Lal Ded's Vakhs

Lal Ded was born in 1326 A.D.(approx.) 669 years ago daughter of a Kashmiri Brahman named Cheta Bhat near Pampore, Kashmir, based on majority of evidence. She is believed to be a Parmahamsa by her devotees. Studying Her works one is convinced that She is indeed a Parmahamsa.

Rupa Bhawani (1625-1721) regarded her as a supreme guru: Lal man Lal paramagwaram

Parmanand (1791-1879): Unique in her yoga of dwadashanta mandala, Realizing anahata, nada-bindu and Om, Lalleshwari attained to the Supreme Ananda.

The books that will be used are:

1. JK: Lal Ded by Jayalal Kaul, Sahitya Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, 35 Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi-1, and as reference,

2. BNP: The Ascent of Self by B. N. Parimoo, Motilal Banarsidass, Bungalow road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi-7.

3. NKK: Lal Ded Her life and sayings by Nil Kanth Kotru , Utpal publications, Rainawari, Srinagar, ISBN81-85217-02-5. He has the same number of vakhs in the same order as JK. Also, his vakhs are in Devnagri script which is then transliterated in English by us.

The order of the Vakhs are from Jayalal Kaul's (JK) book (1. above) and only one line of the original 'Vakh' is given by JK with the English translation of the entire verse is what is written here. In few cases the translation is from other authors, in which case it will be pointed out. The rest of the Vakh is by either BNP or transliterated from Devngri script given by NKK.

There are three teams of authors that JK gives which have verses that are concordant with all his 138 verses:

AK: Lalla yogishwari, Anand Kaul, reprint from the Indian Antiquary, Vols. L, LIX, LX, LXI, LXII.

LV: Lalla-Vakyani, Sir George Grierson and Dr. Lionel D. Barnett Litt. D.(R. A. S. monograph, Vol. XVII, London 1920).

WC: Vaakh Lalla Ishwari, Parts I and II (Urdu Edition by A. K. Wanchoo and English by Sarwanand Chaaragi, 1939).

Lal Ded was far above the realm of being a Realized Soul. This is why a title of a Parmahamsa is just a word or a phrase being used to understand where She is coming from.

For the pragmatic thinkers among us please consider this question for it will tells you about Lal Ded.

Lal Ded
Lal Ded

It is a fact that Lal Ded did not say these Vakhs for the sake of preaching, or taking the position of a teacher or one sermonizing us. She would often speak to Herself and teach Herself as will be clear from the Vakhs. Applying the usual Vedantist reasoning Who is the Speaker of the Vakh and to whom? In many ways She answers this question Herself in Her last Vakh.

138. last vakh of JK (Kaul)
138. of NKK

yi yi karu'm suy artsun
yi rasini vichoarum thi mantar
yihay lagamo dhahas partsun
suy Parasivun tanthar

Whatever work I did became worship of the Lord;
Whatever word I uttered became a mantra;
Whatever this body of mine experienced became
(*yih yath lagyam dehas paritsay)
the sadhana-s of Saiva Tantra
illumining my path to Parmasiva.

* refers to the second line in this Vakh (verse) with reference to Lalleswari Vakyani, Rajanaka Bhaskara, 60 verses translated into Sanskrit.

Also, this tells us that people of her stature are born with Self awareness only a little rubbing is needed for them to manifest their Divinity. I believe that They are Put in such a position for the benefit of humanity at large.

Since I do not have as yet these references please try to cross check the Kashmiri with the translation and transliteration. Note the sound A is equal to the stressed sound on a is equal to aa, eg., naavi=nAvi=boat.

Lalla-Vakhs in Sharda Script (old MS.)
Lalla-Vakhs in Sharda Script (old MS.)
Courtesy: Bhaskar Razdan


1. of JK
4. or p.206 of BNP

Ami pana so'dras nAvi ches lamAn
Kati bozi Day myon meyti diyi tAr
Ameyn tAkeyn poniy zan shemAn
Zuv chum bramAn gara gatshaha.

With a rope of loose-spun thread am I towing
my boat upon the sea.
Would that God heard my prayer
and brought me safe across!
Like water in cups of unbaked clay
I run to waste.
Would God I were to reach my home!

Note: She compares Herself with unbaked clay which slowly wastes away all that one has earned, easily mixing with material nature rather than being above it or in control of it. Thus, She pleads with God with pique in heart to take Her across the sea to Her real home.

2. of JK
14. of BNP

La'lith-la'lith vaday boh vAy(bo dAy*)
Tseyta muhac peyiy mAy
Roziy no pata looh-laengarac tshAy
Niz-swarup kyAh mothuy hAy

* is by JK

I will weep and weep for you, O Mind;
(my Soul) The world hath caught you in its spell.
Though you cling to them with the anchor of steel,
Not even the shadow of the things you love Will go with you when you are dead.
Why then have you forgot your own true Self ?

Many of the Buddhist symbols and ideas will show up in these verses, 'Vakhs'. The idea of Buddhist clinging appears here. Recall that Kashmir was one of the major centers from where Buddhism spread through out Asia.

Reminds me of a story I read on the net some time ago. A Zen master is asked what is the secret of his success. After much persistence by the student, one day the master asks him to get a thick long steel chain and he demonstrates to his student by trying to chain himself to a huge pillar. The student does not understand, the master explains; stop clinging to the world like this demonstration.

Note that the true Self is the Reality only one has forgotten It. By not clinging to the unreal or that which is not permanent does the true Self dawn upon us.

3. of JK

tala chuy zyus ta pyattha chukh natsaan
vanta mali man khit pachan chuy
soruy sombrit yati chuy machan
vanta mali anna khit rotchan chuy

There is a yawning pit underneath you,
and you are dancing overhead.
Pray, Sir, how can you bring yourself to dance ?
See, the riches you are amassing here,
nothing of them will go with you.
Pray, Sir, how can you relish your food and drink ?

Parmahamsa RamaKrishna says that God which has cast a net in the ocean of the world is waiting to draw the net anytime, this is how He Plays this Game of Maya. He says some fishes by nature are so clever that they are never caught in this net. They are the nitya siddhas. Naradh is an example of this. The class which Lal Ded is referring here is the worldly class who hide deeper into worldliness, i.e., in the mud with the net and all. To wake these people up Lal Ded has really addressed this Vakh #3 to them. It is not just enough to understand or be aware of the problem we humans face but also to feel this reality so much that it is difficult to swallow any food or drink. This kind of renunciation can be sensed in the next few versus as well.

4. of JK
4. of NKK and
17. of BNP

hacivi haa'rinji pyatsuv kaan gom
abahak chaan pyom yath raazdhaana
alanjz bhag bazaras kuluph rous vaan gom
tirith rous paan goam kus maali zaana

A wooden bow and rush grass for an arrow:
A carpenter unskilled and a palace to build:
A shop unlocked in a busy bazaar:
A body uncleansed by waters holy-
Oh dear ! who knows what hath befallen me ?

5. of JK and NKK
16. of BNP

aayas vate gayas naa vate
suman satha lusum dho
vuchum chandas har no atha
ath nav taras dim kyha bha

By the highway I came,
But by the highway I return not.
And so I find me still on the embarkment,
not having gone even half the way,
And the day is done, the light has failed.
I search my pockets but not a cowrie find:
What shall I pay for the ferry fee ?

Just as in any field of study without putting effort one cannot expect to get results. Vivekananda says it took Him a life time of practice to gain the little he learnt. The problem is to separate the real from the unreal, who we truly are from what we are not, keeping the inner peace and equanimity all the time. The consciousness has as if got mixed with what one is not. Parmahamsa RamaKrishna Says keep churning the buttermilk until butter is formed and it floats but does not get mixed with water. After reaching this state does one see that what we are not is also a part of that Self. This can be done either through bhakti, jnana, raja, or karma yoga.

6. of JK
60. of BNP

Kyaah kara paantsan dahan ta kaahan,
Vakhshun yath leyji yim karith gay;
Saoriy samahan yeythi razi lamahan,
Ada kyaazi raavhe kaahan gaav

Ah me! the Five (Bhuta-s), the ten (Indriya-s),
And the Eleventh, their lord the mind,
scraped this pot* and went away.
Had all together pulled on the rope,
Why should the Eleventh have lost the cow ?
(Why should the soul have gone astray?)

* This me, this ghata (in trika Saiva terminology, the individual person, his living body.)

Lal Ded is showing us how to control the mind. If one feels for the Lord by all the senses (five of them) and by their five activities (total 10) as well towards the Lord, automatically giving the Lord control over the 11th the mind. This should remind you of Arjun and Lord Krishna in the Chariot with five pair of horses. I feel, the same is achieved by chanting where one does not distinguish between the Lord and His Name and also one ignores or weeds out all other unnecessary thoughts (Teachings of Lord Chaitanya Maha Prabhu 500 B.C.) Parmahamsa RamaKrishna also says purify your mind and you shall see God/Self as you see me but only more intensely.

7. of JK
7. of NKK and
78. of BNP

atshyan+ aay ta gatushun gatshe
pakun gatshe then kyho raath
yor aya turiy gatshun gatshe
khenata khenata kheneta kyha

For ever we come, for ever we go;
For ever, day and night, we are on the move.
Whence we come, thither we go,
For ever in the round of birth and death,
From nothingness to nothingness.
But sure, a mystery here abides,
A Something is there for us to know.
(It cannot all be meaningless).

