Taken from "Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and

Beauty". Edited by Alan Jacobs.

Classic Poetry Series --Lalleshwari - poems - Publication Date: 2012

Publisher: Poemhunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive

Lalleshwari (1320–1392), also known as Lalla, Lal Ded or "Lal Arifa", was

a mystic of the Kashmiri Shaivite sect, and at the same time, a Sufi saint.

She is a creator of the mystic poetry called vatsun or Vakhs, literally

'speech'. Known as Lal Vakhs, her verses are the earliest compositions in

the Kashmiri language and are an important part in history of Kashmiri

literature.

Lal Ded and her mystic musings continue to have a deep impact on the

psyche of Kashmiri common man, and the 2000 National Seminar on her

held at New Delhi led to the release of the book Remembering Lal Ded in

Modern Times. A solo play in English, Hindi and Kashmiri titled 'Lal Ded'

(based on her life), has been performed by actress Mita Vashisht all over

India since 2004.

Biography

Lalleshwari was born in Pandrethan (ancient Puranadhisthana) some four

and a half miles to the southeast of Srinagar in a Kashmiri Pandit family.

She married at age twelve, but her marriage was unhappy and she left home

at twenty-four to take sanyas (renunciation) and become a disciple of the

Shaivite guru Siddha Srikantha (Sed Bayu). She continued the mystic

tradition of Shaivism in Kashmir, which was known as Trika before 1900.

There are various stories about Lal Ded's encounters with the founding

fathers of Kashmiri Sufism. One story recounts how, when Sheikh

Nooruddin Noorani (Nund Rishi) was born, he wouldn’t feed from his

mother. After three days, Lal Ded arrived and fed him herself. She said to

the baby that, since he hadn’t been ashamed to be born, why should he be

ashamed to drink from his mother’s breast?

Her poems (called vakhs) have been translated into English by Richard

Temple, Jaylal Kaul, Coleman Barks, Jaishree Odin, and Ranjit Hoskote.

Lal Vakh

Lala Vakh literally means sayings of Lala or Lala Ded.

Lal Vakh in Kashmiri: "Yi yi karu'm suy artsun yi rasini vichoarum thi

mantar yihay lagamo dhahas partsun suy Parasivun tanthar"

Translation:

"Whatever work I did became worship of the Lord;

Whatever word I uttered became a prayer;

Whatever this body of mine experienced became the sadhana of

Saiva Tantra illumining my path to Parmasiva."

A Royal Fly-Whisk

A royal fly-whisk, sunshade, chariot and throne,

Merry revels, pleasures of the theater, a bed of cotton down:

Which of these, you think, will go with you when you are dead ?

How then can you dispel the fear of death ?

--Lalleshwari

A Thousand Times I Asked My Guru

A thousand times I asked my guru:

"The name of the One who is known by No-thing",

Tired and exhausted was I, asking time and again;

Out of Nothing emerged Something, bewildering and great!

A thousand times my Guru I asked:

"How shall the Nameless be defined?"

I asked and asked but all in vain.

The Nameless Unknown, it seems to me, Is the source of the something that

we see.

--Lalleshwari

A Wooden Bow And Rush Grass For An Arrow

A wooden bow and rush grass for an arrow:

A carpenter unskilled and a palace to build:

A shop unlocked in a busy bazaar:

A body uncleansed by waters holy:

Oh dear! who knows what hath befallen me?

--Lalleshwari

Ah Me! The Five

Ah me! the Five (Bhutas), the ten (Indriyas),

And the Eleventh, their lord the mind, scraped this pot and went away.

Had all together pulled on the rope, Why should the Eleventh have lost the

cow?

(Why should the soul have gone astray?)

--Lalleshwari

At The End Of A Crazy-Moon Night

At the end of a crazy-moon night the love of God rose.

I said, "It's me, Lalla.”

The Beloved woke. We became That, and the lake is crystal-clear.

--Lalleshwari

Bathe Daily At Places Of Pilgrimage

Bathe daily at places of pilgrimage. Not even for a moment

Like in laughing, sneezing, coughing or yawning

Is He off from anywhere.

