New Year Poem

Under the glorious canopy of redwood trees
The New Year peacock dances
Sun and moon rise into the blue sky
The earth grows and happinesss increases
In this New Year.

---by Khempo Yurmed Tinly Rinpoche

The Hound of Heaven

Photo by Thomas Zimmer

Poem by Francis Thompson  (1859–1907)

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
   I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
   Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
             Up vistaed hopes I sped;
             And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
   From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
             But with unhurrying chase,
             And unperturbèd pace,
     Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
             They beat—and a Voice beat
             More instant than the Feet—
     'All things betray thee, who betrayest Me'.
I pleaded, outlaw-wise,
By many a hearted casement, curtained red,
   Trellised with intertwining charities;
(For, though I knew His love Who followed,
             Yet was I sore adread
Lest, having Him, I must have naught beside.)
But, if one little casement parted wide,
   The gust of His approach would clash it to:
   Fear wist not to evade, as Love wist to pursue.
Across the margent of the world I fled,
   And troubled the gold gateway of the stars,
   Smiting for shelter on their clanged bars;
             Fretted to dulcet jars
And silvern chatter the pale ports o' the moon.
I said to Dawn: Be sudden—to Eve: Be soon;
   With thy young skiey blossom heap me over
             From this tremendous Lover—
Float thy vague veil about me, lest He see!
   I tempted all His servitors, but to find
My own betrayal in their constancy,
In faith to Him their fickleness to me,
   Their traitorous trueness, and their loyal deceit.
To all swift things for swiftness did I sue;
   Clung to the whistling mane of every wind.
          But whether they swept, smoothly fleet,
     The long savannahs of the blue;
            Or, whether, Thunder-driven,
          They clanged his chariot 'thwart a heaven,
Plashy with flying lightnings round the spurn o' their feet:—
   Fear wist not to evade as Love wist to pursue.
             Still with unhurrying chase,
             And unperturbed pace,
      Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
             Came on the following Feet,
             And a Voice above their beat—
'Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me.'
I sought no more after that which I strayed
          In face of man or maid;
But still within the little children's eyes
          Seems something, something that replies,
They at least are for me, surely for me!
I turned me to them very wistfully;
But just as their young eyes grew sudden fair
         With dawning answers there,
Their angel plucked them from me by the hair.
Come then, ye other children, Nature's—share
With me’ (said I) 'your delicate fellowship;
          Let me greet you lip to lip,
          Let me twine with you caresses,
              Wantoning
          With our Lady-Mother's vagrant tresses,
             Banqueting
          With her in her wind-walled palace,
          Underneath her azured dais,
          Quaffing, as your taintless way is,
             From a chalice
Lucent-weeping out of the dayspring.’
             So it was done:
I in their delicate fellowship was one—
Drew the bolt of Nature's secrecies.
          I knew all the swift importings
          On the wilful face of skies;
           I knew how the clouds arise
          Spumèd of the wild sea-snortings;
             All that's born or dies
          Rose and drooped with; made them shapers
Of mine own moods, or wailful divine;
          With them joyed and was bereaven.
          I was heavy with the even,
          When she lit her glimmering tapers
          Round the day's dead sanctities.
          I laughed in the morning's eyes.
I triumphed and I saddened with all weather,
          Heaven and I wept together,
And its sweet tears were salt with mortal mine:
Against the red throb of its sunset-heart
          I laid my own to beat,
          And share commingling heat;
But not by that, by that, was eased my human smart.
In vain my tears were wet on Heaven's grey cheek.
For ah! we know not what each other says,
          These things and I; in sound I speak—
Their sound is but their stir, they speak by silences.
Nature, poor stepdame, cannot slake my drouth;
          Let her, if she would owe me,
Drop yon blue bosom-veil of sky, and show me
          The breasts o’ her tenderness:
Never did any milk of hers once bless
             My thirsting mouth.
             Nigh and nigh draws the chase,
             With unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy;
             And past those noisèd Feet
             A voice comes yet more fleet—
          'Lo! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me.'
Naked I wait Thy love's uplifted stroke!
My harness piece by piece Thou has hewn from me,
             And smitten me to my knee;
          I am defenceless utterly.
          I slept, methinks, and woke,
And, slowly gazing, find me stripped in sleep.
In the rash lustihead of my young powers,
          I shook the pillaring hours
And pulled my life upon me; grimed with smears,
I stand amidst the dust o' the mounded years—
My mangled youth lies dead beneath the heap.
My days have crackled and gone up in smoke,
Have puffed and burst as sun-starts on a stream.
          Yea, faileth now even dream
The dreamer, and the lute the lutanist;
Even the linked fantasies, in whose blossomy twist
I swung the earth a trinket at my wrist,
Are yielding; cords of all too weak account
For earth with heavy griefs so overplussed.
          Ah! is Thy love indeed
A weed, albeit an amarinthine weed,
Suffering no flowers except its own to mount?
          Ah! must—
          Designer infinite!—
Ah! must Thou char the wood ere Thou canst limn with it?
My freshness spent its wavering shower i' the dust;
And now my heart is as a broken fount,
Wherein tear-drippings stagnate, spilt down ever
          From the dank thoughts that shiver
Upon the sighful branches of my mind.
          Such is; what is to be?
The pulp so bitter, how shall taste the rind?
I dimly guess what Time in mists confounds;
Yet ever and anon a trumpet sounds
From the hid battlements of Eternity;
Those shaken mists a space unsettle, then
Round the half-glimpsed turrets slowly wash again.
          But not ere him who summoneth
          I first have seen, enwound
With glooming robes purpureal, cypress-crowned;
His name I know and what his trumpet saith.
Whether man's heart or life it be which yields
          Thee harvest, must Thy harvest-fields
          Be dunged with rotten death?

