The Song celestial Part 6

Thou, of all souls the Soul!

The Comprehending Whole!

Of being formed, and formless being the Framer; O Utmost One! O Lord!

Older than eld, Who stored The worlds with wealth of life! O Treasure-Claimer,

Who wottest all, and art Wisdom Thyself! O Part In all, and All; for all from Thee have risen Numberless now I see The aspects are of Thee!

Vayu[FN#24] Thou art, and He who keeps the prison

Of Narak, Yama dark; And Agni's s.h.i.+ning spark; Varuna's waves are Thy waves. Moon and starlight Are Thine! Praj.a.pati Art Thou, and 'tis to Thee They knelt in wors.h.i.+pping the old world's far light,

The first of mortal men.

Again, Thou G.o.d! again A thousand thousand times be magnified!

Honour and wors.h.i.+p be-- Glory and praise,--to Thee Namo, Namaste, cried on every side;

Cried here, above, below, Uttered when Thou dost go, Uttered where Thou dost come! Namo! we call; Namostu! G.o.d adored!

Namostu! Nameless Lord!

Hail to Thee! Praise to Thee! Thou One in all;

For Thou art All! Yea, Thou!

Ah! if in anger now Thou shouldst remember I did think Thee Friend, Speaking with easy speech, As men use each to each; Did call Thee "Krishna," "Prince," nor comprehend

Thy hidden majesty, The might, the awe of Thee; Did, in my heedlessness, or in my love, On journey, or in jest, Or when we lay at rest, Sitting at council, straying in the grove,

Alone, or in the throng, Do Thee, most Holy! wrong, Be Thy grace granted for that witless sin!

For Thou art, now I know, Father of all below, Of all above, of all the worlds within

Guru of Gurus; more To reverence and adore Than all which is adorable and high!

How, in the wide worlds three Should any equal be?

Should any other share Thy Majesty?

Therefore, with body bent And reverent intent, I praise, and serve, and seek Thee, asking grace.

As father to a son, As friend to friend, as one Who loveth to his lover, turn Thy face

In gentleness on me!

Good is it I did see This unknown marvel of Thy Form! But fear Mingles with joy! Retake, Dear Lord! for pity's sake Thine earthly shape, which earthly eyes may bear!

Be merciful, and show The visage that I know; Let me regard Thee, as of yore, arrayed With disc and forehead-gem, With mace and anadem, Thou that sustainest all things! Undismayed

Let me once more behold The form I loved of old, Thou of the thousand arms and countless eyes!

This frightened heart is fain To see restored again My Charioteer, in Krishna's kind disguise.

Krishna.

Yea! thou hast seen, Arjuna! because I loved thee well, The secret countenance of Me, revealed by mystic spell, s.h.i.+ning, and wonderful, and vast, majestic, manifold, Which none save thou in all the years had favour to behold; For not by Vedas cometh this, nor sacrifice, nor alms, Nor works well-done, nor penance long, nor prayers, nor chaunted psalms, That mortal eyes should bear to view the Immortal Soul unclad, Prince of the Kurus! This was kept for thee alone! Be glad!

Let no more trouble shake thy heart, because thine eyes have seen My terror with My glory. As I before have been So will I be again for thee; with lightened heart behold!

Once more I am thy Krishna, the form thou knew'st of old!

Sanjaya.

These words to Arjuna spake Vasudev, and straight did take Back again the semblance dear Of the well-loved charioteer; Peace and joy it did restore When the Prince beheld once more Mighty BRAHMA's form and face Clothed in Krishna's gentle grace.

Arjuna.

Now that I see come back, Janardana!

This friendly human frame, my mind can think Calm thoughts once more; my heart beats still again!

Krishna.

Yea! it was wonderful and terrible To view me as thou didst, dear Prince! The G.o.ds Dread and desire continually to view!

Yet not by Vedas, nor from sacrifice, Nor penance, nor gift-giving, nor with prayer Shall any so behold, as thou hast seen!

Only by fullest service, perfect faith, And uttermost surrender am I known And seen, and entered into, Indian Prince!

Who doeth all for Me; who findeth Me In all; adoreth always; loveth all Which I have made, and Me, for Love's sole end That man, Arjuna! unto Me doth wend.