Before you He remains all the year round.

Near you He is,

Recognize Him.

--Lalleshwari

By Pandering To Your Appetites

By pandering to your appetites, you get nowhere;

By penance and fasting, you get conceit.

Be moderate in food and drink and live a moderate life.

The gates of Heaven will surely be thrown open wide for you.

--Lalleshwari

By The Highway I Came

By the highway I came, But by the highway I return not.

And so I find me still on the embarkment, not having gone even half the

way,

And the day is done, the light has failed.

I search my pockets but not a cowrie find: What shall I pay for the ferry

fee?

--Lalleshwari

Chidananda, The Light Of Absolute Knowledge

Chidananda, the light of absolute knowledge

Those who understood,

Are free, realised souls:

Limitless, infinite.

Hundreds of hundreds of times

Intertwined are the ignorant

In the cycle of life and death

--Lalleshwari

Countless Times We Come

Countless times we come, and

Limitless times we should go.

In movement we should remain,

Day after day and night after night;

Whence we come, thence

We should return:

Something or the other, and, something or the other,

And, something or what?

--Lalleshwari

Coursing In Emptiness

Coursing in emptiness,

I, Lalla, dropped off body and mind, and stepped into the Secret Self.

Look: Lalla the sedgeflower blossomed a lotus.

--Lalleshwari

Dance, Lalla, With Nothing On

Dance, Lalla, with nothing on but air: Sing, Lalla, wearing the sky.

Look at this glowing day! What clothes could be so beautiful, or more

sacred?

(Taken from "Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and

Beauty", Edited by Alan Jacobs}

--Lalleshwari

Day Will Be Erased In Night

Day will be erased in night.

The ground's surface will extend outward.

The new moon will be swallowed in eclipse, and the mind in meditation

will be completely absorbed by the Void inside it.

--Lalleshwari

Deception, Hypocracy, Untruth

Deception, hypocracy, untruth,

I shunned and, to my mind,

I gave the same message,

In my lifetime, I found Him as

The only one, all-pervading God:

What's the source of food and feed?

--Lalleshwari

Draped In Stores Of Knowledge

Draped in stores of knowledge,

The points of the verses

That Lalla sang, became

Organic parts of her heart and soul;

Her self-consciousness awakened

And removed all doubts of death.

--Lalleshwari

Dying And Giving Birth Go On

Dying and giving birth go on inside the one consciousness,

But most people misunderstand the pure play of creative energy,

How inside that, those are one event.

--Lalleshwari

Fair Or Foul, Satire Or Sarcasm

Fair or foul, satire or sarcasm, all I deserve:

Blockade of audition, screening eyes,

As the voice of god tickled

My consciousness!

My Rattandeep (Ghee/burning lamp) sparkled

Even in raging storms

--Lalleshwari

Five Sayings Of Lal Ded

One

By a way I came, but I went not by the way.

While I was yet on the midst of the embankment with its crazy bridges, the

day failed for me.

I looked within my poke, and not a cowry came to hand (or, at , was there)

What shall I give for the ferry-fee?

(Translated by G. Grierson)

Two

Passionate, with longing in mine eyes,

Searching wide, and seeking nights and days,

Lo' I beheld the Truthful One, the Wise,

Here in mine own House to fill my gaze.

(Translated by R.C. Temple)

Three

Holy books will disappear, and then only the mystic formula will remain.

When the mystic formula departed, naught but mind was left.

When the mind disappeared naught was left anywhere, And a voice became

merged within the Void.

(Translated by G. Grierson)

Four

You are the heaven and You are the earth, You are the day and You are the

night, You are all pervading air,

You are the sacred offering of rice and flowers and of water; You are

Yourself all in all,

What can I offer You?

Five

With a thin rope of untwisted thread Tow I ever my boat o'er the sea.

Will God hear the prayers that I have said?

Will he safely over carry me?

