ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 13

JK/NKK 13
kya:h bôDukh mu:hà bavà-södàrà dare,
sôth luharith pèyiy tamà pa:nkh     |
yamà-baTh karànay kö:ly choràdare,
kavà zanà ka:siy marànàny Sa:nkh     ||

Why has delusion
caused you to sink in the current
of the ocean of existence?
Having dismantled the dike,
you are stuck in the mire
of ignorance.
In due time,
the soldiers of Yama
will drag you, bleeding.
How will you deal with
the fear of death?

Note: In Indian mythology, Yama is the god of death.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 101

JK/NKK 101
karàm zà ka:ran treh kômbith,
yèvà labakh paralokas ankh     |
vvoth khas su:rya-manDal tsômbith,
tavai tsaliy marànàny Sankh     ||

Going beyond the two works
and the three causes,
you will gain insight
into the other world.
Arise, ascend, and pierce through
the disk of the sun,
In that way you
will chase away
the fear of death.

Note: The "two works" are good works and bad works. The three causes are three "stains" or imperfections that cause limitation of perception. Overcoming them allows one to perceive the non-physical world. Through this experience we can overcome the fear of death, as Lalla had.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 17

JK/NKK 17
niyam karyoth garba:,
tsètas karba: pèyiy     |
maranà bronThày marba:,
mörith tà martabà hàriy     ||

While in the womb,
you made a vow,
when will you remember?
Die (to the world)
before your death,
and after death
you will have reached
the highest state.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 106

JK/NKK 106
ra:zà hams ö:sith sapadukh kôlày,
kusta:m tsôluy kya:hta:m hèth     |
graTà gav band tay graTan hyôt gôlày,
graTà-vôl tsôluy phal-phôl hèth     ||

You were once a royal swan,
but now your voice is silent.
Someone has taken away
something that was yours.
The mill got stuck,
the grain channel became blocked,
and the Miller ran away
with the grain.

Note: Any writer would say that this is a depiction of writer's block. In Lalla's case, though, it has to be something more. A possible interpretation is that Lalla, addressing herself, had lost focus on the Self and become entangled with the world. The "miller," then, would be Shiva, and I have therefore capitalized the word in my translation. But no one knows for sure what she meant.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 115

JK/NKK 115
mad pyom sèndu zalan yut,
rangan li:lamy karyèm kà:ts     |
kà:ty khyèm manuSi ma:msàky nali:,
svay bà lal tà gav me kya:h     ||

I drank as much wine
as the waters of the Sindh,
playing many rôles on
the stage of life.
No matter how many lumps
of human flesh I ate,
I am still the same Lalla,
and what has it
profited me?

Note: This poem is a reference to Lalla's many previous lives. The "lumps of human flesh" she "ate" probably refers to the many bodies in which she had reincarnated. But if those lives were lived in ignorance of the Self, what profit was there in them for her?

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 53

JK/NKK 53
tsèth amar-pathi thövize,
tih trö:vith lagi zu:De     |
tati tsah no Sankhize sandö:rize,
dvadàSur ti kvachi no mu:De     ||

Direct your mind
to the deathless path,
for if you leave it,
you will go astray.
While there, have neither
fear nor doubt.
A baby in its mother's lap
has no need
to move about.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 41

JK/NKK 41
manas tà bava saras chutö,
ku:pa nira na:rà chvakh     |
lèkh lazi tà bàna: kune,
tuli tul tay tu:l na: könh     ||

The mind and the ocean
are alike in their fury,
but insults lose their sting,
and their effect is small.
When you put them
on the scales,
they have no weight at all.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