Dadu Dayal - The one Spirit

art by Alphonse Mucha-1860 1939

Be done with self and worship Hari;
cast off worldly desire in mind and body.
Cherish goodwill towards every living creature;
this, says Dadu, is the sum of religion.
He is the true saint who bears enmity to none;
There is but one Spirit, and he has no enemy.
I have made diligent quest: truly, there is no second.
In every man is the one Spirit,
whether he be Hindu or Muslim.
Both brethren have alike hands and feet, both have ears;
Both brethren have eyes, be they Hindus or Muslims.
When you look in the mirror of ignorance,
there appears to be two;
When error is dispelled and ignorance vanishes,
there is no other?
To whom then will you bear enmity, when there is no other?
He from whose Being all sprang, the same One dwells in all.
In every man is the one Spirit;
hold Him therefore in reverent respect.
Recognize that Spirit in yourself and others;
it is the manifestation of the Lord.
Why give pain to any when the indwelling Rama is in every man?
0 revered Self, give peace and contentment;
For there is none but Thee in all the three worlds.
When the soul perceives the Self, then are all souls brethren;
Give your heart to Him who is the Creator of all.
When a dog wanders into a palace of mirrors,
it sees its own reflection everywhere, and begins barking.
See how the One has likewise become many,
and angrily seeks to destroy itself.
All souls are brother-souls, the offspring of one Womb;
Consider this truth! Who, then, is the other, 0 foolish man?
All came in one likeness; it was the Lord who sent them;
They have all taken different names, and thus become separate.
Worship the divine Self, and bear hatred toward none;
In this worship you will find peace, in hatred only sorrow.

Dadu , (1544-1603), saint from Rajasthan