कशी काळ नागिणी,Kashi Kaal Nagini

 

कशी काळ नागिणी,Kashi Kaal Nagini

कशी काळ नागिणी, सखे ग, वैरिण झाली नदी !
प्राणविसावा पैलतिरावरी, अफाट वाहे मधी.

सुखी मीन हे तरति न गणुनी लाटा कोट्यावधी
सुखी पाखरे गात चालली पार वादळी सुधी 

पैलतटि न का तृण मी झाले? तुडविता तरी पदी
पैलतटि न का कदंब फुलले? करिता माळा कधी

पापिण खिळले तिरा, विरह हा शस्त्राविण वधी
प्राणांचे घे मोल नाविका, लावि पार, ने अधी 

कशी काळ नागिणी, सखे गं, वैरिण झाली नदी

प्राणविसावा पैल तीरावरी
प्राणविसावा पैल तीरावरी
अफाट वाहे मधी 

Bhaskar Ramchandra Tambe , popularly known as Bha Ra Tambe, is amongst the leading figures of Marathi poetry from the late nineteenth through first half the twentieth century. His poetry is laden with tender emotions, beautiful imagery and often either social awakening or spiritual reflection or both. Many of his exquisite poems are tastefully chosen by the Mangeshkar siblings and presented for us to enjoy in audible manner. One such poem is Kashi Kaal Nagini. 

कशी काळ नागिणी, सखे ग, वैरिण झाली नदी !
प्राणविसावा पैलतिरी ग, अफाट वाहे मधी.

The narrative of this poem is through a woman sharing her deepest feelings with her sakhi( close friend and confidante). 

The scene is about the two of them standing on one shore of a raging river. The flow of the river is used as a metaphor for the life’s journey. One shore is the mortal life on earth. Other shore represents the afterlife or eternity where God resides. The woman( narrator) herself represents a devotee or a seeker of salvation or enlightenment. 

कशी काळ नागिणी, सखे ग, वैरिण झाली नदी !

She perceives the river as hostile, like a venomous snake, the Mighty Kaal (Time) that swallows everything and everyone.

कशी काळ नागिणी, वैरिण झाली नदी !

In six simple words the poet has given an apt description of how life is for most people. Fraught with immense difficulties. At every stage there is struggle for survival. You are up against a hostile external environment.

And a devotee has to make through this difficult route and cross over to the other side( afterlife) to unite with her beloved, the Divine Master and rest there forever.

प्राणविसावा पैल तीरावरी
अफाट वाहे मधी

The resting place for her soul is on the other side but before she can get to it, there is this daunting, turbulent river between.

As she stands on the shore trying to figure out how to get to the other side she makes some observations. 

First she observes multitudes of fish swimming in the waters, fighting the currents. 

सुखी मीन हे तरति न गणुनी लाटा कोट्यावधी

How are these fish? They are sukhi. Swimming happily ( engrossed) in worldly pleasures. They are seeking happiness in their environment and remain oblivious to anything outside of their immediate surroundings. Such is their ignorance that they miscalculate the amount of powerful waves they must endure in their lifetime. The force of the waters overpowers them and they perish before reaching a safe haven.

The fish represent the common people who are caught up in their limited worldly pleasures and ill prepared for challenges. They are blind to the forces of Time that will sooner or later swallow them. They never overcome ignorance and thus live and die in the darkness of this painful existence. They never see the light of spiritual truth and thus never attain salvation.

सुखी पाखरे गात चालली पार वादळी सुधी 

After observing the fish in the water the woman’s gaze turns up towards the sky. Here she sees flocks of birds. They are singing joyfully as they fly. The poet has used the same adjective for their state of mind, sukhi (happy), as he has for the fish. But their joy is different from the limited happiness of the fish. The joy of the birds is coming from their privilege to fly powered by knowledge. These birds are flying confidently through storms to make a safe landing on the other side. The river can’t touch them or swallow them. They are on a different plane from the fish.

Here the birds stand for enlightened souls who have lifted themselves painstakingly out of darkness and have built might into their wings to not merely fly far away but also to weather the storms on the way. On top of that the elevation above the ground allows for a better sight of the distant land.