             Now of that long pursuit
             Comes on at hand the bruit;
          That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:
          'And is thy earth so marred,
          Shattered in shard on shard?
          Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!

          'Strange, piteous, futile thing!
Wherefore should any set thee love apart?
Seeing none but I makes much of naught' (He said),
'And human love needs human meriting:
          How hast thou merited—
Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot?
          Alack, thou knowest not
How little worthy of any love thou art!
Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
          Save Me, save only Me?
All which I took from thee I did but take,
          Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
          All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
          Rise, clasp My hand, and come!'

   Halts by me that footfall:
   Is my gloom, after all,
Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?
   'Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
   I am He Whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.'

ShrI Lakshmi Dwadashanama Stotram

trailokya pUjite devi kamale vishNuvallabhe |
yathA tvam susthirA krishNe tathA bhavamayi sthirA ||
IshvarI kamalA lakshmI achalAmUrti haripriyA |
padmA padmAlayA saMpaducchaih shrI padmadhAriNee ||
dvAdashaitAni nAmAni lakshmI sampUjyah paThet |
sthirA lakshmeerbhavettasya putradArAbhih saha ||

See also -

Ashtalakshmi in the New Year

Hanuman Mantra to Accomplish the Work

asaadhya saadhaka swaamin asaadhyam tava kim vada |
raama dhoota krupaa sindho mat kaaryam saadhaya prabho ||
Oh, emissary of Rama,
Who is the ocean of mercy,
And who does the impossible,
Is there some thing impossible for you?
So please help me to complete my duties.

Hari Hara Bheda

From the Mahabharata

yudhiShThira    uvAcha  

devadevo jagannAtha praNatArtipraNAshanaH |
shivamUrtiH prasannAtmA loke pratyakShatAM gataH  ||  43-1
kathaM shaMbhuriti khyAtaH  pUjyate vidhivaddvijaiH  |
kathaM dadAti bhaktAnAM  prasannAtmA varaM paraM  ||  43-2
tasya devasya pUjAyAH phalaM kiM kena pUjitaH  |
kaH prApnoti  shubhA.NllokAnetAnsarvAnvadasva me  ||  43-3
devavrata mahAbhAga  kR^ipA mayi tavAsti chet  |
tasmAttvAM  prArthayAmyadya pAtuM dharmAmR^itaM prabho  ||  43-4

