advaitam — without a second; acyutam — without decay; anādim — without a beginning; ananta-rūpam — whose form is endless, or who possesses unlimited forms; ādyam — the beginning; purāṇa-puruṣam — the most ancient person; nava-yauvanam — a blooming youth; ca — also; vedeṣu — through the Vedas; durlabham — inaccessible; adurlabham — not difficult to obtain; ātma-bhaktau — through pure devotion of the soul; govindam — Govinda; ādi-puruṣam — the original person; tam — Him; aham — I; bhajāmi — worship.
Translation
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.
Purport
Advaita means "indivisible truth who is knowledge absolute." Brahman, the infinite, emanates from Him as His effulgence and God-immanent (Paramātmā) as His constituent; but nevertheless He remains one and indivisible. Acyuta means that though myriads of avatāras emanate from Him as subjective portions and millions of jīvas as separated spiritual particles, still He remains intact as the undivided whole of fullest perfection. Though He indulges in exhibiting the pastimes of births, etc., still He is without a beginning. Though He disappears after the pastimes of His appearance, still He is eternal. Though without origin, yet He is with an origin in His pastime of appearance; and although eternal in essence, He is still a person in the full bloom of youth. The sum and substance of it is that though He possesses diverse and apparently mutually contradictory qualities, still they are in universal harmonious concordance by dint of His unthinkable potency. This is what is meant by cid-dharma (transcendental nature) as distinguished from the material. His graceful threefold-bending form with flute in hand, possesses eternal blooming youth and is above all unwholesomeness that is to be found in limited time and space. In the transcendental realm there is no past and future but only the unalloyed and immutable present time. In the transcendental sphere there is no distinction between the object and its qualities and no such identity as is found in the limited mundane region. Hence those qualities that seem to be apparently contradictory in the light of mundane conception limited by time and space, exist in agreeable and dainty concordance in the spiritual realm. How can the jīva realize such unprecedented existence? The limited intellectual function of the jīva is always contaminated by the influence of time and space and is, therefore, not in a position to shake off this limitedness. If the potency of cognitive function does not extend to the realization of the transcendental, what else can? In reply. Brahmā says that the transcendental Absolute is beyond the reach of the Vedas. The Vedas originate in sound and sound originates in the mundane ether. So the Vedas cannot present before us a direct view of the transcendental world (Goloka). It is only when the Vedas are imbued with the cit potency that they are enabled to deal with the transcendental. But Goloka reveals itself to every jīva-soul when he is under the influence of the spiritual cognitive potency joined to the essence of ecstatic energy. The ecstatic function of devotion is boundless and is surcharged with unalloyed transcendental knowledge. That knowledge reveals goloka-tattva (the principle of the highest transcendental) in unison with devotion, without asserting itself separately but as a subsidiary to unalloyed devotion.
Translation - Kab Se Hoon, Kya Bataaon (Ghalib)
miltee hai khoo-e-yaar se naar iltihaab mein
kaafir hoon gar na miltee ho raahat 'azaab mein
Line 1/2 - The poet says his beloved's temperament matches the fiery flames of the fire. I would be an infidel if I do not find solace in sorrow. Ghalib in his despair says his lover's behavior is like the searing flames of the fire. It is passionate and intense, and I would be a non-believer if I do not find comfort in torment. I am in sorrow and already in anguish hence I find comfort in the fiery habits of my lover. They don't bother me. But if they start to annoy me, then assume that I am no more a believer that I used to be.
kab se hoon, kya bataaoon jahaan-e-kharaab mein?
shab haaye hijr ko bhee rakhoon gar hisaab mein
Line 3/4 - Ghalib says that 'What to say! Since how long I have been in this world of misfortune and misery'. Even if I account for the misery due to your nights of separation into this. Now this can be interpreted in multiple ways. The poet says that his life has long been in this world of grief and affliction. If I take care of the torment/misery due to our separation still my world would be sad and amiss. In other interpretation, Ghalib says his long he has been in wretched world and those nights of separation from you are just more addition in those woeful times. My beloved's company makes this world joyful and without her, it is another day in this wretched world.
taa fir na intezaar mein neend aaye 'umr bhar
aane ka 'ahad kar gaye aaye jo khwaab mein
Line 5/6 - The poet says 'So that, in waiting - sleep may never come in my entire lifetime, she came in my dreams and promised that she would come'. Ghalib says I am waiting for my beloved eagerly and so excited am I that I can not rest until she comes. Sleep may never come close to my eyes until I see her face for she came to my dreams and promised that she is going to come and meet me.
qaasid ke aate-aate khat ik aur likh rakhoon
main jaanta hoon jo woh likhenge jawaab mein
Line 7/8 - Ghalib says by the time the messenger comes, he will write another letter and keep it handy. For I know what she is going to write in her reply. Again couple of interpretation, One he knows his beloved so well that he knows what she has written in the letter and he want to keep his reply ready by the time the messenger comes. The other interpretation being the poet wants to keep another letter ready for he knows what she is going to say (she would not reply to his letters and he would therefore send another letter to her to evict response).
mujh tak kab unkee bazm mein aata tha daur-e-jaam
saaqee ne kuchch mila na diya ho sharaab mein
Line 9/10 - Ghalib says since when have the drinks doing the rounds in her meeting reached him. It never used to happen before. I wonder if the bartender has not mixed something in his drinks this time. The poet says that the wine never used to come this far as to reach him in the meetings organised by her. Maybe this time there is something in the wine. The interpretation being that earlier drinks never used to reach him in these meetings but somehow that is not the case today and I am just suspicious if the drink is adulterated to disrupt his meeting with the host this time around.
jo munkir-e-wafa ho fareb us pe kya chale?
kyoon badghumaan hoon dost se dushman ke baab mein?
