ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR KS 152

KS 152
dod kya:h za:ni yas no bane,
gamàky ja:mà ha: vàlith tane     |
garà-garà phi:ràs pèyam kane,
Dyu:Thum nà ka:nh ti panàni kane     ||

What does one know about pain
who has not suffered it?
Covering my body
with a robe of sorrow,
I went from door to door,
and found only stones.
I did not find anyone
who was on my side.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 96

JK/NKK 96
nö:bhistha:nas tsèth zalàvàni:,
brahmastha:nas SiSirun mvakh     |
brahma:NDas chuy nad vahavàni:
tavay turun huh ha:h gav tôt     ||

The region of the navel
is a blazing pyre.
The abode of Brahma
is of the nature of ice.
Through all this
a great river flows.
Therefore, "huh" is cool,
and "hah" is hot.

Note: I have seen two variants, in addition to this version of the poem, which makes for a confusing situation. Lalla had noticed two types of exhalations, one of which, called by her "huh," was cool, while the other, which she called "hah," was hot. She asked her guru about this many times, as related in several poems, and this is the explanation that she received. The "abode of Brahma" is at the top of the head, in or near the sahasrara chakra (the thousand-petaled lotus). The "flowing river" is the energetic channel flowing between the "kanda," or "bulb," in the region of the pubic mound, and the top of the head. Depending on the type of exhalation, the vital airs are influenced primarily by one or the other of these extremes. All of this is related to the yogic practice of "pranayama," or breath control.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR KS 135 / AK 1930-6

KS 135 / AK 1930-6
azapa: ga:yatri hamsà hamsà zapith,
aham trö:vith suy adà raTh     |
yèmy trov aham suy ru:d pa:nay,
bà na ö:sun chuy vvapàdi:S     ||

Recite the unchanted mantra
(hamsa or so'ham)
with every breath.
Having cast away "I,"
meditate on Him.
They who renounce
the ego,
find the Self.
The lesson
to be learned
is that there is
no "I."

Note: When one chants the famous "so'ham" mantra (I am He), with repetition it tends to become "hamsa," which means "swan." In either case, the sound of the mantra imitates the sound of the breath, so one can chant this mantra by simply breathing. When this is done, the mantra is said to be "unchanted" ("ajapa" in Sanskrit, or "azapa" in Kashmiri). In another poem, Lalla told us that she had removed "aham" ("I"") from the so'ham mantra, leaving only "sa" (He). This was her figurative way of saying that she had rejected the sense of a separate "I."

 
ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