Homage to Krishna
Ah, my God, I see all gods within your body;
Each in his degree, the multitude of creatures;
See Lord Brahma enthroned upon his lotus;
See all the sages, and the holy serpents.Universal Form, I see you without limit,
Infinite of arms, eyes, mouths, and bellies —
See, and find no end, midst, or beginning.
Crowned with diadems, you wield the mace and discus,
Shining every way — the eyes shrink from your splendor
Brilliant like the sun; like fire, blazing, boundless.
You are all we know, supreme, beyond man's measure,
This world's sure-set plinth and refuge never shaken,
Guardian of eternal law, life's Soul undying.
Birthless, deathless; yours the strength titanic,
Million-armed, the sun and moon your eyeballs,
Fiery-faced, you blast the world to ashes.
From The World's Wisdom, edited by Philip Novak (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995). Used by arrangement with HarperSanFrancisco, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
