Ek vairaagi ek sansaari -devotional poem by Indian actor

 

I recently heard a poem (that also has been enacted in Indian traditional dance forms online) and was mesmerized by it. Later, I found that it was actually composed by the Indian actor (Saurabh Raj Jain) while he spent time in Vrindavan. Interestingly, he is well-known for playing the role of Lord Krishna in TV serial Mahabharata and hearing and watching him does make one believe that he is channeling the spirit of Krishna as he holds that aura himself... The recitation of the poem by the amazing actor can be heard here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cxe-wdKoUBm/?igsh=a2VoaWRibHVudGZh

The words of the poem are as follows:

"ek vairaagi, 

dooja sansaari

ek damroo se hosh udaave

dooja bansuri ke sur se lubhave

ek kar tandav ahankaar mitave

dooja ungliyon par naach nachave

ek lagake bhasm ramjave

dooja morpankh mathey sajave

ek teesri aankh darave

dooja apni muskaan chalave

ek jataa ganga bahave

dooja yamuna shaant karave

ek maya ke haath na aave

dooja maya ko aap ghumave

ek yog mein dhyan lagave

dooja bhog ke ladoo khave

ek dhyaan main dooje ko sumire

dooja ek main khud khojave

ek vairagi

ek sansaari"

   --Saurabh Raj Jain

Peaceful Sufi poetry song

 Sharing two songs (parts of series), that are based on the poetry of the Sufi poet and mystic Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. The English translation of the song appears in the video. The sweet voice to the song is of Ahmad Hussain, a prominent singer who sings Nasheeds...The music, words, and the video of the song are way too divine and invoke peace...

here are they:

Ahmad Hussain - Saif ul Malook سیف الملوک Part 1 | Official Video

 

Ahmad Hussain - Saif ul Malook سیف الملوک Part 2 | Official Video

 

The White of the Swan

 

I'm sharing a particularly moving and poetic sequence from the critically acclaimed Hindi film Gangubai  (link of the scene:  Instagram). The heroine's beauty and the description of the various white hues captivate the hero, who is a tailor who brings various white outfits for the heroine to select from. When the heroine requests that he display all of the white sarees and provide a recommendation, he responds that since they are all white, she can choose from any of them. But then the heroine responds in a very artistic and lyrical manner:

“ kon sa wala safed?

Chaand wala ya baadal wala safed?

Kaagaz wala safed ya

Gulaab wala safed?

Barf wala safed

Namak wala safed

Doodh wala safed ya

Shankh wala safed?”

 

After a moment of pause, the smitten hero replies,” hans wala safed.”

(Image of Heroine after she hears reply of the actor)

I also did the English translation that is:

Heroine:

“which hue of white?

The white of the moon or the cloud?

Or is it white of the paper, or

 the rose?

The white of the ice

The white of the salt

The white of the milk or

The white of the conch?

 

Hero replies, “The white of the swan.”

 

Interestingly, the heroine describes all different hues of white (which are not necessarily pure white) while the hero replies to a completely different answer which captures the true purity of white- the white of the swan. The fact that he had a mind and heart of his own which only saw the purity of the heroine and thus likens the white to the white of the swan symbolizing her purity, although in that movie the heroine played the role of a prostitute.

What I find so captivating about this scene is not only its poetry and depth and the purity of love the actors shared in their roles on screen, but the fact that in life, sometimes, we are limited to the colors or shades of something based on our limited perception of it, and what appears may not be a true reflection of the real, but a hue or a shade. Sometimes, it may take the eyes of another artist to see the truth of the color and the true purity of it...and in this case, those eyes are the eyes of love, and not lust...

    Indeed, the purity of love is symbolized by the white of the swan and the swan itself, check this beautifully poignant video reunion #love #birds #birdslover#swans #nature, I found on the web, where one of the swans is reunited with the other swan after a period of separation, and the moment of reunion is truly magical. Indeed, the two swans are a symbol of purity of love worldwide..

                                                               

Poem from the hindi movie Paap

Hi,
I would like to share a very beautiful poem which was recited by the actress Udita (playing Kaya) in the Pooja Bhatt-directed movie Paap. The sublime poetry (see below) is in Hindi:

"Kholo kholo apni aankhen

aur gaur se suno ...

dene ko toh bahut kuch hai,

par apna sa kuch dena chahti hoon ...

 

 ek boond suraj ki,

ek qatra aasman ka,

koyal ki aadhi kook

aur kuch jagmagate sapne ...

 

achcha lage toh aur maango ...

dene ko toh bahut kuch hai,

par apna sa kuch dena chahti hoon ...

