Poems Of Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas

O mind, swim in the ocean of Love, Spreading below, around, above; O mind, bask in the flood of Light That dispels the darkness of the night; O mind, bathe in the fountain of Bliss, True delight wilt thou never miss. Let Truth be thy shield, Let Light be thy guide, Let Love be thy weapon, Let Bliss be thy aim, Perfect freedom then attain. — Swami Ramdas How I understand it: This poem by Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas is addressed to the mind. Most of it is written in the iambic pentameter; following the rhythm scheme of AA, BB, CC… Herein the mind is asked to swim in the ocean of Love which is spreading all round and is all-pervasive. The importance of Divine Love is greatly stressed in Beloved Papa’s philosophy. “Divine Love is the highest attainment.” said Beloved Papa, “All spiritual practices should end in this sweet consummation. Love is the end of the quest. See that you are absorbed in God who is Love and become an image of Him. Let all our emotio...

Instrument in quiescent — sonorous are the strings, Thought is silent — vibrant is the soul. Stillness and action equalise Then is the highest Yoga. Stillness itself is discord. When both coexist — together revealed, Then rings symphony eternal,  Mingling rapture of delight  With true ethereal peace. — Swami Ramdas How I understand it: In this brilliant poem, Beloved Papa has used the parallel of a stringed instrument to bring home the true understanding of how action exists in inaction. Action is the dynamic aspect and inaction is the static aspect of the Reality. The body of the instrument is like the inactive Substratum on which resound the strings of manifestation with all its actions. Therefore, when the thought is silent, the vibrance of the soul is revealed. Just as the body of the instrument when combined with the stings produces sonorous symphonies, similarly, when the actions are done with the awareness that God is the real Doer, the highest for...

God dwells in you, It is He who fills your heart with love And illumines your mind with Knowledge. It is His power that works in you. He pervades in every part of your being; You are His embodiment. Worlds are His forms: There is none but He. Realise this. — Swami Ramdas How I understand it: This poem — written in free verse, as are most of Beloved Papa’s poems — exhorts the reader / devotee to realise the basic truth about God’s all-pervasiveness. The poem starts with the statement: “God dwells in you”. This is to make us understand that the God we seek is not somewhere far away from us, but is ever dwelling within us and that we are the very embodiment of the Lord! It is because of Him that our hearts experience Love, our minds are illumined through Knowledge and it is His Power that actuates our bodies to move. He is all-pervading. Therefore, we and the entire manifestation are His embodiment. Saints often explain the all-pervading nature of ...

As the deer is lost Struck with the strains of music, As the bee is lost In the sweetness of the honey, As the hero is lost In the fervour of the battle, As the mother is lost In the fondness of her Child, Let thou be lost In the absorbing love for the Beloved. — Swami Ramdas How I understand it: Beloved Papa has used a varied array of similes in this poem to make the aspirant understand the extent to which one needs to be lost in the love for the Lord — the Beloved. He compares the utter absorption of the deer for music, of the bee for honey, of a hero in battle and lastly of the love of a mother for her child with the love of the devotee for the Beloved Lord. “Let thou be lost in the absorbing love for the Beloved”, shows that it is not merely thinking of Him with total devotion, but losing the sense of individuality in the all-consuming absorption. Thus becoming ONE with the Beloved Eternal!

I am the spark away from the fire, I am the drop strayed from the sea, I am the leaf estranged from the tree, I long for the fire, I stretch for the sea, I aim to rejoin the tree. I come from the Infinite; Infinite is my home, I go back there And become the infinite. — Swami Ramdas How I understand it: This poem — INFINITE MY HOME — is from the section called REALISATIONS in the book POEMS by Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas. The first half of the poem, through picturesque metaphors of the spark, the drop and the leaf, portrays the insignificance of the sense of individuality when is it distanced from the Source — the Infinite — God. Beloved Papa vividly describes the keenly felt separation of the soul for its Home Eternal, and its deep yearning to realise its oneness with the Infinite. This deep yearning — a feeling of emptiness — gnaws within and is experienced in varying degrees by all aspirants at one time or another. This poem reminds me o...

COURAGE! victory is thine The Lord is thy friend and aid. He hath held thee by His hand, His grace lights on thee, He is thy prop — trust Him And thou art saved. So faint not — fear not. — Swami Ramdas How I understand it: In this poem  Beloved Papa urges the devotee to have courage and patience while pursuing Sadhana. He also assures that courage and patience will ensure success in the spiritual endeaours as the Lord is the aspirant’s friend and prop along the way. The implied message in the poem is to surrender unconditionally to Him in every situation. Beloved Papa used to tell the story of the kitten and the baby monkey. He said: “It is safe to be like the kitten that is held by its mother, and not to be like the baby monkey that holds on to its mother. God should hold us, not we Him. So, the safer and surer way is to take refuge in God and be ever under His grace and protection.” He therefore urges the aspirant to trust Him and surrender to Him. As th...

O Lord, my heart flutters over Thy feet Like the bee on a flower. The bee sucks honey, My heart drinks nectar. The bee plays for a while, But I play eternally. The bee leaves the flower, I stay at Thy feet for ever. My life is fulfilled in Thee. What a consummation — Sweet, glorious, ecstatic! Am now one with Thee — become  Thy very image . — Swami Ramdas Explanation given by Pujya Swami Satchidanandaji: Oh my Lord, I am thinking intensely of your holy feet. I compare myself to the bee that flutters on a flower and sucks honey, but I drink nectar. The bee plays about only for a while, but I remain at Your feet eternally. Whereas the bee has to leave the flower, I stay at Thy feet for ever and my life is fulfilled in You. What a consummation, sweet glorious and ecstatic. I am one with You and have become Your very image. I have become Your very embodiment! Prologue: Way back in 2001-2003, we — a few devotees — used to wait in the passage of Ra...