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