Friday, April 20, 2018

Dainhaar koi aur hai - Devat hai din rain

One of the greatest poets of the medieval era of India was poet Rahim Sen - whose ideology is still as influential as it was in his own time.
Rahim's full name was Abdul Rahim Khankhana. He was contemporary of Goswami Tulsidas and was one of Akbar's navratanas.
He was very generous and used to donate a substantial part of his personal income regularly. 
Every morning, when he sat outside his home - many needy people used to come to him for help, and according to their needs - he would fill their bag with money, clothes and food etc. 
However, he had a unique style of giving. 
It was well-known that Rahim always gave donations while keeping his eyes low - and never looked at the faces of people he was helping.
Goswami Tulsidas once wrote a letter to Rahim and asked him why does he lower his eyes while giving?
He wrote –
                       ऐसी देनी देन जू - कित सीखे हो सैन।
                         ज्यों-ज्यों कर ऊँचे करो, त्यों-त्यों नीचे नैन॥
  Aesi daini dain ju - kit seekhay ho Sain
 Jyon jyon kar oonchay karo, tyon tyon neechay nain 
                      
Meaning: 
O friend - why do you give donations in this way? Where did you learn to do this? 
As you raise your hands to give, (I have heard) that you lower your eyes towards the ground.

What Rahim wrote in the reply was full of humility and intelligence. 
                       देनहार कोई और है, देवत है दिन रैन।
                         लोग भरम हम पर करें, याते नीचे नैन॥
      Dainhaar koi aur hai - devat hai din rain
      Log Bharam hum par karen - yaatay neechay nain
Meaning; - 
"The giver is someone else (Almighty God) - who is giving day and night. 
People mistakenly think that I am the giver - 
therefore my eyes spontaneously bend down towards the ground with humiliation".

Some people believe that the first Doha with the question was written by Kavi Gang.
But regardless of who asked the question, the importance lies in the reply written by Rahim - 
That, while donating or helping others, there should be a sense of humility in our mind - not the pride.  
Just like Kabeer ji, Rahim also believed that:
   'Rahiman' gali hai saankari - doojo nahin thehraaye 
   Aapu ahe, to Hari nahin - Hari, to aapun naahin

                        ‘रहिमन’ गली है सांकरी - दूजो नहिं ठहराहिं।
                         आपु अहै, तो हरि नहीं - हरि, तो आपुन नाहिं॥

Where there is pride, there is no place for the Lord.

                                        'Rajan Sachdeva'

2 comments:

  1. Very nicely said ! Also, as per the Bible the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing, serving selflessly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A friend of mine is very big with donating. Her theory is she receives from God as he wants to give to someone else through her. She is just an instrument. I never see any pride in her and of course no bragging about it on social media...lol

    ReplyDelete

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