Water in a cup of unbaked clay,

Whirling and wasting, my dizzy soul

Slowly is filling to melt away.

Oh, how fain would I reach my goal.

--Lalleshwari

Fondly Will They Drink Water

Fondly will they drink water from

The very lake

That is too brimful to accommodate

Even a mustard seed anymore:

Deer, Jackal, rhinoceros, sea-elephant arise

Like waves of rhythm and splash,

In the ocean of space and time,

To share pleasure and, pain, merriment and grief

For a while in transition and then,

Wither away and fall back

Into the same lake.

--Lalleshwari

For A Moment I Suppressed The Bellows Of

Respiration

For a moment I suppressed the bellows of respiration,

Lo and behold! The Lamp lit up brightly and I realized my Self!

The light within me sparkled out;

In the encompassing darkness, I seized at It and gripped It tightly.

--Lalleshwari

For Ever We Come, For Ever We Go

For ever we come, for ever we go;

For ever, day and night, we are on the move.

Whence we come, thither we go,

For ever in the round of birth and death,

From nothingness to nothingness.

But sure, a mystery here abides,

A Something is there for us to know.

(It cannot all be meaningless.)

--Lalleshwari

Forgetful One, Get Up!

Forgetful one, get up!

It's dawn, time to start searching.

Open your wings and lift.

Give like the blacksmith even breath to the bellows.

Tend the fire that changes the shape of metal.

Alchemical work begins at dawn, as you walk out to meet the Friend.

[Taken from Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty,

Edited by Alan Jacobs]

--Lalleshwari

Have No Fear, O Restless Mind

Have no fear, O restless mind,

The Eternal One takes thought for you.

He knows how to fulfil your wants.

Then cry to Him alone for help,

His Name will lead you safe across.

--Lalleshwari

He Stands Close By You!

Give up imagining that the skill of killing desire and meditating on the Self

are too costly to buy;

He stands close by you! Do not look for Him far away.

The void was dissolved in the Void!

--Lalleshwari

He Who Wields The Sword A Kingdom Gains

He who wields the sword a kingdom gains;

Paradise is gained by penance and alms.

Follow the Guru's word and gain

True knowledge of the Self within.

Of his own virtue and his sin

Man himself surely reaps the fruits.

--Lalleshwari

He Who Overcomes Pride, Greed, Vanity

He who overcomes pride, greed, vanity

And removes such hurdles of robbery from his path

Facilitates his contemplation

And, in all humility, serves mankind,

Discarding all else as useless,

Is the real seeker of the Lord!

[Translated by P. N. Razdan (Mahanori)]

--Lalleshwari

I Bore With All Mocking And Jeering

I bore with all mocking and jeering

With equanimity?

Ill-spoken of I was all along!

Not for a moment did I

Deviate from my path.

And thus, when I attained

My goal

What else should I mind?

[Translated by P. N. Razdan (Mahanori)]

--Lalleshwari

I Came Straight

I came straight,

And straight I shall return.

How can the crooked lead me astray?

Surely, no harm can come to me:

He knows me from the beginning of time,

And loves me.

--Lalleshwari

I Didn't Bear With Love, Lust or Affection

I didn't bear with

Love, lust or affection.

Brushed off wrath and anger

With a gust of wind (by pranayam).

I cut the feet of

Illusive attachment and temptation,

As well as the spell of ignorance:

And thus, I was emancipated.

--Lalleshwari

I Have Seen A Learned Man Die Of Hunger

I have seen a learned man die of hunger,

A sere leaf drop in winter wind;

I have seen an utter fool beat his cook (who could not make a toothsome

dish).

Since then I, Lalla, anxiously await

The day when the lure of the world will fall away.

--Lalleshwari

I Have To Suffer The Consequence

I have to suffer the consequence of whatever I do, even if I work for others'

gain.

But if, with mind from attachment free, I dedicate all works to God,

It will be well for me wherever I be, here and hereafter.

--Lalleshwari

I Have Worn Out My Palate And Tongue

I have worn out my palate and tongue reading the holy books,

But I have not learnt the practices that would please my Lord.

