Guest guest Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 From Ivan--- On Mon, 31/8/09, Poetry Chaikhana <ivan wrote: Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- You leave your greatness behind you By Janabai(1298 - 1350?) English version by Sarah Sellergren Jani has had enough of samsara,but how will I repay my debt?You leave your greatness behind youto grind and pound with me.O Lord you become a womanwashing me and my soiled clothes,proudly you carry the waterand gather dung with your own two hands.O Lord, I wanta place at your feet,says Jani, Namdev's dasi. -- from Images of Women in Maharashtrian Literature and Religion, Edited by Anne Feldhaus Amazon.com / Photo by magnusfranklin / ============ Thought for the Day: Don't mistake information for knowledge.Information is important,but knowledge is the stuff of life. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Jami Sieber and Kim Rosen Only Breath Listen / Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -Janabai was born in the Maharashtra region of India to a low-caste family.. It was not uncommon for poor families to hire their children out as domestic servants, and this is what happened to Janabai at age 7. But the household she was sent to was unusual, for it belonged to the much-revered poet Namdev. It was in this household that Janabai spent the rest of her life.Janabai's poetry suggests a life of difficult labor in the household, but one that was constantly revived and supported by her intimacy with the Divine.--Janabai starts off this poem by proclaiming that she "has had enough of samsara," the world of suffering and illusion. But how can she purify herself of karma -- "but how will I repay my debt?" She begins with a daunting image of God and karma, God as a sort of king who mercilessly collects karmic debts.But then the vision shifts to something more intimate. God leaves his "greatness" behind and, like Janabai herself, takes on the humble role of a servant "to grind and pound" and wash. These are traditionally a woman's duties so God has "become a woman," a loving mother rather than a stern father. But what is being washed here is Janabai herself and her "soiled clothes," her awareness. She implies that God's grinding and pounding is being done with her, but also upon her -- the purifying work of karma finally being paid. In the divine process of spiritual purification, God takes on the humble role of washerwoman, content to "carry the water" of divine energy that purifies, and not above gathering the dung of the material world which is burned for purifying fires.This is not a vision of God in might and majesty, not a God kept hidden in temples and obscure rituals, and not an aloof debt-collector. Janabai's God is, like herself, a servant-woman, a God who works side-by-side with her in the daily chores, a God who serves even the lowest servant. Janabai identifies herself as Namdev's dasi or servant, and she is made holy by worshipping a servant God. By recognizing the Divine as being similar to herself, she also recognizes that she, even in her humble state, is similar to the Divine.IvanA Milestone for the Poetry ChaikhanaWhen I first started the Poetry Chaikhana a little over five years ago, I had humble expectations. I remember thinking to myself, If at least 30 to 40 people follow it regularly, that will be enough. Well, as of today, we have 5,000 people on the poetry email list! Wow!And that's all without marketing, ads, or exchanged links. Everyone has found his or her own way to the site, through your word of mouth and serendipitous web searches. That's 5,000 unexpected, unique pathways to the Poetry Chaikhana.We've managed to build quite a community, with people coming together from all over the world to appreciate these elevating, non-dogmatic expressions of the spirit. In fact, the web site has had visitors from more than 200 countries! If you're curious which countries have shown the most interest, take a look at Around the World. Share Your Thoughts on today's poem or my commentary.... Support the Poetry Chaikhana Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you! Click here You can also support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you! Click here A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo. Click here Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306 Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers. ============ Plain Text: If you have any difficulty reading this HTML formatted email, please let me know and I can send you plain text emails instead. Cancelling: If you wish to stop receiving this Daily Poem email from the Poetry Chaikhana, simply reply to this email and change the Subject to "Cancel". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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