HERE ENDETH CHAPTER XI. OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, Ent.i.tled "Viswarupadarsanam,"

Or "The Book of the Manifesting of the One and Manifold."

CHAPTER XII

Arjuna.

Lord! of the men who serve Thee--true in heart-- As G.o.d revealed; and of the men who serve, Wors.h.i.+pping Thee Unrevealed, Unbodied, Far, Which take the better way of faith and life?

Krishna.

Whoever serve Me--as I show Myself-- Constantly true, in full devotion fixed, Those hold I very holy. But who serve-- Wors.h.i.+pping Me The One, The Invisible, The Unrevealed, Unnamed, Unthinkable, Uttermost, All-pervading, Highest, Sure-- Who thus adore Me, mastering their sense, Of one set mind to all, glad in all good, These blessed souls come unto Me.

Yet, hard The travail is for such as bend their minds To reach th' Unmanifest That viewless path Shall scarce be trod by man bearing the fles.h.!.+

But whereso any doeth all his deeds Renouncing self for Me, full of Me, fixed To serve only the Highest, night and day Musing on Me--him will I swiftly lift Forth from life's ocean of distress and death, Whose soul clings fast to Me. Cling thou to Me!

Clasp Me with heart and mind! so shalt thou dwell Surely with Me on high. But if thy thought Droops from such height; if thou be'st weak to set Body and soul upon Me constantly, Despair not! give Me lower service! seek To reach Me, wors.h.i.+pping with steadfast will; And, if thou canst not wors.h.i.+p steadfastly, Work for Me, toil in works pleasing to Me!

For he that laboureth right for love of Me Shall finally attain! But, if in this Thy faint heart fails, bring Me thy failure! find Refuge in Me! let fruits of labour go, Renouncing hope for Me, with lowliest heart, So shalt thou come; for, though to know is more Than diligence, yet wors.h.i.+p better is Than knowing, and renouncing better still.

Near to renunciation--very near-- Dwelleth Eternal Peace!

Who hateth nought Of all which lives, living himself benign, Compa.s.sionate, from arrogance exempt, Exempt from love of self, unchangeable By good or ill; patient, contented, firm In faith, mastering himself, true to his word, Seeking Me, heart and soul; vowed unto Me,-- That man I love! Who troubleth not his kind, And is not troubled by them; clear of wrath, Living too high for gladness, grief, or fear, That man I love! Who, dwelling quiet-eyed,[FN#25]

Stainless, serene, well-balanced, unperplexed, Working with Me, yet from all works detached, That man I love! Who, fixed in faith on Me, Dotes upon none, scorns none; rejoices not, And grieves not, letting good or evil hap Light when it will, and when it will depart, That man I love! Who, unto friend and foe Keeping an equal heart, with equal mind Bears shame and glory; with an equal peace Takes heat and cold, pleasure and pain; abides Quit of desires, hears praise or calumny In pa.s.sionless restraint, unmoved by each; Linked by no ties to earth, steadfast in Me, That man I love! But most of all I love Those happy ones to whom 'tis life to live In single fervid faith and love unseeing, Drinking the blessed Amrit of my Being!

HERE ENDETH CHAPTER XII. OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, Ent.i.tled "Bhaktiyog,"

Or"The Book of the Religion of Faith."

CHAPTER XIII

Arjuna.

Now would I hear, O gracious Kesava![FN#26]

Of Life which seems, and Soul beyond, which sees, And what it is we know-or think to know.

Krishna.

Yea! Son of Kunti! for this flesh ye see Is Kshetra, is the field where Life disports; And that which views and knows it is the Soul, Kshetrajna. In all "fields," thou Indian prince!

I am Kshetrajna. I am what surveys!

Only that knowledge knows which knows the known By the knower![FN#27] What it is, that "field" of life, What qualities it hath, and whence it is, And why it changeth, and the faculty That wotteth it, the mightiness of this, And how it wotteth-hear these things from Me!

. . . . . . . . . . . .[FN#28]

The elements, the conscious life, the mind, The unseen vital force, the nine strange gates Of the body, and the five domains of sense; Desire, dislike, pleasure and pain, and thought Deep-woven, and persistency of being; These all are wrought on Matter by the Soul!

Humbleness, truthfulness, and harmlessness, Patience and honour, reverence for the wise.