I have worn thin my finger and thumb telling the rosary beads,

But I have not been able to dispel duality from my mind.

--Lalleshwari

I Might Disperse The Southern Clouds

I might disperse the southern clouds,

I might drain out the sea,

I might cure the incurable sick,

But I cannot convince a fool.

--Lalleshwari

I Overpowered And Subdued

I overpowered and subdued

My vile heart.

Twisted my liver.

And renounced all I had;

Thus, giving up all my

Worldy possessions,

I became Lalla for all

--Lalleshwari

I Practiced What I Read

I practiced what I read,

And learnt what was not taught.

From its jungle abode

I brought the lion down as I a jackal would;

(From pleasures of the world

I pulled my mind away).

I practiced what I preached, and scored the goal.

--Lalleshwari

I Searched For My Self

I searched for my Self until I grew weary, but no one, I know now, reaches

the hidden knowledge by means of effort.

Then, absorbed in "Thou art This", I found the place of Wine.

There all the jars are filled, but no one is left to drink.

[Taken from Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual

Poetry by Women, Edited by Jane Hirshfield]

--Lalleshwari

I Traveled A Long Way Seeking God

I traveled a long way seeking God, but when I finally gave up and turned

back, there He was, within me!

O Lalli!

Now why do you wander like a beggar?

Make some effort, and He will grant you a vision of Himself in the form of

bliss in your heart.

--Lalleshwari

I Treaded On The Expanse

I treaded on the expanse of the Void within me:

I lost intellect, cognizance and

The sensations external:

A detective of self.

I became myself;

Lo and behold: from which ear

My (Lalla's) lotus blossomed forth?

[Translated by P. N. Razdan (Mahanori)]

--Lalleshwari

I Will Weep And Weep For You, O Mind

I will weep and weep for you, O Mind; (my Soul) The world hath caught

you in its spell.

Though you cling to them with the anchor of steel, Not even the shadow of

the things you love Will go with you when you are dead.

Why then have you forgot your own true Self ?

--Lalleshwari

I, Lalla, Willingly Entered Through The Garden-

Gate

I, Lalla, willingly entered through the garden-gate,

There, O Joy!

I found Siva united with Sakti; There and then I got absorbed drinking at

the Lake of Nectar.

Immune to harm am I, dead as I am to the world, though still alive.

[Taken from The Ascent of Self: A Reinterpretation of the Mystical Poetry

of Lalla-Ded, by B. N. Paramoo]

--Lalleshwari

If You'Ve Melted Your Desires

If you've melted your desires in the river of time, choose to be a recluse, or

choose a family, the village job.

If you know the pure Lord within you, you'll be That, wherever.

--Lalleshwari

Ill Or Well, Whatever Befalls

Ill or well, whatever befalls, let it come.

My ears will not hear,

My eyes will not see.

When the Voice calls from within the inmost mind,

The lamp of faith burns steady and bright even in the wind.

--Lalleshwari

Impart Not Esoteric Truth To Fools

Impart not esoteric Truth to fools,

Nor on molasses feed an ass.

Do not sow seed in sandy beds,

Nor waste your oil on cakes of bran.

--Lalleshwari

In Life I Sought Neither Wealth Nor Power

In life I sought neither wealth nor power,

Nor ran after the pleasures of sense.

Moderate in food and drink,

I lived a controlled life,

And loved my God.

--Lalleshwari

In Seeking And Searching Myself

In seeking and searching myself,

I was exhausted and yet,

I could not reach mystic knowledge

Sticking to it,

I intensified my efforts

Lo and behold: I attained my goal;

Brimful there, are all vessels

and no one's there to drink:

--Lalleshwari

In The Midst Of The Ocean

In the midst of the ocean

With unspun thread,

I am towing the boat:

Would that God grant

My prayer and

Ferry me too, across:

Water in my unbaked earthen plates

Seeps in and none collects.

Yearn and yearn

To return Home

--Lalleshwari

In Your Mother's womb You Vowed

In your mother's womb you vowed not to be born again.

