The Race

Falling for impressive falses
and gaining false impressions,
Lacking the love of discipline
and unable to imbibe the discipline of love,

Forgetful but unforgiving at the same time
and unmindful of its own reluctance to change,
The mind moves on to conquer the shadows of a trophy,
completely aware that it is a race to the unwritten finish line.

The Crutches

Your Principles, my Beliefs,
his Karma, her God,
our Truth, their Conscience,
Even though they all are supports, they are also crutches.

They are limiting as much as protecting,
They are a hindrance as much as a guidance.

Do you remember the last time,
when you realized the worthlessness of a principle,
Do you recognize the last time,
when our beliefs were used to separate us,

Do you remember the last time,
when you gave up on a challenge for the fear of karma,
Do you regret the last time,
When you questioned the wisdom of God,

Do you remember the time,
when truth made less sense than your faith,
and the time when your Conscience,
found convenient ways to hide itself in words.

Though they help you to stand where you are today,
Whatever is yours, are your crutches.

For now, let me make you stand on your feet,
For I know that you need to walk with me,
to wake me up whenever, I mistake my crutches for legs.

Are you in the illusion

Below is a transliteration and translation of one of the memorable works of Kanaka Daasa, a 16th century poet. I have not gone into summarizing or explaining it, as his songs are simple and catered to an audience with an intelligence requirement of just devotion.

Are you in the illusion
---- by Kanaka Daasa.

Do you reside in the illusion or is the illusion existing in you,

Are you present in the Body or does the body exist in you, O Lord!

Does the house exist in the field or the Field is in the house
Are both the field and the house in the eyes,
Do the eyes reside in the intellect or the intellect is in the eyes,
Are both the eyes and the intellect in you, O Lord!

Does the sweetness lie in sugar or the sugar exists in the sweetness,
Or perhaps both sugar and the sweetness are in the tongue,
Is the tongue in the intellect or the intellect is in the tongue,
Are both the the tongue and the intellect in you, O Lord!

Do the flowers have fragrance or the flowers reside in fragrance,
Or perhaps, both the flower and the fragrance are in the act of smelling,
Oh Lord Adikeshava of Kaaginele who has no equal,
I am incapable of explaining this, everything is in you, O Lord!

Transliteration (From Kannada to English)

nee maaye-yoLagO ninn-oLu maaye-yo

nee dEha-doLagO ninn-oLu dEhavO hariye

bayal-oLage aalayavo aalaya-dolage bayalo
bayalu aalaya-veradu nayana-doLago
nayana buddhiya-oLago buddhi nayanada-oLago
nayana buddhi-gaLeradu ninn-oLago hariye

savi-yu sakkare-yolago sakkare-yu savi-yoLago
savi-yu saakare-yeradu jihwe-yoLago
jihwe manasina-oLago manasu jihweya-oLago
jihwe manasu-gaLeradu ninn-oLogo hariye

kusuma-dali gandha-vo gandha-dali kusuma-vo
kusuma gandha-gaLeradu aaGraaNa-doLago
asama-bhava kaagi-nele-yaadi keshava-raaya
usura-lennaLa-valla ella ninn-oLago hariye

Pronounciation help for transliteration

• ee -> as in 'eel', example: nee
• e -> like an 'e' in begining of 'elephant', example: maaye
• E -> like an 'e' after 'a' in aeroplane, example: dEha
• L -> 'l' pronounced with a bent tongue like an 'l' in 'told', example: oLage
• O -> like an 'O' in 'Oats'
• d -> like 'th' in 'the', example: kusuma-dali
• dh-> like 'dh' in 'buddha', example: buddhi
• G-> like 'Gha' in 'Ghana', example: aaGraaNa
• n-> like 'n' in 'ten', example: nayana
• N-> like 'n' in 'tent', example: gaNapati