From the very morning
I have
started
to think
about
my world.
For,
this is my world alone.
Only my
small desire
is the center
of this world.
What I want,
what I do not want -
whom I shall keep,
whom I shall leave -
taking
those topics
in the middle,
is
my world.
I do not have to
think about
the thoughts
of the
Universe.
With my desire,
the Sun
is not rising -
the Wind
is not blowing -
merging
and separating
atoms and molecules
the Creation
is not
being
preserved.
But,
keeping
my own
Power
of Desiring
at the root -
the creation
I'm building,
its thought
I need to think,
verily,
as the biggest thought
among all;
for,
that, verily,
is
my
thought.
That is why,
such A Huge Universe -
such A Huge Cosmic Egg,
even while
staying
right in the midst of
Its Affairs -
this extremely puny
world
of mine -
its
extremely puny
topics,
to me -
do not
seem
to be
puny.
The very insignificant
arrangements
and
efforts
of my morning
do not feel
ashamed -
even by a trace,
in front of
the Great
Sunrise
of the morning;
in fact,
they1
can
effortlessly move about
having
forgotten about It2.
This is
where
I'm able to
see,
two desires
are working -
being adjacent
to each other.
One Is
the Desire
Inside the World -
Inside the Universe;
another
is
the desire
inside
this small world
of mine.
The King, verily,
Is
Ruling
His Kingdom;
again,
His
subordinate vassal -
he, too,
right in the midst of
That Great Kingdom,
has established
his own
small
rulership.
Even in that,
all the Insignia
of
Kingly Opulence
Are Present;
for,
in the midst of that
small periphery
reign
his3 desire,
his lordship.
That
in the midst of
these
'I'-Worlds
of ours,
God
Has
Made
each one of us
a king -
the person
who is
sweeping
the dust
off the road,
even (s)he
in the midst of his/her
'I'-authority
is himself/herself
the greatest;
the discussion
of this topic
has
happened before.
He Who Is
Full of Desires -
He
Has
Gifted
each one of us
with
an estate
of desires -
one each;
in the
deed of gift
it has been
mentioned:
'As long as the Moon
and the Sun
Shall Shine'
so long
we shall
be able to
enjoy
this estate.
Considering the
authority
of This
Eternal Desire
of ours,
at times
we become
crazy
with ego.
We say,
other than
my own desires,
I do not obey
anyone else
at all.
Saying thus,
that my desire is free
only by
violating everyone else,
this
we
want to feel -
with
impetuosity.
But,
in the midst of
Desire,
there
is
another
Principle -
in Freedom
does not
lie
Its
Ultimate Happiness.
Like
a body
desires
another
body,
like
a mind
desires
another
mind,
like
an object
attracts
another
object -
similarly,
Desire
Cannot
Survive
without
attracting
desire.
This Lone Desire
Does Not
Feel
Its
own
success,
unless
It Unites
with
other
desires.
Where
there is
only
a question
of
necessity,
there
we can
apply force -
our
hunger
gets
quenched
by
forcibly
snatching
food,
and
eating it.
But,
where Desire Is
needless,
there
It Reigns
in Its
own
Pure
Essence,
without
any
reason;
there,
whatever
It
Wants,
no force
can be applied
there
at all;
for,
there,
It
Desires
desire
alone.
There,
no object,
no material,
no Pride of Liberty,
no Power
can quench
Its hunger;
there,
It
Desires
another desire.
There,
if
It Accepts
some
gifts,
then
It Does Not
Accept
those
as
objects;
It Accepts
as
the proof
of the desire
of
verily, the person
who has
gifted;
the price
of this object,
verily,
is
determined
by
his/her desire
alone.
That
the service
of
the mother
is
so valuable
to the
son -
that,
verily,
is not
valuable,
only because
it is
service;
that has
so much pride,
verily
because
it
comes
out of his
mother's desire.
The slavery
of
a slave -
accepting that
the desire
of my
Desire
does not
get
quenched;
It
Keeps
Looking
wistfully
towards
the Path,
verily for the
willful
self-surrender
of
Its friend.
Thus,
where
Desire
wants
other desires,
there
It
Does Not
Remain
independent
anymore.
There,
It
Has to
diminish
Itself.