bhIShma uvAcha

aho vakShyAmi te pArtha bhUtanAthasya vaibhavam  |
yasya shravaNamAtrNa sarvapApaiH pramuchyate  ||  43-5
AdyantashUnyo deveshaH  sR^IShTisthityantakArakaH  |
brahmA rudrastathA viShNuH  kubero devarAT prabhuH  ||  43-6
indro.agniryamadharmesho nirR^itIrvaruNaH prabhuH  |
vAyuH suryaH  sahasrAkShaH sarvesho bhUrbhuvaHsuvaH  ||  43-7
kAlarUpasya dharmasya  lokanAthasya dharmaja  |
nAhaM vakttumashakto.asmi  tattvabhAvamasheShataH  ||  43-8

yudhiShThira    uvAcha  

teShAmIshvarabhaktAnAM viShNulokaH kathaM bhavet  |
etanme saMshayaM tAta ChettumarhatyasheShataH  ||  43-9

bhIShma uvAcha  

brahmAviShNumaheshAnAM bhedaH kutrApi na prabho  |
kartAro hyadya lokAnAM  sR^iShTisthitilayeShu cha  ||  43-10
tvayA dR^iShTaH purA kR^iShNo lokanAtho jaganmayaH  |
kailAsayAtrAmakarotputrArthaM bharatarShabha  ||  43-11
tatrArAdhya chiraM kAlaM  bhUtanAthamumApatim  |
IpsitaM prAptavAnputraM  tasmAdbhedo na vidyate  ||  43-12    
shaMkaro viShNumavyaktaM chiramArAdya bhaktimAn  |
ShaNmukhaM labhate putraM devatArthamariMdamam  ||  43-13
brahmA cha janayAmAsa viShNumArAdhya bhaktitaH  |
lokAnprajApatinsarvAMstasmAdbhedo na vidyate  ||  43-14
atraivodAharantImamitihAsaM purAtanam  |
shR^iNvatAM sarvapApaghnamAyurArogyavardhanam  ||  43-15
purA kR^itayuge rAjansushAnto nAma vai dvijaH  |
shAnto jitendriyo maunI sadA dhyAnaparAyaNaH  ||  43-16
vedeShu  dharmashAstreShu vedAnteShu vichakShaNaH  |
gArhastye saphalAnkAmAnanubhUya dvijottamaH  |
mokShakAmo hi rAjendra visheSheNa shivavrataH  ||  43-17
kiShkindhAM samupAgamya brahmadattena pAlitAm  |
pampAsarovare snAnaM  kRitvA tu shivamarchanam  |
tapastaptumanA rAjaMstatrAste shaMkaraM stuvan  ||  43-18
pampAnAthaM virUpAkShaM  nIlalohitamavyayam  |
mR^ityuMjayaM kR^ittivAsaM  pinAkinamariMdamam  ||  43-19
sahasrAkShaM sadAnandaM  nIlameghanibhaM  haram  |
shUlapANiM mahAdevaM  sR^iShTisthityantakariNam  ||  43-20
dhyAyanstuvannamasyaMshcha tatrAste  brAhmaNottamaH  |
traiyaMbakaM  mahAmantraM  rudrasUkTAdibhiH shivam  ||  43-21
snApayitvA tu tam pUjya trikAlaM snAnatatparaH  |
shAkamUlaphalAhAraH shAntaH paramabudhimAn  ||  43-22
atra tiShThati rAjendra tasminnAste dvijottamaH  |
shUdro vai dharmakushalo nAmataH saMgato budhaiH  |
shivabhakto jitakrodhaH shushrUShucha  dvijanmanAm  ||  43-23
virUpAkShasya devasya vandanArtham yayau cha saH  |
sushAntasya tadaA kurva~nshushrUShAM rAjasattama  |
tatrAste sarasastIre jitAhAraH shataM samAH  ||  43-24
tasminkAle virUpAkSho  bhUtanAtho jaganmayaH |
AvirbhabhUva rAjendra tato vAchamuvAcha ha  ||
sushAnta shR^iNu madvAkyaM  tapasA toShito.asmyahaM  |
varaM varaya bhadraM te  viddhi bhUtapatiM cha mAm  ||  43-25
eatadvachastadA shrutvA brAhmaNo vismayAnvitaH  |
natvA punaH punardevamastauShijjagatAM patim  ||  43-26
namaste pArvatIkAnta namaste chandrashekhara  |
namashchaitanyarUpAya pashUnAM pataye namaH ||  43-27
vishveshvara virUpAkSha  vishvarUpasadAshiva  |
sharaNaM bhava bhUtesha karuNAkara shaMkara  ||  43-28
namo dharmAya devAya  vishvarupAya shUline  |
bhUtanAthAya dharmAtmannamaste nAgabhUShaNa  |
bhasmoddhUlitasarvA~Nga jaTAdhara sadAshiva  ||   43-29
mR^iganAbhisugandhAya mR^igacharmadharAya cha  |
kapAlamAline tubhyamakShasUtradharAya cha  |
bhUyo bhUyo namastubhyaM purAntaka jaganmaya  ||  43-30

