Archive for February 2021

I have no miracles but the true name. - Guru Nanak.

I know of nothing else but miracles - Walt Whitman

I am listening to Satnam meditation while reading this poem about Miracles by Walt Whitman and a similarly intoxicating poem, Vismaad by Guru Nanak today ...

Miracles

- Walt Whitman

REALISM is mine, my miracles,

Take all of the rest—take freely—I keep
but my own—I give only of them,

I offer them without end—I offer them to you
wherever your feet can carry you, or your
eyes reach.

Why! who makes much of a miracle?

As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles,

Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,

Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward
the sky,

Or wade with naked feet along the beach, just in
the edge of the water,

Or stand under trees in the woods,

Or talk by day with any one I love—or sleep in
the bed at night with any one I love,

Or sit at the table at dinner with my mother,

Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,

Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive, of an
August forenoon,

Or animals feeding in the fields,

Or birds—or the wonderfulness of insects in the
air,

Or the wonderfulness of the sun-down—or of
stars shining so quiet and bright,

Or the exquisite, delicate, thin curve of the new-
moon in May,

Or whether I go among those I like best, and that
like me best—mechanics, boatmen, farmers,

Or among the savans—or to the soiree—or to
the opera,

Or stand a long while looking at the movements
of machinery,

Or behold children at their sports,

Or the admirable sight of the perfect old man, or
the perfect old woman,

Or the sick in hospitals, or the dead carried to
burial,

Or my own eyes and figure in the glass,

These, with the rest, one and all, are to me
miracles,

The whole referring—yet each distinct and in its
place.

To me, every hour of the light and dark is a
miracle,

Every inch of space is a miracle,

Every square yard of the surface of the earth is
spread with the same,

Every cubic foot of the interior swarms with the
same;

Every spear of grass—the frames, limbs, organs,
of men and women, and all that concerns
them,

All these to me are unspeakably perfect miracles.

To me the sea is a continual miracle,

The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion
of the waves—the ships, with men in them
—what stranger miracles are there?

Vismaad - By Guru Nanak

Vismaad naad vismaad ved. Vismaad je-a vismaad bhed.
Vismaad roop vismaad rang. Vismaad nagnae phireh jant.
Vismaad pa-un vismaad paanee. Vismaad agneekhaydeh vidaanee.
Vismaad dhartee vismaad khaanee. Vismaad saad lageh paraanee.
Vismaad sanjog vismaad vijog. Vismaad bhukh vismaad bhog.
Vismaad sifat vismaad saalaah. Vismaad ujharh vismaad raah.
Vismaad nayrhai vismaad door(h). Vismaad daykhai haajraa hajoor.
Vaiykh vidaan rahi-aa vismaad. Nanak bujhan pooraibhaag. ||1||”
(SGGS, Pg. No. 463)

Translation of Guru Nanak's Vismaad

I am in awe as I observe the wind blowing and water flowing in different places. The fire's display of astonishing plays is truly amazing. Looking at how creatures are sustained by the earth through various means of birth such as eggs, wombs, and perspiration leaves me wonderfully astonished. It is amazing to see how mortals enjoy Your bounties, and the experience of people being united or separated is equally astonishing. It is difficult to believe that hunger grips some places while others voraciously enjoy plenty. There are places where the Creator is praised and eulogized. It is just as wonderful to stray away from divine commands as it is to walk on well-laid paths. Witnessing this wondrous play of Yours is astonishing. It is amazing that some believe You are near, others believe You are far away, while others see You right beside them, pervading everything. Beholding these wonders, I am wonderstruck. Oh Nanak, those who comprehend these astounding wonders of Yours are blessed with perfect destiny.

I am in awe

-Shivpreet Singh

I am in awe as I watch the wind carve patterns into the hills of San Ramon and the rain slip through the cracks of parched California soil, reviving the roots of old oaks. The way fire has been leap and destroying houses and lives in Southern California is astonishing. And in that same week, I marvel at how life emerges—newborns wrapped in hospital blankets, tadpoles stirring in puddles in our backyard after a storm, spores drifting unseen through the air, waiting to root themselves in damp corners of forgotten places.

It stuns me how some fill their grocery carts to the brim, debating organic versus conventional, while others stand in food bank lines, stomachs already adjusting to emptiness. At bustling farmers’ markets, fruit is sampled and discarded with indifference, while in other places, a bruised apple is held like treasure. It is just as remarkable that some dedicate their lives to justice and kindness, while others, with equal conviction, hoard and deceive. It is no less astonishing to walk a well-lit road of principles than to wander aimlessly in the fog of uncertainty.

Some find meaning in distant stars and scientific equations, others in whispered mantras, and some in the silence between all things. Some are singing with me, some are singing by themselves; some don't know they are singing. There are those who feel the universe pressing close, its rhythm pulsing in their veins, while others drift through days untouched by wonder. I witness all of this and stand, wide-eyed, marveling at the strange, beautiful, inexplicable world we inhabit.

I am in awe of the seekers who pause to take it all in—who let themselves be shattered by its complexity and pieced back together by its beauty—are the ones who, perhaps, have understood something rare. I am especially in awe that in this lifetime I found such ancient bards in modern times. But most of all, I am awe that I get to steal your words, dear Guru Nanak, from page 463 of the Guru Granth Sahib, and call them my own. I love this Vismaad.

Another take on this:

I am awestruck by the wonder of it all,

The wind blows here and there, the water flows,

Fire dances in its own dazzling play,

And the earth sustains life from myriad sources.

From eggs, from wombs, from sweat and soil,

The creatures of this earth come forth to live,

And mortal beings revel in the bounty,

That You, O' God, have so generously given.

To see people united or torn apart,

Is a wonder beyond comprehension,

And in some lands, hunger grips the heart,

While others feast in reckless abandon.

Some sing Your praises with unbridled joy,

While others stray from Your divine command,

But in all these paths, You are the one,

Whose wondrous play we witness, ever at hand.

For some, You are near, for others far,

But all around us, You pervade and bless,

And those who grasp these wonders true,

Are blessed with destiny's perfect caress.

O' Nanak, I stand in wonder before You,

And Your astounding miracles of life and love,

For in Your infinite and wondrous grace,

I find the strength to journey on above.

Spring, flowers and gardens usually form positive metaphors for love and beauty. Like Robert Frost aptly says, poets are "slave[s] to a springtime passion for the earth". For instance, a Buddhist song Phool ko Aakha Ma the writer says:

In the eyes of a flower, the world appears as a flower

In the eyes of a thorn, the world appears as a thorn

The shadow is cast according to the (size of the) object

But a flower can be a foe as good as he is a friend. I was reading Tulips by Sylvia Plath this Spring season which explores the negative aspect of Spring and came across an article from Dawn (see below) with a couple of Mirza Ghalib couplets that also go in this direction.

Narcissus or Daffodil

There is an older sher that Ghalib wrote but did not include in his diwaan. But I like this better than the one he included:

baagh tujh bin gul-e-nargis se Daraataa hai mujhe

chaahuuN gar sair-e-chaman aaNkh dikhaataa hai mujhe

Without you the garden scares me with the daffodil

If I want to take a stroll, he stares at me

This is the sher he actually included in his diwaan:

baagh paa kar KHafaqaanii ye Daraataa hai mujhe

saaya-e-shaaKH-e-gul af.ii nazar aataa hai mujhe

Noticing my palpitations, the garden tries to scare me

The shadow of the flower's branch looks like a snake to me

I guess every love has fear

every flower has its shadow!

Baag Pa Kar Khafqani - Complete Ghazal

The complete ghazal is below. For more on this ghazal see research by Pritchett.

baagh paa kar KHafaqaanii ye Daraataa hai mujhe

saaya-e-shaaKH-e-gul af.ii nazar aataa hai mujhe

jauhar-e-tegh ba-sar-chashma-e-diigar maaluum
huuN maiN vo sabza ki zahraab ugaataa hai mujhe

mudda.aa mahv-e-tamaashaa-e-shikast-e-dil hai
aa.ina-KHaana meN ko.ii liye jaataa hai mujhe

naala sarmaaya-e-yak-aalam o aalam kaf-e-KHaak
aasmaaN baiza-e-quamrii nazar aataa hai mujhe

zindagii meN to vo mahfil se uThaa dete the
dekhuuN ab mar ga.e par kaun uThaataa hai mujhe

baagh tujh bin gul-e-nargis se Daraataa hai mujhe
chaahuuN gar sair-e-chaman aaNkh dikhaataa hai mujhe

shor-e-timsaal hai kis rashk-e-chaman kaa yaa rab
aa.ina baiza-e-bulbul nazar aataa hai mujhe

hairat-e-aa.ina anjaam-e-junuuN huuN jyuuN sham.a
kis qadar daagh-e-jigar shola uThaataa hai mujhe

maiN huuN aur hairat-e-jaaved magar zauq-e-KHayaal
ba-fusuun-e-nigah-e-naaz sataataa hai mujhe

hairat-e-fikr-e-suKHan saaz-e-salaamat hai 'asad'
dil pas-e-zaanuu-e-aa.iina biThaataa hai mujhe

Article from Dawn: Gardens of the Heart

Garden imagery can be allegorical, metaphorical or simply romantic. In classical Persian and Urdu ghazal, the garden represents a microcosm of creation. It is the space where the beloved preens. The rose, nightingale, tulip, narcissus, cypress and grass are metaphors of the garden’s landscape, each imbued with multiple valences, imagined and reimagined by poets across centuries.

