Monday, August 2, 2021

Sohat hai Shvetambar galay may

Sohat hai Shvetambar galay me - taisi sundar paag kasee hai
Dekhat hee mastak jhuk jaaye mukh par chhavi alaukik see hai
Jyon Naraayan sang Lakshmi - Rajmata tyon sang suhaaye
Bharat kya 
'Rajan' 
Europe kay jan man me yeh jodi basee hai

Shwetambar = white scarf
Paag = Turban
Alaukik = Divine

While studying Hindi literature during my childhood and in high school - along with the poetry of Kabir, Tulsi, Soordas, and Meera, we also read the poems of Bihari, Rahim, and Raskhan.

I wrote the above lines on the return of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji & Rajmata ji from the Europe Tour in 1967
 in the style of the following Muktak of Raskhan - a great poet of the fifteenth century:


Soahat hai chandvaa sir mor ka taisi ye sundar paag kasee hai 
Taisee ye goraj bhaal biraajat jaisi hiya banmaal lasee hai 
Raskhan bilokat bauri bhayi drig moond kay gvaal pukaar hansee hai 
Khol ri nain - ab kholun kahaan vo moorti nainan maanhi basee hai 
                                            - Syed Ibrahim Khan 'Raskhan' -

Describing the beautiful image of Krishna, Raskhan says that a peacock feather is adorned on top of the beautiful turban tied on his head.
A tilak made of dust is embellished on the forehead - and on the chest is hanging a garland made of forest leaves, etc.
Seeing such a radiant image, the eyes of the Gopis and the cowherds are rolling down in love and reverence.
A gopi laughs and says, O friend - open your eyes - lift your eyelids to see Krishna standing in front.
The gopi, who is so engrossed by the love within, says - How can I open my eyes?
My beloved resides in these eyes - within my heart - I am afraid that by opening my eyes, that beautiful image of my Lord may be lost.
                                        -------------
This is the peak - culmination of love. There is a mixed ideology of Bhakti-yoga and Vedanta in this phrase.
The love is so deep now - that it has become more imperative to see God within the mind than with the eyes.

Syed Ibrahim Khan was born in Afghanistan but settled in India. After listening to Lord Krishna's life stories, he got so impressed that he eventually became an exclusive devotee of Lord Krishna and spent the rest of his life in Vrindavan.

The word Khan' is found in both the languages, Persian and Hindi. But they are written and pronounced differently and have different meanings.
In Iran and Afghanistan, Khan is a prestigious title - which is also used as a surname.
The Hindi word Khan means a mine or treasure - as in coal mine or gold mine.
There was so much Ras' - sentiment and delight in the poetry of Ibrahim Khan that he came to be called 'Ras ki khaan' - a Treasure of beautiful emotions and feelings. 
And gradually, Raskhan became his Takhaluss - his pen name. 
                                            ' Rajan Sachdeva '

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