Living on Rent

Mine or yours,

yours or mine,

life is hard to define,

when our mind and heart

is empty of the Divine.

We forgetful souls,

have the habit of

claiming this and that to be ours.

We forgetful souls.

have the habit of,

controlling others.

A possessive voice echoes

within the chambers of our hearts:

‘This body is ours,

that mind is ours,

that land, that lake, that Earth-

all ours to manage.’

Forgetting the simple truth,

that right from the start,

life was something borrowed,

something gifted, something not ours!

Forgetting the simple truth,

that we are living on rent.

Rented bodies, rented talents,

rented hearts, rented minds!

But at the end of the day,

there is always rent to pay!

Our rent can’t be paid with

money, possessions, or power!

Our Landlord Divine,

has only one request-

to serve and dance,

until the final rest.

Our Landlord Divine,

has only one request-

to dive deep and surrender

all the rest.

‘Give up this body, this mind,

and come with Me,

for your Final Test!’-

Our Landlord Divine,

never ceases to call us

the forgetful souls,

with His Flute Divine.

Jar full of hearts

Hey dear friend,

slipping slowly into procrastination,

falling surely into self-mutilation,

lusting for others’ adoration,

this life, this gift

is not for sense gratification.

Hey dear mind,

let me take hold of your attention,

let me place you at the mercy of God’s adoration,

let me help you feel the exaltation,

of singing His Holy Names,

of dancing in His Dance Divine,

and of the intoxicating sound

of His Flute Divine.

This life, this gift,

is not for you to spoil,

neither curtail,

nor abuse!

You were born with the mission,

to help others’ hearts transition,

into the space of bliss, eternity, and knowledge.

You were born with the mission,

to leave a trail,

to leave an imprint,

to leave a jar, full of loving hearts.

Hey, dear mind,

the responsibility is yours,

to respond with ability,

to fill the hearts of others,

to serve the hearts of others,

to decorate the hearts of others,

for when the final hours,

knock on your door,

a jar full of hearts,

would be the only item,

that you can carry back Home.

When Your flute resounds?!

When Your flute resounds,

mountains start trembling,

rivers start dancing,

rocks start crumbling,

and hearts start melting.

When Your flute resounds,

sages give up their bodies,

yogis give up their trance,

and transcendental milkmaids lose their minds.

When Your flute resounds,

souls lose control of their hands and legs,

they start jumping up and down

and their minds and senses,

know no bounds.

When Your Flute resounds,

it crushes our pride,

it destroys our envy,

and it puts out our lust.

Hey,  Flute Player Divine,

hey, dear Friend,

when will that day be mine,

when Your Flute Divine,

will resound in the corners of my heart?

When will that day be mine,

when Your Flute Divine,

will make me lose my mind?

Weeping and weeping

I curse all that wasted time,

when I can’t hear Your Flute Divine!

Into Darkness

Hey dear friend,
do not succumb to fear in these times of darkness!
Anger is what comes out of fear, which engulfs us into more darkness!
Hey dear friend,
the greats were great because they used humility as a weapon! The greats were great because they knew how to surrender! The greats were great because they taught you how to surrender!
Hey dear friend,
take this matchless gift, do not look away, be the spark in all this darkness! Be the spark that will start the fire, which will dissipate all this darkness!
Hey dear friend,
how can you look away, how can you allow all this darkness, how can you but not pass this matchless gift into the hands of others!?
Hey dear friend,
fearlessness is what is required, for you were born a warrior who cuts through the darkness with the sword of knowledge!
Hey dear friend,
do not despair for it’s always darkest before dawn, but only fighting will show you for what you were born!

Oh, dear mind!

Oh, dear mind,

are you not tired?!

Always lamenting,

always complaining,

always fault-finding!

I know that’s how you’re wired!

But, hey dear mind,

are you not tired!?-

Of singing the same old song,

of playing the same old tune,

of repeating the same old lyrics!?-

‘She is too much!

he is too much!

they are too much!’

I know that’s how you’re wired!

Oh, dear mind,

Are you not tired!?

Hey dear friend,

rise up above all dualities,

let go of all anxieties,

jump in serving all of humanity!

Hey brother,

let me teach you a song,

that will take you along,

the journey of your soul!

It goes like… ‘Hare, Krishna, and Rama

Rama, Krishna, and Hare!’

You won’t wait long

for the nectar to flow.

That same nectar that we’re all anxious to know.

Oh, dear mind,

the time has come

for you to dance,

for you to sing,

for you to Love!

Hey brother,

the time has come,

for you to serve,

the eternal servants of the Great Dance!

For they gave you a gift,

 that cannot be matched!

For they offered you a loving hand,

that cannot be ignored!

Oh, dear mind,

now is the time

for you to risk,

to risk being fearless

of giving this gift

that cannot be matched!

Hey brother,

go on the streets,

chant, sing and dance!

Go on the streets,

and serve the greats!

Go on the streets,

and ignite the spark,

in the hearts of others,

that will start a revolution-

so they may also know the flow of nectar,

so they may also receive the gift,

so they may also serve the greats!

