I Know Not Why

1. I know not why

Kena hetha ami esechi
Kena mara deha niyechi
Kena mohe bhalo besechi
Kena prabhu toma henechi
Kena kena kena

I know not why I have come here
    Into this world.
I know not why I have accepted
    A mortal frame.
I know not why I have loved
    The attachment world.
I know not why I have hurt You.
Why? Why? Why?

2. No problem, no solution

Nai samasya nai samadhan
Nai nai nai adan pradan
Bhitare bahire maha nirakar
Dilo more aji karunar har

No problem, no solution
No give-and-take.
Within and without
The great formless One
Has blessed me
With the Garland of Compassion.

3. I love this world

Bhalobasi dharanire
Taito ami asbo phire
Bhalobasi jiban khela
Charidike ashar mela

I love this world,
Therefore, I shall come back.
I love the game of life.
Here I see nothing
But the hope-fair.
I love the hunger-heart
Of this world
And therefore, I shall bring down
With me Infinity’s Nectar-Delight.

4. With my tearful eyes

Asha tarir pichhe pichhe
Chhuti ami nayan nire
Ei jibane shanti sudha
Pabo ki hai phire

With my tearful eyes
Speedily I am following
The hope-boat.
Will I ever get back
In this lifetime
My long-lost Nectar-Peace?

5. Attachment-cover all around;

Charidike moher abaran
Taito kande hiya anukkhan
Ghure berai shaman bhiti
Nahi shuni ashar giti

Attachment-cover all around;
Therefore, sleeplessly
My heart weeps.
The fear of death
All around moves
I hear not
The Song of hope.

6. I have established my oneness-life

Ashar sathe asha haye
Jegeche mor pran
Asim sathe gaibo ami
Asimatar gan

I have established
    My oneness-life with hope
And thus I have awakened
    My human heart.
I shall become one with Infinity
And sing with Infinity
    Infinity’s Song.

7. In secrecy supreme

Sabar prane sugopane thako
Nitya nutan tomar chhabi anko
Jyoti diye dharar geha dhako
Manab hiyai asim khudha rakho

In secrecy supreme
I dwell in each heart
And paint Yourself in ever-new
And ever-bright colour.
You cover the body of the world
With Your Vision-Light
And You awaken the Eternal Hunger
In the depth of all human hearts.

8. The problem-world

Manase abar samasya jame
Chinta bihag bhrame charidike bhrame
Basana kanna nahi thame kabhu
Maran nachan bhitare bahire prabhu

The problem-world once again
Accumulates in my mind.
Thought-bird flew all over.
Desire-cries never cease.
The dance of death within
And without I see,
O my Lord Supreme.

9. Where is bondage?

Kothai bandhan kothai bandhan
Kothai kothai timir shasan
Akasher mato amije swadhin
Batasher mato akar bihin
Paramer sathe paramer giti
Bhengeche amar agyan bhiti

Where is bondage?
Where is bondage?
Where, where is the reign of darkness?
Like the sun, I am eternally free;
Like the air, I am eternally formless.
Singing the Song Absolute
With the Absolute Pilot,
I have smashed the fear
Of my ignorance-night.

10. I shall not ask for anything else

Charan tale asan pele
Kichui je ar chaibona
Rabo cheye tomar pane
Moher deshe dhukbona

I shall not ask for anything else
If I get a seat at Your Feet.
I shall sleeplessly look at You
And never enter into the attachment-world.

11. You beckon me

Asha diye kache dako
Hatash kare dure rakho
Amai diye chaoar khudha
Rakho dure param sudha

You beckon me with Your Hope-Message.
Again, it is You who keep me
Away from You with despondent
And broken heart.
You have given me the hunger
Of desire.
Again, it is You who keep away from me
Immortality’s Nectar Supreme.

12. I shall not mind

Sabar sathe sabar niche
Thakte ami pari
Ei jibaner maha juddhe
Nahi jena hari

I shall not mind
If I am behind every one
And below every one,
As long as in life’s battlefield
I do not lose.

13. As the sea

Sindhu jeman ar kichu noi
Bindu bindu jal
Asim tumi simai gara
Shudhu kathar chhal

As the sea is nothing but
An accumulation of countless drops,
Even so, O Infinite,
You are the multiplication
Of the tiny finite realities
Which are nothing short of
Man’s thought-trickeries.

