-08:00

'Originality is all right, but if you become so original that nobody
can follow you and all fall behind gasping for breath, that is an
excess of virtue. The modernist poets do that with the result that
nobody has the least idea what they mean, not even themselves,
and the farther result that, as it has been said “there are more
people now who write poetry than read it”. 8 June 1938
http://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Letters-on-Poetry-and-Art-by-Sri-Aurobindo.

DEVOTION

2011-12-21T21:02:00.001-08:00

Bhagavan! tie me with your tight cord of devotion,
Fill me with the still cool waters of Thy holy joy,
My shining challice held as mind’s precious toy.
I whom am Thy devotee trapped in worldly motion,
Place two pink tender lotus flowers as my notion
Of obeisance at Thy holy feet, never ever to cloy.
Thy fully ripened cocoanut of wisdom will alloy
Me with Thy healing words of fervent emotion.
Pray purify the old mansion of my bodily frame,
Thus do I perform this sacred auspicious rite,
Calling on the beauteous bounty of Thy mighty Name,
With all my ardent heart and soul and might,
I pray for the purification of my errent jiva's place,
Prepare me please to receive Thy boundless grace!

GREAT LORD RAMANA

2011-12-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

Ramana! you care for all your Beings,

For their welfare and spiritual advance,

Intent on good giving; that's your stance!

You teach the way of divine seeing,

All pervading, determined on freeing

Devotees from samsara's crazy prance.

Loving and caring, that is your dance,

Pervading inside and out; ever revealing

That you're our inmost pure conscious Self,

That will always dwells in our spiritual heart.

You shall soon slayl that egotistic elf

Before we die, and from life must depart.

Lord Ramana! once majestic Sage of Kings,

About your great glory my soul ever sings!

N.B. Several Maharajas visited Ramana in his life time

LOVE

2011-12-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

Love shines in soft summer evening light,
Arms outstretched, embracing all with grace,
Yea-saying here, in Earth’s bleak and jagged place.
On crumbling walls of inner courts of sight
The Sage sees daylight even in the dead of night.
Dawn’s blood streaked gold scatters clouds apace,
Spears of glory pierce God’s infinite space
Of massive nature; grace, beauty, love and might.

The plaintive sob of amorous nightingale
Throbs for his beloved with poignant song.
He know his faith in her will never fail,
And they’ll lie breast to breast before too long.
When even dark night falls, his joyful tongue
Hymns harmony, echoing love’s eternal tale.

OUR GREAT POWER

2011-12-17T18:58:00.001-08:00

Cleave and cling to our Great Power dwelling inside our heart,
God , the Self, or Sat Guru, whose promised pledge shall impart
All that we need to reach the glorious goal of liberation,
His gift of grace granting us the bliss of Self Realisation.

He teaches us through each precise preordained situation,
Pleasant or unpleasant as it may be. We learn by intimation
The way to remove lurking latent tendencies which shroud
The brilliant sunlight of the Self like a storm-black cloud.

Trust that Great Power which knows the way, unfolding as it should,
All is very, very well, Brahman is All, and very, very good!

BLUE BUTTERFLY

2011-12-16T17:57:00.001-08:00

Beautiful butterfly of celestial blue,
Who triumphs over lowly larva's fate,
She'll be transformed into freedom good and true.
So like this perfect pupa, before it is too late,
We must strive with all our main and might,
To reach blue butterfly's blessed state,
And dance with joy in sweet ethereal light

DEATH

2011-12-15T00:26:00.000-08:00

As I contemplate my predetermined death,

When body struggles to breathe its last breath,

I think of Almighty God with all of my might,

Certain that I'll enter a bright blaze of light,

Because there's never a death, but only rest,

For soul to march on to her final home, best

Left in trust to that Great Power which knows

The way, to insure that soul onward grows,

Until she reaches her peaceful resting place,

Through God's ever present abundant grace.

An old man dyeing on his hospital bed,

Knew that very soon he'd drop down dead.

He focused on the spot between his eyes,

And thought of God, then with awesome sighs,,

Surrendered himself to that Almighty Power,

He then became Self Realised that very hour.

ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA PAGE

2011-12-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

DEAR FRIENDS,

I NOW HAVE A PAGE ON FACE BOOKCALLED ALAN JACOBS ADVAITA VEDANTA. ANYONE INTERESTED IN RAMANA MAHARSHI'S TEACHING AS A SERIOUS PRACTICIONER IS FREE TO JOIN BY CLICKING ON LIKE

ALAN

THE ALMIGHTY POWER

2011-12-13T16:09:00.001-08:00

There's an almighty universal power,

Which governs the whole great cosmic scene,

Each second and every single hour,

From largest galaxy to petty little gene.

Nothing moves without divine permission,

So all's predetermined for soul's own growth,

Only Grace can sanction fates remission,

Then Realisation happens, benefiting both

World, and the worthy yearning pilgrim soul,

Which by her efforts has made herself whole.

Life's an adventure in consciousness, no doubt

It favours all with courage, bold and brave.

Those who've surrendered with a mighty shout,

Crying "yea" to all, on soul's way to save.

When together with enquiry into ego's source,

They become One with that same almighty force.

GOOD DOCTOR GURU

2011-12-12T14:43:00.001-08:00

Mad moaning mankind needs a healing balm,

His errant restless mind to cure and calm,

That cool collyrium is pure devotion,

The perfect therapeutic tonic lotion.

Good Doctor Guru is both wise and sage,

He knows the right dose for this manic age.

Self enquiry's the treatment he prescribes,

Gently his Direct Path he well describes.

His medicine will lead us to liberation,

The final goal is Self Realisation.

Ego's gracefully removed by such skill,

The patient no longer suffers or feels ill.

Sweet harmony and peace completely reign,

Pilgrim no longer feels his aching pain,

He abides in everlasting blissful joy,

A state of love that will never cloy!

This is the death of maddening mental pain

And horrid habits, vicious vile and vain,

So all who endure a worried worldly life,

Will find his medication ends their strife.

EXODUS FROM EGYPT

2011-11-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

To know I'm not only an animal body nor brain centered mind,

But the true Self of Consciousness Awareness Reality pure,

Is like when Moses crossed the sea of red, the promised land to find,

And left the badly plagued Egyptian host their sad destiny to endure.

Their perverse thoughts and habits were drowned in a vast titanic flood,

All that remained there were only toppling egos seething deep in blood.

The hard pressed Hebrew slaves arrived on another blessed shore,

Released from oppresive bondage by their God-fearing Prophet Sage,

Could any earnest devoted zealous soul ever wish for any gift more?

Moses the mighty marvelous magician was the major miracle of his age.

Yet can find the Spirit of that wise prophet Moses dwelling in our hearts,

And vanquish for each and everyone our vain tyranical parts.

FIREBIRD SESTINA

2011-10-17T16:32:00.001-07:00

Enrobed in scarlet, a brilliant blazing bird,
With eagle’s strength, the child of sacred fire,
She sounds a piercing cry, forever heard
When consumed in Self-lit flames, soon to aspire
From her funeral pyre, to show the world
Herself, reborn from death! Mankind she shall inspire.

In ancient time her wonder did inspire
Heliopolis, where flew this fabled bird,
To reach the Sun, lamp light of our shadow world,
And immolating in his fiercesome fire,
Her Being rose from ashes to aspire
To know New Life, such tales they heard.

When this Egyptian legend was first heard,
That daring deed was one that did inspire
Each soul, that now earned the right to so aspire,
And follow the lead set by this fearless bird.
If self dares to die upon the sacrificial fire,
Pure Self will emerge as victor of this world.

This paragon is an emblem for our world,
Proclaiming news, that everywhere is heard,
Setting the wooden hearts of men on fire,
The deathless spirit mocks at death to so inspire!
Thanks to the valour of this beauteous bird,
The soul of man can to an after-life aspire.

So people of all lands can once again aspire
To reach the height of hope in an anxious world,
And pursue the flight of virtue like this bird.
So sound the golden trumpet call and be heard!
Men should know such transformation can inspire
To be reborn again in sacred sacramental fire.

The petty self is consumed in conscious fire,
And from ashes, pure Self does once again aspire
To reach new birth, and the minds of men inspire,
To transform their dismal dreary world.
Joy again, can everywhere be heard,
All thanks to thee, oh great excelling bird!

By wondrous art she once inspired our world,
It’s vital we aspire to what’s been heard.
Arise from sacred fire dear Phoenix bird!

RAMANA PANCHATRATHNAM

2011-10-17T01:10:00.000-07:00

All beings yearn to be happy, always;
Happiness without a tinge of sorrow,
To enjoy a life of carefree days,
Taking no burden of thought for tomorrow.
When restless mind's at peace in deep sleep,
What glimpse of worry, grief or despair?
So happiness lies therein, buried down deep.
How to find this treasure, awake, aware?
Ask the question, who am I, and from where?
That's the essential means of the holy task,
Ending ego's `me' and `my', that's there.
No pleasure endures in things of this Earth.
Surrender whole heartedly with one accord,
Take safe refuge in the all loving Lord!

Enquire within, who basks behind our mask?
To regain that Selfhood we lost at birth.
Just seek for the source where mind is based.
You travel alone on a mystery train;
By this metaphor we're comfortably placed,
To travel by providence free from pain.
So put all your heavy luggage on the rack,
Only a fool carries it on his head!
Be glad, accept the predestined track,
Rest quietly, safe at home on your bed!
Surrender in joyful jubilation!
Surrender utterly to God's almighty will,
Surrender with total resignation,
We leave it to grace, to grant us release.

God will do this through the gaze of his Sage,
He sends down His messenger for every age,
To those who yearn and pray for great peace.
The Realised Sage lives on here to please,
Without confusing the Self with the mind.
Humble, compassionate, loving and kind,
Wisely profound, as his way clearly shows.
He steers the vessel of firm devotees,
Fulfilling everyone's spiritual need.
In deep silence, he sits, with perfect ease,
To awaken those, whom his teaching well heed.
Graciously, his great glance of initiation,
Drives the mind inwards, to Self Realisation!
Take safe refuge in the Lord. He knows!

Driving the mind inwards, to Self Realisation,
He grants safe passage through life's stormy ocean;
What frail soul will ever be excluded
From the presence of the holy Supreme?
No matter how depraved or deluded,
His mercy never ends, and will always redeem,
Raising the soul from the depth of depression,
To free one from the `I am this body' obsession.
From passions that churn desire and aversion,
His fair breeze wafts clear equanimity;
Enmeshed no more in worldly adversity,
Never perturbed by praise nor foul enmity,
We learn that there's the greatest giving
In knowing all are Self, and so truly living.

In knowing all are Self, and so truly living,
We thank the great Sage who is ever giving.
We praise the Lord, who leads us to his feet,
His gracious gaze is eternally sweet,
Without ceasing, he's forever reviving,
He grants that freedom, our real surviving.
He severs the grip of bondage's chains,
He frees the soul, where confusion reigns,
He bestows both compassion and deep peace,
He sends out his grace to grant us release.
He teaches the truth that Consciousness is all,
And Self Enquiry to raise us up from our fall.
We praise God Almighty whom is ever living,
These five of my sonnets is our thanksgiving!

AJ

STRANGE MARRIAGE

2011-10-15T19:14:00.001-07:00

Proud philosophy proposed to poetry pure,

Coaxing, cajoling her to serve him as his Queen.

Reluctant, she succumbed, hair-dragged to his lair,

Lured and bedded behind his mental screen.

Uneasy waged their wedlock, heavily hard to bear

Her fairy fancies with his rigid thought machine.

Divorce seemed certain, until from who knows where?

Fourteen lines of metre, meandered on the scene.

Metaphysic sonnets solved their crisis soon

To knit ideas with verses in a subtle form.

He shone as Sun, she swanned as silver Moon

Reflecting wisdom, in stanzas, heartfelt, warm.

They seized the avid reader like a thunder storm,

Metaphysic sonnets now became a cultural norm.

SURRENDER

2011-08-18T22:11:00.001-07:00

Seek for the source where mind is effaced.
You travel alone on a mystery train;
By this metaphor we're comfortably placed,
To travel by providence free from all pain.
So put your heavy baggage on the rack,
Only a poor fool wears it on his head!
Be glad, accept the predestined track,
Rest quietly, safe at home on your bed!
Surrender in joyful jubilation!
Surrender utterly to God's almighty will,Surrender with total resignation,
Surrender knowing all will be well,
Surrender whole heartedly with one accord,
Take safe refuge in the all loving Lord!

MAGICAL MAYA

2011-08-06T15:39:00.001-07:00

Brahman makes Maya in endless profusion,

He juggles atoms in a vast creative surge,

In full flood of His energetic vital urge,

If misunderstood 'That' leads to confusion.

He designs a dramatic dream of life,

For each individual immortal soul,

So one day he or she becomes free and whole,

Restored to Real Selfhood, abundantly rife.

Gaze in the glass and greet one's reflection,

That head on a body is not the true me.

We've made a most disastrous deduction,

We're the Self, not the grinning face that we see.

So pay full tribute to Brahman's great skill,

All's for one's ultimate good, and not for one's ill.

HE FEEDS AMONG THE LILIES*

2011-07-29T21:39:00.001-07:00

PREAMBLE

“Fair is my love that feeds among the lilies”
Bartholemew Griffin

A Mystical Marriage Dialogue between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

King Solomon is the Divine Self, the Queen of Sheba is the aspiring Soul yearning to be united with her Beloved.

“You’ve called me to your inner chamber King,
Warm me with kisses from your honeyed mouth,
Freshest fragrance from thy lilied lips I bring;
Of love I sing, strong wine from the sunny south.

No wonder my modest maids adore you!
Abduct me Sire, seducer, hurry, haste!
For dark am I and ardent, a maiden true,
Singed and seared by scorching sunlight to taste

Your love. My brothers angry, made me care
For their sour grapes, because I neglected mine.
So tell me dear, where graze your flocks so fair,
Where feed your sheep and kine at high noon time?”

“Oh ignorant maid, trace thy feet, my fair;
First feed the fold beside my shepherd’s tent.
I compare you to a fine Arabian mare,
Your cheeks are gently rouged, bedecked with scent.

I’ll hold your bracelet, sheered from finest gold,
I’ll fashion for your ears some diamond rings.
While we supped, it was glory to behold
Your happy smile spread her peacock wings.

Rest in me, oh sachet of marvellous myrrh,
Nestle through the night between my breasts of light.
My house has cedar beams, rafters of fir,
My bed is soft, your eyes like doves in flight.”

“I am ruddy like the crimson Sharon rose,
Found with blanched lilies in the valley deep,
As the holy lily among the thistles grows,
I’ll hold you in my arms while you softly sleep

As the golden apple found in trees of wood,
So do you my love, stand above my youth,
The fruit of love is sweet to eat like truth,
I rest beneath your gaze, so deep, so good,

Grace urged me, ‘come to your banquet hall’,
Your cloak of calm which clothed me,is your love,
Fortify me with your strength before I fall,
Or I’ll faint from the force of that One above.

Your firm left hand rests on my aching head,
Your right hand’s placed to embrace my heart,
I charge my soul, in case from fear she’s fled,
Be not afraid, for God’s love’s aroused to start.

Hear His voice now bounding, skipping over hills,
My lover leaps like a stag or young gazelle,
He shouts through the lattice, calls over sills,
‘Come arise, cruel winter’s past, all is well!’

The pelting of rain has stopped and gone,
Millions of blooms dance on green of Earth,
Hymnal bird chorus at praise in song,
Softly croons the dove heralding new birth.”

“Pomegranates and ripening grapes renew
The strength, which flows through blood red wines,
Let me glimpse your original face and touch you,
We’ll catch those wicked foxes that maraud your vines.

I am His, He feeds on the lilies of the field;
No sleepless nights, when boredom breeds bad bed,
‘Till day awakes, I inward turn and yield.
I dress and wonder round the town so led

Through streets, and roads, praying, I recanted.
By-ways I searched for that one I truly love,
I failed to reach you, for whom my soul has panted,
I asked, ‘had they sight of him for whom I strove?’

Bereft of hope ‘till by some night watchmen found,
I scoured the town searching for the King,
Then I found him hiding in my body’s ground,
It is of this one great love that I now do sing.

To my breast I clung and clasped him, not to lose,
Nor let him go, until safe in my mother’s room.
‘Daughters, I charge the stags, the harts, the roes,
Wake not my heart, ‘til it please Him whom knows.
He knows, he knows,
He surely knows!

I truly Am!’ See now in this strange story,
Solomon for his wedding day is crowned.
He rides from the desert in fire and glory,
Purple robed, sixty valiant chiefs around,

Flashing swords on high, their reins they draw,
His car is drawn by mounts named Love and Awe.

Alan Jacobs

*A very free versification of part of The Song of Solomon

PARABLEPSIS

2011-07-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Proud Princess Penelope

a Pink Champagne personality,

distractedly

peered out of leaded lights

set in the palace window frame

onto the yard’s deep well below,

their source of fresh pure water

which fed the regal drinking fountain.

In her palm she held a precious pearl

beyond great price,

a present from her fond father

King Polydorus,

a jolly whisky and soda man;

suddenly the mightiest minnow,

one amongst many myriads

maintained to keep the water pure,

fit for quenching parched royal throats,

leaped up from the dark depths!

surprised like a spry sparrow

who suddenly spies a stalking cat

she dropped her pearl,

it fell into the abyss, plop!.

alarmed she called her father,

who calmly told a fisher boy

a buck fizz lad,

renowned for his great diving skill,

“plunge like hell into the well boy!

search pell-mell until you find

my daughter’s precious pearl!”

pearl fisher boy obeyed,

he held his lusty breath,

like a gutsy gull he plunged,

splash!

below the surface

soon he saw the precious pearl

and proudly picked it up.

there was riotous rejoicing,

and ribald revelry

amongst the relieved royals,

even Queen Mnemosyne

a gin and tonic dame

was quaintly amused;

now the pearl had been retrieved,

the once sad princess

glowed with gladness

she swore never again

LOVE'S FLAME

2011-07-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Measly moth of soul enter Love's flame,
Ever ready to devour me in its fire,
Flame's hot burning in thy holy Name,
To be so consumed, is my main desire.

Don't be afraid poor mouldy moth to die,
To be eaten by flame is sheerest bliss,
You' enter a new life in which to fly,
Transformed by Love's fiery burning kiss..

After your death no questions will remain,
You've entered a measly moth's best place,
Immolation in the flame of the Name,
Is soul's transformation, the greatest grace.

To throw the ego on the fire of Selfhood,
Is way beyond even the ultimate good.

THE GREAT SAGE

2011-06-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

The great Sage, unfathomable, free from fear
Stands firmly in his field; in silent solitude,
Enjoying throbbing beat of heart’s beatitude;
Yet unseen by those who time and space hold dear,
There being One Self Existent for the Seer,
No place remains in his placid plenitude,
For grey shadows real or unreal to occlude;
No more the Sun seems to rise or set, yet’s here.

Now seeing golden Sun at play in his world,
Can he whose Natural State is Self empowered,
Receiving healing rays, see other than pure gold?
As an arum lily flowers, so’s his fertile field endowed.
Awakened man, remembers not his worldy dream,
His robe, the Self, is a cloak without a seam.

DIVE DEEP

2011-06-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

The veracity of sacred tomes alone,
Fail to unveil the longed and yearned for end;
A message to all seekers, the Sage doth send
“Dive deep! find union with your very own.”
If Guru’s teaching seeds are finely sown,
Wisdom’s granary grows to feed you, my dear friend;
At harvest time your wounded soul will bend,
That book, your Self divine, shall soon be known!

To meditate, rest in your Natural State;
When abidance in that field is truly firm,
Abundantly, you’ll reap the golden germ,
To free your mind from bands of iron bound fate.
Rich is that grain, unfolding, both firm and true,
Enquiring at one’s source, ‘who is really, really, you?’

WHAT IS

2011-06-25T21:05:00.001-07:00

Fate jogs along, a drunken juggernaut.
What’s to happen inevitably will,
Be it destined for pleasure or for ill;
No end of prayer or angst of thought
Will change the plan, Almightly God has wrought.
Be it ambrosial sweet or poisonous pill;
Accept all that happens, drink one’s fill,
This way the ‘awakened state’ is brought.

He loses his pile, she sweeps the pool,
He comes to life, she speeds to her dying day,
He’s sent to hard labour, she to endless play,
He learns Self Knowledge, she stays a fool.
Welcome all that comes your pilgrim way,
Bring great peace to troubled mortal clay.

SPIDERS SPIN

2011-06-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

On spiders spindle, a silken web does spin
By pinhead wheel, threads of gossamer come,
Stinging with mandible the victim numb,
To wrap and trap, her jaws to drag within
Fortune’s morsel! A dainty dinner thus to win.
Sages when perceiving Creation see; and some
Say that She, whose depth no mind can plumb,
Springs spider-like from Brahm, all worlds begun.

Spirit and matter as One, come from the Source,
That is cosmic law, none are free to stray.
Consciousness in motion is a mighty force
Whose will’s a wheel of magic shadow play.
There’s not any other way but be free in Truth,
So rest in spider’s jaws, await her sabre tooth!

BEE KEEPING

2011-06-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

My mind drones on, like a hive, each thought’s a bee,
Buzzing past purple fields of perfumed thyme,
Then from home to comb, nectar drips through time,
With amber wax and honey, rippling free.
My thoughts like bees disturbed, sting suddenly!
When snared by any dispute, that’s not sublime;
Beware! bees will swarm beneath the scented lime;
Withdraw deep within your heart of nullity.

The dance of bees points out the path to flowers,
A wise sage speaks, to point the way to Truth.
Queen ‘me’ rules for countless summer hours,
But when she dies, the bees lie quiet forsooth.
If perception has yet to arise, dear sleeper,
Heed this counsel from an old bee keeper.

CLOISTERED GARDEN

2011-06-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

In my cloistered garden, blood red roses lie,
Bowed, surrendered, to sharp sword of morning light;
Diamond drops of dew mirror the shining sky,
Blue forget-me-nots cradle Easter lilies white.
All’s hushed in heart’s deep haven bright;
A silence profound descends, the dawn of peace.
Simply to be still, is our yearning soul’s release.
The gardener comes, to summer prune a bloom,
With tender care he cuts its sappy stem,
The lustrous sun disperses earthly gloom,
Each radiant rose glows like a ruby gem.
The temple of the Goddess is her bridal hem;
Each green leaf and fragrant summer rose
Is breathing beauty, where one’s True Nature knows

LOVE

2011-06-19T23:34:00.001-07:00

FAIRY TALE

2011-06-19T03:51:00.001-07:00

From her charmed castle casement, a Princess fair
Dropped her precious pearl, deep into a well.
It struck the water, plop, and then befell
Disaster! For the orient jewel sank where
No courtier dared to dive. The King, in despair
Found a skilled fisher boy, whom he did tell
“Hold your breath lad, plunge like hell, pell mell!”
The boy retrieved the pearl, winning the regal dare.

The meaning of my tale is crystal clear.
If Self is lost by mortals who cannot hear,
Like drowning men, straining hard for air,
Then dive deep into the Heart; be sincere.
Seek the source of ‘I conceit’, dear would be seer,
End forever, ignorance, and feeble foolish fear!

SELF REMEMBERING

2011-06-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

I Self Remembered on a calm cobalt lake,
An ivory swan sailed by, confident at play.
A breeze like finger skimmed the waters grey,
Stormy clouds cobbled together to shake
The peaks of purple hills and make them quake.
A peal of thunder! The leonine Sun in fray
Sent dark banks of elephantine clouds away;
He rainbow paints the sky, for our dear sake.

I muscled to mount the heavy heathered height,
Easing my feline strength of brawn and might,
With catlike stride I startled a small Redstart,
And breathed cool champagne air, intense and bright.
A shaft of sunshine cleared the clouds to part,
I rested, tired, on a mountain height of light.

FOR THE BELOVED

2011-06-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

My Beloved muses in her arbour playing;
Each perfumed rose shyly breathes her name,
Deep shades of ruby, amber, onyx, all aflame,
Regaling in swollen August’s glory, displaying
Pearls of shimmering dew bethorned, praying,
Blessed be thy holy Name, beyond all fame.
Oh! Cleanse my blackspot pest, free me from shame,
Prune me, destroy my green fly of gainsaying.