Spring is the beloved’s messenger; the rose its representation. Warm breezes revive the garden with fragrance which, like wine, intoxicates the trees and flowers that sway with joy. The tulip brings good tidings; the lily with its multiple tongues reveals secrets, the blue-robed violet bows its head in prayer. Methods of personification give everything a function and an attribute. The tulip is branded by love. The narcissus is all eyes. The lily all tongue. Water is the life-giving force.

The symbol of the world garden is the rose; emblem of all that is beautiful, transient and fading. The nightingale’s lament arises from the notion that the rose’s smile foreshadows its scattering. My focus is Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib’s poetry garden. Ghalib produced remarkable poetry in two languages that, despite sharing many aspects of the ghazal tradition, drew on culturally specific themes. Access to a variety of themes gave Ghalib’s poetry an unusual edginess. For example, while Ghalib’s garden mirrors Persian tropes, he complicates the familiar images with far-fetched metaphors. He had a penchant for playing with perceptions of reality. As seen from his early poetry, Ghalib projects the garden as a mysterious place, almost illusory, even frightening and forbidding without the beloved:

Baagh tujh bin gul-i-nargis se daraata hai mujhe

Chaahoon gar sair-i-chaman aankh dikhaata hai mujhe

[In your absence, the garden frightens me with the narcissus/ If I want to take a stroll, it glares at me]

I was tempted to translate the verse as: “The narcissus scares me in your absence/ It glares at me if I venture for a stroll.” But Ghalib is saying that the garden intimidates, using the narcissus’s eyes to scare. Clearly, the key point here is ‘tujh bin’ [without you]. The garden belongs to the beloved. But there is a fine puzzle here. Why does the garden want to intimidate the lover? Why are the narcissus’s beautiful eyes fear-invoking? An answer could be that the crazed lover is hallucinating. Separation makes the lover fearful and the fear is projected on the garden. However we choose to read this verse, one cannot escape the wildly fantastic image of the garden, usually a paradise, now transformed into an enchanted space where flowers stare forbiddingly.

But Ghalib wasn’t happy with this opening verse and replaced it with a less obscure, more frightening verse:

Baagh paa ker khafqaani yeh daraata hai mujhe

Saya-i-shaakh-i-gul afaee nazar aata hai mujhe

[Sensing my unreasonable fears, the garden frightens me/ A flowering branch’s shadow looks a snake to me]

So, it appears that the lover-protagonist is prone to unreasonable fears; his heart palpitates in high rhythm at the slightest provocation. The lover goes out to the garden, but is so anxious in his state of separation that a flowering branch looks like a snake. Ghalib cleverly alludes to the snake in the garden of Paradise to add another layer of meaning. The lover goes to the garden alone, therefore he is guilt-ridden; the garden, the beloved’s home, sensing this fear plays on it. The imagery is once again fantasy filled. The lover is now in the garden, but plagued with snakes and other fear-invoking thoughts.

Ghalib’s contemporary, Imam Bakhsh Nasikh, has an excellent verse — more striking and picturesque — on a similar theme:

Kya shab-i-mahtaab main be yar jaoon bagh ko

Sare patton ko bana deti hai khanjar chandni

[Going to the garden on a moonlit night without my lover?/ Moonbeams make leaves into daggers]; or, [How can I go to the garden on moonlit nights without my lover?/ All leaves become daggers in the moonlight]

Nasikh talks about two extremely romantic things for a lover — moonlit nights and gardens — and beautifully plays on visual tricks that moonlight produces. Presumably the trees are mango or Asoka, with long pointy leaves that glint like daggers in the moonlight. Love and daggers go together in the ghazal world. The pain of separation is like a dagger in the heart. In a moonlit garden, separation’s pain is intensified to the point that all leaves are like daggers. Nasikh’s imagery is silvery, not dark or disturbing, even though he talks of daggers, because we are familiar with the trope. Ghalib’s imagery is tense and disquieting. Both poets approach the garden as a meeting place for lovers, but the symbolism they use is quite different.

For an example that illustrates the multivalences of the garden in Urdu poetry:

Main chaman mein kya gaya goya daabistan khul gaya

Bulbulen sun kar mere nale ghazal khwan ho gayen

[I had barely entered the garden — when a school opened, so to speak/ Bulbuls hearing my laments began reciting ghazals]

The bulbul is known for its lilting song that tells a thousand stories of love. The bird symbolises eternal love for the rose, and its song is unparalleled. Now, Ghalib the poet has surpassed the bulbul’s song. He is the master of poetry’s garden. No sooner does the master poet enter the garden or poetic gathering, the bulbuls break into song. Their song can be interpreted in several ways. First, that they acknowledge the poet’s stature as a master and sing their own song by way of repetition, creating a classroom-like atmosphere. The verse’s second line adds another dimension. The poet’s lament-song was so effective and melodious that bulbuls, known for their soul-stirring song, became ghazal reciters. The key to this verse lies in the subtle link between birdsong and ghazal. The verse demonstrates the understated slippage between the garden as a place for lovers and the garden as space for poetry. The song is metrically perfect; so is the ghazal. The pain of love is common to both. The perfect lament is ecstasy.

The columnist is associate professor in the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Virginia

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, April 8th, 2018

Continuing to do more readings and listening about flowers this spring. The eye of the flower are seen as beautiful, kind and compassionate. Be like that flower says this buddhist song by Ani Choying Dolma. Lyrics, translation and an insightful essay below. Enchanting!

Phool ko aakha Ma

Ani Choying Dolma

Transliterated Lyrics in English

Phul ko aakha ma, phulai sansaara

Kaada ko aakha ma, kaadai sansara

Jhulkincha hai chaya, bastu ansaara

Chitta suddha hos mero, boli buddha hos

Mero paitala le, kirai namaaros

Ramro aakha ma khulcha, ramrai sansara

Kaada ko aakha ma, kaadai sansara

Taha taha jun dekhu, kalo raatai ma

Jiwan sangit sunu ma, sukha patai ma

Sanglo man ma khulcha hai, sanglai sansara

Kaada ko aakha ma, kaadai sansara

Phul ko aakha ma, phulai sansara

Kaada ko aakha ma, kaadai sansara

Meaning in English

In the eyes of a flower, the world appears as a flower

In the eyes of a thorn, the world appears as a thorn

The shadow is cast according to the (size of the) object

Let my heart be pure, (let my) speech be (like) Buddha’s

Let my feet kill not a single insect

A good world opens in the eyes of the good

(Let me) see the sparkling moon on a black night

Let me listen to the song of Life, even in Dried leaves

A limpid world opens in a limpid heart

Vocabulary

Phul (फूल) = Flower

Kaada (काँडा) = Thorn

Chaya (छायाँ) = Shadow

Bastu (वस्तु) = Object; Thing

Ansaara (अन्सार) = Variation of anusar, meaning ‘according to’

Chitta (चित्त) = Mind; 'feeling’ heart

Suddha (सुद्ध) = Pure; Unadulterated

Boli (बोली) = Speech

Paitala (पैताला) = Sole; Feet

Jun (जून) = Moon

Jiwan (जीवन) = Life

Sanglo (सङ्लो) = Limpid; Transparent (Usually a quality of water)

Analysis

This song is very beautiful in lyrics, richly composed of and highly meaningful. I have just sketched a rough meaning out of it, because translations alone cannot do justice. So, the first ’phulko akha ma…’ bascially means that the world which we perceive to be is how we perceive ourselves. That means, a 'flower’ will see the world as being a 'flower’ whereas a thorn will see it as thorny. Then, the lines 'jhulkincha hai chaya…’ means that our mark on this world is made by the amount of contribution we do, hence the 'Shadow’ is cast according to the size of the object. By doing good work, we cast a 'good shadow’.

Then the lines ’chitta suddha hos….’ means that no evil should remain inside her/us. Our mind should be free of any contamination and our speech should be like Buddha’s (pure and loving). We should not harm the innocent or basically anyone, even unknowingly. The lines ’taha taha jun…’ means that, even in the pitch darkness of night, we can still admire the bright shine of the Moon. That means, we can still find happiness and hope even when outcomes look dark. 'Jiwan sangit sunu…’ basically means we can still hear the sound of life, even in dead, inanimate things like dried leaves. Similarly, hope can be found in hopeless situations.

