johnw@farside.eng.ready.com (John Wheeler) (06/18/91)
This humorous song was written by the sage Ramana Maharshi for his
mother. In it, the recipe for making poppadum (a type of Indian bread
or cracker) is used as a metaphor for the spiritual path. The original
is in Tamil verse. This is a verse translation by a western devotee of
the sage.
Song of the Poppadum by Ramana Maharshi
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No need about the world to roam
And suffer from depression.
Make poppadum within the home
According to the lesson
Of "Thou Art That," without compare,
The unique word unspoken.
'Tis not by speech it will declare,
That silence is unbroken
Of him who is the adept sage, the great apotheosis,
With his eternal heritage of Being-Awareness-Bliss.
Make poppadum and after making fry,
Eat, so your craving you may satisfy.
The grain which is the black-gram's yield,
The so-called "self" or "ego,"
Grown in the body's fertile field
Of five-fold sheaths, put into
The roller-mill made out of stone,
Which is the search for Wisdom
(The "Who am I?"). 'Tis thus alone
The self will find it's freedom.
This must be crushed to finest dust
And ground up into fragments
As being the "non-self," and so must
We shatter our attachments.
Make poppadum and after making fry,
Eat, so your craving you may satisfy.
Mix in the juice of square-stemmed vine-
This is association
With holy men. With this combine,
Within the preparation,
Some cumin seed of inward-mind
And pepper of refraining
>From outward search through the senses. Grind
with them some salt, which is remaining
Indifferent to the world we see,
With condiment of leanings
Toward virtuous unity--
These are their different meanings.
Make poppadum and after making fry,
Eat, so your craving you may satisfy.
The mixture into dough now blend
And on the stone then place it
Of the mind (by tendencies hardened)
And without ceasing baste it
With heavy strokes of the "I-I,"
Delivered with the pestle
Of inward mind, and slowly
the mind will cease to wrestle.
Then roll out with the pin of peace
Upon the slab of Brahman.
Continue effort without cease
With energetic elan.
Make poppadum and after making fry,
Eat, so your craving you may satisfy.
The poppadum, or soul, is now fit
To put into the fry pan,
(The one infinite symbol, it,
Of the Great Silence) which can
be first prepared by putting in
Some clarified fresh butter
Of the Supreme, and now begin
To heat it till it sputter.
On wisdom's self-effulgent flame
Fry poppadum, I, as That,
Enjoying, all alone the same,
Which bliss we ever aim at.
Make poppadum and after making, eat--
Of perfect peace you will be replete.