On the Wings of Ecstasy

Nochur Sri Venkataraman

English
On the Wings of Ecstasy
by
Nochur SSri
ri Venkataraman

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 Pr eface

‘On the Wings of Ecstasy’, appositely titled, is a

collection of poems by Nochur Sri Venkataraman.
All the poems in this collection took form within a span
of 48 hours, but they emanate the fragrance of bliss
experienced during various ecstatic moments in the past.
Footprints of various visions, insights and practices of
the past flowed anon as if some secret tap in the heart
of the author had opened.

In the strictest literary sense, these compositions

cannot be classified as poems, rather they are ecstatic
outpourings from the heart in the form of songs
without any metrical sequence. But then, the mystical
flights of a spiritual heart is not bound by any man-
made rules of literature.
The Blessed Dawn
On the Wings of Ecstasy 7

The Blessed Dawn

The dawn came to me not in the eastern horizon

But in the deeps of awareness.
Gliding the barrier of logic
‘I’ fell deep into the well
Of peace, existence and light.
There arose the nectarine liquid
Of love, sweet, ineffable
From the secret source
Of existence, bliss and awareness!
Fruition and fulfillment was
Reached here and now
Blessed is this life
Blessed is the very earth
Blessed, blessed, blessed.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 8

The Lamp

At last my lamp also was

Lit by my beloved!
The lamp of this body
Was filled with the oil of love
The wick, the ego was
Dry to get aflame
Unaware He came - My
Master with the lamp of
Self knowledge bright in His hand
And gave fire to the
Dry cotton in the mind.
The dark corners of my Heart
Anon was lit up with the
Effulgence of that golden light.
Peace spread out every-
Where when the horrid creatures
Of darkness quit the place
Peace that fills the whole
Being was so deep that
It’s beyond my power
To fathom its grandeur!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 9

The Vision of my Beloved

Once in a dark night He came, my beloved.

I was clothed in the radiance of His presence
The whole spot was filled with a divine effulgence
He my beloved sat near me caressing me.
I was on His sacred lap
Lo! the thrill that streamed thro’ me!
He was neither a person
Nor was He impersonal.
Love solidified was His form
His breath touched my Heart
And face with rare warmth of sweet love
A silent voice whispered from
Within “Don’t you recognize
Me dear one? I am your beloved,
Nay I am Thy own Self ”
Listening this I melted like
A candle and fused into
His radiance then and there.
He was light, peace and love.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 10

The Water of SSpirit

pirit

O Lord, my Master! Thou filled

My heart with Thy divine presence!
Thou art light, love, power and peace.
In the dark days of ignorance
Ego, like a cap was shutting
The mouth of my Heart hole.
When Thy grace fell on me
Pop opened that top which
Closed the sluice gate of
The inner reservoir and
Lo! Unlocked was the
Sacred water of spirit!
It drenched me with
Joy, love, power and peace.
Initiated I was then,
Not by water but by the spirit.
Gratefulness filled my heart,
Surrender flowered in me.
Now Master alone is;
No me, no world, no other God.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 11

The Shy Being

Stealthily He enters, unaware

To own the whole being.
He comes to melt and recast
The inner me to perfection.
The outer me remains unaware
While the inner workshop is busy.
The Master artist is busy
In chiseling the inner figure
In the likeness of his own image.
The moment I peep and
Look within He disappears
Ha! He is the most shy being.
His work grows in humility,
In non-recognition.
In silence and non-recognition
The golden image is chiseled to perfection.
At last the holy image is
Installed in the sacred shrine
Only then all the doors are
Opened to flood the light
Of grace into the vast expanse.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 12

The Wind of Grace

All my free time I began

To chant His Name aloud
And lo see the power of grace
He made me free of time,
Space and causation and
Held me firm in His Sacred abode!
Chanting the Name and
Brooding over His grace
Is the powerful worship that I did,
Nay He made me do.
“Lord I am nothing Thou art everything”
Was the refrain of my Heart.
Soon His grace torrentially
Poured in and filled my entire body.
“The body is not mine but His”
Was clear like daylight.
‘O the power that is controlling
The entire creation is operating
Thro’ me was the realization.
I became a dry leaf swept
By the force of the divine wind.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 13

Freewill was lost entirely

And in that loss was my victory.
Free I became wholly
Free from the clutches of
The mind, senses and logic.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 14