+Variation atshan ay (Bhaskara): We have become emaciated with age and have to depart. Nothing endures.

The nothingness in verse 7. is the concept of Shunya of Lord Buddha. Here, Lal Ded tells us that God/Bhagvan/Self exists and all this is not a meaningless journey.

8. of JK
19. of BNP

aayas kami dishi ta kami vate
Gatsha kami deyshi kava zaana vath;
antidaay lagimay tate,
Chanis phookas kanh ti no sath.

Whence I have come and by which way,
I do not know.
Wither I shall go and by which way,
I do not know.
Were I to know the end of it all
And gain the knowledge of the truth,
(it would be well, for otherwise)
Life here is but an empty breath.

9. of JK
2. of BNP

gaattulah akh vuchum bwachi suu'ty maraan
Pan zan haraan Pohani vaava laah
Neyshibodh akh vuchum vaazas maaraan
Tana Lalla bha praaraan tseyneym-na praah.

I have seen a learned man die of hunger,
A sere leaf drop in winter wind;
I have seen an utter fool beat his cook
(who could not make a toothsome dish).
Since then I, Lalla, anxiously await
The day when the lure of the world will fall away.

10. of JK
10. of NKK

da'mi dithu'm nad vahavu'ni
da'mi dyuthum suum na'th tar
da'mi dithu'm thr fuwalwani
da'mi dyuthum gul na'th khaar

Now I saw a stream flowing;
Now neither bank nor bridge was seen.
Now I saw a bush in bloom;
Now neither rose nor thorn was seen.

11. of JK
11. of NKK

da'mii dhitthu'm ga'j dazu'vu'nii
da'mii dyuthum dh'ha na'th naar
da'mii dhitthu'm Pandavan hu'unz ma'ji
da'mii dhitthu'm kraji mass

Now I saw the hearth ablaze,
Now I saw not fire nor smoke.
Now I saw the Pandava Mother,
Now she was but a potters' aunt

12. of JK and NKK
94. of BNP

tsAmar cha'tu'r rath siihAsan
aahlad nAtiya-ras tuula-paryankh,
KyAh mAnith yeti sthir Aswani?
Kawa zana kAsiy maranann shaenkh

A royal fly-whisk, sunshade, chariot and throne, Merry revels,
pleasures of the theater, a bed of cotton down-
Which of these, you think, will go with you when you are dead ?
How then can you dispel the fear of death ?

13. of JK and NKK
95. of BNP

kyAh bo'dhukh muha bhava-so'dri dare
Swoth lUrith peyiy tama pankh;
Yama-bhAth karanay kali choradAre,
Kawa zana kAsiy maranann shenkh.

Why have you sunk deep in the sea
of the illusory pleasures of the world ?
Why have you pulled down the high-banked road
which could have led you safe across ?
The dense darkness of tamas surrounds you now,
and, at the appointed time,
Yama's apparitors prepare to drag
your body bleeding to death.
Who can dispel your fear of death ?

14. of JK.
15. of BNP.

haa tsitta* kava chuy lo'gmut parmas**
Kava goy apazis pazyuk broent,
Dushibooz vash kooranakh par daramas
Yina gatshana zyena-maranas kroent.

Why do you dote upon someone, my Soul,
who is not your true love ?
Why have you taken the false for the true?
Why can't you understand, why can't you know?
It is ignorance that binds you to the false,
To the ever-recurring wheel of birth and death, this coming and going.

* & ** lit. citta, individual consciousness, the self, drunk with wine offered by another, not produced or brought by oneself. Fig. used for man infatuated with someone other than his wife or his true love; here the unreal, not the true Self.

15. of JK.

haa manshi kyaazi chukh vuthaan s'ki lavar

O man, why do you twist a rope of sand?
You cannot tow your boat with it.
What God has written "in karma's line"#
Cannot be altered or reversed.

#'Karma'is the word in the original. God decrees reward or punishment not arbitrarily as one's 'fate', but according to ones karma. Ceremonial rites, pujas and yajnas and the like are 'rope of sand' and will not avail to change what God has decreed; for man must take the consequence of karma.

However, if one is repentant of ones mistakes and does not repeat them then the prayers (japa) have the power of reducing the effect of karma to a large extent. The role of an umbrella (prayer) in the scorching sun is an example and karma being reduced to a pin prick instead of breaking a leg is another. A Vedantin like Swami Vivekananda would say 'you are It' nothing can touch you so be brave and face your karma by watching the external as one watches a movie.

16. of JK.
16. of NNK (to be filled)

tsarman tsa't.ith ditith pa'ny paanas
 

What was it you had sown which should have borne a rich harvest?
You had but tanned a carcass hide,
shaped and stretched it taut on pegs,
(Your only care your own body which you pegged to the bonds of desire).
But counsel to a fool is labour lost,
Like a ball thrown at a big-sized pillar,
rebounding but not hitting the mark;
Or fruitless as feeding a tawny bullock on sweet molasses,
And expect a yield of milk from him.

17. of JK
17. of NNK (to be filled)

niyam karyoth garbaa

In your mother's womb you vowed
not to be born again.*
When will you recall the vow ?

And die, even while alive
(to all desire, and be released from birth and death)**;
Great honor will be yours in this life and greater honor after death.

*. A common belief that a child resolves thus in his mother's womb. **. cf., The Gita, V. 23.

18. of JK and 2nd quatrain in 9. of BNP

muddas gyaanu'c kath no va'ny-ze
Kharas gor dina raaviy doah.
Yus yuth kare su tyuth sware
Krere Karizina panun paan.

Impart not esoteric truth to fools,
Nor on molasses feed an ass.
Do not sow seed in sandy beds,
Nor waste your oil on cakes of bran.

19.
19. of NNK (to be filled)

da'chinis o'bras zaayun zaanahaa

I might disperse the southern clouds,
I might drain out the sea,
I might cure the incurable sick,
But I cannot convince a fool.#

#. In this and other vaakhs, Lal Ded is remonstrating with herself, her foolish mind, rather than admonishing others.

Note that once a certain habit has been formed it becomes a part of the involuntary mind to make such a foolish mind to change its bad habit is not easy. The mind loves to travel in the channels it has already created. How can such a mind reflect that his true self is "God Himself"?.

20. of JK
20. of NNK (to be filled)

ttyotth mo'dur tay myuutth zahar
 

What is bitter at first is sweet in the end,
What is sweet at first is poison in the end.*
(To everyone is given the choice)
It all depends on the effort put in,
and the unflagging determined will;
For whoever strives must soon arrive at the city of his choice.

*. cf., The Gita, VIII. 37-38.

21. of JK
27. of BNP

gwaran vo'nam kunuy vatsum
Neybra doupanam anndaray atsun;
Suy gav Lali mey vaakh ta vatsun,
Tavay mey hyotum nagay natsun.

My Guru gave me but one percept :
"From without withdraw your gaze within And fix it on the Inmost Self."
Taking to heart this one percept,
Naked I began to roam.**

**. natsun, pherun, to wander, roam (see supra, p. 12). cf. LV,, 94, to dance.

22. of JK
25. of BNP and NKK

raajas baa'j ye'my kartal paa'j
Swargas baa'j chiy taph tay daan;
Sahazas baa'j yami gwarakath paaji
Paapa-pwanni baa'j chuy pananuy paan.

He who wields the sword a kingdom gains;
Paradise is gained by penance and alms.
Follow the Guru's word and gain
True knowledge of the Self within.
Of his own virtue and his sin
Man himself surely reaps the fruits.

23. of JK
24. of BNP

naaba'dy baaras attagand ddyo'l gom
Diha-kaan hol gom hyaka kiho;
Gwara sundh vanun raavan-tyuol pueom,
Pahali-rost khyuol gom hyaka kiho.

The sling of my candy load has gone loose, (and it galls my back);
My body has bent double under its weight*;
how shall I carry the load ?
The word of my Guru (that I must lose the world to gain my soul),
Has been a painful ''loss-blister''** for me.
I am become a shepherdless flock, ah me !

* LV, 108. Var., My day's work has gone awry. ** The loss has been painful, as a blister.

24. of JK
26. of BNP

gwaras pritshom saasi latte
Yas na ke'nh vanaan tas kyaah naav:
Pritshaan pritshaan thachis ta luusas,
Ke'nh nasa nishi kyaahtaam draav.

A thousand times my Guru I asked:
'How shall the Nameless be defined?'
I asked and asked but all in vain.
The Nameless Unknown, it seems to me,
Is the source of the something# that we see.

# This creation, universe.

25. of JK
11. of BNP

zanam praa'vith vyabhav no tsonddum
Luubhan bhuugan baram na pray
Somuy Ahaar suetthaah zonum,
Tsolum dwakha-vaav polum Dai.

In life I sought neither wealth nor power,
Nor ran after the pleasures of sense.
Moderate in food and drink, I lived a controlled life,
And loved my God.

26. of JK
3. of BNP

Ayas ti syo'duy gatsha ti syo'duy
Se'dis hol me karem kyaah
Bo'h tas aahsas Agarai veyzay
Veydis ta veyndis kareym kyaah.

I came straight,
And straight I shall return.
How can the crooked lead me astray?
Surely, no harm can come to me:
He knows me from the beginning of time,
And loves me.

27. of JK
80. of BNP

khyana khyan karaan kun no vaatak
Na khyan gatshakh ahannkari:
Saomuy khey maali saomuy Asakh
Sami khyana mutsaranay barnyan taari.

