Subramanya Bharati (Dec 11, 1882 - Sep 11, 1921) is considered as the greatest and unparalleled Tamil poet of the 20th century. His patriotic songs formed the breath of the freedom movement in Tamilnadu. Bharati was also a great Hindu philosopher and visionary who fostered Bhakti and Jnana yoga paths to Self-Realization. Besides, he was a polyglot, who was fluent in Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, French and English. He was a voracious reader and a prolific writer.
To know more about Subramanya Bharati, please visit http://www.tamilnation.org/literature/bharathy/.
Bharati was an advaita vedantist to the core. In this thread, I shall discuss some of his poems that reveal the Jnani par excellence in Bharati. The simplicity and grandeur of his diction is difficult to render in English, therefore I can only try to reflect the light of his thoughts and words.
1. Bharati Talks to the World
All that stands, walks, flies -- are they just dreams? Deceptive appearances?
All that's learnt, heard, thought -- are they mere maya? They have no deep meanings?
The sky, sunshine, dark foliage -- are they just mirage? Errors of vision?
All that's gone, went like a dream, buried and decayed -- am I a dream? Is this world a lie?
The singularity of Time, and the multiplicity of forms, and thoughts -- are they all lies? Their gunas are lies?
The trees in a garden, if they are born out of a seed,
Do they make the garden a lie? Should we add this to our diction?
If the seen will disappear, then the disappeared will be seen!
In the wasteland of lies we continue our daily life!
We will surely see the Truth, and this is a certainty!
What we see here is all shakti, and this is real for us now.
2. I am
I am the birds that fly in the sky.
I am the beasts that roam the ground.
I am the trees that make the forest.
I am the wind, the flood, and the sea.
I am the stars that are seen on the sky.
I am the endless expanse of space.
I am the worm that crawls on earth.
I am the life forms of the sea.
I am all that Kamban sung.
I am the shapes that the painter paints.
I am the wonderful palaces and towers of this world.
I am in the music that a woman plays.
I am the essense of all happiness.
I am the totality of the lies of the nescient.
I am the misery of causes that torture patience.
I am the object of all mantras.
I am the nature of all that lives.
I am the author of tantras.
I am the revealer of vedas.
I made all the universes.
I activate them in perfect harmony.
I am the shakti of every moment.
I am the cause of all causes.
I conduct this lie of ego.
I guide it to its source of knowledge.
I am the primordial jyoti that stays inside
and lights up all the forms.
More to come...
Bookmarks