Loving Communication of Bhakta & Parama Purusa #5

Date: 24 Jan 2015 20:49:22 -0000
From: "Gopal Deva"
To: am-global@earthlink.net

Baba

~There was a time when sadhana was going well and You were appearing in dhyana.~

~ PS #1153 ~

Song of Melancholy

Namaskar,

Here is the next song in our series. The following review of Prabhat Samgiita #1153 is comprised of four distinct sections:

(A) Transliteration (B) Literal Meaning (C) Notes (D) Purport (E) Special Note on Spelling & Pronunciation.

Please be sure to read each section carefully as they build upon each other.

(A) Prabhata samgiita  #: 1153

A'ji mor vasant jhariya' ja'y avahela'y

Puspamadhu saha jhara' pa'ta' ha'ra'y

Mukul aka'le shuka'y avahela'y

Puspaka'nan theke malay sariya' geche

Spandita tanima' dhulijhar'e dh'eke geche

Tumi kotha'y e duhsamay

A'ji mor vasant jhariya' ja'y avahela'y

Nava rupe tumi eso, pra'n'a-bhara' ha'si heso

Dikbhra'ntere dik dekha’te bojha'te eso

Tumi cha'ra' keho na'hi ha'y ei avela’y

A'ji mor vasant jhariya' ja'y avahela'y

The buds are withering away prematurely

(B) LITERAL MEANING OF Prabhata samgiita  #1153

Stanza #1: Today my spring season [1] withers away due to Your utter neglect [2]. The fallen leaves along with the flower nectar are getting lost. The buds are withering away prematurely due to Your negligence.

Stanza #2: The vernal breeze has left the flower garden. The sparkling, lush shrubs have been completely covered by the dust storm. In this dire moment, where are You, O' Lord. [3]

Stanza #3: Come, Lord, in a new form, with Your heart-felt and loving smile. Come guide those who have lost their way. [4] O' Lord, in this difficult time, there is no one except You who is mine...

O’ parama purusa, My best days are passing me by and You are not coming

(C) NOTES FOR Prabhata samgiita  #1153

[1] Spring season (vasanta): In this song, the end of the spring season means that the sadhaka has been anxiously waiting for Parama Purusa and now at the end of this spring season, still He has not come. It is utterly heart-breaking for the bhakta that still Parama Purusa remains away.

In the hope of His arrival, so many decorations and preparations have been made: flower blossoms, new leaves, a sweet breeze; indeed the whole atmosphere has been made beautiful by nature for His divine arrival. But alas, He has not come and now everything is withering away.

This entire episode portrays the deep melancholic longing of the sadhaka. That is the basis of this entire song.

The song can also be interpreted that because of not getting Him close, the spring of the sadhaka's life is gone - their good days are getting wasted. The sadhaka is thinking: My best days are passing by and You are not coming.

It is just like how the beautiful spring season, with its colourful flower blossoms and tender green leaves, gets overwrought by the hot summer when the burning wind dries everything up and the whole earth becomes brown.

So this song can be understood or interpreted on two levels. It can be taken on a more literal level wherein really the spring season has passed in waiting for Him. Or the song can serve as a metaphor for how one's good days (the spring of one's life) are gone and still He has not come close. The latter has a more universal and eternal meaning.

[2] Utter neglect: With a melancholic heart, the sadhaka is devotionally accusing Parama Purusa that, "You are not coming to my abode. " The meaning can also be, "You are not coming in my sadhana." Either of these two meanings are appropriate for this song.

[3] Second Stanza: Here the sadhaka is requesting Parama Purusa that, "In my bad days You should please come." Because, now the sadhaka is undergoing difficult times and has strong longing to have His close proximity.

[4] Come guide those who have lost their way: Here the sadhaka is indirectly talking about himself and requesting Parama Purusa's closeness and intimacy.

[5] Difficult time (avela’y): Generally, people want to share their happiness with others. They want to receive people in their good days. But at this point in the sadhaka's life, the spring season (i.e. good days) has gone; the situation is different; now his life is in turmoil. So this is a difficult time to receive Parama Purusa. Even then, the sadhaka is requesting, "I want Your close proximity."

O’ Parama Purusa, Please come and show the path to those who have lost their way

(D) PURPORT OF Prabhata samgiita  #1153

O' my Dearmost because of Your negligence, my spring season is getting ruined. The good times are passing me by. There was a time when sadhana was going well and You were appearing in dhyana. I used to receive Your grace. But today in my mental grove a hot wind is blowing; everything is getting dry.

O my Dearmost where are You. O' Ever-New Lord, my most charming One, please come smiling in Your most attractive form in this difficult hour. Please come and show the path and guide those bewildered people who have lost their way. Please bring this person on the right path. You are my everything. Except You, no one is mine. O my Dearmost, You are my everything. Without You my mind is restless, please come close...

(E) SPECIAL NOTE ON SPELLING & PRONUNCIATION

Our general approach is to present the phonetic spelling. We think that will be the most conducive way for the most readers to get the proper pronunciation of the Bangla lyrics.

For instance, take the English words "know" or "knowledge". Without having first memorized the pronunciation, people will pronounce the word, "knowledge", as "Ka-No-w-Le-d-Ge" क-नो- व-ले -द-गे respectively. Simply sounding out the letters will not produce the desired result. Because in the English language, spelling and pronunciation must be memorized. Otherwise it is not possible to pronounce words properly.

Same is the case with Bengali.

For example, in the first line of the above song #1153, the actual spelling of the fifth word is ya'y, but unless one knows Bangla, they will mispronounce it. Hence we have given the phonetic spelling, ja'y. By this way even new readers will be able to pronounce the words correctly when listening to and singing the song.

With this phonetic spelling, readers will get the right pronunciation. Indeed there are many such examples.

Only native Bengali speakers - or those extremely fluent in Bangla and familiar with Prabhat Samgiita - will pronounce all the words correctly. Yet everyone wishes to listen to and sing Prabhat Samgiita and enjoy the song. If the lyrics are written in a technical manner then people will not be able to pronounce all the words properly. Hence the decision to write it phonetically.

With regard to the repetition of certain lines when the song is sung, while listening to the song you will just have to be alert and adjust accordingly as all the original lines are present.

Namaskar,

Gopal Deva