Shivpreet Singh
Shivpreet Singh
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Sansar Samunde (feat. Janapriyan Levine):



Dear friends ... I have accumulated several shabads that I haven't released. So every Friday for the next few weeks I will be releasing new videos on YouTube ...

This one is a Shabad by Bhagat Namdev that I composed in raag Shudha Basant earlier this year. Please share this with your hearts, your families and your friends.  If you know any Marathis ... please share it with them as well.  The beautiful words of Namdev are somewhat lost in his native state.  Free streams of the shabad are available on Youtube, Spotify, and Pandora etc. Thanks to a request by my cousin I also uploaded a 30 second ringtone on Souncloud ... you can download that here. If you are generous enough to pay for the track, I will gladly donate the proceeds to the amazing musicians who mostly work with me on a voluntary basis.

I have been contemplating upon this shabad for a few months and talked about it a couple of times at diwaans at the San Jose Gurdwara earlier this year.  I'll share a couple of things that filled me with wonder about the beauty of Gurbani ...

Beethal/Beethla

First, the word "Beethla" or "Beethal" is used for God by Bhagat Namdev in the Guru Granth Sahib. Contemporary Marathis will recognize the word "Vitthal" or "Biththal."  It is interesting to note that the similarities between this word and "Beda", "Bohit", "Boat", "Bethel" and "Bethlehem". Beda means boat and occurs many times in the Guru Granth Sahib. We use "Kaljug ke bohit" in ardaas - implying the Guru is the boat in Kaljug.  Boat is obviously a boat.  Bethel is a hebrew word that means house of God, but one especially made for sailors.  Every time we say the word "Beethla" we are reminded of Guru, the boat to God.

The name of God is untranslatable. And there is special meaning of every name. Guru Nanak says, "God I love you in every one of your names."  That is one of the reasons why, when I do my translations -- as you will notice in this video -- I keep the name of God that is being used unchanged. To really know what it means, one has to take a deep dive into Guru Nanak's Mool Mantra. 

Lobh Leher At Neejhar Baajai

Second, I especially loved the line "Lobh Leher At Neejhar Baajai" ... the bottom line is that Greed is bad. But how beautifully Bhagat Namdev says this. What an amazing group of words sown together. Lobh - Greed. Lehar - Wave. At - Very. Neejhar - Water fall (Just like PatJhar is Leaf Fall, Neejhar is Water Fall -- also called Nirjhar - where Nir is water and Jhar is fall). Baajai - beats.  The waves of greed are beating the body of my soul (kaaya or body of soul is used in the next line) like a water fall whiplashing the body of a boat in a storm. What a beautiful way of describing how greed works.

Another note on the raag, Basant. Sometimes during Basant, there are floods. This happened this year in California -- after more than a 10 year drought there was so much rains that it was flooding all over the place. So it was apt to sing this shabad. So there maybe 31 color of emotions (Raags) directing towards oneness in Gurbani, each color has several shades. This is a beautiful shade of Basant.

This is Raag Shuddha Basant as per Sikh Musicologists.  It is said that historically this was the more prevalent way of singing Basant (rather than the Purvi Basant that is mostly sung now).  In Hindustani Classical music this raag is not called Shudha Basant; it is called Bhinna Shadaj (Hindustani musicologists have a different definition of Shudha Basant).

Most importantly, I am eternally grateful to my dear friend Janapriyan Levine for playing a few guitar tracks for this recording.  I love collaborating with Janapriyan because not only is he a fantastic musician with a good understanding of Indian classical, he is a wonderful human being, highly spiritual -- this reflects in his music. To contribute to his music please visit: https://www.patreon.com/janapriyan

My wonderfully talented little cousin from Delhi, Simer, did the cover for this -- you can see it on iTunes/Amazon etc. This shabad is dedicated to her.  Much thanks and love you Simro!

