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Spiritual Light

O PAPA, giver of bliss! One day you asked me to sing devotional songs. But I did not know how to sing. So you yourself taught me to sing some inspiring songs. The songs you taught me are:

ॐ

तूं माझा यजमान रामा । जननी जठरीं रक्षियलें मज । पोसुनि पंचहि प्राण ॥ बाहेर निघतां मातेचे स्तनिं । पय केलें निर्माण ॥ ऐसे असतां या पोटाची । कां करुं चिंताजाण ॥ मध्वमुनीश्वर स्वामि रमापति । धरिं माझा अभिमान ॥

O Ram, you are my master. By feeding my five vital airs, you protected me in my mother’s womb.

When I came out of it, you provided me with milk in my mother’s breasts.

While this is the case, why should I worry about food for my stomach?

Madhva Munishwar Swami Ramapati says: “O God, I surrender my ‘I’-ness to you.”

ॐ

धन्य तोचि जगीं एक हरिरंगीं नाचे । रामकृष्ण वासुदेव सदा स्मरे वाचे ॥ सुख दुःख समान सकळ जीवांचा कृपाळ । ज्ञानाचा उद्बोध भक्तिप्रेमाचा कल्लोळ ॥ विषयीं विरक्त जया नाहीं आपपर । संतुष्ट सर्वदा स्वयें व्यापक निर्धार ॥ जाणीव शाहणीव ओझें सांडुनियां दूरी । आपण वस्तीकर वर्ततसे संसारीं ॥ एका जनार्दनीं नित्य हरीचें कीर्तन । आसनीं शयनीं सदा हरीचें चिंतन ॥

Blessed indeed is he on this earth who dances in God intoxication and sings always, “Rama Krishna Vasudeva”.

To him, joy and grief are the same and he pours compassion on all living beings.

He is an embodiment of wisdom, an ocean of devotion and love.

He is free from sense desires and has no distinction between “I” and “others”.

He is ever contented, being firmly aware of his pervasiveness.

He has thrown far away the burden of knowledge and ignorance; all the while he lives and moves in the world.

Janardan Eka says: “Such a one sings always of God.

While sitting or lying down, his mind is always filled with God-remembrance.”

ॐ

सद्गुरु वांचोनि सांपडेना सोय । धरावे ते पाय आदी आदी ॥ आपणासारिखे करिती तात्काळ । नाहीं काळवेळ तया लागी ॥ लोह परिसाची न साहे उपमा । सद्गुरु महिमा अगाध ची ॥ तुका म्हणे कैसे आंधळे हे जन । गेले बिसरोन खऱ्या देवा ॥

Without a Guru you have no relief, so in the first place hold on to his feet.

Then he will at once make you like himself for which he won’t take any time.

The simile of the philosopher’s stone and iron does not apply here.

The power of the Sadguru is truly unfathomable.

Tukaram says: “How blind people are! They have forgotten the true God.”

ॐ

गुरुकृपा–अंजन पायो मेरे भाई । रामबिना कछु देखत नाहीं ॥ अंदर राम बाहिर राम । जहांदेखे वहां रामहि राम ॥ जागत राम सोवत राम । सपनोमे देखत राजा राम । कहत कबीरा अनुभव निका । जहां देखे वहां राम सरिखा ॥

O my brother! Have in your eyes the collyrium of Guru’s Grace.

Then you will know none but Rama.

Inside Rama, outside Rama, wherever you turn there you see Rama.

In waking you see Rama, in sleep you see Rama, also in dream you behold Raja Rama.

Kabir says: “Listen, O brother Sadhu! Obtain this sublime vision. Then you will behold Rama wherever your eyes turn.”

O compassionate Papa! After you had taught me these songs I learnt many others. When asked to sing I would do so thereafter without any hesitation.

O infinite Papa! It was my nature to weep whenever I was pained at heart and to beat my children severely if they turned naughty and did not obey me. Anasuyakka’s sister, being unable to put up with this behaviour of mine, complained to you about it.

O compassionate Papa! You then advised me in these words, “If you have real love for Ramdas, you should not beat your children in future. Know this, when you beat them you are really beating Ramdas himself.”

You further instructed me: “From now onwards, give up reading the scriptures, Ekanath Bhagavat and Jnaneshwari. Stop your daily worship and also the use of the rosary for Japa. These religious practices are gone through with the object of loving all beings and creatures alike. In spite of your observing this routine, you are not able to control and give up anger. Then what is the use of it all? Therefore, in future keep only Ram Nam on your tongue and regard everybody as Ram and the service you render to anybody as the service and worship of Ram.”

O Papa, the lover of devotees! From the day you gave me the advice, my mind became light and I got some peace, but since I had not completed my stipulated Japa with the rosary for the sake of the children and the departed souls, and since the great desire for reading scriptures was still there, my mind used to be now and again drawn towards them. I wished at least to touch the religious books and salute them. However, by a stern control of mind I tried to escape from their hold on me.

O omnipresent Papa! Finding out the workings of my mind, one day you told a devotee, “Without oneself having attained liberation if one strives to liberate others, it will be like a blind man offering to guide another blind man, with the consequence that both of them fall into the pit.” Though the advice was intended for others, it deeply affected me and I curbed my thoughts from rushing towards the scriptures and Japa for the sake of my children and departed souls. At last I was able to root out my attraction for them.