Flows a cascade of eternal joy.

(bahe nirantara ananta ananda dhara) বহে নিরন্তর অনন্ত আনন্দধারা ॥

Flows a cascade of eternal joy.
Everlasting and endless
Echoes in the boundless beyond.
A sound without beginning or end
Awaken the sun.. moon.. and stars..
So uncountably infinite..

In this kingdom of that creation
So unique and complete in itself
Reigns the Supreme One..
The Greatest.. Emperor.. of all.

In awe-struck amazement
In unblinking wonder
Bows the universe.. at their feet..
Countless devotees..
Stunned.. into spellbound.. silence.

Every day I shall bow to you

আজি প্রণমি তোমারে চলিব 
 Aji pronomi tomare (audio: Sagar Sen)

Every day I shall bow to you
master, in all my worldly tasks.
Hold my gaze in my heart.

You are housed within me
Remind me you are here.
When sinful thoughts seek me out
let them die in reprimand.

In all confusion all day long
play your music on and on.
I shall meet others on my path,
remind me that you are there.

Moment by moment
in all I see and all I speak
in all my tasks and all I think
make wholesome melodies with my heart.

A guiding star lights a deep dark night

নিবিড় ঘন আঁধারে   জ্বলিছে ধ্রুবতারা
Nibiro ghono aa(n)dhare jolichhe dhrubotara (audio: Srabani Sen)

A guiding star lights a deep dark night.
Do not surrender, my wavering mind!

Bleak with misery, don't stop your song.
End the phantom, realize your light.

Keep your power and an endless faith.
Keep your love for this beautiful earth.

Whether sad or happy, walk in sync.
Fill your heart with the heavenly drink.

I am aware of your boundless love

তুমি যে আমারে চাও 
Tumi je amare chao
Audio: Debabrata Biswas

I am aware of your boundless love
Your poignant desire, for me.
I am aware, why, even so
You make me cry.

I can comprehend
Why you hide,
Ensconcing your face
In mazes of light and shade,
Evoking your call
During my earthly errands
Through ethereal, vibrant tunes

After the bartering of hearts
Is done for the day
After we have exchanged
Every song,
I understand, why you sail away
In the last craft of twilight.

The small world I live in

অল্প লইয়া থাকি 
Olpo loiya thaki tai
Audio: Subinoy Roy

In the small world I live  in
My losses, deprivations
Seem fateful.
I mourn the smallest sacrifice
That comes my way.

I am like the river-shore
That tries to own
Every passing drift
Yet the waves come up to me,
Break my heart, and heave away

What I may have
And what I may not
Are all riches for you to keep
Why can't I see, nothing is lost
In your prodigious cosmos?

How many moons and suns
You contain, my lord,
How many grains and atoms
Are in your command,
And yet, nothing is ever lost
However small
In your safekeeping.

Won't the little that I lose
Find a space to fill, too,
In your magnum opus,
At your grand seat?

My heart heard a whisper

নিশীথে কী কয়ে গেল মনে 
Nisheethe ki koye gyalo mone
Audio: Hemanta Mukherjee

My heart heard a whisper
Maybe in my wakefulness,
Maybe, my slumber
It was dark.

As I travel, or pause,
My day meshed in hustle,
Chores, judgements,
Tumble down my path

Yet, the secret speaks to me
In silence, ever so often,
Like a chant, like a dream.

I am unsure
If this feels like a strange hurt
If it is a chill of fear
Or victory

I listen to the quiet voice
Echo, 'Stop here,'
In swerving tunes, whisper,
'Far you go!'

Could it be
A resonance in my heart
Or the sky ladling songs?

I wonder if you have come to me

তুমি কি এসেছ মোর দ্বারে
Tumi ki eshecho mor (audio)

I wonder if you have come to me
In quest of my sleeping heart.

Your call wakes blossoms
on winter trees.

It clears path for
verdant grass yet unseen
to move the earth.

With the call dawn appears
showers light
responds to you
from the great unseen.

Who do you look for

কার মিলন চাও বিরহী
Kar milono chao birohi
Audio: Suchitra Mitra

Who do you look for
as if you lost your love.
Who do you look for
in a wild world.

You try to find him
in shades and puzzles
strange and unseen.
See His Master's feet
touch your lotus heart
in beauty and light.

Here you are, my Beauty!

এই লভিনু সঙ্গ তব
 Ei lobhinu shongo tobo (audio)

Here you are, my Beauty!
My limbs are blessed,
My heart is humbled
I am transformed!