In the Eyes of a Flower

by Max Ediger

In the eyes of a thorn, the world looks like a thorn.

In the eyes of a flower, the world looks like a flower.

- From Phoolko Ankaama

These simple but provocative words were penned by Tibetan Buddhist nun Ani Choying Dorlma. Ani Choying was born in 1971 in Kathmandu, Nepal to Tibetan exiles. When she was 13 years old, she joined a Buddhist monastery to escape a physically abusive father. In the monastery she learned Buddhist chants and discovered that she has a skill and deep love for music. Phoolko Ankaama is one of the many songs she has written and sung. A recording of the song, along with a translation of the words is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLggOXZwfOA.

As a nun in a Buddhist monastery, Ani Choying soon discovered that women do not have many opportunities to play leadership roles in a very patriarchal society, even in the monasteries. She resolved to devote her life to working for transformation of the traditional patriarchal society of Nepal and to help women achieve their full potential. It has not been an easy struggle, but Ani Choying is a flower and thus sees the world around her as a flower, filled with beautify and potential. She works tirelessly for a more just society and she challenges us to do the same.

The question the song asks us is an important one: Are we a thorn or a rose? Do we see the world as violent, heading for total destruction and filled with dreadful terrors? Or do we, despite all of the dangers erupting around us, see signs of hope and beauty? The way we see the world reflects what is in our heart according to Ani Choying.

It is not difficult to become a thorn in our world today. We are daily assailed by news reports of wars and rumors of wars. Any act of terrorism, or perceived terrorism, gets major coverage from the mass media. We get limitless detail of the act itself, the damaging results, and the person or persons who allegedly perpetrated the act. We are constantly warned of what might happen, what “they” are planning against us, and even how our own country is heading toward destruction. The pressure to become a thorn and to see the world around us as a thorn is a heavy weight to carry around all day.

Living in Asia for more than 40 years now, I have had the privilege of meeting a great number of people who live amidst much violence, yet see the world as a rose. Muslim friends in Indonesia have stood up against the fundamentalists of their faith to defend and protect Christians because they believe that Christians and Muslims can become true sisters and brothers. Buddhist friends in Thailand have linked arms to stand between political factions in conflict to call for peace and calm, knowing that nonviolence is much more powerful than the threat from guns and clubs. A Christian friend in Indonesia has joined action with Muslims and people of other faiths to work tirelessly for an end to serious conflict in his area because he believes that the Community of God is truly possible. These friends do these courageous act because they see in everyone, even the “enemy,” a person loved by God and therefore part of their own family.

I am always encouraged by these friends to see the world as a rose. They help me set aside my fears and my assumptions of others. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to meet them and to work with them. They also challenge me not to be overwhelmed by all the negative news coming from the mass media, but rather to go to the people and see the hope for a beautiful world through their eyes.

In our country guns seem to have become the symbol of safety. This need for more and more guns suggests a deep fear of the other, a fear that results in our seeing the “other” as a thorn, a danger to our security and our wellbeing. It is this thorn inside us which results in the world looking as a thorn. Eradicate the fear and the world will slowly begin to look like a rose.

The world we live in was created by a God of love. After completing creation, “God looked over everything God had made;…it was so good, so very good!” (Genesis 1: 31) God created the world as a rose and God has given us responsibility to care for that rose in order to preserve its beauty and its reflection of God’s Kingdom. Do we see that world as a rose or as a thorn?

Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old activist, was recently arrested in connection with a toolkit related to the farmer protests that was shared by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. However, earlier this week, she was granted bail by a Sessions Court in Delhi. The bail order, issued by Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana, highlighted that Disha Ravi had no criminal record. The judge emphasized that being part of a WhatsApp group or serving as an editor of an "innocuous Toolkit" does not constitute an offense in the 'Toolkit' conspiracy case.

In support of his ruling the judge quoted a shloka from the Rig Veda:

आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतोऽदब्धासो अपरीतास उद्भिदः

Here is the the meaning of this shloka. This shloka comes from the Swastivachan Mantra which is included below.

आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतोऽदब्धासो अपरीतास उद्भिदः। देवा नोयथा सदमिद् वृधे असन्नप्रायुवो रक्षितारो दिवेदिवे॥

May good ideas come to us from every corner of the world; let these ideas never be blocked, hindered, or victorious. That the Gods ever may be with us for this purpose, our guardians day by day unceasing in their care.

अर्थ - हमारे पास चारों ओर से ऐंसे कल्याणकारी विचार आते रहें जो किसी से न दबें, उन्हें कहीं से बाधित न किया जा सके एवं अज्ञात विषयों को प्रकट करने वाले हों। प्रगति को न रोकने वाले और सदैव रक्षा में तत्पर देवता प्रतिदिन हमारी वृद्धि के लिए तत्पर रहें।

Scholars believe that the Vedic mantra expresses the open-mindedness of Vedic culture to embrace noble and valuable ideas, thoughts, and works from all directions. This mantra transcends religious boundaries by embracing positive and virtuous ideas and works that are advantageous to society, regardless of their origin. It symbolizes a tolerant religion that does not reject or condemn thoughts, practices, customs, and beliefs from other cultures.

Perspective from Gurbani: Uttam Mat

Let good ideas come to us from everywhere in the world. This concept reminds me of Guru Arjan's shabad:

Uttam Mat Mere Ridai Tu Aao

O exalted wisdom, come into my heart

so I sing and ponder the virtues of Govinda

Swastivachan Mantra from Rig Veda (Mandala 1/Hymn 89) - English

1. MAY powers auspicious come to us from every side, never deceived, unhindered, and victorious,

That the Gods ever may be with us for our gain, our guardians day by day unceasing in their care.

2. May the auspicious favour of the Gods be ours, on us descend the bounty of the righteous Gods.

The friendship of the Gods have we devoutly sought: so may the Gods extend our life that we may live.

3. We call them hither with a hymn of olden time, Bhaga, the friendly Daksa, Mitra, Aditi,

Aryaman, Varuna, Soma, the Asvins. May Sarasvati, auspicious, grant felicity.

4. May the Wind waft to us that pleasant medicine, may Earth our Mother give it, and our Father Heaven,

And the joy-giving stones that press the Soma's juice. Asvins, may ye, for whom our spirits long, hear this.

5. Him we invoke for aid who reigns supreme, the Lord of all that stands or moves, inspirer of the soul,

That Pusan may promote the increase of our wealth, our keeper and our guard infallible for our good.

6. Illustrious far and wide, may Indra prosper us: may Pusan prosper us, the Master of all wealth.

May Tarksya with uninjured fellies prosper us: Brhaspati vouchsafe to us prosperity.

7. The Maruts, Sons of Prsni, borne by spotted steeds, moving in glory, oft visiting holy rites,

Sages whose tongue is Agni, brilliant as the Sun,--hither let all the Gods for our protection come.

8. Gods, may we with our ears listen to what is good, and with our eyes see what is good, ye Holy Ones.

With limbs and bodies firm may we extolling you attain the term of life appointed by the Gods.

9. A hundred autumns stand before us, O ye Gods, within whose space ye bring our bodies to decay;

Within whose space our sons become fathers in turn. Break ye not in the midst our course of fleeting life.

10. Aditi is the heaven, Aditi is mid-air, Aditi is the Mother and the Sire and Son.

Aditi is all Gods, Aditi five-classed men, Aditi all that hath been born and shall be born.

Swastivachan Mantra - Detailed Meanings in English and Hindi

1. Mantra-1 (मन्त्र-१)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Aa No Bhadrah Kratavo Yantu Vishvatoadabdhaso Aparitasa Udbhidah।

Deva No Yatha Sadamidvridhe Asannaprayuvo Rakshitaro Dive-Dive॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - हमारे पास चारों ओर से ऐंसे कल्याणकारी विचार आते रहें जो किसी से न दबें, उन्हें कहीं से बाधित न किया जा सके एवं अज्ञात विषयों को प्रकट करने वाले हों। प्रगति को न रोकने वाले और सदैव रक्षा में तत्पर देवता प्रतिदिन हमारी वृद्धि के लिए तत्पर रहें।

Mantra Translation - May powers auspicious come to us from every side, never deceived, unhindered, and victorious. That the Gods ever may be with us for our gain, our guardians day by day unceasing in their care.

2. Mantra-2 (मन्त्र-२)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Devanam Bhadra Sumatirrijuyatam Devanam Ratirabhi No Nivartatam।

Devanam Sakhyamupasedima Vayam Deva Na Ayuh Pratirantu Jivase॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - यजमान की इच्छा रखनेवाले देवताओं की कल्याणकारिणी श्रेष्ठ बुद्धि सदा हमारे सम्मुख रहे, देवताओं का दान हमें प्राप्त हो, हम देवताओं की मित्रता प्राप्त करें, देवता हमारी आयु को जीने के निमित्त बढ़ायें।

Mantra Translation - May the auspicious favour of the Gods be ours, on us descend the bounty of the righteous Gods. The friendship of the Gods have we devoutly sought, so may the Gods extend our life that we may live.

