QnA-8

Q: What is bhakti ?
A: Having that and being reminded by that continuously that you are “having that ” causes an emotional upheaval in your system. Know that upheaval to be Bhakti.

Satya

सत्य की अभिलाषा से उसने जाना ,

सत्य की असली परिभाषा 

निराशा 

घोर, घोर, निराशा 

Shabad- sansar samunde taar govinde

शायद चाहता था वो किसी जमाने में तरना,
नहीं चाहता पर अब वो जीना
नहीं चाहता मरना

Gorakh Kalyan

Took some time find to this version on youtube, since the others are less tranquilizing. Bhimsen Joshi.

Roop Pahata Lochan

Considering the fact this Abhang has been sung by Asha Bhonslae and then by Pt. Bhimsen joshi, it has already been stamped with signatures of two of India's leading voices. That said, I think Ranjani Gayathri have done good justice to this Abhang. The treatment is very classical and yet it retains the sounds and rhythms of bahjan setting. Full marks and very well done. R-G have praised a lot on this blog already. I hope this shall continue :) 

Roop pahata lochani sukh jahale wo sajani
to ha vitthal barwa to ha madhav barwa
bahuta sukrutachi jodi mahanoni vittal awdhai
sarv sukhacha aagar baap rakhumadeviwar

Love story

Strange is this love story.
he has fallen in love,
and he is crest-fallen.
And in his utter submissive surrender,
he is dying,
he is lying,
stomped.

Tragedy or travesty of hope
what would you call his pursuit?

Strange is this love story.

Baand preeti phool

Subah Subah, bhayyia pointed me to this song in Jaijaiwanti. Touching and very sweet. I guess its a very young lata singing there. Music is by Sudhir Phadke. SJ has uploaded Sudhir kaka's version too. Which is also excellent! Esp. where he says "door jaana naa" it lends itself to a very emotive high point. Normally I try to follow lyrics, but here the music simply stole the show and I just couldnt! Youtube also has a similar rendition of jaijaiwanti by Pt. jasarj. I am putting up here only lata and phadke's. You can search for Jasraj's one.

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Vedana

देख रहा है वो भीतर
वेदना में टूटते हुए
पल पल तुमको फूटते हुए

Ratan Mohan sharma and SHankar Mahadevan

I dont think much of Shankar Mahadevan. Barring a few songs like Man Udhan varyache(age bai agarcha) and his performances with Shakti-band, I have no great memories of him. So when I saw him teaming up with Pt. Ratan Mohan Sharma, one of the most acclaimed disciples of Pt. Jasraj(besides Pt. Sanjeev Abhayankar ofcourse) I was rather surprised.

They are singing a  Beautiful kritti - tarak brahma swarupini- a beautiful amalgamation of Hindustani/Carnatic sytles. The opening is heavenly too, very dhrupad style(to my ears that is!). Its so sweet and it moved me so much that if yours truly had any power I would confer the title of Pt./Vidwan on Shankar Mahadevan. Anyway, does he need any title after singing like that? :) :) :)

Absolutely thrilling, do watch and enjoy. Raag is Yaman(sakhi e ri aali piya bina), I could catch the pakad easily. Do comment if you know more about kritti or this program in general where was this telecast/when etc.

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Part 1

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Part 2

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Hor vi nevaan Ho

This is a popish-folkish song by a Pakistani band called Noori. Vocals are by Ali Hamza. Has lots of good intrumental sounds, espcially the Veena which is being played by mother of Ali Hamza. I had no idea that veena is still being played in Pakistan. Even in hindustani classical, veena has sort of receded in the background and sitar maestros are ruling the scape thanks to Amir khusro(?). Mridang also has met a similar fate thanks to Tabla. Veena is still dominant in the carnatic though.

What I dont like is towards the end it becomes very pop-ish and noisy. Mebbe I am disconnected with this generation's music ;)

Burn

He doesnt care about the light anymore
All he knows is
That he is in darkness
and he is burning.

Dying

I might have wanted you
but, I have stopped trying

You are killing me,
But I am anyway dying. 

Ismaili poetry

Ismailism is a subsect of Shia islam. It has a deep mystical angle which I will describe sometime later. The Ismaili Pirs who travelled in the subcontinent created a unique poetry style called Ginan. The syncretic tendency of Pirs also allowed their identification with the Bhakti movement. Even in the poetry you find lots of elements of Vedic and Islamic tradition. You can find more about it on the web. Here is beautiful Ginan sung by Abida Parvin.




Note: The Ginan starts at 1.10, the beginning of clip is also a famous and beautiful quawwali, Ali Maula.

Thoughts

Not through thought
and no thought
is also a thought

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Mindfull I am
of the mind
and the no-mind
full of mind

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I hate to think
I love to think that I hate to think
I am damned to think

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Poem: Thinking

मस्जिद में कभी कभी जाता है
पर वो इबादत नहीं कर पाता है
पर नाहक नही वो सर झुकाता है
वो तो बस सर जमीन पर लगाता है
जब उसका सर थक जाता है

Ramadaan

Here is the famous composition.

This reminds of the Upanishad, brahmavid brahmaiv bhavati ;) lol

Poem: Vismay

खाये जा रहा है मुझे
हर समय
जीवन
और जीवन के प्रति विस्मय

Ustad shahid parvez - Khamaaj

Surah Fatiha

Faure nocturne 2

Deh devache mandir Tukaram

Now tulram is tricking us here ;) which one will you all trust ?
1. Deha devache mandir(body is god's temple) (in sanskrit..  Deho devalaya prokto)
OR
2. Shariiram vyaadhi mandiram (body is temple of dis-ease)

This reminds of this incident where someone goes to ramana and says shariiram vyadhi mandiram and Ramana quips, Body is not temple of disease, body itself is a disease.

Mahadeva Maheshwar

Hands of Benares

What joy it is to see, unarguably the best tabla player in the world, showing the sheer magic of "काशी के हाथ".
Enjoy.
 
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this was posted some time ago.

Raghuwar tumko meri laaj - Ankahee

Only a genius like Pt. Jaidev can select another genius like Pt. Bhimsen and turn a tulasidas bhajan into a memorable movie song. So much so, that this movie, fetched the national award for best music in 1985. Look at how it is sung by Bhimsenji, this is supposed to be a Bhakti song, devotional, emotional and filled with pathos....right?. Instead he transforms it into a shastriya master piece, with his taans and gamaks! What to do ? Call a "Pandit" to sing it and he is gonna leave the indelible mark of his "Paanditya" on it, Simple :) 

Some time ago, I was trying to find this song online on youtube, since I couldnt find any, I decided to upload it myself on youtube. I sent mp3's to my friend and asked him to do it for me. Thanks Pradyu, you rock.

Btw this is from the movie Ankahee. It is an extraordinary movie. Movie depicts a confused Amol Palekar, unable to choose between his heart which wants his sweet-heart, and his head which brings him to make an unreasonable choice.

The other song is also my fav. :) Thumak Thumak pag kumad kunj mag, chapal charan hari aaye. Hear this carefully, and tell me can ANYONE sing this song now, apart from Bhimsenji himself? ANYONE?

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Nirbhay nirgun gaaonga

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need to translate sometime. Kabir-Kumarji !

Wavin' Flag - K'naan

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When I'll get older
I'll be stronger
they'll call me freedom 
Just like a wavin flag
and then it goes back
and then it goes back

Born to a throne
stronger than Rome
but violent prone
poor people zone
but its my home
all I have known
where I got grown
streets we would roam

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Another version is here

Allah hoo

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Traditional sufi folk music from Punjab(pak). The instrument this artist is using is called Toomba, its a variation of ek-taara the one stringed instrument used by wandering sanyasis. The artist is Saieen Zahoor, who was singing at sufi shrines and was recently discovered(so to speak) by the connected(dis-connected) modern world. You can google and learn more about his interesting life story.

jin haq(truth) da raaj dikhaaya hai 
una jhoot mana farmaaya hai

Mrityu

If I die,
will I die?

