Posted inSHARANA
The Consecration of Perception
Poetic RenderingLet my eyes rest upon the Jangama,let my ears drink the words of the Jangama,let my breath itself serve the Jangama.Let my tongue speak only of the Jangama,let my…
Posted inPrasadi - Sharana SHARANA
Death Is No Threat to the One Who Walks With the Lord
Poetic RenderingWhatever is meant for tomorrowlet it come today.If it is to come todaylet it arrive this very moment.Why fear it?Who is there to weep before the appointed hour?For our…
Posted inSharana - Bhakta BHAKTA
The Futility of the Unlived Truth
Poetic RenderingWhat use is wealthto one who hoards like a pig staring at the moon?What use is a mirrorin the hands of the blind?What use is a rubyto a monkey…
Posted inAikya - Sharana SHARANA
Equanimity The Sharana’s Freedom
Poetic RenderingSome will mock,some will praiseyet both brush only the outer skin.Some deeds bring merit,others bring blamepassing over the heartlike day following night.But the one who standsin Koodalasangamadeva,steady and awake,is…
Posted inMaheshwara - Sharana SHARANA
Ritual Cannot Purify the Heart
Poetic RenderingBecause they do not know You,their hands gather only grass for offering.Because they have not realized,they wear the sacred threada noose mistaken for holiness.They scrub their clothes,plunge into water…
Posted inMaheshwara - Sharana SHARANA
The Sandal-Dust of the Sharana Weighs More Than the World
Poetic RenderingIf the mountains were crushed to dustand every grain placed upon the scale,stillthe sandals of a true sharanawould send that weightless dustrising like smoke.For in those sandals walksKoodalasangamadeva’s own…
Posted inSharana - Bhakta BHAKTA
The Water Dries, The Tree Withers Where Then Is Your God?
Poetic RenderingThey plunge into water simply because they see the water;they circle the sacred tree only because others circle it.But when the riverbed cracks dry,and the holy tree itself witherswhen…
Posted inAikya - Sharana SHARANA
The Three Lines of Return
Poetic RenderingFor the river, beauty is the lotus opening its soft hands.For the ocean, beauty is the rising wave, silver-crested.For woman, beauty lives in her quiet virtue and grace.For the…
Posted inAikya - Sharana SHARANA
The Company You Keep
Poetic RenderingThe wealthy gather around kings,the devout gather around the jangama.Those trapped in lust dine at the courtesan’s table,those steeped in meat gather with the monkeys.But those who share with…
Posted inAikya - Sharana SHARANA
Words Become the Mirror of the Soul
Poetic RenderingLet my speech be a garlandstrung with pearls of truth.Let it shine like the rubywarm, radiant, filled with integrity.Let it gleam like flawless crystaltransparent, un shadowed, without hidden stain.Let…