An English translation of a verse of Sant Surdas ji, a great devotee of Lord Shri Krishna. Surdas ji was blind, yet he has sung exquisitely the acts and exploits of Lord Shri Krishna. Surdas ji along with many other sants like Mira Bai and Tulsidas ji is commonly perceived to be a "sagunopaasak" (one who worships a God with form and qualities – 'sagun' God). But as has been amply shown in the previous blogs here, Mira Bai and Tulsidas were, in fact, worshippers of the 'nirgun' God (formless, omnipresent God) and practiced the Yoga of Light & Sound. Surdas ji was no exception as the poem below unequivocally demonstrates. These saints have predominantly composed verse in praise of 'sagun' God because it is easier of description in words. Surdas ji has, in fact, said so very explicitly in one of his own verses "sab vidhi agam vichaarahi taate, Sur sagun leela pad gaayo" (Considering the description of the monotheistic God too difficult of description in the form of poetry, says Surdas ji, I sing the acts & exploits of the 'sagun' God). The verse presented below clearly hints that Surdas ji practiced inner meditation and that he had realised the Supreme Bliss by practising 'naadaanusandhaan' or 'surat shabd yog' (Yoga of Divine Sound) which, as he says, he had learnt from his Guru . The objective in all these blogs is only one – to place above board the inevitability, the indispensability of the Inner Meditation on Divine Light and Sound, a fact which is corroborated by all the sants or mystics of all the regions & religions, of all the times & climes, as well as by the Sages of the Holy Scriptures such as the Vedas & Upanishads. Therefore, we human beings must consider this our supreme bounden duty to practise the Inner Meditation and thus, effect or realise the true purpose of having received this wonderful, unique cloak or incarnation of a human being which is not available even to the gods inhabiting the heaven or other astral spheres.
- English Translation by Pravesh K. Singh (http://blog.360.yahoo.com/praveshksingh , http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sant_santati )
The Original Verse (English Transliteration):
"Apunapau Aapun hee mein paayo |
Shabdahi shabd bhayo ujiyaaro, Satguru bhed bataayo ||
Jyon kurang naabhee kastooree, dhoondhat firat bhulaayo |
Fir chetyo jab chetan hwai kari, aapun hee tan chhaayo ||
Raaj kunwaar kanthe mani bhooshan, bhram bhayo kahyo ganwaayo |
Diyo bataai aur satajan tab, tanu ko paap nasaayo ||
Sapane maanhi naari ko bhram bhayo, baalak kahoon heraayo |
Jaagi lakhyo jyon ko tyon hee hai, naa kahu gayo na aayo ||
Surdas samujhe kee yah gati, man hee man musakaayo |
Kahi na jaay yaa sukh kee mahimaa, jyon goongo gud khaayo ||"
Translation
[I discovered myself within me only. |
My Satguru taught me the secret (art of meditation) practising which words (sounds) after words (sounds) were revealed to me as each word perceived lit the way for the other to be perceived. ||
The musk-deer, who has, in fact, the musk concealed within his navel itself, keeps on wandering outside hither and thither forgetful of its true whereabouts|
However, when it becomes conscious, it realises the fragrance pervading its being. ||
(Likewise) a royal prince, who though is wearing the jewellery bedecked with precious stones around his neck, coming as he does under the sway of illusion, thinks he has lost the necklace. |
However, when right meaning persons bring the truth to his notice, he realises his mistake. ||
A woman sees in her dream that she has lost her son (and thus gets anguished). |
But, on waking up from her sleep she finds that the kid has not gone anywhere else and is very much there beside her only. (Similarly, God is beside us, with us. However, we are living in a dream-like state in this body, in this world and think that He is something separate from us, but when we wake up from the sleep of our ignorance, we realise that He is, ahd always been, with us; in fact, we and He are one and the same.)||
Surdas ji remarks, a Self-Realised person, similarly (after realisation dawns upon him) smiles at his folly (that he had been hitherto foolish enough to identify himself with his body, mind, intellect etc and to undergo the resultant agony). |
(So, Surdas ji states that) it is not possible to describe (in words) that extraordinary divine bliss; it is as if a dumb man has eaten the jaggery (though such a person has fully experienced the sweetness of the jaggery he has eaten, he can not describe it in words because he is dumb – though he knows the taste full well. Similarly, although the soul directly experiences the absolute bliss of Self-Realisation, that bliss can not be described because it is beyond the reach of mind, intellect etc and the faculty of description (that is, the tongue) which are too gross to be able to perceive that). ||]