Kabir and kumar gandharva

Here is a beautiful documentry on Kabir and kumar gandharva. It presents kabir as a living tradition in north india. Documentry also sheds good light on how our favoraite singer kumarji opened himself to the world of Nirguan nirakaar. The adversities he faced in life found a natural orifice in the sublime depth of kabir's words.


Its a must watch! Suddenly it reminds me of the book I had read recently, "bend in the sarayu" and author's accounts of encountering the rustic india, the mystical india, the india which creates, the unread-scholars, the de-sanskritized poets etc. etc. I want to watch a similar movie or film on Vemana. Any clue you can give me? Nari? Ramaji ? 

Find the link here

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thanks so much... uttara for this.

Kaushalyache vinato shele

It has been 3 days now and I have been listening to this marathi bhajan, day in and day out. Last night I was taking help of my marathi friends to get it translated(thanks amit, mandar). The whole exercise ran into late night. Little did I know, that the coming day, will be Ram Navmi. And then when I woke up to see chat messages of my friends stating happy ramnavmi, a big Aha happened.

So here is that beautiful Marathi bhajan. The bhajan describes how effortless-action happens when surrender flowers in a being. The energy flow is so spontaneous and conflict-free that to a doer(bhakta) it appears as if work happens by itself. Here the bhajan takes the example of Kabir(who was a weaver) and how Rama himself wove the cloth for him. It could also mean sense non-doership. Later bhajan takes a mystical turn, and I dont want to talk abt that now. For pointers on that see here. I have put up the text and its english-translation.

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कबिराचे विणतो शेले, कौसल्येचा राम
भाबड्या या भक्तासाठी, देव करी काम !
Kaushalya's Rama, weaves cloth for Kabir
For an artless devotee(bhakta), divine performs action.

एक एकतारी हाती, भक्त गाई गीत
एक एक धागा जोडी, जानकिचा नाथ
With an ektara(one stringed instrument) in hands, the devotee sings
And, Janaki's lord weaves one thread into another(weaves cloth)
राजा घनःश्याम !
Ghanshyam the ruler

दास रामनामी रंगे, राम होइ दास
एक एक धागा गुंते, रूप ये पटास
the servant(devotee) has been hued with/by Rama's name and Rama has become servant (he is doing his servants job!)
one by one, one thread after another, this cloth takes shape
राजा घनःश्याम !
Ghanshyam the ruler

विणुन सर्व झाला शेला, पूर्ण होइ काम
ठायि ठायि शेल्यावरती, दिसे रामनाम
Having woven in its entirety, the job accomplished
every-where on the cloth I see the name of rama(Rama wove it after all! so he left his mark :-) )
राजा घनःश्याम !
Ghanshyam the ruler

हळु हळु उघडी डोळे, पाहि तो कबीर
विणूनिया शेला गेला, सखा रघुवीर
Kabir opens his eyes slowly and slowly
(and finds that)Rama the friend, left after weaving the cloth
कुठे म्हणे राम ?
where is Rama ?
---------गीत-ग. दि. माडगूळकर
संगीत-पु. ल. देशपांडे
स्वर-माणिक वर्मा
चित्रपट-देव पावला (१९५०)
राग-यमन (नादवेध

Gopi geet part 3

And this comes closest to the one I heard. As the vachak says, Shukha himself becomes the 19th gopi.

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Gopi geet part2

And I found more renditions on youtube! Yahoooo! Serendipity!
Here is the one which looks more like the ones I had head. What joy! I think i can guess why these people are crying :) It seems I have to write something on gopi geet now!

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and here is another one

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Gopika geetam

I have a karmic connection with Srimad Bhagvatam. In my childhood I had memorized quite a few episodes from this text, after our parents organized a bhagvat spatah(week) in our house. One of my fav slokas from bhagvatam is "shravam mangalam", which is from the gopika geetham. Anyway I will post more on Bhagwatam some other time. Here is a gopika geetham from Bhagvatham. A very famous episode from bhagvatam.

When time permits I would like to talk in detail about this gopi- episode. Find the text, here. This rendition is very different from the ones that I have heard formerly, nevertheless its very sweet.

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Natha yogin

 Some of you who tolerate the nonsense I post here might like to read this. An interesting point of view.

Adhik dekhan tari

And then I heard this...

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Cloud

शायद
आखों का पानी ही है
बादल

जो मंडरा रहा है
शून्य में

Soordas: mero man kahan anat sukh paave

Various textual-versions of this bhajan exist. The difference is not that vast though, just few letters here and there. This is not uncommon, especially in bhajans of hindustani poets. Afer all its an oral-tradition.

The one I recall is "jaise jahaj ka panchi udi udi. phir jahaaj pe aawave". Here is one, with text from kavitakosh and sung by deepender deepak

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मेरो मन अनत कहाँ सुख पावै।
जैसे उड़ि जहाज की पंछी, फिरि जहाज पै आवै॥
कमल-नैन को छाँड़ि महातम, और देव को ध्यावै।
परम गंग को छाँड़ि पियासो, दुरमति कूप खनावै॥
जिहिं मधुकर अंबुज-रस चाख्यो, क्यों करील-फल भावै।
'सूरदास' प्रभु कामधेनु तजि, छेरी कौन दुहावै॥

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Pain Pain

ऐसे ही चलता रहेगा
ये प्रेम प्रलाप
और मेरा विलाप

तुम्हारे होने की पीड़ा
और तुम्हारे ना होने की वेदना
और उस पर मेरा ये सोचना
की तुम को पाकार भी
क्या पाया ?

इस प्रसव यंत्रणा में
भ्रूण भी मैं हूँ
और प्रसूता भी

Mozart: Sonata in A minor

Too famous to post :) but still...

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Ganga Stuti

Worship is not something which comes naturally to me now. So me writing any thing about devotion will be nothing short of utter stupidity. Still I dont know why when it comes to rivers, I become a pagan and go with the flow and especially, more so,  when that river is Ganga, perhaps the most sacred river in the Indian tradition and a river to which I am karmically connected.

There is something about rivers, which leaves you moved, perhaps it is their movement. Some of you would notice, that 'rasa' is property of 'jala' in samkhya. So naturally then rivers make us rasikas. Ganga also has a mystical angle. Ganga represents the rising of gam(om gam gam ganapataye nama) in Shiva, a rising which took herculean effort and culminated in shiva's head becoming the benevolent opening for it.

Ganga is best enjoyed before she reaches haridwar. So if you are planning a visit, try to visit, Gaumukh, rudraprayag, devaprayag etc and uttarkashi and ofcourse rishikesh. I am sure her energetic turbulence will leave you touched.

Here is Ganga strotam. Find the translation here. First one contains some beautiful pictures of Ganga.

तव तट निकते यस्य निवासः , खलु वैकुंठे तस्य निवासः 
Those who reside on your banks are as privileged as those living in Vaikunta. (from the stuti)

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Ashtavakra Gita: Part 5

Chapter 11 and 12, of Ashtavarka gita. Chapter 11 are Ashtavakra's words. Chapter 12 is Janaka. Once again selected slokas.