Line 11/12 - The poet says the one who is unfaithful, what trick/fraud would work on him/her? Why am I suspicious of my friend in company of my enemy. The exact interpretation is unclear. Ghalib says that no trick or fraud will work on his beloved (he calls her denier of loyalty for she refuses to profess her love for him). What trick would work on her? Then why am I suspicious of my beloved in company of my enemy? I know she is too rebellious to be tricked, yet why am I wary of her in company of my rival?
main muztarib hoon wasl mein kaauf-e-raqeeb se
daala hai tumko weham ne kis pech-o-taab mein
Line 13/14 - I am a bit anxious/uneasy in midst of a meeting (with my beloved), from the fear of my opponent. In what predicament has this doubt/fancy put you in? Ghalib says I am in this awkward quandary caused by my doubt that I am having (about if his beloved is having feelings for his opponent). This fear of the rival is making me restless even in middle of union with my beloved.
maiy aur haz'z-e-wasl, khudaa_saaz baat hai
jaan nazr denee bhool gaya iztiraab mein
Line 15/16 - Wine and the joy of union (with my beloved), these are the gifts from God. I forgot to offer my life in return to God due to my anxiety caused by this sudden good luck. Ghalib says the glass of wine and the company of his beloved are like God's gift to him. These are the workings of the merciful one. I forgot to offer my self in return (for all this good luck) to that compassionate divinity in midst of this excitement and anxiety.
hai tevaree chadee huee andar naqaab ke
hai ik shikan padee huee tarf-e-naqaab mein
Line 17/18 - The face is frowned inside the veil, there is this wrinkle/fold on the cover of the veil. The poet says I can sense a frown on the beloved's face inside the veil for there is visible crinkle on the surface of the veil. How to interpret this is anybody guess! Ghalib says his beloved can not hide the displeasure that she displays inside the veil for I can perceive the frown by the wrinkles on the surface of the veil.
laakhaun lagaav, ik churaana nigaah ka
laakhaun banaav, ik bigaadna itaab mein
Line 19/20 - There are hundreds of thousands of ways of your fondness's and affection and yet there is this particular one way in which you steal away your glances. There are hundreds of thousands of ways of your ornaments and embellishments and yet there is this one particular way of showing anger and throwing tantrums. Ghalib says my beloved has countless ways of showing affection but nothing beats the subtle turning away of her eyes. She has countless ways of ornamentation and yet nothing like those momentary anger she displays at me!
woh naala_dil mein khas ke baraabar jagah na paaye
jis naale se shigaaf pade aaftaab mein
Line 21/22 - The heart is filled with such sorrow that one can not find space needed even for a small blade of grass to fit in. That sorrow which causes a crack to appear on your splendid face. Ghalib says the grief that caused that wrinkle to appear on his beloved's face, his heart is now so full of that grief that there is not even space in the heart to fit even a blade of grass in it. There is another possible meaning of the word - naala (i.e. request) and if we can interpret is as the request that causes a wrinkle on your face, that request even if it is as small as a blade of grass it won't find space inside my heart. Not really sure which is the correct interpretation!
woh sehar muddaa talbee mein na kaam aaye
jis sehar se safina ravaan ho saraab mein
Line 23/24 - That magic would not help/work in fulfilling your desires. The one which makes your boat sail in a mirage. Ghalib says the magic that makes a boat moves in a mirage, that magic won't help you in accomplishing your desires and seeking your goals. Your dreams that make you see magical things and enchanting narratives (like a boat sailing in a mirage) , those bewitching spells won't facilitate your purpose.
ghalib' chutee sharaab, par ab bhee kabhee-kabhee
peeta hoon roz-e-abr -o- shab-e-maahtaab mein
Line 25/26 - The poet says that I have quit drinking, but still sometimes from time to time. I do drink on days when it is cloudy (and the moon is hidden) and on days when moon shines in the night. Ghalib in his brilliant play on words, says he does not drink now, but does it sometimes on cloudy(moon-less) nights and moon-lit nights. Another way of saying that I am still a lover of wine (and drink daily) despite of what I proclaim.
