SivaShakti Poem by Subramanya Bharati - a translation

 SivaShakti - 

Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati

Some call you as the Nature herself, or

The five elements unified as the One;

Are you the one powering the human creations,

The fire of life force, pure intelligence or Shiva?

You are our wondrous Mother,

We offer you in the fire of our Tapasya

The honey of ‘om’ for you to drink;

Enjoy it and bless us with your dance of Shiva

 

You are the light of compassion for some and

Dark Kali of the Night for others;

You are the source of all our joys and the

Pain of sufferings too for many.

Numerous are the offerings we brought;

Be pleased and place us among the Celestials;

We surrender at your Feet for protection,

O Shiva-Shakti, our shining warrior Mother!

 

You are the nectar of truth, and the

Healer of wounds and enlivening;

Aglow as the spark of our Life-Force;

You are enduring and an eternal

Divine spring of force and spirit;

You have avowed to surround us close

Always to protect and preserve.

 

With inner strength, we brought out a

Sacred clarity from our sparkling life-force;

Enjoy it as the divine soma elixir;

We aspire to join the tribe of Immortals

As we wait for your ecstatic, redeeming dance

 

Two demons of Fear and Sorrow

Have surrounded us from all sides;

Mean are their squads ailing us

With worries and deaths - trying

To rob us of the nectar of pride and life

They have surrounded even this

Great land you have given us as

The shelter from all their harms.

 

They have us in siege from all sides

Bringing down the decorated mansions

With bombs raining all days long

Shattering the halls, houses and castles

Drying up of the river of our livelihoods;

We beseech you with hymns and praises,

Come mother to protect us from these foes

 

We seek refuge at your feet and

Plead for your compassion and grace

To protect our dharma, laws and rules

Our temples, women and children,

Our fertile lands, animals and food,

With none else to protect from our foes.

 

Our Loving Mother Shiva-Shakti!

Elevate us to the realms of Immortals,

We have surrendered to your feet in service

Consecrate our desires, music, arts and

Aspirations to fit your grace;

We stand with obeisance submitting

All chattels from our lives – from the

Past, present and future.