The Venerable P
Prr esence

Chanting His sweet name

Dwelling on Divine glories
I moved about in ecstasy.
On the eastern horizon arose
The radiant lord in all majesty.
Beholding the divine effulgence
The mind lost its foothold
And arose to celestial heights.
The divine land where always
There is sunrise and
Never goes to obscure
Was revealed to the mind
Where I have my true home.
Beholding that glory
Time stood still, space was not,
Thoughts hushed to stillness
Refused to make a move
In the venerable Presence of
Him who illumines the Sun.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 15

The Vision

The dawn came in the horizon

And unveiled was all forms!
When the veil was lifted
Lifted was all the forms too
Everyone was He; He alone!
The joy of THE VISION!
It was a perception
Unknown hitherto to the mind
All dualistic castles fell down
All frightening creatures of darkness
Vanished anon from the sight
Who beheld the vision? – its mystery!
No seer and the seen
No He or She or ‘I’
One solidified Mass of Love.
Love, alas! Where the lover has ceased
The great release, eternal relaxation; Nirvana!
Flickerless Flame in Windless
Space
On the Wings of Ecstasy 19

The Tr easur
easuree

To be aware of the invaluable

Treasure kept in the chest of my heart,
The gem of rare brilliance,
Which gleams forth thro’
The holes of my eyes
Is the only act to be
Done, moment by moment.
To behold the radiance
Of this rare beauty
And to be awake
Day and night to guard it
Is my only act to be
Done, moment by moment.
Unaware, the thieves enter
Alas to steal this treasure
Through the back doors
Hence I am awake all-
The night burning the lamp
Of vigilance and wisdom.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 20

To Kno
Knoww O ne
ne’’s SSelf
One elf

To know one’s self is

To unlock the source of infinite energy
To know one’s self is
To lose oneself in infinite awareness
To know one’s self is
To lie at the feet of supreme love
To know one’s self is
To work constantly without desire
To know one’s self is
To spread peace all-around without effort.
To know one’s self is
To love the entire existence without motive
To know one’s self is
To rest eternally in the throne of omnipotence
To know one’s self is
To know nothing and to
Carry nothing in awareness.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 21

Life

Life throbs everywhere!

The shower of rain brings nothing
But life energy in its waters
Plants luscious, green, throbs
With life and beauty.
Life is beauty, life is Self.
The vast blue sky is
The expansion of life, consciousness - pure.
That mystery is solved
Here and now when one’s
Inner experience is probed
That which pulstaes
As ‘I’ ‘I’ is life, divine.
It is existence, knowledge and bliss.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 22

Tr ue H ome
Home

In the inner space dwells

This Supreme Being surrounded
By the climate of melting love.
His nature is abundant,
Overflowing deep peace.
He is immortal and radiant
With golden light.
With eyes turned inward
Behold His effulgence
And Lo! The beauty of it!
The moment mind is turned
Towards Him, there issues forth
A liquid light from the
Deepest point of my inner world
The mind which is only a
Speck, an insignificant dust
Is sucked into that brilliant
Light and there shines
The orb of brilliance and
Grace, which is my True, abode.
My true home is reached
On the Wings of Ecstasy 23

Here and now and That

Home is OM Tat Sat OM!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 24

The P rimor
Primor dial F
rimordial ir
iree
Fir

To be aware of one’s self

Is to be aware of God.
Certain we are only about
The existence of self as ‘I am’.
That is the self evident
Light of God as pure experience.
Leave aside all cerebrations
And bury your mind in
The deeps of ‘I am’ness.
Hitherto unknown feeling
Of strength and peace you’ll gain.
Move not from that center.
Stay there rooted as a pillar of power.
You’ll cease to be a petty self.
A column of fire will be Thy form
The fire which arose in the beginning of time.
The inscrutable fire that baffled even gods
Will blaze forth in the centre of your being.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 25

What is Thy form?

Scholars speak about ‘scriptures’

Pontifs adhere to ‘tradition’
Ritualists claim ‘rituals alone’
Sectarians claim ‘only ours’
Devotees claim ‘devotion’
Knowledgable says ‘knowledge’
Yogis say ‘Do Yoga’
Worldly ones say ‘only money’
Tell me, tell me O Lord
What is Thy real form?
Hearing this He ‘the silent one’
Spoke from within “Listen
To me child - That alone is
My form where the speaker,
Claimer or doer is not”
On the Wings of Ecstasy 26

Flickerless Flame in Windless Space

A lamp was lit in the

Inner chamber of my house.
Wind from various openings
Blew and the flame flickered.
Slowly The Master closed
The windows one by one
To make the flame, flickerless and bright.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 27

Samadhi

That state where ‘I’ ceases to move

Where the eye of knowledge beholds Thee
Where dual throngs play not the game
Wind of grace is released Whence
Love, attachment, hatred; mere words!
That supreme state of Samadhi is
Thy abode; conflictless Infinite beauty!

