##34 (Vivekananda) Permission Sought For Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

One day, in Swamiji’s dream,
Guru Ramakrishna came,
Walking o’er the ocean
With an open invitation.

Guru invited him to follow,
That signified, he could go
To America on his mission,
And it had Guru’s permission.

To Sarada Devi, Holy Mother,
He wrote a detailed letter,
Asking for her consent
To take up this assignment.

She gave her permission
For this sacred mission
And his trip to America,
As directed by Ramakrishna.

By then, Swamiji heard,
That Raja of Khetri had
A royal son, just born,
As an heir to the throne.

An invitation Raja sent,
And in response, he went
To bless the new born son
And attend the function.

Raja arranged for a dance,
And invited his presence.
For such pleasures, he refused,
As monks were not allowed.

The dancing girl sang
An appealing song,
That touched his heart,
And he felt on his part.

Her song ran like this:

“Look not, O Lord, upon my sins!
Is not Same-sightedness Thy name?
One piece of iron is used
Inside the holy shrine,
Another for the knife
Held in the butcher’s hand;
Yet both of them are turned to gold
When touched by the philosophers’ stone.
Sacred is the Jamuna’s water,
Foul is the water in the ditch;
Yet both alike are sanctified
Once they joined the Gange’s stream.
So, Lord, look not upon my sins!
Is not Same-sightedness Thy name? ”

Swamiji was then deeply moved.
The girl, whom society condemned
As impure, had taught him a lesson,
“Everything, in fact, is Brahman.”

“Brahman, the Ever Pure,
Ever Illuminated, Ever Free,
Is truly the essence
Of all living beings.”

“Before God all are equal,
Pure or impure, good or evil,
As He’s seated in every heart
With no distinction on His part.”

Swamiji regretted his action,
And attended the function,
After paying her due thanks,
For her song that opened his eyes.