Thousand Petals of the Lotus – Kabir, Rabindranath Tagore
I. 58. bâgo nâ jâ re nâ jâ
“Do not go to the garden of flowers!
O Friend! go not there;
In your body is the garden of flowers.
Take your seat on the thousand petals of the lotus, and there gaze on the Infinite Beauty.”
Written by Kabir and translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Page 317, ‘Songs of Kabir’ Chapter, The Complete Works of Rabindranath Tagore
Page 59 – 60, One Hundred Poems of Kabir, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, Assisted by Evelyn Underhill
We deeply bow down to this quote and allow our practice to flow from here. Keep your attention on the top of your head till you feel sensations on top, the touch of air on your head, and a pressure felt from above acting on our head which could be soft or with force. Keep your awareness and breath stationed here and ‘sight see’ into the vastness and height of consciousness living above head. Wait till ranges of beautiful colours, images and Divine Presences open up. Wait for the sound of silence and peace to open up. Wait for all other infinite qualities present, whatever you find here on earth their sources live above and descends into us, into nature and into the world. May this practice be a companion for us each day. Slowly the thousand petals lotus will be in bloom for us in our own way by Grace.
We normally live inside our head, emotions, feelings or sensations. It would indeed be a yogic life in the practical world if we can learn to keep our awareness on top of our head turned to above and think, talk, write and act from there. We will be then open to a new consciousness and a new life.
Now stationed above connect to a thousand different tiny points / cells across our body. In the beginning this would appear difficult. Gently persist in your sadhana and keep your attention within all parts of your body simultaneously. This is a beautiful posture now. We are seated on top of our head open to above and we are also present within our body. Slowly relax all the points / cells and let them be receptive to soak in and receive and hold the Beautiful Qualities that keep opening up above our head and flowing into us.
We can also be stationed above and connect to all our chakras, one by one and then simultaneously, allowing them to flower in the Light and Beauty of the Consciousness above.
Foot Note:
Rabindranath Tagore, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo knew each other. Rabindranath Tagore met Sri Aurobindo in 1928. An interested reader can read about their meeting in: