Topic: Saints and Mystics

[nichi]

I didn't trust it for a moment,
but I drank it anyway,
the wine of my own poetry.

It gave me the daring to take hold
of the darkness and tear it down
and cut it into little pieces.

~~~~Lalla~~~~

[nichi]

Holy Sixth Day


Holy sixth day
in the woods they worship the
trees then
then my heart beats hard
at how far I was going into
the woods
a snake appeared in front of me
and I fell down
I started writhing and rolling
this way and that way
my dress fell off
my hair burned along
my back
thorns scratched me
everywhere
suddenly who am I
who was I
how I
love those celebrations

 

Govindasvamin

[nichi]

Slowly, slowly, I tended
the bellows of my throat,
and the light inside grew

and filtered out through
the dark, so that within
even it, I saw the truth.

                    - Lalla
                      14th Century North Indian mystic

       

From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop, 1992

[nichi]

I shall grasp the soul's skirt with my hand
and stamp on the world's head with my foot.
I shall trample Matter and Space with my horse,
beyond all Being I shall utter a great shout,
and in that moment when I shall be alone with Him,
I shall whisper secrets to all mankind.
Since I shall have neither sign nor name
I shall speak only of things unnamed and without sign.
Do not delude yourself that from a burned heart
I will discourse with palatte and tongue.
The body is impure, I shall cast it away
and utter these pure words with soul alone.
 
~Farid ud-Din Attar~

[nichi]

Looking For Your Own Face

Your face is neither infinite nor ephemeral.
You can never see your own face,
only a reflection, not the face itself.

So you sigh in front of mirrors
and cloud the surface.

It's better to keep your breath cold.
Hold it, like a diver does in the ocean.
One slight movement, the mirror-image goes.

Don't be dead or asleep or awake.
Don't be anything.

What you most want,
what you travel around wishing to find,
lose yourself as lovers lose themselves,
and you'll be that.

~Attar~

[nichi]

The beauty of the heart
is the lasting beauty:
its lips give to drink
of the water of life.
Truly it is the water,
that which pours,
and the one who drinks.
All three become one when your talisman
is shattered.
That oneness you can't know
by reasoning.

Rumi

[nichi]

Andal

The lotus is greeting the rising sun and the lily has closed its petals;
Wearing their saffron robes and ashes, the ascetics are on their way to
the holy temple to sound the auspicious conch;
O talkative girl, you, who boasted that you would be the first
to wake us up, why don't you get up!
We will sing the praises of the brave and the beautiful Lord bearing
the conch and the wheel.

from Tiruppavai
Andal

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/alvars/andal/

[Jennifer-]

((((((((((((((((((((((((((Vicky)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

You wanna hear something super cool... !

Just before logging in just now I found 2 conch shells that I brought back from aruba while cleaning up from an old work circle out in the woods! 

ok ok now I have to reread the poem thats all I saw the first time... lol

The lotus is greeting the rising sun and the lily has closed its petals;

The rising and setting of the sun was the hand movement she showed me, like part of a prayer/dance.

How wonderful.. Thank you so much for being with me Vicky!

[Jennifer-]

The Conch shell that spirals to the right is blown to announce a Buddha's
enlightenment to the entire world. The Conch symbolizes the ability of all
beings to awaken from the sleep of ignorance in response to the call of the
Dharma.

[Jennifer-]

The eight spoked golden wheel, is known as the Wheel of Dharma and its
spokes symbolize the Buddhist Eightfold Path consisting of right view, right
thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness and right concentration. The wheel represents the movement of
the Dharma from one land to another as it awakens the Buddha-potential
present within all beings.

[nichi]

Beautiful pics!

The Poetry Chaikhana site has only a few of her poems--- from looking at their references, it looks like you could dig and find many more online!

Very cool about finding the conchs -- I love the synchronicity!  

I've always felt an affinity to Lalla -- as if her stuff came out of my solar plexus, somehow. It would be interesting to hear how you experience Andal's work!

love,
V

[nichi]

Oops here's the link.
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/A/Andal/index.htm

(not too many here -- it would be quite a find to get the whole Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli!)

  Andal
http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/alvars/andal/
Extensive biography and articles, word-for-word translations of Andal's poetry, audio of poetry, and several links.
  FreeIndia.org - Andal
http://www.freeindia.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=92&page=1&
An detailed article on the life and influence of Andal.
  Margazhi Sadashem - December 16 to January 14
http://www.ambahouse.org/margazhi.html
Each of the 30 verses of Andal's Tiruppavai, one for each day along with reflections. Audio files of each verse sung.
  The Hindu - Celebrating Andal
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2001/12/23/stories/2001122300050400.htm
An article on the month-long celebration of Andal's Tiruppavai.
  Saathvic and Swasthya - Andal
http://www.homepagez.com/sudarshana/Andal.html
A short article on Andal and her poetry.
  Antal
http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/antal.html
A brief article with an excellent list of links, bibliography, and resources on Andal.
  Andal
http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/teachers/andal_marvelly.htm
An article excerpted from the book Women of Wisdom, with several of verses by Andal.
  Kamat Research Database - Tiruppavai Illustrations
http://www.kamat.com/database/content/tiruppavai/
Several beautiful illustrations of the Tiruppavai from the 1800s.

[Jennifer-]

Thank you!!!!!! I look forward to digging treasures in all these sites this evening 

I'll make a folder for Andal in my blog space and share some of what I find!!

Thanks again, Blessings, Jennifer

[nichi]

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you;
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want;
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

- Rumi

[nichi]

You were once a swan singing
melodies, Lalla.  Now you're quiet.
   
Someone, I don't know who, has run off
with what belonged to you.

The millstone stops, and the hole
where the grain is fed fills in
               
with grain.  The channel leading
to the grinding work is covered over

and hidden, and the miller
himself has disappeared.

~ Lalla~





From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks