01. My Father’s House
It’s the twilight hour; Shadows deepen,
How long is it that I’ve been away?
Has anyone seen my father’s house?
For I’m sure I’ve lost my way.
I lived there once, far back in Time
When I was just a little child,
I had played about its daisied fields
Where the grass grows long,
And the flowers grow wild.
The years wore on, I grew up, too
And with it grew- my questing mind,
Now I’m lost in depths of darkness
Beset with doubts of every kind.
So many outward sheaths, I’ve grown
They’ve to be peeled off one, by one!
I have to coax my soul to rise
And lift it up to the morning sun.
And so I call Your Thousand Names,
And bask in the sound of its glory
Draw deep into every source, I find
To get to the depths of Your Story!
So I need my silence and my slokas,
Flowers, incense, lamp and flame
To still my mind and draw me back
To the abode- from where I came.
Lord, make me a little child, again!
And all my purest instincts rouse
So I can find my way, again
To my forgotten Father’s House!
02. The Ethereal Night
Hush! Speak softly,
Here all noise jars,
In the garden,
By the pool,
Under the very stars!
In this sacred place,
I sit wide awake
Alert to every sound
Nature will make.
The night is silent,
Its heart- so deep
That, even the moonbeams
Are afraid to creep.
The lotus sits enfolded
As if in a dream;
Hushed by the shadows
That flicker and gleam.
Every heart is anxious
Oh! Will He come?
On this night of glory
To Brindavan?
Do you hear the flute?
Is it Krishna, by chance?
Come to Yamuna’s banks
With the gopis to dance?
Watch the awesome whirl,
Of colour and sound
I pinch myself to believe
My feet are on ground!
Who can explain?
What is happening, or tell
All senses are drowned
Under a magic spell!
The Ras goes on
I drink deep of the sight
It may never come,
My way, again
Such an ethereal night!
03. Lord I See You
Lord I see you
Brush in hand
Painting over
Sea and land
Working over
Leaf and flower
Filling them by
With divine power,
Lord I see you-
Brush in hand.
Lord I hear
You sing
In every bird
That is
On wing
In every brook
That bubbles
By
In every throat
From earth
To sky,
Lord I hear
You sing.
Lord I see
You write,
This beautiful
Book of faith
And Light
Drawing us
Into your
Warm embrace
Filling our life
With love
And grace,
Lord I see
You write.
Keep us always
Humble, Lord
May we
From duty
Never shirk
Help us know
Your awesome
Might
And praise
Your glorious
Handiwork!
04. Tell Me
Tell me, who whispers to the trees
Just before the days of spring
To shed their leaves and wear flowers
So that birds can come and sing?
Who whispers to the distant sky?
To make it day or night?
Who brings in sunbeams or shadows?
To the rosy dawn or lingering twilight?
Who melts the snows upon the mountains?
To tumble down as streams,
Who stirs the sap within the trees?
Rousing it, from its dreams?
Who inspires the minds and hearts of men?
With wonderful tales or charming story?
Indeed, it is God and His divine power
That touches the earth with glory!
05. Tulsi
Beautiful Tulsi, so fresh and green
What glorious sights thine eyes must have seen!
What heavenly music thine ears must have heard!
When the Lord with his gopas went to graze his herd!
Oh! Tulsi, you were once Brinda- of yore
The Lord in your own way you chose to adore
By wanting to be so fragrant and sweet
Ever laid out at His Lotus Feet!
Nestling like a garland close to His chest
Oh! Tulsi, you are truly blest!
06. The Divine Artist
Who can paint a sunset?
On the canvas of the sky?
Who can paint the jagged cliffs?
That rise so tall and high?
Who can paint the river?
With its silver flecks and gold?
Who can paint the thunderstorm?
With lightning streaks so bold?
Who can paint the leafy trees?
With branches casting shade?
Who can paint those fragile flowers?
Hiding in the glade?
Who can paint such colours?
The subtlest of strokes?
Who can wield a brush like that?
And the softest colours coax!
The Divine artist is ever at work
Painting with tender care
On the canvas of the universe
Encompassing land and air!
He never waits for us to exclaim
He doesn’t care for fame,
Choosing to remain hidden
Won’t even sign His Name!
The soul of humility is the Lord
Hiding His gracious Presence
O! Come let us sing His glory
And bow in utter reverence!
07. The Wondrous Universe
The breadth and variety in the universe
Often makes me stop and wonder
How different is the goose, you see
From its partner, the gander!
How different the gorgeous peacock,
From its plain mate, the peahen,
How different the rugged mountain
From a rolling meadow or glen.
How different the lovely butterfly
From a wiggly lizard or mouse
How different the intricate beehive
From a grassy nest or house!
How different the humble vegetable
From a scented flower or fruit
How different the growl of a tiger
From a bird- call or a hoot!
Note the green of a quiet arbour,
And the spreading green of grass
Soon they will turn a gentle yellow
The colour of burnished brass.
I can go on and on, you see
Mind-blowing is the variety,
Who can capture in mere words
The universe touched with mystery!
Look at the mass of humanity
Brown, black, yellow or white
All of them going their ways
Seeking their own goals in sight.
To whom do their owe their beauty,
Each creature, man or flower?
The vibrancy of each species
Comes from the spirit of a will or power.
Someday, He will surely proclaim,
When Time is ripe or in season
Why He made the universe so diverse
There’s got to be a reason.
The universe is only a plaything
The earth a glorious ball-
And He the golden thread of unity
Running through it all!