Oh, dear mind,

I know you’re tired,

but hey, this is how you got rewired!

Where are You, Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord?

Where are You, Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord?

Are You in the forest-

mesmerising all the creatures?

Are You on the Hill-

playing with your Brother?

Are You hiding on a tree-

delighting on the distress of others?

Or, Are You, once more-

playing with the hearts of others?

Where are You, Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord?

 

Alas, You are an expert of avoiding Her!

You are an expert in making Her cry!

Alas, You are the expert in wasting Her life!

‘Come, come…don’t waste any more time!

Come, come… show Yourself!’

Show Yourself, so She stops crying!

So She stops waning!

So She stops dying!

 

Show Yourself, Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord!

‘Oh, dearest Sakhi, don’t You worry!

Oh, dearest Sakhi, don’t You cry!

Oh, dearest Sakhi, don’t You give up Your life!

He will show up any moment now!

Just one more call: Hari, Hari, Hari!

Keep calling Him, Keep calling Him!’

Show Yourself, Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord!

 

Where are You, Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord?

Are you in the grazing fields-

tending all Your beloved cows?

Are you with your friends-

playing sports with them?

Are you hiding in the dark-

torturing our hearts?

Where are You, Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord?

 

‘Give up all these,

for She desires to unite,

for She desires to ignite,

the spark of love, the spark of ecstasy,

that makes Her dance, that makes Her melt,

in Your lovingly embracing arms!

Give up all these!’

Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord, Show Yourself!

Don’t You dare make Her wait!

Where are You, alas…Where are You,

Oh, Lotus-eyed Lord?!

 

Photo Credits: @shymaramaniart

A Slave

A slave I have become

to this lump of blood and bones,

to this lifeless lump of matter.

Slaving day and night

to the senses and the mind.

Slaving day and night

to my mindless pride.

Slaving day and night

in this endless vicious ride.

Burning with desire,

intoxicated with lust and greed,

blow after blow,

the mind assaults my heart-

‘I want this, I want that, I want it all!’

Alas, a slave I have become!

Misgivings of the Loving Heart

Oh, dear friend,

tell me – how can I stand the absence of Love?

How can I reside within this lump of blood and bones?

How can I conform to social norms?

Oh, dear friend,

tell me – how can I stand this burning fire in the chest?

How can I control myself?

How can I live a normal life –

without His loving eyes,

without His playful smile,

without His delightful embrace,

how can I exist?

Oh, dear friend,

tell me!

What’s my purpose –

without Her soothing glance,

without Her beautiful and gentle hands,

without Her  warming presence?

Oh, dear friend,

tell me!

Oh, dear friend,

I wake up at night,

to have an internal fight,

after which,

the mind always wins,

and makes me cry!

‘Oh, damn you Mind!

You are always ruthless

in telling me

what should I do and not do.’

‘You better be quiet, if

it wasn’t for me,

you won’t be alive!’

Oh, dear friend!

Every moment

passes in unbearable agony,

without the Beloved.

Oh, dear friend,

‘I wish he was closer,

I wish she was here,

I wish they were loving me more!’

I wish, I wish, I wish…

Oh, dear friend,

only a jar full of wishes,

that’s what I have become.

There is nothing else,

but wish and hope,

for that is the nature

of one’s misgiving and loving heart!

Oh, dear friend!

Jai Sri Radhe!

Jai Sri Radhe, Jai Sri Radhe!

Oh, You most merciful one,

without You we don’t know what Love is,

without You we don’t know what our real position is,

without You we don’t know  what our duty is,

without You we cannot access the ocean of nectar,

without You we don’t know what worship is,

without You we don’t know Krishna’s heart,

without You we are simply lost!

 

Jai Sri Radhe, Jai Sri Radhe!

Oh, You most exalted one,

You are the inducer of transcendental pleasure,

You are the driver of our faith,

You make us jump and shout,

You make us laugh,

You make us smile,

You make us dance.

You send us knowledge,

and You make us wonder.

Without You we are simply lost!

Jai Sri Radhe, Jai Sri Radhe!

Oh, jewel of Vraja,

Let us serve You,

Let us help You,

Let us never forget You,

Let us adore You,

Let us obey You!

Without You we are simply lost!

Silence

The drums have stopped,

The bells have chocked,

The harmonium has died,

The voices have gone,

and the Kirtan is no more.

Silence has arrived!

‘-Come back, come back!’-

the heart cries out.

‘-Don’t stop singing, Don’t stop dancing!’-

the heart shouts out.

Alas, there is no response…

Silence has arrived!

Without a transcendental sound,

there is no life,

there is no goal,

there is no Love.

How can the heart live in Silence?

how can it dream;

how can it sleep;

how can it walk;

how can it talk;

How can it do anything at all???

Silence has arrived!

Without a transcendental sound

there is only darkness,

there is only sadness,

there is only madness.

Without a transcendental sound

the Moon doesn’t shine,

the Sun doesn’t rise,

the flowers don’t smell,

and the Spring never comes.

Silence has arrived!