While I have translated the shabad on the video, here is an alternative translation of the same:

Lyrics in Punjabi and Gurbani

ਲੋਭ ਲਹਰਿ ਅਤਿਨੀਝਰ ਬਾਜੈ॥
लोभ लहरि अति नीझर बाजै ॥

ਕਾਇਆ ਡੂਬੈ ਕੇਸਵਾ॥੧॥
काइआ डूबै केसवा ॥१॥

ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ਸਮੁੰਦੇ ਤਾਰਿਗੋੁਬਿੰਦੇ ॥
संसारु समुंदेतारि गोबिंदे ॥

ਤਾਰਿ ਲੈ ਬਾਪਬੀਠੁਲਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
तारि लै बाप बीठुला ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥

ਅਨਿਲ ਬੇੜਾ ਹਉਖੇਵਿ ਨਸਾਕਉ ॥
अनिल बेड़ा हउ खेवि न साकउ ॥

ਤੇਰਾ ਪਾਰੁ ਨਪਾਇਆ ਬੀਠੁਲਾ॥੨॥
तेरा पारु न पाइआ बीठुला ॥२॥

ਹੋਹੁ ਦਇਆਲੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁਮੇਲਿ ਤੂਮੋ ਕਉ॥
होहु दइआलु सतिगुरु मेलि तू मो कउ ॥

ਪਾਰਿ ਉਤਾਰੇ ਕੇਸਵਾ॥੩॥
पारि उतारे केसवा ॥३॥

ਨਾਮਾ ਕਹੈ ਹਉਤਰਿ ਭੀਨ ਜਾਨਉ॥
नामा कहै हउ तरि भी न जानउ ॥

ਮੋ ਕਉ ਬਾਹਦੇਹਿ ਬਾਹਦੇਹਿ ਬੀਠੁਲਾ॥੪॥੨॥
मो कउ बाह देहि बाह देहि बीठुला ॥४॥२॥


Transliteration and Traditional Translation

Lobẖ lahar aṯ nījẖar bājai.
The tidal waves of greed constantly assault me.

Kāiā dūbai kesvā. ||1||
My body is drowning, O Lord. ||1||

Sansār samunḏe ṯār gobinḏe.
Please carry me across the world-ocean, O Lord of the Universe.

Ŧār lai bāp bīṯẖulā. ||1|| rahā▫o.
Carry me across, O Beloved Father. ||1||Pause||

Anil beṛā hao kẖev na sākao.
I cannot steer my ship in this storm.

Ŧerā pār na pāiā bīṯẖulā. ||2||
I cannot find the other shore, O Beloved Lord. ||2||

Hohu ḏaiāl saṯgur mel ṯū mo ka▫o.
Please be merciful, and unite me with the True Guru;

Pār uṯāre kesvā. ||3||
carry me across, O Lord. ||3||

Nāmā kahai hao ṯar bẖī na jāno.
Says Naam Dayv, I do not know how to swim.

Mo kao bāh ḏėh bāh ḏėh bīṯẖulā. ||4||2||
Give me Your Arm, give me Your Arm, O Beloved Lord. ||4||2||


Also: Sansaar Samunde, Sansaar Samunde Taar Gobinde



Wealth is so common
So many are rich
and so many
beautiful

Good food, ornate clothes
big houses and cars,
all so common

Friendships are so common!
Everyone has relatives
most have lovers 
too

Cleverness common
Intellect common
& Wisdom too

Kingdoms and heavens
That so many attain,
all so common

But Love!
Love is rare
True love is very rare!

- Guru Arjan in Durlabham

Heart, Love, Romance, Valentine, Harmony, Romantic
I couldn't live with you

for that beauty 
would also be broken 
behind the shelf like cracked porcelain

I couldn't die with you

for I would not
have the pleasure
of dying in your arms

I couldn't rise with you

for that almighty God 
would be jealous 
of our love

So we must meet apart

separated by an ocean 
and some commitments
yet still ... a window open



Here is the original Emily Dickinson classic:
I cannot live with You – 
It would be Life – 
And Life is over there – 
Behind the Shelf

The Sexton keeps the Key to – 
Putting up
Our Life – His Porcelain – 
Like a Cup – 

Discarded of the Housewife – 
Quaint – or Broke – 
A newer Sevres pleases – 
Old Ones crack – 

I could not die – with You – 
For One must wait
To shut the Other’s Gaze down – 
You – could not – 

And I – could I stand by
And see You – freeze – 
Without my Right of Frost – 
Death’s privilege?

