7/09/2012

The Many named ONE


(To my friends who have wondered about why I have so many names...)

I am the many named One
Nay I do not remain one even in the way 
You meet me now and then
Or as and when
For like my garment, 
Many a name I don-

Just like the seasons, that wear a new look
Every few months
I do too-
Why shouldn't I 
For I am the many named One-

And no name of me is just another of my whims
In fact, each contains all and it all reflects me
There is a girl name I have 
And a woman name
I have a Hindu name now-(prateeksha)
And a Muslim name then-(saba/naheed)
To some a Sikh name it seems, (preeti)
And sometimes a Christian name I have- (michelle)

And then Hansadhwani- my vision for the world
The woman who carries the swan and all that the swan holds
I am the infinite tossing in the infinite 
And wherever I see a part of me reflected
I reflect that part at thee (and you see me in my new yet another avatar)
I become a whole universe here
And there I become a little atom.

Then the many roles I perform
You call them different names, don't you?
For one a daughter, another a sister, a friend
A teacher, or an artist, a poet or a scientist...
When you see me in so many roles
Why should I just have ONE name
When they have their own special names too?

I am the multi-hued one, 
The singer who sings in three languages
The poet who writes in another one and the teacher ...
The dreamer, the gardener, the cook, the composer,
The dog pack leader, the guide, the friend
Who speaks another
And all my languages converge to become one complete
Unending flow- Tis the flow of love (preet)


And nay it is not love of one kind only
In it flows my entire being, my soul, my world
And all that is a part of my world-including you
In it I occasionally take a deep breath and dive down
To come up and see myself coloured in yet another hue
There was once a blue, now a green, now a sunny yellow
Just as there have been greyest of dawns and darkest of nights
And I still hide them in my numerous folds

With so many colours, hues and shades to me
How can I just remain One name?
Daughter of the heavens, you call by so many names
Just like my divine origin (as much as your own, though you may have forgotten of it)
And they are all me- prateeksha, preeti, saba, naheed, cymbal, michelle,hansadhwani...

Lightly as I tread the world
Lightly a new garment I don
Lightly a new name I take
Brightly my smile I flash 
And yet nothing is light at all
For a deep thought goes into it all-
Every light step that I take

So now you know when you see me in another avatar
That I am the many named ONE
And all contain me
And despite it all, though serious I maybe
I am still the lightest, the one filled with mirth
The one who flows quietly, peacefully 
Anchored at last internally.

Dated: 30th June 2012

Satguru mohae bhaavae

From my four CD Kabir album, called Kahe Kabir, this is one bhajan that I am now in a position to share. It was recorded when I was i...