Deposition by the Political Prisoner (1923)

I have been charged with treason, convicted for treachery against the king, and sentenced to serve as a prisoner of the king.
I find that there are two sides to this case: on one side is the king’s crown; on the other side is the blazing comet of God. The king has delivered his verdict; however, God will also deliver the verdict of truth and justice. On the king’s side are his paid employees; on my side is the king of all kings, the judge of all judges, who represent the eternal truth, the omnipresent God.
No one has employed my Judge. In the eyes of the Supreme Judge, all are treated equally: the king and his subjects, the rich and the poor, the privileged and the unprivileged. On his throne, the king’s crown and the beggar’s “Ektara”are placed side by side. His verdict, not created for any ruling class and not intended for domination, speaks of truth and religion. That ruling, evolved from the realization of truth, renders visible the ultimate and everlasting truth of God of the Universe. The king is represented by the creator’s trifle being, an infinitesimal entity among the entire creation, while I am represented by the creator himself “Rudara,” in his entirety, who is limitless and eternal.
The judge who represents the king works for his own interest and earns money; by contrast, my creator empowers me to establish truth as a means of attaining eternal fulfillment. Whereas the king’s message is as transient as water droplets, my message is as endless as the vast ocean. I am a poet sent by God to reveal His untold truth and revitalize His creation. A poet’s voice is the voice of God and my message is the truth by God. It may be proscribed by the king. But, in the eyes of truth my message does not violate the ruling of truth and justice. Whereas the king may find me guilty, in God’s judgment I am innocent and my message would be saluted as ever-shining, everlasting, unblemished eternal truth.
Truth speaks for itself. No ruling of the king or threatening bloodshot look can stop it. I am the ‘vina’ which plays incessantly and reverberates, proclaiming the everlasting truth. I am God’s vina. Vina may break into pieces, but who will break God? The existence of God is the ultimate truth, and He will be there forever. The person who is trying to destroy and shut the voice of truth is also God’s most insignificant trifle creation. Today he exists only because of God’s wish, he may not even exist tomorrow. Ignorant human suffer from false vanity, want to imprison their own creator and punish Him, but their false vanity will someday drown in their own tears.
To reiterate, I am only an instrument which reveals truth. Some brute force might try to imprison the instrument and destroy it, but who will imprison the one who plays the instrument and delivers the divine message? Who will destroy Him? I am mortal; my God is immortal. I will die, the king will die, other revolutionaries like me speaking of truth have died and many other kings bringing charges of treason against the messenger of truth have died, but it was never possible to imprison His truth and destroy it. He is expressing Himself today and will continue to do so for eternity. Although today my voice is forcefully silenced by the king, it will in the future continue to resonate in someone else’s voice. Even if you take my flute, its melody will never die because I will make another flute to play. The tune comes not from the flute but from my heart. It also comes from the way I make the flute. So, the guilty party is me, one who plays the flute, not the flute or the melody. Just like this, the words that I speak, neither I nor my flute is responsible for it, the one who plays His flute through me is to be blamed. So, I am not the traitor, the main perpetrator is God who plays the flute. There is no power of any king or no other God who can punish Him. Till today there is no police force or prison cell to imprison Him.
The king’s interpreter has translated my words only literally; he has not analyzed their true meaning. His translation, focused on the subject of treason against the king, is only forthe king. My words speak of truth, vigor and life. I am the sword of truth guarding the oppressed people of the world; I am God’s tear. My rebellion is not only against the king but against any type of injustice.
Today I am witnessing that in this courtroom, speaking as a defendant and testifying on the witness stand. Standing with me is God, the omnipresent, the most beautiful one, who has always stood quietly with the prisoners defending the truth. The judge appointed by the king cannot be fair and neutral. Similarly, when fake trials were conducted to crucify Christ and throw Mahatma Gandhi in jail, God was standing quietly with them. The judge could not see Him because his view was obstructed by the king, whose vision was blinded and conscience numbed. Otherwise, he would have trembled, turned pale with fear,and the judge’s bench burnt to ashes.
The judge knows that whatever I wrote and said are not crimes in God’s book nor lies in the eyes of truth. However, he will still probably convict me because his voice is the king’s voice. He does not follow truth; he only follows the law; he is not at liberty to think freely because he is the king’s slave. Yet, I ask this courtroom and this judge, under whose jurisdiction am I being tried? The king’s or God’s?
I am delighted that my judge, who is also a poet, will carry out the trial of a rebel poet. But this senior judge is at the twilight of his journey, while I am being greeted by a bright new trumpet played by the morning sun, inviting me to explore my infinite possibilities. This senior judge is signaled by death and I am ushered in by life. To speculate, I cannot say his evening star and my morning star will ever meet.