I was sad to hear that vocalist Rajan Mishra died of Covid-19 complications on Sunday. Being from Banaras as well, he was very close to our guru gharana (Pt. Raghunath Prasanna et. al.) and he was often in concerts with flautists from our guru gharana and a close friend of Pt. Rajendra Prasanna. He suffered a heart attack in the morning and while his family struggled to secure a ventilator for him, he died of another heart attack in the evening.
Listening to a bhajan in his memory: Chalo Man Brindaban Ki Aur.
Lyrics - Chalo Man Vrindavan
Chalo maan vrindavan kee aur ...
Prem ka ras jahan chalkae hai ...
Krishen naam sae bhor...
Bhakti ki reet jahan pal pal hai, prem preet ki dor
Radhae Radhae japatae japatae dikh jaae chitchor
Usha ki laali kae sang jahan, krishan katha ras barsae
Radha raas bhihari kae mandir jakae manva rase
brij ki maati chandan jasae man ho jaae vibhor
Ban upvan mae krishan ki chaya, sheetal man ho jaae
man bhee ho jae ati paavan, krishen kripa jo paayae
das narayan sharan tumharae kripa karo is aor
- Narayan Das (see below)
English Translation
O mind,
lets go towards Virdavan
where the nectar of love overspills
with the name of
Krishna
Where service is incessant
and the string of love pulls you
where by saying Radhe Radhe one
can see the robber of the heart, the chitchor
Where with the crimson dawn stories of krishna rain
and the drenched mind is entranced in the play with Raadha
Like the sweet smelling soil of brij the mind becoming ecstatic
Where in the forest the mind cools in the shade of Krishna
And with Krishna's blessing the mind becomes pure
I am in your refuge, have mercy upon me
-Translation by Shivpreet Singh
Also spelt: Chalo maan brindaban kee aur ...
More on Narayan Das
The great lyrical and musical compositions of the mystic-poets of 16th century India have commanded the hearts and souls of devotees over the centuries and influenced and inspired present day composers and poets. The poetic compositions are sung by all the renowned singers of India set to different melodies of their choosing. One lyric has of late been casting his spell through his compositions on devotional love, similar to Meera, Sur, Tulsi, Raidas and Kabir. Narayan Agarwal in the tradition of the devotional movement of the 16th century calls himself Narayan Das (servant of Narayan) much as Tulsi was Tulsi Das and Sur was Surdas and Rai was Rai Das.
Kavi 'Das Narayan' Agrawal has hit one of the sweetest spots in the Indian music industry. By placing himself on the hyphen between the Nathpanth-influenced Kabir and the Nathpanth-inspired Sufis, the poet has claimed prime property in what's perhaps the industry's fastest growing sector. The two new albums of Agrawal's compositions state upfront the 'rich' lineages he claims to follow. Lending their voices are two graduates of Pune's Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.
One of his bhajans was also sung by Pt. Jasraj:
Krishna Krishna Bhorhi Mukh Bolo
Singing oneness!