My eyes unfold
with the dawn in wonder.
Sweetness spreads with the wind
in my inner sky.

My heart blooms with your touch.
Your presence fills me with joy.
Give me rebirth.
Many lives in one, my Beauty!

Timeless friend, strength and peace

চিরবন্ধু চিরনির্ভর চিরশান্তি
Chirobondhu chironirbhoro chiroshaanti (audio: Dwijen Mekhopadhyay)

Timeless friend, strength and peace
there is so much wellness in your world
in all my life, my companion.
Your love rains down on my heart
it is here you live.
Songs celebrate you in your world
moment by moment, day and night. 

(another version by Rumela)

You are O Lord forever

My friend, my guide, my peace

You are forever the source of well-being

The constant companion my whole life long

O Lord of my heart

You are the fountain of love forever

Your world sings your glorious song 
Forever through night and day

Tonight.. my beloved..

জাগে নাথ জোছনারাতে 
(jage nath jochanarate)

Tonight.. my beloved.. 
is up.. in the moonshine..
Come and meet him, dear.. heart..
Do not close your eyes..

The silence.. of the moon,
the muteness.. of the stars..
are musical..

The earth.. and the sky.. 
are fully awake..
with Beauty..

Shower your sun on the sightless

অন্ধজনে দেহো আলো
Ondho jone deho alo
audio: Maya Sen

Shower your sun on the sightless
Lavish your breath on the dead.
You are a magical river of love,
let your grace water my heart.

My breath has been sapped,
my eyes turned to ice,
move me to tears
with your loving bliss.

Embrace he, who lost you
contain the confused heart.
Refresh my thirst
with your nectarine tenderness.

I found you once
but I lost you with my indifference
When did I fall asleep?

As I rise, all is dark.
I can not divulge my tears,
I have failed to soothe my thirst.

For eternity,
I have not heard you speak
I have sorely missed
your loving voice

Will you accept my suffering,
and show up,
will you surprise my lonely heart?

Each moment..commander..

প্রতিদিন আমি, হে জীবনস্বামী
(pratidin ami he jibanswami)

Every moment.. commander.. of my life..

with an easy bow..
I shall face you with a benign salutation
as I stand..

Under the sprawling sky..
in solitude.. simplicity..
with  tears.. humility..
I will face you..
as I stand..

In the human conundrum..

in numerous chores..
along with all..
I will face you with a benign salutation..
as I stand..

When my task in your world..
is all over..
alone.. silent..
I will face you with a benign salutation..
as I stand..


(another version by Rumela Sengupta:)

Each day I’ll stand in front of you..
O Lord of my life..
I’ll stand in front of you with folded hands..
O Lord.. of this world.

Beneath your boundless.. blue skies..
With humble heart.. and tearful eyes..
I’ll stand in front of you in secluded solitude..

In this world of myriad shades..
Beyond the shores.. of action.. activity..
Amidst.. the multitudes.. that throng your world..
I’ll stand in front of you face to face..

When my work.. in your world is done..
O King.. of kings..
I’ll stand in front of you alone in silence..

Sweet yet is separation

বিরহ মধুর হল আজি মধুরাতে
birawho modhuro holo aaji (audio)

Sweet yet is separation
In this night so enchanting
Plays a melody profound
Strumming the pain deep within

An anxious thirst
A restless yen
A desire invisible
Pervades this Poornima night
And deludes my perception
With a piteous mirage

Adrift on a balmy breeze
A fragrance from far beyond
Wanders into my being
Tosses, turns, twirls around
A wayfarer lost and forlorn

Whose plaintive voice do I hear?
In the music of murmurs
To the rhythm of rustles
The sweet symphony of leaves
Tinkles with it my anklet
Pulsating to the same beat

(another version by Anondo)

A heartache sweet with sorrow
A night flushed with moonlight
To catch a fleeting glance
sleepless eyes
are easily deceived

A sinuous fragrance from faraway
weighs down the breeze
My journey is lost in trance

Whispering webs of leaves
brings alive a lyrical message
with a beat
Ankle-bells rebound within

This world..of happiness..

আনন্দলোকে মঙ্গলালোকে
Anondoloke Mongolaloke

This world.. of happiness..
This world.. of well-being
Grace.. this with your presence
You who.. are the ultimate truth..
You who.. are the ever beauteous..

Your majesty.. manifests..
Across the vast.. firmament..
Like an anklet studded.. with
Precious.. stones.. and prized jewels..
Lies the cosmos.. at Your feet..

