Understanding ( Bododaya )

 Bodhodaya ( Understanding )

A poem in english by

N Banerjee 

01.02.2025

Such a fool am I, I don't understand neglect;

Who pays heed to the rustling of leaves?

Sitting at life's end, I seek nothing more;

Giving and receiving are all the same - all secondary and external.

Such a simpleton that doesn't even understand disregard;

It's just the twilight of youth; the whole night remains,

Perhaps that's why it doesn't even seek dawn;

I keep the insignificant, the substantial, and the worthless all mixed up.

I know and understand, that's why I endure;

When I was valuable, I was easily available,

Perhaps for that very reason, the field is now desolate;

Foreign liquor is now considered genuine local ghee.

Am I not terribly foolish! I see and laugh;

Sitting on the bed, I look at the sky,

Even the sky now seems stale to me;

I give new names to the sun, moon, and stars.

The fool has endless faults; so do I,

My prideful chest becomes even harder,

Apart from this, I have no other virtues;

Though I have one mouth, I don't have seven eyes.

No one is to blame - neither you nor I;

Actions happen according to fate; everything is the result of karma,

Who is responsible? The fire or the hot plate?

Stretching out my two feet on the bed, I ponder endlessly.

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