When will you recall the vow?

And die, even while alive

(To all desire, and be released from birth and death)?

Great honor will be yours in this life and greater honor after death.

--Lalleshwari

Intense Cold Makes Water Ice

Intense cold makes water ice.

Then the hard ice turns to slush and back to water,

So there are three forms of consciousness: the individual, the world, and

God,

Which in the sun of True Awareness melt to one flowing: Lalla is that.

In meditation, I entered the love furnace, burned impurities away, and as the

sun of a new knowing rose, I realized that the words 'Lalla' and 'God' point

to this peacefulness.

--Lalleshwari

It Is Easy To Read And To Recite

It is easy to read and to recite;

It is hard to practice what one reads,

And, reading, seek out the Self within.

By constant practice, not by books,

Conviction grew in my heart

Of God, Who is Consciousness-Bliss.

--Lalleshwari

Just For A Moment, Flowers Appear

Just for a moment, flowers appear on the empty, nearly-spring tree.

Just for a second, wind through the wild thicket thorns.

Self inside self, You are nothing but me.

Self inside self, I am only You.

What we are together will never die.

The why and how of this?

What does it matter?

--Lalleshwari

Keep Your Mind Intent

Keep your mind intent upon the path that leads to immortality.

Should it stray from the path, it will fall into evil ways.

Be firm with it and have no fear;

For mind is like a suckling baby, which tosses restless even in its mother's

lap.

--Lalleshwari

Lalla Wilfully Entered The Garden Door

Lalla wilfully entered the garden door (of self).

There I saw Shiva and Shakti merged in one:

Absorbed in that vision I

Dissolved in Him alive.

Realised the essence and

Tasted the sweetness of

The Divine secret, I would die while alive.

How can He stop me?

--Lalleshwari

Lalla Embarked

Lalla, embarked on

Going a-searching, a cotton flower:

Thorns and carders pricked and kicked me hard;

As the spinner spun me thin, on the spinning wheel,

The weaver hung me by the leg on the loom;

As the washerman rubbed me with soap

He dashed me against a stone

And washed me clean,

Soothed I was on seeing water:

And when the Tailor moved His machine

To shape me well,

There and then, I attained

Supreme Salvation and Bliss.

[Translated by P. N. Razdan (Mahanori)]

--Lalleshwari

Let Not Your Body Suffer

Let not your body suffer from hunger and thirst;

Feed it whenever it feels famished.

Fie on your fasts and religious rites; Do good: therein your duty lies.

--Lalleshwari

Meditate Within Eternity

Meditate within eternity.

Don't stay in the mind.

Your thoughts are like a child fretting near its mother's breast,

Restless and afraid,

Who with a little guidance, can find the path to courage.

--Lalleshwari

My Guru Gave Me But One Precept

My Guru gave me but one precept :

"From without withdraw your gaze within and fix it on the Inmost Self."

Taking to heart this one precept,

Naked I began to roam.

--Lalleshwari

Now I Saw A Stream Flowing

Now I saw a stream flowing;

Now neither bank nor bridge was seen.

Now I saw a bush in bloom;

Now neither rose nor thorn was seen.

--Lalleshwari

Now I Saw The Hearth Ablaze

Now I saw the hearth ablaze,

Now I saw not fire nor smoke.

Now I saw the Pandava Mother,

Now She was but a potters' aunt.

--Lalleshwari

O Infinite Consciousness

O infinite Consciousness, brimming with elixir,

You live within my body, and I worship only You.

I do not care if I die, take birth, or pass into some other state.

These things are so ordinary now.

[Taken from --Lalleshwari: Spiritual Poems by a Great Siddha Yogini,

Translated by Swami Muktananda]

--Lalleshwari

O, Mind, How Intoxicated You Are

O, mind, how intoxicated you are

With a foreign brand:

How are you eluded by untruth for truth?