3. Mantra-3 (मन्त्र-३)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Tan Purvaya Nivida Humahe Vayam Bhagam Mitramaditindakshamasridham।

Aryamanam Varuna Somamashvina Saraswati Nah Subhagamayaskarat॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - हम वेदरुप सनातन वाणी के द्वारा अच्युतरुप भग, मित्र, अदिति, प्रजापति, अर्यमण, वरुण, चन्द्रमा और अश्विनीकुमारों का आवाहन करते हैं। ऐश्वर्यमयी सरस्वती महावाणी हमें सब प्रकार का सुख प्रदान करें।

Mantra Translation - We call them hither with a hymn of olden time, Bhaga, the friendly Daksha, Mitra, Aditi, Aryaman, Varuna, Soma, the Ashvins. May Saraswati, auspicious, grant felicity.

4. Mantra-4 (मन्त्र-४)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Tanno Vato Mayo Bhuvatu Bheshajam Tanmata Prithvi Tatpita Dyauh।

Tad Gravanah Soma-Suto Mayobhuvastadashvina Shrinutam Dhishnya Yuvam॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - वायुदेवता हमें सुखकारी औषधियाँ प्राप्त करायें। माता पृथ्वी और पिता स्वर्ग भी हमें सुखकारी औषधियाँ प्रदान करें। सोम का अभिषव करने वाले सुखदाता ग्रावा उस औषधरुप अदृष्ट को प्रकट करें। हे अश्विनी-कुमारो! आप दोनों सबके आधार हैं, हमारी प्रार्थना सुनिये।

Mantra Translation - May Vayu waft to us the felicitous medicament, May Mother Earth, Father Heaven, bring it; May the felicitous Stones distilling Soma secure it. May ye Ashvins with understanding hearken to our prayers.

5. Mantra-5 (मन्त्र-५)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Tamishanam Jagatah Tasthushaspatim Dhiyanjinvamavase Humahe Vayam।

Pusha No Yatha Vedasamasad Vridhe Rakshita Payuradabdhah Swastaye॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - हम स्थावर-जंगम के स्वामी, बुद्धि को सन्तोष देनेवाले रुद्रदेवता का रक्षा के निमित्त आवाहन करते हैं। वैदिक ज्ञान एवं धन की रक्षा करने वाले, पुत्र आदि के पालक, अविनाशी पुष्टि-कर्ता देवता हमारी वृद्धि और कल्याण के निमित्त हों।

Mantra Translation - We worship Him, the Lord of the universe of the inanimate and animate creation, for, He is the blesser of our intellect and our protector. He dispenses life and good among all. Him do we worship, for as He is our preserver and benefactor, so is He our way to bliss and happiness also.

6. Mantra-6 (मन्त्र-६)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Swasti Na Indro Vriddhashravah Swasti Nah Pusha Vishva-Vedah।

Swasti Nastarkshyoarishta-Nemih Swasti No Brihaspatirdadhatu॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - महती कीर्ति वाले ऐश्वर्यशाली इन्द्र हमारा कल्याण करें, जिसको संसार का विज्ञान और जिसका सब पदार्थों में स्मरण है, सबके पोषणकर्ता वे पूषा (सूर्य) हमारा कल्याण करें। जिनकी चक्रधारा के समान गति को कोई रोक नहीं सकता, वे गरुड़देव हमारा कल्याण करें। वेदवाणी के स्वामी बृहस्पति हमारा कल्याण करें।

Mantra Translation - May Indra who is provided with great speed do well to us, May Pushan who is knower of world do good to us and May Tarkshya who devastates enemies do good to us! May Brihaspati, the Lord of the Vedic knowledge or speech give us spiritual delight got from the light of knowledge and wisdom.

7. Mantra-7 (मन्त्र-७)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Prishadashva Marutah Prishnimatarah Shubham Yavano Vidatheshu Jagmayah।

Agni-Jihva Manavah Sura-Chakshaso Vishve No Devavasa Gamanniha॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - चितकबरे वर्ण के घोड़ों वाले, अदिति माता से उत्पन्न, सबका कल्याण करने वाले, यज्ञआलाओं में जाने वाले, अग्निरुपी जिह्वा वाले, सर्वज्ञ, सूर्यरुप नेत्र वाले मरुद्गण और विश्वेदेव देवता हविरुप अन्न को ग्रहण करने के लिये हमारे इस यज्ञ में आयें।

Mantra Translation - The Maruts, sons of Prishni, with spotted steeds, of happy gait, frequenters of sacrifices, the Gods whose tongue is Agni, knowers, radiant as the Sun, May all come hither for our protection.

8. Mantra-8 (मन्त्र-८)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Bhadram Karnebhih Shrinuyama Deva Bhadram Pashyemakshabhiryajatrah।

Sthirairangaistushtuva Sastanubhirvyashemahi Deva-Hitam Yadayuh॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - हे यजमान के रक्षक देवताओं! हम दृढ अङ्गों वाले शरीर से पुत्र आदि के साथ मिलकर आपकी स्तुति करते हुए कानों से कल्याण की बातें सुनें, नेत्रों से कल्याणमयी वस्तुओं को देखें, देवताओं की उपासना-योग्य आयु को प्राप्त करें।

Mantra Translation - Gods, May we with our ears listen to what is good, and with our eyes see what is good, ye Holy Ones. With firm limbs and bodies, May we extolling you attain the term of life appointed by the Gods.

9. Mantra-9 (मन्त्र-९)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Shataminnu Sharadoanti Deva Yatra Nashchakrajarasam Tanunam।

Putraso Yatra Pitaro Bhavanti Mano Madhya Ririshatayurganto॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - हे देवताओं! आप सौ वर्ष की आयु-पर्यन्त हमारे समीप रहें, जिस आयु में हमारे शरीर को जरावस्था प्राप्त हो, जिस आयु में हमारे पुत्र पिता अर्थात् पुत्रवान् बन जाएँ, हमारी उस गमनशील आयु को आपलोग बीच में खण्डित न होने दें।

Mantra Translation - A hundred autumns stand before us, O ye Gods, within whose space ye bring our bodies to decay; Within whose space our sons become fathers in turn. Break ye not in the midst our course of fleeting life.

10. Mantra-10 (मन्त्र-१०)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Aditidyauraditirantarikshamaditih। Mata Sa Pita Sa Putrah।

Vishvedeva Aditih। Pancha-Janah Aditirjatamaditirjanitvam॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - अखण्डित पराशक्ति स्वर्ग है, वही अन्तरिक्ष-रुप है, वही पराशक्ति माता-पिता और पुत्र भी है। समस्त देवता पराशक्ति के ही स्वरुप हैं, अन्त्यज सहित चारों वर्णों के सभी मनुष्य पराशक्तिमय हैं, जो उत्पन्न हो चुका है और जो उत्पन्न होगा, सब पराशक्ति के ही स्वरुप हैं।

Mantra Translation - Aditi is the Heaven, Aditi is mid-air, Aditi is the Mother and the Father and Son. She is all the Gods, She is the five-classed men, Aditi is all that hath been born and shall be born.

11. Mantra-11 (मन्त्र-११)

Shanti Patha Mantra in Hindi

Om Dyauh Shantirantariksha Shantih Prithivi

Shantirapah Shantiroshadhayah Shantih।

Vanaspatayah Shantirvishvedevah Shantirbrahma Shantih

Sarva Shantih Shantireva Shantih Sa Ma Shantiredhi॥

मन्त्र अर्थ - द्युलोक शान्तिदायक हों, अन्तरिक्ष लोक शान्तिदायक हों, पृथ्वीलोक शान्तिदायक हों। जल, औषधियाँ और वनस्पतियाँ शान्तिदायक हों। सभी देवता, सृष्टि की सभी शक्तियाँ शान्तिदायक हों। ब्रह्म अर्थात महान परमेश्वर हमें शान्ति प्रदान करने वाले हों। उनका दिया हुआ ज्ञान, वेद शान्ति देने वाले हों। सम्पूर्ण चराचर जगत शान्ति पूर्ण हों अर्थात सब जगह शान्ति ही शान्ति हो। ऐसी शान्ति मुझे प्राप्त हो और वह सदा बढ़ती ही रहे। अभिप्राय यह है कि सृष्टि का कण-कण हमें शान्ति प्रदान करने वाला हो। समस्त पर्यावरण ही सुखद व शान्तिप्रद हो।

Mantra Translation - May peace radiate there in the whole sky as well as in the vast ethereal space everywhere. May peace reign all over this earth, in water and in all herbs, trees and creepers. May peace flow over the whole universe. May peace be in the supreme being Brahman. And may there always exist in all peace and peace alone.

