Attention

In this song, saint Namdev uses symbolism to emphasis the need for attention on the Divine during daily life. A variant of this poem has been refered to by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in several talks (eg. 1990-0506, 1995-0716, and others):

The name Ram has entered my heart,
placing a golden scale within.

A man makes a paper kite and flies it in the sky.
And though he keeps talking to his friends,
his mind is on the string.

The perfect princess balances a pot full of water on her head.
Laughing and joking she claps her hands.
[But] her mind is on the pitcher.

There is a house with ten doors [the subtle body]
from which the cows [the five senses] go to pasture.
Wandering, a cow grazes for ten miles, [but] her mind is on the calf.

The child lies in the cradle and the mother works in her room.
[But] her mind is on the child.
Listen to me Trilochan*,
Says Namdev.


*Trilochan was a contemporary of Namdev, originally from the Sholapur district of what is now Maharashtra. Little is known of him.

Source: The Hindi Padavali of Namdev: a critical edition of Namdev's Hindi songs with translation and annotation [by] Winand M.Callewaert and Mukund Lath (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1989)