Hethe Poems

Benign Goddess ‘Maasi Hethe’

by

Dr.R.K.Haldorai,
(haldoraitamil@gmail.com)

 

1. Beacon-light

We have all come here with pure mind Let us sing in praise of Hethe
We are presented clothes, water and food
Hethai is reputed for Her magnanimity
She is the foremost among noble women
She is the beacon light of our race.

2. Glory

Glory to You, Oh ‘Maasi Hethe’
We are singing Your praise
To unburden our ego
Your zeal towards Your devotees
Is so well renounced
Your glory defies our comprehension
Glory to You Oh ‘Maasi Hethe’

3. Contentment

When we sing the glory of Maasi Hethe
We shall not indulge in gossip
Nor perform actions which are taboo
Of alms and gifts, we shall give liberally
We shall follow the path of a life
Of contentment and happiness
We sing the glory of Maasi Hethe

4. Ordained deed

Approach Hethe with pure mind and body
Worship Her with fresh and fragrant flowers
Sing Her praise and meditate on Her
Sins of our ordained birth will be extinguished
Done without intention will fade away
Like cotton is reduced to ashes in a fire

5. Mercy

Oh Hethe, Oh Goddess Mother
Our condition is the lotus without sun
Fish without water, crops without rain
Infant without mother, ‘hatty’ (hamlet) without people
For our existence, we pray,
We beseech your mercy

6. Bestow heath

Oh the queen of all womankind
The mother to the ocean of honey
The beautiful garden and fragrant flowers
The tasty fruits and its essence
The divine mother and our spiritual pursuit
The presiding goddess of the society
Oh Maasi Hethe, Oh simple and sweet
Bestow complete health to your devotees.

7. Existence

If Thou art, there is empire
There are insignia of royalty
There are innumerable treasures
There is gold studded umbrella
There is continuous seasonal rain
There is superfluous fine harvest
Hethe, if Thou art not
Will all these things exist?

8. Festival

Brother, come here, prepare for oblation
Sister, go in, get ready for prayer
Daughter, be joyful, mother, lit the lamp
Joyous Hethe festival has come
‘how how’ sound filled the air.

9. Glance

Oh Mother ‘Maasi Hethe’, you are
The perfect union of thought, word and deed
You are the great light of ‘naaku betta’
We have sought refuge at your feet
With union of thought, word and deed
Won’t you favour us with just a glance?

10. Make me whole

Righteousness, Oh Hethe, is Thy will
This is how You wanted it to be
Save Thy slave who has erred
Lead me in the path of truth
Help me, open my soul
Drive out the impurity, from my heart
Help me, make me whole
Make me truly in Thine image
Make me whole with Thy purity

11. Show me the path

Life is an empty vessel without Thy guidance
Oh Hethe, I believe in Thy purity
Make me see reason, I am weak
I myself am guilty of my sins
I believe in the sublimity of Thy design
Rule over me in the glory of Thy name
Rule over me and direct my steps
I shall be saved from the thorny path
Show me the path which I must follow

12. Right path

Oh Hethe, Thy will be done
It was Thou that created me
In Thine own image and likeness
My every action is determined Thy will
By Thy will, keep me remain disciplined
That will provide so smooth life
For peace, show me the right path

13. Purity

Our goddess is indeed Maasi Hethe
Badagas’ songs are to celestial Hethe
Fine indeed is our serfdom to Her
Symbol of purity is Her white garment
Wash out the taints to embrace Her feet
Discarding pride let us recognise Her

14. Exemplary beauty

Fine greenery gives beauty to hill
Discipline lane gives beauty to ‘hatty’
Good virtue gives beauty to woman
Full moon gives beauty to the sky
Natural spring gives beauty to valley
For Thy devotees, Maasi Hethe
Full white dress gives exemplary beauty

15. Grace

Like the bright moon is the face of Maasi
Hethe is a damsel of exuberant beauty
And of extremely thick tress
Her cool-moon like face showers grace
To rid miseries pay obeisance
With pure ash shining on their fore heads
Badagas are the recipient of Thy grace

16. Contemplation

Instead of contemplating Your feet day and night
To the exclusion of all other thoughts, Oh my mother
Shall I, brood shedding this body on earth
And on, entering the heaven of your feet
Fine indeed is my serfdom to You

17. Prostrate

So powerful is the word of Hethe
By it poison can be converted into ambrosia
The dead restored to life
Mountain can be moved
The sun made to stand still in heaven
A tigress yield herself to be milked
With heart melting love and joined palms
Fall prostrate before the divine mother

18. Good life

An heir is the cherished diamond of the home
Sweet chastity is the ornament of a wife
Slender nose is the gracious jewel of the face
Sacred shrine is the finial of a village
Magnanimous heart is the gem of a human
Paying worship to Hethe is crown of a good life