स्वस्तिवाचन (स्वस्तयन) मन्त्र और अर्थ--

हमारे देश की यह प्राचीन परंपरा रही है कि जब कभी भी हम कोई कार्य प्रारंभ करते है, तो उस समय मंगल की कामना करते है और सबसे पहले मंगल मूर्ति गणेश की प्रार्थना करते है। इसके लिए दो नाम हमारे सामने आते हैं... पहला श्रीगणेश और दूसरा जय गणेश।

श्रीगणेश का अर्थ होता है कि जब हम किसी कार्य को आरंभ करते है तो इसी नाम के साथ उस कार्य की शुरुआत करते है। जय गणेश का अर्थ होता है कि अब यह कार्य यहां समाप्त हो रहा है। प्राचीनकाल से ही वैदिक मंत्रों में जितनी ऋचाएं आई है,उनके चिन्तन, वाचन से अलौकिक दिव्य शक्ति की प्राप्ति होती है, मन शान्त होता है। किसी भी शुभ कार्य के प्रारम्भ में, विवाह मण्डप पर , शगुन और तिलक में भी इसकी प्रथा है, या फिर जब कभी भी हम कोई मांगलिक कार्य करते है तो स्वस्तिवाचन की परंपरा रही है। यह एक गहरा विज्ञान है, जिसे समझने की आवश्यकता है।

यदि हम केवल मंगल वचन का प्रयोग करे और मांगलिक शब्दों का प्रयोग उसके अर्थ को बगैर जाने हुए करे तो निश्चय ही यह हमारा अंधविश्वास माना जाएगा। मेरा मानना है कि जब तक धर्म को तथा उसके विज्ञान को हम समझ न लें, तब तक केवल अंधविश्वासी होकर उसकी सभी बातों को मानने का कोई औचित्य नहीं है। हमारा धर्म, हमारी संस्कृति,वैदिक ऋचाएं, वैदिक मंत्र, पुराण उपनिषद आदि इन सभी ग्रन्थों के पीछे एक बहुत बड़ा विज्ञान है। हमारे ऋषियों ने जिन वैदिक ऋचाओं और पुराणों की कल्पना की, उपनिषदों के बारे में सोचा था फिर मांगलिक कार्यो के लिए जैसी व्यवस्था की, वह हमारे विज्ञान से किसी भी तरह से अलग नहीं है। उनके द्वारा सोची और की जाने वाली हर एक पहल हमेशा से ही विज्ञान के साथ रही है ....

Swastivachan Mantra - Sanskrit and Hindi Translation

मंत्र एवं भाषांतर

मन्त्र-१

देवानां भद्रा सुमतिर्ऋजूयतां देवानां रातिरभि नो नि वर्तताम्। देवानां सख्यमुप सेदिमा वयं देवा न आयुः प्र तिरन्तु जीवसे ॥

अर्थ - यजमान की इच्छा रखनेवाले देवताओं की कल्याणकारिणी श्रेष्ठ बुद्धि सदा हमारे सम्मुख रहे, देवताओं का दान हमें प्राप्त हो, हम देवताओं की मित्रता प्राप्त करें, देवता हमारी आयु को जीने के निमित्त बढ़ायें।

मन्त्र-३

तान् पूर्वयानिविदाहूमहे वयंभगं मित्रमदितिं दक्षमस्रिधम्।अर्यमणंवरुणंसोममश्विना सरस्वती नः सुभगा मयस्करत्।।

अर्थ - हम वेदरुप सनातन वाणी के द्वारा अच्युतरुप भग, मित्र, अदिति, प्रजापति, अर्यमण, वरुण, चन्द्रमा और अश्विनीकुमारों का आवाहन करते हैं। ऐश्वर्यमयी सरस्वती महावाणी हमें सब प्रकार का सुख प्रदान करें।

मन्त्र-४

तन्नो वातो मयोभु वातु भेषजं तन्माता पृथिवी तत् पिता द्यौः। तद् ग्रावाणः सोमसुतो मयोभुवस्तदश्विना शृणुतं धिष्ण्या युवम् ॥

अर्थ - वायुदेवता हमें सुखकारी औषधियाँ प्राप्त करायें। माता पृथ्वी और पिता स्वर्ग भी हमें सुखकारी औषधियाँ प्रदान करें। सोम का अभिषव करने वाले सुखदाता ग्रावा उस औषधरुप अदृष्ट को प्रकट करें। हे अश्विनी-कुमारो! आप दोनों सबके आधार हैं, हमारी प्रार्थना सुनिये।

मन्त्र-५

तमीशानं जगतस्तस्थुषस्पतिं धियंजिन्वमवसे हूमहे वयम्। पूषा नो यथा वेदसामसद् वृधे रक्षिता पायुरदब्धः स्वस्तये॥

अर्थ - हम स्थावर-जंगम के स्वामी, बुद्धि को सन्तोष देनेवाले रुद्रदेवता का रक्षा के निमित्त आवाहन करते हैं। वैदिक ज्ञान एवं धन की रक्षा करने वाले, पुत्र आदि के पालक, अविनाशी पुष्टि-कर्ता देवता हमारी वृद्धि और कल्याण के निमित्त हों।

मन्त्र-६

स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः। स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमिः स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु ॥

अर्थ - महती कीर्ति वाले ऐश्वर्यशाली इन्द्र हमारा कल्याण करें, जिसको संसार का विज्ञान और जिसका सब पदार्थों में स्मरण है, सबके पोषणकर्ता वे पूषा (सूर्य) हमारा कल्याण करें। जिनकी चक्रधारा के समान गति को कोई रोक नहीं सकता, वे गरुड़देव हमारा कल्याण करें। वेदवाणी के स्वामी बृहस्पति हमारा कल्याण करें।

मन्त्र-७

पृषदश्वा मरुतः पृश्निमातरः शुभंयावानो विदथेषु जग्मयः।अग्निजिह्वा मनवः सूरचक्षसो विश्वे नो देवा अवसा गमन्निह ॥

अर्थ - चितकबरे वर्ण के घोड़ों वाले, अदिति माता से उत्पन्न, सबका कल्याण करने वाले, यज्ञआलाओं में जाने वाले, अग्निरुपी जिह्वा वाले, सर्वज्ञ, सूर्यरुप नेत्र वाले मरुद्गण और विश्वेदेव देवता हविरुप अन्न को ग्रहण करने के लिये हमारे इस यज्ञ में आयें।

मन्त्र-८

भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवा भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः।स्थिरैरंगैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥

अर्थ - हे यजमान के रक्षक देवताओं! हम दृढ अंगों वाले शरीर से पुत्र आदि के साथ मिलकर आपकी स्तुति करते हुए कानों से कल्याण की बातें सुनें, नेत्रों से कल्याणमयी वस्तुओं को देखें, देवताओं की उपासना-योग्य आयु को प्राप्त करें। मन्त्र-९

शतमिन्नु शरदो अन्ति देवा यत्रा नश्चक्रा जरसं तनूनाम।पुत्रासो यत्र पितरो भवन्ति मा नो मध्या रीरिषतायुर्गन्तोः ॥

अर्थ - हे देवताओं! आप सौ वर्ष की आयु-पर्यन्त हमारे समीप रहें, जिस आयु में हमारे शरीर को जरावस्था प्राप्त हो, जिस आयु में हमारे पुत्र पिता अर्थात् पुत्रवान् बन जाएँ, हमारी उस गमनशील आयु को आपलोग बीच में खण्डित न होने दें।

मन्त्र-१०

अदितिर्द्यौरदितिरन्तरिक्षमदितिर्माता स पिता स पुत्रः।विश्वेदेवा अदितिः पंचजना अदितिर्जातमदितिर्जनित्वम॥

अर्थ - अखण्डित पराशक्ति स्वर्ग है, वही अन्तरिक्ष-रुप है, वही पराशक्ति माता-पिता और पुत्र भी है। समस्त देवता पराशक्ति के ही स्वरुप हैं, अन्त्यज सहित चारों वर्णों के सभी मनुष्य पराशक्तिमय हैं, जो उत्पन्न हो चुका है और जो उत्पन्न होगा, सब पराशक्ति के ही स्वरुप हैं।

मन्त्र-११

ॐ द्यौ: शान्तिरन्तरिक्षँ शान्ति:, पृथ्वी शान्तिराप: शान्तिरोषधय: शान्ति:। वनस्पतय: शान्तिर्विश्वे देवा: शान्तिर्ब्रह्म शान्ति:, सर्वँ शान्ति:, शान्तिरेव शान्ति:, सा मा शान्तिरेधि॥ ॐ शान्ति: शान्ति: शान्ति:॥

अर्थ - द्युलोक शान्तिदायक हों, अन्तरिक्ष लोक शान्तिदायक हों, पृथ्वीलोक शान्तिदायक हों। जल, औषधियाँ और वनस्पतियाँ शान्तिदायक हों। सभी देवता, सृष्टि की सभी शक्तियाँ शान्तिदायक हों। ब्रह्म अर्थात महान परमेश्वर हमें शान्ति प्रदान करने वाले हों। उनका दिया हुआ ज्ञान, वेद शान्ति देने वाले हों। सम्पूर्ण चराचर जगत शान्ति पूर्ण हों अर्थात सब जगह शान्ति ही शान्ति हो। ऐसी शान्ति मुझे प्राप्त हो और वह सदा बढ़ती ही रहे। अभिप्राय यह है कि सृष्टि का कण-कण हमें शान्ति प्रदान करने वाला हो। समस्त पर्यावरण ही सुखद व शान्तिप्रद हो।

Listening to Guru Tegh Bahadur's shabad Har ki Gat Neh Kou Janai ("No one knows the state of the Lord") today by Bhai Manmohan Singh; he mentioned that the same tune was used by Bhai Dharam Singh Zakhmi and also Bhai Nirmal Singh. The lyrics and translation of the shabad are at the bottom of this note.