The hum of bumble bees hymning Aum,
Sift nectar in the stillness, sipping bliss,
As dawn brushes each rose with kindly kiss.
Her arbour’s a temple with a saphire dome,
Was there ever on Earth, such perfection as this?
Drunk on Her brazen beauty, I stumble back home.

WOODLAND WALK

2011-06-15T01:33:00.000-07:00

Tied in tangled twist of birch and beech,
Copper leaf and silver bark entwining,
My path’s imperilled by knotty roots reclining;
In anguish I stretch my weary arm to reach
Through thick clustered hawthorn pricks; each
Conceals the gracious grey of argent lining;
My feet fall over a felled stump; resigning,
I yearn for light, this stumbling block to breach.

Suddenly golden sunbeams pierce the gloom,
Unveiling ahead a spacious glade of light;
I walk where I find a safely shaded way,
In a paeon of pagan joy I shatter dismal doom.
My path is crazed, brilliantly bluebell bright,
Carefree, I ramble on, praising God’s new day!

ONE BRIGHT MORNING

2011-06-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

ONE bright morning I woke to transformed sight,
The Sun’s spears pierced and shook the spacious air
Gilding emerald leaves so freshly fair
On copper beech and silver birch. Queen of Light!
Your sky-lark’s trill heralds joy so bright,
A saphire day is pending, pregnant there.
Light painter, prod me with your camel hair,
Stunned by such beauty, pray pity my plight.
Awaken from this dream, loving She who paints,
Wild whirler of rainbows on my visual screen,
Deceiver is She, yet patient with complaints.
Let’s bathe in the sea of mercy, azure green.
Are you and I but sleepers in the night
Dreaming of awakening from darkness into light?

PUISSANT POWER

2011-06-12T16:54:00.001-07:00

A perfectly pure supernatural Power,
Puts His precious paws firmly on our soul,
To stay with us, and protect us, at every hour,
With the role of making us complete and whole.

We're filled with gratitude to that vast Power,
Who bears the burden of our predestined life,
That Power who's one's sole refuge, a potent tower
Sent to shield us from all that causes strife.

The master key is 'Surrender to that Power',
Place one's whole life in His mighty hands.
That Power is Brahman, a sure refuge, and our
Saviour from mental shackles and brazen bands.

The Great Power dwells deep in ones spiritual heart,
Our Self Realisation He shall one day soon impart.

FAITH

2011-06-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Take the deep leap into firm certainty of Faith,
With determined unshakeable fearlessness!
Let mighty mount Arunachala be our shield
Against sense storms of restless monkey mind.

Enjoy wholly untoubled carefree satvic calm,
By handing over our whole fictional burden
Of worry, concern, stress, and fancied anxiety
About our ordained duties and many affairs,
To our Lord of Love and infinite compassion,
Bhagavan Sri Ramana, Self of our own Being,
To whom we've unconditionally surrendered,
Taking sole refuge with worshipful devotion.

Even tribulation is welcomed as for the best!
We practice mind control through Japa of His Name,
And dive into the Heart, questing for the source of 'I',
Full of gratitude for his boundless love and grace.

A PRAYER TO RAMANA MAHARSHI

2011-06-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Bhagavan! Thou art the boon giver supreme,
Saints and the lesser Gods call upon Thee,
They hold place through Thy generosity;
How great is Thy grace, and yet we scheme
With increased desire in this crazy dream.
When will you destroy pernicious petty ‘me’,
Through thy gaze of peaceful clemency?
From your dazzling light cast me a single beam.
Pilgrims pray for you to uphold their gains,
Blessed benefactor of all sentient Beings,
Strengthen and fasten my slack mental reins,
Unite see-er and seen with all my seeings.
I depend on Thee Sri Bhagavan for Thy grace,
Accept me, and my false ego pray efface.

HEART GARDEN

2011-06-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Deep in the heavenly garden of one's spiritual heart,
Plant a pink Rose of Purity, such beauty 'twill impart,
With a pure white Arum Lily of unconditional love,
Fresh fragrant bright green Champaka flowers, falling from above
To grace Mandara blooms, emblems of humility meek,
Friends of Lady of Night, sweet compassion that we seek.

So plant in our spiritual garden for all to see
A melting heart, a bountiful hand that's always free,
Kind speech and a life of service to one's fellow man,
Equal vision, the whole wide universe, there to scan,
With an ever impartial non-judgemental attitude,
Full of freshly found forgiveness, blessing and beatitude.

ARUNACHALA

2011-06-02T09:30:00.001-07:00

Parrots love to glean among ripening luscious fruits so fine,
But beware of little lemurs or there'll be no sparkling wine
Of ecstacy this morn, ushered in by radiant ruby dawn,
When prayer and meditation declare the soul's to be reborn.

Striding up the sacred roseate mountain path,laughing aloud,
Far away from the noisy, hurried, bustling maddening crowd,
While lucid dew drops, rainbow edged, grace the heavenly scene,
Pilgrim laughs, striving hard to wake up from his daunting dream

Of mundane life, which prisons sleeping mankind's worldly throng.
So now he fills his lungs with air and sings a joyful song,
"Hara, hara, hara, maha deva, om namah shivayah!
All praise our great Sat-Guru beloved Bhagavan Ramanayah!

Let us prostate before his gentle soft lily lotus feet,
Then his boundless Grace will surely heal our weeping soul complete,
And lead us to enlightning moksha through his penetrating gaze,
Where we shall bathe in sat-chit-ananda all our blissful days.

Trust that great magificent power which truly knows the way,
It thrives inside our own dear Self if we honour 'That' each day,
All will be well, very, very well, unfolding as it should,
Then we'll emerge free! laughing out of sad samsara's wood.

SONATA

2011-05-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Consciousness is like a clean sheet of paper,
A Sonnet from Real Heart is like a taper
Set to light that fire which burns all mental dross,
And frees sad clouded soul which needs that loss
Of dark ego, veiling her blazing sun of Self,
No longer loving worldly dreams and all the pelf
Of wealth, possession, jealousy and lust,
The clumsy clutter of mind's dirt and dust.

Now listen to the unstruck music start,
Heard in the cave of the spiritual heart,
Like a symphony of swift circling spheres,
Which cheer happy soul's sharp listening ears,
So she rejoices in Self, God and Life,
Full of gratitude, eternally free from strife!

LOVE'S WAY

2011-05-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Love's way is humility and intoxication,
The torrent floods down. How can it run up?
You'll be a cabochon in the ring of lovers,
If you're a red ruby's slave, dear friend ;
Even as Earth is a serf of the sapphire sky
And your monkey body's a slave to your spirit.

What did Earth ever lose by this relationship ?
What mercy has the Self showed to weary limbs ?
One shouldn't beat the snare drum of awakening
Beneath a cosy sofa's, comfy counterpane.

Hoist, like a hero, your flag in the desert.
Listen with your soul's ear to the song,
In that hollow of the vast turquoise dome,
Rising from the lover's passionate moan .

When your tight gown-strings are loosened
By the tipsy inebriation of perfect love,
The victorious heavens shout, triumphantly !
And the constellations gaze down ashamed.
This world is in deep trouble, from top to bottom,
But it can be swiftly healed by the balm of love .

~ Rumi (versified from the Nicholson literal translation AJ)

RESURRECTION

2011-05-27T04:24:00.000-07:00

The ghostly skeleton of dark egotism rattles in the heart,
It must be exorcised for Path of Self Realisation to start.
Self Enquiry with surrender is the traditional way
To regain this precious pearl of great price and then make it stay.

Ones dry bones must be resurrected into vibrant life,
There needs to be the Bridal Marriage with a Goddess as one's wife.
So hasten the day, make the needed preparations for the King,
Who will grace the ceremony and all the guests will surely sing,

Halellujah, Hallellujah to the highest the Infinite One,
Who shines behind our dark clouds like the mass of blazing Sun.
The Divine Goddess will graciouly remove our curtained veil,
If we obey her guidance and clasp her lotus feet. All hail!

The Divine Mother who saves the erring perverted soul,
And by merciful compassionate nursing makes us well and whole.
All is very, very well unfolding every night and day,
So trust that Mighty Great Power who surely knows, she knows she surely knows, the way!

NATARAJAN

2011-05-27T03:33:00.001-07:00

Grand symphony of life, music of the spheres,

Unfolds like Shiva's dance, stamping on my breast;

Aware, one feels a martial drumming beat, and hears

Joyful rhythm that cheers the heart, and I am blest.

His footprints leave a lesson on my book of time,

They make a mark on my inconscient wall,

To learn from, so that soul may swiftly climb,

To conquer life's mysterious enigmatic All.

I ascend on eagle's wings into the great unknown,

Lord Shiva steers my flight through bliss and pain,

In this paradoxical way I'm stretched and grown,

Yet his merciful bliss soon soothes my nervous pain.

Let's give thanks and praise for Lord Shiva's cosmic dance,

Grounding arrogant ego into chalky powdered dust,

It's predetermined, nothing is left to random chance,

It's choreographed, infinitely wise, precise and just.

.

HUMILITY FAIR

2011-05-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

HUMILITY fair

Is to Virtue as a silver thread
Is to a treasured rosary of rubies for soulful prayer;
Undo the thread, the blood red gems will all have fled;

Humility fair.

Only a prig with arrogant pride and pomp would dare
To enter an inner sanctum wearing shoes of lead,
So modesty and self effacement are real virtues rare.
TheGreat Prophet of Allah,Mohammed, in his Koran said,
“Who owns a single rice grain of an arrogant air
Will fall from paradise, and must be seen as of the dead!”

Humility fair.

HARMONY DIVINE

2011-05-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Love's harmony lies in the sweet unstruck music,

Heard in the spiritual heart by those whose ears,

Are tuned into this subtle sacred angelic art,

And hear ethereal rhythms from galactic spheres.

There are no words to describe this awesome sound.

Once heard the prison walls of selfishness fall down,

And blissful inner feelings all in unison resound

With holy joy, bestowing love's most precious crown.

A deaf mute deprived of hearing and vocal speech,

Prayed to hear the magic of a chanting human voice.

God in His mercy, which he always grants to each,

Cured his ailment so the poor boy could now rejoice.

The highest form of music to him was then revealed,

By such harmony divine, the blessed lad was healed.

PERFECTION

2011-05-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

The key to perfect life dwells deep in one's Self,
We must achieve perfection ourselves to live one,
We need to 'Know the Self' biding inside like the Sun.
Effort's essential to move from poor puppet elf

To Sage, and escape the jail of death and rebirth.
Like Phoenix the soul must ascend from the ash
Of past lives and strive with all her might and worth
To shed all latent accumulated trash,

By totally surrendering sad ego-mind
To the Sat-Guru dwelling deep in the heart.
Then with keen Self Enquiry, we shall find
His Great Power will make a graceful start.

One's True Nature is then Realised and attained
With earnest faith and effort Real Self is gained!

ALL IS VERY WELL!

2011-05-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

ALL is very well! to unfold exactly as it should,
Let us roar from the roof tops, all bold seekers tell,
That power which knows the way is truly good,
All is very well!

To rouse sad sleeper from his dream – ring the bell
Of Truth; All is One, non dual! For aeons stood
This beacon lamp to light our gloomy shaded dell.

As green willows weep so sweet in silent woods,
Foolish fear ends. Firm faith tolls the knell
Of ignorance, for all to wake, who wish they would.
All is very well!

ADAM'S DREAM

2011-05-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

Poor modern Adam, so sadly forlorn,
The tread-mill of life has worn down his soul;
Sometimes he wished he’d never been born,
He yearns for a way to make himself whole.
Like a traveller lost in a bleak desert place,
Blinded by sense-storms with savourless food,
He begs for water, crying for grace,
He prays to discover the source of the Good.

Entrapped like a wasp on a jammed window pane,
He drones up and down, in search of the light,
Until falling exhausted, worn out by the strain,
He lies flat on his back, with no help in sight.
Through self surrender and intensive yearning
Answer comes from God’s bright flame, ever burning.

In Adam’s slumbering mind arose a dream,
A warm compelling voice, a father’s call,
Saying “don’t weep!”, and then a brighter gleam
Of light, unveils a scene which does enthral.
It was an orient land. On reddish earth,
The Sage sits smiling with firm and tender gaze,
Saying “I’ll help you, dear child, find rebirth!”
His look is steady, his eyes are ablaze.

It was as if some summer rains did fall
On his arid, parched and hard baked clay,
When Adam stirred from sleep, he did recall
This dream, the radiant dawn of life’s new day.
His prayer’s been answered, way down deep,
Refreshed his soul awakes from torpid sleep.

Adam heard within his heart, the Sage ask “why?”
Speaking from silence, his voice, so soft and clear,
“Ask yourself the greatest question ‘who am I?’
You aren’t just a body, insentient thing of fear,
But Divine, a holy spark of sacred fire!
Quest within, search for that hidden flame,
Dive deep inside your Heart, enquire!
Until you find that ONE without a name!”

Adam felt free, his soul had found release,
Joyful calm and ease enwrapped his heart,
He now felt One, at home in perfect peace,
Losing the past, to carve a fresh new start.
My the message of his dream, our hope renew,
Go seek your Self within! Know ‘That’ is true!

NEW DAWN

2011-05-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

Tinted like a Clementine, the dawn,
Amid all God's lights, the fairest sight;
Child of that prime primeval light,
The Absolute from which All is born.

Jet night, dispatched by Sun's uprising,
Has yielded up her birthplace to the morn,
Garbed in glory, golden robes, he's worn,
To herald new day's hope; oft surprising!

Expanding light soon disperses gloom,
In the shade of mind's false glimmer;
Red stains in the sky gently wane, much dimmer;
The Sun of clear vision dispels dark doom.

Our Sun's a baby star on Galaxy's edge,
But an inward Sun glows in every heart;
Man lives by this flame 'till death do us part.
Our new dawn springs from soul's Self Knowledge.

SPORT

2011-05-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

He is out today.

Every bird is singing his name

every tendril towards him yearns,

each drop of morning dew

reflects the ocean of his grandeur.

The curtain of blue has lifted

to reveal a glory of Sun resplendent.

Sometimes behind a gloomy cloud

He hides in mischief sulking.

But having glimpsed in undergrowth

the hem of his robe,

I know that he is somewhere about

and enjoying the play.

Look who just flew into the room

in food-moth form!

searching for a flame

in which to be consumed.

Sometimes you wrap

Yourself in a cloak of pain

to chisel away at my basalt rock

an image of thy Name

and other days you send

a Cup of nectar

for my honeybee soul to humbly sip.

.

UNSEEN WEAVER

2011-05-09T00:21:00.001-07:00

There’s a huge loom of time, in duration;
Born of infinity, from a consummation
With life, which has never been void of time,
While sun and moon as shuttle upward climb.

By weaving to and fro as night and day,
A splendid pageant of coloured display,
Strung on the warp and weft of unity.
The back of this embroidered tapestry

Is monochrome, derived from the formless One.
Its face is multihued, radiant as the sun;
Its tones reflected from archetypal light,
Are magically absorbed, an unequalled sight.

Only what’s permitted by an unseen hand,
Appears on this moving panoramic band;
A rainbow painting of the whole wide world,
Brushed vertically; each single thread is whirled

Without the dimmest dint of dull duality;
Bright light, unique to Self, sheer reality!
Coated with golden fleece and angel’s wool,
Dyed in the deepest vat of destiny’s pool.

So does this sacred cloth, woven in love,
Quarrel with its weaver who rules above?
Wrapped in his Joseph cloak at rainbow’s end,
Eternal pilgrim ever loves his Mighty Friend

FIRE

2011-05-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Almighty God spoke to high holy Moses,
From a bed of thorns, like our prickly world.
In compassion He mercifully proposes
To set that bush on fire, and then unfurled

His great message 'I AM' of mighty power!
To burn the dross which clouds the errant soul,
To fill with joy and bliss man's every hour,
To recreate his life once more, and whole.

This fire was One that eats all other fire,
A fire that burns all things be they dry or wet,
A fire that glows in snow and ice, to inspire,
A mode of fire, like a crouching lion all set

To reveal himself in many forms and names,
That can never ever perish or expire,
Shining and roaring mid life's strange games,
Blazing, sparkling a fiercesome white hot fire,

That flies and fans wildly in stormy gale,
That burns without wood or any other fuel,
That renews itself each day never to fail:
Fire, the sacred emblem of eternal renewal.

RANDOM REFLECTIONS

2011-05-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

God, source of creation, is impartial like the growth of one’s beard,
Personal yet impersonal, The Prime Parodoxer, ever afeared;
Each morning, carefully scissored, the fuzz is kept neatly in trim,
Hair falls on floor, like time past, best swept up, memory is dim.

Philosophy rattles like a gambler’s dice in the box of the mind,
Striving to know the why and the how, like a fox hard to find
Yet stalked by the hounds of heaven, he hasn’t much of a chance,
Mind hypnotised by God, is led a merry puppetry dance, piped by Pan to a wilful tune of necessary circumstance.
So let go of tyrant mind as advised in Buddhist Zen,
Apperception, out of the blue will come, not knowing where or when.

The puppet strives to comprehend Life’s enigmatic mystery,
Philosophy, physics, theology, sex and history.
All play their pre-programmed, pre-ordained, pre-scripted part,
From driving a cart, to creating exquisite works called art.
What a threat to arrogant, egotistic, imagined, self esteem!
So “sing merrily, merrily, row the boat, life is but a dream.”
It’s enough to make poor blighted soul, shriek a primeval scream.

Truth can’t ever be adequately explained in words or told,
Truth is ‘what is’, so it’s full acceptance, we wholeheartedly hold.
Every thought is awkwardly like a cripple, clumsily uttered,
Every tortuous concept, foolishly, stupidly stuttered;
Half baked truths, false belief systems, lazily, loutishly muttered.

At best they’re menus, sign posts, labels or maps to point the way
To understanding. But then comes obsessive seeking, night and day,
To achieve an enlightened blissful state which cannot be achieved,
Except by the grace of God, then full comprehension is perceived,
Free of all those cumbersome concepts, once mistakenly believed.

Now vain Narcissus has gone, egotistic ‘me’ has taken leave,
Mind has fully surrendered, thrown in the towel, nought left to grieve.
Self Realisation springs clearly from wells of silence way down deep,
Calmly tranquil at peace as in the blissful sheath of dreamless sleep.
Stillness prevails, I know, ‘I Am That I Am’, all conflicts cease,
Mind and body are steeped in the blessedness of harmonious peace.

DAWN CHORUS

2011-05-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

The morning light of golden hue is born,

Proud cocks do crow in carillon call,

Dark's dispelled by red streaks of radiant dawn.

Hear choirs of birds carolling hymns for all,

To raise awareness up, as opening eyes

Greet a great new day. Waiting Soul grows tall.

Now wide awake, attention inward flies,

To find Self in Heart this blessed morn,

The Self, a blazing light that never dies.

.

WAIT ON WAITING

2011-05-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

There's no need to be impatient, wait!
Freedom will happen when ones time is ripe,
Don't worry about lack of progress; fate
Has already determined awakening's date.

We dance to a merry tune played by His pipe;
So rest assured, before it is too late,
Sun of Self shall shine, darkness GOD will swipe,
Then we'll reach the Self Realised State!

TURN INWARD

2011-04-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Break down the flood gates of imprisoned mind,
Let deep waters of love flow freely to flood
Soul's hard places that are best left behind.
Make great effort with all one's strength and blood,
Turn within and find the source of ego dark,
Then 'twill fall down and die in dire defeat.
Soul will then arise, ascending like the lark,
Filled with bliss of awakening and replete!

ART OF INWARD TURNING

2011-04-29T02:35:00.001-07:00

Like the dawn chorus of many carolling birds,
Man's a restless creature made up of many words,
This mountain stream of thought's not a blessing but a bane;
Clouds the Sun of Selfhood and leaves him sad in shame.

In order to fly up to a higher plane of Being,
He must cultivate the art of inward seeing;
With attention, yearn to find the source of I,
Which spills a verbal torrent made of 'me' and 'my'.

Questioning 'Who Am I' silences tyrant mind,
And instead of bubbling burble we soon will find
A flood of joy and bliss stemming from one's heart,
Full of Grace and Love and ever ready to impart

An evocation of the Self to his fellow man,
Which only the Self Realised really truly can;
Such is divine stillness and mystical power
Which great silent mind brings into perfect flower.

So we turn attention inward with all of our might,
Deeply diving down to source and experience God's Light.

UNSTRUCK MUSIC

2011-04-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Tune in to the unstruck music of the heart,
Here subtle ethereal sounds impart

Angelic melody from another place,
Where Souls at rest are at peace in grace.

It's the music of the heavenly spheres,
Only enjoyed by those who have the ears

To hear, as Lord Jesus so wisely said,
'Begin to walk and take up your bed'.

This music is composed in rays of light,
Heard in the Self, but unseen by sight.

It's a magic mystery of sound profound,
Hear it once and demon ego's unwound.

So rejoice in this Beauty to take one home,
It's all that's contained in the sound of OM!

SOUL'S GARDENER

2011-04-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

The fertile soil of devotion must be carefully tilled,
With persistent determined effort ones days need be filled.

We remove all egotism's strangling climbing creeping weeds,
Then plant deeply and firmly, right intention's prayerful seeds.

The golden harvest rests in the palm of that Eternal One,
Whose mercy sends us refreshing grace of rain and wisdom's Sun.

All the overgrown shrubs of desire, we must carefully prune,
Or they'll bury deep our well kept garden much, much too soon.

We water the roses and lilies with fond love and grace,
And make sure verges edges and borders are well trimmed in place.

All needs to be carefully tended and well watched as it must,
Not abandoned by careless neglect and lack of great trust.

So once more we determine to make our fair garden whole,
To redeem this forsaken treasure of the poor wandering Soul!

DIVINE DANCER

2011-04-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

THIS LIFE of ours is a bewildering dance
Whirled by a wild Dervish God divine,
Drunk on vintage Dionysian wine,
Wildly turning, nothing left to chance.
Upon the mellow pipes of circumstance
He choreographs a play of space and time,
Every glance upon Earth’s stage is His rhyme.
Universes glide through His mystic stance.
With rolling drums of thunder, mark His stamp;
In symphony of spheres, hear His tune.
Effulgent Sun shines as a beacon lamp,
His finger ever points towards the silver Moon.
He’s the Alone, whereby all things are done;
Divine dancer, dancing, and the dance are one.

EASTER LILY

2011-04-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Easter Lily, named by those whose blooms we love,

Golden yellow, Daffodill, wild in wood or field,

They open pure perfumed petals to yield

To sunlight, shining down from high above.

We wait for the sign of the peaceful dove

To save us from Noah’s flood when soul is healed,

And our covenant with God is truly sealed,

And demon ego receives his final shove.

Emblem of all that's good in Christ's Teaching,

The Easter Lily shines as floral light,

The Christian Way of Love is ever reaching

The hearts of those who for redemption fight.

This flower of Beauty feeds the yearning soul,

Of those who crave salvation, to be made whole.

.

BRIDAL MARRIAGE

2011-04-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

We delight in dawns magenta red when we wake up,
From the black nightmare dream of sad samsara.
So raise on high the silver chalice wedding cup
To celebrate the advent of blest chit ananda!

Now the bridal marriage is consummated in bliss,
A thanksgiving to the Guru dwelling in the heart,
Seal it with an everlasting devotional kiss,
To 'That' who made the miracle happen, from the start!

There's no real substance in life's dire dream,
All that appears on awareness' fine screen,
Is not my friends what it appears to seem,
For Mother Maya deceives us in whatever's seen.

So pursue sadhana with all strength and fortitude,
And feel our Great Power of love and gratitude!

FAITH

2011-04-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Take the deep leap into firm certainty of Faith,
With determined unshakeable fearlessness!
Let mount Arunachala be our mighty shield
Against sense storms of restless monkey mi
Enjoy complete untroubled care free unworried calm,
By handing over our whole fictional burden
Of distress, concern, stress, and fancied anxiety
About our ordained duties and many affairs,
To our Lord of Love and infinite compassion,
Great Power in the heart, Self of our own Being,
To whom we've unconditionally surrendered,
Taking sole refuge with worshipful devotion.