bhIShMa uvAcha  

evaM stutaH prasannAtmA  pArvatIvallabhaH prabhuH  |
aShTamUrtidharaH shrImAndevagandharvasevitaH  ||  43-31
varaM brUhiti taM choktvA shUdraM bhaktisamanvitam  |
atiShThattasya purataH  pUrvAndreraMshumAniva  ||  43-32
vareNyaM varayAmAsa brAhmaNo lokavishrutaH |
chaturtho.api cha me shreyo dadasveti varaM tadA ||  43-33
nIlakaNThastadAkarNya  smitapUrvamabhAShata  |
shR^INu vipravarashreShTha tava dAsye tadIpsitam  |
anyajanmAni shUdrasya dAsyAmi varamuttamam  ||  43-34
evaM shivavachaH shrutvA brAhmaNo hitakR^itsatAm  |
uvAcha shaMkaraM natvA mR^idvakSharasamanvitam  ||  43-35
vishvaMbara tathaivAstu mamApi na hi taM vinA  |
kathaM yasyAmi te lokaM shushrUShushcha sakhA mama  ||  43-36
ityuktvA maunamAstAya pAdau natvA shivasya cha  |
shubhaM pa~nchAkSharam mantraM  japannAste tapovane  ||  43-37
nIlakanThaH punashchedamuvAcha tapatAM varam  |
tathAhaM tu kariShyAmi  yuvayorbrAhmaNottama  ||  43-38
shUdrasya shatrubhAvaM tvameShyasi tvanyajanmani  |
darshanAchcha vadhAchchaiva yuvayormuktirastviti  ||  43-39

brAhmaNa uvAcha  

kathaM shatrutvamApnoti shUdro me hanyajanmani |
etadbhUtesha me brUhi  mama janma cha shaMkara  ||  43-40

Ishvara uvAcha  

mata~Ngo nAma viprarShirbhavitAsi dvijottama  |
indraputro hyayaM shUdro vAlIti khyAtimeShyati  ||  43-41

brAhmaNa uvAcha  

kiM cha te bhavatA rUpamIdR^ishaM  pAvanaM param  |
brUhyetatsarvabhUtesha bhUyo bhUyo namo.astu te  ||  43-42 

shaMkara uvAcha  

rAmo dAsharathirbhUtvA jaTAvalkalavAnraNe  |
haniShyati shareNAshu vidUre dR^iShTigochare  |
ityuktvA sahasA devaH sahasA tu tirodadhe  ||  43-43
kasyachittvatha kAlasya dvijashUdrau layaM gatau  |
tatra bhogAndivisthAnvai  yathAvadanubhUya cha  |
bhuvasthalaM prapannau tau tapobalasamanvitau  ||  43-44
mata~Ngo.abhUtsushAnto.atha  sarvadharmaparo nR^ipa  |
shUdro.asau bAlitvamApanno hyasaMkhyeyabalastadA  ||  43-45
kurvatastapa atyugraM  mata~Ngasya virodhakR^it  |
kiShkindhAM samupAgamya hariNAmadhipo.abhavat  ||  43-46
tapaH kurvati dharmiShThe mata~NgamunipuMgave  |
shaMkaraH sarvabhUtAnAM tadA rAmatvamAptavAt  |
prAptavAnvanamatyugraM  piturvachanagauravAt  ||  43-47
pampAsarovaraM gatvA rAmAkhyo bhagavAnharaH  |
AdityasUnorvyAjena hatvA vAlinamagrataH  |
svapadaM dattavAnrAjandarshanAtbrAhmaNasya cha  ||  43-48
dharmashIlasushAntau cha saMprAptau cha shivAlayam  |
pUjitau bhUtapatinA hyanubhUya sukhAnbahUn  |
yayaturviShNulokaM tau koTivaMshasamanvitau  ||  43-49
tasmAchChivArchanaM nityaM  bhuvi muktiphalapradam  |
harishaMkarayorbhedaM nAsti nAsti janAdhipa  ||  43-50
ya idaM puNyamAkhyAnam nAradena prabhAShitam  |
shR^iNuyAttasya vai nAko bhedabuddhirna jAyate  ||  43-51

Eternity

He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sun rise.