I found a recording of an old version from youtube. Perhaps this would be good to add to the list of shabads to celebrate Guru Tegh Bahdur's 250th birth anniversary that is upcoming later this year.

Essence of the Shabad

Many yogis, many ascetics, and many other wise people have tried and failed but no person has been able to understand what Hari is like. He makes the poor a king and in an instant he makes a pauper the king. He fills empty pots and empties the filled ones; that is just the way he is. He is found in so many colors and forms, yet he remains separate from all forms. His qualities cannot be counted. He is infinite, he is invisible, he is immortal himself, and he makes the whole world wander in Maya. Only the person who has submitted his mind to hari's feet stops wandering in illusion.

On Gati

Gat or Gati is an interesting word; in common hindi today it means speed, but it can most likely be related to condition, state or stature. According to the dictionary Gati can have many meanings as below:

Gaṯ(i). 1. ਹਾਲਤ, ਅਵਸਥਾ, ਦਸ਼ਾ। 2. ਛੁਟਕਾਰਾ, ਗਤੀ, ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤੀ, ਮੁਕਤੀ। 3. ਉਚੀ/ਗਿਆਨ ਵਾਲੀ ਅਵਸਥਾ। 4. ਰਸਤਾ, ਮਾਰਗ। 5. ਉਚੀ ਪਦਵੀ ਭਾਵ ਮੁਕਤੀ। 6. ਗਤੀ ਭਾਵ ਜੀਵਨ ਦਾ ਅੰਤਮ ਲਕਸ਼ (ਮਨੋਰਥ)। 7. ਜੁਗਤਿ, ਤਰੀਕਾ ਢੰਗ (ਪਾਰ ਪਹੁੰਚਾਉਣ ਦਾ)। 8. ਪਹੁੰਚ, ਗਮਤਾ, ਸਮਰਥਾ। 9. ਭਾਵ ਸਫਲਤਾ, ਸੁਖ। 10. ਭਾਵ ਸ਼ੁਧੀ, ਪਵਿੱਤਰਤਾ। 11. ਅਸਲੀਅਤ, ਸਾਰ। 12. ਸੋਝੀ, ਸਾਰ। 13. ਵਡਿਆਈ, ਮਹਾਨਤਾ। 14. ਚੰਗੇ (ਭਾਵ)। 1. condition. 2. salvation, deliverance. 3. higher state of knowledge/awakening. 4. way; state of emancipation. 5. higher status viz., salvation. 6. emancipation. 7. way/tact of salvation. 8. capability. 9. salvation. 10. emancipation. 11. essence. 12. awareness, consciousness. 13. praise, greatness. 14. emancipation, good.

This shabad reminds me of the following:

Bhagat Namdev's, Jee Ki Jot Na Janai Koi: No one knows the true lamp of the life.
Guru Nanak's Manne ki gat kahi na Jae from Japji Sahib. ਮੰਨੇ ਕੀ ਗਤਿ ਕਹੀ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥ Japujee, Guru Nanak 12:1 (P: 3). No one knows the condition of the one who has completely surrendered.
Bhai Nandlal's Gahe Sufi Gahe Zaahid - Sometimes he appears as a sufi, sometimes as zaahid and sometimes as kalandar. he comes in so many colors.
Stanza 2 (Nana roop dhare bahu rangi) reminds me of Guru Nanak's Rang Ratta Mera Sahib: He is himself the fish, the fisherman, his net and the weights of the net.
Meera's Karam ki gati Nyaari. Especially the line "moorakh ko tum raaj diyat ho / pandit phirat bhikhaari." Strange is the result of karam, she says. The stupid person becomes a king and the wise one is asking for alms.
Also Meera's Hari bin koon gati meri. Here gati has a slightly different meaning. This is a song of birha, or separation. Says Meera, without Hari what is my plight!

Har Ki Gat Neh Kou Jaanai - Lyrics and Translation

ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੯ ॥

रागु बिहागड़ा महला ९ ॥

Rāg bihāgaṛā mėhlā 9.

Raag Bihaagraa, Ninth Mehl:

ਹਰਿ ਕੀ ਗਤਿ ਨਹਿ ਕੋਊ ਜਾਨੈ ॥

हरि की गति नहि कोऊ जानै ॥

Har kī gaṯ nėh ko▫ū jānai.

No one knows the state of the Lord.

ਜੋਗੀ ਜਤੀ ਤਪੀ ਪਚਿ ਹਾਰੇ ਅਰੁ ਬਹੁ ਲੋਗ ਸਿਆਨੇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

जोगी जती तपी पचि हारे अरु बहु लोग सिआने ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥

Jogī jaṯī ṯapī pacẖ hāre ar baho log si▫āne. ||1|| rahā▫o.

The Yogis, the celibates, the penitents, and all sorts of clever people have failed. ||1||Pause||

ਛਿਨ ਮਹਿ ਰਾਉ ਰੰਕ ਕਉ ਕਰਈ ਰਾਉ ਰੰਕ ਕਰਿ ਡਾਰੇ ॥

छिन महि राउ रंक कउ करई राउ रंक करि डारे ॥

Cẖẖin mėh rā▫o rank ka▫o kar▫ī rā▫o rank kar dāre.

In an instant, He changes the beggar into a king, and the king into a beggar.

ਰੀਤੇ ਭਰੇ ਭਰੇ ਸਖਨਾਵੈ ਯਹ ਤਾ ਕੋ ਬਿਵਹਾਰੇ ॥੧॥

रीते भरे भरे सखनावै यह ता को बिवहारे ॥१॥

Rīṯe bẖare bẖare sakẖnāvai yėh ṯā ko bivhāre. ||1||

He fills what is empty, and empties what is full - such are His ways. ||1||

ਅਪਨੀ ਮਾਇਆ ਆਪਿ ਪਸਾਰੀ ਆਪਹਿ ਦੇਖਨਹਾਰਾ ॥

अपनी माइआ आपि पसारी आपहि देखनहारा ॥

Apnī mā▫i▫ā āp pasārī āpėh ḏekẖanhārā.

He Himself spread out the expanse of His Maya, and He Himself beholds it.

ਨਾਨਾ ਰੂਪੁ ਧਰੇ ਬਹੁ ਰੰਗੀ ਸਭ ਤੇ ਰਹੈ ਨਿਆਰਾ ॥੨॥

नाना रूपु धरे बहु रंगी सभ ते रहै निआरा ॥२॥

Nānā rūp ḏẖare baho rangī sabẖ ṯe rahai ni▫ārā. ||2||

He assumes so many forms, and plays so many games, and yet, He remains detached from it all. ||2||

ਅਗਨਤ ਅਪਾਰੁ ਅਲਖ ਨਿਰੰਜਨ ਜਿਹ ਸਭ ਜਗੁ ਭਰਮਾਇਓ ॥

अगनत अपारु अलख निरंजन जिह सभ जगु भरमाइओ ॥

Agnaṯ apār alakẖ niranjan jih sabẖ jag bẖarmā▫i▫o.

Incalculable, infinite, incomprehensible and immaculate is He, who has misled the entire world.

ਸਗਲ ਭਰਮ ਤਜਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਾਣੀ ਚਰਨਿ ਤਾਹਿ ਚਿਤੁ ਲਾਇਓ ॥੩॥੧॥੨॥

सगल भरम तजि नानक प्राणी चरनि ताहि चितु लाइओ ॥३॥१॥२॥

Sagal bẖaram ṯaj Nānak parāṇī cẖaran ṯāhi cẖiṯ lā▫i▫o. ||3||1||2||

Cast off all your doubts; prays Nanak, O mortal, focus your consciousness on His Feet. ||3||1||2||

Listening to this Meera bhajan along with Guru Tegh Bahadur's shabad, Har ki Gat Neh Kou Janai. Following is my translation and the lyrics.