The ego returns to its womb

The mind vanishes in the inner space
No power was attained; power, thy name
Into the ocean of power ‘I’ dissolved
Power that hurts not but heals
Power that radiates protection and love
That omnipotence art Thou O Infinite Peace

Nothing sacred was known apart

Knowledge was there as solidified love
Nay love was there aflame with knowledge
Knowledge and Love as male and female
Fused together and radiated joy
Lo thy power! Thy beauty, thy depth
Peace is thy name O existence!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 28

When perception digs its own bosom

When the mind swallows its own Self
When the Self dives back to the womb
Then, is the dawn of that Infinite being
Who can fathom its depth!
The phantom who dived into
The fathomless deeps was lost;
Lost forever was he
In the ocean of eternity;
He gained eternal life by death.

In the deepest spot within

Lies a flower of divine brilliance
Within is hidden enormous lives
Eternity lies in its womb
The Time-less One is asleep within
Its petals are made of satoric insights
Do they open, one after the other
In the still hours of twilight,
The brilliance of the Divine within
Gleams thro the ‘Knowing Stillness’.
The brain rests in absolute quietude
The mind is hushed to supreme silence
’Be-Still’ the flower now blossoms!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 29

The Inner Glory

Live not in nature

Live in Thy Self
A slight slide of ‘I’
Puts the Self into becoming
Let all around be deluge
Thou live in thy inner glory
Let there be fire around
Live thou in thy inner glory
Let death do rampage around
Live thou in thy inner glory
Let all the damsels dance
Live thou in thy inner glory
On the Wings of Ecstasy 30

The Divine Sport

The individual ‘I’ is not real

Then why should it arise?
It arose simply for the sake of sport
Sport it is for the Truth
Here I am Whole and from me
Arise this limited ‘I’ so that
He can play with me
The game of hide and seek
Leela Kaivalyam indeed!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 31

The Buddha

That great ancient teacher

Who walked the earth
Who set the wheel of compassion to motion
That great being who merged
In the profound stillness of being
And emerged for the good of all
That sage par excellence who
Did superhuman penance
For the release of all
That master who gave up all
And took the begging bowl of compassion
That emperor of monks
Who found the infinite reservoir of love and intelligence
Came to me often and merged in my being
I became one with him in the deepest core of my heart
Profundity is Thy name O Lord!

The life itself is the field of enlightenment

The life itself is the Bodhi tree
Live it with all attention; alertness
In one life - your life - is the WHOLE
The entire creation is buried inside you.
Seek the tree of life and find its root
They say that the root is He – the sacred one!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 32

Seek the sacred in the secret corners of life

Seek, Seek by living with alertness;
Not by learning or rituals do thou discover
But by alertness do thou behold
Be alert to thy very roots
Be alert moment by moment
And explore its unseen deeps

Enter thy inner being and behold!

Behold the root of creation
The root is existence, light and bliss
From there comes out the first sprout
The sprout of ‘I’ and its shoot mine
The moment attention loses the hold
The root is no more seen
There stands the mammoth tree
The tree of life, Desire are its leaves
Pain and pleasure are its fruits
Senses are the branches
The body is its trunk
In it is perched the ego bird
To fell this tree one should have the
Powerful axe of ‘Who am I?’
On the Wings of Ecstasy 33

Stillness

Be still, He comes!!
Still is the mountain
Still is the deep sea
Still is the windless woods
Still is the contemplating Mind
In the womb of stillness is born
The dark beauty, the ethereal joy!
He the dark one is effulgent!
Yes, have you heard dear
Dark and yet effulgent!
He is dark and radiant!
He is still and dynamic
He is manifold and one
He is bewitching yet formless
Be still within and behold
In the stillness of the mind He comes!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 34

Chith-Shakthi

In the deep recesses of the mind

Movement of an unseen force is felt
It moves now in darkness and then in light
Desire is its movement in darkness
And insight, its movement in light.
The force arose from beyond
Beyond desire and knowledge is its form
IT IS THE ‘SHAKTHI’ OF CHITH
The power of the divine Self!
It blazes up from the inner fire
When it enters the field of ignorance
Apparent it is as desire and knowledge
Transcending the dual and see it as it is
It is the force of grace
The power of Motherly love
The power of Paternal discipline
It alone can complete the life
As it arises from the Perfect One!

