JK/NKK 71
dva:daSa:ntà manDal yas di:vas thöjiy,
na:sika pavanà ana:hatà rav |
svayam kalpan antih tsöjiy
pa:nay di:v ta artsun kas ||
One who knows the dvadashant
as the shrine of God,
and the vital air that
rises to the nose
as the sun of
ana:hata,
finally loses false ego,
and, knowing the Self
as God,
who then is there
to worship?
Note: There seems to be more disagreement than agreement with regard to the meaning of "dva:daSa:ntà manDal." Everyone is in agreement that "mandala" in this context means "chakra." Sir George Grierson thought it meant the brahmarandhra, which corresponds to a particular location in the brain. B. N. Parimoo thought it meant the heart chakra, usually depicted as a lotus with twelve petals ("dvadashant" means twelve). Nil Kanth Kotru avoided the question entirely by not translating the word "dva:daSa:nt." But I have always assumed that it meant the sahasrara chakra, the thousand-petaled lotus, which many yogic texts describe as being "twelve finger-breadths above the top of the head," and which is the highest psychic center associated with the chakra system. I still believe that, and it also corresponds to Gopi Krishna's writings about his own kundalini experience. Lalla also used the word "ana:hata" in this poem, which means "unstruck." It refers to the "unstruck sound" corresponding to "OM."
ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ
Saturday, January 21, 2017
ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 26
JK/NKK 26
a:yas ti syôduy tà gatshà ti syôduy,
syadis hôl mè karyam kya:h |
bà tas ö:sàs a:garay vyazày,
vyadis tà vyandis karyam kya:h ||
I came straight and
I'll return straight.
What can a crooked
person do to me,
who am straight?
I was known to Him
from the beginning.
What can anyone do
to me, who am known
and familiar to Him?
ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ
a:yas ti syôduy tà gatshà ti syôduy,
syadis hôl mè karyam kya:h |
bà tas ö:sàs a:garay vyazày,
vyadis tà vyandis karyam kya:h ||
I came straight and
I'll return straight.
What can a crooked
person do to me,
who am straight?
I was known to Him
from the beginning.
What can anyone do
to me, who am known
and familiar to Him?
ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ
Friday, January 20, 2017
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
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
Thursday, January 19, 2017
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
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
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
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
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
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
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