 

 aasman sa aaina,

ek dibbi titliyon ki,

ek chamach nadi ki dhar,

 aur ek mutthi zindagi ...

achcha lage toh aur maango ...

dene ko toh bahut kuch hai,

par apna sa kuch dena chahti hoon"

-https://www.filmyquotes.com/movies/939

 I have translated it in English for the viewers. Here is the English translation:

"Open, Open your eyes

And listen carefully,

Many things are there which can be given 

But I want to give something personal to you

One drop of the sun,

A fragment of the sky,

Half song of the cuckoo bird,

And some glittering dreams

If that feels good, ask for more

Many things are there which can be given 

But I want to give something personal to you

Sky akin mirror,

A box of butterflies,

A spoon of the river,

And one handful of life

If that feels good, ask for more

Many things are there which can be given 

But I want to give something personal to you"

Poem- God's smile

Hi,
I'd like to share a small sweet poem I wrote which was inspired from a photograph. Here it goes:

Poem:  God's smile

And then the moon

Waned and waned

Until

it could be illustrated

to the world

that God does

also

smile

once in while

--Shilpi, Aug 18, 2013

Movie- How to Make an American quilt- poetry lines

Hi,

I would like to share some meaningful quotes and snippets of poetry  from a beautiful movie  "How to make an American Quilt", which I had watched a long time ago.  (Again, I am compensating for my laziness in penning down then by posting it now)

Following are the few deep dialogues and poetry I found in the movie:

1.
 Self expression heals the wounded heart

2.
Young lovers seek perfection,
Old lovers learnt the art of sowing shreds together
 and of seeing beauty in the multiplicity of patches.

3.
You have to choose your combinations carefully
The right choices wont enhance the colors
The wrong choices would dull the colors, hide their original beauty,
There are no rules you can follow, you have to go by instincts
And you have to be brave.
(This one was about making  quilt)

P.S. In all this movie still reverberates in my heart, was indeed very nice

Poem The Heights of Machu Picchu- Pablo Neruda

Hi all,

I came across a poem piece titled "The Heights of Machu Picchu" by none other than Pablo Neruda (see part of the poem below). The poetry is very beautiful and vivid and the reason I am posting it here is because I had been recently reading about the Inca mummies and their ritual of Capacocha ceremony practised high up in the  Andes mountains and volcanoes, where they would often perform child sacrifice (sounds dreading)

The lovely Andes mountains stand tall, bearing a majestic testimony to the Inca culture (Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/80_-_Machu_Picchu_-_Juin_2009_-_edit.2.jpg

More info on Capacoha (gosh, I can't help confusing it with cappuchino coffee) can be found at http://archaeology.about.com/od/caterms/qt/capacocha.htm

Here is the lovely poem: (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/canto-xii-from-the-heights-of-macchu-picchu/

I come to speak for your dead mouths.

Throughout the earth
let dead lips congregate,
out of the depths spin this long night to me
as if I rode at anchor here with you.

And tell me everything, tell chain by chain,
and link by link, and step by step;
sharpen the knives you kept hidden away,
thrust them into my breast, into my hands,
like a torrent of sunbursts,
an Amazon of buried jaguars,
and leave me cry: hours, days and years,
blind ages, stellar centuries.

And give me silence, give me water, hope.

Give me the struggle, the iron, the volcanoes.

Let bodies cling like magnets to my body.

Come quickly to my veins and to my mouth.

Speak through my speech, and through my blood. 

Pablo Neruda

Literature Gathering-poem read out

Hi,
I dont know why I should not have written this post long time back (1 year ago) , anyways, I wanted to share on my blog about something, which is more like an honor for me. It was the time when one of my English poems (Words of Pearl) whose theme was based on Persian culture was read in a literature gathering in Edmonton, Canada at University of Edmonton, by one of my friends Mahdi, who is a member of the literature gathering. He printed out copies of my poem (with my picture :)) and read it out. I mention that it was more an honor because in that gathering, students generally read out poetries of great poets like Farough and Hafez!



(Picture sent by Mahdi! Thanks again!)

THE BIRD SHALL RETURN

“O! God, please give me
True grace and solace
Every turmoil so that
I can then face.”

Lugubrious tidings,
Catastrophes outside,
Inner misgivings
Still I hide.

That which could have
Set me free
As you said once
Has left my lips
Like a barbaric bird
Wild and carefree

I bow down to you
My quivery hands
Reach out to you
May truth be each word!
When I open my heart to you

And then shall
Your grace
Set me free truly
And peace will light
The darkness clearly

The bird shall
Then return
With wings of Faith
And alight softly
Upon my lips
And through all clutter
My heart will feel
It’s peaceful flutter.


---Shilpi, 28 Dec, 2009

SENSE OF SOUL

These eyes of mine
Do not like the sight
Of people obese
Far from the beauty of the body
But inside, my mind is at ease
When it has a big fat ego
Inflated till eternity

These lait-colored hands
Of mine, do not like
To touch the black
Complexion and the race inferior
But inside there is a corner
Shamelessly black in the heart

These ears of mine
Do not like to hear
Words vilifying and not sounding
Joyful and encouraging, but
Every time I hear
Satan’s voice inside of me
Tempting, demeaning
Hiding the conscience and alluring
Directing to all fear

I do not like the smell
Odoriferous of rotten ground
And slums steeped
In filth and poverty
But inside, deepest crevices
Of the body, lie smells
Unsweet and hidden
Like the path less trodden

This tongue of mine
Does not relish
The alcohol and the drink
But inside the veins, flows
The wine of heaven on the brink

What these external
Organs of sense perceive
Is not dissimilar from
My core, now I believe

But today I want to
Place my greater faith on
That which is perfect
And without prejudice
That which perceives the outside
From the inside hole,
The perfect sixth sense
And they call it the ‘soul’

-------------Shilpi, Dec 27,2009