E-Library of Vivek Sanjivani

Chapter (অধ্যায়): TO A FRIEND PAGE-494Page: 494 of 516

Thou large-hearted Lover unselfish, know,

There's no room in this sordid world for thee;

Can a marble figure e'er brook the blow

That an iron mass can afford to bear?

Couldst thou be as one inert and abject,

Honey-mouthed, but with poison in thy heart,

Destitute of truth and worshipping self,

Then thou wouldst have a place in this Samsar.

Pledging even life for gaining knowledge,

I have devoted half my days on earth;

For the sake of love, even as one insane,

I have often clutched at shadows lifeless;

For religion, many creeds have I sought,

Lived in mountain-caves, on cremation-grounds,

By the Ganga and other sacred streams,

And how many days have I passed on alms!

Friendless, clad in rags, with no possession,

Feeding from door to door on what chance would bring.

The frame broken under Tapasya's¹ weight;

What riches, ask thou, have I earned in life?

Listen, friend, I will speak my heart to thee;

I have found in my life this truth supreme-

Buffeted by waves, in this whirl of life,

There's one ferry that takes across the sea.²

Formulas of worship, control of breath,

Science, philosophy, systems varied,

Relinquishment, possession, and the life,

All these are but delusions of the mind-

Love, Love-that's the one thing, the sole treasure.