The body moves from place to place

The mind thinks about facts
There is movement in both
On the Wings of Ecstasy 35

Beyond both is that abysmal stillness

Stillness which percolates through the mind
Stillness which fills each and every cell.
When one touches that dimension
The entire panorama transfigures
The mind with all its vibrant thoughts
And the corporeal frame with all its limbs
Each and every atom is made of That
The mind is the vibrant form of stillness
The body is the solid form of stillness
The body is ever in flux
The mind too is ever in motion
Change seems to be the nature
Beyond both is that abysmal stillness
Stillness which is not mere aloofness
Stillness which percolates through the mind and body
Stillness which impregnates each and every cell
When I merged in that stillness
The entire panorama was transfigured
There is neither body nor mind
The very form is impregnated with primordial stillness.
The Guru
On the Wings of Ecstasy 39

The Dream Master

There comes to my mind
Those days of deep sorrow
And depression of not seeing
Thee, my beloved who was
All the time waiting in me.
Alas not knowing the
Source of the perfume in vain
Does the Kasthuri deer loaf about
Helter, skelter in seeking
While the thing was
Always in its own body.
Same was my state during
The search for everlasting peace.
Wept and wept till my
Heart was saturated with pain.
At last He my Master came
In my dream and laughed
At me saying “Wake up”
“Wake up, dear one!! Thou art
Free here and now”
Declaring thus anon disappeared
The radiant form bathing
Me with joy, peace and light.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 40

The Grace of Guru

The rejuvenating silence that

Reaches the deepest core of
My being spread out
Like perfume of a flower
From my Master Ramana Arunachala.
They say He is no more in body
Ho! I cannot believe them.
He is fully here, fully here
In me as ‘I’ ‘I’ dancing
As peace, awareness and love.
Every body is His, every Heart is His.
Alas man locked in petty self
Claims possessorship.

He my lord by boundless
Grace forcefully entered my
Heart and took over the control
My body then and there
Became a willful instrument
In the hands of Sadguru.
His grace as a cool stream
On the Wings of Ecstasy 41

Of peace is now running

Underneath my usual self.
Whoever comes near me
Is touched by that coolness
It is not mine, it is His
I am not even aware about
Its operation on others.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 42

The Compassionate Master

I saw Him, the effulgent being

His eyes were like green emerald
The inner vision was vast,
Deep, and was like ocean.
Around Him was a halo
Of pure white lustre.
His very presence was
So soothing and comely
His face was calm, majestic
And emitted cool rays of
Peace like silvery full moon.
He sat there before me,
Bathed in a mist of golden effulgence.
O the grandeur! O the fire like presence!
The moment I recollect, He,
My beloved Master is there
Right before me
Emitting scintillating sparks of spiritual fire.
Austerity was there around Him
Not as an imposed discipline
But as an invigorating tonic
Of deep silence, watchfulness and love.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 43

The great teacher who was

None other than God who walked the earth
Made me mad with inundation.
He was not a person.
He was a teaching.
An awakening was He
Awakening to our own majesty,
Awakening to the Godhead.
An awakening which is only
A Rediscovery of the
Primordial teaching in
One’s own deep awareness.
This vision of the great Master
Filled the heart with gratefulness.
Tears rolled on and on
Expressing the inner fulfillment
What else can be returned
To the omnipotent being
Who was solidified nectarine
Ocean of compassion!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 44

The Great Relief

He is the doer I am not.

This fact is ignored often.
The moment I Ignore this
He gives me a slap to remind
I suddenly wake up from the
Dream of this petty me and mine.
The bubble was born from the
Ocean and breaks only
To behold the vast sea
As its substratum and essence.
‘I am the doer, enjoyer’ idea
Makes me carry the heavy load
Of desires, guilt, pride and duty.
Ho what a relief it is
To unload the heavy weight!
The compassion of the Guru
Is ineffable which rescued
Me from the torture of
Doing, seeking and gaining.
Each doing added to the weight
And each glance of my Master
On the Wings of Ecstasy 45

Made the weight melt to nothing.

