ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 58

JK/NKK 58
mèthya: kapaTh asath trovum,
manas kôrum suy vvapàdi:S     |
zanas andar ki:val zonum,
anas khènas kus chum dvi:S     ||

I gave up cheating, untruth,
and hypocrisy.
I saw the One in all others,
and taught that lesson
to the mind.
Why, then, not accept
their food?

Note: There are social prohibitions against accepting food from a person of another caste or religion. Lalla is pointing out that, especially for one who has a high degree of realization of the Self, this makes no sense.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 103

JK/NKK 103
Su:nyuk mö:da:n kôDumpa:nas,
mè lali ru:zàm nà bvad na hoS     |
vèzày sapanis pa:nay pa:nas,
adà kami hili phôl lali pampoS     ||

I traversed the field
of the void by myself.
I, Lalla, was left
without reason or
body-awareness.
I became aware
of my rue Self,
and then from
water weeds
a lotus bloomed
for Lalla!

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR KS 117/BNP 99/AK 1930-9b

KS 117/BNP 99/AK 1930-9b
svan dra:v vö:hani tà mal gav vöthith,
yèli mè anàla:hà dyutàmas ta:v     |
katur zan göyas lolà vègàlith,
yèli kaThakôS tsôl niSi rav dra:v     |
Lal bà ruzàs tèli Sihilith,
Yèli tsètas pèv bà tas na:v     ||

The impurity of gold
had burnt away
when I put it onto the forge.
Like a sheet of ice,
I was melted by love.
When the frost was gone,
the sun came out.
I, Lalla, was at peace
when I recollected
that "I" is just one
of His names

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 125

JK/NKK 125
di:Si a:yas daSi di:Si ti:lith,
tsàlith tsôTum Suny adà va:v     |
Sivày vuchum Sa:yi Sa:yi mi:lith,
Syatàtrè trôpimas tà Sivày dra:v     ||

I came from my country
and wandered in
ten directions,
speeding through
the wind and the void.
I saw Shiva and
met Him everywhere.
I closed the nine
(apertures of the body),
and Shiva
came forth

Note: At this (perfect) stage of her realization, Lalla found only Shiva in herself.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 105a, 105b

JK/NKK 105a
lal bà dra:yès kapàsi-poSècè sàtsày,
kö:Di tà du:ny körnàm yatsày lath     |
tàyè yèli khö:rnàm zö:yiji tàyè,
bovàry va:nà göyèm alö:nzày lath     |

I, Lalla, set out,
hoping to bloom
like a cotton flower.
The cleaner and
the carder gave me
hard blows,
When they spun me into yarn,
they stretched it tight,
hanging it on the
weaver's loom.

JK/NKK 105b
dvaby yeli chö:vànas dvaby-kany pèThày,
saz tà sa:ban màtshànam yatsày     |
sàtsi yèli phirànam hani-hani kö:tsày,
adà lali mè prö:vàm parama-gath     ||

When the washerman
pounded me on
the laundry stone,
he scrubbed me
hard with soap.
When the tailor
worked his scissors,
piece by piece,
then I, Lalla,
reached the highest
state.

Note: Lalla tells us here that she began her spiritual journey "hoping to bloom like a cotton flower," which sounds easy, natural, maybe even lyrical. Instead, her continued progress was hard, bruising, and she had to be remade, reshaped, to reach the "highest state." She quickly dispenses with romanticism and vain imaginings, giving us the hard truth that we are going to have to do some re-engineering of self to reach Self.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 128

JK/NKK 128
yimày Sè tsè timày Sè mè,
Sya:màgala: tsè byôn tö:This     |
yuhôy bènàbi:d tsè tà mè,
tsà Sèn sva:mi: bà Sèyi möSis     ||

You and I have the same six
O Blue-Throated Lord,
yet separated from you,
I have suffered.
This is the difference
between you and me:
you are the master
of the six,
while I have
forgotten them.

Note: I used to believe that the "six" that Lalla referred to were the six chakras. But apparently she was referring to the six attributes of the Lord (omniscience, etc.), which for us embodied ones are manifested instead as six "kañcukas," or limitations.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 123

JK/NKK 123
kunyar-ay bozak kuni no rozakh,
kuniran kôrnam hunya:ka:r     |
kunày ö:sith dvan hund jang gom,
suy berang gom körith rang     ||

If you understand oneness,
you won't live anywhere.
This oneness has made me
nothingness.
Though I am one,
the conflict of two
continues.
He who is without color,
has dyed me
in colors.

Note: Shivamaya, Shiva's power of illusion, causes the world to resemble a giant cosplay party. We are given our rôles, and we play them. One dresses as a pirate, another as a president, but it does not indicate, or change, who we really are. One who is wise, will still possess wisdom, and a fool will still be a fool.

Behind all of this sporting, all these disguises, there is really only Shiva.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