11.3  Statisfied, swasthya actually means health, I think Ashtavakra means enegized senses, or senses having vitality ( तृप्तः स्वस्थेन्द्रियो ). Once again this is connected to Bhuta Shuddhi
11.4  Dukha or suffering arises from thinking :) (चिन्तया जायते दुःखं)
11.7  I alone exist every-where, this is interesting, I need to expound on this sometime. In short this is end of duality of one's experinces but really it is much more in terms of perception.
11.8  World doesnt exist, now correlate this with 11.7 if I alone exist, is there any room for the world to exist ? naah :P not for ashtvakra atleast :P
12.2  Is poorly translated, though its sort of ok.  Janka here is telling about how he has gone beyond words(thinking is language). 
12.6 This one is beauty
12.7 Is also beauty :)
12.9 I just put that for sake of completion of this chapter

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आपदः संपदः काले दैवादेवेति निश्चयी।
तृप्तः स्वस्थेन्द्रियो नित्यं न वान्छति न शोचति॥११- ३॥
Realising that misfortune and fortune come in their own time from fortune, one is contented, one's senses under control, and does not like or dislike. 11.3

चिन्तया जायते दुःखं नान्यथेहेति निश्चयी।
तया हीनः सुखी शान्तः सर्वत्र गलितस्पृहः॥११- ५॥
Realising that suffering arises from nothing other than thought, dropping all desires one rids oneself of it, and is happy and at peace everywhere. 11.5

आब्रह्मस्तंबपर्यन्तं अहमेवेति निश्चयी।
निर्विकल्पः शुचिः शान्तः प्राप्ताप्राप्तविनिर्वृतः॥११- ७॥
Realising, "I alone exist, from Brahma down to the last clump of grass," one becomes free from uncertainty, pure, at peace, and unconcerned about what has been attained or not. 11.7

नाश्चर्यमिदं विश्वं न किंचिदिति निश्चयी।
निर्वासनः स्फूर्तिमात्रो न किंचिदिव शाम्यति॥११- ८॥
Realising that all this varied and wonderful world is nothing, one becomes pure receptivity, free from inclinations, and as if nothing existed, one finds peace. 11.8

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 प्रीत्यभावेन शब्दादेरदृश्यत्वेन चात्मनः।
विक्षेपैकाग्रहृदय एवमेवाहमास्थितः॥१२- २॥
In the absence of delight in sound and the other senses, and by the fact that I am myself not an object of the senses, my mind is focused and free from distraction -- which is why I am now established. 12.2

कर्मानुष्ठानमज्ञानाद् यथैवोपरमस्तथा।
बुध्वा सम्यगिदं तत्त्वं एवमेवाहमास्थितः॥१२- ६॥
Just as the performance of actions is due to ignorance, so their abandonment is too. By fully recognising this truth, I am now established. 12.6

अचिंत्यं चिंत्यमानोऽपि चिन्तारूपं भजत्यसौ।
त्यक्त्वा तद्भावनं तस्माद् एवमेवाहमास्थितः॥१२- ७॥
Trying to think the unthinkable, is doing something unnatural to thought. Abandoning such a practice therefore, I am now established. 12.7

एवमेव कृतं येन स कृतार्थो भवेदसौ।
एवमेव स्वभावो यः स कृतार्थो भवेदसौ॥१२- ८॥
He who has achieved this has achieved the goal of life. He who is of such a nature has done what has to be done. 12.8

Milk

Despite my self imposed solitary confinement and also an emphatic NO, to whatever petit invites I receive, life still keeps engaging me, in strange ways. Every now and then I keep runnning into people, and somehow even though I dont interact much verbally, some sort of bonhomie develops. Recently I met someone, who introduced himself as a Bombay boy. He had just set his foot on this land. As the converstation welled up, I was the asked the usual desi-to-desi question, 'where are you from'. I convinientaly dodged it, giving him in return some rhetoric and some innuendos. Later, as courtsey demands, I offerred some biscuits and enquired if he would like some chai or coffee. Chai, came the answer, after the usual no-thanks, prelude.

I realized, that actually I dont have what it takes to make a chai. For several years now, I am more accustomed to English-tea, and I dont stock the "poor-dark-cousin" of it.  :-)
I expressed my, inability and enquired if he would rather manage with coffee, since english-tea taste might not be, well, his cup of tea. He responded, he would like to try something new and something else which i dont recall now.

So as the earl-grey, started leaving its hue in the cup, he told me, that he is actually from konkan. He retold a story of his forefathers migrating from the costal areas coz the conversion drive of invaders, was so strong, that they had to either convert or flee. His forefathers naturally chose dharma and relocated to Bombay. As I was listening to his story, I could see his face displaying various emotions. Perhaps he was waiting for me to respond. I was straight faced. I noticed that his cup was far from empty, while I had finished mine long ago. I told him, its not neccesary to drink it, and I can make coffee and he need not finish it for the sake of polite-social-bheaviour. Till now actually, I was hearing his story, attentively but non jugementally, with little or no, sentiments for the family suffering etc.

He replied that he is actually enjoying tea. Before I could remark thats he is being too formal again, he told me, this is what people drink in Konkan. He told me about how peasents in konkan are so poor that they cant afford a cow or purchase milk. He told me how this is the "the breakfast tea" of konkan.

Perhaps it was the way he told it. Or perhaps it was the way the vapour from his cup was condensing on his glasses. I suddenly missed milk in my tea. The mlik that turns darkness into light(brown).

Veena Sahasrabuddhe; Raag Chhayanat

Even though of late I listen to more carnatic music, if I have to pick up 1 singer, only 1 singer in Hindustani classical, among the ones who are performing today, I would undoubtedly pick Veena Madame! While youtube stocks zillion records of zillion others, it remains mystery to me why there arent many of Veena madame's records there. She is perhaps the only one today, who has perfected the art of combining skill with the emotive expression. When people tell me, they dont listen to her, they just cry and cry, I can understand why it is so.

So, today morning when ,someone whom I dont know, sent me this youtube link, I was very pleasently surprised. I have this mp3 and have heard this many times, but finding it on youtube is something else. When the music is on the cloud, naturally you are on Cloud no 9. :-)

Here is raag chhayant, a very pleasent raag, my guess is its a derivate of yaman(or atleast the same Thaat). Correct me if I am wrong by commenting on this post.

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Thanks TC, my mystery friend, for this.

Dhoka

तुमको खोजा
और शायद,
तुम को पाया

अब,
जब तुम आये
तो क्यूँ लगता है कि
धोका खाया ?

Three Poems

भर रहे हो तुम,
मेरे भीतर ,
खालीपन बनकर.

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 तुम्हारे और मेरे बीच
अब बस मैं का फासला है

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मर रहा हूँ मैं
पल पल
जीवन कि तरह

बस एक फर्क है
के जीवन ज़िंदा है

Yege Yega vitthal bai

Today morning, with bhayyia, I was looking at a stuti i.e. Pandurangashtakam. A euology for Panduranga Vitthala. We were planning to translate it for Stutimandal. While I found the stuti beautiful, I suddenly spotted a phrase, "lasat kundalam". Immediately, I quipped, "plagiarism". The phrase also exists in some other stuti. Pat came the reply, "Sometimes repetition has a purpose, How else will you describe shining ear-ring(kundala) in Bhujanga-Prayat(a meter)?". I took a bow, and gave up :-).

Anyway, while the stuti on Panduranga will be up there soon, we can start singing Vitthal right away! Here is a beautiful Abhang from Sant Janbai. I have also put the lyrics and their translation. This reminds me, that, I have to also translate, the tuka abhang.."tuka aksha che badha" too, some other time, perhaps.

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येग येग विठाबाई, माझे पंढरीचे आई ॥१॥
come come Vitthalbai (vitthal described as a women), my mother from pandharipur(the place where vitthal's vigraha is located)
भीमा आणि चंद्रभागा, तुझ्या चरणीच्या गंगा ॥२॥
Bhima and Chandrabhaga(local-rivers), are the Ganga which flow from your feet

इतुक्यासहित त्वां बा यावें, माझे रंगणी नाचावें ॥३॥
Come with these rivers, and make me dance in your glory(actually the word used is रंग, color)
माझा रंग तुझे गुणीं, म्हणे नामयाची जनी ॥४॥
My ecstascy/mood(the word used again is, रंग, color) is due to you, my name is Jani(janbai).

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PS: I dont know marathi, I acknowledge the help of my friend Amit for this translation. You rock Amit!. I also thank Parag and Sampada, who have helped me, whenever I needed their help for Marathi. Thanks so much you two!

Raag Shyam Kalyan: Amzad Ali Khan

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Thanks: Gary
  

Ashtavakra Gita : Part 4

This is from chapter 7, 8, 9 and 10 of Ashtavakra Gita. Once again, only selected slokas :). Therefore, chapter 7 has been completely omitted. Loved chapter 8, so included whole of it. Chapter 8, talks about the characteristics of bondage and liberation. Slokas are very clear, simple and beautifully, expressed.