By pandering to your appetites,
you get nowhere;
By penance and fasting,
you get conceit.
Be moderate in food and drink
and live a moderate life,
The gates of Heaven will surely be
thrown open wide for you.

28. of JK
5. of BNP

tsaalun chu vzmala ta trattay
Tsaalun chu mandinyan gattakaar
Tsaalun chu paan-panun kaddun grattay
Heyti maali santuush vaati paanay.

Patience to endure lightning and thunder,
Patience to face darkness at noon,
Patience to go through a grinding-mill --
Be patient whatever befalls, doubting not
that He will surely come to you.*

* Var., He will provide for all your wants.

29. of JK
22. of BNP

tsala tsitta vwandas bayi mo bar
Chon tsinnth karaan paana Anaad,
Tsey kawa zananiya khyod hari kar
Kival tasunnday taaruk naad.

Have no fear, O restless mind,
The Eternal One takes thought for you.
He knows how to fulfil your wants.
Then cry to Him alone for help,
His Name will lead you safe across.

30. of JK
30. of NKK to be filled

khyath ga'nddith shami naa maanas

The joys of palate and fine apparel
bring man no lasting peace.
They who give up false hopes and don't
put trust in the things of the world,
Ascend, unafraid of Death's terrors
by scriptures told;
For having lived contented lives,
they are not debtors of Desire.**

**And do not have to settle accounts with the cruel debt-collector Death.

31. of JK
31. of NKK to be filled

kandyav karak kandi kande

O embodied One, dote not upon your body thus, embellishing it, adorning it,
providing luxuries for it.
Even its ashes will not endure.

32. of JK
32. of NNK to be filled

swamana gaarun manz yath kande

Should you, in this body, seek
The Supreme Self that dwells within,
Greed and illusion soon removed,
A halo of glory will surround
this very body of yours.

33. of JK and NKK
81. of BNP

yava tuu'r tsali tim ambar he'taa
bwachi yava tshali tim Ahaar ann;
Tseyta swa-par veytsaaras peytaa,
Tsentan yi dih van-kaavan

This counsel to the body give, O Soul*:
Wear only such clothes as ward off cold;
Eat only to satisfy your hunger;
Devote yourself with all your heart
to the knowledge of the Supreme Self.
Consider this body to be food for the forest ravens.

* LVRB: tsitta dehas vaan kyaa van. cf. Var. LV, 28: tsentan yih van-kaavan, consider this body meat for jungle crows (translation of this line in Vakh above by BNP).

34. of JK
34. of NNK to be filled

treshi bwachi mo kreshinaavun

Let not your body suffer
from hunger and thirst,
Feed it whenever it feels famished.
Fie on your fasts and religious rites;
Do good: therein your duty lies.

35.
35. of NNK to be filled

atha ma baa traavun khar baa

Do not let loose your donkey** lest
he damage others' saffron fields;
For none will bare his back to suffer
sword cuts and blows for you.#

** Your mind.
# Punishment for the damage done.

36. of JK
83. of BNP

ye'my luub manmath mad tsuur morun
Vata-naash maerith ta logun daas;
Tamiy sahaza Ishwar gorun,
Tamiy soruy vyendun saas.

Who slays the highway robbers three,
Greed, Lust and Pride,
And yet, in utter humility, serves
his fellow-men--
He truly seeks out the Lord,
disregarding as worthless ashes
all other things.

37. of JK
82. of BNP

maarukh maarabuuth kaam kruud luub
Nata kaan barith maaranay paan;
Manay kheyn dikh swaveytsaara shamm,
Vishay tihunnd kyaah-kyuth doar zaan.

Slay the murderous demons,
Lust, Anger and Greed;
Or, aiming their arrows at you, they will
surely shoot you dead.
Take care, feed them on self-restraint
and discrimination of the Self;
Thus starved these demons will become
powerless and weak.

38. of JK and 7. of BNP

gaal ga'ndiy-nyam bol pa'diy-nyam
Dapineym tiy yas yih routse,
Sahaza-kusamav puuz karineym,
Boh amalloun ta kas kyaah mvotse

They may abuse me or jeer at me,
They may say what pleases them,
They may with flowers worship me.
What profits them whatever they do ?
I am indifferent to praise and blame.

39. of JK and 6. of BNP

A'saa bol pa'ddiy-nyam saasaa
Mey mani waasaa khiid na heaye;
Boh youd sahaza Shankar-bakts aasaa,
Makris saasaa mal kyaah peyye

Let them mock at me and call me names.
If a true devotee of Siva I be,
I shall not feel distressed nor hurt.
Can a few ashes a mirror befoul* ?

* The ashes serve rather as polish

40. of JK and 10. of BNP

muudh zaa'niith pa'shith ta ko'r
koul shrutuvun zadd-ruupi aas,
Yus yih dapiy tas tiy boz
Yuhoy tattvavidis chuy abhyaas.

Though you are wise, be as a fool;
Though you can see, be as one blind+;
Though you can hear, be as one deaf**;
Patiently bear with all you meet,
and politely talk to eveyone.
This practice surely will lead you
to the realisation of the Truth.

+ lit. one-eyed.
** Var., dumb, but Bhaskar (LVRB) "zo'r ta ko'l"
(deaf and dumb): "shrutvaa sarvam shrotrahiinena bhaavyam."

41. of JK

manasu'y maan bhavasaras

Ocean and the mind of man are both alike:
Under the ocean's bottom lies
the destructive fire, vadvaagni#;
And in the breast of man doth rage
the fire of wrath.
When the fire breaks out, its flames
of angry, abusive words,
sear and scorch and burn.
But if one ponders unruffled and calm,
and weighs the words, though angry they be,
They have no substance, no, nor weight.

# Vadvaagni which, according to legend, would destroy the whole world if it were to burst forth from under the ocean.

42. of JK and 23. of BNP

rut ta krut soruy pazyam
Karnan na bozun, achin na baava,
Oruk dapun yeli vavaondi vuzeym
Ratandip prazaleym varzani vaava.

Ill or well, whatever befalls,
let it come.
My ears will not hear,
My eyes will not see.
When the Voice calls from within
the inmost mind,
The lamp of faith burns steady and bright
even in the wind.

43. of JK and NKK (to be filled)

mandachi haa'nkal kar tshe'nyam

When can I break the bonds of shame ?
When I am indifferent to jibes and jeers.
When can I discard the robe of dignity ?
When desires cease to nag my mind.

44. of JK and 10. of BNP
(to be filled from NKK)

muudh zaa'niith pa'shith ta ko'r

I have worn out my palate and tongue
reading the holy books,
But I have not learnt the practices
that would please my Lord.
I have worn thin my finger and thumb
telling the rosary beads,
But I have not been able to dispel
duality from my mind.

45. of JK and 91. of BNP

avyastaa'ry pothyan chii haa maali paraan
Yitha tota paraan 'Raama' panjaras;
Gita paraan ta hiitha labaan;
Param Gita to paraan cheys.

It is easy to read and to recite;
It is hard to practice what one reads,
And, reading seek out the Self within.
By constant practice, not by books,
Conviction grew in my heart
Of God, Who is Consciousness-Bliss.

47. of JK and 92. of BNP

Parun polum apuruy po'rum
Kesara vana volum rattith shaal,
Paras prounum ta paanas polum,
Ada gom moluum ta zinim haal.

I practiced what I read,
And learnt what was not taught.
From its jungle abode
I brought the lion down
as I a jackal would;
(From pleasures of the world
I pulled my mind away).
I practiced what I preached,
and scored the goal.

48. of JK and 86. of BNP

hyath ka'rith raaj pheri-naa
Dith karith trapti na man;
Luub veyna ziiv marina,
Ziivanatay mari tay suy chuy jnaan.

You will not know peace of mind
if you a kingdom gain,
Nor will you gain content or rest
if you give it away.
Only the man, free from desire,
will never die.
Only he has true knowledge
Who, though alive, is as one dead,
dead to all desire.

49. of JK and 85. of BNP

yi yi karu'm kara pyatrum paanas
Arzun barzun beyyis kyut.
Antih laagi-roust pusharun swaatmas,
Ada yuuri gatsha ta tuury chum hyout.

I have to suffer the consequence
of whatever I do,
even if I work for others' gain.
But if, with mind from attachment free,
I dedicate all works to God,
It will be well for me wherever I be,
here and hereafter.

50. of JK and NKK (to be filled)

kava chukh divaan anine ba'tash

Why do you grope thus like the blind ?
Pray, doubt not what I say to you:
If you are wise, enter within
And see the Lord Himself is there.
You need not search Him here and there.

51. of JK and 84. of BNP

pavan puu'rith yus ani vagi
Tas baovi na sparsh na bwachi ta tresh
Ti yas karun anti tagi,
Samsaaras suy zeyyi nech.

He who can direct his praana aright,
is not troubled by hunger or thirst.
And he who can do this unto the end
is born fortunate* in this world.

* LVRB. "samsaare saphalam asya jiivitam"
(His life here has been fruitful).

52. of JK and 30. of BNP

tsitta twarug gagana bramavon,
Nimishi aki tsandhi yuuzan lach;
Tseitani vagi bavdhi ratith zon
Praan-Apaan sondaarith pakhach.

The steed of mind speedeth over the sky,
And, in the twinkling of the eye,
A hundred thousand leagues traverseth he.
Yet a man of discrimination can control
the curvetting steed,
And, on the wheels of praana and apraana, guide
his chariot aright.