Even tribulation is welcomed as for the best!
We gain mind control through repetition of His Name,
And dive into the Heart, questing for the source of 'I',

Full of gratitude for his boundless love and grace.

BALLAD OF MARY PEARL FISHER

2011-04-19T22:19:00.001-07:00

Surrender and Self Enquiry are Golden Keys to our magnificent teaching,
So start heavy duty practise, call off the seeking and cease mindless preaching,
Like those deluded ones who say, 'You're perfect as you are now, just remain in a blissful state!'
And then all those others who profess, 'Why bother,it's all preordained by fate?'

Beyond a shadow of doubt Advaitic Non-Dualism is very, very far reaching,
If we assert we are the 'doers of action ', then God's Will we are breaching,
But in meeting this teaching we're quickly brought to knock at Heaven's Pearly Gate
Where intellectual games and metaphysical puzzles all end in stalemate.

Let's rejoice in gladness in whatever God sends us in our pilgrimage on Earth.
This miraculous, melodramatic adventure, starting from the day of our birth,
Passing through childhood years when rebellious ego started to raise its brazen head
Shouting, screaming,compulsive daily demands loudly feet kicking wildly spread.

Then on to passionate adolescence, loving experience for all one is worth.
But tiring of riotous pleasure, the soul feel empty and loathes such a
meaningless dearth.
And so into this wilderness poor Mary wanders, feeling barren,lost and wretched,
Struggling to find an oasis, festooned with apple blossom and a pink orchid.

She yearns for help and prays hard with faith to her childhood God with a
passionate cry,
"Oh please give me some meaning to my sordid discordant life or I feel
I will die!"
And then, a vision appears before her – is it reality or illusion?
Shimmering and shining with radiance – is it just another trick of delusion?

A firm voice spoke from inside the light with awesome power and might,
but very clear,
"Know your Self, my child, and ask the question 'Who Am I?', banish all
your doubt and fear."
"But I can't know who I am," she moaned, "nor how to know myself or the
meaning of life!"
And with downcast eyes, she wept inconsolably pouring forth her woes and strife.

The next day in a Mind-Body-Spirit Book Shop where she went to browse and look,
She came across the title "Who Am I?", a force impelled her to buy this book .
And turning the front cover quivering with wonder and awe she discovered therein
A photo of an Indian Sage with a face of great peace, emanating within.

It struck a resounding chord deep in her innermost heart with immediate force
She proceeded to peruse the pages with the uttermost attention, of course.
‘Self Enquiry’, ‘Mind control’, ‘Peace and Happiness, ‘Self and Individuality’
‘The Jnani and the World’, ‘Sadhana and Grace’, and ‘Aham - all is Unity.

She knew the greatest spiritual adventure of her life was about to begin,
A journey deep into her Self that with this Great Guru's help she was
certain to win.
So she read Chapter One, ‘Self Enquiry’ which told her to ask herself, 'Who am I?’,
Which she did with zeal and earnestness but there was no answer that came in reply.

She begged the Sage for guidance to aid her in this pondersome, perplexing plight,
A serene voice within aroused her and answered in the middle of the night
"Listen to me, my sweet child, for fate has decreed that it is time for you to die,
But it’s not a death to be afraid of, just the end of your individual ‘I’.

The mighty sword of Self Enquiry will surely bring about this mystic death,
Do not expect answers! Questioning, alone is the way to stifle ego's breath."
Just focus your undivided attention through the right hand side of your chest,
Be brave, be resolute, be patient – all will be revealed in this source
of greatest rest.

Hold your breath if you wish, it keeps the mind quiet, then dive deeply
into your Heart
To find the source of the 'I'. This is a method that I wish, my child ,to impart.
And so, inhaling deeply, she followed the advice of her innermost guide,
Putting all her concentration where she knew her immortal soul does reside.

"That is correct," her inner voice replied, "keep on trying just a little
each day
And in time, where your tendencies are tied, you will cut that ganglion knot away."
"But those tendencies are who I am,’ sh said starting to feel bewildered and sad,
I’m not sure that I want to lose my quirks and foibles for I think it’ might drive me mad."

"Foolish child,' the voice replied, "those form the walls that stop you
knowing ‘who you are'
I am teaching you how to know your Self, your True Nature, and remove that prison bar!"
"Please don’t be angry with me," she said forlornly, "I promise
that I shall try my best."
And knocking on the door of the Heart a voice replied, "Come in,most honoured guest!"

After that Mary, for that was her name, persevered daily, as she had been told
Deeper and deeper inside she dived like a pearl fisher girl, and ever so bold.
And lo, amazing trinkets of thoughts, feelings and emotions Mary found within,
But midst rusty concepts and broken dreams, were precious gems of wisdom strewn therein.

One morning Mary vowed not to be distracted by these soap bubbles of thought,
But to plunge below those baubles as deep as she ought, 'twas the Source of I' she sought.
She did not know what to expect - overwhelming joy, satchitananda, bliss.
But instead she felt as if she were falling down into a deep, dark,abyss.

It was as if a loving power had grasped her mind and then held it firm
and still,
All chattering ceased and a tranquil peace invaded and seized her selfish will .
Like a newly born babe, she opened up her eyes and looking all around in awe
Mary viewed the magnificence of God's creation hardly believing what she
saw!

Her ego had fled,it was as if someone had removed a badly aching tooth,
She realised all was One ,she saw without separation, an Immortal Truth
"I am limitless, unbounded, free!" she cried, not knowing if she should
laugh or weep.
"I am God, the Absolute, the Self. No longer hypnotised by the painful veil of sleep!"

Paula Marvelly and Alan Jacobs

SPRINGTIME

2011-04-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Persephone slumbers beneath earth's fair ground,

Aroused by the warmth of Sun and cuckoo's sound,

She strikes up the grand symphony of Spring,

Croci and daffodils start there wakening,

Heralding the golden dawn of life's re-birthing,

When man too can waken from his idle sleep,

And like the snow drop , above soul's mire he'll peep.

Spring is a gracious and auspicious time,

When hope rises and fresh visions come sublime

ALMIGHTY POWER

2011-04-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Your Almighty Power shines bright from the light of Your lotus feet,
Our dearest Sat-Guru dwelling deep in the spiritual heart;
You nourish our souls with ambrosial nectar, honey sweet,
Ever gracious to aid our quest; Your sacred Jnana You impart
To those blessed devotees, earnest in their chosen sadhana.
We thank you for leading us to tread your holy mountain way,
We chant your praises daily oh Great Sri Bhagavan Ramana!
You makes life's dire dream well worth living every single day.

Your Almighty Power is brim filled with unconditional love,
You take us closer to our own True Self, a compassionate friend.
You've been sent to help us in our quest by Brahman who reigns above,
You promise to ferry us to the other shore right up to life's end.
We wait to hear your inner voice in silence and in solitude,
We attend your call and our hearts are filled with solemn gratitude.

CHECK MATE

2011-04-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Bad King Ego stands with his haughty band,
Ready to wage the chequered game of fate,
Queen Truth waits with army straight at hand,
Battle's to be staged before it gets too late.

Black King wore a blindfold as dark as night,
His mob is ready to fight and mate the Queen,
White Queen shone brightly like morning light,
She gathers in her might,surveys the battle scene.

She makes first move and sends a centre pawn
To reign o'er the board and commence attack,
The Black King blocked it with regal scorn,
White Queen sent a Knight to lead her pack.

The game progressed 'til locked in fight,
Queen gained the upper hand and he resigned,
It was the triumph over wrong by right
Defeating the wandering perverted mind.

If there's a moral to this chequered tale,
Win or lose, just enjoy the royal game,
Persistence and study will never fail,
For no thought force ever goes in vain.

FLOOD OF SHIVA BLISS

2011-02-24T01:01:00.000-08:00

1
May this, my most humble submission be,
To that one great auspicious Deity;
Great Lord Shiva of everlasting fame,
Quintessence of all Jnana is His Name!
He sports on His crown, a silver crescent moon,
Ornament for Uma, such a beauteous boon,
The ripe fruit of harsh severe penitence,
Bestowing His bounteous beneficence.
He wills all devotees to be ever blessed,
And enjoy full noble lives of happiness.
He always appears in the surrendered heart,
Once glimpsed His presence never departs.
He showers all three worlds with perfect love,
A merciful blessing, mighty Grace from above.
2
Victory to the powers of Great Lord Shiva!
Which flow from the blessings of His kind
Removal of sorrow from
my
mundane mind;
He frees me from great grief of samsara
To know soul’s lagoon flooded by Nirvana.
Such awakening from hypnotic sleep we find
Are streams that cleanse the soul, they wind
Through dense mud and mire of false ajnana.
They cause destruction of pain and sorrow,
We live in the present, no fear for tomorrow.
We thank Shiva with all our might and main,
Chanting His praises for sacred is His Name.
We read the miracles of His great life story,
And bathe in the light of His effulgent glory.

3*
I worship Lord Shiva with all of my heart,
Unknowable through the Vedas! For a start
He destroyed those tyrannical cities three,
Made of iron, silver and gold; to set free
Causal and subtle bodies. Veda His bow,
Agni His barb, Vishnu His well honed arrow;
His feather, the dreaded Lord Yama,
His faithful charioteer, Great God Brahma.
He’s primordial, sighted by
three
eyes,
He’s majestic and profoundly wise.
His hair’s a profusion of matted locks;
He wears a necklace of snakes, carved from the rocks.
Gracious to every ardent devotee,
He’s the God of souls, Lord of Divinity,
Self of Absolute Consciousness so pure.
With fair Parvati He shall always endure,
To control His three worlds, sagely and sure.

4
Myriads of Gods hold sway over the world,
And grant the prayers of the immature:
Even in dreams at night, I pray to be pure:
To my poor soul, high wisdom He’s unfurled.
What I yearn for, is that He will insure
The worship of His lotus feet, to lure
My mind from grave sin, by senses hurled.
This steady worship of His lotus feet
Is not easy, even for those sitting near
Him, with hearts full of love complete,
Having firm faith and freedom from fear,
Yet fickle mind feels feeble and effete.
It was difficult for Vishnu and Lord
Brahma,
Even,
Sita, Hanuman, and great Prince Rama.

5
I’m not well versed in legalistic codes,
Nor in learned philosophic tomes,
From sciences, my mind always roams.
Neither in art of music and poetic odes,
Nor reading texts, burdened by heavy loads,
Do I ever feel comfortably at home.
I please Kings no more than an impish gnome,
I’m as little use as a sweeper of roads.
Save this wretched soul through Thy mighty grace!
Omniscient, greatly famed, Oh Holy One,
I pray to see my own original face,
Resplendent as Thy bright effulgent Sun.
Only Thee Lord Shiva can save my errant soul,
To know my own Real Self and make me whole!

6
Whether it be a pot or heavy lump of clay,
Or the microcosmic atom in my breath,
Whether it be smoke, fire or mountain way,
Will any serve as a cure for painful death?
I‘m only blocking love by logic chopping,
I must bow to praise great Lord
Shiva’s feet,
But
monkey mind keeps dropping off, hopping,
Instead of abiding in His bliss replete.
The heavy means of reason and causation,
Will never take me to Self Realisation,
Instead they lead to endless frustration,
A kind of morbid mental peturbation.
I must take refuge in Lord Shiva’s grace
Inside my heart, True Saviour of the race.

7

Let me rest at your feet, my Lord Supreme,
Soft as the beautiful blue lotus flower.
Let my speech, with all its might and power,
Be prayer to awaken, from life’s sad dream,
And constantly illuminate my inner scene.
Then uttering your praise, I’ll never cower
With fear, or lose the faith, by which Thou endower
My soul by light from Thine effulgent gleam.
Let my palms be clasped, in worship of Thee,
My hearing tuned to the words of Thy story,
My mind in meditation and ever free,
My eyes resting on Thy formless glory.
So through
which other senses, will I
learn
To become worthy, and Thy grace to earn?

8

Oh Great God Shiva, Lord of many Souls,
As one thinks nacre, looks like silver in a shell,
Or water mixed with flour, looks like milk as well,
A glass bead bauble appears as a crystal bowl,
A mirage we think is just a watering hole;
So the fool, destined for yet another hell,
Worships other than what is Thee; the spell
Of Maya that deceives, Oh Lord of the Whole!
The rope we perceive is a venomous snake,
And the stone dog we imagine to be real.
We mistake a man for a scarecrow’s stake,
And what we touch seems solid when we feel.
The mind is under a constant delusion,
Save us Lord Shiva from such illusion!

9

Lord of Aruna! One swims in a deep tank,
Walks in a fearful, empty jungle wood,
Climbs a mountain peak where fresh air is good,
Pick pretty posies by a river bank,
That fool doesnt know
how to give Thee thanks!
All one needs to do as one truly should,
To worship Thy lotus feet to be understood.
You do not need to be decked with flowers,
You're already the beautifully sublime,
These outer forms waste many precious hours;
The true sacrifice which is really prime,
Is to offer one’s mind to the Self in the heart,
That’s all Shiva asks, from the very start!

10

Let there be birth as a human being,
Or a God in some ethereal sphere,
A high mountain where the clouds float near,
Or forest fox from huntsmen ever fleeing,
Or mosquito blood juice always stealing.
Cow, whose lush green grass is ever dear,
Worm, who through mud does craftily steer,
Or bird who through azure sky flies wheeling.
What is this compared to sporting in bliss
From great Lord Shiva’s benefaction?
Receiving the grace of sweet Parvati’s kiss,
All for poor jiva’s endless satisfaction.
If we
offer
our mind, each night and morn,
Does it matter into which body we’re reborn?

11

Let me be a student, humble as can be,
Or the proud house holder of a home,
An ascetic, plastic as a garden gnome,
Or any other form, as it pleases Thee.
What use is this on the path to liberty?
Oh Sambhu, when the Heart- lotus is Thine
I become yours, no longer ‘me’ or ‘mine’;
One’s burden of life is Thy responsibility.
Whether I dwell in town or mountain cave,
My mind will always wander with me;
The solution Lord Shiva gives to save
And rest at peace, to be eternally free,
Is to surrender ego mind to my own dear Self,
And slay that demonic self-centred elf.

12

Let one live in damp jungle or in fire,
Or on Himalayan mountain peak,
Or whatever place a man may seek.
In a palace, to which great Kings aspire,
Or fabled lands of which the pilgrims speak
Of Vedic Indian, or
Platonic
Greek;
Of endless speculation we soon tire.
Of what use is such wasteful living?
Instead prostrate at mighty Shiva’s feet,
Endlessly renouncing, and freely giving
Back our minds in full surrender complete.
That’s the only way to make us content,
Ego’s false ignorance we need to relent.

13

Oh Saviour of wretched afflicted souls,
It is Thy duty to protect and guard me,
Thou whom art all compassion and mercy:
I’m blind, roasted over life’s blazing coals,
I boast, foolishly hosting madcap goals,
Who’s the weakest in mental strength Thou sees?
Pray grant me safe refuge and set me free!
Like a poor dove trapped in a gilded cage,
My soul pines to fly and roost at Thy feet;
Remove all my sins of anger and rage,
Help me renounce foul mind and rest complete.
Who’s a better expert in the saving grace?
Lead me to the vision of my original face.

14

Oh Lord
of Souls!
art Thou not also Lord
And firm friend of the impoverished poor?
In earnest we pray, open wide Thy door
To the music of that merciful chord,
Which Thou can graciously well afford,
To heal our wounded hearts, so sore.
Aid us in practice to move closer toward
Thy Lotus feet and then walk on forward,
To Realisation of the Self for ever more.
All my sins should be forgiven by Thee,
This is the true duty of a loving father,
Willing to help his child, strive for liberty!
Or grant me protection, and play Thy part
Against those thieves, breaking into my Heart.

15

Lord, as Thou are not indifferent to my lot,
Why not destroy that grave decree of fate,
Before death comes, and alas it is too late,
That which makes me wilt. Hast Thou forgot
That unless you save me, there’s a vile plot
Of desires set to invade me? pray don’t forsake,
Your child before I reach Lord Yama’s
Gate,
And you’ve failed to sever my ganglion knot.
If you’re powerless, how was Taraka's head,
Which cannot be plucked by a finger nail,
Cut by Thee as Skanda with nail tip instead?
I pray, Great Ramana, please don’t fail.
Your child who tries so hard in this barren place,
Lies powerless without thy boundless grace!

16
Oh Shiva, purest one, may Brahma live long!
Protect and guard his remaining four heads,
He’s ordained the poverty to which I’m led
In this false dream world of right and wrong.
What fear is left for me when I sing this song
And Thy gaze of love, to me has said,
“Have faith, in me , my child, you do belong?
A son is lost and from home does stray,
His father looks for him every where,
Then on one marvellous miraculous day
He’s found and delivered safely there,
Back to his land at blissful peace at last,
Clasped in Lord Shiva’s arms, tight
and
fast.

17

Oh Master, whom art all pervading,
Either because of my merited deeds,
Or through compassion for my earthly needs;
Thou art immanently present, invading
Each fibre of my soul, not evading
But helping me, when my sad heart bleeds;
For you’ve truly sown salvation’s seeds
The fruits of which are now parading.
How am I to reach Thy sweet lotus feet?
The whole galaxy of Gods press forward
In their eagerness to respect and greet
Thy gracious Self, paying obeisance toward
Thee, with the splendour of Thy golden crown,
Preventing poor me alas, from bending down.

18

Oh Shiva! Thou art the boon giver supreme,
Vishnu and the lesser Gods call upon Thee,
They hold their place through Thy generosity;
How great is Thy grace, and yet we scheme
With increased desires in this crazy dream.
When will you destroy pernicious petty ‘me’,
Through thy gaze of
peaceful
clemency?
From your dazzling light cast me a single beam.
The Gods pray for you to uphold their gains,
Blessed benefactor of all sentient Beings,
Strengthen and fasten my slack mental reins,
Unite see-er, and seen with all my seeings.
I depend on Thee Lord Shiva for Thy grace,
Accept me, and my false ego pray efface.

19

Is it to benefit great Great Lord Brahma
That you won’t remove my anguish and pain?
Full of despicable desires and shame,
This endless suffering in dark samsara
Even leads to the doors of some crooked Rajah,
An endless storm of troubles, all in vain,
Without virtue, for my poor soul to gain.
Oh what a wretched wicked palaver!
Inform me, oh great Lord Shiva, I pray
If all this grief is only for Thy pleasure,
We shall be gracefully blessed, I say.
I beg for justice as you shall measure,
None of the dark decrees of fate for ill,
Have any true validity
before Thy
will.

20

Oh Shiva, with bare skull as begging bowl,
Thou art an all pervading, mendicant!
My mind roams the desert of discontent,
Dances on the breast hills of female souls,
Leaps wildly on many mad strange goals,
Branch to branch, where desire will soon torment.
Inconstant is this monkey mind Thou sent
To fight against, and learn firm sense control.
Taking this mind as an offering of alms,
Bind it tightly with Thy cord of devotion,
And tie it well, beneath your loving arms,
As I sail across life’s stormy ocean.
Lord Shiva save me from the terror of my mind!
Thou art the Truest Guru I could ever find!

21

Oh, Slayer of Demons, like Manmatha,
Thou art worshiped by divine devotees.
All pervading One, please enter with these,
And Thy Goddess consort, beauteous Uma,
Into the bright tent of my mental maya,
That boasts free will; a central pole to seize
The
ropes of heroic
virtues that please,
And can be eased through this dread samsara.
That shining tent is multi toned and hued,
Painted with lotuses, pink, blue and white,
They glow like beacons in the black of night,
Moved daily through highways, and imbued
With prayer for Thy great victory, Jai!
That enlivens me throughout my day.

22
Oh Shankara! Oh skilful master thief!,
Magnificent ever pervading One!
This arch villain of my mind speeds along,
Having fallen prey, beyond all belief,
To amassing great wealth without relief
From greedy desire , committing much wrong,
Rifling homes, to which the rich belong.
All this crime causes me remorse and grief.
How can I bear this unscrupulous knave?
Having brought him under Thy firm control,
Grant me thy Grace, my impure soul pray save,
Oh blessed Lord, please make me Thine, and Whole!
Accept that I my pure Self is innocent,
Oh merciful Lord
Shiva, I repent,
repent!

23
Ever all-pervading One, oh Shankara!
I perform Thy worship, pray grant poor me,
Realisation now, immediately!
Should Thou grant me the throne of Lord Brahma,
Or God Vishnu as fruit of my Puja,
I would bear more pain of taking the body
Of bird or beast, for sake of being free
And bathing in bliss of blest Nirvana.
How can I bear this agony and pain,
My auspicious beloved Guru Lord?
I beg you over and over again,
With all the strength and might I can afford,
Save me, immortal Shiva, I pray, I pray!
I love you like my own dear Self, every way.

24

When will I dwell in Kailasa, Thy home?
In Thy hall of emeralds, rubies and gold,
Where precious pearls and jewels unfold,
In the company of Thy votaries who roam
With Thee dear Sambhu, beneath Thy sapphire dome,
Who art auspicious wisdom born of old.
My hands I fold, raised on my head, so bold
I
salute Thee noble one
with this poem.
Oh protect me Lord Shiva, God Supreme,
Let me spend happiness in aeons of time
As if they were seconds, then it would seem
All would be bliss beneath your protection,
So cleanse me, grant me Thy rod of correction.

25

Oh Great Shiva, when shall I behold Thee,
Who boasts a throat of precious peacock blue,
A body that’s embraced by Uma too.
You hold in your hand a cutting axe, so free
To chop down demon ego’s creeping tree.
You own a deer, seated on the mighty thew
Of a powerful Bull so very loyal to You,
And Thy faithful sadhus cry out, hail, hail!
And the wicked demons all fail and wail.
Thy divine attendants dance all around,
Stamping on cosmic time, never to fail
To sanctify Mount Kailasa’s sacred ground.
Oh great Lord Shiva, what more can one say,
I love you more and more every day!

26

Oh dweller on a sacred mountain
high,
Beholding Thee and
falling at Thy feet,
Pressing them against my head, I am replete
With love for Thee; I wish my ego so to die
Fully surrendered in obeisance to Thy
Holy will, which I once again entreat.
My perverted mind, pray now defeat.
Free me from wilful weeping and mournful cry!
I wish to enjoy that heavenly bliss
Which does not even come to Brahma;
Seal my lips with Parvati’s fragrant kiss,
So I can breath the perfume and aroma
From her blue full blown lotus flowers,
And bathe in blessed grace throughout all hours.

27

Lord Shiva, Mountain Dweller is Thy name,
When gold Mount Meru is in Thy hands as bow,
When Lord of wealth Kubera, of great fame
Stays near Thee as they slave, it is the same
As when the heavenly trees bow down low
And cow Nandini kneels in obesaince, so
I wish granting gems on Thy head to glow,
Rubies, pearls, sapphires, diamonds so
bright,
Topaz, garnet, all reflecting Thy
light,
When at Thy feet in worship, all devotees came,
Full of devotion their sacred souls complete.
What tribute can I hand Thee, mighty Lord?
May my mind be surrendered at thy feet,
I give you all the love I can afford.
May my heart and mind be always sworn to Thee,
Oh mighty Lord who swears to set me free!

28

Shiva! beautiful Parvati’s faithful consor,
Adores Thee, yet same and equal is Her form,
Near Thee, as chanting praises, is Her norm,
She shares Thy mountain home, takes careful thought,
In satsang with devotees who’ve bravely fought
The hard war with ego-mind and have worn
Thy breast plate of Sadhana, no longer forlorn,
Filled with love and devotion as they ought.
They meditate on Thy auspicious Name,
Comprising all sentient, conscious Beings,
Moving and still, while disdainful of fame,
Uniting all seers, scenes and their
seeings.
Here, indeed my Master I’ve reached
my end,
With thanks, I bow before Thee, prostrate and bend.

