Radha and Krishna exchange clothes and roles. Folio from Sursagar, c. 1700-1750. National Gallery of Canada, No. 23586.
In this session, we will look at the phenomenon of love in the hymns of three saints associated with the bhakti devotional movement: Mirabai (16th century?), Kabir (15th-16th century?), and Surdas (16th century). Of note will be how they adapt tropes of romantic love with which we have become familiar in the course to articulating a notion of the soul’s relationship with the Divine.
Mirabai
Verse 1.
माई- मैं
सांवरे- dark, dusky
रांची- dyed
साज- to decorate
सिंगार- romantic love
बांध- tied
पग- feet
घूंघर- bells
लोग- world
लाज- shame
तज- abandoned
नांची- danced
गयां- went
कुमत- cruel
लयां- brought
साधां- good
संगत- company
स्याम- Krishna
प्रति- towards
जग- world
सांची- mold/cast
गायां- sang
हरि- Hari
गुण- quality
निसदिन- night and day
काल- time
ब्याल- snake
री- से
बांची- saved
विणा- बिना
खारां- bitter
लागां- लगी
बातां- बात
कांची- unfinished
सिरि-
गिरधर- mountain-lifter (Krishna)
नट-
नागर- clever, sophisticated, elegant
भगति- भक्ति
रसीली- full of rasa
जांची- tasted
जोगी- योगी
मत जा- don’t go
पांइ- पाना
परुं- mountains?
चेरी- servant
पैड़ो- path, way
न्यारो- unique, strange, wondrous
गैल- path, way
बता- to show, point out, tell
चंदण- sandalwood
चिता- funeral pyre
रचाऊं- to create
जला- burn
बल- to burn or strength/power
भस्म- ash
ढेरी- group?
प्रभु- lord
जोत- light, flame
Verse 2:
जोगी — योगी
मत जा — don’t go
पांइ — to achieve
परूं — thorn
मैं — me
तेरी — yours
चेरी — female servant
हौं — is
टेक — refrain, of a song
प्रेम — love
भगति — a Vaishnava ascetic?
को — को
पैडो — feet
ही — emphatic particle
न्यारो — separate, distinct, different?
हमकूं — ?
बता — tell
जा — do
अगर — if
चंदण — moon
की — of
चिता — a funeral pyre
रचाऊं — ?
अपणे — one’s own
हाथ — hand
जला — burn
जल — water
बल — power, strength, might
भई — हुई
भस्म — ashes, cinders
देरी — to delay, to be late
अंग — body part
लगा — put on
मिरां — to join
कहै — where
प्रभु — god
गिरधर –?
नगर — city, town, municipality
जोत — light, brilliance, slendour
में — me
मिला — meet
Kabir
(verse 3)
अपना — mine
साहब — sir
जी — to live
बंगला — palace/bungalow
बाग — rein; fig. to curb, restrain, etc.
लगायो — put on
बंजारा — wanderer
रे — “oh! why! alas! (expressing intimacy or contempt, or astonishment, or sorrow).”
फूलां — blossom
भरी — the weight of a one rupee coin
है — is
छाबडी — a hawker’s tray or case
पाया — achieve
करो — do
प्यारा — lovely
कुआं — well
रवानायो — departed?
गहरा –deep, intimate
भरया — supplement (v)
नीर — fig. tears
वां — ?
नहाया — bathed
करो — to winnow, to pick out
Surdas