Giving up the me is
The only way to invoke
His power to flow thro’
Me to deify my entire being.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 46

The Guru

To be in the presence
Of Guru is to get illumined
Inwardly with the light of God.
Guru is none other than
Our own real Self shooting
Out in a comely form to
Pull our mind towards Him.
This is the most mystical
Incarnation of divine grace.
When the mind moves to the centre
The flame in the centre swallows it.
That flame is the Inner Guru
Once the Inner monitor
Takes over the Control the
Person can never go wrong.
Infallible is His guidance.
A person whose attention
Is sharp enough to listen to
This Infallible inner voice
Is a free person.
He is liberated from
The trap of ignorance.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 47

Thou Ar
Artt That

When we look out its plurality

When we look within its diversity
Alas where is that divine vision?
On came my Master and whispered
‘Dear child! Thou art That’
Anon flashed wholeness within
I am the Self Supreme, Infinite Existence
I am the Self Supreme, Infinite Awareness
I am the Self Supreme, Infinite Bliss
But the inside and outside fused together
As one whole mass of consciousness
Within is God, Without is God
In dream is God, In waking is God
God alone is, God alone is
Not as a person but as
The only reality in all forms

In the deepest poise of sleep

Do ‘I’ merge in the undifferentiated
There I become One with Truth
From Perfection ‘I’ arise to waking
On the Wings of Ecstasy 48

Unto perfection do ‘I’ merge

Perfection is the substratum
Perfection is the essence of myself
This treasure was ever hidden in the heart
Unknowingly was my trip often
The veil of Ignorance was torn apart
By the grace of Master within
That very moment attention was ablaze
Undifferentiated awareness was revealed
As my eternal Home
The real import of profound OM!

From eternity I was seeking

For perfection and wholeness
The vague recollection of THAT
Made me frantic to seek
Where have I seen it?
Where have I touched it?
Why this frantic search for the unknown?
Why this nostalgic brooding of a lost home?
The whole world was felt an alien land
Then came the grace of my Master
He roared ‘You are the Truth’
On the Wings of Ecstasy 49

The truth was revealed as

The very essence of my being
That healing source which
Is the most ancient balm of life
For all the miseries of the world
The only panacea for the pain of embodiment
Was revealed within as my very being
The Seeking
On the Wings of Ecstasy 53

The Struggle

Struggle is inevitable in inner life

It was a constant fight to gain
Perfection, Truth, purity and silence.
Each time with courage I fought
But alas! Only to fail again.
I wept and beseeched Him.
He said “Child observe with
Attention at your failure”
Again I fought only to fail.
Then it was found that
It is the failure of the ‘I’.
Each failure made me expand more.
Each failure convinced me that I am nothing.
By constant defeat the ‘I’ was completely vanquished
And then dawned perfection,
Peace and silence as the substratum.
On this ground was all these
Battles taking place corrupting the sacred spot.

When the battle was over the war was won.

The fight for victory was lost and
On the Wings of Ecstasy 54

In that failure was my success.

I fought and fought only to perish.
On the ashes of my dead self
Was the resurrection of the divine.
It was the death of all ambitions,
Worldly or otherworldly.
It was the death of all gloating
Over attainments and success.
It was the death of all curiosity,
Fear, guilt, pride and envy.
The fight was indeed a noble one
In which the warrior was crucified to death.
And that death was another
Name for God, Truth or Love.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 55

In the Woods of M editation

Meditation

In the woods I walked in

Deep inebriation of Godliness
God was there right before me
In the crystal like beauty
Of a dewdrop.
God was there in the vast
Azure sky as infinity itself
God was there in the
Joyous clouds floating in the blue expanse.
Lo, He shines forth in all
Names and forms as beauty, existence and radiance
He is the perceiver of all
Beauties and feeler of all joys.
Verily I am He, I am He
Danced my Heart
In intoxication of the exalted experience.
The liquor of God consciousness
Was already full in my head
Reeling I walked in mirth
Drinking again and again
That divine intoxicant
O the ineffable joy!!
On the Wings of Ecstasy 56

Walking in G od
God

To walk is to be still,
To walk is to meditate
When the body moves agile
God was there as profound energy.
The fresh dawn hours when
The whole nature is alive
With divine stillness and peace rejuvenating
I walked listening to
The melody of warbling birds
Nay I listened to the very silence
Some secret pep was set free
Within the centre of my body
There issued forth a stream of
Invigorating energy from
That centre bathing me in peace.
God was there around me
Wafting a divine fragrance
There was no separate me
To feel Him, yet the
Feeling was deep as one’s own existence.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 57