14. O Lord of my heart

Praner thakur tomar paye
Amar nayan jal
Tumi ki go amar mato
Bhugo karma phal

O Lord of my heart,
I place at Your Feet
My tearful eyes.
Do you ever, like me,
Suffer from the law
Of Your action-deeds?

15. My eyes fail

Karo bhalo dekhena mor ankhi
Base bhalo mithya maya phanki

My eyes fail to see and appreciate
Others’ happiness and prosperity-life.
My eyes love only falsehood-mountain,
Attachment-forest and deception-volcano.

16. The teeming faults of others

Ase kebal parer truti kane
Kurup hasi jage amar prane

The teeming faults of others
Come flying into my ears.
The smile of ugliness is always visible
Inside my sealed heart.

17. My life will be fulfilled

Jiban amar purna habe
Tomar bijoy gane
Ei bharasai kandi ami
Trishito e prane

My life will be fulfilled
By singing only Your Victory-Song.
I cry with this hope
Inside my thirsty heart.

18. Singing the songs of self-giving

Jiban amar dhanya habe
Atmatyager gane
Bishwa pita kripar srote
Asbe amar pane

Singing the songs of self-giving,
My life shall be blessed.
The Lord of the Universe
Will come into my life
With His Eternity’s
Compassion-Flow.

19.Let us march on!

Egiye chai egiye chai
Charidike moher chhal
Andhakarer habe je khoy
Egiye chai kiser bhoy

Let us march on, let us march on!
The trickeries of attachment-life
Are all-where.
Darkness-life will one day expire.
Where is fear? Nowhere!
Let us march on!

20. My heart knows not

Pran ki chahe janena
Karo katha manena
Tomar dake janena
Tomar khama magena

My heart knows not what it wants.
It never listens to anyone.
It does not wake up at Your Call.
It does not even long for
Your Forgiveness-Light.

21. To walk on Eternity’s Road

Dakche more anurage
Chirantaner pather sathi
Dhanya halo jiban mamo
Bhitar bahir premer bati

I walk on Eternity’s Road.
My Eternity’s Friend is calling me
With all His Compassion and
Concern-Light.
To-day my entire life is blessed.
My inner world and my outer world
Have grown into love-flame-lights.

22. How can I tell?

Kemane ta bali
Ki dekhechi ki shunechi
Ki diyechi ki peyechi
Kemane ta bali
Sugopane sab chale jai
More chhali chhali

How can I tell
What I have seen and what I have heard,
What I have given and what I have received?
How can I tell all this?
In silence supreme everything
And everyone will disappear,
Playing cleverly deception-game.

23. Who knows, O, who knows?

Jiban nadi
Kon pathe jai ke jane
Kahar pane kahar tane
Ke jane go ke jane
Kon sagarer buke
Thakte chahe luke
Ke jane go ke jane

Who knows, O, who knows
Which way the life-river flows,
Being pulled by who and towards whom?
Who knows, O, who knows
In the heart-depth of which ocean
My heart-river wants to lose
Its existence-life?
Who knows, O, who knows?

24. I have longed for You

Tomare ami cheyechi
Tomar seba karechi
Katobar taje balechi
Man diye hai hridayere chhalechi

I have longed for You
I have served You.
I have been broadcasting this
All the time, everywhere.
Alas, with my mind-world
I have been deceiving
My heart-life.

25. From the outer life

Bahir haite antar mukhe
Phiraye niyecho pran
Bare bare tumi apanar hate
Diyecho kripar dan

From the outer life
You have brought my heart
Back into its own home.
With Your own Hand,
Time and again,
Unconditionally You are granting me
Your Compassion-Boons.

26. With empty eyes

Pathe pathe shunya chokhe
Phiri dware dware
Paran amar ke balibe
Chahe aj kahare

With empty eyes
I have been going from door to door.
Who can tell
For whom my heart is pining?

27. I do not know

Kon debata khule dilo
Amar hiyar dwar
Dyulok bale bhulok bale
Ami sabakar

I do not know
The name of the Cosmic God
Who has opened my heart’s door.
But now that my heart’s door is open,
Both Heaven and earth,
Both the inner world
And
The outer world
Are claiming me
As their own, very own.

The Sri Chinmoy Library