Chaar Milay Chaunsath Khilay, Bees milay kar jor

The beauty of any language lies in the choice of its words.

Whatever the language - its beauty depends on the presentation of the writer or the speaker.

It's the choice of words - and the way people display and exhibit their thoughts - that touches the hearts and minds of the readers and the listeners.

Sant Prahlad ji, grandson of Bhapa Ramchand ji often used to recite a Hindi Doha (couplet) which I too have repeated many times.

                   Chaar milay, Chaunsath khilay, Bees milay kar jor

                   Premi say Premi milay - to khilihain saat crore

In this couplet, the poet presents an everyday simple event in a very beautiful way.

According to the Indian traditions, when someone meets a friend or a relative - or even a stranger, they are greeted with folded hands. Whatever may be the words - Namaste, Namaskar, Dhan Nirankar, Sat-Sri-Akal, Jai Shri Ram, or Jai Shri Krishna, etc. - habitually, their hands automatically fold up to greet as soon their eyes meet.

We repeat this custom so many times every day - without even thinking - with the unconscious mind, but have we ever tried to perceive and analyze this simple and common customary action so deeply as in this couplet?

In simple words, when we meet someone - first our eyes meet, a smile appears on the face, and then, customarily, both hands join together to greet. 

In this couplet, the poet says that the first thing that happens in a union is that Four - two eyes from each side meet - then sixty-four - meaning thirty-two teeth of both the persons show up shinning in the open smiling mouths.

And then Twenty - that is ten fingers of both hands of each person join together in welcoming each other. 

However - the poet says - when a lover meets the beloved, then seven crores become happy and blossom together.

Although it is impossible to count, it is believed that we have three and a half crore follicles or tiny holes on our skin.

Taking this number, this count symbolically, the poet says that the union of two lovers is not limited to only four, twenty, or sixty-four, but seven crore follicles of their bodies blossom and pulsate.

Sant Prahlad ji used to connect this couplet as the union between the Saints.

He used to say -

                  'Harijan say Harijan milay to khiltay saat crore'

That when a Sant meets another Sant, Bhakta, Enlightened one, or devotee then seven crores become happy and begin to pulsate and bloom.

In fact, the meeting of four eyes and twenty fingers - and the smiling, shinning of sixty-four teeth can simply be a formality - it can be done as a matter of courtesy only - but for the whole body to vibrate with happiness can only happen through a natural process. 

This cannot happen as a mere formality - a mere courtesy only. 

The eyes and hands can be joined - a formal smile can also be brought on the lips, but it is not possible to force the body's follicles to blossom - to pulsate with happiness.

It can not be done consciously - it simply happens automatically - if there is true love.

If there is pure love in the heart -  unblemished love without any selfish motive - then the face glows as soon as the eyes meet and each follicle of the body blooms and vibrates with happiness.

What a beautiful way of presenting such a common tradition with such elegance - in the form of an elegant riddle.

                                             ' Rajan Sachdeva '