The sun.. moon.. stars.. and planets..
With eagerly anxious.. haste..
Bask in Your iridescence
Soak Your boundless.. radiance..

Cascades of your soft sweet.. grace..
Gush forth and deluge.. the earth..
In a kaleidoscope of
Flowers.. leaves..
Songs..  sonnets..

Life.. flows on ever anew
Your compassion caressing..
Our lives.. from cradle.. to grave..

Love.. affection..mercy..
Piety.. hope.. faith.. untold..
Mellow and soften.. our souls..
A downpour of sweet.. solace..
You rain to pacify pain..

What festivities and joy..
Reign forever.. in Your realm
The world sings.. Your glory great..
In fearless.. refuge at Your feet..
You who.. are our treasure and wealth..
You who.. encompass all of this earth..

(Another attempt rendition in English  by Anandamayee Majumdar  English rendition.. yet another bilingual rendition..)

In the land of joy.. in the heart.. of love..
I see your seat.. true.. exquisite.

Glory.. love.. light up
sky.. and beyond.
The universe..
bedecked.. with stars..
at your feet.

Sun.. and earth..
moon.. and stars..
dancing to the beat..
Drinking light..
Bathing light..
Immortality..

Fountain spring..
Splendor green..
Streaming creation..
beats.. bowers..
songs.. flowers..
vibrant melodies..

Night.. and day..
Life.. in sway..
Re-invigorated
Compassion..
Your motion..
Life.. and decease..

Tenderness..
Love.. grace..
Reverence.. devotion..
Touch.. me here.. touch me now..
with serenity..

Celebration..
Jubilation..
Dear.. universe..
Abundance.. your way of dance..
in tranquility..

What is this compelling light

কোন্‌ আলোতে প্রাণের প্রদীপ
Kon aalote praaner prodeep / Kon alote praner prodip
(Audio by Suchitra Mitra)

What is this compelling light
Which burns your spirit, stokes your soul,
Makes you live an earthly life,
My zealous lover, pious monk,
Divinely crazed, my angel-soul?

Each ache and wound in you creates
Winged, wondrous melodies
Quivering quaintly from your strings!

How do you smile in the face of fear
As though you had seen a mother beam?
Who is it you seek, my dear,
Scorning every earthly dream!

Who is it, your secret love
That raises all the tears of urge?
Who is it, your soulful mate,
That walks together on your path?

How do you find the peace of mind
To dismiss death with disregard,
Riding upbeat tides of seas
In endless waves of ecstasies?




Another version by Suman Dasgupta:

Where did you light the flame of your heart
O noble soul before you descended on earth.
You devout, you lover, O you romantic
As you embraced this world, gazed I in frantic.

In this relentless struggle of life,
Every pain and sorrow life did contrive
You can play those in your core
Like sad triads of the Veena encore.
Belying deep distress or any such strife
Yet you succeed to wear that smile as bright
Just like the one, as I've known
Only a beaming Mother could've shown.

I know not for whom you wildly roam around
Why you let go the cosy comfort that you'd found
Why you cry, why inconsolably crave?
Who is she for whom every love you save?

You are confident and your mind is free
Wonder I whose blessings on you could that be
As you defy death and ride on the crests of seas
Swimming through your life with endless ecstasies.

Lavish.. cascades.. of sunshine..

আলোকের এই ঝর্ণাধারায় ধুইয়ে দাও
Aloker ei jhornadharay

Lavish.. cascades.. of sunshine..
free the cover.. of my grime..
with your gentle sunlit.. wand..
wake my heart.. lost in trance..

Clean and dip.. me in the breeze..
limpid.. with a sunlit kiss..
blowing from the universe.
Wash.. my heart.. with your delight.
heal my pallor.. and my plight..

I hold a silent seed.. of song..
it grapples.. with a lack of words..
it aches.. with a silent lull..
Shake.. it up with endless joy..
blowing with an energy..
heartbeats.. of  the universe..

A lustrous sky of young dawn

তরুণ প্রাতের অরুণ আকাশ 
Toruno praater oruno akash

A lustrous sky of young dawn
Eyes sparkling with dew,
The pines near the riverside
Twinkling in the sun --
An image deeply close to my heart
This is how I perceive,
The whole wide world--
Wondrous, wavelike, 
Become one sea of soulfulness.
This is how I know,
I am the lyrics to my poetry
I am the melody to my music
I am the life throbbing in Life,
The sunlight that breaks free
From the depths of dark.

Mother, your love reflects

জননী, তোমার করুণ চরণখানি
Jononi, tomar koruno chorono khani (audio: Kanika Bandyopadhyay)

Mother, your love reflects
In dawn's joyful sunshine.

