In Wisdom’s firmament, the moon of Love is rising full
And Love’s flood-tide, in surging waves, is flowing everywhere.
O Lord, how full of bliss thou art! Victory unto Thee!
On every side shine devotees, like stars around the moon.
Their Friend, the Lord all-merciful, joyously plays with them.
Behold, the gates of paradise today are open wide.
The soft spring wind of the New Day raises fresh waves of joy.
Gently it carries to the earth the fragrance of God’s Love.
Till all the yogis, drunk with bliss, are lost in ecstasy.
Upon the sea of the world unfolds the lotus of the New Day.
And there the Mother sits enshrined in blissful majesty.
See how the bees are mad with joy, sipping the nectar there!
Behold the Mother’s radiant face, which so enchants the heart
And captivates the Universe. About Her Lotus Feet
Bands of ecstatic holy men dancing in delight.
What matchless loveliness is Hers! What infinite content
Pervades the heart when She appears! O brothers, says Premdas,
I humbly beg you, one and all, to sing the Mother’s praise!
—Sanskrit Hymn
In
my soul
there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church
where I kneel.
Prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist.
Is there not a region of love where the sovereignty is
illumined nothing,
where ecstasy gets poured into itself
and becomes
lost,
where the wing is fully alive
but has no mind or
body?
In
my soul
there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque,
a church
that dissolve, that
dissolve in
God.
-Rabia al Basri (8th century Sufi poet and mystic)
O Thou, unmasked, unceasing Giver
Thou hast given me Thy endless blessing,
Thou hast drawn me close to Thy heart,
Thy bounty runs through my life to overflowing.
Yea, tender Lord, by Thy magic charm
Thou hast driven away my past wretchedness.
Can we, with our might, offer Thee aught worth in
Thy blessed sight?
Can we ever make our hearts so free of earthly stain that
Thy light of love may shine and glow unceasingly?
Thou art ever merciful to the lowly;
We bring Thee our humble hearts.
No merit have we, save our faith in
Thine infinite compassion.
Do Thou make of us Thy tools that at all hours,
in work and play
We may revolve in Thy safe-keeping.
-Swami Paramananda (1884-1940)
I have not come to Your door
to ask for joy or happiness
I do not ask to be bathed
in Light or immersed in bliss
I am not asking that anything in my life
or in the universe be changed
I come asking that You allow me
just to be present with You
In this moment, if only for a moment
Let me be present only with You
-Gordon Burnham
Within this earthen vessel are bowers and groves,
and within it is the Creator:
Within this vessel are the seven oceans
and the unnumbered stars.
The touchstone and the jewel-appraiser are within;
And within this vessel the Eternal soundeth,
and the spring wells up.
Kabir says:
"Listen to me, my Friend!
My beloved Lord is within."
-Kabir (15th century poet and mystic)
In the market, in the cloister – only God I saw.
In the valley and on the mountain – only God I saw.
Him I have seen beside me oft in tribulation;
In favor and in fortune – only God I saw.
In prayer and fasting, in praise and contemplation,
In the religion of the Prophet – only God I saw.
Neither soul nor body, accident nor substance,
Qualities nor causes – only God I saw.
I opened mine eyes and by the light of his face around me
In all the eye discovered – only God I saw.
Like a candle, I was melting in his fire.
Amidst the flames, outflashing – only God I saw.
Myself with mine own eyes I saw most clearly,
But when I looked with God’s eyes – only God—I saw.
I passed away into nothingness, I vanished,
And lo, I was the All-living – only God I saw.
-Baba Kuhi of Shiraz (10th-11th century, Sufi mystic and poet)
Another morning and I walk with thirst
for the goodness I do not have. I walk
out to the pond and all the way God has
given us such beautiful lessons. Oh Lord,
I was never a quick scholar but sulked
and hunched over my books past the
hour and the bell; grant me, in your
mercy, a little more time. Love for the
earth and love for you are having such a
long conversation in my heart. Who
knows what will finally happen or
where I will be sent, yet already I have
given a great many things away, expecting
to be told to pack nothing, except the
prayers which, with this thirst, I am
slowly learning.
Mary Oliver (1935 - 2019)
Silence my soul
these trees are prayers.
I asked the tree,
"Tell me about God;"
then it blossomed.
-Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
I do not ask Thee, Mother,
Riches, good fortune, or salvation;
I seek no happiness, no knowledge.
This is my only prayer to Thee:
That as the breath of my life forsakes me,
I may chant Thy holy name.
-Shankara (c. 788-820)
On many an idle day have I grieved over lost time.
But it is never lost, my lord.
Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things, thou art nourishing
seeds into sprouts, buds into blossoms,
and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed and imagined
all work had ceased. In the morning I woke up and found my garden full of wonders of flowers.
-Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
Unto the deep the deep heart goes,
It lays its sadness nigh the breast:
Only the Mighty Mother knows
The wounds that quiver unconfessed.
It seeks a deeper silence still;
It folds itself around with peace,
Where thoughts alike of good or ill
In quietness, unfostered cease.
It feels in the unwounding vast
For comfort for its hopes and fears:
The Mighty Mother bows at last;
She listens to her children’s tears.
Where the last anguish deepens—there
The fire of beauty smites through pain:
A glory moves amid despair,
The Mother takes her child again.
-George William Russell (1867-1935)
I have joined my heart to Thee: all that exists art Thou;
Thee only have I found, for Thou art all that exists.
O Lord, Beloved of my heart! Thou art the Home of all;
Where indeed is the heart in which Thou dost not dwell?
Thou hast entered every heart: all that exists art Thou.
Whether sage or fool, whether Hindu or Mussalman,
Thou makes them as Thou wilt: all that exists art Thou.
Thy presence is everywhere, whether in Heaven or in Kaaba;
Before Thee all must bow, for Thou art all that exists.
From earth below to the highest heaven, from heaven to deepest earth.
I see Thee wherever I look: all that exists art Thou.
Pondering, I have understood; I have seen it beyond a doubt;
I find not a single thing that may be compared to Thee.
To Jafar it has been revealed that Thou art all that exists.
—Sanskrit Hymn
O my God,
Trinity whom I adore,
help me to forget myself entirely
that I may be established in You
as still and as peaceful
as if my soul were already in eternity.
May nothing trouble my peace
or make me leave You,
O my Unchanging One,
but may each minute
carry me further
into the depths of Your Mystery.
Give peace to my soul;
make it Your heaven,
Your beloved dwelling
and Your resting place.
May I never leave You there alone
but be wholly present,
my faith wholly vigilant,
wholly adoring,
and wholly surrendered
to Your creative Action.
—Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
You are the life of my life,
O Krishna, the heart of my heart.
There is none in all the three worlds
Whom I call my own but you.
You are the peace of my mind;
You are the joy of my heart;
You are my beauty and my wealth.
You are my wisdom and my strength;
I call you my home, my friend, my kin.
My present and future are in your hands;
My scriptures and commands come from you.
Supreme teacher, fountain of wisdom,
You are the path and the goal,
Tender mother and stern father too.
You are the creator and protector,
And the pilot who takes me across
The stormy ocean of life.
—Meera (ca.1498-1547)
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