He is a slave to devotion

Bhima Bhoi

Translated by Sailen Routray

Photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org/Mayooranathan

He is a slave
to His devotees' devotion. [0]

He is not there in desires.

He abides in desirelessness. 

He reveals Himself in true speech. [1]

Have you been initiated with a mantra?

Have you made someone into a guru?

The instructions 

are available beforehand. [2]

An embodied being is born.

It won't take anything along.

What remain 

are honour and dishonour. [3]

The Lord has given everything 

in the womb itself.

All that has perished 

through the pursuit of one's own happiness. [4]

One could not quite get hold of It.

One is caught in delusion.

That is nobody's fault. [5]

Bhima the Kondh says,

do not blame the Guru.

The grace of his feet are endless. [6]

Note: Bhima Bhoi (1850-1895) was an 19th century Odia saint poet. His compositions were instrumental in the spread of Mahima religion in peninsular India, especially in the Odia speaking regions. His bhajans remain popular even today, and are performed widely. Although he was ignored by the literary establishment of his times, he is a major figure in the history of Odia literature now, with texts like "Stuti Chintamani" and "Bramha Nirupana Gita" considered as classics.