सुगन्धिः कोऽपि स्यात्कुसुमसमये कोऽपि विटपी
शलाटौ सामोदः फलपरिणतौ कापि सुरभिः ।
प्रसूनप्रारम्भात्प्रभृति फलपाकावधि पुन
र्जगत्येकत्रैव स्फुरति सहकारे परिमलः ॥
उमापतिधरस्य
Some grow fragrant when buds push out.
Some sweeten as unripe tree-fruits.
Some scent the air in hung ripeness.
No sooner have the fruits begun to ripen again
Than perfume suffuses the world here in the mango.
— Umāpatidhara (1100s)
When God made me, why did he then conspire
To make her beauty? If both had to be,
Why did he then make spring to wake desire?
Surely he made the spring to break
Men’s hearts: but why then did he make
The mango blossom on the mango-tree?
***
A hundred times I learnt from my philosophy
To think no more of love, this vanity,
This dream, this source of all regret,
This emptiness.
But no philosophy can make my heart forget
Her loveliness.
***
If he had seen this dainty creature,
Golden as saffron in every feature,
How could a high creator bear
To part with anything so fair?
Suppose he shut his eyes? Oh, no:
How could he then have made her so?
–Which proves the universe was not created:
Buddhist philosophy is vindicated.
***
Though she’s the girl, I am the one who’s shy;
And though she walks with heavy hips, it’s I
Who cannot mpve for heaviness; and she
Who is the woman: but the coward, me.
She is the one with high and swelling breast,
But I the one with weariness oppressed.
Clearly in her the causal factors lie,
But the effects in me I wonder why!
“So friar, I see you have a taste for meat.”
“Not that it’s any good without some wine.”
“You like wine too, then?” “Better when I dine
With pretty harlots.” “Surely such girls eat
No end of money?” “Well, I steal you see,
Or win at dice.” “A thief and gambler too?”
“Why certainly. What else is there to do?
Aren’t you aware I am vowed to poverty?”
***
Truly, the loss of welath is no great pain.
When fate disposes, wealth begins, or ends.
Yet one heart-burning follows in its train:
The sorrow of the cooling off of friends.
Who was artificer at her creation?
Was it the moon, bestowing its own charm?
as it the graceful month of spring, itself
Compact with love, a garden full of flowers?
That ancient saint there, sitting in his trance,
Bemused by prayers and dull theology,
Cares naught for beauty: how could he create
Such loveliness, the old religious fool.
Blow, wind, to where my loved one is,
Touch her, and come and touch me soon:
I’ll feel her gentle touch through you
And meet her beauty in the moon.
These things are much for one who loves_
A man can live by them alone_
That she and I breathe the same air,
And the earth we tread is one.
“Go if you must,” she said, ” and I shall pray
That Heaven may guard you on your way;
And I shall be reborn again, I swear,
Wherever you may be, my dear.”
When the fever is caused by her looks and her voice,
The treatment of choice
Is a thrice-daily sip
Of her honey-sweet lip.
To avoid further harm,
And to keep the heart warm,
This follow-up treatment is known to be best:
The soothing and gentle warm touch of her breast.
(Professional secret, though_
Careful to keep it so!)
Of what use is the poet’s poem,
Of what use is the bowman’s dart,
Unless another’s senses reel
When it sticks quivering in the heart?
***
“Do not go”, I could say; but this is inauspicious
“All right go” is a loveless thing to say.
“Stay with me” is imperious. “Do as you wish” suggests
Cold indifference. And if I say I will die
When you are gone”, you might or might not believe me.
Teach me my husband, what I ought to say
When you go away.
***
Her face is not the moon, nor are her eyes
Twin lotuses, nor are her arms pure gold:
She’s flesh and bone. What lies the poets told!
Ah, but we love her, we believe the lies.
***
You are pale, friend moon, and do not sleep at night,
And day by day you waste away.
Can it be that you also
Think only of her as I do?
***
Destiny surely is unjust.
The bees it has decreed,
Shall feast on lotus-honey and sweet pollen-dust.
On water-weed
The geese must
Feed.
***
Philosphers are surely wrong to say
That attibutes in substance must inhere.
Her beauty burns my heart; yet I am here,
And she is far away.
***
A poet who has not tasted grief
Can mourn in fiction, and command belief.
A man who mourns in truth has no such art
To find words for a broken heart.
