The Restless Monkey and the Plea for Grace

Poetic RenderingLike a lowly dog borne high in a palanquin,Carried with honor yet leaping downTo snatch the flesh fallen on the groundSo is this mind of mine, O Lord!It runs,…

Pranalingi - Bhakta BHAKTA

The Hidden Fire

Poetic RenderingHidden like fire within water,like sweetness sleeping in sap,like fragrance held within morning dewso is the maiden's secret love,so is my silent yearning for You,O Koodalasangamadeva. This vachana reveals…

Bhakta - Maheswara MAHESHWARA

The Two Suns of Devotion

Poetic RenderingThe morning sun warms the skinthe noon sun scorches it.So it is with devotion, O Lord:worship of the Linga begins soft and sweet,but service to the jangamaburns away every…

BHAKTA Prasadi - Bhakta

The Breath of Meaning

Poetic RenderingAt dawn, pressed by hunger,I cook, I churn, I swallowwhatever comes to handwhere is the time to remember You?O Linga, Fatheris this the fate You have written for me?Like…

BHAKTA Prasadi - Bhakta

The Alchemy of Grace

Poetic RenderingDoes camphor ever leave a stain?Does a mirage ever carry mud?Does the wind borne fragrance ever rot?So toowhen You have touched me,when Your grace has entered my lifewhat bondage…

Maheshwara - Bhakta Pranalingi - Bhakta Sharana - Bhakta

The Law of Spiritual Consequence

Poetic RenderingCan one place glowing embers on the headand hope to escape the burn?Can one chew grain mixed with stonesand not shatter the jaw?So toothose who mock or scorn the…

Bhakta - Pranalingi PRANALINGI

The Living Temple

Poetic RenderingThe wealthy build temples of stone,I, a humble soul, what can I offer?My legs, the pillars; my body, the shrine;My head, the golden dome.Hear me, O Koodalasangamadeva:Stone temples crumble,but…

Bhakta - Maheswara MAHESHWARA

The Moth and the Flame of Truth

Poetic RenderingLike a washerman thrashing clotheshe cannot keep,so I once lashed at life’s illusionsbeauty, wealth, the lure of land and soil.Blind to You, O Koodalasangamadeva,I fed upon shadows.Only in You…

Bhakta - Sharana SHARANA

The Comet in a Sky of Barking Dogs

Poetic RenderingWhen strangers walk into a village,do the dogs not bark?So too, when sharanas journey from afardifferent paths, different thoughts, same truthshould we marvel if slanderers howl?Yet, O Koodalasangamadeva,Your sharanas…

Maheshwara - Bhakta BHAKTA

The Breath That Outweighs All Offerings

Poetic RenderingA sword in one hand,flesh in the other,lips stained with liquorcan such a one claim the Linga?No, the Linga they wearrests only on the surface,not within the heart.I call…