Longing for the Yogi¹

Jogiaji nis din joun bat

Beloved Yogi, day and night, longingly do I await You. The path to You is arduous, narrow and hard; my feet find no hold.

When You did come to my town, You found me lacking in my Love. In my ignorance I erred and did not prevail upon You to stay.

For days have I waited, but, oh Yogi, You have not come. Pray, give Your Darshan² now, and quench the raging fire of separation which is scorching my entire being.

Either my beloved Yogi is no more alive in this world, or else He has forgotten me. What am I to do, oh friend, where can I go for solace? Shedding tears in longing my eyes have come to lose their sight.

Oh Yogi, I’m in torment within; remember that I am Your own and come, end my suffering. Mira languishes in agony, without You she writhes like a fish out of water.

Mira Bai

Jogia se preet kiyan dukh hoi

Love for the Yogi leads to sorrow. There’s no pleasure in His Love, for the Yogi is no one’s friend.

Without Thee, oh Yogi, I’m restless; day and night I pine for Thee. In this entire world nowhere have I seen a face as radiant and beautiful as Thine. Thou art Mira’s beloved Lord. Pray, when wouldst Thou meet her? Only on meeting Thee will Mira be happy.

Mira Bai

Jogi mhane daras diya

Oh Yogi! Only Thy darshan will ease my suffering and anguish, else for me life in this world is one of unending misery. Day and night, each moment do I pine and languish without Thee. Insane in my longing for a sight of Thy face, I have wandered searching for Thee in all directions; to no avail. Mira, Thy slave, has grown feeble, and her once dark tresses have turned grey with age.

Mira Bai

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Footnotes: 1) Mira wrote several songs that were addressed to the Yogi – her Master Ravi Das. Full of Love she writes about her search and longing for Him. Out of historical tradition we can notice that her contact to her Master, Ravi Das, was not constant as she often changed abode.

In Rajasthan the term ‘Yogi’ was commonly used to name holy persons. A Saint in terms of the Path of Sant Mat is not to be confused with teachers or scholars of common yoga paths like Raja or Karma Yoga. (For more detailed information on the common yoga paths and the vast difference from the Path of the Saints, the Path of Light and Sound, see the book ‘The Crown of Life,’ by Kirpal Singh, 1894–1974.)

Through a True Saint the Almighty grants the sincere seeker a contact with the Divine Sound and Inner Light. For as it is also written in the Guru Granth Sahib, redemption and escape is only possible through contact with Shabd.

2) To look at a Saint, or to receive a glimpse of Him. The root originates from the Sanskrit word ‘drish’ – to see.