53. of JK and 79. of BNP

tsyath amarpathi tha'vy-ze,
Ti tra'vith lagi zuure;
Tati tsa no shinkyzi sannda'ri-ze
Dwadashur ti kwach no muure.

Keep your mind intent upon
the path that leads to immortality.
Should it stray from the path,
it will fall into evil ways.
Be firm with it and have no fear;
For mind is like a suckling baby,
which tosses restless even in its mother's lap.

54. of JK
(to be filled from NKK 54.)

kus mari ta kasuu maaran

Who dies? Who is slain ?
He who forsakes God's Name,
And gets involved in worldly cares.
It's he who dies. It's he who is slain.

55. of JK

Gwarashabdas yus yatsh patsh bare

He who has faith in Guru's word,
And with true knowledge for the rein
guides aright the seed of mind,
And holds his senses in control,
'Tis he enjoys the peace of mind.
He will not die, nor be slain.

56. of JK

grratta chu pheraan zere zere

Sure and steady the mill will turn
once you propel the wheel.
Mind is the pivot, it should know
how best to turn the mill.
And once it turns, it will grind fine,
And grain will find its way to the mill.

57. of JK, 57 of NKK and page xviii of BNP

Shiv chuy thali thali rozaan
Mav zaan Hyound ta Mussalmaan
Trukhay chukh ta pananuy paan parzaan
Ada chay Saahibas zanni zaan

Siva abides in all that is, everywhere;
Then do not discriminate between
a Hindu or a Mussalman.
If thou art wise, know thyself;
That is true knowledge of the Lord.

58. of JK

mithyaa kapatt asath trovum

I renounced fraud, untruth, deceit;
I taught my mind to see the One
in all my fellow-men.
How could I then discriminate
between man and man,
And not accept the food offered to me
by brother man ?

59. of JK

muudddo kray chay na dhaarun ta paarun

O fool, right action does not lie
in observing fasts and ceremonial rites.
O fool, right action does not lie
in providing for bodily comfort and ease.*
In contemplation of the Self alone
is right action and right counsel for you.

* Var., in observing the Five Fires (Pancaagni).

60. of JK

maa'rith paants buuth tim phalha'ndy

First feed the Five Bhuuta-s+ on the grain
and cates of self-awareness;
Thus fed, offer these fatted rams
as sacrifice unto the Lord.
Then you will know, O restless one,
the abode of the Supreme.
Ceremonial rites and pieties
will cease to be binding on you;
And even the 'left-handed'# practices
will bring no harm to you.

+ The five bhuuta-s, mahaabhuuta-s, are the five factors constituting the principles of experience of the sensible universe, viz., solidity, liquidity, formativity, aeriality and vacuity.

# Reference to Vaamamaarga ritual.

61. of JK and 13 of BNP

vwath rainyaa artsun sakhar
Athi al-pal vakhur heyth,
Youdvanay zaanakh parma-pad aksher
Hishi Khaosh-khvor keytha-kheyth.

Lady, arise and prepare for worship
with wine and flesh and cates.
If you know the changeless Supreme State
(of Parmasiva),
Take and eat them in the company of
fellow Tantric adepts.
(It matters not if, violating custom,
you practice "left-handed'' rites.*)

* The rites of Kaulacaar, a Shaakta cult. The last line is not clear and two variants are given with two different interpretations. The one within brackets is given by Grierson; the other, preceding it, is given by Anand Kaul, and this I think is the better interpretation. The last line (see AK, p.17) being "he' shikhar
khe' shikhar hyath''. Reference is to Cakrayaag of the Kaula-s. Wine meat and cates were used in worship as symbolic for man's passion, desires and sensual enjoyments; and these too were offered as sacrifice to the Divine Mother.

62. of JK and NKK and 63 of BNP

gyaanamaarg chay haakavaa'r
Dizeys shama-dama kreeyi panni,
Lama chtrrak posh pranni trakiy vaar
Kheyna-kheyna mwatsi vaaray cheyn

The pathway of Jnana is a kaiyard;
Fence it with self-restraint and pious deeds.
Then let the goats of former karma
browse in it and fattened be
as animals fit for sacrifice
at the altar of the Mother.
(Goats of past actions and their fruits
slain in sacrifice,
leaving no karma behind),
The kailyard of karma thus browsed away,
you gain release.

Many complain about bad thoughts, effects of bad karma, etc. Elaborating Mother Lal Ded's effective solution given above to these problems, one can let the thoughts come and go, you just stand back and laugh at it as it is not a part of you. You are He. Don't act on these thoughts. If a cloud of bad thoughts appear then right action is needed to counter them. Get up and do a pious deed, e.g. the least you can do is starting writing on why these clouds of thoughts are wrong and bad for you, i.e., applying the fire of knowledge and discrimination and continue until you would have overcome this dark cloud of thoughts, other means of nullifying the dark clouds such as getting your frustrations out, e.g., by going for a long walk etc, are also useful. The great Yogi Pathanjali says you need right action to counter wrong action and mere right thoughts wont do you any good to counter wrong action. These counter effects have to take place, each at their proper level of existence: thoughts, words and deeds (action). Swami Vivekananda ji has said watch your thoughts they form your words, watch your words they form your action, watch your action they form your character.

63. of JK and 34 of BNP

shishiras vuth kus ratte
Kus bavke ratti vaav
Yus pantsh yindray tseylith tsatte
Suy ratte gatti rav

Who can stop the eaves' drip during the frost ?
Who can hold wind in the palm of his hand ?
Who can see the sun in the darkness of night ?
He who holds his senses under control,
Can in the dark catch hold of the sun,
(Can see the Light in the darkness of the soul).

64. of JK

shiil ta maan chuy pony kranje

Like water in a colander are name and fame:
they do not last.

Whoever in his fist can hold* a storm,
Or tether an elephant with a hair of his head,
(Whoever controls the storms in his breast,
Or tethers the wild elephant of desire),
'Tis he whose name and fame endure.

* lit., like a wrestler, a strong man.

65. of JK and 93. of BNP

laz kaasii shiit nivaarii
Trana zala karaan aahaar;
Yih kami vvopadiish koaruy huutt batta,
Atsiitan vattas satsiithan dyun aahaar.

It covers your shame,
Saves you from cold,
Its food and drink-
Mere water and grass.
Who counselled you, O brahmin,
To slaughter a living sheep
as a sacrifice
Unto a lifeless stone ?

66. of JK and 55. of BNP

diiva vattaa divur vattaa
Peythha bvona chuy ikavaathh:
Puuz kas karakh huutt bhattaa,
Kar manas ta pavanas sangaatth.

The idol is but stone,
The temple is but stone,
From top to bottom all is stone.
Whom will you worship, O stubborn* Pandit ?
Let praana and the mind unite
(as an offering to your God).#

* huutta, adjective, is probably from Sanskrit hatth, akin to Hindhi hatthi and huudd. cf., LV, 17, learned.
# Reference to yogic praanaagnihotra.

67. of JK and 56. of BNP

kush posh tel diiph zal naa gatshe
Sadbhaava gwara kath yus mani heye,
Shambhuhas swari neyth panani yatshe,
Suy dapize sahaza akriyi, na zeyye.

He does not need the kusa grass,
nor sesame seed;
Flowers and water He does not need.
He who, in honest faith, accepts
his Guru's word,
On Siva meditates constantly,
He, full of joy, from action freed,
will not be born again.*

* Var., LVRB, 45: say da'py-ze sahazaakriye (His is the true worship of the Lord) is the better reading.

68. of JK and 71. of BNP

kus push ta kwasa pushaa'nii ?
Kam kusam lagizeys puuze ?
Kami sara goadd dizeys zaldani,
Kava sana mantra Shankara swaatma vuze.

Who is the florist, who the flower-girl ?
With what flowers should He be worshipped ?
In what water should He be bathed ?
With what mantra should we awaken Shankara,
Who abides in the Self ?

69. of JK and 72 of BNP

man push tay yatsh pushaa'nii
Bhaavaki kusam lagizeys puuze,
Shisharas goadd dizeys zaldaani,
Tshwapi mantra Shankara swaatam-vuze.

Mind is the florist, Devotion the flower-girl,
who bring flower-wreaths for Him.
He should be worshipped with the flowers
of faith,
And bathed in the nectar of the Mystic Moon.
Silence is the mantra that awakens Him;
(And, in the deep stillness of the mind,
He wakes up in the inmost Self).

70. of JK and 57 of BNP

gagan tsu'y bhuutal tsu'y,
Tsu'y chukh deyn pavan ta raath,
Arg tsanndun, posh poyni tsu'y
Tsu'y chuk soruy ta laagizi kyaah ?

Thou art the earth, Thou art the sky,
Thou art the air, the day and the night;
The sacrificial corn Thou,
And unction of the sandal-paste.
Thou art the water, Thou art the flowers,
Thou art all these and everything.
What may I, in worship, bring to Thee ?

71. of JK and NKK, and 54. of BNP

dwaadashaanta manddal yas diivas thaji
Naasikaa pavan Anaahatta rav;
Swayam kalpan anti tsaji.
Paanay su Diiva; ta artsun kas ?

He who knows the Dvaadashaanta Manddala*
as the abode of God,
And knows the constant Sound# that is borne upon
the praana rising from the heart to the nose,
All vain imaginings flee from his mind,
without effort, naturally;
He knows no God other than the Self,
nor need he worship any other god.