Nor could I rise – with You – 
Because Your Face
Would put out Jesus’ – 
That New Grace

Glow plain – and foreign
On my homesick Eye – 
Except that You than He
Shone closer by – 

They’d judge Us – How – 
For You – served Heaven – You know,
Or sought to – 
I could not – 

Because You saturated Sight – 
And I had no more Eyes
For sordid excellence
As Paradise

And were You lost, I would be – 
Though My Name
Rang loudest
On the Heavenly fame – 

And were You – saved – 
And I – condemned to be
Where You were not – 
That self – were Hell to Me – 

So We must meet apart – 
You there – I – here – 
With just the Door ajar
That Oceans are – and Prayer – 
And that White Sustenance – 
Despair – 
Jis marne te jag dare, mere man anand, 
Marne te hi paiye puran parmanand
(Death, that terrifies most in this world, is what brings me happiness
it is in Death alone that one finds eternal bliss.)

– Kabir doha recited by Bhagat Singh when conveyed the judgement on his death sentence

Similar ideas in a longer shabad by Bhagat Kabir on death -

ਗਉੜੀ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ॥
गउड़ी कबीर जी ॥
Gaoṛī Kabīr jī.
Gauree, Kabeer Jee:

ਜਿਹ ਮਰਨੈ ਸਭੁ ਜਗਤੁ ਤਰਾਸਿਆ ॥
जिह मरनै सभु जगतु तरासिआ ॥
Jih marnai sabẖ jagaṯ ṯarāsiā.
That death which terrifies the entire world -

ਸੋ ਮਰਨਾ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦਿ ਪ੍ਰਗਾਸਿਆ ॥੧॥
सो मरना गुर सबदि प्रगासिआ ॥१॥
So marnā gur sabaḏ pargāsiā. ||1||
the nature of that death has been revealed to me, through the Word of the Guru's Shabad. ||1||

ਅਬ ਕੈਸੇ ਮਰਉ ਮਰਨਿ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ॥
अब कैसे मरउ मरनि मनु मानिआ ॥
Ab kaise marao maran man māniā.
Now, how shall I die? My mind has already accepted death.

ਮਰਿ ਮਰਿ ਜਾਤੇ ਜਿਨ ਰਾਮੁ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
मरि मरि जाते जिन रामु न जानिआ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
Mar mar jāṯe jin rām na jāniā. ||1|| rahāo.
Those who do not know the Lord, die over and over again, and then depart. ||1||Pause||

ਮਰਨੋ ਮਰਨੁ ਕਹੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਈ ॥
मरनो मरनु कहै सभु कोई ॥
Marno maran kahai sabẖ koī.
Everyone says, "I will die, I will die".

ਸਹਜੇ ਮਰੈ ਅਮਰੁ ਹੋਇ ਸੋਈ ॥੨॥
सहजे मरै अमरु होइ सोई ॥२॥
Sėhje marai amar hoe soī. ||2||
But he alone becomes immortal, who dies with intuitive understanding. ||2||

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਮਨਿ ਭਇਆ ਅਨੰਦਾ ॥
कहु कबीर मनि भइआ अनंदा ॥
Kaho Kabīr man bẖaiā ananḏā.
Says Kabeer, my mind is filled with bliss;

ਗਇਆ ਭਰਮੁ ਰਹਿਆ ਪਰਮਾਨੰਦਾ ॥੩॥੨੦॥
गइआ भरमु रहिआ परमानंदा ॥३॥२०॥
Gaiā bẖaram rahiā parmānanḏā. ||3||20||
my doubts have been eliminated, and I am in ecstasy. ||3||20||



Even after all this time 
The sun never says to the earth, 
“You owe Me.” 

Look what happens with 
A love like that, 
It lights the Whole Sky.
- Daniel Ladinsky

The poem is inspired by Hafiz, but its not a translation as its most often quoted. It was written by Daniel Ladinsky.
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SHIVPREET SINGH

Singing oneness!
- Shivpreet Singh

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