29
All pervading One, I worship at Thy feet,
Sacred and holy as the lotus blue,
I meditate on Thee by day all through;
I take refuge in Thee, that art my Lord complete.
Oh holy Sambhu! blessed Paraclete,
With power of words I pray to Thee, so true,
Cast Thy mighty glance of grace on me too.
That gaze which even Gods pray they shall meet.
Instruct my mind and make it ever cling to Thee,
Make me worthy of Thy beneficial Grace,
I prostrate myself, and fall to bend my knee,
Grant me the glory of the vision of Thy face!
Instruct in happy peace my wayward mind,
Thou art the greatest God one could ever find!

30

Oh Shiva, the One, who sports the new Moon
As Thy crest jewel! Oh Lord of all souls,
O Master Guru of three worldly wholes;
If there be in my Self, light of the
Sun, soon
By its thousand beams I
will dress you in tunes
Of song, decked by flowers in golden bowls,
That I may render Thee worship as my goal.
Like Visnu, Vayu, Agni, Indra, with their boons.
I shall offer to you as tasty fitting food
My ego, well cooked in the blazing fire
Of Thy Jnana, well spiced by my gratitude;
To this consummation, I ardently aspire.
Thou art infinity, I can only praise Thee
Rising to the height of Gods in liberty.

31

Oh Shiva! Is not this single supreme deed
Of aid enough to praise Thy compassion?
Residing inside Thy mountain mansion,
With a view to protecting Thy Beings’ seed
Moving and unmoving, yet conscious indeed.
In Thy throat Thou swallows in Thy fashion,
That fearful poison of unbridled passion,
And save us from our sins of lust and greed.
Thus Thy throat is tinted bright peacock blue,
As a sign to all Thy children young and
old,
That thy mercy extends to all that Thou
do.
This is Thy sworn promise, so we are told,
To save earnest devotees when ripe, in time.
Oh mighty Shiva, Thy compassion is sublime!

32

Sambhu! how did vile poison catch alight,
Causing fear to all the Gods known by Thee?
How was it borne in thy palm so craftily?
Like a ripe, red rose apple; a wondrous sight
Which thrills, blushing like dawn, after darkest night?
Or like a strong medicine used skilfully
By Siddhas? was it held mightily tight
In Thy throat? Was it a gem, blue and bright
As the sapphire sky, our dome of beauty?
Tell me my Loved One! The ways of your duty
Surpasses my mortal understanding.
So my Lord, I am humbly demanding,
Please tell me Sambhu if it’s really true,
World poison stained your throat, a vibrant peacock blue?

33

Oh my Master! Is it not sufficient
For folk to serve Thee withou frustration,
By chanting praise and making prostration,
Worship, meditation, are all most efficient,
Self Enquiry, surrender, are they not sufficient?
Hearing your story with horripilation,
Having sight of Thee in my imagination;
How is release possible for one so nescient?
What’s the use of following gods who are all
Impermanent? and to whom should we pray?
With all my hear, Lord Ramana hear my call,
I yearn for Thy blessed Grace every day!
“The answer my friend”, Sri Bhagavan said,
“Is in your own Self and by me thou art led!”

34

Shiva? What more can we say about Thy story?
Who else possesses such courage and power?
How can we find the strength to endower
Ourselves with such splendid might and glory?
World destruction, which is always so gory
When even Gods fall, might come at any hour,
Ascetics are seized with fear, and glower
At such an end to their lives
and history.
Yet, Thou does revel fearless,
all alone,
In felicity blissfully dance and stamp,
All we can do for our grave sins is to atone,
Seeking the bright light of Thy Jnana lamp.
Pray don’t leave us in our time of great need,
We yearn for grace, mercy and help indeed!

35 ****

Shiva! Thou takes care of all Thy Beings,
For their welfare and spiritual advance,
Intent on good giving; that is Thy stance!
Thou teaches the way of divine seeing,
All pervading, determined on freeing
Devotees from sad samsara’s wild prance,
Stamping, whirling; such is Thy dance ,
All pervading inside and out; ever revealing
Thou art my inmost pure conscious Self,
That I always keep in my sacred heart.
Thou will conquer my vile demonic elf
Before I die, and from life must depart.
Oh Lord Shiva! Majestic King of Kings,
Of your great glory my soul ever sings

36

Entwine me with the cord of
devotion,
Fill me with the sacred waters of
joy,
The shining vessel of monkey mind’s toy.
I whom am a devotee still in motion,
Place two tender leaves as a notion
Of obeisance at Thy feet, never to cloy.
The ripe cocoanut of wisdom will alloy
Me with Thy holy words of fervent emotion.
Purify the house of my bodily frame,
Thus do I perform this most sacred rite,
Occasioning the bounty of Thy Name!
This is the purification of that place,
Preparing me to receive Thy boundless grace!

37

Intelligence is our churning rod,
Firmly attached to ardent devotion.
Those of good heart churn the green-blue ocean
Of scripture, searching for the hidden pod
Of subtle meaning leading them to God;
Gaining from the Moon in ceaseless motion
The wish fulfilling tree, a happy notion
Leading to the cow of plenty, however odd.
The wish yielding magical ruby gem,
The sweet ambrosia of eternal
bliss,
Goddess Parvati’s blessed garment
hem.
All pertain to Her perennial wisdom kiss,
Churning is the essence of Self investigation
Into our True Nature, by hard interrogation.

38

When the clear auspicious silver Moon,
Bearing the figure of the white form deer,
Seen through eastern mountains very near
To twinkling light of stars, so bright in June;
Yet never, ever glimpsed at mid-day noon,
Releasing worlds from darkness and grave fear
Casting her reflection in blue lake so clear.
The churned ocean swells up and very soon,
Living becomes possible for the very good
Diligent in sadhana, intelligent at heart.
We offer ‘ego’ to Lord Shiva as tasty food,
In love and surrender ‘till death do us part.
Then pure Brahman-bliss becomes manifest,
All sins are forgiven, being well confessed.

39

When the merciful Lord of protection,
Who wears a full Moon jewel as his
crest,
Is crowned in the celestial city, to be
blest
As King of my mind-lotus, choice election
To show Dharma is supreme perfection.
Sin is slain! Passions to which I’ve confessed;
Lust, anger, pride, are successfully suppressed.
Happiness rules as my prime predilection!
The golden apples of wisdom and Jnana,
Grow richly ripe, prolifically abundant.
All is due to the profound power of Shiva,
Evil veiling Self, is now made redundant!

40

Almighty King of the whole universe,
With Thy wondrous legends I take my fill.
Subtle intellect is Thy water mill,
Speech is Thy vessel, poetry Thy verse,
Always a blessing and never a curse
That flows through Thy channels up to the sill,
Always auspicious and never for ill;
Feeding crops of devotion like a kind nurse.
How can there be fear of spiritual thirst
When you feed us with the cup of Thy grace?
Thou, all compassionate are truly the
first;
Grant me a glimpse of my original
face!

41

Shiva! Almighty conqueror of death,
I am entreated by my wagging tongue,
Monkey mind, head, feet, hands, eyes, ears, and breath,
Which all participate in action, beneath
Thy rule of Selfhood, of which I’ve sung
As Shiva in my heart. Beneath my lung
On the right side of the chest, in the sheath
Of bliss, compassion and perfect peace.
We climb heaven’s ladder by another rung,
Those instruments of flesh all worship Thee,
Full of praise, imploring their full release
From bitter bondage and onto liberty!
I pray, show me the way again and again
To find my Self, in Her grace always to remain.

42

Lord Shiva! Thou art fond of sturdy forts,
Pray remain in the fortress of my mind,
Whose moats are most magnificent. I find
Its ramparts show the courage of thought
To conquer my sins with which I am wrought.
My royal
armies are equipped with kind
Sensory
gateways far from being blind.
My troops have always bravely fought.
They’re provisioned with the food of Jnana,
And are fully armed and feel complete.
Yet I still wilt in this dungeon of samsara,
Inspite of grace, I their General feel effete.
I beg Thee dear Lord, teach me devotion,
I am drowning in life’s tempestuous ocean.

43

Primeval hunter, dweller in a mountain,
You wander here and there in search of game,
I plead, reside and hunt in me the same.
Within the jungle of my mind’s plantation,
Dwell wild beasts that cause me aggravation!
Such as lechery and desire for fame.
By slaying them, you’ll effectively tame
These disturbances of mental infatuation.
So relish the sport of hunting such wild beasts,
Have the pleasure of a sport well performed,
These creature’s egos are fit game for your feasts,
Their brutality is speedily
reformed.
Lord Shiva, great hunter with Thy
spear of gold,
Stalk these monsters as Thou did in days of old!

44

Deep down in the mountain cave of my heart
Dwells the Great God with different faces five,
Wielding a wild deer in His hand alive.
Thou who has slain the elephant demon! Start
With the tiger devil, bind him in a cart
And drag him through the busy city’s streets
So all may admire Thine astounding feats,
Let all see how well Thou played the hero’s part.
Thou art a great hunter, so where is fear for me?
I have firm faith that you will always slay
Demons that enter my mind and terrorise
My better self which strives each hour and day,
To love, adore and be fit to Self Realise.,
That Self Awareness for which we toil and pray,
To serve the Self, which is Shiva, in every way!

45

Oh proud, preening parrot ego-bird,
Rest always in the nest of the lotus feet
Of
Shiva, where shrewd scholars all compete
To hearken
to his every sagacious word,
Which is eternal, and only truly heard
By those devotees who are fully replete
In Jnana Knowledge, wise and complete;
Shiva’s great teaching is by them preferred.
His soothing words remove all sad sorrow
And shine with the bright light of felicity.
So end stupid wandering off tomorrow,
And enjoy the bliss of His perspicacity.
I am sick and weary of futile pursuit,
I love the truth of Shiva’s wisdom’s fruit.

46

Oh mind, when focused, you’re a regal swan;
Nest in His magic mountain residence,
At Parvati’s feet, where Her sacred incense
Curls up to heaven. Its fragrance falls upon
All who worship Shiva, mighty as the Sun.
Rubies and pearls encrust the golden fence
Which hides the wives of holy saints who sense
The wonder of Shiva, the glorious One.
It’s at His feet that the Sages
prostrate,
Surrendering mind in fear and awe,
Anxious to avert
that terrible fate
Of rebirth in samsara again once more.
All pray and plead for Lord Shiva’s grace,
And catch a glimpse of his auspicious face.

47

In the radiant rose garden of my heart,
In my sunny summertime of meditation,
A hymnal chant I sing in adoration.
The white lilies of devotion impart
Their scent, welcoming an earnest start
To prune the growths of grievous dissipation,
Heralding the task of mental regulation,
Then worship blooms to form a sacred part.
The sweet apple of Self Knowledge and bliss,
Pure Awareness, is a joyful juicy fruit
Sealed with Divine Parvartis’ blessed kiss.
She fulfils the magic of my Self pursuit.
Bold beauty adorns my silent bower of peace
In the ardent arbour of my Soul’s release.

48

In the nest of mind, the best of swans,
Cruise to the calm lake of God
recollection,
A reservoir of infinite satisfaction,
Blossoming with water
lilies, whose Sun
Kissed blooms, welcome the Enlightened One,
Set in the hearts of Saints, making prostration
At Shiva’s feet of supreme domination:
To seek His safe refuge they always run.
His sacred waters will cleanse my sin,
So why pollute myself in muddy pools,
Slaving to the vile desires of stupid fools;
A maddening pastime one can never win.
Better to bathe in Shiva’s Godlike grace
The effects of such folly he will soon efface.

49

May the rose flower of firm devotion
Yield me fruitful hips that I always desire,
A bud well fed by love to which I aspire;
An endless flow of heartfelt emotion,
Deeper and wider than the sea-green ocean.
The rose climbed from Shiva’s feet, I so admire,
Rich with shoots that wind round my inward byre
Of constancy and faithful affirmation.
The crimson blooms cover my
mental porch,
They are without blemish and full of fire,
Any sins and
failing they quickly scorch,
Raising my vile mind from its muddy mire.
Why am I always in such a hurry
Scurrying in mind’s cow sheds of slurry?

50

I praise the Arjuna tree, a linga
At Sri Saila, with white jasmine entwined
On that beautiful mountain, on which we find
Parvati embracing her Great Lord Shiva;
Auspicious, like His teaching of Vedanta.
Around His neck writhing serpents wind,
Yet Shiva is all merciful and most kind,
Are not his sons Ganesha and Skanda?
Eager humming bees gather around,
Buzzing with their truly glorious sound
Of Om, most sacred primordial word,
That this vast universe has ever heard.
All join in chanting Great Lord Shiva’s praise,
He guards and protects us throughout our days.

51

Bhramarambika, all pervading Lord of ease,
The Bee whose hive sits on Sri Saila
hill,
Dancing to the tune of Sage Bhrngin’s will,
Who follows the lead of
the Queen of Bees,
And quelled the pride of a demon, Her to please.
An Elephant which drank rut up to his fill,
He wallowed in the time of spring until,
He willed to stay at rest, at last in peace.
The very memory of this sacred linga,
Bestows on devotees special merit,
For such is the grace of Great Lord Shiva,
That with certain faith they will inherit
The auspicious gift of Brahman Nirvana!
That bee is a friend of the God of love,
And sips sweet nectar from flowers above.

52
Oh Shiva! Lord with peacock blue throat,
I adore Thee! Thou sports snakes to boast
And show me Thy greatness; yet divine love
Is Lord Shiva’s chief virtue! From above
He reigns supreme to pilot our boat
Steering us across life’s ocean afloat
To reach Liberation, free as a dove!
That cosmic peacock has a crest of sky,
Parvati
is his precious pea hen,
His teaching’s the pyre on which false me shall
die,
Om is His primordial sound emblem.

54

I love that peacock blue throated wonder
Whose scintillating dance of prancing feet
In summer’s heat, sends rolls of drumming beats,
Tapped by Vishnu’s rumbling clouds of thunder.
His forked lightning frightens folk asunder,
Clouds shed tears of grace as rain complete;
Uma as Peahen Goddess gets from Her seat,
Such beauty to share, joys without number.
I sing in praise of our sage Lord Shiva
Whom with gracious Uma as his wife,
Upholds the righteous path of Dharma
And ordains the Karma of earthly life.
Such is the power of His divinity
A guide for humanity for all infinity.

55

May my humble obeisance be to Thee
Oh Sambhu, Lord with many matted locks
Thou art the primal cause; Thou scoffs and mocks
At sceptics of Thy great Divinity,
Limitless light
that shines to infinity,
Thou art recognised by red mountain rocks,
Oh
mover of psychic obstacles and blocks.
With Thee in our hearts, we find affinity,
Thou art sole subject of our meditation.
The lesser Gods all praise Thy Holy Name,
In Jnana Knowledge Thou art the summation,
In the hearts of Devotees Thou art the flame.
Thou art the weaver of the veil of Maya,
Skilled dancer of the cosmos, blessed Shiva!

56

Matted haired Shiva! Thou art eternal!
Embodied in the Gunas, qualities three;
Raw activity, dull passivity,
And neutral clarity supernal.
Thou art both paternal and maternal!
The true nature of pure consciousness; free
To create three worlds by Maya magically,
Ending them after each era dies, terminal!
Thou art directly perceived by Sages,
Thou inspires each hallowed Advaitic text,
Thou art the refuge and rock of ages,
Oh Great Lord Shiva what follows next?
Thou art
engaged in prancing a cosmic dance,
Freedom for devotees, is their happy
chance.

57

Lord of all souls, perfect pervading One!
I flatter rich folk in my zest for wealth,
I stuff my belly, bad for mental health,
I wander in vain seeking futile fun,
Avoiding right effort I run and run,
Evading your grace by devious stealth,
I fail to benefit the commonwealth.
All is such vanity under the Sun,
Yet through Thy compassion in spite of all
Sins, through merit earned in a former life,
As my Guru within, you prevent my fall,
Saving me from tense trouble and strife.
I am ever thankful for your protection,
I prostrate to thee in grateful subjection.

58

Oh Great Lord of Souls, dearest dazzling Light
To vanquish my jet black darkness and its shades,
Help me before my ardour fades
Become visible, blaze with all Thy might!
Illuminate me from Thy commanding height.
Aid me before my
ardent ardour fades.
Sense thieves continue brazen burgling raids:
Oh
Great Lord Shiva take pity on my plight!
Thine effulgence exceeds a crore of Suns,
Why then cloud Thy brilliant Self from me?
Destroy base ignorance, make vile demons run
Away; permit my Soul freedom to dwell in Thee.
Pray destroy my egotism and make me whole,
Let Self Realisation be my destined goal!

59

Oh Lord of Souls! Vast all pervading One,
Worthy consort of Parvati divine;
As Cartaka birds always moan and whine
For heavy clouds of rain, which veil the Sun,
And lotus tanks are yearned for by the swan,
And Cakora birds for Moon beams; so I pine
To touch Thy holy lotus feet sublime.
Which will be reached by that path on which we run;
Thy great teaching of the Jnana Marga,
That yields the bliss of sheer perfection.
That’s Thy blessed gift for me, Oh Shiva,
To Thee I surrender humbly in
subjection.
By the fine example of these fabulous birds,
Accept my sonnet’s feelings,
if not their words.

60

A man dragged by the current seeks the shore,
The weary walker, the cool shade of a tree,
The soul afraid of sin finds refuge in Thee.
The steel magnet attracts metallic ore,
The faithful wife to her Lord, flies in awe,
Creepers cling to the tree, that’s strong and free,
The river races to its source the sea;
So I yearn for Thee Lord Shiva, more and more!
Oh mind, reach the Lotus feet of the Lord!
Ever stay there; that is real devotion.
Let restless mind be held by Bhakti’s cord,
To know the bliss of Lord Shiva’s ocean.
Pray bless me with Thy Grace of Constancy,

61

Seeds of Ankola trees stick to the tree,
The one afraid of rain shelters under a roof,
Guests rest with the householder unaloof.
The poor receive from generous charity,
Those fearful of
night will light their lamps brightly,
The cold take warmth from fire; all brings proof
How Thy
protection is beyond reproof,
As these similes illustrate quite rightly.
Oh mind, reach the feet of Shiva with ease,
This will drive away all its needless fear
And gain Thy blessing of blissful peace,
Such is Thy boundless Grace, I hold so dear.
Oh Great Shiva grant me Thy protection,
And relieve me from direst dereliction.

62

As a mother’s devotion guards her child,
The roar of Shiva’s conch, all sin will efface;
By smearing sacred ash upon one’s face
And cladding oneself in purity mild,
Freed from the world, by which soul was defiled.
I’ll be cleansed of guilt without any trace!
Such is the power of Lord Shiva’s grace,
Formidable God so fierce and so wild.
He gives rest in prayer and contemplation,
The mantra of his sacred name will keep
Away thieves which besiege
meditation.
Oh Lord Shiva I plead for just one peep
Of they magnificent effulgent glory,
To end the shame
of my personal story.

63

Kannappars sandals worn out on forest ways,
Became his mark between the eye brows,
Of the blessed body of the Lord of Hours.
The libation of water held in place
In his mouth became a bath of grace
For the Victor of Cities whose powers
Showed how Great Lord Shiva towers
Overall. That huntsman took first place
Of Shiva’s devotees; Kannappar the saint,
Who gave Him an eye so he could rest
In His fair breast, never prone to faint
From weariness or fade away distressed.
Kannappar was His servant beyond compare,
Beloved by Shiva for such Devotion so rare!

64

Oh Sambhu! Kicking at Lord Yama’s chest,
Destroyer of ignorant Apasmara,
Hovering around on Mount Kailasa;
Ruffling the crowns of Gods, at Thy behest
Worn on shaven heads for Thee to
bless.
Such is the task of Thy path of Jnana
But is this proper, I ask Thee, Lord Shiva?
Please wear the
sandals of my mind, confessed.
Oh dear Lord Shiva, I am now convinced,
The fruit of ‘moksha’ is easily reaped
Through Devotion, as Thou has evinced
By the wealth of grace, which Thou hast heaped
On Devotees, struggling for liberation:
Great Shiva frees me from my consternation.

65

Consort of beloved Uma, Goddess of Love,
Nothing’s impossible for Thee, whose mind
Worships Thy illustrious feet. We find
Seeing Thee, Yama flees, afraid of a shove
Which will send him flying high up above.
The lesser Gods all wave their lamps behind
Thee; while the gentle Mukti Bride, so kind,
Embraces them wherever they may rove.
The place of Devotees is above the Gods,
Because of your loving and gracious care,
Although that may appear to be most odd,
It is the experience of all who
dare
To attain deliverance from dread samsara;
Such is Thy greatness my dear Lord Shiva!

66

Oh
Sambhu! Thou creates Thy worlds in play,
Thy inhabitants are Thy sportive game,
Every gracious deed performed in Thy Name,
Is for Thy pleasure alone, the Sages say,
It’s certain, that my deeds everyday,
Are only to exalt Thy righteous fame;
Thy protection is all I rightfully claim,
Oh Lord, for Thy mercy I pray, I pray and pray!
I enquire, what’s the nature of Thy sport?
Is it a game of love or shuttlecock?
My reason tells me in the last resort,
Your aim is to untie my bondage knot
With fingers of compassionate grace,
That one day I may view Thy eternal face.

67

I seek the placid peaceful contemplation
Of Great Lord Shiva, in the joyful land
Of silent auspicious meditation,
Freed from painful mental consternation,
Where I can join that glorious band
Of ardent loving
devotees, and
Rejoice in festive jubilation;
Praising Thee in endless glorification,
Knowing Thou holds us in
Thy gracious hand.
We enjoy the tears and precious thrills
Engendered by many heartfelt delights
Which protect us from all bodily ills,
As Thou leads us from darkness into light.
Reciting Thy Name is a fruitful field
To force ego’s surrender and to Thee yield!

68

Oh Lord of Souls; Oh compassionate One!
Protect this beauteous cow of mine, Devotion.
From Thy luscious grass, she strays in motion;
Make her yield the delight, second to none,
Milk of Jnana, the best beneath the Sun.
Pardon her ignorant arrogation,
Loving the ‘I am the body’ notion,
Lead her to Thy feet when all is said and done,
Devotion is the precious fruit of deeds
Well performed in an earlier life;
On her merit my cow earnestly feeds,
Free her from all trouble, sorrow and strife.
Let me churn
her good milk of devotion,
To the cream of Jnana, a potent potion!

69

I’m not inert like some slovenly
sloth,
Nor impure like some smelling cess pool drain,
Nor am I crooked like a burglar’s brain,
Even if I be either, none, all or both,
Oh Great Lord Shiva I’m indeed loath
To claim, “am I not fit just the same,
To always worship Thy sacred name
And serve Thee as an ornamental broach?
Oh Lord Shiva Thou sport a crescent moon;
In spite of all my defects great and small,
Your everlasting mercy, will surely soon
Regard my sins as nothing much at all.
Thou art all compassion, beyond compare,
In Thy bountiful largesse, I wish to share!

70

Whether in the open, beneath the sky,
Or in the cloister of my closeted room,
Thou art easy to live with: bye and bye
Thou shall save me from false sense of ‘me’ and ‘my’.
You weave time with space, on Thy cosmic
loom,
And create a world of illusion, soon
To be destroyed, when only Thou knows why,
When this insentient body will end and
die.
But Thy merciful grace will avert such doom,
For your devotees brought to Realisation
Who practice Self Enquiry and Surrender
Finally reach enlightened liberation,
And to Thee their roasted ego’s render.
Oh dear Lord Shiva, Thou art beyond all praise,
Thou brings supreme joy, into mournful days!

71
Great Lord Shiva’s unfailing sharp arrows,
Fixed to the bow of deepest meditation,
Bent with the string of firmest devotion;
For devotees with purified mind, He throws
Enemy sinners some powerful blows:
Gaining the balm of a soothing lotion,
Death of the ‘I am the body notion’,
Lord Shiva knows, he knows, he surely knows!
We are urged to be like skilful archers
And strike target-ego’s black bull’s eye;
Then like resolute and doughty marchers,
We
reach the goal of moksha before we die.
Gain a good bowman’s skilled ability,
Shiva grants the gift of great
stability!