In
fact,
we call
that
sacrificing
of Desire.
This
dependence
of Desire -
such
dependence
there is
no
other.
Even
the
slave
of slaves
we
may
induce
to work,
but
his/her
Desire -
we
may not
compel
him/her
to
surrender That.
The world
of mine
where
only
my desire
is the
key doer4,
there
one of my
chief tasks
among
all
is,
with
others'
desires -
combining
my desire.
The more
I shall
be
able
to
do that -
the more
Shall
the Kingdom
of
my Desire
Keep
expanding,
the more
shall
my world
end up
growing
bigger.
That housewife
alone
is
the
real housewife
who -
father and mother,
brother and sister,
husband and children,
servants and maids,
relatives and neighbors -
with
everyone's desires
synchronizing
her own
desire,
can
build
her
own
family
in complete
harmony.
Such a housewife -
verily,
always
needs
to
lessen5
her
own desires -
to
renounce
her
own desires;
then only
this kingdom
of hers,
seated
upon desires,
becomes
complete.
If
she
does not
become
the servant
of
all,
then
she definitely
can never
become
the ruling lady.
That
is why
I
was
saying,
the Desire
of ours
in which
Independence
Has
the Purest
Essence
among all,
it is
verily
within
That Desire
that
even dependence
has
the purest
form
among all.
That
Desire
Becomes
successful,
only
by
revealing
Itself
as
independent
in the
midst of
ego -
that
is not
the case;
Desire,
in the
midst of
Love6 -
acknowledges
Itself
as dependent,
and
that is
really
how
It
Gains
Ultimate Success.
Desire -
raising
Itself,
the
Proclamation
It Makes
about
Itself -
it is not
that
in
That Proclamation
alone
lie
Its
Final Words;
it is
verily
within
Sacrificing
Itself
where
Its
Ultimate Power
and
Final Goal
Remain
imbedded.
This
Natural Property
of Desire -
that
It
Wants
other desires -
It
Does Not Have
joy
only
upon force -
even
within
the Desire
of
God
we are
able to
see
That
Property.
He
Wants
Desire.
It is
verily
because
this
little
wish
shall
come
true,
that
He
Has Made
my Desire -
mine
alone;
in the Web
of
Universal
Rules,
He
Has Not
Bound It
totally
exhaustively;
in the Empire
of the Universe,
everything
else,
verily,
is
His
Opulence;
only
That
One
Thing
He
Has Not
Kept
Himself -
That
Is
my Desire.
That
One
He
Does Not
snatch
away -
He
Beseeches
for
That One,
He
Woos
my
mind
for
That One.
That
One Thing
Exists,
which
I
can
truly
give Him.
If
I
give Him
flowers -
they,
verily,
are
His flowers;
if
I
give
Him
water -
that,
verily,
is
His water;
only
if
I
surrender
Desire,
then
That,
really,
Is
my Desire.
The
God
of
The Infinite
Cosmic
Egg,
every
day -
for that
little
Desire
of mine,
Is
Coming
to my door,
and
going back -
there are
several
proofs
of that.
In here,
He
Has
Lowered
His
Opulence;
for,
it is
in here
where
His
Play
of Love
Reigns.
The moment
He
Has
Come
Down
here,
immediately
He
Has
Revealed
His
Riches
of Love -
He
Has
Revealed
His
Endless Desire
by
synchronizing,
even with
my
desire,
the
Desire
of
His;
for,
sans
the proximity
of
desire,
where
Shall
the
Ultimate Revelation
of
Desire
Happen?
He
Is
Saying:
'Not
the
Royal
Tax,
Please
Give
me
Love.'
It is verily
that
we
shall have to
give
You
Love
that
You
Have Arranged
so
many
events.
In the midst of
I,
You
Have
Spun
this one
strange
play
of I,
and
giving
me
this
one
treasure
of Desire,
for
getting that
You
Have
Stood
by
stretching
Your Palms -
even
to me.
18 Paush 1315
(January 1, 1909)
Bengali original: http://www.tagoreweb.in/Render/ShowContent.aspx?ct=Essays&bi=72EE92F5-BE50-4057-6E6E-0F7410664DA3&ti=72EE92F5-BE50-4337-2E6E-0F7410664DA3&ch=1