* 'mandal': orb, disc, sphere, of 'dvaadashaanta' or locality of it; 'dvaadashaantah', a measure of twelve fingers; literally, the end of twelve fingers, here the distance found by measuring. Cf. aadikotih: hrdayam, antakotih: dvaadashaantah; tayoh praanollaasavishhraantyavsare cittaniveshanena parishiilanam- PR, pp. 88-89, 135. The praana starts at the point of hrdaya (praanollaasa) and ends (vishhraanti) at dvaadashaanta, i.e., at a distance of twelve fingers from it. Also called anatahdvaadashaanta, i.e., the heart, and baahirdvaadashaanta, twelve fingers' distance from it. See also Svacchanda Tantram (KSTS, 38) p. 65, verse 111; and Vijnaana Bhairava (KSTS, 8) verse 49, 51.
# Sans. anaahata, the eternal sound, self-created, the mystic syllable OM.

72. of JK and 28. of BNP

akuy Omkaar yas naabi* dhare
Kumbhay Brahmaannddas sum gare;
Akh suy manthr tseytas kare,
Tas saas manthr kyaah kare.

He in whose navel constantly abides
none other than the One Omkaar,
Who builds a bridge between his own
and Cosmic Consciousness#,
By making mind one with this mighty spell-
What need has he for a thousand other spells ?

* naabi: navel, cf. "paraavaak mulacakrastha, pashyantii naabhiisamsthitaa..."

# Brahmaanda, lit, Brahma's egg, the universe,  used also of brahmarandhra in the crown of the head. Lit., a bridge between the manipura cakra and brahma-randhra, with Omkaar as the mantra; fig., between kumbha(ghatta, the individual) and Brahmaanda, the Cosmic Whole. Var. LV, 34: For whom the kumbhaka exercise formeth a bridge to the Brahma-randhra.

It is said that no mantra is complete without OM in it and the practice of the mantra OM on your own without a Guru is discouraged.

73. of JK and 12. of BNP

Shiv vaa Keshava vaa Zin vaa
Kamalajanaath naamadhaarin yuh,
Mey abali kaastan bhavaraoz,
Su vaa su vaa su vaa suh.

Shiva or Keshva or Jina,*
Or Brahma, the lotus-born Lord,
Whatever name He bear,
May He remove from me
the sickness of the world !
It may be He or He or He
(For He is One though called variously).

* The Buddha. In later Sanskrit literature "Jina" is used for the Buddha.

74. of JK and NKK, and 32. of BNP

Lal bo luutshu's tshaanddaan ta gaaraan
Hal mey kormas rasanishiti;
Vuchun hyotmas taari diientthmas baran
Meyti kal ganeyam zi zogmas tati.

I, Lalla, searched and sought for Him,
And even beyond my strength I strove.
Finding His doors bolted and barred
I longed the more;
And firmly resolved, I stood just there
with longing and love,
Fixing my gaze upon His door.

75. of JK and NKK

lolu'ki vwakhli vaa'linj pishim

In the mortar of love I ground my heart,
I parched and burnt and ate it out.
Thus, all my evil passions removed,
I sat serene and unperturbed.
Yet still I doubt if I can know
Whether I shall die or I shall live
(and find release from birth and death).

76. of JK and 36. of BNP

sahazas sham ta dam na gatshi
Yatshi no praavakh muktiidwaar:
Salilas lavan zan miilith gatshe,
Toti chuy durlabh sahaza veytsaar.

Not by ascetic practices is the Self realized;
Nor by desire* can you gain
the Portals of Release.
In contemplation you may be absorbed
as salt in water,
Yet hard it is for you to gain
the true knowledge of the Self.

77. of JK and NKK

zanu'ni zaayaay ru'ty tay ku'tiy

Plump and comely were they born,
Causing their mother's womb great pain;
Yet to the womb they come again.
Siva indeed is hard to reach;
Pray, heed the doctrine this teaches you.*

* that is, take a lesson from this and reflect upon it.

78. of JK and NKK

ywasay shiil piitthas ta pattas

Itself a part of the rocky earth,
It is the self-same stone that makes
A pavement, seat or pedestal,
Or a mill-stone for a grinding mill.
Siva indeed is hard to reach;
Then heed the doctrine this teaches you.

The obvious doctrine this teaches us is that our true self is the spirit, which is all pervading like the stone in earth which has assumed various forms, shapes and sizes.

79. of JK and NKK

rav mata thali thali taa'pytan

Will the sun not shine on all alike
But give heat only to holy lands ?
Will Varuna* not visit all homes alike
But visit only the homes of the good ?
Siva indeed is hard to reach;
Then heed the doctrine this teaches you.

*The god of water.

80. of JK and 29. of BNP

zaanahaa' naaddi-dal mana ra'ttith
Tsattith vattith kuttith kaliish;
Zaanaha ada astah rasaayan gattith,
Shivachuy kruutth ta tsen vopadiish.

If I knew how to control my naaddi-s,*
How to sever them from the pull of desire,
How to bind them to the inner Self,
How to cut the bonds of sorrow,
I should have known how to compound
the Elixir of Life.
Siva indeed is hard to reach;
Then heed the doctrine this teaches you.

* The tubes through which the vital airs circulate of which the principal ones are ten, cf. dashi naadi vaav, the vital airs of ten naaddi-s, Infra No. 91.

81. of JK and NKK

yihay maaira-ruup pay diye

As mother a woman suckles a baby,
As wife she dallies amorously in love,
As maayaa she takes one's life in the end-
And yet in all these forms a woman she.
Siva indeed is hard to reach;
Then heed the doctrine this teaches you.

82. of JK and NKK

Shiv chury zaa'vyul zaal vaahraa'vith

Like a tenuous web Siva spreads Himself,
Penetrating all frames of all things.
If while alive, you cannot see Him,
How can you see Him after death ?
Think deep and sift the true Self from the self.

83. of JK and 48. of BNP

tuu'r salil kho'tt taa'y tuu're
Heymi trey gay byon-abyon veymarsha;
Tsetani rav bhaati sab same,
Shivamay tsraatsar zag pashya.

When water freezes in the cold,
it turns to snow and ice.*
Reflect, O man, that one becomes
three different things#;
And when the sun of pure Consciousness shines,
The world of living and lifeless things,
the universe and whatever exists,
are, in the Supreme, seen as one.

*SSV, p.98, lines 4-5, jala himan ca yo veda...
#byan: maayaa (multiplicity); byanaabyan: vidyaa (unity in multiplicity): abyan: Shakti (unity). Or, respectively, idam idam, aham idam, aham.

84. of JK and 61 of BNP

ase pwande zwase zaame
Neythay snaan kari tiirthan;
Vahari vaharas no'nuy aase,
Nishi chuy ta parzaantan.

Laughing sneezing, coughing, yawning,
Bathing in sacred pools,
Going about unclothed throughout the year*, He is about you all the time-
In all these forms recognize Him.

VAR. LVRB nonuy aase: He is to be seen in all these activities all the year round. He is close to you as yourself, "pashyaatmadevam nijideha eva." Also see KSTS 8, sloka 118. "kshutaadyante bhaye shoke ... brahmasattamayii dashaa, taam tatra tatra avasare vimarshya..."

85. of JK and 45. of BNP

baan go'l tay prakash aav zuune
Tsaendr go'l tay mo'tuy tseyth;
Tseyth go'l tay keynhti na kune;
Gay Bhoor Bhwaah Swaah veysarzith keyth.

The sun sets, the moon begins to shine*;
The moon sets the mind alone is left;
The mind dissolved, nothing remains;
Earth, atmosphere and sky# depart,
(And in the Supreme are absorbed).

* Praanaa the sun moving upwards, apaana the moon moving downwards. Cf., "praanaatmaa ravih uurdhva-mukhatvena caran; taalvaadi-aatmani antare sthitah; candrah apaanaatma adhomukhatvena..."- Tantraaloka (KSTS 36), Vol. IV, pp. 26-28.
# Bhuuh, Bhuvah, Svah.

86. of JK and 37. of BNP

mal vwandi zolum
jigar morum
Teli Lal naav draam
Yeli dali travimas tati.

I burnt the foulness of my soul,
I slew my heart, its passions all,
I spread my garment's hem, and sat
just there, on bended knees,
in utter surrender unto Him.
My fame as Lalla spread afar.

87. of JK

latan hund maaz laaryom vatan

The soles of my feet wore off on the roads
while I wandered in search of Him.
Then lo ! on a sudden, I saw
That He was all and everywhere,
I had nowhere to go in search of Him.
This was the Truth of a hundred truths.
Whoever learn of it, will they not wonder ?
Will they not be mad for joy ?

88. of JK and 35. of BNP

po't zuuni vo'thith mo't bolanovum
Dag Lalanaovam Dayisannzi prahe;
Lali Lali karaan lal vuzunovum,
Miilith tas shrotsyom dahe.

In the last watch of the moonlit night,
remonstrating with my wayward mind,
I soothed my pain with the love of God.
Gently, gently, accosting myself,
"O Lalla, Lalla, Lalla",
I woke my Love, my Lord and Master,
In whom absorbed, my mind was cleansed
of its defilement by the Ten.*

* The ten indriya-s, dahe, five organs of sense and five organs of action. Var., dihe: Even my body was purified.

89. of JK and 41. of BNP

tanthu'r gali tay manthu'r mwatse
Manthr go'l tay mwo'tuy tseyth,
Tseyth go'l tay kehhti na kune,
Shuunyas Shuunyaah miilith gav.