To walk in the dawn

When the divine orb sets in
For me is to move in
Light, Peace and Joy.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 58

To SSee
ee GOD
To see God is to be filled
With light, energy and joy.
To see God is to behold love
Pure, in the heart of all
To see God is to move about
With a lilt in one’s heart
To see God is to be free,
Fearless and agile like a child.
To see God is to be aware
Of a vast ocean of joy in one’s heart
To see God is to bury one’s mind
In the primordial ground of creation
To see God is to be free
Of the ego movement.
To see God is to be
Free of envy towards all
To see God is to see
The Self in all beings.
To see God means to have
The inner lake still and deep
To see God means to be
Awake always to the Real
To see God is to be
God, yet to be NOTHING.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 59

Walking into the B ey

Bey ond
eyond

My mind goes back to

Those silent nights when
I walked alone in our village
I walked in a brooding
State of meditativeness
Certain it is that
Some alchemy have
Happened during those walks.
Walking brisk, the mind
Grew subtle and subtle
Till it became the minutest speck
Then something which was
Vast and immeasurable was there.
It was the ground on which
The waking, dream and
Deep sleep states moved.
The ground was my reality.
Knowing the true home
The mind moved deeper and deeper
One by one it crossed
The barriers of the states
On the Wings of Ecstasy 60

And glided into the beyond

Where the kingdom of
God was eternally mine.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 61

A Sacred Place

It was a temple of rare

Sacredness where I spent
Some days in Inwardness.
Austerity was there in the
Very air inside the holy place.
Moods changed from love
To peace, silence to ecstasy.
One could clearly see the
Change; palpable was it.
During twilight hours
They say that the Lord
Walked the sacred earth.
Yes, there was something
Personal moving during
Those periods which drew
The deepest and noblest
Emotions in you.

As the smoke from an

Incense stick wafts
A rare fragrance, mist like,
On the Wings of Ecstasy 62

Emanated from that centre

Which instantly made the
Mind still, introvert and tender
During Those periods some
Thing melted in our heart.
That was love, ecstasy;
That was God experience.
Every dawn and dusk in
Those days was an invitation
To be a part of this most mystical
Imperceptible worship.
To recollect those days
Is to Relive it here and now.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 63

The Effulgence

Those were days when the storm

Of grace swept the leaf forcefully.
Delightful it is to recollect the joy.
A boy floating on the river of
Bhakthi was sitting immersed
In front of a Sacred Shrine.
A liquid light from inside
Came flooding and spread out
Hither, thither everywhere
Light alone was there.
It was His light - the
Light which was the ray of grace.
It came and vanished
Alas only to kindle the
Fire of deep yearning for Him.
The light came as a messenger
From the beloved to beckon
Me to Him in my own Heart.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 64

The Sun

The reflection of the brilliant

Sun was there in the
Muddy water of the lake.
When the water shook, the
Reflection also wavered making shapes.
Every wave made the reflection
Dance, break and muddy.
Then with great effort
The water was purified
To make the reflection pure.
For a minute the Sun
Looked pure and steady
Alas only to get shaken again.
This non-ending effort continued.
Atlast the brilliance of the Sun
Made the water evaporate
And Lo! There was no Sun
In the lake to suffer.
The Sun in all majesty was
Shining bright in the heaven.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 65

Royal Road to P
Road eace
Peace
On the Wings of Ecstasy 67

Conversation with Love

Love, divine love! Where are you?

To have Thee is to have light.
Without Thy presence life is alas
A movement in darkness
Thou danceth in the cremation ground of desires.
When desires are burnt in the fire of knowledge
You manifest there in all your coolness.
The ‘I’ which is petty and limited
Keeps the door closed in my Heart.
Love, O all-powerful one!
Swallow this ‘I’ and
Reign alone there as my own self.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 68

Seek Him in Heart

Seek not God in temples or Gurus

Seek Him in your heart with burning faith.
Know that His nature is blazing purity and burning love.
Burn yourself in the furnace
Of renunciation, devotion and wisdom
In the ashes of your petty self
Will dance the Supreme dancer
Lord of all lords, Siva - the ever-auspicious one.
In death will you find immortality
In the cremation ground will you
Find the ever-living form of love.
Make your heart a crematorium
Where you burn the corpses of all personalities.
In that sacred spot will Manifest He,
The essence of pure love and knowledge.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 69

