Sahaj Prakash: The Brightness of Simplicity

The book introduces the work of the relatively unknown Hindi devotional poet Sahajo Bai to readers of Indian literature and those interested in Hinduism through the provision of a contemporary translation of her major work Sahaj Prakash. The original text is also given for comparative purposes. Sahajo was a leading disciple of Charandas, one of the great Hindu spiritual masters of eighteenth century Delhi. Her very name suggests “simplicity” , “ease”, and “naturalness”. In accordance with these characteristics, the poetry she wrote is marked by its simplicity of style and its directness of emotional expression. Osho Rajneesh, whose discourses focused new attention on Sahajo Bai’s poetry during the 1970’s has described her as "a very ordinary, simple-hearted woman”, with no pretensions to literary or philosophical greatness. Rajneesh spoke on her work, however, because he believed that “she was awakened”. The style of her poetry is marked by naturalness and directness. Its major themes are human experience, service of the guru, and the company of the holy ones. As the American scholar Daniel Gold has written: “Sahajo’s guru devotion is legendary”. The poetry delicately hints at the complexity of the relationship between the young woman devotee and her powerful Master.