The great lyrical and musical compositions of the mystic-poets of 16th century India have commanded the hearts and souls of devotees over the centuries and influenced and inspired present day composers and poets. The poetic compositions are sung by all the renowned singers of India set to different melodies of their choosing. One lyric has of late been casting his spell through his compositions on devotional love, similar to Meera, Sur, Tulsi, Raidas and Kabir. Narayan Agarwal in the tradition of the devotional movement of the 16th century calls himself Narayan Das ( disciple) much as Tulsi was Tulsi Das and Sur was Surdas and Rai was Rai Das. I have tried to translate his lyrics which when set to music have moved me deeply with their fire of devotion, intensity of love, and poetic beauty, stirring the soul. I cannot say I have done full justice to the poem in question, as in translation it loses its linguistic magic, yet I hope and trust that it has retained the essence and spirit of the devotional passion expressed by the poet. This being my 100th post, it is also a tribute to the Soul, the Indweller ( Antaryami ) within my being.
MY HEART IS A THRONE
( hriday hamara singhasan hai, Jispe Shyam biraje )
My heart is a throne
On which my Lord sits,
My lips are cushions
For him to recline,
Credit : ISKCON
My lashes are a swing
On which he sways,
His name is a song
I can never forget
Whose rhythms are my life,
Thus on my heart, lips and lashes
Back and forth as my Lord moves,
My desire to behold him
spreads like a fragrance
From limb to limb
And every pore, turn by turn begins
To call out his name,
My body then turns into a harp
Whose strings hum with love
As my Lord rests on his throne
In my heart.
Krishna, the Indigo Lord (Shyam)
Credit: fineartamerica.com