Seek H im B
Him ehind The M
Behind ind
Mind

One Supreme Being alone is

Nothing else exists apart.
That being who is of the
Nature of surpassing love and peace
Is the witness behind all visions.
Seek Him within, behind your mind
With vision introverted and sharp.
He will shine forth as pure awareness.
‘I am He’ thus do identify
And be free here and now
From the beginningless thralldom
To body, mind, senses and ego.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 70

Living Flame

To be without ‘I’ is
Freedom here and now.
To be without the ‘I’ is
To be the real ‘I’ which is
Existence, awareness and bliss.
Moment by moment pay attention
To the feeling of ‘I’ ‘I’.
Watch its every movement
As a tiger would, its prey.
Burn this virulent offshoot
With the fire of watchfulness.
Watchfulness is the radium-
Ray of the Real Self.
Switch it off, you are in dark.
Keep it aflame, you move in light,
Nay you are light.
Moment by moment live
With this flame of awareness.
Be a living flame of
Awareness, Peace and Existence.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 71

Rediscovery of the kingdom

The primal ignorance makes

The body, senses and the mind move
There is no ‘doer’ of any act,
There is no ‘enjoyer’ of any feeling.
He is the doer, He is the enjoyer.
To be aware about this
Inner monitor always is to
Rediscover our lost kingdom.
The body eats, sleeps, moves about
Speaks, breathes and enjoys
Without an ‘I’ to eat, sleep or move.
Unalert, the ‘I’ takes over the show.
Alertness keeps the bluffer in abeyance.
To be free of this ‘I am the doer’
Is to be ever in trance.
To be free of this petty Self
Is to be ever aware of the reality.
To be free of this individuality
Is to open the reservoir of
Infinite power and energy.
The body then moves about
On the Wings of Ecstasy 72

Compelled by the past wind

Without a prisoner within.
To see that body is to
Behold a sacred temple.
To look at those eyes
Is to see one’s own beloved.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 73

The Boon to be Bestowed

Not to be wealthy but to be healthy

Not to be famous but to be blessed,
Not to be handsome but to be wholesome,
Is, is my boon O lord to be bestowed.

Not to amass but to give in plenty,

Not to seek love but to give love,
Not to be worshipped but to adore,
Is, is my boon O lord to be bestowed.

Not to be curtailed but to be free,

Not to brood but to be silent,
Not to be active but to be still,
Is, is my boon O lord to be bestowed.

Not to be deified but to divinise

Not to be restless but to be restful
Not to subdue but to be surrendered
Is, is my boon O lord to be bestowed.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 74

Not to be fascinated but to be enlivened

Not to be haphazard but to be vigilant
Not to be lazy but to be agile
Is, is my boon O lord to be bestowed.

Not to crave or wish but to be content and still

Not to be afraid ever but to be fearless anon
Not at all bound or dull but to be free and brave
Is, is my boon O lord to be bestowed.

Not to sing or dance but to be a song of delight

Not to celebrate or proclaim but to be a celebration to all
Not to be glorious or bright but to have the glow of love
Is, is my boon O lord to be bestowed.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 75

T ime

The mind is a pendulum

It constantly rocks to past and future.
It is a cloud which covers
The brilliance of the divine orb.
To be free of time is
To be free of the mind.
Know that the ‘now’ alone is.
Past, future are the bluffs of
The mind to entice attention.
Do not believe your mind
Instead listen to the divine
Whisper in between the thoughts.
Listen to the voice of ‘I am’.
‘I am’ ‘I am’ is the ever
Ringing mystic syllable, the manthra.
Go deep and find this
Ever rolling inner rosary within.
‘I amness’ is another name for liberation.
It is neither in past nor in future.
It is the eternal Self which
Is Here and now.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 76

In this refreshing ocean

Of “Now” does the mind create
Waves of past and future.
Be aware of the eternal
Truth, the present moment.
It is Self, God and Truth.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 77

The M ost SSelfless

Most elfless Wor kers
orkers

God indeed has assumed all forms

He the omniscient one in various
Forms chisel and mould our mind
To make it pure, silent and wise.
Those who criticise and scandalise
Are indeed the greatest benefactors.
They are certainly His agents.
They purify us constantly.
They are the greatest selfless ones
Who are ever concerned about others.
They work like a detergent
To cleanse your inner dirt of Karma
And see! They do it free of cost.
Without them alas who’ll
Help us to know the lurking
Impurities in the unconscious realm

Those who talk ill of others

Are indeed the most sacred
Tirthas like Ganga or Yamuna
On the Wings of Ecstasy 78