The sky floods silently
with your voice that
defeating death.

No matter where I am,
or what I do,
my heart softens to you.

With my devotion
my incense burns
I surrender to you
my body, heart and gold.

The music of homecoming

ছুটির বাঁশি বাজল 
Chhutir baanshi bajlo je oi
Audio: Suchitra Mitra

The sky is alive with
The music of homecoming
In gaits of the golden flute.
Why am I alone, I wonder.

Blossoms of Shiuli will soon
Burst out from fetters,
Gardens surge in a spree of buds,
Dewy winds stroke the arbors.
My absent gaze
Ambles away in an open sky,
Tunes lost to me.

Magical hands weave florid yarns
In pathways through the wilderness,
A place where light and shade meet.
Fallen buds of Maaloti steep the grass
With tear-stricken scents,
Waves of Kaash in buoyant whites
Sweep the blue. My absent gaze
Ambles away in open sky
Tracing the melody.

An autumn night on the brink

আমার  রাত পোহালো শারদ প্রাতে
Amar raat pohalo shaarodo praate (audio: Debabrata Biswas)

An autumn night on the brink,
As dawn encroaches
As I ponder
Whom to leave you with, my flute

Your heart exuded songs--
Farewell blues,
Homecoming majesties,
Seasonal vibes of spring, monsoon
Transported tunes of darkness, dawn.

I am riddled as to
How you stole my secret whispers
Each deep echo of my heart,
Melodies that will perish soon
Like ebbing stars of sunrise

So let them die
Our rampant symphony,
Like ephemeral buds of Shiuli

Here is to you companion

ওগো, পথের সাথি, নমি বারম্বার
Pawthero shathi, nomi barombar / Pothero shathi nomi barombar
(audio: Debabrata Biswas)

Companion in my journey,
Here is to you.
Here is to you my farewell,
Here is to you my affliction,
A salute from the safe haven
That gave way to shambles.

Here is to you, radiance of dawn,
Here is to you, breath of life,
Here is to you, guiding energy,
A salute from a seed of hope.

To the one who steers my life,
A charioteer in my endless expedition,
Here is to you for trenchant travels,
A salute of the pathways.

Madness of monsoon in autumn

কোন্ খেপা শ্রাবণ ছুটে এল আশ্বিনেরই আঙিনায়
Kon khyapa srabon chhutey elo

The madness of a monsoon storms
Into the courtyard of autumn
He rushes in locks all astray
Matted into clouds dark and gray
A song of maddened breeze he sings

A thrill runs through the fields
Dancing in delight to the tunes
Of Raag Chhayanaut
The golden rays of autumn sun
Recede in listless languor

What words did he come to whisper
To plentiful fields of paddy
A wail of which intense anguish
Emanates from the new harvest

Restless is the beclouded sky
Spreading its wings like Garuda
A lost wayfarer from the skies
Brings to earth a sense of the road

A relic of time I may be

পুরানো জানিয়া চেয়ো না
Purano janiya cheyona

A relic of time I may be
But please do spare more than
  just a side glance
    a distracted look of indolence

When I come to bequeath myself
Nothing there is wasted and worn
All that is old has been cast off

The waterfall succumbs
In bursting joy of sacrifice
Paying a new homage
In each and every cascade

Ever and on flower myrtle-bowers
To fill the forests with fragrance
Ever and on blossom the buds
To favour anew each moment

In your love I have found
A melody ever so new
In my thoughts in my work
I hear a charming tune

In my giving, there is no dearth
No end however much you take
A twinkle of an eye abounds
With treasures limitless

Who lives in my deepest heart?

কে গো অন্তরতর সে
Ke go ontorotoro she
(audio by Debabrata Biswas)

Who lives in my deepest heart?

Taps my awareness and my hurt?

Waves a magic wand in front of me?

Makes music with my being

joy, woe and ecstasy?

Who spins beauty 

in gold and silver, 

blue and green,

blends with the picture 

sweet,  unseen!

Days pass, decades fly 

the soul quietly steals my sigh.

Every day, a new face and name,

making myriad tides in my life.

Purify.. my life..

(aguner parashmani chhowao prane). 

আগুনের  পরশমণি  ছোঁয়াও প্রাণে।

Purify.. my life..
with the purging touch.. of fire..
Purify my life..
With your blessings of searing pain..
Make it pure.. like the gold..
That passes the test.. of fire..

