That effulgent radiance

Bhima Bhoi

Translated by Sailen Routray

Photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org/Mayooranathan 

That effulgent radiance

does not allow itself to to caught.

The Self that is beyond all light

sports therein. [0]

It seems as if It has forms.

But It roams in formlessness.

It abides in a place 

that remains invisible. [1]

It stays unmanifest.

There is no speech forthcoming from It.

But It flows from the beings of those

who abide in grace. [2]

If you try to cognise It

by the operations of duality,

It slips through your fingers.

Its limbs are exceedingly smooth. [3]

It creates through desirelessness.

It persists in deep wisdom.

It exists surely in no-thought. [4]

    It flows from nothingness.

That absolute bliss stems 

from the verses that stream

from His lotus feet. [5] 

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.