Of no avail the candle’s light 

In the splendour of the sun’s delight,
The frog in the well
Contemplating the ocean’s swell.

Of no avail the force of winds severe
Striking the Himalayas, mighty and revered,
Our efforts to tarnish and smear
The worth and virtues of a soul sincere.

Of no avail having a bird in a golden cage
Not a drop of water its thirst to assuage,
The inordinate desire to gratify the body
Unmindful of the soul’s thirst for eternity.

Of no avail our schemes to harm and deceive
The spider ensnared in the web it weaves,
Even mere thought of suffering another
Enough to darken our ensuing karma.

Of no avail sermons lofty and sweet
With hearts steeped in pride and deceit,
Our show of mere outward sanctity
Failing to walk in true humility.

Of no avail mere worldly learning,
When the Atma’s glories have no meaning.
No hope resides in the candle fly’s light
To dispel dense darkness of a moonless night.

Of no avail mantras and sacred invocations,
If they have not entered the heart‘s recesses
When love has truly awakened,
Matters not if the beloved is near or afar,
When we behold Govinda in all and all in Him,
Like Mirabai of royal lineage
Then of no avail what the world may insinuate,
Peace ineffable and sublime to celebrate.

CECIL RAMKIRATH
Bayonne, NJ, USA