The Royal Song

by Saraha, 8 AC

Forsaking bliss the fool roams abroad,

Hoping for mundane pleasure;

Your mouth is full of honey now,

Swallow it while you may!

Fools attempt to avoid their suffering,

The wise enact their pain.

Drink the cup of sky-nectar

While others hunger for outward appearances.

The bee knows from birth

That flowers are the source of honey;

How can the fool know

That samsara and nirvana are one

Though the fragrance of a flower cannot be touched,

‘tis all pervasive and at once perceptible.

So by un- patterned being- in- itself,

recognize the round of mystic circles.