The Birth of Conscience
What a blessed dawn, this day of new beginning! The hour the Creator longed for—life's flower opening wide— O child divine! You have come to rest in the world's embrace, To play life's ever-new games upon creation's breast!
In silence you came, sketching dreams upon the dust, Bearing new consciousness in this life's hour of bloom, That dream of yours ripened, touched by the sun's grace, And dwelt in Sri Ramakrishna's radiant sphere of awakening.
That day the flute of new festival rang in the world of flowers, In the monsoon sky, lightning sketched the rainbow, The laughter of stars cascaded from heaven to heaven, You took birth upon this earth…a new form born!
The darkness around could not bind your essence, The world's illusions, blind desires, the snares of longing— Yet you found in the Divine your beloved homeland, And painted your life in the colors of the Eternal's radiance.
You came bearing the stream of many lives, Walking the divine path in surrender's sweetness, loving God, An incarnation of the transcendent, a charioteer of consciousness, Your way found its direction when you reached Ramakrishna's feet.
Blessed are you, O seeker of light, touched by the Mother's hand, Like the banyan tree you flourished at Sri Sarada's holy feet, In the radiance of Ramakrishna's light, full of sadhana's nectar, By their grace alone, through refuge and awakened consciousness, were you made whole.
From afar I see the buds of seekers at Belur Math, With wonder-struck eyes—the divine children of this world of illusion, Through their practice the grey dust of earth grew sweet, Your radiant light writes the future world in gold.
In this auspicious hour, memory awakes in me today, Flowers of gratitude bent in reverence—fragrant with devotion, The strings of my whole life now vibrate with melodies from childhood, Growth and prosperity…the same source—your infinite garland.
I wonder—was such a span of life too brief for a great soul! Your life-dream-practice, tireless, unceasing… Showing the eternal truth, sanctified in immortal mantra— The luminous song of karma-yoga has resounded through your verses.
Your smile pure and gracious, your eyes sweet with tenderness, Generous of heart, your wisdom free and piercing, full of love's nectar! I bow to you, O beloved, wrapped in the sun's own light— January the twelfth has brought humanity's great triumph!