Let go the sacred tantra rites*,
Only the mantra sound remains.
And when the mantra sound departs,
Only the citta is left behind.
Then lo ! the citta itself is gone,
And there is nothing left behind;
The void merges in the Void
(the silent citta in Pure Consciousness.)#

* cf., LV 11, texts, holy books.
# LVRB 11, drashttaa shishyate citsvaruupam: For "shunya goes to shunya", see chapter 5, supra, p.82; shunya is not emptiness.

90. of JK and 43. of BNP

luub maarun sahaz vyatsaarun
Dro'g zaanun kalpan traav;
Nishi chuy tay duur mo gaarun;
Shuunyas Shuunyaah miilith gav.

Realization is rare indeed:
Seek not afar, it is near, by you.
First slay Desire, then still the mind,
giving up vain imaginings;
Then meditate on the Self within,
And lo ! the void merges in the Void.
(The citta merges in the Cit.)

91. of JK and 42. of BNP

tsitta-twarug vagi hyath ro'ttum
Tseylith milavith dashinaaddi vaav,
Tavay Sheyshikal veyglith vatsham;
Shuunyas Shuunyaah miilith gav.

I reined in the steed of the mind,
And, by constant practice, brought together
the praana-s coursing the ten naaddi-s.
Then the nectar of the Mystic Moon
flowed down, suffusing my whole being,
And the void merged in the Void,
(The stilled mind merged in Pure Consciousness).

92. of JK

sa'ts-sas na saatas pa'ts-sas na rumas

On nothing else I built my hopes,
In nothing else I put my trust-
My vaakh* brought me the wine I drank,
My vaakh gave me the strength to seize
The darkness that within me lurked.
I rolled it up and knocked it down,
And tore it to pieces (dissipating
the darkness of my soul)

* Verse-sayings of Lalla.

93. of JK and NKK, and 38. of BNP

she' van tsa'ttith shashikal vuzu'm
Prakrat hu'zum pavana saeti;
Lolaki naara vaolinj buzam,
Shankar lobum tamiy saeti.

Cutting my way through Six Forests*,
I came upon the Digit of the Moon+.
By means of the practice of praanaapaana#,
The world of matter shrank for me.
Then roasting my heart in the fire of love,
I found my God.

* LV: Cakra-s. LVRB:''kaamaadikam kaanena shattkam etat'', i.e., kaama, krodha lobha, moha, mad and ahankaara.
+ Sahasraara (top of the head)
#lit., pavan (vital airs); but see LV: ''by controlling my vital airs...''

94. of JK and 53. of BNP

Omkaar ye'li layi o'num
Vuhay ko'rum panun paan;
Shu-vt travith sath-marg ro'tum,
Teyli Lal bo'h va'tsas Prakaashasthan.

When I became one with the Supreme Word*,
My body blazed as red-hot coal+,
Then I gave up the Path of the Six#,
and betook myself to the straight true Path^,
Which led me to the Abode of Light.

* Aum
+Such blazing is an actual experience. It does not mean burning out impurity or selfhood.
# ''SSaddadhva'' six paths according to AAnavopaaya of Trika Darshana, viz varna, mantra, pada, kalaa tatva and bhuvana.
^She has now taken to the Shaambhavopaaya, the straight easy path which requires no rigorous saadhana. PR, pp. 20 & 83 (sukhopaayameva), for Var., see LV. 82.

95. of JK and 67. of BNP

he gwaraa parameshwaraa
Baavtam tseyyi chuy antar vyo'd;
Dwashavay vo'padaan kanda-puraa
Huh kava turun ta haah kava to't ?

O Guru, you are as a god to me,
Tell me, you know the secret truth.
Both Praana-s rise from 'Kandapura',
the ''place of the Bulb'', the navel region,
Why is haah hot, why is huh cold ?

96. of JK and NKK, and 68. of BNP

naabisthaana chay prakrath zalavu'nii
Brahmasthaanas shishirun mwakh,
Brahmaandas chay nad vahavani,
Tavay turun 'huh','haah' gav to't.

At the navel region is the Place of the Sun,
Where Prakriti glows as hot as fire;
From here hot breath rises to the throat.
At the crown of the head is the Place of the Moon,
From here cool nectar down the naaddi-s flows,
Thus haah is hot, and huh is cold.

97. of JK

Lal bo draayas lolare

For love that would not let me be,
I, Lalla, set forth in search of Him.
And toiled and toiled for days and nights.
Then lo ! the most auspicious moment of life-
I saw the Pandit in my own home.

98. of JK and 33 & p. 204 2nd Vakh in BNP

dama dama ko'rmas daman aaye*
Prazalyom daph ta naneyam zaath;
Andrium Prakaash neybar tsho'ttum,
Gatti ro'tum ta karmas thaph.

Gently, gently, I trained my mind
to suspend its processes and thoughts.#
Then (in the windless calm), the flame of the Lamp,
shining steady and bright,
Revealed my true nature unto me.
In the dark recesses of my soul+
I seized upon Him and held Him fast.
Then I diffused the inner light,
(and within, without, all was Light).

* & # Var., LV. 4"slowly, slowly, did I stop my breath in the bellows-pipe (of the throat)'' damaadam ko'rmas daman-haale.
+ Gatti,"in the darkness itself.'' Better reading LVRB: svasmindehe (in my ownself).

99. of JK and NKK, and 46. of BNP

tshaanddaan luutshu's paa'ny paanas
Tsheypith Jnaanas votum na kuuntsh (kaanh);
Lay karmas ta vatsas alsthaanas,
Bari bari baana ta cheyvaan na kuunh (kaanh).

Searching the Self, I wearied myself;
For none by searching ever gained
The secret knowledge beyond the mind.
I stopped searching, and love led me
to the Tavern* door.
There I found wine jars aplenty,
But none desiring to drink from them.

* 'al-thaan', the abode of amrita (nectar), of the Supreme, which is also in the Self of man though he wearies himself searching Him everywhere else.

100. of JK and 51. of BNP

makuris zan mal tso'lum manas
Ada mey labam zanas zaan,
Suh yeli dyuuenthhum nishi paanas
Soruy suy ta bo'h no kea'h

Foulness from my mind was cleared
as ashes from a mirror,
Then recognition of Him came to me
unmistakable and clear.
And when I saw Him close by me,
He was all and I was not,
(and there was nothing else).

101. of JK and NKK, and 96. of BNP

karu'm zu' kaaran tre' ko'mbith*
Yava labakh paraluukas annkh
Vo'th khas Surya-manndal tso'mbith,
Tavay tsaliy maranun sheynkh.

Do away with karma-s two# and causes three+,
and you will be honored in the world to come.
Arise, ascend and cut through the Sun's orb^,
and you will overcome the fear of death.

* Var., LV, 75:''by practising kumbhaka yoga.''
# Good and bad.
+ The three mala-s, impurities, that bring, viz., aanavamala, of finitude; maayiyiimala, of multiplicity; kaarmamala, of resultant pleasure
and pain from karma.
^Surya-maddala, through which the soul has to pass on its way to the Supreme; the Kundalini has to cut its way from Muulaadhaara through Manipua, the seat of Agni, to Sahasraara, the seat of the Moon, the abode of Siva.

102. of JK and 97. of BNP

gyaanu'ky ambar puu'rith tane
Yim pad Lali dapi tim hreydi annkh;
Kaarana Prnavaki layi ko'r Lalle
Tseyth-jyoti kaosan maranun sheynkh

In the robe of Jnaana clad,
On the tablet of her heart engraved
the words that Lalla spoke,
And by means of the mystic syllable OM,
Lalla merged in her 'Cit-Jyoti',
The luminous light of pure Consciousness;
And thus dispelled the fear of death.

103. of JK and 100. of BNP

shuun-yuk maa'daan ko'ddum paanas,
Mey, Lalli, ruuzam na bwad na hosh;
Veyzay sapanis paanay paanas,
Ada kami hili+ phoal Lalli pamposh !

I traversed the vastness of the Void alone,
leaving behind me reason and sense,
Then came upon* the secret of the Self;
And, all on a sudden, unexpectedly,
In mud+ the lotus bloomed for me.

* lit.. I became a confidante of my Self.
+ Kashmiri hyal, dirty ground, covered with litter, mud, dirt used as manure. Or, variant, hil, an aquatic weed abundantly growing in Dal Lake. Figurative: What was valueless (my body or myself) became precious and a thing of beauty and joy.

104. of JK and NKK

samsaaras aayas tapasii

A tapasvin into the world came I,
And Bodha illumined my path to the Self.*
Alike for me is life and death:
Happy to ]ive and happy to die,
I mourn for none, none mourns for me.+

* Var., LV, 35. Also LVRB, 34. "praaptaa vishuddham sahajam prabodham", where sahaja as an adjective qualifies prabodham.
+ lit., I die for none, none dies for me. Cf., Utpala's Siva Strotavali, xiii. 3: ... tishttatah satatam arcitah prabhum jiivitam mrataam athaanyath astu me".

105. of JK and NKK

Lal bo draayas kapsi poshici sa'tsu'y (LV, 102 & 103)

Hoping to bloom like a cotton flower,
I, Lalla, set forth in the colourful world.
But soon the cleaner and the carder came
and gave me hard knocks and blows.
Spun into a gossamar yarn
by a woman spinner on her spinning wheel,
I was helplessly hung upon a loom,
and given more knocks from the weaver's broom.

