Sansar se bhaage phirte ho

 

संसार से भागे फिरते हो

भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे

Time and again this song comes to my mind for various reasons. It has been lurking for the last few days.

I will share with you my interpretation of this song. The song is picturized in quite a different context in the 1964 movie Chitralekha. I am not sure what was the personal interpretation of the poet Sahir Ludhianvi. Whether he wrote it simply to conform with the film’s storyline or had another context for it in mind. Nevertheless it is a thought provoking, brilliant piece of poetry. The audio in Lata Didi’s voice with music director Roshan’s composition is a beautiful one to listen to as well. 

The story is told in a historical setting going back to the Mauryan period. The crown prince is besotted by the beauty of a courtesan and is neglecting his royal fiancé. A yogi( renunciate/ ascetic) is sent to dissuade the courtesan from holding the prince captive with her charms. Her philosophical argument with the yogi who gives her a sermon about changing her “evil” ways is the content of this song. 

संसार से भागे फिरते हो

भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे

You are unable to face the world. What can you expect to receive from God?

इस लोग को भी अपना ना सके

उस लोक में भी पछताओगे

You failed to embrace this world. You are unlikely to fit elsewhere, in another life. Hence will only find regret in life.

ये पाप है क्या ये पूण्य है क्या

रितो पर धर्म की मोहरे है

What is virtue or sin? They are mere stamps of approval or disapproval from religion or social laws on certain customs and behaviors.

हर युग में बदलते धर्मो को

कैसे आदर्श बनाओगे

Since these laws and rules change from one era to another how can you set them as your ideals or gold standards? 

ये भोग भी एक तपस्या है

तुम त्याग के मारे क्या जानो

Enjoyment is also a penance in itself. People like yourself who are obsessed with renunciation can hardly understand this.

अपमान रचेता का होगा

रचना को अगर ठुकराओगे

Realize that by denying creation you would be disrespecting the creator.

हम कहते है ये जग अपना है

तुम कहते हो झूठा सपना है

I consider and treat the world as mine. You reject it as being unreal or a false dream.

हम जनम बिता कर जायेगे

तुम जनम गँवा कर जाओगे

I will live my life to the fullest before I leave the world. You on the other hand will squander your life away.

संसार से भागे फिरते हो

भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे

You are running away from the world. What can you expect from the One who created this world ?

The prowess of the poet to capture a vast philosophy in such few simple lines is truly a marvel. If one begins to ponder on each of these lines it is hard to cover its entire depth or breadth. 

A large part of the conversation between Shri Krishna and Arjun in the Bhagwad Gita involves comparing Sanyasa Yoga with Karma Yoga. One is a path of renunciation, the other of selfless service through one’s assigned work. Between the two, Krishna unequivocally declares Karma Yoga to be superior. The end result of both pathways is God realization. The path of renunciation is arduous and not meant for everyone. It also has a fallacy that it doesn’t lend a hand to the day to day workings of society. If every one was to choose a path of renunciation who would raise crops and who would tend to other necessities of life? Krishna has therefore very thoughtfully canvassed for karma yoga and given people a reason to remain committed to their duties while eyeing their own emancipation. 

 In chapter 4, verse 31 Krishna explicitly says that those who abandon worldly duties don’t benefit in this world, how can they benefit in the next life?

यज्ञशिष्टामृतभुजो यान्ति ब्रह्म सनातनम् |
नायं लोकोऽस्त्ययज्ञस्य कुतोऽन्य: कुरुसत्तम || 31||

yajña-śhiṣhṭāmṛita-bhujo yānti brahma sanātanam
nāyaṁ loko ’styayajñasya kuto ’nyaḥ kuru-sattama

It is worth considering the phrase ‘sansar se bhaage phirte ho’. What are the causes for leaving your home and everything?

True renunciation driven by inherent dispassion for worldly pleasures is uncommon. There are occasional instances where you see individuals who have quit high paying jobs and resorted to living a life of simplicity with or without involvement in some form of social service and with or without any religious inclinations. Either singly or as a married couple. More often than not people proclaim renunciation under circumstances of stress or grief. Arjun’s predicament was perfect example of such a situation. In modern society quitting a job abruptly due to inability to cope with the load or splitting from a long term partner for petty reasons when both are going through unrelated stress, or disowning the entire family ( parents, kids, spouse) are examples of “running away from the world “. I sometimes wonder how many of those ‘throwing the towel’ incidents would have been prevented if these people had a Krishna as their charioteer. Someone caring and wise to guide them and keep them on track with their rightful duties. 

In general carrying out one’s duties( personal and social) is a matter of virtue. Yet the entire virtue of a karma (work) lies not in the karma itself but also in the attitude with which it is performed. If a rich man who is after pomp and glory donates a million dollars to a college to earn recognition for his contributions, his karma would be inferior to a poor man who gives away his only bread to a hungry beggar at his door. A man abandoning his young children to seek spiritual salvation in the forest would be committing greater sin than a desperate man stealing bread to feed his hungry children. A prostitute attending to her client can still have a pure mind while a priest of high birth can have greed and cruelty in his mind. 

