Kehna galat galat:Part 5
Kehna galat galat
Part 5:
The playfulness continues between the two.
Dil leke mera haath mein kehte hain mujhse woh
Kya loge iske daam batana sahi sahi
दिल लेके मेरा हाँथ में कहते हैं मुझसे वो
क्या लोगे इसके दाम बताना सही-सही
One must be prepared for blunt talk with God. The mystic is saying here I gave my heart to God and holding it in His hands he looked at me and asked “what is your price for this?”
God wants to be clear about the transaction from the outset. It is ok to give me your heart but I need to know what you expect in return. He is quite used to humans never doing anything for free. They expect things in return for every favor. So He seems to know in every case: what is the price you expect for your service and devotion?
Those who give the heart without expecting anything in return are the ones that become dearest to God. They love for the sake of loving. God is not a means to an end for them. This is what Sri Krishna refers in the Bhagwad Gita as Ananya Bhakti. Unwavering devotion.
Not everyone, however, approaches God with the same attitude. Most have some definite objectives or hidden agendas to accomplish and God is simply the facilitator to reach those goals. God is not the goal for them. Then there are some who themselves don’t know what they want from God, or what’s hiding in their own minds.
Although in this verse God is asking upfront about the give and take, in Reality, God doesn’t need to ask anyone for the answer to this question. He knows too well where each one stands and with what intention one is coming to Him.
I came across a very powerful statement recently: when a blind man gains eyesight for the very first time, the first thing he throws away is the stick that helped him get around until then!
Sadly, the mind does not always tend to remember the savior who conferred life and its precious experiences, comforts and pleasures upon him. Man keeps wandering selfishly in the pursuit of newer greener pastures, and shamelessly approaching the benefactor when he encounters obstacles in the path.
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From this point forward the song cleverly uses wine and wine related topics to convey spiritual wisdom related to a devotee’s relationship with God.
Aankhein milaao gair se toh hum ko jaam-e-may
Saqi tumhein qasam hain pilana sahi sahi
आंखें मिलाओ गैर से तो हमको जाम-ए-मय
साकी तुम्हें कसम है पिलाना सही-सही
Gair refers to another person( someone other than me). Saqi is the bartender. In this situation it is used figuratively to God who pours the intoxicating elixir of love into a devotee’s heart.
Jealousy is a strict no-no in spirituality. The only context it is permissible when it is implied jokingly without a trace of real jealousy as in the above verse.
In the Bhaagvatam there is an episode narrated where Krishna is playing Raas with several gopis( milk maids) who are all his ardent devotees. He miraculously appears as numerous simultaneous entities in a way that each Gopi sees him dancing with herself. The moment she looks at another Gopi and sees Krishna dancing with her as well, and feels a sense of jealousy, Krishna disappears from her presence. She must keep her focus on Krishna and their dance together. Another person’s dance and relationship with Krishna is not her business.
In the above verse a faithful devotee who knows that the Divine Spirit caters to several devotees at any given time is playfully teasing and reminding of His obligation to not be distracted when attending to this devotee, nudging Him to remain fully attentive and deliver the goods( divine love and wisdom) as promised.
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Nasha pilakar girana toh sab ko aata hain
Maza toh tab hain ki girton ko thaam le saqi
नशा पिला कर गिराना तो सब को आता है
मज़ा तो तब है कि गिरतों को थाम ले साकी
Here the poet( devotee) is saying that ordinary bartenders only take responsibility to serve wine to their customers. If the customer drinks to the point of getting intoxicated and crashes, the bartender sees no personal responsibility to help him get on his feet and taken to safety.
He then draws a contrast with the extraordinary act of empathy shown by a rare bartender who keeps a close eye on every client’s wellbeing and promptly rushes to lift those that seem to be going off balance or falling off the wagon.
What this figurative verse is highlighting is the fact that any human being is potentially vulnerable to making mistakes and slipping off the virtuous path. A true master or man of wisdom does not judge men for their mistakes. He gives them a chance to get up and steady themselves again and walk with dignity. Along with divine love is compassion and forgiveness.
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Nasha iman hota hain, surahi deen hoti hain
Jawani ki ibadat kis qadr rangeen hoti hain
नशा ईमान होता है, सुराही दीन होती है
जवानी की इबादत किस क़दर रंगीन होती है
Nasha means intoxication. Intoxication is a state where a substance or object of love becomes so influential and captivating that nothing else appears more alluring or worth indulging in than that thing. The poet says this is synonymous with Faith. Faith is nothing but a state of intoxication. You forget everything else in lieu of what you fall head over heels in love with.
Surahi is the pot from which wine is poured into the cup. It is the practical channel that conducts contents of the reservoir of the wine for direct use by the consumer. The poet uses the metaphor of a surahi for religion.
This is a very pertinent concept to understand religion and take it in better light than it often tends to be seen. If in the context of spiritual practice, divine wisdom or divine love is the wine, and men and women seeking it are the consumers, religion is simply a convenient and commonplace tool for any consumer to avail of the goods he/she is seeking.
However just like wine can be accessed by directly putting one’s mouth to a tap on the wine barrel or to a leaky hole in the barrel or holding a cup underneath a dribbling barrel, an occasional seeker can bypass ritualistic religion and get directly to the goodies. Religion, in short, is helpful but not indispensable. It can be optional. There is a poignant verse in the Bhagwad Gita chapter 2 where Krishna tells Arjun that for a man of wisdom the Vedas serve no purpose.
यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वत: सम्प्लुतोदके ।
तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानत: ॥ 46॥
The argument stands on rather tricky grounds because if a reader’s intellect is not sufficiently developed this can be construed as Vedas being unimportant or worthless. That is certainly not what is being suggested. What is implied is that the divine knowledge stands independent of the Vedas. The Vedas, spiritual teachers or spiritual texts or religious teachings are some practical means to acquire this knowledge and therefore must be regarded with great respect. But none of these can ever claim to be the sole means to reach the knowledge.
Jawani ki ibadat kis qadr rangeen hoti hain
Jawani refers to youth/youthfulness. Ibadat is worship or devotion( usually in reference to God). Jawani ki ibadat can be interpreted in a couple of different ways: worship of youth or worship done during the times of youth. The poet is pointing out to the fact that worship when the mind is naive and young tends to be highly colorful.
A young mind is readily drawn to fall in love with a pretty face or impressionable person or whatever in that person attracts it. This love tends to be intensely passionate and consuming. At that age there is a natural high energy, liveliness, sense of wonder and colorfulness to the mind as opposed to how the mind tends to become at later stages. While the former seems more attractive it often proves to be misguided and reckless. Faith and religion assume a distorted form. As long as this distortion holds a power on the mind, such a mind cannot understand the real purport of faith and religion. It is consuming a harmful kind of wine to remain intoxicated and oblivious of reality.
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Sharab-e-naab ko do aatish bana ke pila
Sharab kam hain toh saqi nazar mila ke pila
शराब-ए-नाब को दो आतिशा बना कर पिला
शराब कम है तो साक़ी नज़र मिला कर पिला
Sharab-e-naab means pure wine. One that is unadulterated. Purest of the pure. Do aatish means doubly potent.
The poet dares the beloved ( divine master) to cast a spell so strong that he is totally mesmerized by divine love and forgetful of everything else. And if extraneous measures fall short, he says, simply allow me a deep gaze into your eyes and that will do the trick. The devotee is desirous of spiritual ecstasy. He wants a deep emotional connection with the Lord.
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Sharab ka koi apna sareeh-e-rang nahin
Sharab tajjeeya-e-ehtisaab karti hain
Jo ehl-e-dil hain badhati hain aabroo unki
Jo be-shuoor hain unko kharab karti hain
शराब का कोई अपना सरीह-ए-रंग नहीं
शराब तज्ज़िया-ए-एहतिसाब करती है
जो अहल-ए-दिल हैं बढ़ाती है आबरू उनकी
जो बे-शु’ऊर हैं उनको खराब करती है
In this verse sharab (wine) is to be taken as Reality or Pure Consciousness. The mystic poet is telling us that Reality has no color of its own. sareeh-e-rang means of definite color. Like water or sunlight or wind. It is neutral. And by virtue of its neutrality it is qualified to put anything that it comes in contact with through precise assessment.
I am reminded of the incident in Alandi where young Muktabai could smell spiritual arrogance in Sant Namdev and insisted that Sant Gora Kumbhar put all the members of the group through a test of their spiritual ripeness. Everyone except Sant Namdev passed the test. A humbled Namdev accepted discipleship of Visoba Khechar and with the grace of his teacher he could ascend to the final step of self realization or liberation. Although a temporary embarrassment, Namdev still had considerable accrued merit and therefore quickly learned from the mistakes and corrected them.
In the present verse the poet points out that when put through a thorough test by Reality, that is when a critical Reality Check occurs, those that are truly wise get a nod and their dignity is further enhanced. In contrast, those that have significant flaws in their personality fail miserably and face disgrace and humiliation. Their facade is exposed. Their credibility is diminished or lost.
There is an old Marathi song sung by Sudhir Phadke for the movie Amhi jato amuchya gava. In this song there is a line that says: पीते दूध डोळे मिटुनी जात मांजराची! Cats drink milk with closed eyes! This is a critique on people who do wrong and think they would not be caught. The cat is under the wrong impression that it can sneak up and drink the milk left unattended and when it closes it eyes nobody will see it steal the milk. Any theft, any wrongdoing is going to come to light sooner or later. Thats the rule of universal justice. The wise people know this and stupid people don’t. If another person is not watching, the consciousness within yourself is registering the wrong act. It will confront you and expose the lie one day.
Spiritual awakening is about coming face to face with the consciousness within. To pay heed to it. And lead a life of honesty, sincere effort, integrity, compassion and respect for others. One who is afraid of the audit from the conscience within themselves is not afraid of anything else.
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Saqi tumhein qasam hain pilana sahi sahi साकी तुम्हें कसम है पिलाना सही-सही
Such a person who knows the value of integrity asks only the right things from his spiritual master. Give me your love and give me all the wisdom I need to navigate my life. I call upon you to promise me that you will grant me these things.
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गाहक हैं हम भी माल दिखाना सही-सही
क्या आप भी हैं उसके बताना सही-सही
Kehna galat galat, toh chhupana sahi sahi
कहना ग़लत ग़लत तो छुपाना सही सही
He has asked the question and in it is implied that he expects yes to be the answer.
Yet, somewhere he secretly feels that perhaps the truthful answer to his question may not be in his best interest. If God admits that He indeed belongs to the devotee, who knows what that may do to his mind. It may get complacent and arrogant and start taking things for granted. A little suspense may give him an incentive to strive harder to make God reciprocate the love and devotion at a future date. Thus let God give a less than forthcoming answer and hide the truth.
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In summary, mysterious are the ways of the human mind and even more mysterious are the ways of the Reality that sustains the universe. When the two become committed partners, wonders can happen.
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