Take unto you my mortal form..
Make it a lamp.. of your divine abode..
Let the flame.. of my song.. glow through night.. and day..

The slightest of your touch.. on the dark.. frame of night..
Let it spark an untouched star.. one after.. another
To illuminate.. the darkness..

Let my vision.. be cleansed from all darkness..
Whither alights my gaze.. may it see the light..
Let my pain.. be ablaze.. and rise above despair..


****Another attempt (by Anandamayee Majumdar)

Your flaming.. touch, let it blaze.. my heart..
purify.. this life of mine..
clarify.. this life of mine..
simplify.. this life of mine..
glorify.. this life of mine.. atoning as I burn..

Lift my soul.. lift my heart.. a blazing torch of light..
glowing in the sky.. with stars.. that shimmer in the night..
Melody, let it sear, forever, as I burn..

Impel my layers of dark.. let your hands.. alight..

kindling stars.. awake.. evoking them with light..

May darkness disappear..
from all my soul.. and sight..
awaking senses with sanctifying light--
Agony, let it sear, forever, as I burn..

( ****this attempt was made to be able to sing this song in English.)

Who sails across foreign seas

সকরুণ বেণু বাজায়ে কে যায়
Shokoruno benu bajaye ke jay
(audio)

Who sails across foreign seas
A maestro with her teary flute?
From distant shores her mellow tunes
Send ripples across this part of earth
Touching me like ocean-drift.

The winged strains bring with them
Farthest tears of a yearning soul,
Secrets of an unknown plight;
Music that rises from
Seas, sands, furtive winds,
Shadows enfolding, ensconcing woods.

Plunged far away from home I hear
So it seems, in my heart
Autumn's scores sweet and soft
In dew-drenched Bhairavi.

An image rises in the mind's eye
In strokes of lyrical, lighted brush;
Who goes there on the country road,
A maiden she is, with languid steps,
Her footfalls entrance the lonesome path
Her gentle way winds in arbors dark
There she goes, to fill her pot
With water from a village brook.

The deep.. of your infinitude..

তোমার অসীমে প্রাণমন লয়ে
(tomar asima pranaman laye / tomar asime)

When I dive into the deep of Your infinitude..
With all my heart.. and soul..
Sorrow, there is none, nor death, or separation..

Death.. assumes its monstrosity..
Sorrow.. carves its abyss..
When I turn away from You..
And get.. drawn to my wee.. self

O.. replete.. bounteousness!
That which finds refuge.. at Your feet..
It exists never to fade.
Without a trace.. of the fear,
That only lurks.. in my mind..
And so I lament, through night.. and day..

The weight.. of worldly duties..
The torturous.. angst.. within
Dissolve in the blink of an eye..
If your presence I can house..
In my life's abode..

The morning rays strum heartrending notes of farewell

সকালবেলার আলোয় বাজে বিদায়ব্যথার ভৈরবী

Shokalbelar aloy baje biday byathar bhoirobi

The morning rays strum
Heartrending notes of farewell
In melodic Bhairavi.
You too come with your flute,
Soulful muse. Let time preserve your songs
Of an ardent pining breeze.
Allow your music to linger
In dawns chilled with dew,
To hover with Shiuli perfumes.
When it happens
You may have left, but let it be.

Such serene sunrise,
Horizons painted in gold
Beautiful with blossoms of Kunda
Will impress once more.

Once more
A semblance of this image
Will emerge from sweet, sombre shadows
Mellowed with pigeons' prattles,
And lovely green tenderness.
This portrait, reminiscently resonant
With ankle bells of the dancing songs
You left behind

As the autumn sun caresses my dreams

আজি শরততপনে প্রভাতস্বপনে
Aaji shorot topone probhat swapone

As the autumn sun caresses my dreams
I wish I knew what my heart wants
On fragrant boughs of the Shefali tree
What do telltale birds tattle on?

Distracted today is this heart of mine
In a breeze so soft and soothing
Refusing to remain within four walls
In hot pursuit of which fragrance
In hope of sighting which flower
It races to which far beyond

Someone there is amiss today
And so my life, it seems in vain
In askance my heart looks around
“It is not her”, crying aloud
In which land of dreams does she dwell
Her lustrous tresses aflutter
In Eden of which heavenly abode
Maybe she weeps because of me
Seared by pangs of separation

If I do wreathe a song
Sing for whom this lyric?
If I do wreathe some flowers
Give to whom this garland?
If I were to offer my life
At whose feet surrender?
Forever a fear lurks within
In my callous carelessness lest
Aches a heart hurting in private