Now turned into cloth, I was dashed and dashed
by the washerman on the washing-stone.
Then into a large mortar made of stone,
he threw me, and with his grimy feet,
rubbed me with fuller's earth and soap.
The tailor now worked his scissors on me,
and cut me with care, piece by piece.
Thus was it that I, Lalla, at last
entered the High Estate of God.

106. of JK and NKK

raaza-hams aa'sith sapudukh ko'luy

Thou wert a royal swan once,
now turned mute*.
Someone, it seems, has run off with
something of thine.
When the mill-stone stopped, the grain channel
was choked with grain,
And away ran the miller with the grain.

Note a royal swan is also a syomble of a parmahamsa: God in human form having all human qualities and God
awareness.
* at seeing something that has struck Lalla dumb. Lalla has seen, but she cannot describe what she has seen. Has she had a glimpse of vishvaruupaa, the Cosmic Form, its indescribable splendour and awe, so that she, who was vocal till now, cannot speak? That something has taken away her powers of speech (SLK, p. 65). cf., LV, 8

107. of JK and 62. of BNP

prathu'y tiirthan gatshaan sa'ny-yaa'sy,
Gwaaraan Swadarshan myul;
Tseyta parith mo nishpath aas,
Denshakh duure dramun nyuul.

The pilgrim sannyasin goes from shrine to shrine,
Seeking to meet Him who abides within himself.
Knowing the truth, O soul, be not misled;
It is distance that makes the turf look green,

108. of JK and 76. of BNP

kandyav geh te'zy kandyav vanvaas,
Veyphoal, man na rattith ta vaas;
Deyn-raath gaenzarith panun shwaas,
Yuthuy chukh ta tyuthuy aas

Some leave their home, some the hermitage,
But the restless mind knows no rest.
Then watch your breath, day and night,
And stay where you are.

109. of JK and 77. of BNP

kalan Kaalazaa'ly yo'dvay tse go'l,
Veyndiv geyh vaa veyndiv vanvaas;
Zanith sarvagath Prabhu amol;
Yuthuy zaanakh tyuthuy aas.

Should you destroy vain imaginings, desires,
which form the very web of time;
Should you realize the Lord, all-pervading
and yet untouched and pure,
You may live the life of a householder,
Or a hermit's life in a hermitage,
living the truth that you have known.

110. of JK and 75. of BNP

Shiv Shiv karaan hamsa-gath so'rith
Ruuzith veywahari deyn kyoha raath
Laagi-rost yus man karith
Tasi netyh prasan Suura-Guruunaath.

Constantly invoking the name of Siva,
Meditating on the Way of the Swan*,
From attachment and duality set free -
Such a one, even if busily engaged
in the affairs of the world, both day and night,
Wins the favour of the God of gods.

* Mystic name for "Soham" (I am He) which reversed, becomes "Hamsa" (Swan), sometimes used to denote Paramasiva.

111. of JK and 87. of BNP

kenh chiy ne'ndriha'tiy vudiy,
Keantsan vudeyn neysar peyyiy,
Kenh chiy snasn karith aputi,
Kenh geyh bazith ti akryiy,

Some though asleep are yet awake;
Some though awake are yet asleep;
Despite ablutions some are unclean;
Despite householders' active life,
Some, by their actions, are untouched.

112. of JK and 88-A. of BNP

zal thamuno hutva turnavano
Uurda gamano par-varzeyt carit
kaattha deni dwad shramanaavano
Anti sakalo kapatth careyth.

To stop a running stream, to cool a raging fire,
To roam the skies on sandalled feet,
To milk a wooden cow -
All this is fraud and jugglery.

113. of JK and 59. of BNP

yath saras* sarpho'l na ve'tsiy,
Tath sari sakalay poani ceyn;
Mrag, sragaal, gannddi, zalhasti,
Zeyn naa zeyn ta toutuy peyn.

To the lake* too small even for a mustard seed,
All living beings come to quench their thirst;
And into it, as soon as born,
keep falling, falling,
Deer, jackal, rhinoceros, sea-elephants
and all.

* Of earthly existence, as against the Eternal.

114. of JK and 58. of BNP

tre'yi ne'ngi saraah sa'ry-saras,
Aki neyngi saras arshas ja'ay;
Harmukha kaunsara* akh sum saras,
Sati neyngi saras Shunyaahkaar.

Three times the lake overflowed its shore;
Once its waters and the sky did meet
From Haramukh to Kaunsar* in one vast sheet.
Seven times I saw the lake vanishing in the void.
I remember having seen, in former lives,
through aeons of time,
These dissolutions of the worlds and their rebirth.

* From Haramukh mountain in the north to Kausarnag in the south.

115. of JK and NKK

mad pyuvum syanda-zalan yaitu

However many parts I played upon the stage,
However often I quaffed that wine,
the water of the Syand*,
However many lumps of human flesh I ate,
Yet I am the same Lalla still.
What profiteth it all to me ?

* A tributary of the Jhelum in Kashmir.
Note that eating the human flesh is a part of sixty-four main Tantric Sadhana. The idea is to get rid of vritti's (habbits of the mind) such as attachments to ones body, etc. I have no practical experience with such eating but see Sri Ramakrishna the great master by Swami Saradananda, translated by Swami Jagadananda. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mayapore, Madras.

116. of JK and NKK

a'sii aa'sy ta a'sii aasav

In time past, we were;
In time future, we shall be;
Throughout the ages, we have been.
For ever the sun rises and sets;
For ever Siva creates, dissolves,
and creates again.

117. of JK and 49. of BNP

dyan tshe'zi ta razan aase,
Bhuutal gaganas kun vikaase,
Tsaendar Rahu-grras maavase;
Shiva puuzun gav cita-aatmase.

When the light of the day is quenched
in the darkness of the night,
The earth extends to meet and dissolve
in the ethereal sky,
And (on amaavasya*) all is blank and dark eclipse.
But (strange!) Raahu, the Demon of eclipse,
is swallowed by the New-born Moon.
The illumination of Cit-Atman
is the true worship of Siva, the Supreme.

* On the amaavasya of solar eclipse, Raahu is supposed, by popular tradition, to swallow the sun. But, says Lalla, that the seeker who treads the path has the experience of the manifested universe, the sun and the sky and all the worlds, vanishing and becoming one with the unmanifested all-pervading Akshara. There, for the moment, it seems to be "dark, irretrievably dark" in the great Void; but soon it is lit up by the New-born Moon, the Paraa-Samvit, which is the illumination of the Higher Consciousness revealing the abode of the Supreme Siva.

118. of JK and 52. of BNP

tsidaanandas gyaanaprakaashas,
Yimav tsyuun tim zivantay-mukt;
Veyshmas samsaaranis paashas,
Abodhy gaenddaah sheyth-sheyth dith.

They who have known the Supreme Self,
Cidaananda Jnaanaprakaasha,
(compact of the Bliss of Pure Consciousness
and Light of Knowledge Absolute) -
They are the Jivan-mukta-s (who,
while alive, have found release
from ever-recurring birth and death).
The ignorant add knot to knot, in hundreds,
to the tangled web of samsaara,
its recurrent birth,
its recurrent death.

119. of JK and 69. of BNP

kus dingi ta kus zaagi ?
Kus sar vatri teliy ?
Kus Haras puuzi laagi ?
Kus Paramapad meliy ?

Who dozes off ? Who is alert ?
What lake constantly oozeth away ?
What should be offered in worship to God ?
What supreme station should one gain ?

120. of JK and 70. of BNP

man dingi ta akul* zaagi,
Daddiy Sar pancayaendi vatri teliy,
Svaveytsara poani Haras puuzi laagi,
Paramapad tsiitnaa Shiva meliy.

It is the mind that dozeth off:
It is the Akula* Transcendent that is ever alert.
The mighty senses are the lake
constantly oozing out,
constantly filled again.
The constant awareness of the Self
is worship befitting the Lord,
And Sivahood the supreme station
man should gain.

* Paramasiva beyond the Kula, the thirty-six Tattva-s, the universe.

121. of JK and 65. of BNP

Shiva gur tay Keshav palanas
Brahma paayreyn vavlaseys
Yuugi yuuga kali parzaaneys
Kus Diiva ashwavaar peytth ceyddeys ?

Siva is the horse,
Vishnu holds the saddle,
And Brahma the stirrups.
It is the yogi who,
in the light of his yoga, knows
Which god can mount the horse ?

122. of JK and 66. of BNP

anaahata kha-swaruup shuunyaalay
Yas naav na varan na guthr na ruup
Aham vimarsha Naada-Binduy yas voan,
Suy Diiva ashwavaar peytth ceyddeys (khotus).

He who is the eternal 'Anaahata',
The ever-unobstructed sound of OM;
Whose is the all-permeating form
of the etherial sky;
Whose dwelling* is the vast transcendent Void;
Who has no name, caste, gotra, nor form;
Who is Pure, Undifferentiated Self-awareness;
Who is "Nada-Bindu", the Logos and the Light+ -
He is the God Who mounts the horse.

* Or, perhaps better, who is the abode (ground, home) of ...
+ The Sound and the Dot, mystically represented by the semicircle and the bindu (dot) of the anunasika of the Syllable OM as it is written. By an extension of meaning, nada-bindu or, in the Agama-s, more precisely, Nada-Vindu (Nada representing Shakti and Vindu, Siva) represents the ultimate Supreme, Paramasiva.