Listen: Enthralled you have become

By a foreign creed,

Coming and going, birth and rebirth

Are but a cyclic movement

Of life and death

--Lalleshwari

Ocean And The Mind Of Man Are Both Alike

Ocean and the mind of man are both alike: Under the ocean's bottom lies

the destructive fire, vadvaagni;

And in the breast of man doth rage the fire of wrath.

When the fire breaks out, its flames of angry, abusive words sear and scorch

and burn.

But if one ponders unruffled and calm, and weighs the words, though angry

they be,

They have no substance, no, nor weight.

--Lalleshwari

Patience To Endure Lightning And Thunder

Patience to endure lightning and thunder,

Patience to face darkness at noon,

Patience to go through a grinding-mill:

Be patient whatever befalls, doubting not that He will surely come to you.

--Lalleshwari

Playfully, You Hid From Me

Playfully, you hid from me.

All day I looked.

Then I discovered I was you, and the celebration of That began.

[Taken from Naked Song, by Lalla / Translated by Coleman Barks]

--Lalleshwari

Probing Inside, I Came

Probing inside, I came

Seeking the moon within me:

Sifting the chaff from the grain.

I went seeking The Like, Alike,

Thou art Narayan. Thou art Narayan. Thou art Narayan, then,

Why this will-of-the-wisp ?

--Lalleshwari

Should You, In This Body, Seek

Should you, in this body, seek

The Supreme Self that dwells within,

Greed and illusion are soon removed;

A halo of glory will surround this very body of yours.

--Lalleshwari

Slay The Murderous Demons

Slay the murderous demons,

Lust, Anger and Greed;

Or, aiming their arrows at you, they will surely shoot you dead.

Take care, feed them on self-restraint and discrimination of the Self;

Thus starved these demons will become powerless and weak.

--Lalleshwari

The Arrows Of My Wooden Bow Turned Out

The arrows of my wooden bow turned out

To be the pith of water rush grass;

The Rajdhani of the kingdom

Fell into the rustic hands of

A crude carpenter;

In the midst of a busy bazar,

Lockless remained my shop,

And a pilgrimmageless self

I became:

Who appreciates, my friend?

--Lalleshwari

The Dirt Of My Filthy Heart

The dirt of my filthy heart

Seemed to be cleansed;

I found the known, unknown: and

The dirt of my filthy heart

Seemed to be cleansed;

I found the known, unknown: and

When I saw Him near me,

I discovered When I saw Him near me, I discovered.

[Translated by P. N. Razdan (Mahanori)]

--Lalleshwari

The Joys Of Palate And Fine Apparel

The joys of palate and fine apparel bring man no lasting peace.

They who give up false hopes and don't put trust in the things of the world

Ascend, unafraid of Death's terrors by scriptures told;

For having lived contented lives, they are not debtors of Desire

--Lalleshwari

The Mind's The Garden Of Flowers

The mind's the garden of flowers, and Faith, the florist:

Adorn Him with the garlands of devotion;

Shower Him with thy inner moonlight

Through a 'Nauri Kalash', in puja

Silent Mantras unto Shankara'll thus

Awaken the souls.

--Lalleshwari

The Sling Knots Of The Load Of Candy

The sling knots of the load of candy.

Loosened;

My bony frame bent

Into a bow;

What load can my back bear,

Dear Friend?

Loss of the Guru's words added salt

To my suffering;

A shepherdless flock became

My sheep.

What can I bear ?

--Lalleshwari

The Sling Of My Candy Load Has Gone Loose

The sling of my candy load has gone loose, (and it galls my back).

My body has bent double under its weight; how shall I carry the load?

The word of my Guru (that I must lose the world to gain my soul)

Has been a painful ''loss-blister'' for me.

I am become a shepherdless flock, ah me!

--Lalleshwari

The Soul, Like The Moon

The soul, like the moon, is now, and always new again.

And I have seen the ocean continuously creating.

Since I scoured my mind and my body, I too, Lalla, am new, each moment

new.

My teacher told me one thing: live in the soul.

When that was so, I began to go naked, and dance.

