Friday, November 19, 2010
Poem by Janeshwar
Amritanubhava
I offer homage to the god and the goddess
The infinite parents of the world
The lover out of boundless love Has become the beloved
Both are made of the same silks and share the same food
Out of love for each other they merge and part for the joy of being two
They sit together on the same ground in the same garment of light
From endless time they have lived this way in union and in bliss
Without the goddess he is not and because of him she exists
It is God alone in every form the male and the female Shiva and Shakti
From the union of these two the universe has come to be
Two lutes, one note
Two lamps, one light
Two eyes, one sight
Two lips, one word
Two hearts, one love
In this way these two create one universe
The lover out of boundless love has become the beloved
Embarrassed by his formlessness and her own graceful form
She adorned him with a universe of myriad names and forms
In unity there is little to behold
But the playful Shakti has presented all the riches of the world
While Shiva sleeps she is giving birth to all things
Living and non-living
And when she rests her husband disappears
When he hides himself he can't be found without her grace
They are mirrors to each other
When he embraces her it is own bliss that he enjoys
Shiva the enjoyer of all, can find no joy without her
She is his form and her beauty comes from her lover
And in their merging they enjoy this feast feast together
Shiva and Shakti are the same
Like musk and its fragrance
Or gold and its luster
Embracing each other they merge into one
As darkness and light at the breaking of the dawn
The lover out of boundless love has become the beloved
And when the time of dissolution comes
The ocean and the river merge into the primal water
And the air and its motion merge in the universal air
And the sun and its brilliance merge in the elemental fire
And while trying to see Shiva and Shakti
Both I and my vision disappeared
Like the wood that gives itself onto the fire
And the river that gives itself onto the sea
When my ego is out I become Shiva and Shakti
Janeshawar (also known as Jnandev or Jnanadeva) was a devoted Indian saint who lived in India from about 1275 to 1296. Though he only lived 22 years, he was a major contributor to early Indian sacred literature.
Here he is writing about the sense of Oneness or Union with the Beloved. Does his writing suggest Kundalini in its most intense and sacred form, when Lover and Beloved indeed become one.
(Image from mysticrebels.com/poet.htm)
