An Asian Te Deum

We praise you O God
We acknowledge your sovereignty

The whole universe

and that which is beyond it worship you
For you is the source of all things
For even the sunyatta, the void

To you all people cry aloud

And also in silence
For you, and in you,
and through you is our liberation
The heaven, the mukti, the nirvana

The nature and the non-nature

continually cry to you saying
Harmony, harmony, and harmony

Lord God of every world

The heaven, the mukti
and the nirvana are full
Of the majesty of your glory
For you are our mother and our father

The glorious company of the rasuls,

your messengers praise you
The noble fellowship of the nabis,
your prophets praise you
All the rishis, the sages
All the tirthankaras, the ford-makers
All the buddhas, the enlightened ones
All the mystics
and the activists of today and yesterday
Bring you glory

The ‘wholly’ people all over the world

Acknowledge you
Not only by their affirmations
but also by their denials

God, invisible, immortal, and infinite

You always manifest
through the visible, mortal and finite

O God, the transcendent

You are always near
Even nearer than our own jugular vein

O God you are the ruler

The eternal source of all life and no-life

O God you are responsible for

Both zahir, the appearance of the world
And batin, the inner secret
Both sacred and the profane
Are always yours

O God you are not only the Lord of all

But also the servant

Manifesting in all

And serving all, and through all

We therefore pray to you

To help us discern you
and acknowledge your sovereignty

O God

Save your creation
And bless your handiwork
Govern and guide them forever

Help us to magnify you

Every day and every night
Not merely by our words
but by our deeds as well
For the deeds are more authentic
than the words

Inspire us always to worship you

with true worship
And always to respect
and do justice to our fellow humans

Prevent us from bringing

disharmony in your creation
Help us to affirm
selfhood and create dialogue
between selves

O God, have mercy on us

And teach us to have mercy on others

Let your love and mercy

over-flow in our hearts
And steer our lives
in the siratal mustaqim, the straight path
For our trust is in you and you alone
 

17.11.1985

Note: This was published earlier in more than one place. Here the lines are modified to fit the format of the blog.