72

There are many friends who have gained their end
And reached they beloved holy lotus feet;
Even for Gods they’re the safest retreat.
They wear serpents as ornaments and bend
Their knees in obeisance to Thee, to fend
Off demonic tendencies they may meet
On their way to Self Realisation so complete.
Oh Shiva, to Thee my love I now do send.,
We find clear vision through Thy ointment
Of meditation, breaking through the black
Dark Ignorance,and make an appointment
With Thee, to remedy all that I lack
In virtue, grace, knowledge and devotion
For Thee; who steers my craft across life’s ocean!

73

Oh good mind! learn to love the lotus feet
Of Supreme Lord Shiva; field for the growth
Of that medicinal herb, which is both
Release and blissful happiness
complete;
Desired by all who aren’t weak or effete.
Oh Lord Shiva, I have sworn a mighty oath
To obey Thy
gracious rule, and ever clothe
Thee in praise. These poems attempt this feat!
How can I ever thank Thee for such Grace,
Bestowed on one, unmerited and bad;
But that single glance from Thine effulgent face,
Has made me ever grateful and so glad!
I salute Thee, magnificent Lord Shiva,
Who’s willed to help and save this poor Jiva!

74

May the lotus feet of the Lord who sent,
Virtues that are north, south, east and west
Of space, make my Heart’s sacred casket,
Perfumed by that powerful God-like scent,
That overwhelms the bad smell of nescience:
Desire, greed, delusion, lust and the rest
Of those sins, which undermine the best
Virtues of heaven that for Man are meant.
Pilgrim advancing on the mountain trail
Passed a wayside flower, a bramble rose,
He bowed and breathed
its fragrance; without fail
It cleansed his polluted mind of all those
Vile impurities which besmirched his
state;
He thanked the Lord for such a blessed fate.

75
Oh great destroyer of passionate lust,
Commander of all the different worlds
Into which the suffering soul is hurled,
Rider of the Bull kicking up the dust,
Restrain my mental horse as Thou must!
Which is auspicious and is well impearled
Without blemish like a summer rose unfurled.
A skilled rider mounted the steed of my mind,
And rode him swiftly to salvation’s goal.
There, deep silence in the heart did find,
He saved that poor perverted erring soul.
All praise great Lord Shiva rider of the bull
All is perfection in his sight, all is full.

76

Devotion’s like a cloud sailing in the sky,
An image of the all powerful Lord,
Who showers love and bliss with every word,
Removing from the mind all wail and cry;
A
lake whose mind is filled, bye and bye,
With a white swan, a celestial bird,
Whose song of adoration shall be
heard
By the ears of almighty God on high.
By devotion the whole crop of life is reaped,
Harvested by toilers in the field of life;
The rain of grace, into the soil has seeped,
The overwhelming flood of love is rife,
On which the raft of liberation floats;
The hymn of victory issues from our throats.

77

Like a husband separated from his wife,
The mind attached to His petalled lotus feet,
Constantly remembers in to be complete
In firmness, grasping for his dearest life,
Walking the razor’s edge, sharp as a knife,
Charmed by His Mantra which he does repeat,
Om namah shivaya to a rhythmic beat,
His heart swells with devotional praise so rife.
Like a priest chanting sacred hymns of praise,
He meditates on good and noble thought,
Fond memories, sights and sounds, all his
days,
And the famous stories he has been taught.
Lord Shiva is great in every way,
We think on his glories
throughout each day.

78
I pray Lord Shiva every night and day,
Uplift this turgid intellect of mine,
As one would dress a bride in all that’s fine.
Endow her with excellence in such a way,
That brings it to noble service, and a ray
That makes the light of true humility shine
Bright, warm, compassionate and sublime,
Fostering Good as its aim in life’s great play.
At a wedding the pure chaste minded bride,
Swears her allegiance to the husband in love;
So can intellect wed the Self to confide
In the God of power inside and above.
This is the mystical marriage of the Sage,
That maintains world righteousness for this age.

79

Oh Shiva! Thy rosey feet ever gently tread
On the pink lotus petals of Thy lover’s minds;
But Thou kicked at the hard chest-door of
dread
Yama, Lord of Death, who strikes each heart and head,,
In this dream of the weary deaf and blind.
My mind ponders on
Thy ways, yet to find
An answer to which my errant soul be led.
Bring Thy feet within my sight, and unwind
Thy maze, before alas I too must die,
And be born once more in wretched ignorance,
To fight again in this vale of tears to sigh.
I pray, before I leave, grant another chance
To take hold of your precious blessed feet,
When Self Realised, I shall be complete!

80

"This soul's to be reborn, his mind is hard;
On his egotism I have need to dance,
On his vasanas I shall stamp and prance"!
Thinking how to protect me and safeguard,
You trampled on my ego's house of cards,
As inside your house divine where chances
Are secure, you blest me with your glances,
Oh Great Lord Shiva you're the King of Bards!

Shiva chose a fine mountain high in sky
So his lotus
feet would harden well,
Then his dance on hard minds of those who lie
Prostrate at his feet will be saved from hell.
That's his
promise and ever boundless grace
To all those who yearn to glimpse his sacred face.

81

Consort of beautiful Uma Divine,
While worshiping your sweet, soft lotus feet
Offering obeisance ever complete,,
Sometimes in deep meditation I pine,
Immersed in concentration ever sublime,
Reflecting on your deeds when you defeat
My demons of mind that are so replete.

Mature Devotion leads to Liberation,
It's meant to be enjoyed, here and now;
Surrendered minds reach Self Realisation,
Lord Shiva's guidance does tell us how.
The mind binds soul and the same mind frees,
For mind bonded to Shiva, Self surely sees!

82

Consort of Devi! Hari took many forms,
That of an arrow, bull, a wife, a boar,
A friend beating a drum as you dance! for
He
offered you an eye, beyond all norms
Of sacrifice, braving grave earthly storms.
That one who's part of your body's core,
Who can
excell him, for ever more?
Visnu, the Great God sure to perform

He took the shape of ravishing Mohini,
She gave to the Gods sweet ambrosia,
Destroying demons like a strong Yogini,
Ever to help you, oh Great Lord Shiva!
Hari is beyond doubt nearest to Hara,
Combining to free us from sad samsara!

83

In praising Gods who're slaves to death and birth,
There's no happiness or everlasting bliss.
Parvati's Lord, who's crowned by her kiss,
Has no birth, and is of eternal worth.
We're blest and never suffer any dearth
Of boundless Grace, or shall ever miss
Chance of Realisation, or be amiss
From joy,warmed by fire from Shiva's hearth.

There's no point in praising minor Godlings,
They cannot help in gaining our final goal
Of Liberation. Let us combine
in singing
The praises of He who'll make us whole!
Lord Shiva is our God who reigns Supreme,
He'll wake us up from life's
tormenting dream.

84

Oh Shiva, Bhava, friend of all the worlds,
Deep blue ocean of sat chit ananda,
Your sons were Great Ganesha and Lord Skanda.
Oh compasionate one whose love unfurled
Worlds, before into destruction they were hurled.
To be with Gauri engaged in sadhana,
I offer my mind steeped in samasara,
No more in birth or death shall I be whirled.

This errant daughter Mind I dedicate
To your service oh my dearest Lord,
Let her be with Parvati and replicate
Her Love for you, a boundless cord
Of Devotion, ever more to dwell with you
Oh Lord Shiva my God, who is ever true.,

85

Oh crescent crested jewel of the Moon,
I'm unskilled in deep blue ocean churning,
My love for you is a fire ever burning,
I pray that you'll reward my efforts
soon,
As towards my Self I'm ever turning.
For you dearest Lord I'm always yearning,
Make me dance and stamp to your wildest
tune,
Grant me Liberation, your greatest boon!

I'm not a hunter skilled in killing game,
How can I offer gifts to you in praise,
When I bow to worship your sacred Name?
What shall I give you when I try to raise
Adornments for your holy neck to wear?
Ego's the gift you wish to really bear.

86

Oh consort of Parvati, Uma divine,
All things for puja are well gathered up,
But how shall I perform worship sublime?
I haven't gained the state of even a pup.
Such attainment is very hard to meet,
Oh all pervading glorious One,
I don't see thy crown or lotus feet,
Even by Brahm or Vishnu they weren't won.
So how am I to worship thee my Lord?
The God ansered with a mighty roar,
Give love devotion and care my child,
Approach me humbly, truly meek and
mild,
THat is all I can say, and what is more,
Dive deep inside and you can open my door!

87

Oh beloved Sambu, Shiva-ji- my
Lord,
The food you devour is worlds poison vile,
Your ornament is a wild serpent, while
For transport you ride a bullock abroad.
May you ever grace and grant us to afford,
Liberation from this rank earthly pile
Of trouble;surely that's not your blessed style?
Slay my vile ego with your mighty sword!

Grant me devotion to thy soft lotus feet,
This is my praise not meant as any blame,
That's all I need, to make life my complete,
Save me from all hypocrisy and shame,
May my ego be fine food as a special treat,
Roast it well so its tasty and so sweet!

88

Oh mighty Lord Shiva my undying love,
It's only when I become like Lord Rama,
Or He who pressed down a mount, Agastya,
That I'll be able to worship thee above,
Lord Shiva sweeter than a turtle
dove,
Exceeding even white lotus born Brahma,
Or in modern times like great Sri Ramana,
Whom on Arunachala loved to rove.

It's not
possible for me to worship Thee,
To do so I must be like one of these,
Then I'd be fit to praise Ye and then be,
Worthy My Lord, and Thou able to please.
Thou the greatest God reigning above,
I surrender at Thy feet with all my love!

89

THE FLOOD OF SHIVA BLISS

1
May this, my most humble submission be,
To that one great auspicious Deity;
Great Lord Shiva of everlasting fame,
Quintessence of all Jnana is His Name!
He sports on His crown, a silver crescent moon,
Ornament for Uma, such a beauteous boon,
The ripe fruit of harsh severe penitence,
Bestowing His bounteous beneficence.
He wills all devotees to be ever blessed,
And enjoy full noble lives of happiness.
He always appears in the surrendered heart,
Once glimpsed His presence never departs.
He showers all three worlds with perfect love,
A merciful blessing, mighty Grace from above.
2
Victory to the powers of Great Lord Shiva!
Which flow from the blessings of His kind
Removal of sorrow from
my
mundane mind;
He frees me from great grief of samsara
To know soul’s lagoon flooded by Nirvana.
Such awakening from hypnotic sleep we find
Are streams that cleanse the soul, they wind
Through dense mud and mire of false ajnana.
They cause destruction of pain and sorrow,
We live in the present, no fear for tomorrow.
We thank Shiva with all our might and main,
Chanting His praises for sacred is His Name.
We read the miracles of His great life story,
And bathe in the light of His effulgent glory.

3*
I worship Lord Shiva with all of my heart,
Unknowable through the Vedas! For a start
He destroyed those tyrannical cities three,
Made of iron, silver and gold; to set free
Causal and subtle bodies. Veda His bow,
Agni His barb, Vishnu His well honed arrow;
His feather, the dreaded Lord Yama,
His faithful charioteer, Great God Brahma.
He’s primordial, sighted by
three
eyes,
He’s majestic and profoundly wise.
His hair’s a profusion of matted locks;
He wears a necklace of snakes, carved from the rocks.
Gracious to every ardent devotee,
He’s the God of souls, Lord of Divinity,
Self of Absolute Consciousness so pure.
With fair Parvati He shall always endure,
To control His three worlds, sagely and sure.

4
Myriads of Gods hold sway over the world,
And grant the prayers of the immature:
Even in dreams at night, I pray to be pure:
To my poor soul, high wisdom He’s unfurled.
What I yearn for, is that He will insure
The worship of His lotus feet, to lure
My mind from grave sin, by senses hurled.
This steady worship of His lotus feet
Is not easy, even for those sitting near
Him, with hearts full of love complete,
Having firm faith and freedom from fear,
Yet fickle mind feels feeble and effete.
It was difficult for Vishnu and Lord
Brahma,
Even,
Sita, Hanuman, and great Prince Rama.

5
I’m not well versed in legalistic codes,
Nor in learned philosophic tomes,
From sciences, my mind always roams.
Neither in art of music and poetic odes,
Nor reading texts, burdened by heavy loads,
Do I ever feel comfortably at home.
I please Kings no more than an impish gnome,
I’m as little use as a sweeper of roads.
Save this wretched soul through Thy mighty grace!
Omniscient, greatly famed, Oh Holy One,
I pray to see my own original face,
Resplendent as Thy bright effulgent Sun.
Only Thee Lord Shiva can save my errant soul,
To know my own Real Self and make me whole!

6
Whether it be a pot or heavy lump of clay,
Or the microcosmic atom in my breath,
Whether it be smoke, fire or mountain way,
Will any serve as a cure for painful death?
I‘m only blocking love by logic chopping,
I must bow to praise great Lord
Shiva’s feet,
But
monkey mind keeps dropping off, hopping,
Instead of abiding in His bliss replete.
The heavy means of reason and causation,
Will never take me to Self Realisation,
Instead they lead to endless frustration,
A kind of morbid mental peturbation.
I must take refuge in Lord Shiva’s grace
Inside my heart, True Saviour of the race.

7

Let me rest at your feet, my Lord Supreme,
Soft as the beautiful blue lotus flower.
Let my speech, with all its might and power,
Be prayer to awaken, from life’s sad dream,
And constantly illuminate my inner scene.
Then uttering your praise, I’ll never cower
With fear, or lose the faith, by which Thou endower
My soul by light from Thine effulgent gleam.
Let my palms be clasped, in worship of Thee,
My hearing tuned to the words of Thy story,
My mind in meditation and ever free,
My eyes resting on Thy formless glory.
So through
which other senses, will I
learn
To become worthy, and Thy grace to earn?

8

Oh Great God Shiva, Lord of many Souls,
As one thinks nacre, looks like silver in a shell,
Or water mixed with flour, looks like milk as well,
A glass bead bauble appears as a crystal bowl,
A mirage we think is just a watering hole;
So the fool, destined for yet another hell,
Worships other than what is Thee; the spell
Of Maya that deceives, Oh Lord of the Whole!
The rope we perceive is a venomous snake,
And the stone dog we imagine to be real.
We mistake a man for a scarecrow’s stake,
And what we touch seems solid when we feel.
The mind is under a constant delusion,
Save us Lord Shiva from such illusion!

9

Lord of Aruna! One swims in a deep tank,
Walks in a fearful, empty jungle wood,
Climbs a mountain peak where fresh air is good,
Pick pretty posies by a river bank,
That fool doesnt know
how to give Thee thanks!
All one needs to do as one truly should,
To worship Thy lotus feet to be understood.
You do not need to be decked with flowers,
You're already the beautifully sublime,
These outer forms waste many precious hours;
The true sacrifice which is really prime,
Is to offer one’s mind to the Self in the heart,
That’s all Shiva asks, from the very start!

10

Let there be birth as a human being,
Or a God in some ethereal sphere,
A high mountain where the clouds float near,
Or forest fox from huntsmen ever fleeing,
Or mosquito blood juice always stealing.
Cow, whose lush green grass is ever dear,
Worm, who through mud does craftily steer,
Or bird who through azure sky flies wheeling.
What is this compared to sporting in bliss
From great Lord Shiva’s benefaction?
Receiving the grace of sweet Parvati’s kiss,
All for poor jiva’s endless satisfaction.
If we
offer
our mind, each night and morn,
Does it matter into which body we’re reborn?

11

Let me be a student, humble as can be,
Or the proud house holder of a home,
An ascetic, plastic as a garden gnome,
Or any other form, as it pleases Thee.
What use is this on the path to liberty?
Oh Sambhu, when the Heart- lotus is Thine
I become yours, no longer ‘me’ or ‘mine’;
One’s burden of life is Thy responsibility.
Whether I dwell in town or mountain cave,
My mind will always wander with me;
The solution Lord Shiva gives to save
And rest at peace, to be eternally free,
Is to surrender ego mind to my own dear Self,
And slay that demonic self-centred elf.

12

Let one live in damp jungle or in fire,
Or on Himalayan mountain peak,
Or whatever place a man may seek.
In a palace, to which great Kings aspire,
Or fabled lands of which the pilgrims speak
Of Vedic Indian, or
Platonic
Greek;
Of endless speculation we soon tire.
Of what use is such wasteful living?
Instead prostrate at mighty Shiva’s feet,
Endlessly renouncing, and freely giving
Back our minds in full surrender complete.
That’s the only way to make us content,
Ego’s false ignorance we need to relent.

13

Oh Saviour of wretched afflicted souls,
It is Thy duty to protect and guard me,
Thou whom art all compassion and mercy:
I’m blind, roasted over life’s blazing coals,
I boast, foolishly hosting madcap goals,
Who’s the weakest in mental strength Thou sees?
Pray grant me safe refuge and set me free!
Like a poor dove trapped in a gilded cage,
My soul pines to fly and roost at Thy feet;
Remove all my sins of anger and rage,
Help me renounce foul mind and rest complete.
Who’s a better expert in the saving grace?
Lead me to the vision of my original face.

14

Oh Lord
of Souls!
art Thou not also Lord
And firm friend of the impoverished poor?
In earnest we pray, open wide Thy door
To the music of that merciful chord,
Which Thou can graciously well afford,
To heal our wounded hearts, so sore.
Aid us in practice to move closer toward
Thy Lotus feet and then walk on forward,
To Realisation of the Self for ever more.
All my sins should be forgiven by Thee,
This is the true duty of a loving father,
Willing to help his child, strive for liberty!
Or grant me protection, and play Thy part
Against those thieves, breaking into my Heart.

15

Lord, as Thou are not indifferent to my lot,
Why not destroy that grave decree of fate,
Before death comes, and alas it is too late,
That which makes me wilt. Hast Thou forgot
That unless you save me, there’s a vile plot
Of desires set to invade me? pray don’t forsake,
Your child before I reach Lord Yama’s
Gate,
And you’ve failed to sever my ganglion knot.
If you’re powerless, how was Taraka's head,
Which cannot be plucked by a finger nail,
Cut by Thee as Skanda with nail tip instead?
I pray, Great Ramana, please don’t fail.
Your child who tries so hard in this barren place,
Lies powerless without thy boundless grace!

16
Oh Shiva, purest one, may Brahma live long!
Protect and guard his remaining four heads,
He’s ordained the poverty to which I’m led
In this false dream world of right and wrong.
What fear is left for me when I sing this song
And Thy gaze of love, to me has said,
“Have faith, in me , my child, you do belong?
A son is lost and from home does stray,
His father looks for him every where,
Then on one marvellous miraculous day
He’s found and delivered safely there,
Back to his land at blissful peace at last,
Clasped in Lord Shiva’s arms, tight
and
fast.

17

Oh Master, whom art all pervading,
Either because of my merited deeds,
Or through compassion for my earthly needs;
Thou art immanently present, invading
Each fibre of my soul, not evading
But helping me, when my sad heart bleeds;
For you’ve truly sown salvation’s seeds
The fruits of which are now parading.
How am I to reach Thy sweet lotus feet?
The whole galaxy of Gods press forward
In their eagerness to respect and greet
Thy gracious Self, paying obeisance toward
Thee, with the splendour of Thy golden crown,
Preventing poor me alas, from bending down.

18

Oh Shiva! Thou art the boon giver supreme,
Vishnu and the lesser Gods call upon Thee,
They hold their place through Thy generosity;
How great is Thy grace, and yet we scheme
With increased desires in this crazy dream.
When will you destroy pernicious petty ‘me’,
Through thy gaze of
peaceful
clemency?
From your dazzling light cast me a single beam.
The Gods pray for you to uphold their gains,
Blessed benefactor of all sentient Beings,
Strengthen and fasten my slack mental reins,
Unite see-er, and seen with all my seeings.
I depend on Thee Lord Shiva for Thy grace,
Accept me, and my false ego pray efface.

19

Is it to benefit great Great Lord Brahma
That you won’t remove my anguish and pain?
Full of despicable desires and shame,
This endless suffering in dark samsara
Even leads to the doors of some crooked Rajah,
An endless storm of troubles, all in vain,
Without virtue, for my poor soul to gain.
Oh what a wretched wicked palaver!
Inform me, oh great Lord Shiva, I pray
If all this grief is only for Thy pleasure,
We shall be gracefully blessed, I say.
I beg for justice as you shall measure,
None of the dark decrees of fate for ill,
Have any true validity
before Thy
will.

20

Oh Shiva, with bare skull as begging bowl,
Thou art an all pervading, mendicant!
My mind roams the desert of discontent,
Dances on the breast hills of female souls,
Leaps wildly on many mad strange goals,
Branch to branch, where desire will soon torment.
Inconstant is this monkey mind Thou sent
To fight against, and learn firm sense control.
Taking this mind as an offering of alms,
Bind it tightly with Thy cord of devotion,
And tie it well, beneath your loving arms,
As I sail across life’s stormy ocean.
Lord Shiva save me from the terror of my mind!
Thou art the Truest Guru I could ever find!

21

Oh, Slayer of Demons, like Manmatha,
Thou art worshiped by divine devotees.
All pervading One, please enter with these,
And Thy Goddess consort, beauteous Uma,
Into the bright tent of my mental maya,
That boasts free will; a central pole to seize
The
ropes of heroic
virtues that please,
And can be eased through this dread samsara.
That shining tent is multi toned and hued,
Painted with lotuses, pink, blue and white,
They glow like beacons in the black of night,
Moved daily through highways, and imbued
With prayer for Thy great victory, Jai!
That enlivens me throughout my day.

22
Oh Shankara! Oh skilful master thief!,
Magnificent ever pervading One!
This arch villain of my mind speeds along,
Having fallen prey, beyond all belief,
To amassing great wealth without relief
From greedy desire , committing much wrong,
Rifling homes, to which the rich belong.
All this crime causes me remorse and grief.
How can I bear this unscrupulous knave?
Having brought him under Thy firm control,
Grant me thy Grace, my impure soul pray save,
Oh blessed Lord, please make me Thine, and Whole!
Accept that I my pure Self is innocent,
Oh merciful Lord
Shiva, I repent,
repent!

23
Ever all-pervading One, oh Shankara!
I perform Thy worship, pray grant poor me,
Realisation now, immediately!
Should Thou grant me the throne of Lord Brahma,
Or God Vishnu as fruit of my Puja,
I would bear more pain of taking the body
Of bird or beast, for sake of being free
And bathing in bliss of blest Nirvana.
How can I bear this agony and pain,
My auspicious beloved Guru Lord?
I beg you over and over again,
With all the strength and might I can afford,
Save me, immortal Shiva, I pray, I pray!
I love you like my own dear Self, every way.

24

When will I dwell in Kailasa, Thy home?
In Thy hall of emeralds, rubies and gold,
Where precious pearls and jewels unfold,
In the company of Thy votaries who roam
With Thee dear Sambhu, beneath Thy sapphire dome,
Who art auspicious wisdom born of old.
My hands I fold, raised on my head, so bold
I
salute Thee noble one
with this poem.
Oh protect me Lord Shiva, God Supreme,
Let me spend happiness in aeons of time
As if they were seconds, then it would seem
All would be bliss beneath your protection,
So cleanse me, grant me Thy rod of correction.

25

Oh Great Shiva, when shall I behold Thee,
Who boasts a throat of precious peacock blue,
A body that’s embraced by Uma too.
You hold in your hand a cutting axe, so free
To chop down demon ego’s creeping tree.
You own a deer, seated on the mighty thew
Of a powerful Bull so very loyal to You,
And Thy faithful sadhus cry out, hail, hail!
And the wicked demons all fail and wail.
Thy divine attendants dance all around,
Stamping on cosmic time, never to fail
To sanctify Mount Kailasa’s sacred ground.
Oh great Lord Shiva, what more can one say,
I love you more and more every day!

26

Oh dweller on a sacred mountain
high,
Beholding Thee and
falling at Thy feet,
Pressing them against my head, I am replete
With love for Thee; I wish my ego so to die
Fully surrendered in obeisance to Thy
Holy will, which I once again entreat.
My perverted mind, pray now defeat.
Free me from wilful weeping and mournful cry!
I wish to enjoy that heavenly bliss
Which does not even come to Brahma;
Seal my lips with Parvati’s fragrant kiss,
So I can breath the perfume and aroma
From her blue full blown lotus flowers,
And bathe in blessed grace throughout all hours.

