This Book is written by Arthur Osborne.
A prayer from and inspired by
The Five Hymns to Arunachala—Like the beating of a heart
One cannot read for tears
Who wrote those words?
Bhagavan—the innermost
Of oneself. …..Immersed in the dark well
Of the dream of life
Greatly am I held
And greatly I strive
To come out to wake into Light.
But I find it so deep
And forsaken I weep
Though I know
It is only a dream.
Unless Thou extend Thy hand of Grace
In mercy, I am lost O Bhagavan!Immersed in the dark well
Of the dream of life—
How is the lotus of my heart to blossom
Without sight of the sun?
Thou art the Sun of suns,
Dispel my darkness,
Grant me wisdom, I beseech Thee,
So that I may not pine for love of Thee,
In ignorance, O Bhagavan.Seeking thee within but weakly
I came back, and in sorrow
I pour out my heart. Aid me Bhagavan!There is naught else but Thee. How is it then
That I alone stand separate from Thee?
Shake me out of this torpor I beseech Thee, Bhagavan.If spurned by Thee, what rests for me
But the torment of my dream?
What hope is left for me?Could I but gather the suffering of mankind,
Of creation, in my heart, in my hands,
Their pain my pain—one heart.There is naught else but Thee.
Who is it that suffers?
Bhagavan!
I come to knock for release— It is enough . . . .
in my dream.A mother will surely wake her child crying out in sleep
So am I crying out in my cauchemar-dream.
Thou Awakened One, kinder far and nearer than one’s own mother,
Is this then Thy all-kindness, Bhagavan,
To leave me thus struggling in deep waters,
—I have lost my moorings—struggling to wake?Reveal Thyself ! Do not continue to deceive and prove me,
Thou only art Reality!A prey to my unsteady mind
I lack patience, I lack constancy, I lack purity.Forgive the grievous wrongs of that poor self,
And do as Thou wilt, Thou who knowest best.
But grant me only ever increasing love
For Thy Feet.Thou who art Kindness-Love itself,
Smile with Grace and not with scorn,
On me who knows nothing,
Who comes for refuge to Thee.