Yet How Elusive

Yet How Elusive

I looked for You

Ever since You breathed individuality

Into my soul dew

And separated me from You

Because I am the wave

Jerked out of Your sea

I've ever tried myself to reunite

With Your boundless bosom of freedom and light -

Though lashed

And by all other waves and by karma dashed -

Yet again and again

The storm of my own desires o'er the cosmic main

Would send me sailing alone, sad,

With colliding brother waves, cruel restive mad,

I am the wavelet life in great unrest

Swimming on Your cosmic sea-breast.

And yet how elusive You are

So near and so far.

My little life swam in loneliness and worries

Beneath the vistas of centuries,

Beneath countless lights of mily way , moons and suns,

Beneath the darkness of many desires undone,

Beneath the fogs of intricate incarnations

And 'neath clouds of doleful delusions.

Now at last I discovered

Just beneath my ignorance You lay covered,

'Twas I who ignored You -

Not You, not You -

When You were so near

Kept by my absent mind so far:

The ocean of life

Through all my strife

Supporting , ever-sustaining

Ever-pursuing, ever watchfully remaining

To protect me from harm

Just beneath the truant wavelet of my little life

Blessed with Your sheltering charm.

- Paramahansa Yogananda

God! God! God!

God! God! God!

From the depth of slumber,

As I ascend the spiral stairway of wakefulness,

I whisper

God, God, God!

Thou art the food and when I break my fast

Of nightly separation from Thee

I taste thee and mentally say

God, God, God!

No matter where I go, the spotlight of my mind

Ever keeps turning on Thee;

And in the battle din of activity my silent war cry

Is ever;

God, God, God!

When boisterous storms of trials shriek

And worries howl at me,

I drown their noises, loudly chanting

God, God, God!

When my mind weaves dreams

With threads of memories,

Then on that magic cloth I do emboss;

God, God, God!

Ever night, in time of deepest sleep,

My peace dreams and calls; Joy! Joy! Joy!

And my Joy comes singing evermore;

God, God, God!

In waking, eating, working, dreaming, sleeping,

Serving, meditating, chanting, divinely loving,

My soul constantly hums, unheard by any;

God, God, God!

- Paramahansa Yogananda

Magic Sea

Magic Sea

You alone can make a sea

With eyes of blue, and measurelessly deep

With transparent heart --

'Tis you

All hidden with endless mystery.

With flying fish perching,

On Your silver hair of surf dancing,

Somber sea gulls resting

On Your rich watery tresses

As the sun bestows its kisses

And makes them shine,

O Goddess, blue Brine,

Intoxicating all votaries with Your wine,

Your ever blushing scenic face

Surging in all secret solace --

Who, who could make this blue-eyed maiden

But You alone, ah You?

Man may make a myriad things that be

A little while;

But You alone can make a MAGIC SEA.