I think the poem has three stanzas of two lines each; elsewhere I found each line as its own stanza, which doesn't make sense. The words are slightly different in different versions found on the internet.

Meerabai - hari bin koon gati meri - Translation

What am I without you?

You are my caretaker and I am your servant

All the time your name revolves in my heart

Again and again I call you out, you are my only desire

this world is an inclement ocean that I am surrounded

my boat has popped, kindly tie it, I am drowning

In your wait I am looking at the way, keep me near you

Meera is in the refuge of Laal Giridhar

Meerabai - hari bin kaun gati meri - English Lyrics

hari bin koon gati meri
tum mere pratipal kahiye, maian ravari cheri

adi ant nij naanv tero, hiya mean pheri
beri-beri pukari kahooan, prabhu arati hai teri

yau sansar vikar sagar, bich mean gheri
nav phati prabhoo pali baandhyo, boodat hai beri

birahani piv ki bat jovai, rakhi lyau neri
dasi miraan lal giradhar, sarani hooan teri

हरि बिन कूँण गती मेरी -मीराँबाई

हरि बिन कूण गती मेरी।।टेक।।

तुम मेरे प्रतिपाल कहियै, मैं रावरी चेरी।

आदि अंत निज नाँव तेरो, हीया में फेरी।

बेरि बेरि पुकारि कहूँ, प्रभु आरति है तेरी।

थौ संसार विकार सागर, बीच में घेरी।

नाव फाटी प्रभु पाल बाँधो, बूड़त है बेरी।

बिरहणि पिवकी बाट जोवै, राखिल्यौ नेरी।

दासि मीरां राम रटत है, मैं सरण हूं तेरी।।

(कूण=कौन, गती=गति, प्रतिपाल=पालन

करने वाले, रावरी चेरी=तुम्हारी दासी, नाँव=

नाम, हीय=हृदय, बेरि-बेरि=बार बार, आरति=

आर्ति प्रबल इच्छा, बिकार=दुःख, बेरी=बेड़ा,

नांव, पिव की=प्रियतम की, नेरी=पास)

Listening to Shah Hussain today, one of 4 of my favorite punjabi sufi poets - the others being Baba Sheikh Farid, Baba Bulleh Shah and Sultan Bahu. Shah Hussain writes poetry in Lehnda Punjabi, or multani, the kind of punjabi that I grew up hearing in our household. So it appears especially sweet to me.

Shah Hussain was the pioneer of the kafi form of Punjabi poetry. I am reminded one day that I was talking to my friend and collaborator Rajesh Prasanna and I told him of my desire to do some Multani Kafi's in the future. He responded quickly by saying that would be exciting ... and he started playing raag multani. And I had to stop him ... multani kafi is actually a style of singing which is the same as a thumri; it is called kafi in punjab!

Lyrics and translation that I found elsewhere:

Mai ne main kinon aakhaan,

Dard vichore da haal ni

O mother O mother, who do I tell,

this pain of separation

Dhuan dhukhay mairay murshid wala,

Jaan phoulaan taan laal ni

My Master's fire smoulders,

If I poke, its red hot

Soolan mar dewani keeti,

Birhoun peya saday khayali

Driven mad with spikes,

Pain of separation fills my thoughts

Dukhan di roti, Soolaan da saalan,

Aahen da baalan baal

Bread of sadness, sauce of spikes,

Make a fire of laments

Jungle bailay phiraan main Dhoudaindi

ajay na paayo laal

Wandered jungles and deserts,

But not found the ruby

Ranjhan Ranjhan phiraan dhoudaindi,

Ranjhan mairay nal

wander looking for Ranjhan Ranjhan,

But Ranjhan is with me

Kahay Hussain faqeer nimanaa,

Shoh milay taan theevan nihaal

Says Hussain the poor faqeer,

Meeting love would be ecstatic

Lyrics in Punjabi

ਮਾਏਂ ਨੀਂ ਮੈਂ ਕੈਨੂੰ ਆਖਾਂ

ਮਾਏਂ ਨੀਂ ਮੈਂ ਕੈਨੂੰ ਆਖਾਂ,

ਦਰਦੁ ਵਿਛੋੜੇ ਦਾ ਹਾਲਿ ।1।ਰਹਾਉ।

ਧੂੰਆਂ ਧੁਖੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਮੁਰਸ਼ਦਿ ਵਾਲਾ,

ਜਾਂ ਫੋਲਾਂ ਤਾਂ ਲਾਲ ।1।

ਸੂਲਾਂ ਮਾਰ ਦਿਵਾਨੀ ਕੀਤੀ,

ਬਿਰਹੁੰ ਪਇਆ ਸਾਡੇ ਖ਼ਿਆਲ ।2।

ਦੁਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ ਸੂਲਾਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਲਣੁ,

ਆਹੀਂ ਦਾ ਬਾਲਣੁ ਬਾਲਿ ।3।

ਜੰਗਲਿ ਬੇਲੇ ਫਿਰਾਂ ਢੂੰਢੇਂਦੀ,

ਅਜੇ ਨ ਪਾਇਓ ਲਾਲ ।4।

ਕਹੈ ਹੁਸੈਨ ਫ਼ਕੀਰ ਨਿਮਾਣਾ,

ਸ਼ਹੁ ਮਿਲੇ ਤਾਂ ਥੀਵਾਂ ਨਿਹਾਲਿ ।5।

Short Version: Translation/Meaning in English & Lyrics in Hindi

The highest is the relation of love

The best bond is the bond of love. The Lord renounced the fifty-six kinds of food of the house of Duryodhana, and ate the simple greens of Vidur's house with love. The lord accepted the love of Shabri and ate fruit that was tasted by her. He had also accepted to be the charioteer of Arjuna's chariot without regards to his high position. His love for Vrindavan was so great that he also danced with the gopis. Surdas says: Lord, I am a lowly person and unworthy of such love, then how much can I praise you?

सबसे ऊँची प्रेम सगा‌ई

दुर्योधन को मेवा त्याग्यो

साग बिदुर घर पा‌ई

झूठे फल सबरी के खाए

बहु बिध प्रेम लगाई

प्रेम के बस अर्जुन रथ हांक्यो,

भूल गए ठकुराई

प्रेमके बस अर्जुन-रथ हाँक्यो,

भूल गये ठकुराई ।। २ ।।

ऐसी प्रीति बढी ब्रिंदाबन,

गोपिन नाच नचाई ।।

सूर क्रूर इस लायक नाहीं,

कहं लगि करौं बडाई ।। ३ ।।

भावार्थ

सर्वश्रेष्ठ बँधन प्यार का बँधन है। भगवान ने दुर्योधन के घर का छपपन-भोग त्याग दिया, और विदुरजी के घर का साग प्रेम से खाया था। शबरी भीलनी थी, उसके जूठे बेर को भी भगवान ने बहुत स्वाद ले ले कर खाते थे। अपने उच्च पद (ईश्वरत्व) का कोई ध्यान रखे बिना उन्होंने अर्जुन के रथ का सारथि बनना भी स्वीकार किया था। वृन्दावन के साथ तो उनका प्रेम इतना अधिक था कि उन्होंने गोपियों के साथ नृत्य भी किया था। सूरदास कहते हैं: हे प्रभु, मैं तो नीच व्यक्ति हूँ और इस तरह के प्यार के अयोग्य हूं, फिर मैं आपकी कितनी प्रशंसा कर सकता हूँ ?

Longer Version of this Bhajan - Lyrics and Translation in English

sabse ūńcī prema sagāī

(1)

duryodhana ko mevā tyāgo

sāga vidura ghara pāī

(2)

jūṭhe phala sabarī ke khāye

bahu vidhi prema lagāī

(3)

prema ke bas nṛpa sevā kīnhī

āp bane hari nāī

(4)

rājasuya yajña yudhiṣṭhira kīno

tāmai jūṭha uṭhāī

(5)

prema ke basa arjuna ratha hāńkhyo

bhūla gaye ṭhakurāī

(6)

aisi prīti baḍhī vṛndāvana

gopina nāca nacāī

(7)

sūra krūra is lāyaka nāhī

kaha lag karau baḍāī

TRANSLATION

Refrain: Of all forms of worship of the Lord, love is the best.

1) Lord Krsna renounced the delicacies that Duryodhana offered, and ate vegetables at Vidura's house.

2) As Lord Ramacandra, He ate fruits which were already filled with love from Sabari.

3) Love is indeed the best way to serve and please the Lord.

4) In Maharaja Yuddhistira's Rajasuya Yajna sacrifice, Lord Krsna served the brahmanas and picked up their eating utensils.