08. The Silence and the Sound
Go deep into the heart
Of the beckoning woods
Step in quietly and listen
Perhaps you will hear leaves
Dripping rain, as they glisten!
Perchance you might even hear
The laughing waterfall splashing silver
Or the cheery wind a- blowing
Calling the faraway cuckoo hither!
You might not miss the dew drops
Or their liquid, limpid notes
The vibrant greenery comes alive
With a thousand quotable quotes!
What spirit will resist such nudging?
As it breaks out of its small confines
Drawing upon itself, such treasures
Music brought from divine climes?
Ah! What a range of brilliant orchestra
Arises from the sacred ground
You can actually hear the growing things
Within this silence and this sound!
09. The House atop the Hill
Behold! The house atop the hill
Dazzling the naked eye!
It wears a crest of golden clouds
And rises into the sky!
Windows let in the golden sunshine
The doors are open wide
You can come up by the gate
Or scramble up by the side.
Numerous are the paths to reach it
Some are easy, some quite steep
Some pilgrims never mind the climb
Some climb half way and fall asleep
It takes years of sadhana to reach it
With prayers and service, day after day
Purity and compassion are valuable guides
And plenty of forbearance along the way.
This is where you really belong
In this realm, so wondrously still
For here your loving father awaits you
In this house atop the hill!
His love for you is everlasting
Such a one you won’t find on earth
He directs your every heart beat
And has been following you from birth!
10. GOD
God made the sky and put the sun there
So He may bring light to the earth so fair.
He made the forests, the plants and the trees
He gave us the flowers, the scents and the breeze.
He gave us the fields, the thunder and rain,
Helped the farmer to grow his grain
He made the many creatures, some fearsome and wild
Birds, insects and butterflies, so delicate and mild.
He created the day, so to our tasks we keep
He fashioned the night so we could rest and sleep.
After all the work he vanished from sight
Hoping man in his wisdom would do what is right.
He keeps watch over us hoping we will pray
Remember Him for His gifts, day after day!
11. Thoughts at Sea
The waves come with majestic sweep
Dissolve in a moment into foam
The ceaseless movement and the silence
Are drawn into its heart like home.
Twilight descends in a blaze of glory
Rose and gold upon its face
What magic power holds me in thrall
Filling the world with light and grace!
I sit for hours, unmoving, silent-
Watching the shimmering froth and spray
I see the looming darkness gather
Signaling the end of another day.
A sea gull flaps his snow white wing
Calls across to his elder brother
To where the waves break o’er the rocks
I suddenly stop to ponder
And then, all in a flash
Within a moment so brief
I know I am one
With the sea on the reef!
12. Surrender
What are eyes for? Seeing your face!
What are lips for? Singing your praise!
What are hands for? Doing your work.
What is Life itself? A gift of your grace!
13. Answers
I had been asking questions
That had been my goal-
Until I found the answers
In the silence of my soul.
The Lord Himself communes
In a hundred, thousand ways
But we must stop and listen
To what He does and says!
He will send us messages
Through wind, flower or stone
But we have to be alert
Make time to be alone.
Answers will come tumbling
Like patterns on lace,
Worked into our life subtly
Within this sacred space!
We have to open our eyes
To His works and be still
Let Love be the binding force
To work the Divine will
In everything we do, then
God Himself will be our guide
Rain down blessings on us
Like a glorious floodtide!
14. The Lotus
O beautiful lotus
Flower of light
I thrill to my being
At your auspicious sight!
Does some past connection
Have a hand in this?
When I look at you
I’m enfolded in bliss!
I long to be you
So pure and sweet,
Forever abloom
At the Lord’s feet!
15. Rendezvous
Hush! Tiptoe softly
As we make our way
Down the garden path
On this beautiful day!
It’s so quiet here
So don’t give me a start-
As I absorb the stillness,
Deep into my heart.
Let me sit awhile
Beneath these bowers
For today, I have
A rendezvous with flowers!
16. Brindavan
How far is it to Brindavan?
I ask every passerby,
Nobody stops to answer me
It makes me wonder why.
So I sit down to think
It suddenly comes to me
That every heart is Brindavan
Wherever- we might be!
Of course, it is a garden
This beautiful, sacred space
And Krishna is enshrined here
In the seat of Divine Grace.
Here, the very air resounds
With the holy ‘Om’
Here, every being is at rest
As if it were home!
We’re caught in life’s tangle
Trapped in it from birth
Those who have their Brindavan-
Need never return to earth!
17. Listen To the Wind
Listen to the gentle wind
How softly he will whisper!
When he creeps into the woods
Shadows flit and flicker.
How quietly he will rest
Beside the forest pool
Entwined with the silence
Green depths so cool.
Here, he will often come
With kindred spirits to commune
Unravel spools of divine music
Set to Heaven’s tune.
What can match this music?
That lingers in the soul so deep?
Hushing everything to silence
As if rocked to sleep.
O wind, rest in your cradle, here
Like a babe with your forest friend
A kindly place of pilgrimage
Where all travels are at end!
18. Eternity
There’s so much beauty here!
I simply cannot bear-
Such ethereal loveliness-
That I needs must share.
Such lilting melody and grace
Makes me glimpse
Eternity’s golden face!
Each note wrung out of my soul
Becomes a flower
That I can lay
At His Lotus Feet
Fresh as the newborn day!
Such music transcends all bounds
In its spell one is freed of everything,
The soul soars such dazzling heights
It’s a bird, again! And on its wing!
