Ya Sai! (Welcome Supreme Soul) Poem by DEEPAK KUMAR PATTANAYAK

Down the memory lane;
Flashes sweet memories of thy glorious days,
When a sun happened to rise in the west
In the remotest western part of India
Rising and rising, never to set in the east.
And the sky of the rest of India overcast
With thy spiritual clouds, dropping down
Rapturous ocean of thy love, glory and blessing.

Then followed auspicious and holy days for all of us;
It all happened one such glorious day,
That around the village of Dhoop,
Seen amidst nearby jungle beneath a mango tree, a Fakir
A beam of sunshine lighting up the darkness of jungle,
Clad in kafni and a cap on thy head and a satka under thy armpit,
Preparing a smoke through chilim……

Sad over the loss of his mare for quite a long time;
Chand Patil walking through the jungle,
Earnestly searching for his precious thing,
Chasing pleasure of finding it very soon,
Over tangled walks and waves,
When suddenly interrupted by an unknown voice,
Like a lightning flashed in the clouds,
Inviting him for pleasure-smoking and a minute’s rest,

Now task of finding the mare out made easier,
When asked to search it in the Nala close by,
By none other than the saintly person, the Fakir,
Then followed miracles after miracles before Chand Patil,
Lost mare found out from nowhere before thy presence,
Water oozed out from the ground before thy presence,
And live burning coal flushed out from the ground before thy presence,
By mere touch of thy fingers,

And spending a few moment in thy presence,
Brought forth a sea of changes within Chand Patil towards divinity….
Prompting him in making a humble request to the Fakir,
‘Come my home and be the Great Guest of mine’!
Happy seeing Him as Guest of his house, Chand Patil,
Again requesting Him to join the marriage party of his nephew to Shirdi,

Restless was Shirdi to catch the glimpses of thy lighted face,
Sad was heart and dull were senses and sleeping were hopes,
For the delay and for the delay of thy feet on the soil of Shirdi,
When at last alighting from the cart, a young Fakir,
Ever smiling and ever dazzling and ever caring,
A fabulous gem and a beam of sunshine and a glowing flame,

Instantly recognized through his power of divine, Mhalsapati,
A priest of Khandoba’s temple was just like a child,
Pure, innocent and with thought undefiled.
And as the love on seeing Him spontaneously outpoured,
Came the greeting from Mhalsapati for the Fakir as loud
As YA SAI! YA SAI! YA SAI!


Note: Meaning of certain local terms.
1-Ya- Welcome
2-Sai- Persian title given to Sufi saints(We regard him as Indian guru, yogi, fakir and as saint and supreme soul)
3-Shirdi- A town in west Indian state of Maharashtra
4- Dhoop- A village near Shirdi
5- Kafni- Long robe
6- Satka- Short stick
7- Chilim- Pipe
8- Chand Patil- A local resident
9-Nala- Brook
10- Mhalsapati- A local temple priest