His play knows no end…
no telling what shape He'll take, and when…
How will you understand the Saain's Divine Play?

Water of the Ganga is called Holy.
But it's the same water filling
The puddle on the road we call dirty!
That is how the Saain shapes Himself…
in size with the vessel He fills!

How will you understand the Saain's Divine Play?

He is the room and its occupant,
as well as the thief that steals from it!
He is His own Magistrate,
sentencing Himself to chains!

How will you understand the Saain's Divine Play?

Eternal streams flow out of the One.
You and I are nothing in it, nameless.
Lalon says, "If only I knew 'me,'
all riddles would be solved!"

How will you understand the Saain's Divine Play?

Translated by Sudipto Chatterjee. Sudipto Chatterjee is assistant professor in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, University of California at Berkeley... (more)

Illustrated by Nilanjana Basu. Nilanjana has been regularly illustrating for Parabaas. She is currently based in California.

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* To learn more about the ITRANS script for Bengali, click here .