123. of JK and NKK

kunyar-ay bozakh kuni no rozakh
Would you understand what Oneness* is ?
It has turned me into nothingness.
Though He is One, Alone, and All,
Yet I am caught in the War of Two+.
Though He has neither colour nor form,
Yet I am caught in His wondrous forms#.

* Unity of Existence.
+ Duality.
# Multiplicity.

124. of JK and NKK

rangas manz chuy byo'n byo'n labun

He is in myriad colours and forms*,
Seek Him out.
Patiently suffer whatever your lot,
And happy be.
Anger and hate and enmity,
You must destroy.
All this done, though hard it be,
Behold thy God+.

lit., rangas manz, on the stage of the world where the play is going on.
6. lit., Siva

125. of JK and 98. of BNP

dishi aayas dash dish tiilith,
Tsalith tsottum shuunya ada vaav,
Shivay dyuu'tthum shaayi-shaayi miilith
Sheyh-ta-treyh traopimas ta Shivay draav.

I roamed the ten directions and
pierced the wind and the void.
I closed the nine gates of the body and
shut out the Thirty-six *.
Wherever I looked, I found the Lord,
Within, without, and in the Void+.

* The 36 tattva-s (literally, thatnesses) the categories or principles from Paramasiva to the earth, according to the Trika Saiva cosmology.
+ Within the mind, in the world outside, and in the Impersonal Transcendent.

126. of JK and NKK

tana mana gayas bo tas kunuy

I turned to Him heart and soul,
And heard the ringing of the Bell of Truth.
There, in dhaarana, fixed in thought,
I soared the Sky and the Region of Light*.

* lit.. had the experience of Aakashaand Prakaasha. Lalla heard the ever-unobstructed (anahata) sound of OM (The Bell of Truth); and, in her deep concentration. became absorbed in the Impersonal Transcendent (the Sky, the Void). But she went beyond, ascending to the abode of Paramasiva who, according to Trika Darshana, is both Prakaasha and Vimarsha, Light and Self-Awareness.

127. of JK and 64. of BNP

a'ndariy aayas tsa'ndru'y gaaraan,
Gaaraan aayas hiheyn hih;
Tsay hay Naaraan, tsay hay Naaraan,
Tsay hay Naaraan, yim kam vih ?

I searched within for the Mystic Moon,
For like seeks out the like.
Thou art all this and this and this;
There is none else but Thee.
What then is the meaning of Thy sport,
Of Thy creation's wondrous forms ?

128. of JK and 21. of BNP

yimay she' tse' timay she' me',
Shyaamagala tse' byoan taotthis,
Yuohay beynabhid tse' ta me'
Tsa sheyn* svaami boah sheyyi+ mashis.

O Lord of the Dark Blue Throat,
I have the very same Six Thou hast.
And yet, estranged from Thee,
I suffer misery.
There surely is this difference:
Thou art the master of the Six*,
By the Six+ I have been robbed.

* Sovereign power, omnipotence, omniscience, All-inclusiveness, eternality, All-pervasiveness (that is, in Trika: maayaa shakti, sarvakar-tritva, sarvajnatva, puurnatva, nityatva, and vyaapakatva respectively).
+ The six kancuka-s, coverings of limitation, viz., maya, kala, vidya, raga, kal, niyati.

129. of JK and 20. of BNP

Naatha ! na pan na par zonum,
Sadai buudum yi kwa dih;
Or (Sadai budum yiko dih);
Tsa boah, boah tsa myul naa zonum,
Tsa kus boah kwasa chum saendiih.

Lord, I did not know who I was,
nor Thou, the Supreme Lord of all.
I knew only this body of mine always*.
The relation between Thou and me,
That Thou art I and I am Thou
and both are one, I did not know.
(But now I know),
To ask: 'who art Thou, who am I ?'
is doubt of doubts.

* sadaa'y bodum yiikuy deha (LVRB, 7) but cf.,... yi kwadeha, LV, 7: "Continually have I mortified this vile body."

130. of JK and 44. of BNP

Lal bo tsaayas swaman baagabaras,
Vuchum Shivas Shakht miilith ta vaah !
Tati lay karmas amritsaras,
Zinday maras ta me' kari kyaah.

I, Lalla, entered by the garden-gate
of mine own mind,
And there (O joy!) saw Siva with Shakti
sealed in one;
And there itself I merged in the Lake
of Immortal Bliss.
Now while alive I am unchained
from the wheel of birth and death,
What can the world do unto me?

131. of JK and NKK

tsu'y diva gartas ta dharthii srazakh

Thou dost pervade all shapes and forms,
Though breathest life into all frames,
The whole creation hums with Thy silent sound*.
Who can measure the Immeasurable, O Lord!

* The Anaahata naad, the AUM.

132. of JK and 74. of BNP

par ta paan ye'my so'muy mon,
Ye'my hyuuh mon deyn kyoha raath,
Ye'mysay adway man saopun,
Tamiy dyuu'thuy Sura-Gurunaath.

He who regards himself and others alike,
He who regards alike both day and night,
He whose mind is free from duality -
He alone hath seen the God of gods.

133. of JK and Vakh 1. p. 204 BNP

abhyaa'sy savikaa'sy layi vo'thuu,
Gaganas svagun myuul samitsratta,
Shunya gol Anaamay motuu,
Yuhoy vopadiish chuy bhatta.

By oft-repeated practice, the wide expanse
of manifested universe is lifted to absorption;
And the saguna world, of forms and qualities,
merges in the vastness of the Void
with a splash of water on water falling;
Then the ethereal Void dissolves,
and the Ineffable Supreme alone remains.
This, O Bhatta*, is the Truth to gain.

* The Kashmiri Pandit (Brahmin) is often so called.

134. of JK and 40. of BNP

Vaakh, maanas, kwal, akwal naa ate,
Tshwapi, Mudri ati na praviish;
Rozaan Shiv-Shakt na ate,
Mvatiyay kuanh ta suy vopadish.

Here there is neither word nor thought,
Transcendent nor non-Transcendent here.
Vows of silence and mystic mudra-s
cannot gain you admittance here.
Even Siva and Shakti (Tattva-s) remain not here.
The Somewhat that remains is the Truth
to know and realise.

135. of JK and p. 200 Vakh b. of BNP

tsu' naa bo naa dhey naa dhyaan,
Gay paanay Sarvakrya mashith:
Anyav dyuu'thukh keyenhti na anvay:
Gayi sath layi Par pashith.

Here there is neither thou and I,
No "postured thought", nothing to contemplate,
Even the All-Creator is forgot.
The ignorant blind* cannot see
the Ineffable Supreme hard to know.
But the pure, the wise, having seen+
merge in the Supreme.

* Var., LVRB, 59: "anya dyuthukh ..." (They) saw Other than all these, the Absolute, the Relationless (Ananvaya) "kentsh na anvay".
+ sat: the whole objective universe. Var., LVRB: The good become absorbed in Him.See LV, where sath is said to mean `the Seven Worlds'.

136. of JK and 50. of BNP

paanas laa'gith ruudukh me' tsu',
Me' tse' tshaaendaan luustum doah;
Paanas maenz ye'ly dyuu'thukh me' tsu'
Me' tsu' ta paanas dyutum tshoah.

Thou wert absorbed in Thine Own Self,
hidden from me;
I passed whole days in seeking Thee out.
But when I saw Thee in mine own Self,
O joy! then Thou and I
disported ourselves in ecstasy*.

* cf., LV, 44: "The second meaning" given there is what the words cannot bear, however much their meaning may be strained.

137. of JK and 101. of BNP

tsyath no'vuy tsa'ndrama no'vuy,
Zalmay dyuu'thum navam no'vuy
Yana peyttha Lalli me' tan-man no'vuy,
Tana Lal boah navam navay cheys!

The citta, the mind, is ever new,
The ever-changing moon is new,
And ever new the shoreless expanse
of waters* that I have seen.
Since I, Lalla, have scoured my body and mind,
(emptied it of dead yesterdays
and tomorrows unborn),
I live in the ever-present Now,
(and all things always are to me)
for ever new and new.

* zalamay, Sans. jalamaya, Grierson (LV. 93) explains it as a "waste of waters" at the time of pralaya, destruction of the Universe.
Therefore, "the universe itself". It may rather be the shoreless ocean of existence or of Reality. Whatever the exact meaning, Lal Ded speaks of her complete transformation and `renewal'.

Interestingly, the same New Mind here when it is in its deluded form is also referred to as water of a lake which constantly oozes out, see JK Vakh 120. By constant tapasya the same mind is transformed so as to be able to see this new shoreless expanse of waters,
Parmahamsa Ramakrishna says one sees the Reflection of Him in a Pure Mind.

138. of JK and NKK

yi yi karu'm ko'rum suy artsun
yi rasini vichoarum thi mantar
yihay lagamo dhahas partsun
suy Parasivun tanthar

Whatever work I did became worship of the Lord;
Whatever word I uttered became a mantra*;
Whatever this body of mine experienced became+
the saadhana-s of Saiva Tantra
illumining my path to Paramasiva

* cf. SSV, III, 25-36: sharirvrttirvratam (26), kathaa japah (27). (For such a one the normal daily routine of his becomes a vrata, that is, religious vows, etc (26), and whatever he says becomes the recitation of a mantra).
+ LVRB, 58. "yih yath lagyam dehas paritsay". For Var., LV, 58. See KT, IX. 23, "...yatra yatra mano yaati tatra tatra samaadhayah (wherever the mind goes there is a samaadhi for it).

Lal Ded
Lal Ded