Poems by Swami Sivananda
Thanksgiving
How kind and compassionate Thou art, my lord;
You created a beautiful world for me,
The Sun and Moon illumine the earth.
You created cows to supply me good milk,
You created delicious fruits and vegetables,
You created holy Ganga for bathing,
You created hill-stations and seas,
Beautiful flowers, herbs and landscapes.
You created this mysterious body,
For my soul to live in;
You created these five Indriyas1,
To get knowledge and experience;
You created the Rishis2 and Sages,
To lead me to Your Supreme Abode;
You created the Vedas and scriptures
To guide me in the path of righteousness;
How can I thank Thee, my Lord?
Words are poor, language is imperfect;
I bow to Thee with folded hands, O Lord:
And pay my silent homage:
Thus Sayeth Sivananda.
1. Senses
2. Seers
Cosmic Prayer and Kirtan
Come along all birds, my little sisters,
Let us sing the glory of our lord.
You must praise Him heartily,
For He has given you liberty,
To fly about in all places;
You need not sow or reap,
He gives you food easily:
He has provided you tall trees
To build your nests.
Come along, my Mother Earth,
Let us sing His praise.
God has given you productive power,
To produce fruits, flowers, grass.
Come along, my brothers Sun and fire,
Let us sing the glory of our Lord.
He has given you great effulgence.
Come along my sisters
Wind, water, moon and little stars,
Mountain, rivers, trees and beasts,
Let us give thanks to the lord.
Come along, my brothers Varuna1,
Yama2 and Brihaspati3,
Let us pay homage to the lord
And sing His glory:
Thus Sayeth Sivananda.
1. God of the sky and the waters
2. God of death
3. Sage who counsels the Gods
Divine Flowers
Hey Prabho, bestower of Bliss,
My basket of flowers is empty now.
I shall offer Thee, O Lord!
Some rarest divine flowers.
I cultivated them with great difficulty;
These flowers cannot be had in any market,
Or in any garden in the three worlds:
I offer Thee the divine Champaka¹ of Santi2,
I offer Thee the divine rose of equal vision,
I offer Thee the divine Jasmine of Santosh3,
I offer Thee the divine Parijata4
I offer Thee the divine Mandara5 of discrimination,
I offer Thee the rare flower of self-restraint:
These flowers will be more pleasing to Thee, O lord,
Please accept these flowers, my Lord:
Thus Sayeth Sivananda.
1. Tropical flowering tree with orange fragrant blooms
2. Peace
3. Contentment
4. Divine tree. Its flowers have medicinal value and bloom in the evening, at the
first rise of daylight the flowers drop.
5. A mythological tree. It is believed that if you sit under this tree, all your cares
and worries will go away.
My Auspicious Day
I celebrated this auspicious day,
With great éclat and pomp;
With illumination and joyful songs:
My wish has been fulfilled.
I have met my Beloved;
How shall I find words
For the beauty of my Beloved.
He is brilliant like millions of suns;
He has enthroned in my heart:
The lamp of love burns lustrously.
I bathed Him with the water of love;
I adorned Him with the flowers of Prem¹
I gave Him butter and sugar – candy.
I have drunk the cup of love,
Which is filled to the brim;
It is the cup of perfect joy:
My rapture wells forth.
The mercy of my Lord has come upon me;
How blessed am I?
Who have seen my Beloved?
Thus Sayeth Sivananda.
1. Divine love
Secret of Love
Subtle and profound is the path of love;
It is like the edge of a sharp razor:
But the true lover treads it easily.
His grace renders his path smooth;
There is no asking or bargaining there,
It is all sacrifice and self-surrender;
It is all the outpouring of heart’s love
At the lotus feet of the Lord.
Egoism is burnt in the fire of love;
Desires are destroyed in the flame of love
Two have become one now.
The lover plunges himself
In the Ocean of Divine Love;
He immerses himself
In the sea of Divine Joy:
He offers his all in Lord’s service.
His tan, man, dhan¹:
This is the secret of this Love:
Thus Sayeth Sivananda.