27

Lord Shiva, Mountain Dweller is Thy name,
When gold Mount Meru is in Thy hands as bow,
When Lord of wealth Kubera, of great fame
Stays near Thee as they slave, it is the same
As when the heavenly trees bow down low
And cow Nandini kneels in obesaince, so
I wish granting gems on Thy head to glow,
Rubies, pearls, sapphires, diamonds so
bright,
Topaz, garnet, all reflecting Thy
light,
When at Thy feet in worship, all devotees came,
Full of devotion their sacred souls complete.
What tribute can I hand Thee, mighty Lord?
May my mind be surrendered at thy feet,
I give you all the love I can afford.
May my heart and mind be always sworn to Thee,
Oh mighty Lord who swears to set me free!

28

Shiva! beautiful Parvati’s faithful consor,
Adores Thee, yet same and equal is Her form,
Near Thee, as chanting praises, is Her norm,
She shares Thy mountain home, takes careful thought,
In satsang with devotees who’ve bravely fought
The hard war with ego-mind and have worn
Thy breast plate of Sadhana, no longer forlorn,
Filled with love and devotion as they ought.
They meditate on Thy auspicious Name,
Comprising all sentient, conscious Beings,
Moving and still, while disdainful of fame,
Uniting all seers, scenes and their
seeings.
Here, indeed my Master I’ve reached
my end,
With thanks, I bow before Thee, prostrate and bend.

29
All pervading One, I worship at Thy feet,
Sacred and holy as the lotus blue,
I meditate on Thee by day all through;
I take refuge in Thee, that art my Lord complete.
Oh holy Sambhu! blessed Paraclete,
With power of words I pray to Thee, so true,
Cast Thy mighty glance of grace on me too.
That gaze which even Gods pray they shall meet.
Instruct my mind and make it ever cling to Thee,
Make me worthy of Thy beneficial Grace,
I prostrate myself, and fall to bend my knee,
Grant me the glory of the vision of Thy face!
Instruct in happy peace my wayward mind,
Thou art the greatest God one could ever find!

30

Oh Shiva, the One, who sports the new Moon
As Thy crest jewel! Oh Lord of all souls,
O Master Guru of three worldly wholes;
If there be in my Self, light of the
Sun, soon
By its thousand beams I
will dress you in tunes
Of song, decked by flowers in golden bowls,
That I may render Thee worship as my goal.
Like Visnu, Vayu, Agni, Indra, with their boons.
I shall offer to you as tasty fitting food
My ego, well cooked in the blazing fire
Of Thy Jnana, well spiced by my gratitude;
To this consummation, I ardently aspire.
Thou art infinity, I can only praise Thee
Rising to the height of Gods in liberty.

31

Oh Shiva! Is not this single supreme deed
Of aid enough to praise Thy compassion?
Residing inside Thy mountain mansion,
With a view to protecting Thy Beings’ seed
Moving and unmoving, yet conscious indeed.
In Thy throat Thou swallows in Thy fashion,
That fearful poison of unbridled passion,
And save us from our sins of lust and greed.
Thus Thy throat is tinted bright peacock blue,
As a sign to all Thy children young and
old,
That thy mercy extends to all that Thou
do.
This is Thy sworn promise, so we are told,
To save earnest devotees when ripe, in time.
Oh mighty Shiva, Thy compassion is sublime!

32

Sambhu! how did vile poison catch alight,
Causing fear to all the Gods known by Thee?
How was it borne in thy palm so craftily?
Like a ripe, red rose apple; a wondrous sight
Which thrills, blushing like dawn, after darkest night?
Or like a strong medicine used skilfully
By Siddhas? was it held mightily tight
In Thy throat? Was it a gem, blue and bright
As the sapphire sky, our dome of beauty?
Tell me my Loved One! The ways of your duty
Surpasses my mortal understanding.
So my Lord, I am humbly demanding,
Please tell me Sambhu if it’s really true,
World poison stained your throat, a vibrant peacock blue?

33

Oh my Master! Is it not sufficient
For folk to serve Thee withou frustration,
By chanting praise and making prostration,
Worship, meditation, are all most efficient,
Self Enquiry, surrender, are they not sufficient?
Hearing your story with horripilation,
Having sight of Thee in my imagination;
How is release possible for one so nescient?
What’s the use of following gods who are all
Impermanent? and to whom should we pray?
With all my hear, Lord Ramana hear my call,
I yearn for Thy blessed Grace every day!
“The answer my friend”, Sri Bhagavan said,
“Is in your own Self and by me thou art led!”

34

Shiva? What more can we say about Thy story?
Who else possesses such courage and power?
How can we find the strength to endower
Ourselves with such splendid might and glory?
World destruction, which is always so gory
When even Gods fall, might come at any hour,
Ascetics are seized with fear, and glower
At such an end to their lives
and history.
Yet, Thou does revel fearless,
all alone,
In felicity blissfully dance and stamp,
All we can do for our grave sins is to atone,
Seeking the bright light of Thy Jnana lamp.
Pray don’t leave us in our time of great need,
We yearn for grace, mercy and help indeed!

35 ****

Shiva! Thou takes care of all Thy Beings,
For their welfare and spiritual advance,
Intent on good giving; that is Thy stance!
Thou teaches the way of divine seeing,
All pervading, determined on freeing
Devotees from sad samsara’s wild prance,
Stamping, whirling; such is Thy dance ,
All pervading inside and out; ever revealing
Thou art my inmost pure conscious Self,
That I always keep in my sacred heart.
Thou will conquer my vile demonic elf
Before I die, and from life must depart.
Oh Lord Shiva! Majestic King of Kings,
Of your great glory my soul ever sings

36

Entwine me with the cord of
devotion,
Fill me with the sacred waters of
joy,
The shining vessel of monkey mind’s toy.
I whom am a devotee still in motion,
Place two tender leaves as a notion
Of obeisance at Thy feet, never to cloy.
The ripe cocoanut of wisdom will alloy
Me with Thy holy words of fervent emotion.
Purify the house of my bodily frame,
Thus do I perform this most sacred rite,
Occasioning the bounty of Thy Name!
This is the purification of that place,
Preparing me to receive Thy boundless grace!

37

Intelligence is our churning rod,
Firmly attached to ardent devotion.
Those of good heart churn the green-blue ocean
Of scripture, searching for the hidden pod
Of subtle meaning leading them to God;
Gaining from the Moon in ceaseless motion
The wish fulfilling tree, a happy notion
Leading to the cow of plenty, however odd.
The wish yielding magical ruby gem,
The sweet ambrosia of eternal
bliss,
Goddess Parvati’s blessed garment
hem.
All pertain to Her perennial wisdom kiss,
Churning is the essence of Self investigation
Into our True Nature, by hard interrogation.

38

When the clear auspicious silver Moon,
Bearing the figure of the white form deer,
Seen through eastern mountains very near
To twinkling light of stars, so bright in June;
Yet never, ever glimpsed at mid-day noon,
Releasing worlds from darkness and grave fear
Casting her reflection in blue lake so clear.
The churned ocean swells up and very soon,
Living becomes possible for the very good
Diligent in sadhana, intelligent at heart.
We offer ‘ego’ to Lord Shiva as tasty food,
In love and surrender ‘till death do us part.
Then pure Brahman-bliss becomes manifest,
All sins are forgiven, being well confessed.

39

When the merciful Lord of protection,
Who wears a full Moon jewel as his
crest,
Is crowned in the celestial city, to be
blest
As King of my mind-lotus, choice election
To show Dharma is supreme perfection.
Sin is slain! Passions to which I’ve confessed;
Lust, anger, pride, are successfully suppressed.
Happiness rules as my prime predilection!
The golden apples of wisdom and Jnana,
Grow richly ripe, prolifically abundant.
All is due to the profound power of Shiva,
Evil veiling Self, is now made redundant!

40

Almighty King of the whole universe,
With Thy wondrous legends I take my fill.
Subtle intellect is Thy water mill,
Speech is Thy vessel, poetry Thy verse,
Always a blessing and never a curse
That flows through Thy channels up to the sill,
Always auspicious and never for ill;
Feeding crops of devotion like a kind nurse.
How can there be fear of spiritual thirst
When you feed us with the cup of Thy grace?
Thou, all compassionate are truly the
first;
Grant me a glimpse of my original
face!

41

Shiva! Almighty conqueror of death,
I am entreated by my wagging tongue,
Monkey mind, head, feet, hands, eyes, ears, and breath,
Which all participate in action, beneath
Thy rule of Selfhood, of which I’ve sung
As Shiva in my heart. Beneath my lung
On the right side of the chest, in the sheath
Of bliss, compassion and perfect peace.
We climb heaven’s ladder by another rung,
Those instruments of flesh all worship Thee,
Full of praise, imploring their full release
From bitter bondage and onto liberty!
I pray, show me the way again and again
To find my Self, in Her grace always to remain.

42

Lord Shiva! Thou art fond of sturdy forts,
Pray remain in the fortress of my mind,
Whose moats are most magnificent. I find
Its ramparts show the courage of thought
To conquer my sins with which I am wrought.
My royal
armies are equipped with kind
Sensory
gateways far from being blind.
My troops have always bravely fought.
They’re provisioned with the food of Jnana,
And are fully armed and feel complete.
Yet I still wilt in this dungeon of samsara,
Inspite of grace, I their General feel effete.
I beg Thee dear Lord, teach me devotion,
I am drowning in life’s tempestuous ocean.

43

Primeval hunter, dweller in a mountain,
You wander here and there in search of game,
I plead, reside and hunt in me the same.
Within the jungle of my mind’s plantation,
Dwell wild beasts that cause me aggravation!
Such as lechery and desire for fame.
By slaying them, you’ll effectively tame
These disturbances of mental infatuation.
So relish the sport of hunting such wild beasts,
Have the pleasure of a sport well performed,
These creature’s egos are fit game for your feasts,
Their brutality is speedily
reformed.
Lord Shiva, great hunter with Thy
spear of gold,
Stalk these monsters as Thou did in days of old!

44

Deep down in the mountain cave of my heart
Dwells the Great God with different faces five,
Wielding a wild deer in His hand alive.
Thou who has slain the elephant demon! Start
With the tiger devil, bind him in a cart
And drag him through the busy city’s streets
So all may admire Thine astounding feats,
Let all see how well Thou played the hero’s part.
Thou art a great hunter, so where is fear for me?
I have firm faith that you will always slay
Demons that enter my mind and terrorise
My better self which strives each hour and day,
To love, adore and be fit to Self Realise.,
That Self Awareness for which we toil and pray,
To serve the Self, which is Shiva, in every way!

45

Oh proud, preening parrot ego-bird,
Rest always in the nest of the lotus feet
Of
Shiva, where shrewd scholars all compete
To hearken
to his every sagacious word,
Which is eternal, and only truly heard
By those devotees who are fully replete
In Jnana Knowledge, wise and complete;
Shiva’s great teaching is by them preferred.
His soothing words remove all sad sorrow
And shine with the bright light of felicity.
So end stupid wandering off tomorrow,
And enjoy the bliss of His perspicacity.
I am sick and weary of futile pursuit,
I love the truth of Shiva’s wisdom’s fruit.

46

Oh mind, when focused, you’re a regal swan;
Nest in His magic mountain residence,
At Parvati’s feet, where Her sacred incense
Curls up to heaven. Its fragrance falls upon
All who worship Shiva, mighty as the Sun.
Rubies and pearls encrust the golden fence
Which hides the wives of holy saints who sense
The wonder of Shiva, the glorious One.
It’s at His feet that the Sages
prostrate,
Surrendering mind in fear and awe,
Anxious to avert
that terrible fate
Of rebirth in samsara again once more.
All pray and plead for Lord Shiva’s grace,
And catch a glimpse of his auspicious face.

47

In the radiant rose garden of my heart,
In my sunny summertime of meditation,
A hymnal chant I sing in adoration.
The white lilies of devotion impart
Their scent, welcoming an earnest start
To prune the growths of grievous dissipation,
Heralding the task of mental regulation,
Then worship blooms to form a sacred part.
The sweet apple of Self Knowledge and bliss,
Pure Awareness, is a joyful juicy fruit
Sealed with Divine Parvartis’ blessed kiss.
She fulfils the magic of my Self pursuit.
Bold beauty adorns my silent bower of peace
In the ardent arbour of my Soul’s release.

48

In the nest of mind, the best of swans,
Cruise to the calm lake of God
recollection,
A reservoir of infinite satisfaction,
Blossoming with water
lilies, whose Sun
Kissed blooms, welcome the Enlightened One,
Set in the hearts of Saints, making prostration
At Shiva’s feet of supreme domination:
To seek His safe refuge they always run.
His sacred waters will cleanse my sin,
So why pollute myself in muddy pools,
Slaving to the vile desires of stupid fools;
A maddening pastime one can never win.
Better to bathe in Shiva’s Godlike grace
The effects of such folly he will soon efface.

49

May the rose flower of firm devotion
Yield me fruitful hips that I always desire,
A bud well fed by love to which I aspire;
An endless flow of heartfelt emotion,
Deeper and wider than the sea-green ocean.
The rose climbed from Shiva’s feet, I so admire,
Rich with shoots that wind round my inward byre
Of constancy and faithful affirmation.
The crimson blooms cover my
mental porch,
They are without blemish and full of fire,
Any sins and
failing they quickly scorch,
Raising my vile mind from its muddy mire.
Why am I always in such a hurry
Scurrying in mind’s cow sheds of slurry?

50

I praise the Arjuna tree, a linga
At Sri Saila, with white jasmine entwined
On that beautiful mountain, on which we find
Parvati embracing her Great Lord Shiva;
Auspicious, like His teaching of Vedanta.
Around His neck writhing serpents wind,
Yet Shiva is all merciful and most kind,
Are not his sons Ganesha and Skanda?
Eager humming bees gather around,
Buzzing with their truly glorious sound
Of Om, most sacred primordial word,
That this vast universe has ever heard.
All join in chanting Great Lord Shiva’s praise,
He guards and protects us throughout our days.

51

Bhramarambika, all pervading Lord of ease,
The Bee whose hive sits on Sri Saila
hill,
Dancing to the tune of Sage Bhrngin’s will,
Who follows the lead of
the Queen of Bees,
And quelled the pride of a demon, Her to please.
An Elephant which drank rut up to his fill,
He wallowed in the time of spring until,
He willed to stay at rest, at last in peace.
The very memory of this sacred linga,
Bestows on devotees special merit,
For such is the grace of Great Lord Shiva,
That with certain faith they will inherit
The auspicious gift of Brahman Nirvana!
That bee is a friend of the God of love,
And sips sweet nectar from flowers above.

52
Oh Shiva! Lord with peacock blue throat,
I adore Thee! Thou sports snakes to boast
And show me Thy greatness; yet divine love
Is Lord Shiva’s chief virtue! From above
He reigns supreme to pilot our boat
Steering us across life’s ocean afloat
To reach Liberation, free as a dove!
That cosmic peacock has a crest of sky,
Parvati
is his precious pea hen,
His teaching’s the pyre on which false me shall
die,
Om is His primordial sound emblem.

54

I love that peacock blue throated wonder
Whose scintillating dance of prancing feet
In summer’s heat, sends rolls of drumming beats,
Tapped by Vishnu’s rumbling clouds of thunder.
His forked lightning frightens folk asunder,
Clouds shed tears of grace as rain complete;
Uma as Peahen Goddess gets from Her seat,
Such beauty to share, joys without number.
I sing in praise of our sage Lord Shiva
Whom with gracious Uma as his wife,
Upholds the righteous path of Dharma
And ordains the Karma of earthly life.
Such is the power of His divinity
A guide for humanity for all infinity.

55

May my humble obeisance be to Thee
Oh Sambhu, Lord with many matted locks
Thou art the primal cause; Thou scoffs and mocks
At sceptics of Thy great Divinity,
Limitless light
that shines to infinity,
Thou art recognised by red mountain rocks,
Oh
mover of psychic obstacles and blocks.
With Thee in our hearts, we find affinity,
Thou art sole subject of our meditation.
The lesser Gods all praise Thy Holy Name,
In Jnana Knowledge Thou art the summation,
In the hearts of Devotees Thou art the flame.
Thou art the weaver of the veil of Maya,
Skilled dancer of the cosmos, blessed Shiva!

56

Matted haired Shiva! Thou art eternal!
Embodied in the Gunas, qualities three;
Raw activity, dull passivity,
And neutral clarity supernal.
Thou art both paternal and maternal!
The true nature of pure consciousness; free
To create three worlds by Maya magically,
Ending them after each era dies, terminal!
Thou art directly perceived by Sages,
Thou inspires each hallowed Advaitic text,
Thou art the refuge and rock of ages,
Oh Great Lord Shiva what follows next?
Thou art
engaged in prancing a cosmic dance,
Freedom for devotees, is their happy
chance.

57

Lord of all souls, perfect pervading One!
I flatter rich folk in my zest for wealth,
I stuff my belly, bad for mental health,
I wander in vain seeking futile fun,
Avoiding right effort I run and run,
Evading your grace by devious stealth,
I fail to benefit the commonwealth.
All is such vanity under the Sun,
Yet through Thy compassion in spite of all
Sins, through merit earned in a former life,
As my Guru within, you prevent my fall,
Saving me from tense trouble and strife.
I am ever thankful for your protection,
I prostrate to thee in grateful subjection.

58

Oh Great Lord of Souls, dearest dazzling Light
To vanquish my jet black darkness and its shades,
Help me before my ardour fades
Become visible, blaze with all Thy might!
Illuminate me from Thy commanding height.
Aid me before my
ardent ardour fades.
Sense thieves continue brazen burgling raids:
Oh
Great Lord Shiva take pity on my plight!
Thine effulgence exceeds a crore of Suns,
Why then cloud Thy brilliant Self from me?
Destroy base ignorance, make vile demons run
Away; permit my Soul freedom to dwell in Thee.
Pray destroy my egotism and make me whole,
Let Self Realisation be my destined goal!

59

Oh Lord of Souls! Vast all pervading One,
Worthy consort of Parvati divine;
As Cartaka birds always moan and whine
For heavy clouds of rain, which veil the Sun,
And lotus tanks are yearned for by the swan,
And Cakora birds for Moon beams; so I pine
To touch Thy holy lotus feet sublime.
Which will be reached by that path on which we run;
Thy great teaching of the Jnana Marga,
That yields the bliss of sheer perfection.
That’s Thy blessed gift for me, Oh Shiva,
To Thee I surrender humbly in
subjection.
By the fine example of these fabulous birds,
Accept my sonnet’s feelings,
if not their words.

60

A man dragged by the current seeks the shore,
The weary walker, the cool shade of a tree,
The soul afraid of sin finds refuge in Thee.
The steel magnet attracts metallic ore,
The faithful wife to her Lord, flies in awe,
Creepers cling to the tree, that’s strong and free,
The river races to its source the sea;
So I yearn for Thee Lord Shiva, more and more!
Oh mind, reach the Lotus feet of the Lord!
Ever stay there; that is real devotion.
Let restless mind be held by Bhakti’s cord,
To know the bliss of Lord Shiva’s ocean.
Pray bless me with Thy Grace of Constancy,

61

Seeds of Ankola trees stick to the tree,
The one afraid of rain shelters under a roof,
Guests rest with the householder unaloof.
The poor receive from generous charity,
Those fearful of
night will light their lamps brightly,
The cold take warmth from fire; all brings proof
How Thy
protection is beyond reproof,
As these similes illustrate quite rightly.
Oh mind, reach the feet of Shiva with ease,
This will drive away all its needless fear
And gain Thy blessing of blissful peace,
Such is Thy boundless Grace, I hold so dear.
Oh Great Shiva grant me Thy protection,
And relieve me from direst dereliction.

62

As a mother’s devotion guards her child,
The roar of Shiva’s conch, all sin will efface;
By smearing sacred ash upon one’s face
And cladding oneself in purity mild,
Freed from the world, by which soul was defiled.
I’ll be cleansed of guilt without any trace!
Such is the power of Lord Shiva’s grace,
Formidable God so fierce and so wild.
He gives rest in prayer and contemplation,
The mantra of his sacred name will keep
Away thieves which besiege
meditation.
Oh Lord Shiva I plead for just one peep
Of they magnificent effulgent glory,
To end the shame
of my personal story.

63

Kannappars sandals worn out on forest ways,
Became his mark between the eye brows,
Of the blessed body of the Lord of Hours.
The libation of water held in place
In his mouth became a bath of grace
For the Victor of Cities whose powers
Showed how Great Lord Shiva towers
Overall. That huntsman took first place
Of Shiva’s devotees; Kannappar the saint,
Who gave Him an eye so he could rest
In His fair breast, never prone to faint
From weariness or fade away distressed.
Kannappar was His servant beyond compare,
Beloved by Shiva for such Devotion so rare!

64

Oh Sambhu! Kicking at Lord Yama’s chest,
Destroyer of ignorant Apasmara,
Hovering around on Mount Kailasa;
Ruffling the crowns of Gods, at Thy behest
Worn on shaven heads for Thee to
bless.
Such is the task of Thy path of Jnana
But is this proper, I ask Thee, Lord Shiva?
Please wear the
sandals of my mind, confessed.
Oh dear Lord Shiva, I am now convinced,
The fruit of ‘moksha’ is easily reaped
Through Devotion, as Thou has evinced
By the wealth of grace, which Thou hast heaped
On Devotees, struggling for liberation:
Great Shiva frees me from my consternation.

65

Consort of beloved Uma, Goddess of Love,
Nothing’s impossible for Thee, whose mind
Worships Thy illustrious feet. We find
Seeing Thee, Yama flees, afraid of a shove
Which will send him flying high up above.
The lesser Gods all wave their lamps behind
Thee; while the gentle Mukti Bride, so kind,
Embraces them wherever they may rove.
The place of Devotees is above the Gods,
Because of your loving and gracious care,
Although that may appear to be most odd,
It is the experience of all who
dare
To attain deliverance from dread samsara;
Such is Thy greatness my dear Lord Shiva!

66

Oh
Sambhu! Thou creates Thy worlds in play,
Thy inhabitants are Thy sportive game,
Every gracious deed performed in Thy Name,
Is for Thy pleasure alone, the Sages say,
It’s certain, that my deeds everyday,
Are only to exalt Thy righteous fame;
Thy protection is all I rightfully claim,
Oh Lord, for Thy mercy I pray, I pray and pray!
I enquire, what’s the nature of Thy sport?
Is it a game of love or shuttlecock?
My reason tells me in the last resort,
Your aim is to untie my bondage knot
With fingers of compassionate grace,
That one day I may view Thy eternal face.

67

I seek the placid peaceful contemplation
Of Great Lord Shiva, in the joyful land
Of silent auspicious meditation,
Freed from painful mental consternation,
Where I can join that glorious band
Of ardent loving
devotees, and
Rejoice in festive jubilation;
Praising Thee in endless glorification,
Knowing Thou holds us in
Thy gracious hand.
We enjoy the tears and precious thrills
Engendered by many heartfelt delights
Which protect us from all bodily ills,
As Thou leads us from darkness into light.
Reciting Thy Name is a fruitful field
To force ego’s surrender and to Thee yield!

68

Oh Lord of Souls; Oh compassionate One!
Protect this beauteous cow of mine, Devotion.
From Thy luscious grass, she strays in motion;
Make her yield the delight, second to none,
Milk of Jnana, the best beneath the Sun.
Pardon her ignorant arrogation,
Loving the ‘I am the body’ notion,
Lead her to Thy feet when all is said and done,
Devotion is the precious fruit of deeds
Well performed in an earlier life;
On her merit my cow earnestly feeds,
Free her from all trouble, sorrow and strife.
Let me churn
her good milk of devotion,
To the cream of Jnana, a potent potion!

69

I’m not inert like some slovenly
sloth,
Nor impure like some smelling cess pool drain,
Nor am I crooked like a burglar’s brain,
Even if I be either, none, all or both,
Oh Great Lord Shiva I’m indeed loath
To claim, “am I not fit just the same,
To always worship Thy sacred name
And serve Thee as an ornamental broach?
Oh Lord Shiva Thou sport a crescent moon;
In spite of all my defects great and small,
Your everlasting mercy, will surely soon
Regard my sins as nothing much at all.
Thou art all compassion, beyond compare,
In Thy bountiful largesse, I wish to share!