At lower levels of understanding one would make the folly to place a value for a person based on the work they do. The value system is quite different for people of God realization. A true man of God if he has followed a path of sanyasa (renunciation) would consider a working man or woman in any profession as an equal to himself if the latter was adhering to his/ her rightful duties and carrying them out with a sense of devotion. Kanhopatra the saint from Mangalvedhe was a prostitute by trade but a true devotee of Vitthala. Another saint like Namdev would not make the mistake of labeling her trade as evil. Nor would he call her actions as filled with lust. 

That brings us to the issue of enjoyment or indulgence in worldly things. It is not a sin to enjoy what is earned through honest means. Specific instructions are given by Krishna in the Bhagwad Gita about how to partake of the fruits of honest work. A man seemingly enjoying his legitimate earnings may be inwardly not compulsive about both, the object he earned as well as the pleasure he gets from it. On the other hand a man who has taken a path of renunciation could be entertaining thoughts of enjoying bodily pleasures while not himself wanting to work for them. There are many opportunists at every juncture who don’t contribute to work but wait to prey on the work of others or take credit for it. There are also those who sit idle yet are quick to find faults in people who work. Then there are those who are themselves good at nothing yet cannot appreciate a piece of art or a special talent in another person or notice the fragrance of a flower or changing colors of the sky. What is the use of them seeking God ? Where are they going to find God ? 

Virtue or sin may be inferred in the good or harm any action brings about and also the intention behind it. One must be able to discern between beneficial, ethical and lawful practices. Smoking in a place where no one is around or where it is not prohibited is not unlawful and not unethical. But is it beneficial? Cutting into a line of people waiting for tickets or food is not harmful or unlawful, but is it ethical? Getting a flu vaccine is not required by law and does not call into ethics. It is matter of benefit. Having a mistress is unethical but not a crime in the eyes of law. Physically abusing either wife or another woman certainly is a crime. Prostitution may or may not be lawful in different parts of the world. Similarly use of weed( cannabis/ marijuana) may not be legal everywhere. Physician Assisted Deaths are legal at some places whereas at most places they can amount to serious crimes. Police locking up a person convicted for a crime is different from a civilian abducting and locking up another person. In cases of murder they try to determine if it occurred in self defense or was it premeditated or second degree murder. The concept sin (or virtue)is thus not straightforward. It is highly dependent on time, place, person and situation. Therefore determining whether any action is a sin or virtuous requires closer examination. 

In addition one ought to realize that laws and customs are not written in stone. They undergo modifications with time. Thank goodness for that! One of my favorite quotes is that Laws are made for humans, humans are not made for laws! What was once considered fair and lawful may need to be reconsidered again in a different light if it is not serving mankind. Women’s education, women’s voting rights, women in the military were all unlawful at one point. Segregation was lawful. Slavery was lawful. Gay marriages remain unlawful in many places. Abortion keeps fluctuating from becoming lawful to unlawful depending on who comes into power. 

So the question is what should we rest our ideals upon? Some outdated ideas stemming from ancient religious doctrines or the actual repercussions any behaviors or practices have on the larger modern society? 

If Dnyaaneshwar and Namdev would have accepted the orthodox teachings of religion, saints of the deepest devotion like Chokha Mela could have never entered the Vitthala temple in Pandharpur. Kanhopatra couldn’t have been enshrined in that same temple. Ordinary people would be in the dark about the life changing teachings of Krishna. Had it not been for Rosa Parks the African American community would still have to yield a seat to the white passengers and continue their life journey as second class citizens. A white woman marrying a black man or vice versa would still be a crime. Homosexuality would be a punishable offense. If people in the freedom struggle did not make personal sacrifices and rise up to protest, India would continue to be under the imperial rule.

There are many things in present day society that call for a fresh look at existing laws. The relaxed rules on possession of firearms are calling for reforms after the multiple mass shootings that take place in the USA. This year has yet to reach the 365 days count and already the number of mass shootings have exceeded 565. And despite this lawmakers are stalling reforms on gun control. The continued struggle of the LGBTQ community for equal social justice or the outdated system of reservations for college admissions based on the caste system are issues that need a fresh look. 

True enlightenment is when your thinking is guided by considerations towards principles of justice, equality, kindness, honesty, charity, peace, human wellbeing and not simply by abiding with existing laws and traditions. It displays courage to question the laws and traditions if they don’t stand on a foundation of justice and fairness.

True enlightenment recognizes divinity in all creation. Therefore it has a natural tendency for love and kindness towards others rather than seeking dominion over others. It views Truth in a different light. Despite realizing the perishable nature of the visible world the saints embrace it and serve it. They appreciate the beauty in it. Indeed what more could bring meaningfulness to any life than working to serve with love? And would it be unreasonable to say that those who live a life without service or love are wasting their precious lives? Those who find fault with everything and everyone are miserable everywhere and at all times? Those whose ideals are limited by narrow outdated stereotypes are not worthy to be leaders or lawmakers? 

The movie may be set in an ancient era but Sahir Ludhianvi’s poetry and the movie maker’s outlook on the subject was definitely modern and questioning the  ethics of society.

The pearls I take from this song:

Have compassion and love for others.

Scrutinize your value system when judging someone.  Be aware of your own pride and prejudice.

Appreciate others and good things around you.

Do your job diligently in the spirit of service whatever the job may be.

Question the laws and traditions if they are unjust.

Saree: what is softer and better than mul cotton? A mul cotton treated with Ajrakh.