thecreativespace
I
Smaller than an atom is my Empire
The entire Universe inhabits it,
That divine phenomenon devoid of beginning, middle, or end
Is in this glorious daylight
Cloaked in the darkness of human ignorance.
The doors of knowledge, when closed,
The soul, self-shining
Becomes a wondrous effulgence
Beyond the limits of human cognizance.
In the centre of the Universe,
Eternal, Empty, Immeasurable, I
Thrive as the embodiment of wonder
Shine in my own soul's splendour.
II
I am the lightning
Traversing centuries
Intent on crossing
Crores of centuries.
Where shall I reach
Rushing, rushing into the past?
Rather would I gallop into the future
As a follower of Eternity.
From where, what, is my origin
What frontiers are my aim
In this eternal, adventurous wondrous journey/
I beheld,
Beheld a hundred times,
Worlds, worlds gripped in darkness
And numerous macrocosms.
The sky and its beyond
The point where the sky ends
The wondrous void, at variance
From this sky or time.
All these I traversed
As an atom in the quintessence of consciousness
And each one of these
Merged in me, the atom of awareness.
Evolving through the orbits
Of Mood, Emotion, Thought
Concept and Grief,
I, the Self, have arrived here
As a living form.
And what is life after all? A collage of joy and sorrow
Nothing but a mirage.
Imperfect is this Universe
And this world, a beautiful particle of sand,
Is only an illusory dream!
I salute this earth, this delusive illusion
Which entangles the Self
Within its magic.
III
In the beginning there was nothing
Then came matter
It attained a form, was blessed with life
Mere dust thus became glorious, vivacious.
From dust to crawling worm,
To bird, and thus evolution
Went on and on to blessed manhood,
What is Man? The one True Phenomenon
In this Universe.
What is Man? A ray of light
Amidst the cycles of birth and death.
IV
I entered this world
In my protective vessel, my body
Fitted with the five
Minute instruments of sense.
Terrible the gateway
Into this world.
Terrible the womb-sojourn
A prison-life in hell “Ruru.”
Free as I was, roaming the Universe
Draped in my travelling attire,
Shocking was the descent,
I fell, crying out loud.
That cry, ha! Marked the dawn
Of this life, this pageant dream
In that perturbed perplexity
Of the colossal blow,
I, the adventurer, in disguise
I, the mendicant, in search of liberation
Witnessed the wonder of the universe.
V
Attaining this strange land,
By surprise was I blinded
My consciousness struck numb with anxiety,
I fell easy slave to the world.
Where am I the Universal Roamer,
Where am I now, like a miserable worm
Dependent entirely on anything, everything
On earth.
From mother’s breast, hand
From cradle to sand
Then when I stood up, ascended,
Alas! By bonds, desires, hopelessness
Was I a mere child
Of this Earth.
Passed from my mind
All that was past
Nothing was there
As great as this Earth, thought I.
This prison-house, my body
Became a pleasure spot
This world, a wonder
Merged as an ocean of pleasurable bliss.
VI
The vehicle I chose
For my worldly journey
Beneficial in each stage –
Childhood, teens, youth and old age—
Breakable, pleasurable
Oppressed by the burden of misery.
In this clay-pot
Is there a machine,
Blowing air on its own,
And in power no less, other minor instruments as well,
Wondrous, hardy instruments of knowledge.
This body moves freely,
Grasps worldly wonders gradually
And rocks the cradle of human life.
Active by daylight,
Dormant at night,
Blooms, shines in its vigour
But eventually wears out.
The body at last,
Acquires wear and tear,
The Self, the Light, deserts it
And the rest is nothing.
Among such crores of vehicles of life,
I, an insignificant one, behold
An oasis, a mirage.
VII
I, an atom of lively Bliss,
Why, Oh why, had I dared this journey,
Trapped in this vehicle
Bearing the yoke of misery?
Attracted by the face of the earth,
Blinded by the tempting illusion,
Lo! This confused, agitated self
Forgot its journey’s ultimate ends.
The one goal now became
To enjoy ceaselessly
The illusory banquet of the world.
Pursuing the feet of passions,
In revelry, desires, hopes and excitement,
In miseries, labours, failures, and triumphs.
The pursued goals I attained on some occasions
But alas! This world’s magic
Mostly ends in hopelessness.
I run after the lighting of desire,
Ploughing the surrounding air,
In abrupt flashes.
Life is a pleasurable madness
When I pursue this embodiment of Happiness,
Who runs, throwing glances behind, smiling.
I run, bearing the brute yoke
The burden of objects, playful, fanciful,
Piled beside objects of hope, greed and fear.
I run in haste, along the pathway
Flanked by the climbers of Love, showering their blossoms
But I am attacked, pained
By the keen arrows of hate, rivalry.
VIII
Me, the sleepwalker
Whose occult hands hold my puppet-strings?
What is my high goal?
Whither this journey?
Alas! Why is this worm
Tied by the strands of Time
And whirled in the circle
Of this Macrocosm?
Am I yet to sojourn
As part of my trials
In the secret worlds
Strange to human consciousness?
Whose crazy sport is this
This cruel pastime,
Ha! Can this world be
Lovely but senseless?
Mother Earth! Salutations!
You are the dance-hall of Life
Oh! Goddess, forgive me
I acknowledge your graciousness.
If I am the atom of Truth
In this dream-life,
Truth you are too,
Or if I am the untruth
Then what indeed is the Truth?
Urged by sportiveness, I started from somewhere
Eternal Bliss awaits me on my return there.
This path of sorrow
Am I, bemused, to orbit
Until I merge in that Eternal Truthful Bliss.
(Translated from the Malayalam original "Atmagita" by Dr. Jayasree Ramakrishnan Nair)