70

Whether in the open, beneath the sky,
Or in the cloister of my closeted room,
Thou art easy to live with: bye and bye
Thou shall save me from false sense of ‘me’ and ‘my’.
You weave time with space, on Thy cosmic
loom,
And create a world of illusion, soon
To be destroyed, when only Thou knows why,
When this insentient body will end and
die.
But Thy merciful grace will avert such doom,
For your devotees brought to Realisation
Who practice Self Enquiry and Surrender
Finally reach enlightened liberation,
And to Thee their roasted ego’s render.
Oh dear Lord Shiva, Thou art beyond all praise,
Thou brings supreme joy, into mournful days!

71
Great Lord Shiva’s unfailing sharp arrows,
Fixed to the bow of deepest meditation,
Bent with the string of firmest devotion;
For devotees with purified mind, He throws
Enemy sinners some powerful blows:
Gaining the balm of a soothing lotion,
Death of the ‘I am the body notion’,
Lord Shiva knows, he knows, he surely knows!
We are urged to be like skilful archers
And strike target-ego’s black bull’s eye;
Then like resolute and doughty marchers,
We
reach the goal of moksha before we die.
Gain a good bowman’s skilled ability,
Shiva grants the gift of great
stability!

72

There are many friends who have gained their end
And reached they beloved holy lotus feet;
Even for Gods they’re the safest retreat.
They wear serpents as ornaments and bend
Their knees in obeisance to Thee, to fend
Off demonic tendencies they may meet
On their way to Self Realisation so complete.
Oh Shiva, to Thee my love I now do send.,
We find clear vision through Thy ointment
Of meditation, breaking through the black
Dark Ignorance,and make an appointment
With Thee, to remedy all that I lack
In virtue, grace, knowledge and devotion
For Thee; who steers my craft across life’s ocean!

73

Oh good mind! learn to love the lotus feet
Of Supreme Lord Shiva; field for the growth
Of that medicinal herb, which is both
Release and blissful happiness
complete;
Desired by all who aren’t weak or effete.
Oh Lord Shiva, I have sworn a mighty oath
To obey Thy
gracious rule, and ever clothe
Thee in praise. These poems attempt this feat!
How can I ever thank Thee for such Grace,
Bestowed on one, unmerited and bad;
But that single glance from Thine effulgent face,
Has made me ever grateful and so glad!
I salute Thee, magnificent Lord Shiva,
Who’s willed to help and save this poor Jiva!

74

May the lotus feet of the Lord who sent,
Virtues that are north, south, east and west
Of space, make my Heart’s sacred casket,
Perfumed by that powerful God-like scent,
That overwhelms the bad smell of nescience:
Desire, greed, delusion, lust and the rest
Of those sins, which undermine the best
Virtues of heaven that for Man are meant.
Pilgrim advancing on the mountain trail
Passed a wayside flower, a bramble rose,
He bowed and breathed
its fragrance; without fail
It cleansed his polluted mind of all those
Vile impurities which besmirched his
state;
He thanked the Lord for such a blessed fate.

75
Oh great destroyer of passionate lust,
Commander of all the different worlds
Into which the suffering soul is hurled,
Rider of the Bull kicking up the dust,
Restrain my mental horse as Thou must!
Which is auspicious and is well impearled
Without blemish like a summer rose unfurled.
A skilled rider mounted the steed of my mind,
And rode him swiftly to salvation’s goal.
There, deep silence in the heart did find,
He saved that poor perverted erring soul.
All praise great Lord Shiva rider of the bull
All is perfection in his sight, all is full.

76

Devotion’s like a cloud sailing in the sky,
An image of the all powerful Lord,
Who showers love and bliss with every word,
Removing from the mind all wail and cry;
A
lake whose mind is filled, bye and bye,
With a white swan, a celestial bird,
Whose song of adoration shall be
heard
By the ears of almighty God on high.
By devotion the whole crop of life is reaped,
Harvested by toilers in the field of life;
The rain of grace, into the soil has seeped,
The overwhelming flood of love is rife,
On which the raft of liberation floats;
The hymn of victory issues from our throats.

77

Like a husband separated from his wife,
The mind attached to His petalled lotus feet,
Constantly remembers in to be complete
In firmness, grasping for his dearest life,
Walking the razor’s edge, sharp as a knife,
Charmed by His Mantra which he does repeat,
Om namah shivaya to a rhythmic beat,
His heart swells with devotional praise so rife.
Like a priest chanting sacred hymns of praise,
He meditates on good and noble thought,
Fond memories, sights and sounds, all his
days,
And the famous stories he has been taught.
Lord Shiva is great in every way,
We think on his glories
throughout each day.

78
I pray Lord Shiva every night and day,
Uplift this turgid intellect of mine,
As one would dress a bride in all that’s fine.
Endow her with excellence in such a way,
That brings it to noble service, and a ray
That makes the light of true humility shine
Bright, warm, compassionate and sublime,
Fostering Good as its aim in life’s great play.
At a wedding the pure chaste minded bride,
Swears her allegiance to the husband in love;
So can intellect wed the Self to confide
In the God of power inside and above.
This is the mystical marriage of the Sage,
That maintains world righteousness for this age.

79

Oh Shiva! Thy rosey feet ever gently tread
On the pink lotus petals of Thy lover’s minds;
But Thou kicked at the hard chest-door of
dread
Yama, Lord of Death, who strikes each heart and head,,
In this dream of the weary deaf and blind.
My mind ponders on
Thy ways, yet to find
An answer to which my errant soul be led.
Bring Thy feet within my sight, and unwind
Thy maze, before alas I too must die,
And be born once more in wretched ignorance,
To fight again in this vale of tears to sigh.
I pray, before I leave, grant another chance
To take hold of your precious blessed feet,
When Self Realised, I shall be complete!

80

"This soul's to be reborn, his mind is hard;
On his egotism I have need to dance,
On his vasanas I shall stamp and prance"!
Thinking how to protect me and safeguard,
You trampled on my ego's house of cards,
As inside your house divine where chances
Are secure, you blest me with your glances,
Oh Great Lord Shiva you're the King of Bards!

Shiva chose a fine mountain high in sky
So his lotus
feet would harden well,
Then his dance on hard minds of those who lie
Prostrate at his feet will be saved from hell.
That's his
promise and ever boundless grace
To all those who yearn to glimpse his sacred face.

81

Consort of beautiful Uma Divine,
While worshiping your sweet, soft lotus feet
Offering obeisance ever complete,,
Sometimes in deep meditation I pine,
Immersed in concentration ever sublime,
Reflecting on your deeds when you defeat
My demons of mind that are so replete.

Mature Devotion leads to Liberation,
It's meant to be enjoyed, here and now;
Surrendered minds reach Self Realisation,
Lord Shiva's guidance does tell us how.
The mind binds soul and the same mind frees,
For mind bonded to Shiva, Self surely sees!

82

Consort of Devi! Hari took many forms,
That of an arrow, bull, a wife, a boar,
A friend beating a drum as you dance! for
He
offered you an eye, beyond all norms
Of sacrifice, braving grave earthly storms.
That one who's part of your body's core,
Who can
excell him, for ever more?
Visnu, the Great God sure to perform

He took the shape of ravishing Mohini,
She gave to the Gods sweet ambrosia,
Destroying demons like a strong Yogini,
Ever to help you, oh Great Lord Shiva!
Hari is beyond doubt nearest to Hara,
Combining to free us from sad samsara!

83

In praising Gods who're slaves to death and birth,
There's no happiness or everlasting bliss.
Parvati's Lord, who's crowned by her kiss,
Has no birth, and is of eternal worth.
We're blest and never suffer any dearth
Of boundless Grace, or shall ever miss
Chance of Realisation, or be amiss
From joy,warmed by fire from Shiva's hearth.

There's no point in praising minor Godlings,
They cannot help in gaining our final goal
Of Liberation. Let us combine
in singing
The praises of He who'll make us whole!
Lord Shiva is our God who reigns Supreme,
He'll wake us up from life's
tormenting dream.

84

Oh Shiva, Bhava, friend of all the worlds,
Deep blue ocean of sat chit ananda,
Your sons were Great Ganesha and Lord Skanda.
Oh compasionate one whose love unfurled
Worlds, before into destruction they were hurled.
To be with Gauri engaged in sadhana,
I offer my mind steeped in samasara,
No more in birth or death shall I be whirled.

This errant daughter Mind I dedicate
To your service oh my dearest Lord,
Let her be with Parvati and replicate
Her Love for you, a boundless cord
Of Devotion, ever more to dwell with you
Oh Lord Shiva my God, who is ever true.,

85

Oh crescent crested jewel of the Moon,
I'm unskilled in deep blue ocean churning,
My love for you is a fire ever burning,
I pray that you'll reward my efforts
soon,
As towards my Self I'm ever turning.
For you dearest Lord I'm always yearning,
Make me dance and stamp to your wildest
tune,
Grant me Liberation, your greatest boon!

I'm not a hunter skilled in killing game,
How can I offer gifts to you in praise,
When I bow to worship your sacred Name?
What shall I give you when I try to raise
Adornments for your holy neck to wear?
Ego's the gift you wish to really bear.

86

Oh consort of Parvati, Uma divine,
All things for puja are well gathered up,
But how shall I perform worship sublime?
I haven't gained the state of even a pup.
Such attainment is very hard to meet,
Oh all pervading glorious One,
I don't see thy crown or lotus feet,
Even by Brahm or Vishnu they weren't won.
So how am I to worship thee my Lord?
The God ansered with a mighty roar,
Give love devotion and care my child,
Approach me humbly, truly meek and
mild,
THat is all I can say, and what is more,
Dive deep inside and you can open my door!

87

Oh beloved Sambu, Shiva-ji- my
Lord,
The food you devour is worlds poison vile,
Your ornament is a wild serpent, while
For transport you ride a bullock abroad.
May you ever grace and grant us to afford,
Liberation from this rank earthly pile
Of trouble;surely that's not your blessed style?
Slay my vile ego with your mighty sword!

Grant me devotion to thy soft lotus feet,
This is my praise not meant as any blame,
That's all I need, to make life my complete,
Save me from all hypocrisy and shame,
May my ego be fine food as a special treat,
Roast it well so its tasty and so sweet!

88

Oh mighty Lord Shiva my undying love,
It's only when I become like Lord Rama,
Or He who pressed down a mount, Agastya,
That I'll be able to worship thee above,
Lord Shiva sweeter than a turtle dove,
Exceeding even white lotus born Brahma,
Or in modern times like great Sri Ramana,
Whom on Arunachala loved to rove.

It's not possible for me to worship Thee,
To do so I must be like one of these,
Then I'd be fit to praise Ye and then be,
Worthy My Lord, and Thou able to please.
Thou the greatest God reigning above,
I surrender at Thy feet with all my love!

*A FREE VERSIFICATION IN SONNET FORM OF ADI SHANKARA'S SIVANANANDALAHARI FIRST 88 VERSES

MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

2011-02-21T18:35:00.001-08:00

Creation, from galaxy to gene dear friend,
Is a musical dream, an harmonic blend
On pianolas programed by A Maestro Supreme,
The ground base is struck, His enigmatic theme .

The tune, a uniquely melodic one,
For each instrument is uniquely done .
Through assonant chords and dissonant notes,
The whole concerto grosso spatially floats

Creating ethereal music of the spheres,
For the sole enjoyment of celestial ears.
Yet we are more than piano rolls of sound,
We flow 'continuo', as monochords profound,

By improvisation from A Cosmic Force
From Supreme Silence of An Infinite Source

ARUNACHALA LOVE SONG

2011-02-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

AURORA

2011-02-19T20:09:00.001-08:00

The morning light of golden hue is born,
Proud cocks do crow in carillon call,
Dark's dispelled by red streaks of radiant dawn.

Hear choirs of birds carolling hymns for all,
To raise awareness up, as opening eyes
Greet a great new day. Waiting Soul grows tall.

Now wide awake, attention inward flies,
To find Self in Heart this blessed morn,
The Self, a blazing light that never dies.

SONG OF UNITY

2011-02-18T03:15:00.000-08:00

I am full as a mountain lake after the summer rain

That’s fed the sacred stream and source of holy wisdom, love.

A fire sent by God to ignite His planet, from above.

The golden glow of heat on burnished plain

Gilding leaves on this march down pilgrim’s lane;

Warming the earth, her gritty ochre clay,

Water, sea of mercy, so green and grey.

Air, the sweet breath of life that’s free from pain,

Crystalline, beyond any loss or gain.

What does it mean to my Master, pure as a turtle dove?

This vast empty void, a deep abyss, the precious pearl

Of trial that poor pilgrim has to pay.

What of scripture, tracts, gospels and theological books?

The Lord’s lurid library of commands and revelation;

A crore of scribbling comments with endless emendation,

Weighty tomes which cram cathedrals nook and crook

To surfeit, cawing like a craw of rooks.

What is self-knowledge, esoteric?

Pathology of mind, narcissistic?

Even when freed from the senses it looks

A hotchpotch prepared by the devil’s cooks;

To titillate the senses to some novel sensation.

So what is freedom, vulgarised by folk-democratic?

But my Master who is One is truly aristocratic!

What is knowledge of truth, understanding, enlightenment

And ignorance, sleep, alienation, dark delusion

Or folly, dithering in a dream of world illusion?

Or freedom from bondage and attachment?

Are these questions the prime predicament?

What means ego? I thought, I conceit

Imprisoned by mind, one beds in self-deceit,

This is mine, a grasping temperament

For baubles, attractive but so vehement?

Or the form of self-consciousness to save from confusion,

To rescue soul from duality, its preordained defeat?

I pray for grace and mercy at my Master’s tender feet.

I am without a central ‘I-notion’ resident at home,

There’s no me to be elated or badly hurt by fear,

Pleased, perplexed, precious, pouting, proud, or simply here

To feel depressed, anxious. A soul free to roam

On inward seascape of bubbles, froth and foam.

So where is he who suffers, enjoys, acts,

Who has strong opinions and knows all facts?

The rising of thoughts under a cerebral dome,

What’s this world? The trinket of an impish gnome?

Here and now there’s no fictional person to jeer or leer,

For my Master, Dame Fortune’s cards are neatly dealt in stacks,

Abidance in the heart, Real Self, no need for lofty tracts.

Seated in the temple shrine of the spiritual heart

Nestling on the dexter side of my heaving breast

Not on the left where the fleshly pump pulses in the chest,

Dwells ‘I Am’ which wakens Self to start.

Pondering, I question, what is the part

I play on life’s stage and what is this world?

Who yearns for freedom from prison where hurled?

Oh what is oneness, truth and wisdom’s art?

Into which God shot love’s rose-flowered dart?

Who is bound or free as the honoured friend and conscious guest?

Behind the nervous body-mind and now at last unfurled,

Space for a universe to happen in, lustrous and impearled.

Deep in my spiritual Heart, I am the One, unborn,

Uncaused, deathless, I am, uniquely perfect, new, absolutely free!

I ask what is this tempestuous, stormy, troubled sea?

Where froth foams spuming from dusk to dawn,

On the ocean of Self lit by a fiery morn.

What is creation, world dissolution?

I ponder, and search for some solution.

Who and what is seeking? King, bishop or pawn

On this chequered emerald palace lawn?

What is the goal of seeking? Is it peace, freedom, liberty?

Who is the bold seeker who craves this final absolution?

Has he found any answer? An ultimate resolution!

I am pristine, pure as the driven Himalayan snow

As a pellucid stream pouring from a pinnacle’s height,

Chaste, flawless, stainless, without blame, blemish and wintry white.

I trickle down the mountain valley’s flow

Free! I’m curious, what is there to know?

By what dubious method is knowledge gained,

To what spurious end when it’s attained?

I have no problems here, now or there below,

I’ve surmounted grief, all sorrow born of woe,

Simply stated, I know what is meant by both wrong and right.

Our universe by creation, preservation, is maintained

By grace of God and his mighty will, all creatures are sustained.

Here, awakened now, I am steady and perfectly still

As an adamantine rock in the restless ocean stands,

Unmoved by cyclonic gale, tidal wave or shifting sands,

What of oppositions, healthy or ill,

Pleasure, pain, to heal quickly or to kill;

Distraction, perturbation, meditation,

Reflection, negation, confirmation?

Sage welcomes all as God’s almighty will

He accepts ‘what is’, as gracious grist to his mill.

Gently by grace of God, in mercy, he breaks all bondage bonds

In a great paean of praise and total affirmation

He rests with consciousness, his Self, the great consummation.

I have lost the monotonous merry-go-round of thought

The perpetual treadmill of self-opinion and words,

Mainly cynicism and lies, the parroting chirp of birds,

A poisonous brew so bitterly fraught

With the mistaken idea that I ought

To cherish the mind as chief.

Am I to be mugged by thought, the villainous thief?

So that is the lesson my dear Master brought,

Ignore the scorpion stings of concepts wrought

With this inner discussion and debate. It’s so absurd

There is consciousness here, a gift beyond any belief

And the ending of thought; peace, ultimate joy and relief.

I am clarity pure as diamond, crystal, lily-white

Growing in a moorland, a purple thistle-bracken field.

So what is illusion? To this question I meekly yield.

Finite mind can’t understand the infinite,

And magic of Maya is but a slick trick of light.

What is this life? A bad dream which appears?

A note to deceive the soundest of ears,

An emptiness as velvet void as night

For witnessing Self, nakedness of clear inward sight.

To know what is here now beyond pearl onion peeled.

So my Master gently wipes away all my sad grief and tears,

All is well, unfolding as it should to allay foolish fears.

With not the slightest hint of duality, One without two,

Unity, wholeness, existence, holistic, all seamless

Without separation, pure consciousness, love, awareness,

No division between me and you

Emanating from the Primal Source, who

Am I, but That? I am eternal, the same

Being as truth and God without a name.

At last I know the little ‘me’ who can never do,

All that happens is the will of God right through.

I rest in the spiritual heart, blissful, benign and blameless,

So what is my greater Self to the mighty God of flame?

My Master says “Unknown, unique, celebrate His game.

“For endless striving and effort, what’s the urgent need?

Struggling, wrestling against one’s natural way and feeling

Trained from the cradle to do well, and practice honest dealing,

Working hard if you wish to barely feed

A family own home, car and succeed,

Ingrained, conditioned, a machine well oiled,

Pilgrim’s become half-baked and par-boiled”.

So my Master to his students does plead,

Be still, motiveless when you perform any deed.

So forget all those books, aims, efforts, teaching and kneeling,

After all the hard years you’ve zealously worked and toiled

Open wide, relax, and never by the world be coiled!

I have no limits or borders, I am no longer bound.

No more hedges, fences, verges, remain for spacious me,

Nothing arises, I am empty capacity for all to see

That all is well, my True Self I have found!

I traced my ‘I thought’ like a hunting hound

And knew my primal source, the light of day,

And now as consciousness I’m free to play.

I rest in the heart on a sacred mound

Where my naked feet walk on holy ground.

I am freedom, enlightenment, joy, bliss and liberty!

Nothing ever was, I am God, what more is left to say?

This Ashtavakra taught me, his devoted pupil, the true Advaita way!

I am That, absolute, unique, ever primeval One

As consciousness, love, awareness, effortless bliss,

Embraced by the love of God, blest by His all-gracious kiss ;

In light of glory, radiant as the sun,

I am homogeneous, second to none.

What care I for freedom or liberation?

In life or death, gaining realisation?

Or for my destiny predisposed to run,

Reborn in another womb till kingdom come?

And after transmigration, at-one-ment I may miss.

My Master halts this baffling mental perturbation.

I let go, abiding in my heart of silent adoration.

Alan Jacobs

HEART GARDEN

2011-02-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

Deep in the heavenly garden of one's spiritual heart,
Plant a pink Rose of Purity, such beauty 'twill impart,
With a pure white Arum Lily of unconditional love,
Fresh fragrant, bright green Champaka flowers, which fall above
To grace Mandara blooms, emblems of humility meek,
Friends of Lady of Night, sweet compassion that we seek.

So plant in our spiritual garden for all to see
A melting heart, a bountiful hand that's always free,
Kind speech and a life of service to one's fellow man,
Equal vision, the whole wide universe, there to scan,
With an impartial non-judgemental attitude,
Full of freshly found forgiveness, blessing and beatitude.

FAITH

2011-02-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Take the deep leap into firm certainty of Faith,
With determined unshakeable fearlessness!
Let mighty mount Arunachala be our shield
Against sense storms of restless monkey mind.

Enjoy wholly untroubled carefree satvic calm,
By handing over our whole fictional burden
Of worry, concern, stress, and fancied anxiety
About our ordained duties and many affairs,
To our Lord of Love and infinite compassion,
Bhagavan Sri Ramana, Self of our own Being,
To whom we've unconditionally surrendered,
Taking sole refuge with worshipful devotion.

Even tribulation is welcomed as for the best!
We practice mind control through Japa of His Name,
And dive into the Heart, questing for the source of 'I',
Full of gratitude for his boundless love and grace.

TE DEUM SESTINA

2011-02-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

TE DEUM SESTINA

My hymn is sung to that great and holy One,
Who dwells in splendour, a radiant light,
That shines in every heart, and every Sun
Of Self-effulgent beauty, blazing bright.
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!
Make our actions worthy in Thy holy sight.

Oh Lord, we pray to keep Thee ever in our sight,
Oh Thou, whom we adore, our God, the holy One.
Thy rays of grace and love are always bright
In strength and power, as in the golden Sun.
Keep us from wavering, fix our hearts on light,
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!

Thou art All and Thy mighty will be done!
Not foolish will of ego, lest it darkens sight
And screens us from Thee, oh majestic One.
Thy blinding brilliance of eternity bright
Is stronger, deeper, than summer’s noon-day Sun.
Let’s bathe in Thy blissful balm of blessed light.

Lead us from nescient dark to conscious light!
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!
And ever mindful, we’re resting in Thy sight;
Thou art father, mother, friend, oh holy One,
Thy perennial fire is shining clear and bright,
Deep in our hearts, flames Thy splendid inward Sun.

Thou within us, who hides, is also in the Sun,
Dark clouds are dispelled by thy beacon light.
On bended knee we praise Thee, primordial One,
Who through grace revealed, demists our frosted sight.
Thou art All, and Thy mighty will be done!
Polish the mirrors of our souls, make them bright.

Oh jewel of faith, that sparkles diamond bright,,
And shines fiercely like our bosom friend, the Sun,
Thaw our frigid hearts with warmth and light,
Thou art All and Thy mighty will be done!
Oh, let our deeds be worthy in Thy holy sight,
To hymn our love for Thee, oh great and holy One.

Praise to the wondrous One, burning beryl bright,
Make Thy wisdom light to guide us, as the Sun,
And may Thy will be done, in Thy all knowing sight!

Alan Jacobs

ARUNACHALA SONNETS FOR AWAKENING

2011-01-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

1 FIRMEST FAITH
Find firmest Faith in one’s Sat-Guru deep inside the heart,
His force of Self will quieten down the meandering mind;
Peaceful joy, and his paternal love, we’ll quickly find.
That’s all one needs and has to try, in order to impart
Self Knowledge, most miraculous, majestic art,
Which will set alight a magic life, set to unwind.
Gracious virtues shall unfold, most merciful and kind;
Mind’s struck down by Realisation’s sudden lightning dart!

Sadhak struggled hard to climb the upward mountain way,
To the peak of Arunachala’s state for which he yearned.
Through grace he came upon a wise and humble Sage one day,
Who said “by persistence and effort you have justly earned,
The right to Liberation and eternal peace,
From Self Enquiry and Surrender you never once did cease”!

2 BEAUTY POINTS TO FREEDOM

Golden sunflowers prank the river bank,
Deep blue waters flow briskly, like the dream
Of life, for which the grateful heart will thank
Heaven, for the stunning beauty of her scene.

As Beauty is the stepping stone to God;
The restless mind will pause in silent awe,
Held in thrall by lush deep green, growing from the clod
Of Earth, that opens up for soul a door,
To enter into union with all ‘That’ sees,
Straight away to Being’s innermost core.
Bowing, the body bends in motion with the trees,
Soul prays for breeze to waft her to Nirvana’s shore;
Metallic mind’s no longer imprisoned by its iron bars!