I Have Come to Know the Illusory Power to be a Great Thug
Her Hands Sway Holding a Web-like Trap
She Speaks in a Sweet Voice
For Kesava, the Sustainer, She is Seated as the Embodiment of Abundance
For Shiva, the God of Dissolution, She is the Empress of the Worlds
For the Priest She is Seated as the Idol of Worship
And in Places of Pilgrimage She Manifests as the Holy Water
For Yogis She is Seated as the Spiritual Partner
In the King's Palace She is the Queen
For Some She is Seated as a Priceless Diamond
For Some She is a Mere Penny
For Devotees She is Seated in the Object of Devotion
For Brahma She is His Consort
Says Kabir Listen Oh Practicing Aspirant
All this is an Untold Story
Explanation
Maya has been traditionally described as illusion. Often the physical world itself is referred to as being not real or an illusion. However, in my experience, the illusion is really in our perception of the physical reality where we experience the outside world as different from ourselves. We believe that happiness is a function of this outside world, thereby making us put extraordinary effort in changing this external reality. This dynamic experience stimulated by the external world is seductive and change is its inherent property. Even though this changing transient reality is unable to give us lasting joy or happiness, we continue to fervently believe in its capability to give us exactly that. This is Maya or illusion.
Kabir succinctly describes this fact by illustrating how the life's focus, for everybody, is on an external reality. And this continuing externally-directed focus is illusory because of the transient nature of the relationship between the subject and the object. Whether it is a rich man looking for a diamond, a beggar wanting a penny, a devotee seeking the object of her worship, Maalok translating a Kabir song that will be well received by the readers or Rajender monitoring readers' comments and page views on the site - they all are rooted in Maya. Here is an exercise that I recommend (I fail in it more often than not) - Try to find a source of joy that is independent of anything (external) or any person. Doing that may require some effort but it should be possible. Now try to observe (and not act on) your tendency to teach/tell/discuss/write this with others - not that there is anything "wrong" in being motivated by the external world; however this exercise will help you clearly see whether the source of joy is indeed coming from within you. Perhaps this may embark you too on a journey that Kabir describes as the untold story.
मंगलवार, 25 अक्तूबर 2016
माया महा ठगनी हम जानी।।
माया महा ठगनी हम जानी।।
तिरगुन फांस लिए कर डोले बोले मधुरे बानी।।
केसव के कमला वे बैठी शिव के भवन भवानी।।
पंडा के मूरत वे बैठीं तीरथ में भई पानी।।
योगी के योगन वे बैठी राजा के घर रानी।।
काहू के हीरा वे बैठी काहू के कौड़ी कानी।।
भगतन की भगतिन वे बैठी ब्रह्मा के ब्रह्माणी।।
कहे कबीर सुनो भई साधो यह सब अकथ कहानी।।
Alternative
माया महा ठगनी हम जानी।।
तिरगुन फांस लिए कर डोले बोले मधुरे बानी।।
केसव के कमला वे बैठी शिव के भवन भवानी।।
पंडा के मूरत वे बैठीं तीरथ में भई पानी।।
योगी के योगन वे बैठी राजा के घर रानी।।
काहू के हीरा वे बैठी काहू के कौड़ी कानी।।
भगतन की भगतिन वे बैठी बृह्मा के बृह्माणी।।
कहे कबीर सुनो भई साधो यह सब अकथ कहानी।।
भावार्थ करने की चेष्टा करते हैं। पहले यह जाने माया है क्या ?जो अभी है और अभी नहीं है ,नित बदलती रहती है हमारे शरीर की तरह ,जो म्यूटेबिल है वह माया है। जो सत्य भी नहीं है असत्य भी नहीं है और यह दोनों भी नहीं है ,वह माया है। जगत को मिथ्या कहा गया है जगत मिथ्या नहीं है ,उसके साथ हमारा लेन देन है ट्रांजेक्शन है वह मिथ्या कैसे हो सकता है। जगत स्वयं परमात्मा की अभिव्यक्ति है। उससे अलग नहीं है। माया परमात्मा की शक्ति है लेकिन जीव को विमोहित किये रहती है। माया को ही प्रकृति (त्रिगुणात्मक प्रकृति ,सतो-रजो-तमो गुणी सृष्टि )कहा गया है।
ईश्वर ,जीव और माया अनादि हैं। जीव माया के अधीन है। जीव और माया दोनों ईश्वर के अधीन है। माया से हमारे विमोहित होने का कारण हमारा अहंकार है। हम तो कृत हैं परमात्मा की और अपने को कर्ता मानने बूझने लगते है।
हम न करता हैं न भोक्ता ,भुक्त हैं। करता प्रकृति के तीनों गुण हैं हमारी ज्ञानेन्द्रियाँ अपने विषयों में आसक्त हो जाती हैं। हम आनंद को बाहर ढूंढने लगते हैं।जबकि आनंद तो हम स्वयं है।
आनंद अंदर की यात्रा है हम इसे बाहर ढूंढ रहे हैं। यही हमारे आत्म -विमोह का कारण है। जबकि सृष्टि भी कृत है और हम भी इससे जुदा नहीं हैं अलहदगी हमारी दृष्टि में है।
“Two drowning people can't save each other. All they can do is drag each other down.”
― Carsten Jensen, We, the Drowned
“For in tremendous extremities human souls are like drowning men; well enough they know they are in peril; well enough they know the causes of that peril;--nevertheless, the sea is the sea, and these drowning men do drown.”
Singing oneness!
