Body ages but awareness is unchanged,
as the screen of consciousness on which we play,
where ego dominates, from God’s light estranged,
until silence reveals the truth, clear as day,
bliss beats showing chakras perfectly arranged,
ushering clear knowing that is here to stay.
Behold polarities dancing cheek to cheek!
Oh worthy hermit, we are he who we seek!
Poised in dynamic stillness, awake, alert,
bereft of thought, as awareness self-aware,
with the flow of soma nectar, bliss beats spurt,
as we amble along with nary a care,
in quietude observing God’s will assert
His love for us as hearts joyfully pair,
that our self-existent light shines in the void,
whence we are no longer by ego decoyed.
Our life is dark, if we know not all is one,
meaning our attention orbits body-mind
but worse are concepts, which too must come undone,
by leaving all conditioned beliefs behind,
else caught in a spider’s web we’ve ourself spun,
we’ll flounder about on earth as though we’re blind.
From concepts to direct realisation,
is the bridge we must cross through meditation.
To behold the Self with the eye of the eye,
in as flicker-free awareness all the time,
wherein in the vibrant void we wingless fly,
guided by vibrations of God’s bliss beat chime,
luminous Self, which is all heart, makes heart sigh,
a state of completion, no peaks left to climb.
Thoughts rested, ego exhumed, the truth is known,
with presence shining as light of Self full blown.
The substratum in which all three states appear,
alluding to waking, dreaming and deep sleep,
is where our distilled consciousness we should steer,
beyond mind and senses, in staid silence deep,
where thus watching wayward ego disappear,
light of Self is the harvest, which we so reap.
To fixate awareness on Self is our goal,
the only way for us here now to feel whole.
The existence of ego depends on thought,
a magical illusion conjured by mind,
web of incessant motion in which we’re caught
but if we drop desires and leave fears behind,
in the void of silence we become self-taught,
no longer floundering about as though blind.
Attuned with the soft pulsations of our heart,
in restful watchfulness God search we jump start.
As an actor in the dream we’ve manifest,
we take as real, the domain created,
the dream ending only when thought comes to rest,
which occurs when we’re not by desires baited,
that then ambling through life in light hearted jest,
the truth of Self is by heart validated.
When thought flow stops, we are then dehypnotized
whence truth of our true being is realised.
Our world is all that to which we are attached
but be this as it may, we can still be free,
by beholding God from that form slowly hatched,
whereupon this way, unshackled from mind’s tree,
we see light of Self shining, pure and unmatched,
whence liberated thus, we roam earth carefree.
The trick oh monk, is to see God everywhere
and of this deep truth to be always aware.
There is this disrict we go and howl in,
allowing us to scream and go way down.
Relief for numbness of broken up skin,
I found a man who can handle the crown.
Once his rough fingers land upon my chin,
not a trace will remain of my nightgown.
Between bows and curtsies is the red light,
that flips my switch on every single night.
Wherefrom does sense of identity arise,
in as an ego thought of separation,
distancing heart from head and feeding us lies,
letting us not be one with God’s creation?
Negating mind prone to weigh, measure and size,
ceasing thinking and feeling each sensation,
in staid silence, unshackled from our mind tree,
in timeless time ego dies and we’re set free.
As we are being meditated upon,
divine magnetism transforms organic form,
wherein breath by breath, as delusion is shorn,
we are poised in quietude in a bliss storm,
with each heartbeat welcoming onset of dawn,
simply by choosing with God’s will to conform.
Guided by God’s hand, in time we understand,
we’re living light and our destiny is grand.
I sing this ode to you, bad back,
though you have given pain and woe -
and sent me to many a quack
looking only to make some dough.
The pain you cause is an attack.
I wish you'd find a place to go,
but I know my dear loyal friend,
that you'll be with me till the end.
God created the manifest universe
but without His breath everything was inert,
so He outpoured grace with no need to rehearse,
that life across all worlds may begin to spurt
but boon became bane, ego made life a curse,
estranged from love, spewing venom, causing hurt.
Love is the tool by which souls may reunite,
with God, our creator, full of love and light.
A man-lion, striving at his best,
Begets home a lot of fortune.
Fate giveth on its own behest,
A coward croons pretty soon.
I’ll fight the fate and do my best
To make some odd things opportune,
Even then should I not succeed,
Who can fault me indeed?
__________________________
Translation |28.09.2025| fate, fight, fortune
Note: Ottava Rima (AB/AB/AB/CC), based on a Sanskrit Subhaashhitam transliterated as under:
Udyoginam purusha-simham upaiti lakshmi,
Daivena deyam iti kaapurushaa vadanti ||
Daivam nihatya kuru paurisham aatma-shaktyaa,
Bale krte yadi na sidhyati kah atra doshah ||
Bondage is the belief that we are this form,
manifesting ego that then takes control,
so we are then blown like a leaf in life’s storm
but if we are still, thoughts no longer patrol,
whence we begin to sense blissful currents warm,
reclaiming light of Self, the scriptures extol,
whereupon we no longer remain the same,
our claim to fame being becoming the flame.
The substratum of all objects manifest,
is what else but the divine Self absolute?
If we but put stuporous thought forms to rest,
in bliss enlivened silence we then reboot,
acting then no longer at ego’s behest,
eyes for God alone, our will is resolute.
Look not at form but at light of Self within.
God in heart calls us, so we plunge in therein.
Specific Types of Ottava Rima Poems
Definition | What is Ottava Rima in Poetry?