Having studied the disparity between the fish and the birds her mind turns to wishful thinking for herself. She is getting impatient to unite with her beloved Parmatma. She has feebled her ego to a point of complete surrender and only wishes to find a way to get closer to her Lord.

पैलतटि न का तृण मी झाले? तुडविता तरी पदी

Why did I not become a blade of grass on the other shore? The Lord would have treaded over me( I would be blessed by the touch of His Feet!)

पैलतटि न का कदंब फुलले? करिता माळा कधी

Or perhaps I could have blossomed as a Kadamb tree  on the other shore so my flowers would be put together into a garland to adorn the neck of the Lord.

Note how beautiful is the imagery of humility, surrender, service and devotion in these two lines. 

The wishful thinking though laced with lament lasts for a short time before her mind becomes acutely aware of the reality of the present moment.

पापिण खिळले तिरा, विरह हा शस्त्राविण वधी

As I yearn to go back to my home where my true love resides, my sinful past has tied me down on this shore, condemned me to this mortal world. The pain of this separation is killing me even without need an actual weapon. I am suffering a slow torturous death.

प्राणांचे घे मोल नाविका, लावि पार, ने अधी 

Unable to bear the pain, she turns to address a boatman to ferry her promptly across the river, offering to pay him dearly with her life.

Here the boatman represents the spiritual teacher( Guru) who is equipped with solid knowledge ( Bramha Vidya, represented by the boat) and who will thus facilitate her journey from the mortal world to the spiritual realm where she would merge into the Parmatma or Para Bramha. 

The same desperation is expressed by many saints including Sant Dnyaaneshwar, Sant Tukaram, Sant Chokha Mela and many others. Sant Kanhopatra’s famous lines are particularly reminiscent in this context.

Nako deva raya anta aataa paahu 

Praan haa sarvathaa jaavu paahe

नको देवराया अंत अता पाहू

प्राण हा सर्वथा, जाऊ पाहे

The spiritual depth of the poet is evident in this piece of literature. With just a few master strokes Tambe has created a picture of the world, it’s ground realities, painting the stark contrast between dreams and sufferings of the common man and that of a devotee as well as providing a bird’s eye view of this world and beyond. And all this in an exquisite manner that only a poet could express.

Perhaps next time you listen to Lata Didi render this masterpiece in her divine voice, the poet’s message in the lyrics will give you an elevated experience. 

Footnote:

Four levels of consciousness are discussed in this poem.

The lowest are the fish who live only in the physical realm. They are not aware of the spirit or existence beyond what is perceived by the sense organs.

The narrator has elevated herself above the level of the common people and spent time in devotion. She has fixed her goal towards self realization but is still struggling to let go physical bondage. 

The birds are at a level higher than the narrator. They have overcome physical bondage( identification with physical bodies) though not discarded the physical body.They are facing all the usual challenges that other mortal beings have to encounter but owing to the power of their spiritual knowledge they are able to face whatever comes their way with courage and determination. 

The highest level of consciousness is the Supreme Being. Here there is no physical form. Just existence and Bliss. It remains the silent witness, cognition behind every mind and intellect, eye behind every eye, listener behind every ear, smeller behind each nose, taster behind every tongue and feeler behind every touch.

It is just a matter of time when the birds from this story will give up their bodies and merge into the Supreme Nirakar (Formless) Bramha. 

The narrator in due time will have exhausted her prarabdh karma and will be ferried across the daunting river by a kind boatman. 

Time and again a rare fish from the raging river will awaken and think beyond what it can perceive through its senses and dedicate its life to the service and love of God. 

Thus even though the poet sees Time as a devouring serpent, Time is also a healer and transformer. Time needs to respected and valued just as much as it needs to be feared. 

At some point one needs to ask this question to oneself. 

कशी काळ नागिणी, सखे ग, वैरिण झाली नदी !

How and why did this (river of ) life that was meant to be a gift or an ally become poisonous or turn into an enemy?

Saree is a pure linen weave from West Bengal. Paired with a printed blouse on Mashru silk.