Aruna

(Rendered from Kannada)

Son of Vinata, charioteer to the Lord of day,
God of unconquerable and unending youth,
Awakener of the universe and giver of joy for ever,
Pure of inner being, haloed in taintless light,
Oh Ruddy One!

When from the egg in which you were growing
You attempted before your time to free yourself,
Bursting your shell,
Your mother, deeply distressed, earnestly warned you:
“Why are you impatient? Take not birth just yet.
“The time for it will come. Listen to me.”
This cry of your anxious mother you heeded not at all
And obstinate, unwilling to suffer delay,
You burst your shell and came out
Wearing a winsome smile on your beautiful young face.

Bright was the face; and shining the cheeks;
Shining were the eyes and the arms like arrows;
Sweet and frolicsome was the smile;
Beauteous the half of you,
But as you came out before your time
Only a half of you was formed without the lower half.
Vinata saw you and was filled with unutterable grief;
She took you to her lord, your father, and placed you at his feet
And said:
“I know not what evil of mine in the past
“Has brought this retribution today,
“I have borne a lame son, I pray you;
“Look on him with grace and save him.
“Garuda, our other son, is servant to Vishnu
“And bears Him through space on his shoulders.
“Shall this son of ours, lacking feet,
“Crawl on the ground to go about?
“What a life were this!

“I have come upon sorrow that is more than I can bear.
“Be gracious and grant me my prayer,
“Grant to this boy the half of the body without which he has taken birth,
“And save the poor little imp.”
Thus praying to your father for grace on your behalf
Vinata looked on your face and was overcome with grief:
“Alas, that a face so winsome and a form so fair to see.
“Should be but a half of a body!
“Woe is me, alas!”

That progenitor of the gods of heaven, your father,
Looked with unperturbed eye on you, and on your noble mother,
And said to her in a voice of perfect peace:
“Grieve not, auspicious one;
“This, our son, even like our other son
“Will take high place in the order
“Of this universe.
“The gods of heaven are youths all without exception
“And count not a single boy among them.
“This son of yours, oh, auspicious, will be the only boy amidst them.
“Because of his beautiful face, captivating the hearts of all who behold him.
“He will be known among the gods as the Ruddy One.
“Cast off fear and return happy.
“In due time they will come and invite him.
“To his allotted task.”

Ere long there came to Vinata and bent in reverence before her
The sons of Aditi, the gods of heaven, all in a body.
“The Sun has agreed,” they said, “to light the three worlds and go round them,
“Time after time, seated in his chariot.
“To sit in front of him and drive the chariot
“Not one of us is fit;
“For not one of us has the high heart, the balance of mind,
“The endurance or the playfulness of boyhood.
“Aruna is high-hearted, balanced of mind and benignant:
“We pray you, mother, please send him for this work.”

“Should the Sun, the moment that he rises, show his powerful ray.
“All living things will take fright and run into shelter
“And grow in darkness uninterrupted, not knowing day from night,
“And the world will stay as created and never see change or progress.

“If Aruna should become the Sun’s charioteer
“And screen the power of his rays of light
“They will be bearable.
“Looking on the smile on Aruna’s face
“The living things of creation will feel reassured
“And will learn to stand the light as it grows in power by noon
“And thus will themselves grow and progress.”

Your mother Vinata,
Listening to the prayer of the gods, O Aruna,
And nothing doubting and without hesitation
Sent you along, to be charioteer to the Sun.
You came then and sat in front of the great Lord of light
And as his charioteer from that moment to this,
Have been driving his car for him.
Going around the three worlds,
Oh boy of the gods, is to you but play.
In this play you go to all the corners of all the worlds,
Oh enthusiastic, delighting living things.

Where in the vast spaces of the firmament the stars
Dance their eternal dance, there you go to them
And join in their dance and thence move down the planes–
They are said to be seven–of the winds that fill the heavens,
And in your course you leap
From universe
To universe;
And skirting past the mount of Meru
You stand on the mounts of another globe­
And so in the course of a day and a night
Yon wander up and down all the planes of the created world
And to all places carry your own spirit of frolicsomeness,
Feeling all the while that all of it is play.
Like little fish floating with larger fish
Motionless in translucent waters,     
Little stars are shining in the sky with the larger stars
With unwinking eye,
When you, like a mischievous youngster
Thrust your fingers amidst them, and they scamper off
In sudden fright,
And from a distance, standing to a side,
They turn to see if they are being pursued.
Sure enough, you are there and frighten them again
And as they run and disappear
You stop and laugh in glee.

As I stand here looking forward to your coming,
I see your clear light
Rise and spread and flood through the leaves
Of the Margosa tree in front, many-branched and motionless,
Till it look a thing of mere lines
And never solid stuff;
And as your light fills space like
Molten gold made thin,
The tree with branch and leaf, suspended within it,
Stands like a peacock limned
With feathers spread out in joy
To see the lightning in the days of rain.

In sweet and pleasing converse and sport with her lover
The beloved spent a half of the night;
And then, reluctant, dropped into sleep;
As towards approach of day she is turning over in her dream
The joy of the earlier hours,
You come and pass between the lids that screen her happy eyes
And touch her gently with your soft rays and wake her
And say: “Noble Lady,
“The darkness is gone and a new day is dawning,”
And as she gets up from her rest
You place on her face the gladsome light that becomes returning day
And go on your way.

Towards dawn, in its nest,
The little bird, asleep in the soft warmth of its mother’s feathers,
Feels hungry and dreams that the mother is feeding it
And, silly creature, lies with open mouth.
To it you come
And stand by the side and “Oh brother,” you say,
“If You lie in sleep like a log and merely open your beak
“Will your hunger be satistied?
“Wake up, O simple one, and chirrup and make some noise.
“Your mother will go and bring something for your little stomach.”

Beside a couple asleep on their couch
In the happiness of new years of life together,
Asleep their little boy lies, a figure cast from out of their love.
Well before the dawn
You fly to where he is
And kiss the little one;
Joyous the young fellow starts
And you play with him for some moments
And tell him, “Oh little flower,
“Wake up your father and mother
“And transport them with joy even as you do me,”
And pass on your way.

In the distance far away, where on the bosom of the sea
Majestic zephyr rests, there you go to him,
And wake him up and say: “Oh wind, upon the earth
“The countless flowers have blossomed in fragrance measureless
“And pure and clear at heart
“Are all awaiting you.
“Go to them with gentle motion as is your daily wont
“And receive from them the tribute of their fragrance.”
As the youthful wind
Goes on this errand to the flowers
You, oh boy eternal, god of being pure
Follow him and see him frolic with the flowers.

Thus in the width of creation to all that is beauteous and sweet
And all that is happy and bright and all in which grace abides,
Oh charioteer of the Sun, you go as each day dawns
Unfailing, and give to them
Your glamour ever new.

You lead all living things from the time when they are young

To love the light.
Though a cripple you wear a smile on your face ever
And, busy in your task of making life rejoice,
You wander up and down the vasty universe
And, making others happy, find your own happiness.

Ruddy One, son of Vinata,
Charioteer to the Lord of day,
Boy, unvanquished and eternal,
Awakener of the universe, granter of eternal bliss,
Mantled in bright and clearest light,
Aruna, place in the hearts of men
That innocent ardour that is all your own,

Touch them with that intelligence unblemished,
And play in these our hearts, removing what is dark.
Delighting thus all life in all the universe
Stay, oh Ruddy One,
Through all eternity.