Chapter 9 is also beautiful. Especially 9.6 and 9.8. In 9.6 he talks about who is a guru. Its interesting because, its ashtavakra's opinion on the concept of Guru, and as always he is blunt and direct. 9.7 talks about bhoota.  and could lead to an interesting discussion on bhoota shuddhi but some other time. 9.8 is true beauty :). He uses the word vaasana twice. I might talk about this concept of Vaasana, later in some post. The translator though chooses to interpret 'vaasna' as desire.

10.1 read the last phrase as respect everything( सर्वत्रादरं कुरु), Though the translator is also right in his own way.  Btw, as I have said earlier, a translation of the source has its limits, more so when you talk about something which is, "so to speak", beyond human understanding. But in case if you want me translate or bring out some sloka more explicitly, just drop a comment and I will do the needful. I am using the wikisource for sanskrit text and the translation is the by same person, i.e. Jhon Richards.

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तदा बन्धो यदा चित्तं किन्चिद् वांछति शोचति।
किंचिन् मुंचति गृण्हाति किंचिद् दृष्यति कुप्यति॥८- १॥
Bondage is when the mind longs for something, grieves about something, rejects something, holds on to something, is pleased about something or displeased about something. 8.1

तदा मुक्तिर्यदा चित्तं न वांछति न शोचति।
न मुंचति न गृण्हाति न हृष्यति न कुप्यति॥८- २॥
Liberation is when the mind does not long for anything, grieve about anything, reject anything, or hold on to anything, and is not pleased about anything or displeased about anything. 8.2

तदा बन्धो यदा चित्तं सक्तं काश्वपि दृष्टिषु।
तदा मोक्षो यदा चित्तमसक्तं सर्वदृष्टिषु॥८- ३॥
Bondage is when the mind is tangled in one of the senses, and liberation is when the mind is not tangled in any of the senses. 8.3

यदा नाहं तदा मोक्षो यदाहं बन्धनं तदा।
मत्वेति हेलया किंचिन्मा गृहाण विमुंच मा॥८- ४॥
When there is no "me," that is liberation, and when there is "me" there is bondage. Consider this carefully, and neither hold on to anything nor reject anything. 8.

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कस्यापि तात धन्यस्य लोकचेष्टावलोकनात्।
जीवितेच्छा बुभुक्षा च बुभुत्सोपशमः गताः॥९- २॥
Rare indeed, my son, is the lucky man whose observation of the world's behaviour has led to the extinction of his thirst for living, thirst for pleasure, and thirst for knowledge. 9.2

कृत्वा मूर्तिपरिज्ञानं चैतन्यस्य न किं गुरुः।
निर्वेदसमतायुक्त्या यस्तारयति संसृतेः॥९- ६॥
Is he not a guru who, endowed with dispassion and equanimity, achieves full knowledge of the nature of consciousness, and leads others out of samsara? 9.6

पश्य भूतविकारांस्त्वं भूतमात्रान् यथार्थतः।
तत्क्षणाद् बन्धनिर्मुक्तः स्वरूपस्थो भविष्यसि॥९- ७॥
If you would just see the transformations of the elements as nothing more than the elements, then you would immediately be freed from all bonds and established in your own nature. 9.7

वासना एव संसार इति सर्वा विमुंच ताः।
तत्त्यागो वासनात्यागात्स्थितिरद्य यथा तथा॥९- ८॥
One's desires are samsara. Knowing this, abandon them. The renunciation of them is the renunciation of it. Now you can remain as you are. 9.8

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विहाय वैरिणं काममर्थं चानर्थसंकुलं।
धर्ममप्येतयोर्हेतुं सर्वत्रादरं कुरु॥१०- १॥
Abandon desire, the enemy, along with gain, itself so full of loss, and the good deeds which are the cause of the other two -- practice indifference to everything. 10.1

त्वमेकश्चेतनः शुद्धो जडं विश्वमसत्तथा।
अविद्यापि न किंचित्सा का बुभुत्सा तथापि ते॥१०- ५॥
You are one, conscious and pure, while all this is inert non-being. Ignorance itself is nothing, so what is the point of wanting to understand? 10.5

Man

मन की बड़ बड़
ही तो है बस, गड़बड़

Mithya ha Sansar

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(text has been copied from the youtube channel)
मिथ्या हा संसार । अवघा मायेचा बाजार ॥१॥
mithyaa haa sansaara | avaghaa Maayecha baazaar ||1||

स्त्रिया पुत्र धन । हे तो सर्व मायिक जाण ॥२॥
striyaa putra dhan | he to sarva Maayika jaana ||2||

यांत गुंतू नको नरा । न करी आयुष्य मातेरा ॥३॥
yaat guntoo nako naraa | na kari aayushya maateraa ||3||

वाचे वदे हरिहर । करी ध्यान निरंतर ॥४॥
vaache vade Harihara | kari dhyaan nirantara ||4||

एका जनार्दनी नरा । नित्य भज हरिहरा ॥५॥
Ekaa Janaardani naraa | nitya bhaja Hariharaa ||5||

Rat

Everyday,
I feel your callous touch
under your palm

Everday,
I am motioned, pressed
and dragged
with trenchent coldness

Everyday,
at your command.
I just point,
pointlessly

For you,
I am just a rat
running your
rat-race.

Ashtavakra Gita : Part 3

This is from chapter 3,4, 5 and 6. All these are words of Ashtavakra. The translation sometimes is a little rusty, especially, chapter 6. Where 'laya' is interpreted as 'peace' by translator . But its clear enough to bring out the intended meaning.

I loved chapter 6. It looked more like proclamation and I read the slokas many times. As always I am just putting the ones I liked most, I am sure you some of you will see the whole text.

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आत्माज्ञानादहो प्रीतिर्विषयभ्रमगोचरे।
शुक्तेरज्ञानतो लोभो यथा रजतविभ्रमे॥३- २॥
Truly, when one does not know oneself, one takes pleasure in the objects of mistaken perception, just as greed arises for the mistaken silver in one who does not know mother of pearl for what it is. 3.2

सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि।
मुनेर्जानत आश्चर्यं ममत्वमनुवर्तते॥३- ५॥
When the sage has realised that he himself is in all beings, and all beings are in him, it is astonishing that the sense of individuality should be able to continue. 3.5

मायामात्रमिदं विश्वं पश्यन् विगतकौतुकः।
अपि सन्निहिते मृत्यौ कथं त्रस्यति धीरधीः॥३- ११॥
Seeing this world as pure illusion, and devoid of any interest in it, how should the strong-minded person, feel fear, even at the approach of death? 3.11

स्वभावाद् एव जानानो दृश्यमेतन्न किंचन।
इदं ग्राह्यमिदं त्याज्यं स किं पश्यति धीरधीः॥३- १३॥
How should a strong-minded person who knows that what he sees is by its very nature nothing, consider one thing to be grasped and another to be rejected? 3.13

अंतस्त्यक्तकषायस्य निर्द्वन्द्वस्य निराशिषः।
यदृच्छयागतो भोगो न दुःखाय न तुष्टये॥३- १४॥
An object of enjoyment that comes of itself is neither painful nor pleasurable for someone who has eliminated attachment, and who is free from dualism and from desire. 3.14

आत्मानमद्वयं कश्चिज्जानाति जगदीश्वरं।
यद् वेत्ति तत्स कुरुते न भयं तस्य कुत्रचित्॥४- ६॥
Rare is the man who knows himself as the nondual Lord of the world, and he who knows this is not afraid of anything. 4.6


न ते संगोऽस्ति केनापि किं शुद्धस्त्यक्तुमिच्छसि।
संघातविलयं कुर्वन्नेवमेव लयं व्रज॥५- १॥
You are not bound by anything. What does a pure person like you need to renounce? Putting the complsex organism to rest, you can find peace. 5.1

आकाशवदनन्तोऽहं घटवत् प्राकृतं जगत्।
इति ज्ञानं तथैतस्य न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः॥६- १॥
I am infinite like space, and the natural world is like a jar. To know this is knowledge, and then there is neither renunciation, acceptance, or cessation of it. 6.1

Ashtavakra Gita : Part 2

This is from chapter 1 and 2. I have copied only some slokas. The ones I liked.
The recurrent theme of dialogue is self-awareness and of-course the outright denial of what is perceived by mind and senses.