Alas! Seldom we recognize

The invaluable Service rendered by them.
When they insult or scandalize
The ego that lurks in various
Unknown crevices will peep out
Then should you use the shaft
Of Who am I? to burn it.
Otherwise the hidden foe
Will never appear to the
Clear light of your vision.
So we should prostrate
To the great Master who
Appears in the form of Scandalizers,
Backbiters and Insulters.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 79

Invoke Him

Do not sit in the driver’s seat

Quit the spot and invoke Him.
Give the reigns to the ancient
Being, the teacher of all teachers.
The simplest way to be free
Is to stop the tussle with
Our mind and handing it over
To Him who is the all powerful one.
If we struggle with our power
Difficult, nay impossible is the goal.
Hand it to the Master, freedom
The angel which even gods dream
Is here and now in our Heart.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 80

The Saving Knowledge

A stage will come to you

My friend! When you’ll ask
‘Alas what can I do?’
Ask this question to yourself
Truly with deep sincerity
The ‘I’ which asks will
Show itself as an illusion
Which is powerless to do.
It is only a reflection
Of God in the blue waters
Of your inner lake.
Do not give the dignity
Which is God’s to the reflection.
The ‘I’ is not doing.
It is the totality happening
Thro’ you in various forms.
Accept this - you are free
Resist this fact - you’ll have
To fight and lose every
Moment with the non-existing
Evil, the phantom, the petty self.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 81

This is the saving knowledge

Which deals a death blow
To yourself to wake you up
To the Sunlit land of immortality.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 82

Walk away yyour

our Life

To walk and walk long and

To have no place to reach
Is to set free the divine energy.
Move alone in divine recklessness
See nature alive with joy.
In the freshness of the dawn
Let the thoughts be hushed
To absolute stillness
Let not any movement
In brain disturb the quietude
Carry deep stillness in your bosom
Let the body be dynamic
And the mind be still
Such walking is meditation
Such walking is trance
Blessed are those who
Walk away their life in
Such divine intoxication.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 83

The Stream of Duality

Get out of the stream of

Duality that breeds conflicts.
The stream contains the
Water of desire forming
Ripples and waves of craving.
It moves in between the
Banks of good and bad.
Jump out of this stream
Watch the operation
Of duality in the mind.
Beware! The watcher,
Pure awareness alone in True.
His reflection in the
Non existing waters of the
Mind creates the mystic two
And out of these
Issues forth billions,
Light the lamp of awareness
And hold it unflickering.
Duality will vanish
Before your sight like
A Dream to the waker.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 84

Conversation with Him

O Lord! how to attain peace?

By erasing the ego alone.
O Lord! how to erase the ego?
By surrendering to Me now.
O Lord! how to surrender to Thee?
By knowing one’s helplessness.
O Lord! how to know one’s helplessness?
By constant exposure to grace.
O Lord! When will grace dawn?
When you fail in your efforts.
O Lord! What is the effort?
To purify one’s mind and body.
O Lord! how to purify mind?
By devotion and selflessness.
O Lord! how to attain selflessness?
Be watchful of the ego’s moves.
O Lord! How to attain devotion?
By constant recollection of Me.
O Lord! How to recollect Thee?
By chanting My sweet name.
O Lord! how to get power to chant?
On the Wings of Ecstasy 85

By contacting My devotees who chant

O Lord! How to know Thy devotees?
By the fragrance of love and peace.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 86

Royal R oad to P
Road eace
Peace

Put the money in your pocket

Do not put it in your mind.
Move about freely in the world
Let not the world move in you.
Recognize God-presence in others
Do not crave other’s recognition.
Let all thoughts dwell in you
Do not dwell in your thoughts.
Work always for Him alone
Let not the ego steal the fruit.
Chant His name with Love
Do not crave for name.
Sing His fame always
Do not want fame for you.
Serve Him in all the beings
Do not ever desire to be served.
On the Wings of Ecstasy 87

The SSupr
upr eme Yoga
upreme

Simply to identify with the

Body is to be a shuttle
In the hands of maya.
From death to birth, from
Pleasure to pain will you move.
This body is a product
Of nature’s magic.
‘It is not me, not mine
It is not for my purpose’
Is the great dictum to
Release you from its slavery.
It is the royal path to
Claim your birth right,
Freedom from all miseries.
Once you move away from
What you are not, the
Self which you already are
Will shine forth within you.
To behold the flame within
The chamber of one’s heart
Is to merge in primordial stillness.