When he saw her,
He was struck by the arrows of love.
Nor could he save himself by shutting his eyes:
For he was a young man of an enquiring mind.
And so he was forced to examine the problem
In greater detail
Of how the Creator
Had come to make
A figure like hers.
***
Moonlight face,
Flower-bud hand,
Nectar voice,
Rose-red lip:
Stone-hard heart
***
If you can look into her wide black eyes
Unmoved, observe her laughing brows and keep
Your wits about you_I express surprise,
But honour you as you deserve, poor sheep.
***
नासदासीन्नोसदासीत्तादानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमापरो यत |
किमावरीव: कुहकस्यशर्मन्नम्भ: किमासीद्गहनं गभीरं ||
There was neither non-existence nor existence then;
there was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond.
What stirred? Where? In whose protection?
Was there water, bottomlessly deep?
सृष्टी से पहले सत् नहीं था, असत् भी नहीं
अन्तरिक्ष भी नहीं, आकाश भी नहीं था
छिपा था क्या? कहाँ? किसने ढका था?
उस पल तो, अगम अतल जल भी कहाँ था?
न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः ।
आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किञ्चनास ॥२॥
There was neither death nor immortality then.
There was no distinguishing sign of night nor of day.
That one breathed, windless, by its own impulse.
Other than that there was nothing beyond.
नहीं थी मृत्यू, थी अमरता भी नहीं
नहीं था दिन, रात भी नहीं
हवा भी नहीं, साँस थी स्वयमेव फिर भी
नही था कोई कुछ भी, परमतत्त्व से अलग या परे भी।।
तम आसीत्तमसा गूहळमग्रे प्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वाऽइदम् ।
तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥३॥
Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning;
with no distinguishing sign, all this was water.
The life force that was covered with emptiness,
that one arose through the power of heat.
अंधेरे में अंधेरा-मुँदा अँधेरा था
जल भी केवल निराकार जल था
परमतत्त्व था सृजन-कामना से भरा, ओछे जल से घिरा,
वही अपनी तपस्या की महिमा से उभरा ।।
कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् |
सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥४॥
Desire came upon that one in the beginning;
that was the first seed of mind.
Poets seeking in their heart with wisdom
found the bond of existence in non-existence.
परम मन में बीज पहला जो उगा
काम बनकर वह जगा
कवियों ग्यानियों ने जाना
असत् और सत् का निकट संबंध पहचाना ।।
तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासीदुपरि स्विदासीत् |
रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥५॥
Their cord was extended across.
Was there below? Was there above?
There were seed-placers; there were powers.
There was impulse beneath; there was giving-forth above.
फैले संबंध के किरण धागे तिरछे
परमतत्त्व उस पल ऊपर या नीचे?
वह था बँटा हुआ, पुरुष और स्त्री बना हुआ
ऊपर दाता वही भोक्ता, नीचे वसुधा स्वधा भोग्या ।।
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः |
अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥६॥
Who really knows? Who will here proclaim it?
Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?
The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.
Who then knows whence it has arisen?
सृष्टी यह बनी कैसे? किससे? आई है कहाँ से?
कोई क्या जानता है? बता सकता है?
देवताओं को नहीं ग्यात, वे आए सृजन के बाद
सृष्टी को रचां है जिसने, उसको जाना किसने? ।।
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न |
यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥७॥
Whence this creation has arisen –
perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not –
the one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven,
only he knows – or perhaps he does not know.
सृष्टी का कौन है कर्ता? कर्ता है वा अकर्ता?
ऊँचे आकाश में रहता, सदा अध्यक्ष बना रहता
वही सचमुच में जानता, या नहीं भी जानता
है किसी को नहीं पता, नहीं पता, नहीं है पता ।।
हिरण्यगर्भः समवर्तताग्रे भूतस्य जातः पतिरेकासीत ।
स दाधार पृथ्वीं ध्यामुतेमां कस्मै देवायहविषा विधेम ॥
hiraṇyagarbhaḥ samavartatāgre bhūtasya jātaḥ patirekāsīta |
sa dādhāra pṛthvīṃ dhyāmutemāṃ kasmai devāyahaviṣā vidhema ||
HIRANYAGARBHA was present at the beginning;
when born, he was the sole lord of created beings;
he upheld this earth and heaven,
–let us offer worship with an oblation to the divine KA.