In the conversation, I actually, liked expression of Janaka more than Ashtavakra :). I have emboldened and underlined some slokas. Sanskrit is from wikisource and translation is from here.. I will post more snippets from the following chapters in the next post.

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जनक उवाच॥
कथं ज्ञानमवाप्नोति कथं मुक्तिर्भविष्यति।
वैराग्यं च कथं प्राप्तं एतद् ब्रूहि मम प्रभो॥१- १॥
How is one to acquire knowledge? How is one to attain liberation? And how is one to reach dispassion? Tell me this, sir. 1.1

अष्टावक्र उवाच॥
यदि देहं पृथक् कृत्य चिति विश्राम्य तिष्ठसि।
अधुनैव सुखी शान्तो बन्धमुक्तो भविष्यसि॥१- ४॥
If only you will remain resting in consciousness, seeing yourself as distinct from the body, then even now you will become happy, peaceful and free from bonds. 1.4

एको द्रष्टासि सर्वस्य मुक्तप्रायोऽसि सर्वदा।
अयमेव हि ते बन्धो द्रष्टारं पश्यसीतरम्॥१- ७॥
You are the one witness of everything and are always completely free. The cause of your bondage is that you see the witness as something other than this. 1.7

मुक्ताभिमानी मुक्तो हि बद्धो बद्धाभिमान्यपि।
किंवदन्तीह सत्येयं या मतिः सा गतिर्भवेत्॥१- ११॥
If one thinks of oneself as free, one is free, and if one thinks of oneself as bound, one is bound. Here this saying is true, "Thinking makes it so." 1.11

देहाभिमानपाशेन चिरं बद्धोऽसि पुत्रक।
बोधोऽहं ज्ञानखंगेन तःनिकृत्य सुखी भव॥१- १४॥
You have long been trapped in the snare of identification with the body. Sever it with the knife of knowledge that "I am awareness," and be happy, my son. 1.14

निःसंगो निष्क्रियोऽसि त्वं स्वप्रकाशो निरंजनः।
अयमेव हि ते बन्धः समाधिमनुतिष्ठति॥१- १५॥
You are really unbound and actionless, self-illuminating and spotless already. The cause of your bondage is that you are still resorting to stilling the mind. 1.15

साकारमनृतं विद्धि निराकारं तु निश्चलं।
एतत्तत्त्वोपदेशेन न पुनर्भवसंभवः॥१- १८॥
Recognise that the apparent is unreal, while the unmanifeast is abiding. Through this initiation into truth you will escape falling into unreality again. 1.18

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जनक उवाच॥
यथा प्रकाशयाम्येको देहमेनं तथा जगत्।
अतो मम जगत्सर्वमथवा न च किंचन॥२- २॥
As I alone give light to this body, so I do to the world. As a result the whole world is mine, or alternatively nothing is. 2.2

आत्मज्ञानाज्जगद् भाति आत्मज्ञानान्न भासते।
रज्ज्वज्ञानादहिर्भाति तज्ज्ञानाद् भासते न हि॥२- ७॥
From ignorance of oneself, the world appears, and by knowledge of oneself it appears no longer. From ignorance of the rope it appears to be a snake, and by knowledge of it it does so no longer. 2.7

ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं तथा ज्ञाता त्रितयं नास्ति वास्तवं।
अज्ञानाद् भाति यत्रेदं सोऽहमस्मि निरंजनः॥२- १५॥
Knowledge, what is to be known, and the knower -- these three do not exist in reality. I am the spotless reality in which they appear because of ignorance. 2.15

द्वैतमूलमहो दुःखं नान्यत्तस्याऽस्ति भेषजं।
दृश्यमेतन् मृषा सर्वं एकोऽहं चिद्रसोमलः॥२- १६॥
Truly dualism is the root of suffering. There is no other remedy for it than the realisation that all this that we see is unreal, and that I am the one stainless reality, consisting of consciousness. 2.16

शरीरं स्वर्गनरकौ बन्धमोक्षौ भयं तथा।
कल्पनामात्रमेवैतत् किं मे कार्यं चिदात्मनः॥२- २०॥
The body, heaven and hell, bondage and liberation, and fear too, all this is pure imagination. What is there left to do for me whose very nature is consciousness? 2.20

अहो जनसमूहेऽपि न द्वैतं पश्यतो मम।
अरण्यमिव संवृत्तं क्व रतिं करवाण्यहम्॥२- २१॥
I do not even see dualism in a crowd of people, so what do I gain if it is replaced by a desert? 2.21

नाहं देहो न मे देहो जीवो नाहमहं हि चित्।
अयमेव हि मे बन्ध आसीद्या जीविते स्पृहा॥२- २२॥
I am not the body, nor is the body mine. I am not a living being. I am consciousness. It was my thirst for living that was my bondage. 2.22

मय्यनंतमहांभोधौ चित्तवाते प्रशाम्यति।
अभाग्याज्जीववणिजो जगत्पोतो विनश्वरः॥२- २४॥
In the infinite ocean of myself, the wind of thought subsides, and the world boat of the living-being traders is wrecked by lack of goods. 2.24

baloon

गुब्बारे की तरह
भर देते हो तुम
खालीपन भीतर

और मै भी
फूल उठता हूँ
बेवजह

फूलता क्यूँ हूँ ?
फूटता क्यूँ नहीं ?

Ashtavakra Gita : Part 1 -- The Story of Ashtavakra

This is the version of the story, I had read, in a Hindi book named "Ashtavakra Gita". Book was published by "Randhir book sales, Haridwar".The translator/author of the book is/was "Nandlal dashora". It might not tally with other uploads on web.

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Legend has it that Ashtavakra argued from his mother's womb with his father. His father was teaching Veda to his pregnant wife, and the yet to be born child reportedly exclaimed, that Vedas dont contain any truth. Well even in our times we find precocious children, but this is uber-precocious...isnt it? May be child had heard Pink Floyd, who knows :-)

So the father, enraged, curses his son, to be born deformed.(father son rivalry is historic you see, fathers cant take it when it comes from sons!)

That's what the name means, Ashta(eight)+vakra(deformed/bent/curved/etc.) So the boy now, has all his eight body parts, deformed. Actually 8 here means whole body(more on that some other time).

All this happened during the reign of King Janaka. Now, Janaka calls for a conclave of all seers/brahmins/bla bla bla, to discuss, what in those times was the holy grail of human intellectual adventure. By this, I mean, asking the question, "What is Brahman". It so happened, that Ashtavakra's father also attended the gathering and defeated all but one scholar. Learning this, Ashtavakra, still a child, takes it upon himself to come to his father's rescue.(when will fathers learn, and accept that their sons are smarter than they are ;-) )

When the gathering saw the deformed child, it seems they laughed and mocked at him. Ashtavakra called all of them "Chamar". Gentlemen, the word 'chamar' was an abuse in those days too! Anyway, the young boy promptly defended, his pejorative remark by arguing that the assembly failed to notice the transcendental formless, caught as it was, in the "apparent-to-the-eye" form, which by all Adhyatmic means is Unreal :). Now isnt that justification enough for being called Chamar ? It is, or it was, in those days :).

Janaka, impressed, made him sit on his throne and took Brahmopadesha from him.

Later as many of you know, Janaka, gave upadesha to Vyasa's son Shukadeva, which is another legendary story, but some other time.