[Taken from Naked Song, by Lalla / Translated by Coleman Barks]

--Lalleshwari

The Steed Of Mind Speedeth Over The Sky

The steed of mind speedeth over the sky,

And, in the twinkling of the eye,

A hundred thousand leagues traverseth he.

Yet a man of discrimination can control the curvetting steed,

And, on the wheels of praana and apraana, guide his chariot aright.

--Lalleshwari

The Tri-Pinnacled Lake

The tri-pinnacled lake.

The confluence of running brooks

Is crowned by a cliff, glittering in the skies.

A bund links Harmukh

With Qaunsar Nag (Veshnapad)

The septa-peaked mountain Lake is

Caged in a limitless Void:

--Lalleshwari

The Way Is Difficult And Very Intricate

The way is difficult and very intricate.

Lalla discarded her books that told about it, and through meditation saw the

truth that never comes to anyone from reading words.

--Lalleshwari

There Is A Yawning Pit Underneath You

There is a yawning pit underneath you, and you are dancing overhead.

Pray, Sir, how can you bring yourself to dance?

See, the riches you are amassing here, nothing of them will go with you.

Pray, Sir, how can you relish your food and drink?

--Lalleshwari

There Is Neither You, Nor I

There is neither you, nor I;

Neither the object of meditation,

Nor the process of meditation;

The Father of all action forgot Himself there.

The blind did not see any relationship and support there.

The devout merged with Him, the moment they saw the Lord!

--Lalleshwari

They May Abuse Me Or Jeer At Me

They may abuse me or jeer at me;

They may say what pleases them;

They may with flowers worship me;

What profits them whatever they do?

I am indifferent to praise and blame.

--Lalleshwari

This Counsel To The Body Give, O Soul

This counsel to the body give, O Soul:

Wear only such clothes as ward off cold;

Eat only to satisfy your hunger;

Devote yourself with all your heart to the knowledge of the Supreme Self;

Consider this body to be food for the forest ravens.

--Lalleshwari

Though You Are Wise, Be As A Fool

Though you are wise, be as a fool;

Though you can see, be as one blind;

Though you can hear, be as one deaf;

Patiently bear with all you meet, and politely talk to everyone.

This practice surely will lead you to the realisation of the Truth.

--Lalleshwari

A Thousand Times I Asked My Guru

A Thousand times I asked my Guru,

What's His name, who's called Nothing?

Asking him again and again,

I was tired and exhausted.

But all too subtly

Something came out of nothing

After all.

--Lalleshwari

Tickled By The Sparks Of Shiva Consciousness

Tickled by the sparks of Shiva consciousness:

On pasing through six chakras to seventh, (the inner Moon) My desire

deepened and I

Moulded my nature by pranayamas (Deep breathing):

Torched my liver

With the fire of Love:

And thus I found

Graceful Shiva before me.

--Lalleshwari

To Learn The Scriptures Is Easy

To learn the scriptures is easy; to live them, hard.

The search for the Real is no simple matter.

Deep in my looking, the last words vanished.

Joyous and Silent, the waking that met me there.

--Lalleshwari

What Is Bitter At First Is Sweet In The End

What is bitter at first is sweet in the end;

What is sweet at first is poison in the end.

(To everyone is given the choice.)

It all depends on the effort put in, and the unflagging determined will;

For whoever strives must soon arrive at the city of his choice.

--Lalleshwari

What Is Worship?

What is worship? Who are this man and this woman bringing flowers?

What kinds of flowers should be brought, and what streamwater poured

over the images?

Real worship is done by the mind (Let that be a man)

And by the desire (Let that be a woman),

And let those two choose what to sacrifice.

There is a liquid that can be released from under the mask of the face, a

nectar which when it rushes down gives discipline and strength.

Let that be your sacred pouring,

Let your worship song be silence.

[Taken from Holy Fire: Nine Visionary Poets and the Quest for

Enlightenment, Edited by Daniel Halpern]

--Lalleshwari

What Was It You Had Sown Which Should Have

Borne A Rich Harvest?

