One day,
he whose consciousness
suddenly rose
from the cozy bed of luxury,
this 7th Paush day
is the day of
that Debendranath1.
This day
he has bequeathed to us.
Just the way a precious stone
needs to be bequeathed -
in the same way he has bequeathed.
He has placed That Day
in the midst of a Casket
That Is this hermitage.
Today we shall unlock That Casket -
and
we shall see that gemstone, placing it
in the midst of the sky of this meadow;
we shall see that gemstone, placing it
in the midst of those stars -
the constellation that is shining
under the sky -
the sky that belongs here,
the sky that is bereft of dust,
the sky that is clear -
the sky that is separated from the rest of the World.
The 7th Paush
in the life of
That Ascetic -
today is the day to discover That;
with That,
today we make a festival.
This 7th Paush Day
That Devotee
Took His Initiation;
That Initiation has such a big import -
Is Today's Date
Telling us
any of those words?
If we leave
without listening to them,
then
what have we come here for,
and
what shall we leave with?
That Day -
when in His Life
the Sun of This 7th Paush
Rose one day,
on That Day
no lamps were alight,
no gathering of people was there -
that clear winter day
was quiet, was still.
What was happening
on That Day -
even he himself
didn't completely
comprehend that;
only That Indwelling Maker Was Comprehending.
That Initiation
he took on That Day -
it is no simple thing.
That was not just an Initiation of Peace,
that was an Initiation of Fire.
His Master Had Told him
on That Day -
'This thing
today
you took from my hand -
This is Truth;
since
you've accepted
Its Weight -
you won't have any coziness
anymore -
you shall have to keep awake
night and day.
To protect This Truth -
even if you lose
all that you have -
then
let all that you have
be lost.
But beware -
in your hands
may my truth
not suffer
any disrespect.'
Accepting This
Bequest of Truth
from His Master,
after that
He couldn't sleep
anymore.
His relatives left Him.
His house left Him,
His society left Him,
His whole country became rife with condemnation -
such a big family,
so many distinguished friends,
so many rich relatives,
so many supports He had -
He severed Himself
from all of them;
such an Initiation He took.
Turning down
all supports of the World -
He has travelled
with This Truth
from one country to another,
from one forest to another,
from one mountain to another.
For This is His Master's Truth.
Having accepted
the Responsibility
of Protecting This Fire -
there is no more coziness,
there is no more sleep.
That Initiation of Fire
from Lord Rudra
is Residing
in the midst of
today's festival.
But, Shall That Initiation
Remain forever concealed?
Entering in the midst of
this music,
this outcry,
this uproar -
He Who Is That Bhayaanaam Bhayam Bhiishanam Bhiishanaanaam2 -
Will He not witness
today,
the Thunderous Form
of His Fulgent Truth?
He3 had accepted
That Vajramudyatam4
from the hands
of His Guru5 -
in the heart of this 7th Paush
That Thunderous Verve Resides.
But,
not just thunder,
not just trial -
the Boon and Courage
That Reside
in That Initiation -
we shall have to visit Them as well.
In the life of that rich kid6
the days of crisis
which had arrived -
those, verily, are known to everyone.
The huge opulence
that was his support
one day,
like a king's palace -
when that opulence
suddenly crumbled
above his head,
and attempted to raze him to the ground,
then
in the midst of that
horrible avalanche of danger,
only This Initiation of Truth
had covered him and protected him;
on that day
he didn't have
any other worldly support.
This Initiation -
not only Had It Saved him
from the
acute impact of crisis days,
but also
Had Protected him
from the
even more acute attacks of enticement.
In the midst of this
7th Paush of today,
That Initiation of Truth of his -
Its Fearsome Refulgence and Its Form of Boon and Courage -
They Both Reside;
if we are able to see That
and
receive even a tiny bit of That,
then
we shall be Blessed.
What is called
an Initiation of Truth -
today
if we are able to remember That with Piety,
then
we shall be Blessed.
There is no hoax in this -
no hide-and-seek,
no hesitation,
no tricks to maintain both sides,
no skillfully prepared false argumentation to delude oneself,
no double-blinding of Intellect to appease the Society,
no stealing of God's property to sell off in human markets.
That Truth -
once we accept It in the midst of
all torments of misery,
then after that
we are completely fearless,
we are in complete possession of
our Father's House -
destroying our own little mud huts;
the Destination of an entire Life -
the Abode of Immortality -
He Who Is the only Friend
in That Path -
Taking Refuge in Him alone -
This Is the meaning of the Initiation of Truth.
That Blessed Ascetic7 -
The Day
That Was bigger than all other days
in His Life -
The Day of His Initiation -
in the midst of
the open sky and clear light
of these remote fields
He Has Established That Day.
On the four sides
of That Great Day of His
This Temple,
This Hermitage,
This School8
are taking shape
every day;
our lives,
our hearts,
our consciousness
have stood firm
by surrounding It;
it is for the Call of This Day alone
that
Well-being has been Incarnate
and
has appeared
Here;
and
That Day of Initiation of Truth of His
is inviting year after year
to this festival of joy
the rich and the poor,
the young and the old,
the learned and the illiterate.
May we not
keep This Day standing
at one corner
of
the door
to our unheeding lives;
Please Call This Day
in your heart
with Devotion
and
with Respect,
Please Fill the everyday emptiness
that reigns
in our wretched lives
with Treasures9.
Oh Initiator,
Oh Teacher,
if I'm not ready
even now,
then
Please Make me ready,
Please Strike me,
Please Raise my consciousness everywhere -
Please do not reject me,
Please do not turn me down -
Please do not push me
at the very back
of all Your Dignitaries
because of my weaknesses.
I have to accept Truth
in this very life -
without fear, and without shame.
I shall not
throw away
my vain life
in the garbage heap of untruth.
I shall have to accept Initiation -
Please Give me the Power.
7 Paush 1315
(December 21, 1908)
Bengali original: http://www.tagoreweb.in/Render/ShowContent.aspx?ct=Essays&bi=72EE92F5-BE50-4057-6E6E-0F7410664DA3&ti=72EE92F5-BE50-42B7-EE6E-0F7410664DA3&ch=1