So Ashtavakra gita is that discourse, between the young-enlightened-boy Ashtavakra, and the thirsty-for-enlightenment Emperor, Janaka. Needles to say, as per the book, Janaka gets his realization, very soon i.e. in the first few slokas. Rest of the book, hence, is then about two enlightened souls pontificating on the 'Reality'.

It would sound trite, but my good friend had once pointed out that Patanjali in his YS, mentions about, "Samadhi by Aushadhi". This then means, Patanjali was the first, exponent of what we today know call LSD. :)

I will post some slokas, which i enjoyed, in the next post.

Sorry!

First of all sorry for the goof up. The quote in the last post, was not from Ashtavakra Gita. I got misled. I read the whole Ashtavakra gita to confirm it. Wikipidea is not right always! I should be more careful.

I will post something on both Ashtavakra and his gita shortly.

Flower

Finally,
the flower wilted.
Fatigue, time
showed up
on its face,
on its form.

But the flower is still a flower
in some ways,
not in some ways.

Dhrupad

Two dhrupad compositions. The reason I post less dhrupad here, is, that less dhrupad is available.:). Gundecha brothers have done, a great service by breathing life into this art form which was dying. I had posted posted some dhrupad before here.

Here are two Dhrupad compositions by Gundecha brothers.

1. Ran jeeti ram raoo aye: Having won the battle, Rama comes.
2. Namo Anjani Nandanam Vayu Putram: I bow to son of Anjani and Vayu i.e. Hanuman.

Both are beautiful. First one is resplendent, energetic. Second one has more pathos.

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Poem: Fountain Pen

Every day,
I scrape and scratch,
emptiness,
and I bleed,
like a fountain pen.

And like a fountain pen,
I get filled and refilled.
Unfulfilled.

QnA-7

Q: How to live with pain?
A: Die!

Tilak Kamod - Neer bharan kaise jaaon?

This is a famous composition in Raag 'Tilak Kamod'. This has been adapted with some instrumental arrangement(western mostly) in a recent Pakistani movie, 'Khuda ke liye'(for the sake of god). I am embedding the same. Its a nice night and beautiful song. It could have been even better had they not used some of the instruments which commence in the later part of the song. Though if you see it in the context of the movie, the instrumental arrangement is not oddly placed. Its in sync with situation and script.

The song describes, Krishna lila. A gopi is expressing her inability in going out for water, since Krishna the 'stalker' wont let her do that.:)

नीर भरन कैसे जाऊं , सखी री मोरी डगर चलत

Incidentally, I had first heard this composition in Shuba Mudgal's voice. Then one friend recommended me to watch this movie, 'kuda ke liye', seeking my opinions on the same. And then when I saw this song, a big Aha happened. I still have that mp3(Shuba Mudgal's), in case anyone of you want that, just comment on this post and I will be happy to send that to you.

Anyway song has been sung well, and the deep male voice adds a very soothing feeling to it. And tilak kamod is a good raga :)

jeevan

जीवन,
घट रहा है
घटा रहा है
कट रहा है
काट रहा है
बह रहा है
बहा रहा है

जा रहा है,
ले जा रहा है
पल पल
दूर दूर दूर
सुदूर

Abhang Tukaram- Anuraniya Thokara

Heard this early morning. Made my day. Killed me. Will translate, Insha Allah.

Bhimpalasi

This composition, 'ja ja re apne mandirwa'(जा जा रे अपने मंदिरवा) is a famed one in bhimpalasi. Almost everyone has sung it. A rendition by Ashwini Bhide used to yell from my laptop some time ago. To my utter surprise one day our geek-friend Atishay, was humming it, with all gamaks and aakaars complete :D. Apparently the song sort of caught-on with him, even though he had no particular liking for classical music. Sort of surprised me. Anyway.

Here is bhimpalai by Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Rajan Sajan and Ashwini bhide . Jasraj one, comes to you easily but Pt. Rajan Sajan will grow on you. I am embedding only Rajan-Sajan one. For Jasraj click here and for Ashwini bhide here. Ashwini has also sung it well, though my guess is most people will like the Jasraj version most.

I think its a nice and light composition.

satya

सत्य की तरह झूठलाये जा रहा हूँ मैं,
अपने अस्तित्व को |

Vichar

क्या है विचार की अंतिम गति?
दुर्गति!

Dying Man

We will call him 'dying-man'. If you ask him he is never gonna tell you that, but the truth is, that he is dying. He is not sick or old, he is fairly-fit and young but he is dying. Everyone is dying too, you can say that, but everyone is living too. For him, he has lost that connection with life. There is nothing left in the gamut of human experiences, which can evoke his interest. He is just waiting now for the, 'THE-END'.

Dying-man picked up a packet of biscuit, a packet of cheese with holes and some tea. There was a long queue at the cash counter. It was a weekend after all. This civilization had created this unique travesty of relief, weekends. May be there is some deeper human fixation with ends. May Be. Dying-man was also waiting for his end, 'The End'. But his kind of 'end' was not a means towards some end. He just wanted himself to end. Period.

He decided not to stand in the queue, he was in no hurry. Causally he studied the merchandise stocked in racks. A super market is a sensual feast. 1000 kind of things, and then 1000 types of those 1000 kind of things. Aisle after aisle he moved on. Looking at everything, yet not quite noticing it. Suddenly, he heard a giggle, shrieky enough to pull him out of his reverie. Two bright eyes were looking at him. Shining ones, rare ones. He gave those eyes a glance back, but the eyes had disappeared. He thought, he did some thing uncharacteristic
to attract this. Could be. He was other-worldly, always. Cash counter still had a long queue.

He moved on. To another aisle, to another set of products. Products products and more products, super fertility of industrial economies. Increase production, increase consumption, deck up everything up in shiny packaging, to arrest your eyes and ears. He was a dying man. Unfazed, he moved on, no commodity could create arousal in his system. His shopping basket already had, all what he needed.

He heard the giggle again, the same shining eyes were now smiling. He made an eye contact, he noticed those eyes had mischief, playfulness, innocence. The dying man smiled. Rarely did the dying-man smile, this was one such occasion. Shining eyes clapped in glee.The little one had little hands, little legs, chubby cheeks, and the frivolity which can make a dying-man smile. Dying-man gazed continuously, enchanted. The little one laughed, ran and hid himself behind his mother's legs.

The Dying-man had just felt the stroke of aliveness in his skin. The little one, peeped again, standing behind his mother's legs and then hid himself up again. For the first time now, the dying-man REALLY looked at the merchandise. He grabbed a big bar of Mars, a big bar of Bounty and Twix.

He had just met Life. Our dying-man.

26th Jan

Sound Seeing Samkhya

I dont know much about dance. I dont know much about music either but at least with music I have some familiarity. My education and interests however have often made me ponder about music and its connection with time. How do we bring our modern understanding of vibration/sound(longitudinal wave) /fourier series/vocal apparatus/human anatomy to realm of Indian classical music(ICM)?

Indian classical music(both Hindustani/Carnatic) has this unique feature of using this concept of 'taal'(rhythmic cycle?) to convey time and also timelessness. Using a circular concept, passage of time is conveyed via aavartans (आवर्तन). Using a cyclical approach, time is divided into repetitive recurring pieces. The most defining event in this repetitive-cycle is the starting point(called Sam सम) and ending point (also termed Sam and it begins another cycle). I call this the Big-bang or the Big gong when t=0.

This blog also, has wasted several CPU cycles (आवर्तन ;-)) on Time and its mythification. And of course the sense of passage of time and tense bla bla bla.

Then one day I heard Pt Birju maharaj saying, u can hear tala via tabla, mridang and pakhawaj but to see tala u need a dancer :). This made me tinker further with the idea of, "seeing the time". Music and dance have this unique capability, one can 'see' and 'hear' the "time". Of-course I am using the wider definition of time here.(I think you can fathom what I am hinting at)

Now think on these lines. All of you know very well, from the Indian perspective, sound is categorized as para-pashyanti-madhyama-vaikhiri.Para being the most subtle and vaikhiri being gross. Pashyanti is made from the root (pashya/too see), means seeing the sound. So, just before the unmanifested sound(para) the first perception of sound is pashyanti(seeing).
Now sound. The only way sound can be defined, is an auditory sensation. So the argument now becomes, that the perception of sound(hearing) first happens as pashyanti i.e. vision.