था हिरण्य गर्भ सृष्टि से पहले विद्यमान .
वोही तो सारे भूत जाती का स्वामी महान .
जो है अस्तित्वमान धरती आसमान धारण कर.
ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करे हम हवी देकर?
vah thaa Hiranyagarbh shristi sey pehley vidyamaan
vahi to saarey bhuut jaat ka swami mahaan
jo hai astitvamaan dharti aasmaan dhaaran kar
aisey kis devata ki upaasanaa karen hum havi dekar
– Rig Veda Rig Veda 10.121.1
येन द्यौरुग्रा पृथ्वी च दृढा येन स्वस्तभितं येननाकः ।
यो अन्तरिक्षे रजसो विमानः कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम ॥
yena dayaurugrā parthivī ca darḻhā yena sava satabhitaṃ yenanākaḥ |
yo antarikṣe rajaso vimānaḥ kasmai devāyahaviṣā vidhema ||
By whom the sky was made profound
and the earth solid,
by Whom heaven and the solar sphere were fixed,
who was the measure of the water in the firmament,-
let us offer worship with an oblation to the divine KA
जिस के बल पर तेजोमय है अम्बर .
पृथ्वी हरी भरी स्थापित स्थिर.
स्वर्ग और सूरज भी स्थिर.
ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करे हम हवी देकर?
jiskey bal par taejomay hai ambar
prithvi hari-bhari sthaapit-sthir
swarg aur suuraj bhi sthir
aisey kis devata ki upaasanaa karen hum havi dekar
– Rig Veda 10.121.5
आपो ह यद बर्हतीर्विश्वमायन गर्भं दधानाजनयन्तीरग्निम ।
ततो देवानां समवर्ततासुरेकःकस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम ॥
āpo ha yada barhatīrviśvamāyana garbhaṃ dadhānājanayantīragnima |
tato devānāṃ samavartatāsurekaḥkasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||
When the vast waters overspread the universe containing the germ and giving birth to AGNI, then was produced the one breath of the gods,
– let us offer worship with an oblation to the divine KA.
गर्भ में अपने अग्नि धारण कर पैदा कर,
व्याप था जल इधर उधर नीचे ऊपर,
जगाचुके वो का एकमेव प्राण बनकर,
ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करे हम हवी देकर?
garbh mey apney agni dhaaran kar payda kar
vyaapa thaa jal idhar-udhar neechey-ooper
jaga jo devoon ka ekmayv praan ban kar
aisey kis devata ki upaasanaa karen hum havi dekar
– Rig Veda 10.121.7
मा नो हिंसीज्जनिता यः पर्थिव्या यो वा दिवंसत्यधर्मा जजान ।
यश्चापश्चन्द्रा बर्हतीर्जजानकस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम ॥
mā no hiṃsījjanitā yaḥ parthivyā yo vā divaṃsatyadharmā jajāna |
yaścāpaścandrā barhatīrjajānakasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ||
May he do us no harm who is the parent of the -earth, or who the unerring support (of the world) begat the heaven, and who generated the vast and delightful waters,
– let us offer worship with an oblation to the divine KA.
ॐ ! सृष्टि निर्माता स्वर्ग रचयिता पूर्वज रखस कर.
सत्य धर्म पालक अतुल जल नियामक रक्षा कर.
फैली हैं दिशाएं बहु जैसी उसकी सब में सब पर,
ऐसे ही देवता की उपासना करे हम हवी देकर,
ऐसे ही देवता की उपासना करे हम हवी देकर.”
ho.. srishti nirmaata swarg rachayta poorvaj raksha kar
satya dharm palak atul jal niyaamak raksha kar
phaili hain dishaayen baahu jaisi uski submey subpar
aisey hi devata ki upaasanaa karen hum havi dekar
aisey hi devata ki upaasanaa karen hum havi dekar
– Rig Veda 10.121.9
न था कुछ तो ख़ुदा था कुछ न होता तो ख़ुदा होता
डुबोया मुझ को होने ने न होता मैं तो क्या होता
हुआ जब ग़म से यूँ बे-हिस तो ग़म क्या सर के कटने का
न होता गर जुदा तन से तो ज़ानू पर धरा होता
हुई मुद्दत कि ग़ालिब मर गया पर याद आता है
वो हर इक बात पर कहना कि यूँ होता तो क्या होता
Juvenilia 