The Essential Works of Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore

58. bâgo nâ jâ re nâ jâ

      Do not go to the garden of flowers!

       O Friend! go not there;

       In your body is the garden of flowers.

       Take your seat on the thousand petals of the lotus, and there

       gaze on the Infinite Beauty.

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      I. 63. avadhû, mâyâ tajî na jây

      Tell me, Brother, how can I renounce Maya?

       When I gave up the tying of ribbons, still I tied my garment

       about me:

       When I gave up tying my garment, still I covered my body in its

       folds.

       So, when I give up passion, I see that anger remains;

       And when I renounce anger, greed is with me still;

       And when greed is vanquished, pride and vainglory remain;

       When the mind is detached and casts Maya away, still it clings to

       the letter.

       Kabîr says, "Listen to me, dear Sadhu! the true path is rarely

       found."

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      I. 83. candâ jhalkai yahi ghat mâhîn

      The moon shines in my body, but my blind eyes cannot see it:

       The moon is within me, and so is the sun.

       The unstruck drum of Eternity is sounded within me; but my deaf

       ears cannot hear it.

      So long as man clamours for the I and the Mine, his works are as naught: When all love of the I and the Mine is dead, then the work of the Lord is done. For work has no other aim than the getting of knowledge: When that comes, then work is put away.

      The flower blooms for the fruit: when the fruit comes, the flower

       withers.

       The musk is in the deer, but it seeks it not within itself: it

       wanders in quest of grass.

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      I. 85. Sâdho, Brahm alakh lakhâyâ

      When He Himself reveals Himself, Brahma brings into manifestation

       That which can never be seen.

       As the seed is in the plant, as the shade is in the tree, as the

       void is in the sky, as infinite forms are in the void—

       So from beyond the Infinite, the Infinite comes; and from the

       Infinite the finite extends.

      The creature is in Brahma, and Brahma is in the creature: they

       are ever distinct, yet ever united.

       He Himself is the tree, the seed, and the germ.

       He Himself is the flower, the fruit, and the shade.

       He Himself is the sun, the light, and the lighted.

       He Himself is Brahma, creature, and Maya.

       He Himself is the manifold form, the infinite space;

       He is the breath, the word, and the meaning.

       He Himself is the limit and the limitless: and beyond both the

       limited and the limitless is He, the Pure Being.

       He is the Immanent Mind in Brahma and in the creature.

      The Supreme Soul is seen within the soul,

       The Point is seen within the Supreme Soul,

       And within the Point, the reflection is seen again.

       Kabîr is blest because he has this supreme vision!

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      I. 101. is ghat antar bâg bagîce

      Within this earthen vessel are bowers and groves, and within it

       is the Creator:

       Within this vessel are the seven oceans and the unnumbered stars.

       The touchstone and the jewel-appraiser are within;

       And within this vessel the Eternal soundeth, and the spring wells

       up.

       Kabîr says: "Listen to me, my Friend! My beloved Lord is within."

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      I. 104. aisâ lo nahîn taisâ lo

      O How may I ever express that secret word?

       O how can I say He is not like this, and He is like that?

       If I say that He is within me, the universe is ashamed:

       If I say that He is without me, it is falsehood.

       He makes the inner and the outer worlds to be indivisibly one;

       The conscious and the unconscious, both are His footstools.

       He is neither manifest nor hidden, He is neither revealed nor

       unrevealed:

       There are no words to tell that which He is.

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      I. 121. tohi mori lagan lagâye re phakîr wâ

      To Thee Thou hast drawn my love, O Fakir!

       I was sleeping in my own chamber, and Thou didst awaken me;

       striking me with Thy voice, O Fakir!

       I was drowning in the deeps of the ocean of this world, and

       Thou didst save me: upholding me with Thine arm, O Fakir!

       Only one word and no second—and Thou hast made me tear off all

       my bonds, O Fakir!

       Kabîr says, "Thou hast united Thy heart to my heart, O Fakir!"

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      I. 131. nis' din khelat rahî sakhiyân sang

      I played day and night with my comrades, and now I am greatly

       afraid.

       So high is my Lord's palace, my heart trembles to mount its

       stairs: yet I must not be shy, if I would enjoy His love.

       My heart must cleave to my Lover; I must withdraw my veil, and

       meet Him with all my body:

       Mine eyes must perform