Now think of those Vedic seers, the so called mantra drastha crowd. The 'seers' of the 'sound' chaps. And ofcourse now we bring in time here. Shruti is Eternal ..Right ? Eternal means all the time. Now connect all of this to concept of taala.

In someway this all somewhat becomes absurd, since as per the thesis put forth by the tradition, hearing (sound) is a more fundamental property than seeing(light). In my own personal understanding, also I feel the same. To me, hearing does indeed happen at a zone where image making mechanism of mind is inactive. Hearing is a more subtle sense than seeing is my firm belief/experience.But the tradition it seems, calls the subtlest form of hearing, seeing(pashyanti) :) at one place but at some other place says hearing is subtlest(akasa) and seeing is grosser(agni).

Ok maybe I have not made myself clear enough. But I am sure few of you can catch the trash which I just threw. I can develop this further, connecting time to pinda(body) and brahmanda(cosmos) but some other day.

Piya milan ko jaana

Pankaj Mullick. If I write anything about this song I will only sully it.

Just listen

जग की लाज, मन की मौज, दोनों को निभाना
पिया मिलन को जाना, हां पिया मिलन को जाना

Ragini: Tu raja ki raj dulari

Now that I have been gently reprimanded by my Guruji for being too cerebral (see comments of previous post), I seek redemption in this post :)

Here is ragini, a folk-music form, from Hariyana. Most raginis are centered around events/stories and are musical descriptions of the same. This is a very fundamental, a very earthy music. Lyrics are important here, but not in the way they are in Ghazal(its HR!). This ragini describes Shiva warning Parvati of unpleasant consequences, if Parvati's imagined marital endeavors fructify. Don't forget this is 'Shiva-the-jat' of haryana, he aint gonna talk Vigyan Bhairav tantra in this land :).

Do watch the video with its beautiful visuals, and of course even more beautiful lyrics! This is not for you if you are faint hearted or under 18 (in that case you would need adult supervision).

I have also put up the lyrics which have been copied from here, the English uttar-mimansic translation is of yours truly.

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तू राजा की राज-दुलारी, मैं सिर्फ लंगोटे वाला सूं (हूँ का हरियाणवी बोल)
भांग रगड़ के पिया करूं मैं, उंडी (कटोरा) - सोटे (दंड) वाला सूं
You sport Tag Heuer and wear Estée Lauder, I a street hoodlum, who just got a mug shot
I partake controlled substances, with possessions far and few

तू राजा की छोरी सै, मेरे एक भी दासी दोस्त नहीं
शाल दुशाले ओढ़न वाली, म्हारे कम्बल तक भी पास नहीं...
You a wine glass socialite, I a lonesome antisocial
You wear cashmere, I naturist by compulsion

तू बागां की कोयल सै (है) अढे (यहाँ) बर्फ पड़े, हरी घास नहीं
किस तरयाँ (तरह) दिल लागेगा तेरा, सतरा चौ प्रकाश नहीं
In your centrally heated room u do karaoke, I a destitute
There is no glitter of Manhattan here dear, power cuts abound

किसी साहूकार के (यहाँ 'से' के अर्थ में प्रयुक्त) ब्याह करवाले, मैं खाली सोटे वाला सूं.
Marry an i-Banker lady, raise kids in east coast, I am eternally broke

मैं धूनी तपा करूँ, तू आग देख के डर जायगी,
रंग घोल के पिया करूं, मेरा राग देख के डर जायगी
My Life is not so Rosy, my Rosy, fears it has plenty
My cannabis induced ecstasy, is the stuff which horror movies are made of

सौ सौ साल पड़े रहे जल में, तू नाग देख के डर जाएगी.
तांडव नाच करे बन में, रंग राग देख के डर जायगी
O'Beauty, I am a beast, fear and trepidation my companions
My free-style vacillation is no Flamenco

तने (तुझे) जुल्फां (ज़ुल्फ़) वाला छोरा चाहिए (यानी मोडर्न),
मैं लाम्बे (लम्बे) चोटे (जटा) वाला सूं.
Prince charming, well-groomed, with chic hair-do is what u need
A ruffian with head lice is not what girly dreams are made of!

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PS1: reminds moi of a sanskrit subhashit, स्वयं पञ्चमुखः पुत्रौ गजाननषडाननौ दिगम्बरः कथं जीवेत् अन्नपूर्णा न चेद्गृहे (5 mouthed himself, sons having 6 mouths/elphant mouths, how would digambar(shiva) live, if annupurna(parvati) wasnt in his home? ;)

PS2: Ok,So what if Shiva dint expound VBT here, every HR-SRTC bus has many live Bhiarvas which can offer u shaktipat anytime ;)

PS3: Who cares about Shiva, when Krishna chose Haryana to sing Gita :) :) :)

Café-Upanishad

"Cafe Latte" he said nonchalantly. His order was fixed. Since many many years.
"Tall? Grand? Venti?" , he was demanded.
"Venti", he said. Only capitalistic abundance can make the smallest, tallest, He thought.

He searched for a corner seat. Corner is where 2 walls meet. Three also, actually. But he chose the two one. Sitting on that bean bag, he was a picture of tranquility, if only anyone noticed. Everyone was too busy. Good for him, he despised human attention.

'Stupendo, fantastico', A young couple was conversing in Italian. His favorite tongue, Italian. He could hear all languages there, you name it. The powerful arbabic, the delicate french, the chirpy spanish, the throaty danish, norwegian, everything. This place mixed, flavors, smells and languages and created a unique one of its own. You don't need to be a 'parivrajaka' anymore, this place has brought into being that possibility. This place could be called, a laboratory to investigate human thought. To see how different cultures think, to see how they think no-different. Wont you call such a place, an institution? A sacred one?

But he dint come here for that. He knew where thinking could lead,No-where. He had crossed the hurdle of thinking long back. No, No, he was also not not-thinking. Though he knew not-thinking also through and through. He knew all the turns mind can take, he knew all identifications of mind. Insanity/sanity he knew it all. Nirvikalpa/shoonyata/id/ego/super-ego/cognitive-psychology/epistemology, what have you. The whole philosophy of mind.

"Sir, your Cafe latte", he heard.
Without sugar, is what he used to prefer. He felt the warm-dark-bitter-milky fluid in his mouth. Every sip bitter than the other sip. Every sip making way for another sip. Brahman is bitter, he knew it.

Meeting

हम मिल रहे हैं
पल पल
पर
मिल नहीं पा रहे हैं

thakaan

नींद भी इसे,
मिटा पाती नही|
ये थकान,
जाती नहीं ||

Bend in the Sarayu - A soota chronicle

A bird just flew from the sacred southern shores of IN and landed in my vicinity, bringing with him two books which I had sought. I spent a good weekend, in that bird's generous hospitality, all tucked up in the bed catching up with my fast disappearing reading habit(while bird cooked and fed me and ran odd jobs for me!). It seems,I gave some trouble, to various stakeholders involved in my wish fulfillment mission(of book acquisition), but my gratitude I hope will make up for it :).

So, I read a nice travelogue book, 'Bend in the Sarayu - A Soota Chronicle'. Its an interesting tale of Authors journey, beginning in Delhi across the dusty lands of eastern UP. Author, an engineer by profession, goes on a pilgrimage of some sort to Ayodhya and Naimish. In the process are uncovered, customs of hinterland, fables from purana and (my fav.), lessons of life learnt from perceptions of those body-mind systems which are oblivious of an urbanized life full of fret-rush and push-push. Its a good peek into history/culture/mythology(very generous dose of it), of the land where Rama, a 'high impact factor character' in the Indian 'diviniscape' was born. Some chapters were set in villages and described rural life, they were so enchanting and the characters so emotive that I was totally moved. Some premchand's traits there in story-telling, perhaps!