3 WALKING ON WATER

Walk calmly on stormy world’s restless waves,
Tossing and turbulent in a violent ocean,
Be free of the ‘I am the body’ notion;
In this way our Great Sage’s teaching will soon save
Us from that treacherous egotistic knave,
Who stole God’s role in soul’s endless motion,
With worthless desires and pleasures set to crave.
Dwelling in blissful Self is the supreme emotion!

Bold swimmer saw a tidal wave ahead,
Fearless he thought it prudent just to float,
Rather than brave tempest waves instead.
He survived like a strong well crafted boat,
And soon reached that heavenly other shore,
Where he dwelt blissfully, forever, ever more!

.

4 UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

Surrender egotistic notion of ‘I’ and ‘mine’,
There’s no such person there, mind’s a bird’s nest of thoughts,
A delusion by which we’ve been snared and caught;
True Self Knowledge Teaching, flowing from the Divine,
Says ’surrender the ‘phantom me’ and all shall be fine!
Trapped mind will no longer feel fright or fraught’.
This is what all Great Sages emphatically taught!
So there’s no need to worry, be pained or to pine.

The Master said “whenever child, you utter ‘I’,
I walk, I talk, I squawk, I balk, ad infinitum,
You can be sure that you’re telling one big lie!
You’re not the author of actions or their sum,
When you truly know ‘That’ you’ll be finally free,
Blissfully dwelling in Brahman, for all eternity”!

5 ALL IS ONE

The See-er, the seeing and the seen are One,
And all that we see is Bhagavan Ramana,
Pure Consciousness-Sat Chit Ananda!
In our heart shines a light, bright as the sun.
Ramana is our Sat-Guru; He’s second to none!
Through His Grace, He’ll save us from samsara,
And lead us to the bliss of the Great Nirvana.
With Faith, all our duties, by Him will be done,
There’s no more worry, anxiety or care,
All responsibilities are well carried out,
No more dire depression or dark despair.
So with one voice, give a triumphant shout!
Om Namah Bhagavate Sri Ramanayah!
Adore Him! Om Shivayah Arunachala!

6 EQUANIMITY

Why worry about anything in life,
Thinking it be either pleasure or pain?
Where’s the need ever to cry or complain,
Where’s anything now like wrongful strife?
Guru does all for us, like a kind loving wife.
He knows what is best, there’s no need to explain.
Leave it to him, keep calm, all anxiety is vain.
He’ll cut that binding knot* with Enquiry’s knife!

Pilgrim went by train on a railroad track,
The fool was bearing his baggage on his head,
Instead of loading it onto the luggage rack.
Se when we climb the mountain path, we’re led
To give all our burden into good Guru’s care,
We trust Him more than this world would dare!

*The binding knot which connects mind to body making it believe that is who I am.

7 SUNLIGHT*

From darkness God spoke; “let there be light”! and there was light.
To Earth he gave his mighty white hot fire named Sun,
A mass of vast atomic power that’s outdone by none,
Warming his planets by day and cooling them by night,
All circling round its mammoth majestic sight.
A Giri-pradakshina around their Guru done,
They then finish their annual Sadhak’s run,
As that gigantic Shivaic force blazes on and on!

That Sun is macrocosm of our Real Self unborn,
Which shines as microcosm in every human heart,
Alas it is obscured by malign vasanas forlorn,
It’s blazing light fails to reach the blinkered soul,
But through Enquiry and Surrender, they will make one whole!
Dark ego causes our disastrous Solar Eclipse,
Insightful wisdom pours from our beloved Guru’s lips.

*Extended sonnet

8
OH TO HELL O
“This above all to thine own Self be true,
Then thou cans’t not be false to any man”.
“This is the stuff that dreams are made of”! Who
Knows ‘That’, will awaken from sleep and can
Arise as Self reborn, ‘That’ is his essence too,
Rather than living like some Caliban,
Ape-man wallowing in his mental stew.
For the immortal bard knew God’s master plan.

The tragedy of Lear is real inverted,
And Regan is anger; all anagrams
Like Goneril ‘s religion; so the poet converted
Subtle meanings into his plays for man.
‘Mercy flows from heaven like gentle rain’,
He shakes his spear of truth again and again.

9.
CRIME PREVENTION

Ego dresses up as policeman to trap a thief,
To catch the crook red handed will give us great relief;
That’s achieved by plunging deep into the heart,
The wicked scoundrel falls when his base we start
To touch, and Realisation comes to all who dive;
Then from spiritual death we rise again alive!
So Self Enquiry will destroy the criminal mind,
This our Sat-Guru taught and that is what we find!

A wicked burglar broke into a sadhak’s house,
To rob his essential substance like a hungry mouse
Steals the larder cheese. It needs some watchful cats,
To put a final end to thieving mice and rats.
The cat is ever alert and constantly aware;
Awareness guards the heart from all that steals in there!

10 HOLY ARUNACHALA*

H ail Arunachala, sacred hill of Grace!
O ur beloved Bhagavan’s blessed home,
L ucent ruby jewel beneath a saphire dome;
Y ou know that all is perfect and in place,

A uspicioness flows from your awesome space,
R adiating the mystical throb of Aum,
U ntil sadhaks find no more need to roam,
N o more deprived of your roseate face,
A bsolute wonder for a sad and weary world.
C ompassionate friend of every devotee,
H oly hill where Brahman’s power is here unfurled,
A nd by your grace, imprisoned souls fly free,
L ove and salvation is there waiting for all,
And you save those who earnestly heed your call!

*An acrostic sonnet

11 I AM THAT I AM

God spoke to Moses midst thorns of crackling fire,
He told him “I AM THAT I AM, that’s my sacred name.
King David chanted psalms and strummed upon his lyre,
He said “Be still and know that I am God, they’re just the same”.
I AM THAT is stated by the great Advaita Sages,
Who’ve recognized the Truth throughout the many ages.
Consciousness- Awareness, free from vain vasanas and pure,
Is that ‘I AM’, the key to Jnana which always must endure.
So Hebrew prophets and Hindu Sages all agree,
To rest in one’s I AMNESS is the right way to be free!

Mohammad, great prophet of Allah, wisely said,
“God is closer than one’s breathing, hands and feet”.
If one remembers ‘THAT I AM’, then one is quickly led,
To a life of wholeness, fulfilled and quite complete;
One with God and ever dwelling in most blessed peace,
A blissful state of paradise that will never cease!

12 HEART DIVING

Dive into the heart with strong tenacity,
Intense love, patience and alacrity;
Such practice must surely end in Jnana,
So said great Holy Sage, Lord Ramana.
He gave the Eki Sloka* to the Muni
The Kavankanti who was like Ganapati,
Brother to God Skanda, the son of Shiva,
Who was reborn on earth as Sage Ramana
To bring us the blessing of atma vichara.
Such is the power of this great sadhana,
That egotism is removed and the Sun of Jnana
Shines forth to enlighten the sad ignorant jiva,
That’s the good gift from Sri Bhagavan Ramana,
Who came on Eath to guide mankind to Jnana!

*THE EKI SLOKA
“IN THE INMOST CORE, THE HEART
SHINES AS BRAHMAN ALONE,
AS I-I, THE SELF AWARE.
ENTER DEEP INTO THE HEART
BY SEARCH FOR SELF, OR DIVING DEEP,
WITH BREATH UNDER CHECK.
THUS ABIDE EVER IN ATMAN.”
This verse hangs above Bhagavan’s couch in the New Hall engraved in gold on black basalt..

13 ARUNACHALA RAMANA

Bhagavan is my safe and sole refuge,
To save me from delusion’s stormy deluge.
I open the gates of my heart so the King
Of Glory may come in! With love, I sing
To the Self, inside my heart as Ramana.
I surrender at his sweet lotus feet,
Offering my mind as sacrifice complete!
I pray this gift shall soon be accepted,
Or I will waste away if neglected.
Om Namah Bhagavate Sri Ramanayah!
Om Namah Shivayah! beloved mantra.
By diving persistently into the heart,
I trust Self Knowledge, you shall soon impart!

14 SACRIFICE
Place ego-mind on the fiery flame of sacrifice,
In your spiritual heart abiding on the right.
The fool’s heart’s on the left as the sagely bright
Ecclesiastes wisely stated, to be precise.
Bhagavan affirmed that Truth too, clearly and concise.
‘There dwells the Sun of Self, its shining blazing light,
Is darkly veiled by vasanas, black as night.
Remove them by surrender and enquiry, that my Sage advice!

God told Abrahman to sacrifice his only son
Isaac, a deed of devotion and surrender,
But compassionately, the Lord said “ none
Of your kith and kin do you need to render,
Just circumcise your righteous heart instead,
Then demon ego will surely drop down dead”!

15 WAKE UP!

Mad monkey mind is made of mundane schemes:
Should I do this or that? It plans and plans
Pastimes, to occupy its restless hands.
But all these plans are but fantastic dreams,
For man cannot do! and so it seems,
All this talk of should and ought, just lands
In crass confusion, and tighten’s bondage bands.
The Way of Self Knowledge comes in gleams,
To enlighten man, and wake him up from sleep,
And abandon all this stupid waste of time!
The sacred task for jiva’s sake is to keep
Up sadhana, away from that crazy crime
Of wasting life away in dubious distractions,
Devoured by paltry pleasures and attractions

16 GREAT TRICKS OF GRACE

Does Almighty God play tricks and games of grace?
Misunderstood by man’s puny rational mind?
The answer’s surely yes! Great Sages find
That much happens beyond that tiny space
Of weak human knowledge, and at such a pace
That can’t be fathomed by the spiritually blind.
God's most merciful, compassionate and kind,
Have faith that all his acts simply put grace in place.

An earnest pilgrim had an accident one day,
He fell and broke his leg while climbing on a gate;
"This was a trick of grace", his Guru then did say,
"Because it averted a much harder graver fate".
Tricks of Grace are well beyond our human ken,
Rely on Grace’s great abundance, never worry then!

17 STORMY SEA

Let’s not be drowned in a stormy sea of words,
Struggling, paddling, to keep one’s soul afloat,
Praying for rescue from our Guru’s boat.
Mind is worse than a flock of parrot birds,
The voice of reason’s blocked and rarely heard.
Keeping quiet is much wiser than to quote
Mental chat, which clouds the Self and will promote
Staying in samsara, which is most absurd!

Sadhak’s mind kept muttering all day long,
Unable to control his monkey mind,
He knew that habit was very, very wrong;
But a way to check the pest he couldn’t find.
The Sat-Guru came and said “watch your breath
And its flow, mind will slow, and speed vile ego’s death!

18 LAMP OF NON DUAL KNOWLEDGE*

Life’s a hurdy gurdy , set to be reborn again;
A great game of hallucination and dark delusion,
A carousel carnival of crass illusion,
Tuned to chords of circumstance as its refrain
‘Bewitched, bothered and bewildered’, it’s not that plain!
So what’s the cause of such confounded confusion?
Past life tendencies concoct a cocktail diffusion;
The world’s drama’s a dream, we’re driven insane.
A mad mixture of magic maya and monkey mind;
A mistake is made, to think the world is real.
But on metaphysical enquiry we soon shall find,
It’s a dubious deception, all we see, hear and feel!
Read Lamp of Non Dual Knowledge* and you’ll learn how,
This world is mentally created, right here and now!

*Advaita Bhoda Deepika

19 MORE TRICKS OF GRACE

Self Realisation is a waiting game,
If it happened too quickly it might kill.
The nervous system must be tuned until
It can bear full force of Consciousness, same
As Pure Awareness, moksha is its name.
So there must be patience, and time, we fill
With sadhana, to keep the soul from ill,
Then egotism shall fall down, limp and lame!

Sadhak asked his Guru about tricks of grace,
He answered “They’re sent to save us from disaster,
And not understood by mind, they efface
Danger when we rush much faster and faster;
While safety lies in being peacefully calm,
Then sadhak will never come to any harm!”

20 ENDLESS DISTRACTION

Mischievous monkey mind plays an endless game
To relieve the worldly boredom of its state,
And end the painful headache, that’s ordained by fate:
So pursuing pleasure, sensation or fame,
Without fear or favour, shame, remorse or blame,
Is mind’s way, this toilsome trouble to abate,
Brazen and impatient, it has no time to wait.
Carnal enjoyment is its constant clammy claim.
All this woeful waste of energy and time,
Would better be spent in practical sadhana.
That’s the needed Holy Task to try that’s prime,
So said Great Sage Sri Bhagavan Ramana,
For mature souls this must be their main attraction.

21 MY SAT GURU APPEARS

“I’m but an appearance in your life dream my dear,
Don’t be afraid, I’m not some fiesty phantom ghost,
In fact I shall become your precious teaching host;
So there’s no need for any anxious qualms or fear,
I’m your Sat-Guru sent to bring you much cheer;
In time you’ll come to love me the very most
Of the many men idly mistaken for a post;
I’ll teach you Self Enquiry and free you from here.
Your Guru appears like a lion in your dream,
To awaken you from the nightmare of samsara.
I’m not exactly what I look like or seem,
In fact my name is Sri Bhagavan Ramana!
I’ll free you from your iron prison of mind,
A loving more helpful friend you never will find”!

22 THE WHORE HOUSE SCORNED

A respectable pilgrim eyed a prostitute
Eating dog-flesh en route to her house of whores,
He thought, as she flounced through the brothel door,
Being a very fine man of high repute,
He’d avoid that bitch like poisoned fruit.
But such is the case with any soul, what’s more,
Who harbours the ‘I am the body notion’, for
Who scorns that lie, like dog flesh, is freed and astute.

A sadhak walked by a plague-ridden town,
He soon turned round and raced quickly away,
He knew if he stayed he’d soon be struck down,
And his life would end, on that fateful day!
That town is like the ‘I am the body notion’,
It’s rejection surely leads to Self’s shoreless ocean!

23 THY WILL BE DONE

Even when our God seems to be unwilling,
His will is still my affirmative will!
The duty of man is just BE STILL,
Instead of letting monkey mind go killing
Realisation of the Self, and filling
Soul with idle chatter that works for ill;
It makes one’s worldly dream a bitter pill
To swallow and send the senses reeling.
Keeping quiet is a much wiser feeling,
And will lead to real freedom if maintained,
So peace and bliss are in the Heart retained,
And man lives in happiness and endless joy,
A state of Being which can never cloy.
Existence- Awareness- Love, is that state of Being!

24 MOTHER MAYA’S MAGIC PICTURE SHOW

This so-called world you view, dear aspiring friend,
Is a crazed creation of one’s ignorant mind;
It’s produced by latent tendencies, that we find
From many previous lives, and in the end,
It’s like a dream at night in which we pretend
We believe as real; but it’s nothing of the kind!
It’s like a film, and the spool will soon unwind,
So pictures on the screen ‘twill swiftly send.
Sages term it ‘instantaneous creation’,
It depends on the seer; but who is seeing?
So we’re trapped in fanciful fascination,
Tricked by coloured pictures that mind’s revealing.
This world’s a product of one’s imagination
And we’re deceived by such a strange sensation.

25 DREAM HALL OF MIRRORS

What we need to do is inwardly turn
And Self Enquire; that’s the best of all!
Then turn to Bhagavan, and in surrender fall,
Then watch the flame of Agni slowly burn
All vile vasanas away; ego it will spurn!
Don’t be perplexed in the Dream Figure Hall
Of Mirrors, which fill the seeming world, but call
For Grace! Through effort, Moksha one can earn!

Sadhak was perplexed by Figures in life’s dream,
His Sad Guru said to him “ my dearest son,
Forget all those people, they only seem
As real; pray turn within and wake up upon
Your bed, forever end that dread samsara”!
Soon he was free, thanks to great Lord Ramana!

26 SACRIFICE

Offer ‘mind’ on the funeral pyre of sacrifice,
In one’s spiritual heart abiding on the right.
“The fool’s heart’s on the left” as wisely bright
Ecclesiastes firmly stated, to be quite precise.
Bhagavan echoed him, most clearly and concise;
“There dwells the Sun of Self, but its shining light
Is darkly veiled by malign vasanas black as night,
Remove them by Surrender, that’s my sage advice”!

God told Abrahman to sacrifice his only son
Isaac, a deed of devotion and surrender,
But then compassionately the Lord said “Non
Of your kith and kin do you need to render;
Just circumcise your righteous heart instead,
Then demonic ego will surely drop down dead”!

*A Sequence of 26 Sonnets, mainly in the Italian manner, composed at Arunachala in the Winter of 2010
Alan Jacobs

MY NEW BOOK

2011-01-26T00:14:00.001-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sri-Ramana-Maharshi/100969866645712?v=app_4949752878&ref=ts

RAMANA'S BLISS OF GRACE

2011-01-02T22:45:00.001-08:00

Bhagavan! you care for all your Beings,
For their welfare and spiritual advance,
Intent on good giving; that's your stance!
You teach the way of divine seeing,
All pervading, determined on freeing
Devotees from samsara’s crazy prance.
Loving and caring, that is your dance,
Pervading inside and out; ever revealing
That you're our inmost pure conscious Self,
That will always dwells in our spiritual heart.
You shall soon kill that vile demonic elf
Before we die, and from life must depart.
Lord Ramana! once majestic Sage of Kings,
About your great glory my soul ever singa!

ADVAITA VEDANTA

2011-01-01T01:08:00.001-08:00

In the golden lamp of wisdom’s shining light,
The oil of worldly indifference fills the wick
Of Faith. So kindle Self Knowledge in clear sight,
And fill one’s soul with wonder to the very quick.

Then the darkness of delusion will be dispelled,
Almighty Self becomes manifest and unveiled
As One without a second, to be always held
Aloft, as the sole Truth revealed and ever hailed.

Determined pilgrim must ignite some red hot fire,
To light his pyre, to burn those latent clouds of gloom,
Which hide his bright Awareness which will inspire
The path to eternal life, and avert this worldly tomb.

SACRIFICE

2010-12-29T00:09:00.000-08:00

Put ego-mind to the fiery flame of sacrifice,
In your spiritual heart abiding on the right.
The fool’s heart’s on the left as wisely bright
Ecclesiastes sagely stated, to be precise.
Bhagavan affirmed that Truth too, clearly and concise.
‘There dwells the Sun of Self, its shining blazing light,
Is darkly veiled by vasanas, black as night.
Remove them by surrender and enquiry, that my Sage advice!

God told Abrahman to sacrifice his only son
Isaac, a deed of devotion and surrender,
But compassionately, the Lord said “ none
Of thy kith and kin do thou need to render,
Just circumcise your righteous heart instead,
Then demon ego will surely drop down dead”!

DEEP HEART DIVING

2010-12-27T04:36:00.001-08:00

Dive into the heart with great tenacity,
With great love, patience and alacrity;
Such practice must surely end in Jnana,
So said great Guru Sage, Lord Ramana.
He gave the Eki Sloka* to the Muni
The Kavankanti who was like Ganapati,
Brother to God Skanda, the son of Shiva,
Who was reborn on earth as Sage Ramana
To bring us the blessing of atma vichara.
Such is the power of this great sadhana
That egotism is removed and the Sun of Jnana
Shines forth to enlighten the sad ignorant jiva,
That’s the great gift from Sri Bhagavan Ramana,
Who came on Eath to guide mankind to Jnana!

• THE EKI SLOKA
• “IN THE INMOST CORE, THE HEART
• SHINES AS BRAHMAN ALONE,
• AS I-I, THE SELF AWARE.
• ENTER DEEP INTO THE HEART
• BY SEARCH FOR SELF, OR DIVING DEEP,
• WITH BREATH UNDER CHECK.
• THUS ABIDE EVER IN ATMAN.”
This verse hangs above Bhagavan’s couch in the New Hall engraved in gold on black basalt..

I AM THAT I AM

2010-12-26T02:42:00.001-08:00

God spoke to Moses from thorns of crackling fire,
He told him “I AM THAT I AM, that’s my sacred name.
King David sang his psalms and strummed upon his lyre,
He said “Be still and know that I am God, they’re just the same”.
I AM THAT is stated by the great Advaita Sages,
Who’ve recognized the Truth throughout the many ages.
Consciousness- Awareness, free from dark vasanas and pure,
Is that ‘I AM’, the key to Jnana which always must endure.
So Hebrew prophets and Hindu Sagesall both agree,
To rest in one’s I AMNESS is the right way to be free!

Mohammad, great prophet of Allah, wisely said,
“God is closer than one’s breathing, hands and feet”.
If one remembers ‘THAT I AM’, then one is quickly led,
To a life of wholeness, fulfilled and quite complete;
One with God and ever dwelling in most blessed peace,
A blissful state of paradise that shall never cease!

CRIME PREVENTION

2010-12-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

Ego dresses up as a policeman to catch a thief,
To trap the crook red handed will give us great relief;
That’s achieved by plunging deep into the heart,
The wicked scoundrel falls when his base we start
To touch, and Realisation comes to all who dive;
Then from spiritual death we rise again alive!
So Self Enquiry will destroy the criminal mind,
So our Sat-Guru taught and that is what we find!

An evil burglar broke into a sadhak’s house,
To rob his essential substance like a hungry mouse
Steals the larder cheese. It needs some watchful cats,
To put a final end to thieving mice and rats.
The cat is ever alert and constantly aware;
Awareness guards the heart from all that steals in there!

SUNLIGHT

2010-12-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

From darkness God spoke; “let there be light”! and there was light!
To Earth he gave his white hot mighty fire named Sun,
A mass of vast atomic power that’s second to none,
Warming his planets by day and cooling them by night,
All moving round His mammoth majestic sight.
A Gir-pradakshina around their Guru done,
They then finish their annual Sadhak’s run,
As that gigantic Shivaic force blazes on and on!

That Sun is the macrocosm of our Real Self unborn,
Which shines as microcosm in every human heart,
Alas it is obscured by darkest vasanas forlorn,
It’s blazing light fails to reach the blinkered soul,
But by Enquiry and Surrender, ‘That’ will make one whole!
Dark ego causes our Solar Eclipse,
Insightful wisdom pours from our Guru’s lips.

*An extended sonnet

EQUANIMITY

2010-12-21T22:31:00.001-08:00

Why worry about anything in life,
Thinking it be either pleasure or pain?
Where’s the need ever to moan or complain,
Where’s anything now like wrongful strife?
Guru does all for us like a kind loving wife.
He knows what is best, there’s no need to explain.
Leave it to him, keep calm, all anxiety is vain.
He’ll cut that binding knot* with Enquiry’s knife!

Pilgrim went by train on the railroad track,
The fool was bearing his baggage on his head,
Instead of loading it on the luggage rack.
Se when we climb the mountain path, we’re led
To give all our burden into good Guru’s care,
And trust Him more than this world would ever dare!

*The binding knot (granthi) which connects mind to body making it believe that is who I am.

WALK ON THE WATER

2010-12-19T02:30:00.000-08:00

Walk calmly on stormy world’s restless waves,
Tossing and turbulent in a violent ocean.
Be free of the ‘I am the body’ notion;
In this way our Great Sage’s teaching shall soon save
Us from that treacherous egotistic knave,
Who stole God’s role in soul’s endless motion,
With worthless desires and pleasures set to crave.
Dwelling in blissful Self is the supreme emotion!

Bold swimmer saw a tidal wave ahead,
Fearless he thought it prudent just to float,
Rather than brave tempest waves instead.
He survived like a strong well crafted boat,
And soon reached that heavenly other shore,
Where he dwelt blissfully, ever, ever more!

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BEAUTY POINTS TO FREEDOM

2010-12-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Golden sunflowers prank the river bank,
Deep blue waters flow briskly, like the dream
Of life, for which the grateful heart will thank
Heaven, for the stunning beauty of her scene.

As Beauty is the stepping stone to God;
The restless mind will pause in silent awe,
Held in thrall by lush deep green, growing from the clod
Of Earth, that opens up for soul a door,
To enter into union with all ‘That’ sees,
Straight away to Being’s innermost core.

Bowing, the body bends in motion with the trees,
Soul prays for breeze to waft her to Nirvana’s shore;
Metalic mind’s no longer imprisoned by its iron bars!