Karam Ki Gati Nyari

 Karam Ki Gati Nyaari

This is a popular bhajan of Sant Meerabai. Another gem recorded in audio with the collaboration of Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar ( composer) and Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar.

All these years when this song came to mind my understanding would be focused on the paradox of stupid and ruthless people being in positions of authority and wise and caring people being powerless and voiceless. There was a sentiment of bitterness about such reality. Today I saw the contents of this song in a different light.

करम की गति न्यारी न्यारी, संतो।

Strange indeed is the way how the world works!

Or how destiny works! 

बड़े बड़े नयन दिए मिरगन को,

बन बन फिरत उधारी॥

Mother Nature has granted big beautiful eyes to the elegant deer. Yet it wanders hither thither in the forest. There is no one to observe its beauty. 

उज्वल वरन दीन्ही बगलन को,

कोयल लार दीन्ही कारी॥

A cunning crane( bagalan) stands stealthily on one leg in a pond waiting to prey on unsuspecting fish who are going about their lives. Mother Nature has given her a white appearance that ( deceptively) symbolizes purity. 

On the other hand, a nightingale( koyal) soothes the ears with her sweet voice, brings joy to listeners, yet she is created black and unattractive. 

और नदीपन जल निर्मल किन्ही,

समुंदर कर दीन्ही खारी॥

A river is humble in stature compared to the mighty ocean. She depends on her existence upon rain and sun. Summers can dry her out and monsoons can make her swell. She must survive these extremes. The silver lining in her life is that her water is sweet and useful for mankind. 

In contrast the ocean is invincible, self sufficient, enduring, intimidating. People consider it a symbol of greatness. Despite this the water in its expanse is salty and of no use for drinking or agriculture. 

मूर्ख को तुम राज दीयत हो,

पंडित फिरत भिखारी॥

Often the ruling class behaves with entitlement.  It holds authority without a thorough understanding of how to govern. Often it lacks compassion and sense of justice. Despite questionable worthiness, the power demands obedience and respect. 

The truly wise men and women on the other hand are often seen struggling to make ends meet. Their voices are not heard. They may be more knowledgeable but have no say in policy and decisions. They are forced take a back seat  whenever debates arise about important issues. Stupidity triumphs over wisdom.

मीरा के प्रभु गिरिधर नागुण

राजा जी को कौन बिचारी॥

Meerabai has with the above observations acknowledged that if we look around carefully, destiny appears unfair and flawed and difficult to understand with reasoning. It defies human logic. Bad things are not selectively happening to just one person or object. No one or nothing is lucky to only have advantages and no disadvantages.

One can also gather from her unique pointers that everything we come across needs to be looked at in its entirety. Nothing should be elevated on a pedestal blindly looking at its virtues and being blindsided by its faults. Conversely nothing should be discarded or sidelined after seeing the faults that glare at us at first glance. We must have the patience to search the good things in that person, object or situation. Like a swan, we must develop a discerning mind to separate milk from water, things of value from the valueless. This entire exercise when it becomes a habit, tends to brings a sense of equanimity towards people and situations we come across. The immediate infatuation with the attractive crane becomes more grounded when we are able to elevate the unsightly koyal once we see value in her song. The shabbiness arising from the poverty of a deserving scholar that turns us off initially gets overlooked once we understand how the rich and powerful, though glamorous at first sight, are really ugly due to lack of common sense and civility. The picture is not complete without both the contrasting players. 

Meerabai not only has displayed the ability to observe life around her minutely, she has alongside ascended great spiritual heights and identified the authority of Krishna, the Unmanifest Formless Supreme Godhead. She recognizes THAT as the Ultimate Authority in the universe. She submits herself to THAT power and accepts IT as her Lord. Other humans are in their place in the scheme of the universe. Even if it is a King she flatly refuses to acknowledge his authority to dictate terms to her. She has earned ultimate independence through her thinking, clarity and spiritual strength. The only kingdom she recognizes is the kingdom of God. And in that kingdom whatever sentence is meted out to her in the form of her destiny she is willing to accept.

Every time the meaning of the writings of the saints like Dnyaaneshwar, Tukaram, Muktabai or Meerabai become clearer to me, I become more and more aware of how they compare to God Himself. If God is 24 kt gold, these saints are 23.9999% gold. In the practical world, anything above 23 kt is considered 24 kt gold. So one can get an idea what to make of the saints!

Footnote:

I was invited to attend a concert by Pandit Suresh Wadkar last evening at the Symbiosis University campus in Pune City. Panditji enthralled the audience with his renditions of popular songs from his repertoire. The opening performance of Sant Eknath’s abhang Omkar Swaroopa nearly took me into a trance. That was followed by Sant Dnyaaneshwar’s Haripath abhang Devachiye Dwari ubha kshanbhari. Equally mesmerizing. After these two devotional songs Panditji shifted to his ghazals and film songs at the behest of the audience. My attention was initially grabbed by Panditji himself. His powerful voice, the capacity of his renditions to captivate attention and elevate the experience and this combined with the display of genuine humility. I could feel Brahman manifesting through him. But slowly my awareness shifted to all the other musicians accompanying him on stage. The flautist was extraordinarily talented. The guy on the keyboard drew attention from time to time. The tabla players shone from time to time. There were two accompanying singers as well joining in with their voices in a few songs with Panditji. During the solos of these younger, lesser known singers, my internal voice compared them with Panditji and assessed them as “inferior“. But a wiser voice within offered a more compassionate assessment that these two are at a different point in their evolution. It isn’t fair to compare. 

Gradually I began to recognize that Brahman was not just manifesting in the voice and presentation of Panditji, HE was simultaneously manifesting through the other musicians, as well as through the sound engineers and their equipment, through the audience and their experience and appreciative responses.

 One star in the sky may appear brighter than another but the light was intrinsically the same. The brightest star by itself couldn’t have made the experience enriched as it was with the presence of all the stars. It was a unique experience both for the senses and for the spirit.