---by William Blake (1757 - 1827)

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Christmas carol "O come, all ye faithful, joyfu!" sung by lovely a cappella group  "Pentatonix".

Enter the Door - 15

The Zen storie about a monk who is tired of the rigors of monastic practice and wants out of the monastery. He goes to the teacher and this dialogue ensues:

“I can’t take this anymore. I want out.”

The master said, “Okay, then leave.”

He started for the door, and the master said, “That’s not your door.”

“Oh. Sorry.” The fellow looked around and spotted another door. As he headed for it, the master said, “That’s not your door.”

“Oh!” He looked around for another door, and as he headed for that one, the master said, “That’s not your door!”

Bewildered and exasperated, the poor fellow said, “What do you mean? There’s no other door. You told me I could leave, but there’s no door I can leave by.”

“If there’s no door you can leave by,” said the master, “then sit down.”

Garuda Dandakam

shrImate nigamAnta mahAdeshikAya namaha
shrImAn venkaTanAthAryah kavitArkakesarI |
vedAntAchAryavaryo me sannidhattAm sadA hRudi ||
namah pannaga naddhAya vaikunTha vasha vartine |
shruti sindhu sudhotpAda mandarAya garutmate || 1 ||
garuDam-akhila veda nIDAdhi-rUDham dviShat-pIDan-otkanThitA-kunTha vaikunTha-pIThIkRuta
skandhamIDe svanIDAgati prIta rudrA sukIrti-stanAbhoga gADhopa-gUDha-sphurat-kanTakavrAta
vedha vyathA vepamAna dvi-jihvAdhipA-kalpa viShphAryamANa sphaTAvATikA ratna rochishChaTA rAji nIrAjitam kAnti kallolinI rAjitam || 2 ||
jaya garuDa suparNa darvIkarAhAra devAdhipAhAra hArin divoukaspati kShipta dambholi dhArA
kiNAkalpa kalpAnta vAtUla kalpodayAnalpa vIrAyitodya-cchamatkAra daityAri jaitra-dhvajAroha
nirdhArit-otkarSha sankarShaNAtman garutman marut-panchakAdhIsha satyAdi mUrte na kashchit samaste namaste punaste namaha || 3 ||
nama ida majahat-saparyAya paryAya niryAt pakShAnilA-sphAlanodvela pAthodhi vIchI chapeTAhatAgAdha
pAtAla bhAmkAra sankruddha nAgendra-pIDAsruNI bhAva bhAvasvan-nakha shreNaye chaNDa tuNDAya nRutyad-bhujanga-bhruve vajriNe damShTryA tubhyam dhyAtmavidyA vidheyA vidheyA bhavad-dAsyam-ApAdayethA dayethAshcha me || 4 ||
manuranugata pakShi vaktra sphurat-tArakas-tAvakashchitra-bhAnupriyA shekharas-trAyatAm
nastrivargApavarga prasUtih paravyoma dhAman valadveShi-darpa-jvaladvAlakhilya pratigyAvatIrNa sthirAm tattva buddhim parAm bhaktidhenum jaganmUla kande mukunde
mahAnanda-dogdhrIm dadhItA mudhAkAm-ahInAm ahInAm-ahInAntaka || 5 ||
ShaTtrim-shadgaNa charaNo nara paripATI navIna gumbhagaNaha
viShNuratha danDako ayam vighaTayatu vipakSha vAhinI vyUham
vichitra siddhidah so ayam venkaTesha vipashchitA |
garuDadhvaja toShAya gIto garuDa danDakaha || 7 ||

iti shrI garuDa daNDakah samAptaha
kavitArkikasimhAya kalyANaguNashAline |
shrImate vengkaTeshAya vedAntagurave namaha ||