Poem – Within This Body

Within this body

breathes the secret essence.

Within this body

beats the heart of the Vedas.
Within this body

shines the entire Universe,

so the saints say.
Hermits, ascetics, celibates —

all are lost

seeking Him

in endless guises.
Seers and sages perfectly parrot

the scriptures and holy books,

blinded by knowledge.
Their pilgrimage,

and fasting,

and striving

but delude.

Despite their perfect practice,

they discover no destination.
Only the saints

who know the body’s heart

have attained the Ultimate, O Tulsi.

Realize this, and you’ve found your freedom.
While teachers trapped in tradition

know only the mirage

in the mirror. 

Poem – Prayer 3

O Lord who is there besides You who will hear my cry?

Strange is my petition: a poor man, I, I seek to become a king…

From time immemorial I have suffered the tortures of hell and have lived through many low births, but I crave not for wealth or even salvation though I know that You can confer all these.

What I desire is to become in every birth a toy for You to play with or a stone to touch Your Feet.

Poem – Prayer 2

O Lord, let any one accept any sadhana, he is free to follow its pursuit.

But to me Your name is the granter of all boons.

Karma, upasana, jnana – the various paths outlined in the Vedas for the emancipation of the soul – all are good.

But I seek only one shelter and that is Your name; I seek nothing besides….

I have enjoyed the sweetness of Your name. It is the fulfiller of my wishes here and in the world to come…

A man may have his affection riveted anywhere as also his faith,

But I recognize my relationship with the Name – Rama; it is my father and mother.

I swear by Shankara and state the truth without hiding it,

That Tulsidas sees all good accruing to him only by repeating Your name.

Poem – Prayer

Lord Rama! My honour is in Your hands.
You are the protector of the poor; I surrender myself at Your Feet.
I have heard of the sinners whom You have reclaimed.
I am an old sinner, pray extend Your loving hand and take me to Yourself.
To destroy the sins of the sinner, and to remove the ailments of the afflicted is Your occupation.
Grant me devotion to You, O Lord, and confer Your grace on me! 

Poem – Maya

Up till now I have lost much and wasted life in idle pursuits.
The grace of Lord Rama has aroused me from sleep.
Awakened now, I shall not allow myself to be victimized by Maya (illusion).
I have gained the grace of the Lord’s Name. I shall hold it fast to my bosom and not let it from me for a second.
The beautiful form of the Lord I shall cherish in my mind.
Long has this world mocked me, making me a slave of the senses.
Now I shall have no more of it.
I am now a bee at my Lord’s Lotus Feet and shall not allow my mind to leave the enjoyment of their nectar for a moment. 

Poem – Doha

1′

Tulsi Tulsi sab kahe,Tulsi ban ki ghaas

Ho gayi kirpa Ram ki, to ban gaye Tulsidas’
2

‘Tulsi meethe bachan te sukh upjaat chahu or

Basikaran ek mantra hain pariharu bachan kathor’
3

‘Bina tej ke purush ki avshi avagya hoy

Aagi bujhe jyo raakh ki aap chuvay sab koy’
4

‘Tulsi saathi vipatti ke vidya vinay vivek

Sahas sukriti sustyavat, Ram bharose ek’
5

‘Kaam krodh mad lobh ki jou lou man mein khan

Tau lou Pandit moorkhou Tulsi ek saman’
6

‘Ram naam mani deep dharoo jih dehari dwar

Tulsi bheeter bahrao jo chahasi ujiyar’ 

Poem – Truth Lies Within – Goswami Tulsidas

Within the body lies the essence which the Vedas and the Puranas are seeking. 

Within this body exists the entire Universe, so the sagacious Saints say. 

Recluses, ascetics and monks are searching for Him in variegated garbs. 

Rishis, munis and avdhoots lay stress on scriptures and holy books. 

The learned of the world, puffed up with pride in their scholarly traditions, remain deluded by their erudition. 

They delude the world through the practice of pilgrimage, fasting and charity; 

They glorify bathing in holy waters and their gollowers bear the evil consequences. 

They get lost in rituals and external observances and never can reach the destination. 
Such is the state of people in this world 

Who keep revolving in the cycle of eighty-four. 

Only the Saints have attained the Ultimate, O Tulsi, 

They obtain liberation who realize this truth. 

The pedantic are engrossed in the practice of traditions, 

And evermore, in their ego, are they enslaved by delusion 

Poem – Glimpse Of The Invisible – Goswami Tulsidas

Lightning flashed in my eye, O friend, 

And brightly did shine the light of the moon. 

I got a glimpse of the Invisible within, 

And thirst and longing for the Lord were aroused. 

My ears received the boon of Unstruck Music, 

And Knowledge came like the explosion of light, O Friend. 

Dark clouds began to scatter and the sight 

Of the Divine Mansion was revealed unto me. 

Beyond the sun, the moon and the tunnel, 

Tulsi beheld the abode of the Lord Almighty. 

Poem – The Rainy Season – Goswami Tulsidas

In whom longing for the Beloved hath taken abode, 

Every moment his body becometh feeble and enervated. 

A stream of tears constantly flows from his eyes; 

The pangs of pain ceaselessly smart his body and mind. 
Like rivers in Sawan and Bhadon, overflows the stream of my love. 

Day and night I long for Him and tears fall like incessant rain. 
The pain for my Beloved increasingly penetrates my being every moment; 

My attention can be transfixed on nought but him, 

Even as the moon bird never gets satiated by looking at the moon. 
Dark clouds gather and burst with thunder, and lightning dazzles the eyes. 

The peacock crows in delight and the rain bird sings his longing. 

I yearn for thee evermore, my body keeps wasting away in anguish. 
When I listen to the Sound, I lose my patience and I write to my Beloved. 

With mind and soul as my couriers, I send my message to His inaccessible abode. 
When I hear the tidings of His well-being, 

My heart is filled with love and delight. 

Ever since this yearning for the Lord has taken hold of me, 

I have severed all connections with the world. 

Poem – Sound Celestial – Goswami Tulsidas

Listen, O friend, to the thunderous roar of Shabd, 
Which reverberates throughout the firmament. 

Water, which becomes turbid by relishing the earth, 

Gets cleansed of its impurities when filtered. 

Waves of pure bliss emanate from the heart 

When the moss that covers it is removed. 
Hold the arrow, be still, stretch the bow taut, 

Fix your aim sharp at the target, pierce the firmament. 

The invisible world is contained within the human eye, 

So say and describe all men of inner knowledge. 

Behold the Brahmand within, through your astral eye. 

When that eye is opened, everything stands revealed. 
The soul in Sunn will hear resounding peals of Sound, 

She will uncover and know the essence of Shabd. 
They alone, O Tulsi, will know that perfect state, 

Who have seen and experienced it themselves.