Even as I knew most puranic stories told there, some of my impressions about North indian 'mytho-scape' were challenged, esp. when I discovered, much to my chagrin that Varaha avatar is worshiped in Eastern UP. I was under the impression that, the erstwhile puranic gods had more or less left the popular imagination of Indo Gangetic plain, as north indians today mostly worship Rama Krishna,Shiva and Durga and hanuman. Some descriptions of Bairagi(vairagi) brought to my mind descriptions of Sant Mat and Udasi Sampradayas etc.

In the puranic lore, Soota is the traditional story teller. Author pictures himself as Soota in the book. But I would say, Soota of the book willy-nilly creates a sutra, yes a sutra which he then adorns, by plucking flowers from all traditions of India(from kamban to tulasi), and creates a floral garland. That sutra is devotion. Cant help thinking of akshar-manamalai, considering, that author ends the book with Upadesa Saram. Good Read!

Since, we are at Rama, here is chaupai from RCM, that my mother used to sing to me often, its from Beauty-Kand.

प्रबिसि नगर कीजे सब काजा। हृदयँ राखि कौसलपुर राजा।
गरल सुधा रिपु करहिं मिताई। गोपद सिंधु अनल सितलाई।।
गरुड़ सुमेरु रेनू सम ताही। राम कृपा करि चितवा जाही।
अति लघु रूप धरेउ हनुमाना। पैठा नगर सुमिरि भगवाना।।

Here are some more details about the book.

Highway Lessons

It was one of those days, those kind of days, which days are normally supposed to be. Uneventful, silent, usual, though not exactly boring, boredom had left his system long long ago. He was diseased, the cause unknown but the suffering, so real. It was a dark night and through his windscreen, he could see the dark highway tar divided by the white line.

The same road can lead you to two different ends, it just depends on what side of line you are on, he said to himself. Someone draws the line and one chooses one's side. Line had taught him a lesson.

Keep to your left, he said to himself, as he was speeding away. A speeding car, on a dark night, on a high way, is such a reflective setting! He searched for a CD but stopped, he wasnt sure he needed music. One symptom of this disease was not being sure, in any case, nothing really entertained him these days(that's another symptom), so why bother.

A deep breath later, he saw the white line again. It wasn't really a white line. It was a dotted line. Or you can say a broken line. Or lots of small lines with gaps in between. He was looking mindlessly at the line. May be the motion had made him still. It happens, stillness sometimes emerges from motion. We can call it restful motion. Oxymoron..right ? He understood one thing ,may be we can use personification here, 'the line made him understand'. The line made him understand, that lots of lines can become one line, that 'lines' is 'line' when aligned. That singular is also plural sometimes.That that sometimes gaps can create continuity and vice versa, continuity can have gaps.

Suddenly the car shook, the speed breaker told him, his presence had absence(that's another symptom). He inhaled deeply, the familiar bright street light shone through his windscreen, he was home!

Irony

घट रहे हो तुम,
मेरे भीतर,
पल पल|
और घट रहा हूँ,
मैं भी शायद ||

Pencil

पेन्सिल की तरह,
तुम्हारे हाथों में|
छिल रहा हूँ,
घिस रहा हूँ,
और लिखता जा रहा हूँ ,
तुम्हारी आत्मकथा ||
यही तो है बस,
मेरे जीवन की व्यथा |

Kenu sang khelun holi

Meera bhajan,very very well sung, by Lata and extraordinary music by Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Lata-Hridaynath is such a beautiful combination. Its a pity that Hindi cinema did not have the caliber to exploit Hridaynathji properly. Reminds me of a great album Lekin, where Lata and Hridaynath have given soulful songs.

Anyway. Enjoy, solitude, melancholy, pain.

Kenu sang khelun holi, piya taj gaye hain akeli
With whom should I play holi?, beloved(the only companion!) has forsaken me.

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Jo nar dukh mein dukh nahi maane

Nice, Shabad.

Jo nar dukh mein dukh nahi maane. Sukh saneh aru bhaya nahi jaake.
A being who doesnt accept grief as grief. Pleasure, attachement, fear who has neither.

Web says its by guru teg bahadur, but the 'takhallus' says its guru nanak. Shrikant Bakreji sings it well.

Here are the lyrics.

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जो नर दुख में दुख नहिं मानै।
सुख सनेह अरु भय नहिं जाके, कंचन माटी जानै।।
नहिं निंदा नहिं अस्तुति जाके, लोभ-मोह अभिमाना।
हरष शोक तें रहै नियारो, नाहिं मान-अपमाना।।
आसा मनसा सकल त्यागि के, जग तें रहै निरासा।
काम, क्रोध जेहि परसे नाहीं, तेहि घट ब्रह्म निवासा।।
गुरु किरपा जेहि नर पै कीन्हीं, तिन्ह यह जुगुति पिछानी।
नानक लीन भयो गोबिंद सों, ज्यों पानी सों पानी।।

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Mountain

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Like many others, he too had read, he too had heard and he too had contemplated. Mountain beckoned and he arrived.He saw the mountain. Mountain was serene and the peak was inviting. His face beamed. But the inner voice said to him, "this is just another peak, after all what is there in peaks! What do you want to add to yourself by reaching summits, scaling heights ?".

The problem with inner voice is, it rarely shuts up, moreover the more you try to shut it up, the more it roars back.

This time however, he saw some sanity in inner voice. He saw a deeper meaning in it, to surrender expectations related to forthcoming moments.
After all, the sky which was above him right now,the same sky is above the peak too. Will he get any closer to it by reaching the top ?

The inner voice said, "you dont climb to see the sky, you climb to see the earth, the same earth is not the same, when seen from the top"."When you go up it changes the way you look at what is down".

A tear dropped and trickle followed.

Rudrashtak: Shivraj Shitole

I have been looking for some sweet rendition of this famous Shiva hymn by Tulasidas. The sanskrit text and trans. is already there on Stutimandal. Today I found a nice rendition of the same. Artist is Shivraj Shitole. He has sweet voice and apparently some connection with yogic tradition. Anyway, enjoy the music also sample the other number, Karpur Arti. Get back or comment on this blog if you know something more about him.

To listen click here.

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Update
here is Rudrashtak sung by Pt. Channulaal Mishra ji

थकी हुई नदी - tired river

थकी हुई नदी:

कितना नदी और बहे?
कि वो सागर से मिले?

नदी भी सोचती है कभी कभी
कि क्यों निकल पड़ी
खाने ठोकर पत्थरों की
जंगलों की

क्यों निकल पड़ी आखिर
मार्गहीन पथ पर?
थक गयी है अब नदी.

क्यों धर्म नदी का नदी को?
सागर ओर ले जाता है
सागर नहीं क्यों खुद ही बढ़कर?
निकट नदी के आता है ?

OS Arun Bhajan Shyam Shyam MM 2009

The way OS Arunji, says "shyam shyam shyam" the aakar etc. is ditto Pt. Jasraj. The anu-nasiks(nasals) also reminded me of Jasraj. Ofcourse he maintains his own creative distinctness. Interesting also is the way the audience responded, moving and shaking and clapping, he seemed to have cast a hypnotic spell on his audience. They dint seem like classic-Mylapore-wale-rasikas. This goes a long way to show how effective Arunji is.

More power to you Arunji. We love your music. Some songs that he sang are very popular in north india and my mind kept going back to Pt. Bhimsen and Lata and their renditions of the same. But Arunji has energy, and boy he is totally immersed in his music.He deserves at least Padma Bhushan.

Do watch the other parts of this performance which he gave at Margazhi'09. They have been uploaded as a playlist by the same channel.

Btw btw, I read on the web that Arunji has launched his album of Tamil-gazhal. You read it right Tam-gaz ;)
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New Year

But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.

It's been a long time that I'm waiting
Been a long time that I'm blown
been a long time that I've wandered
Through the people I have known
Oh, if you would and you could
Straighten my new mind's eye.

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