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Cast off all shame

by Janabai
(1298 - 1350?) Timeline

English version by
Vilas Sarang

Original Language
Marathi

Yoga / Hindu : Vaishnava (Krishna/Rama)
14th Century

Cast off all shame,
and sell yourself
in the marketplace;
then alone
can you hope
to reach the Lord.

Cymbals in hand,
a veena upon my shoulder,
I go about;
who dares to stop me?

The pallav of my sari
falls away (A scandal!);
yet will I enter
the crowded marketplace
without a thought.

Jani says, My Lord,
I have become a slut
to reach Your home.

 

 

-- from Women Writing in India: 600 BC to the Present: Volume 1, Edited by Susie Tharu / Edited by K. Lalita

Amazon.com

 


 
 
 
 
 


Recommended Books


Images of Women in Maharashtrian Literature and Religion, Edited by Anne Feldhaus
Women Saints in World Religions, Edited by Arvind Sharma
Women Writing in India: 600 BC to the Present: Volume 1, Edited by Susie Tharu / Edited by K. Lalita

 

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Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2009 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.