5) Out of pure love for Arjuna, He took the position of being his charioteer, and He forgot that He was the Lord.

6) Such love did Lord Krsna portray in Vrndavana when He danced with the gopis in the rasa lila.

7) Sura Dasa asks, "In what way could I worship the merciful and magnanimous Lord?"

Interestingly, on Valentine's day someone shared a poem of despair by Charles Bukowski: Alone with Everybody. A very interesting poem about the truth of humanity. First the poem, and then I'll share some of my comments and some from others.

Alone with Everybody by Charles Bukowski

the flesh covers the bone

and they put a mind

in there and

sometimes a soul,

and the women break

vases against the walls

and the men drink too

much

and nobody finds the

one

but keep

looking

crawling in and out

of beds.

flesh covers

the bone and the

flesh searches

for more than

flesh.

there's no chance

at all:

we are all trapped

by a singular

fate.

nobody ever finds

the one.

the city dumps fill

the junkyards fill

the madhouses fill

the hospitals fill

the graveyards fill

nothing else

fills.

My Notes

The title and feeling of the poem reminds me of a sher from a Jagjit Singh Ghazal:

Har Taraf Har Jagah Beshumaar Aadmi

Phir Bhi Tanhaayion Ka Shikaar Aadmi

In every direction, in every place, there is man.

Even then, loneliness hunts this man!

Full Ghazal: Har Taraf Har Jagah

Bukowski in his lamentations reminds me of the Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi and also Guru Tegh Bahadur. For example here is Shiv Kumar Batalvi's ghazal

ਤੂੰ ਵਿਦਾ ਹੋਇਉਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਦਿਲ ਤੇ ਉਦਾਸੀ ਛਾ ਗਈ

ਪੀੜ ਦਿਲ ਦੀ ਬੂੰਦ ਬਣ ਕੇ ਅੱਖੀਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਆ ਗਈ

When you left, loneliness overcame my heart

And the pain of my heart became tears in my eyes

ਦੂਰ ਤਕ ਮੇਰੀ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਤੇਰੀ ਪੈੜ ਚੁੰਮਦੀ ਰਹੀ

ਫੇਰ ਤੇਰੀ ਪੈੜ ਰਾਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਮਿੱਟੀ ਖਾ ਗਈ

ਤੁਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਸੀ ਤੇਰੇ ਜੋਬਨ ਤੇ ਬਹਾਰ

ਤੁਰਨ ਪਿੱਛੋਂ ਵੇਖਿਆ ਕਿ ਹਰ ਕਲੀ ਕੁਮਲਾ ਗਈ

ਉਸ ਦਿਨ ਪਿੱਛੋਂ ਅਸਾਂ ਨਾ ਬੋਲਿਆ ਨਾ ਵੇਖਿਆ

ਇਹ ਜ਼ਬਾਂ ਖਾਮੋਸ਼ ਹੋ ਗਈ ਤੇ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਪਥਰਾ ਗਈ

ਇਸ਼ਕ ਨੂੰ ਸੌਗਾਤ ਜਿਹੜੀ ਪੀੜ ਸੈਂ ਤੂੰ ਦੇ ਗਿਉਂ

ਅੰਤ ਉਹੀਉ ਪੀੜ 'ਸ਼ਿਵ' ਨੂੰ ਖਾਂਦੀ ਖਾਂਦੀ ਖਾ ਗਈ

Others' Analysis on Alone with Everybody

The ending of Alone with Everybody is certainly interesting. The speaker is clearly searching to fill a void that he feels in his life. This void, he believes, is the lack of a person to share his life with. He loses hope that the void can be filled. He has never seen this void filled in someone’s life, and he has certainly never felt it filled in his own. He feels empty and desolate. So he lists the things that he has seen filled: dumps, junkyards, madhouses, hospitals, and graveyards, but not the human heart. He concludes, “nothing else fills”. And so he ends his poem with the same feeling of utter meaninglessness with which it began. Though he is surrounded by people, he feels alone. He feels he is nothing but bone covered by flesh, with a mind that “they” gave him as an after-thought. He believes he may or may not have a soul, and he feels hopeless at the prospect of filling the void in his heart.

Charles Bukowski’s poetry is often associated with by references to alcohol, sex, and perpetual sadness. In his poem “Alone with Everybody,” Bukowski addresses all three topics. This freeform poem describes the pain that comes with trying to find “the one” romantic partner to be with for eternity, and how no one will ever truly find this person, despite so many attempts. The title itself states that each of us is destined to be “alone,” or unhappy in a relationship. In yet another poem where “Bukowski writes with no apologies from the frayed edge of society” (Kessler). The tone of this poem is just as cynical and sad as one could expect from any Bukowski work, but still tells an honest truth about the romanticization of finding “the one” and how these unrealistic expectations sets one up for disappointment.

The speaker opens by reducing people to “flesh” and “bone,” (line 1) mere animals with instincts to find one another. He goes on to say that “they” (line 2) made the idea that there is “sometimes a soul” (line 4) in us. The speaker is clearly cynical of the idea that humans have anything more than just a skeleton in us- it is clear that the speaker believes that a soul is a human construct. In addition, the speaker is so pessimistic of human emotions that he/she describes then by their skin and skeletons instead. By reducing people to nothing but a physical body, the speaker is proving a point about how finding love is not what people think it is. This is a cynical way of seeing humans’ desire to find love and romance, only to be expected by

Bukowski, a writer with a “loner persona” (Economou). The speaker goes on to explain in lines 5-8 how people’s sadness and utter loneliness can be expressed through different outlets.

and the women break

vases against the walls

and the men drink too

much

Here, it is clear how women who are expected to remain cool, calm, and collected are likely to lose themselves in an angry burst, while men who often suppress their feelings will drink their sadness away. Even the word choice in how the speaker explains their violent coping mechanisms is vital here- a “vase” (line 6) tends to be feminine, as it is a household item used to hold flowers. The men “drink” (line 7) because alcohol is a way to internalize their pain, another form of escapism. These raw descriptions of how heartbroken people employ different forms of self-destruction to deal with their pain add to the bleak tone of the poem.

In the next line, the speaker explains how people are constantly searching for their soulmate despite so many failed attempts at doing so, how they are constantly “crawling in and out / of beds” (lines 13-14) in search for someone to love them. The metaphor of humans being mere “flesh” comes back into play because humans are always looking for another body to fulfill their need. The people are “crawling” as if they are wounded, though in this case the speaker is insinuating that this is emotional pain they are struggling with. These people are desperate for affection and relief, a person to call their own or at least a place to escape. Bukowski uses this poem to suggest that people are defeated and depressed from heartbreak

Then, the speaker makes a daring statement that every human has the same destiny of loneliness- that “no one ever finds / the one” (lines 25-26). This controversial negative opinion of romance sets the theme for the entire poem. This is also where the title is so revealing; “Alone With Everybody” refers to how each person will end up alone, but everybody is together in having this destiny.

The last few lines go on to say that although “junkyards” (line 28) and cemeteries and “hospitals” (line 30) might fill up with garbage and humans, this is all that will be filled. The speaker chooses to use these places as examples because they are the opposite of the romance he/she is so critical of. These are places that are full of despair and sadness, which is the the negative reality the speaker is highlighting. When it comes down to people’s desire to be with someone else, to feel less lonely and “fill” the void inside them, this will never come. The speaker’s view is that people will always be alone, no matter how hard they try.

Charles Bukowski’s poetry leaves readers with a sense of familiar sadness. In his poem “Alone with Everybody,” Bukowski does not disappoint. This freeform poem describes the pain that comes with trying to find “the one” romantic partner to be with for eternity, and how no one will ever truly find this person, despite so many attempts. Throughout these lines, Bukowski uses specific word choices and metaphors to maintain a theme of hopelessness and loneliness.

Vismaad - By Guru Nanak

Translation of Guru Nanak's Vismaad

I am in awe

Kulli rah vich pai asañ tere - Lyrics and Translation

Similar Song: Chuk Charkha

Putting in the Seed

Baag Pa Kar Khafqani - Complete Ghazal

Article from Dawn: Gardens of the Heart

Transliterated Lyrics in English

Meaning in English

Vocabulary

Analysis

In the Eyes of a Flower

Perspective from Gurbani: Uttam Mat

Swastivachan Mantra from Rig Veda (Mandala 1/Hymn 89) - English

Swastivachan Mantra - Detailed Meanings in English and Hindi

Swastivachan Mantra - Sanskrit and Hindi Translation

Short Version: Translation/Meaning in English & Lyrics in Hindi

Longer Version of this Bhajan - Lyrics and Translation in English

Alone with Everybody by Charles Bukowski

My Notes

Others' Analysis on Alone with Everybody

SHIVPREET SINGH

Related Posts

Popular - 30 days

Blog Archive

Message

Twitter