19. Little favour

Mother, I would not call for help
Father, I would not call for help
I had rested content
That the Hethe alone would suffice for me
Therefore, Oh Hethe do remember me and say
‘Here is a fellow needing my grace’
And now and then do show me a little favour

20. Impartiality

Oh my heart, She does not say something
With her tongue and does something other
She does not make distinctions Such as our people or other or rich or poor
She does not flatter
It is this very person
The Hethai abiding in ‘Beraganni’
Abounding in golden crops producing fields
Twitter birds and forests

21. Mother’s mother

Please, You consider that those
Who cherish and praise Your feet
Let them receive what they pray for
People who have no support other than You
Are longing for Your motherly affection
To show god is a solicitous mother
You took the mother’s mother (Hethe) form

22. Duty

Our duty is to do service unto You And rest content And Your duty is to support us Oh mother, mine sweet to my soul When we lie weary with hunger Come with a basin containing delicious food And wake up and serve us the food with pleasure

23. Knower

Oh mother of the universe Oh virtue one, Oh pure one Oh limpid honey, Oh water of life Oh redeemer of the world What is to be desired for, You know best What is desired for, You give in full

24. Dispenser of mercy

Oh dispenser of mercy Who is sweet to contemplate Oh ‘Nunduva’ Hethe Heart melting with love We praise You ecstatically With showers of fresh flowers Please bear with the unwitting offence Of these lowly fellows

25. Eradication miseries

Oh mother of mothers, You are The awe-inspiring lovely dame The embodiment of prosperity-promoting mercy The first cause of everything The one who gave birth to the wisdom And the seven worlds The mother of all arts The mother-father of all beings Eradicate the misery of mankind

26. Sever the bonds

She is the world She is the succour She is the effulgence She is the heavenly one On worshipping Her golden feet Well-establishing them in the heart Destroy the hardships of life And sever the bonds of death and birth

27. Wealth

Those who sing Her praises Day and night perpetually Those who contemplate Her name In sleep and when not sleeping Those who see Her form in everything With melting heart and with compassion Day after day they are provided wealth

28. Sacred feet

Realizing the impermanence of worldly life Perform charities to utmost Meditate on nothing other than Her feet Sightless would we be, unless We see nothing but Her sacred feet Oh virtuous one to Your feet we come Oh virtuous one who abide in ‘Nunthuva’

29. Redemption

Oh men eminent in goodness Come and surrender to Hethe Oh women sincere in chastity Praise the feet of the celestial being Past deeds will be powerless to affect She came to redeem the world Do service unto your neighbours To avert the repeated birth and death Meditate in heart on our goddess Hethe

30. Righteous path

Oh the munificent one Oh the perfection of the righteous conduct We are redeemed by Your descent That, it is Your compassion for humanity Before Your name all the ‘mantras’ are ineffective Success and failure are Your doings

Removal of sin is sole purpose You came and redeemed the world Tread the righteous path is our aim Dispel the dark to see the path

31. Happy life

Oh goddess virgin Hethe Oh goddess of perfection Your name is ever sweet Like the taste of limpid honey You have reached the place That cannot be described It is Your wish to remove all evils And pave the path of goodness And enable all to attain True and happy life

32. Worship

Thy grace is everywhere as the fullness of peace Thy love is endless as the expanse of knowledge Thy manifest is myriad as the countless creeds Thy impartiality is firm as the must of demise Thy support is sure as the victory of truth Thy compassion is everywhere as the spread of light Visible phenomena is the expanse of Thy spirit Mind cannot grasp, speech cannot define Let us worship Hethe to satisfy the soul

33. Gratitude

Long live Masi Hethe, long live almighty Hethe the righteous for unrighteous All things work together for good May we not only to speak future heavens Let us have heaven of virtue here itself You do all things well, and we trust in You For all You ever gave us For everything beloved You granted for us We worship with gratitude

34. Benefit

The strength of kindness is Hethe’s abode The apparel of forbearance is Her robe The purity of thought is Her seat The firmness of truth is Her temple Let all take their stand on this and benefit

35. Right path

Oh Hethe, Thy will be done It was Thou that created me In Thine own image and likeness My every action is determined Thy will By Thy will keep me remain disciplined That will provide smooth life For peace, show me the right path

36. Perception

Oh, our goddess ‘Nunduva’ Hethe You are gracious and spotless indwelling gem You are ever beaming with grace of light Grant us the acquaintance of good men Help us shun the company of vicious men Make us extol Your radiant glory Tread us with thoughts concentrated Your feet Attune us words and deeds are not at variance And even guard us against uttering falsehood Grant us true perception and Your grace