What was it you had sown which should have borne a rich harvest?

You had but tanned a carcass hide, shaped and stretched it taut on pegs.

(Your only care your own body which you pegged to the bonds of desire.)

But counsel to a fool is labour lost,

Like a ball thrown at a big-sized pillar, rebounding but not hitting the mark;

Or fruitless as feeding a tawny bullock on sweet molasses,

And expect a yield of milk from him.

--Lalleshwari

When My Mind Was Cleansed Of Impurities

When my mind was cleansed of impurities, like a mirror of its dust and dirt,

I recognized the Self in me:

When I saw Him dwelling in me,

I realized that He was the Everything and I was nothing.

--Lalleshwari

When Siddhanath Applied Lotion To My Eyes

When Siddhanath applied lotion to my eyes, the cataracts that covered them

dissolved.

I saw an astonishing sight.

Wherever I looked and whatever I beheld, I saw my own Self, I saw God.

Wherever I looked, I saw my own Self!

O Lalli! This is the true seeing.

--Lalleshwari

Whence I Have Come And By Which Way

Whence I have come, and by which way,

Wither I shall go and by which way,

I do not know.

Were I to know the end of it all

And gain the knowledge of the truth, (it would be well, for otherwise)

Life here is but an empty breath.

--Lalleshwari

Which Are The Flowers And From Which

Florists?

Which are the flowers and from which florists?

With which flowers should we

Adore Him in obeisance?

Which juice should we use in a

'Nauri-Kalash' in puja? (a spouted container)?

Which Mantras should we mutter

Unto Shankara

To Awaken our Souls?

--Lalleshwari

Who Slays The Highway Robbers Three?

Who slays the highway robbers three, Greed, Lust and Pride,

And yet, in utter humility, serves his fellow men,

He truly seeks out the Lord, disregarding as worthless ashes all other things.

--Lalleshwari

Why Do You Dote Upon Someone, My Soul?

Why do you dote upon someone, my Soul, who is not your true love?

Why have you taken the false for the true?

Why can't you understand, why can't you know?

It is ignorance that binds you to the false,

To the ever-recurring wheel of birth and death, this coming and going.

--Lalleshwari

Why Do You Grope Thus Like The Blind?

Why do you grope thus like the blind?

Pray, doubt not what I say to you:

If you are wise, enter within

And see the Lord Himself is there.

You need not search Him here and there.

--Lalleshwari

Why Have You Sunk Deep In The Sea?

Why have you sunk deep in the sea of the illusory pleasures of the world?

Why have you pulled down the high-banked road which could have led you

safe across?

The dense darkness of tamas surrounds you now, and, at the appointed time,

Yama's apparitors prepare to drag your body bleeding to death.

Who can dispel your fear of death?

--Lalleshwari

With A Rope Of Loose-Spun Thread Am I Towing

With a rope of loose-spun thread am I towing my boat upon the sea.

Would that God heard my prayer and brought me safe across!

Like water in cups of unbaked clay

I run to waste.

Would God I were to reach my home!

--Lalleshwari

Word, Thought, Kula And Akula Cease To Be

There!

Word, Thought, Kula and Akula cease to be there!

Neither silence nor yogic postures gain you admission there; Neither Shiva,

nor Shakti abide there!

Whatever remains is That; this is the Lesson!

--Lalleshwari

You Will Not Know Peace Of Mind

You will not know peace of mind if you a kingdom gain,

Nor will you gain content or rest if you give it away.

Only the man, free from desire, will never die.

Only he has true knowledge

Who, though alive, is as one dead, dead to all desire.

--Lalleshwari

Your Way Of Knowing Is A Private Herb Garden

Your way of knowing is a private herb garden.

Enclose it with a hedge of meditation, and self-discipline, and helpfulness

to others.

Then everything you've done before will be brought as a sacrifice to the

mother goddess.

And each day, as you eat the herbs, your garden grows more bare and

empty.

[Taken from Naked Song, by Lalla / Translated by Coleman Barks]

--Lalleshwari