Arey Sansar Sansar: a master class in metaphors




 Formal education has nothing to do with wisdom. And learning can take place in any setting without having to go to school. Life itself is the best school as well as the teacher if we have our eyes open to our surroundings. Bahinabai is a perfect example of this. 


Her thought provoking poems touch upon a variety of subjects including hard work, charity, love, complexity of the mind, life and death. There is portrayal of a woman’s existence in her poetry. One unmistakable emotion you will find in her writing is pure love . It is so palpable yet subtle. That makes it so adorable and refreshing. Even her admonishing is gentle.

One of her finest commentaries is about a householder’s life, a marriage or as we call it in Marathi, sansar. This popular piece is composed in a total of 10 stanzas. She has beautifully described the do-s and don’t-s for a successful marriage. This particular poem is a treasure chest of some charming metaphors. 

It is human nature to see faults in everything. And of course nothing is perfect in this world. There are always negatives along with positives, hardships along with pleasures and comforts, failures along with successes. Life is a composite of these opposites. And we need to realize there is a place for everything in the bigger picture and accept it as a whole.

Bahinabai’s metaphors are straight out from her daily life. In this poem she compares sansar to a hot pan( griddle, tava) on an earthern stove( chool)  as is commonly seen in rural homes in India where the woman in the household makes fresh bhakris out of jowar or rice flour using her hands. No matter how careful one is, sometimes the hand touches the piping hot metal of the griddle while launching the bhakri or flipping it over. These minor burns become part and parcel of the routine and without them it is nearly impossible to serve a hot bhakri for the family. How cleverly she has used this metaphor for the hardships that are to be sustained to enjoy good and essential things in life.

Sometimes there are prickly thorns on the outside or a bitter covering over something. Inside however it may be soft and sweet. If you hold patience you can avail of the edible or useful parts.

When you read the original Marathi ovi you get a better sense of the reverence Bahinabai had for sansar, home or marriage. She compares it to the dome of a temple, giving it the highest place of sanctity and advises against referring in derogatory terms like a cheap water pot( lota). Another metaphor she uses to convey the value is of a precious necklace instead of a burdensome restraining chain( lodhan) around the neck. At one place she admonishes from considering sansar as a misery or calling it an unhappy place. Do not dismiss it as fake ever, she says. Thus pointing out that along with hardships and patience what is needed is a positive attitude. A respect for life. 

A marriage is a union of two souls. Both must care for each other. Both must grow together.  When this is neglected, selfishness arises,happiness bids farewell and sorrows enter the home. There is always a give and take of happiness and worries in a relationship. Not always the checks and balances are matched from moment to moment. There is borrowing and lending between the couple. But in the long run it all balances out. Sansar is indeed a magical thing. 

It is a friendship as well as a guiding light. It is where one finds a safe haven. One must make a concession for one’s destiny while giving it a boost with self effort. But first priority for a happy and healthy household must be to keep God in one’s thoughts always. 

  I found similarities between her compositions and those of the poet saint Janabai from the 13th century. Janabai famously wrote :

दळिता कांडीता वाहता कावडी
चिंतनात गोडी विठ्ठलाच्या विठ्ठलाच्या विठ्ठलाच्या
जनी नामयाची रंगली कीर्तनी

Both women had God in their minds as they carried out their daily chores. Their lives were set against the backdrop of rural Maharashtra. The difference is that Janabai lived in Pandharpur and worked as a maid in the household of the famous poet saint Namdev. Bahinabai’s devotion and poetry is largely self inspired and original.

Can you imagine this wisdom coming out of a woman who had never learnt the alphabet? From one who was married at age 13 and had to work as a farm laborer to raise 3 young kids as a single mom after she was widowed at age 30 ?
Without learning the nuances of grammar she has a mastery over language which she combines with her innate wisdom to succinctly point out the finer things in life.
There are many such gems you will find if you read her poems. Please do take time to read. She will inspire you.

A nauwari garbha reshmi Induri saree with red and yellow checks today. 


अरे संसार संसार
जसा तवा चुल्ह्यावर
आधी हाताला चटके
तव्हां मियते भाकर ॥ १ ॥

अरे संसार संसार
खोटा कधी म्हनू नही
राउळाच्या कयसाले
लोटा कधी म्हनू नही ॥ २ ॥

अरे संसार संसार
नही रडनं कुढनं
येड्या गयांतला हार
म्हनू नको रे लोढनं ॥ ३ ॥

अरे संसार संसार
खीरा येलावरचा तोड
एका तोंडामधी कडू
बाकी अवघा लागे गोड ॥ ४ ॥

अरे संसार संसार
म्हनू नको रे भीलावा
त्याले गोड भीमफूल
मधी गॊडंब्याचा ठेवा ॥ ५ ॥

देखा संसार संसार
शेंग वरतून काटे
अरे वरतून काटे
मधी चिकने सागरगोटे ॥ ६ ॥

ऐका संसार संसार
दोन जीवांचा विचार
देतो दु:खाले होकार
अन सुखाले नकार ॥ ७ ॥

देखा संसार संसार
दोन्ही जीवांचा सुधार
कधी नगद उधार
सुखादु:खाचा बेपार ॥ ८ ॥

अरे संसार संसार
असा मोठा जादूगर
माझ्या जीवाचा मैतर
त्याच्यावरती मदार ॥ ९ ॥

अरे संसार संसार
आधी देवाचा ईसार
माझ्या दैवाचा जोजार
मग जीवाचा आधार ॥ १० ॥
__ बहीणाबाई चौधरी



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