Jaayin vichaarit raanfulaa

 

Jaayin Vicharit Raanfula
Bhetel Tithe ga Sajan Malaa 

Bhagn Shivaalaya Parisar Nirjan
Palstaruche daat Pudhe Ban
Taruveli karteel gard zulaa 

Unch pukaareel Mor Kaani
Nilyaa Dhagatuni Bharel Paani 
Lahrel Vijechi Sonsalaa 

Waahat  Yeyil Poor Anaawar
Boodteel Waataa  Aani June Ghar
Jaayil  Budoon Haa Praan Khulaa

This is another song for which the musical score is composed by Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar. The poem is penned by the well known Marathi poet Smt.Shantabai Shelke and rendered in the sweet voice of Smt Kishori Amonkar one of the legends in Hindustani classical music.

I have been drawn to this song since my childhood years. Somehow it connected me to the childhood days in Khopoli. The Peshwa-era Shiva temple in Khopoli and the dense greenery that used to surround it stood before my eyes when I listened to this song. Even today it transports me there and I can almost hear the roar of the surrounding waterfalls and gushing river in the vicinity.

Jaayin Vicharit Raanfula
Bhetel Tithe ga Sajan Malaa 

I will hop from one wildflower to next asking the whereabouts of my beloved ..

And feel hopeful that somewhere there I will meet HIM.

Bhagn Shivaalaya Parisar Nirjan
Palstaruche daat Pudhe Ban
Taruveli karteel gard zulaa 

 Ruins of an ancient Shiva temple stand there in the midst of an isolated land. 

A dense forest of Palas trees lies ahead.

Taking support of neighboring trees would be numerous vines that would form delightful swings.

Unch pukaareel Mor Kaani
Nilyaa Dhagatuni Bharel Paani 
Lahrel Vijechi Sonsalaa 

The loud call of the peacock would be heard and no sooner could one see the blue clouds swell with water.

A golden streak of lightning would soon follow suit.

Waahat  Yeyil Poor Anaawar
Boodteel Waataa  Aani June Ghar
Jaayil  Budoon Haa Praan Khulaa

Bhetel Tithe ga Sajan Malaa 

The pouring skies will cause the river to gush uncontrollably downstream drowning walkways and the old home.

My silly self (mind) will also drown in that torrent.

I will meet my beloved there at that moment.

A reader can imagine this to be a love song where a young woman is musing about meeting the man she loves. 

For a spiritual seeker however this poem gives a different depth and breadth. It is an ode to a soul’s journey in search for the Supreme Being. The poet has brilliantly painted a picture of this place that is away from human crowds underscoring the importance of solitude for the spiritual journey. There is abundance of nature around in the form of trees,vines, peacocks and wildflowers. Reminds of Tukaram’s vrikshvalli, doesn’t it?

The initial stop is at an old temple implying religious inclination. But soon the attention diverts outside constructed walls to surrounding nature. The loud call of the peacock signifies the escalation of devotion and thirst for the Almighty. As that call reaches the heavens even God’s heart melts and comes down to earth in the form of pouring rain. The flood of emotions that follows wipes out all trace of worldly attachments picturized as familiar roads and old home. In that moment the soul loses itself and merges with its Lord. That moment represents the Union of the seeker and the Supreme Reality, the pinnacle of meditation, the state of Samadhi.

Om tat sat Brahmarpanamastu 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Saree is one of my oldest taant cottons from West Bengal. It has leaf buttis all over and thread motifs in black on the pallu. Border has a band of grey and a silver selvedge.