Dohas are spontaneous songs of spiritual experience, celebration, and prayer. They often contain spiritual teachings. The dohas of teachers are sometimes sung by students as part of their sadhana. Dohas have existed since ancient times in traditions from both India and Tibet.
Shambhavi started producing dohas during a personal retreat. As she says, “Dohas are intimate self-expressions at the same time that they speak about the essence of existence and waking up.”
lyrics
My home is the sandalwood palace
where dakinis dance and mantras flow
where crystalline bells greet my ears
and jasmine scents the air.
Flags of gemstone lights fly high
Fountains of amrita bathe the dancers’ feet
Mahasiddhas, Devas, and Buddhas
come to watch the magical display
The road to the sandalwood palace
cannot be found on any map
My merciful teacher points the way
to that profound destination in the heart.
In the center of the sandalwood palace
She sits on a golden throne
Her laughter is a river
enticing all to enter the stream.
In the beginning I was lost and lonely
so far from my sandalwood home
but my merciful teacher she showed me,
my self and the palace are one.
My goodness, my Guru, my diamond heart.
Alive in all beings in time and space.
Now I see you even in inanimate things.
You exist beyond any concept of that.
I won’t look for palaces in the heavens
or fear imagined hells below
I won’t waste my life lamenting circumstance
I enjoy the magical display.
Taking refuge in the sandalwood palace,
the heart of my Guru’s heart,
attachments to karma, samsara, and nirvana
fall away, fall away, fall away.
Lyrics and music by Shambhavi Sarasvati.
