Big Blue Marble

I have a big blue marble in a cloth bag.
It rattles around by many other marbles.
For now, only this one belongs to me;
The extra marbles belong to my friends.

Sometimes I meet with my friends for a game.
We each take a marble from my cloth bag;
Our fingers trace a circle on the dirt below.
Clicking the marbles with our thumbs, we play.

Innocent delight in a game with friends
It is not to be laughed at or ridiculed.
The joy of our spirits goes unobserved
By candor-defeating closed-minded fools.

I think I could play marbles forever,
But friends increase faster than marbles!
It may be I will have to learn to share
But I do not fear, for I will learn this.

Jesus too has a big blue marble, earth!
It is a marble He shares with Krishna,
Rama, Mohammed, Buddha, the Mother.
All these rule over the souls of earth.

Are they the same or are they different?
Who can ask this question but the wise?
They are all one and the same being,
For Brahman has visited Earth often.

Brahman incarnates Himself on earth,
Appearing in the body of a human.
Only by the wise is He recognized.
The ignorant say, “He is just like us.”

This being is not a Self-realized man.
He is not an enlightened man or guru.
He is the Almighty Brahman Himself,
Born for the redemption of man.

This being does not have a human soul.
His soul is huge, like the shining sun above.
With a smile, He descends to human speech.
With a twinkling eye, He pretends to be a man.

Who can tell the subtle difference?
Between an incarnation and a saint?
To the Avatar, it is plain and obvious.
To mankind, it is obscure and hidden.

Even saints fail to recognize an Avatar,
Who bows to them in true humility.
Witnessing everything as part of Himself,
The incarnation is duly self-effacing.

It is His play, His Lila, and this He enjoys.
Why should He make a show in His world?
The people will take care of themselves.
The Avatar keeps Himself out of their way.

If you can recognize an incarnation,
If the fragrance of Her being charms you
And the radiance of Her smile warms you,
You will become enlightened in a second.

Pay homage to an Avatar in your heart
And She assumes the role of Brahman,
Guiding and assuring you on the way
Until you too attain the blissful Self.

The incarnation is the personal God.
To Her offer all worship and oblation.
Worship Brahman through this Person
And you will quickly attain nirvana.

Brahman Himself is cold and hard.
He is impersonal and does not care
If you fall and hurt yourself badly
Due to his unfailing law of gravity.

The incarnation will kiss your wounds,
And shed real tears at your bedside.
Until from your fall you are recovered,
From within She will hold your hand.

Love the incarnation with all your strength
And She will speed your feet along the path.
She will lessen your pains, increase your joys,
And reveal Herself as your own Self at last.

Serve the incarnation with all your might,
And She will quickly grant you liberation
From the endless cycle of birth and death.
Once free, you never will be bound again.

It is said that in deep meditation
The chosen ideal reveals Himself.
This is true, and you may choose any
Of the real incarnations for this.

It is said that loving a real incarnation
You are only loving your own true Self.
This is true, and you may choose any
Of the real incarnations for this.

It is said that serving a real incarnation
You are truly serving your own interests.
This is true, for the Self is the source of joy.
Attain the Self, and your joy will not end.

The incarnation serves mankind
By personifying the Self.
Finding one, find the other.
Finding both, live in freedom.

The incarnation serves mankind
By personifying the Self.
Finding one, find the other.
Finding both, live in wisdom.

The incarnation serves mankind
By personifying the Self.
Finding one, find the other.
Finding both, live in ecstasy.