bhor sohaani – josh malihabadi

Click here for overall comments and on any passage for meanings and discussion.This is a musical, song-like composition in colloquial hindustani and reflects the wide range of linguistic and musical mastery that Josh had. The song is about/by an unlettered itinerarant who can never the less speak profound truth and put philosophers in their place.

bhor¹ sohaani², mera chandan³  –  saaNjh⁴ saloni⁵, mera aaNjan⁶
mera man hai meri sumran⁷  –  toR chuka huN saare bandhan
poorab, pachhim, uttar, dakkhan
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan1. dawn 2. pleasant 3. sandalwood paste 4. dusk 5. pleasing 6. collyrium, eye liner 7. prayer beads
The pleasant dawn gives colour for my sandal paste. The colourful evening, provides pigment for my eye. The throbbing of my heart is the clicking of prayer beads. In other words the clicking of beads by ‘holy men’ is for show and tell only … mine is real – the throbbing of my heart. I have renounced all relationships, west, east, north and south i.e. I am not narrowly bound by nationality, religion or sect – I am human. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

kaam hai man ki maala japna  –  kaisa jalna⁸, kaisa tapna⁹
chook¹⁰, taRapna, bhool, kalapna¹¹  –  ye bhi apna, vo bhi apna
kis se jhagRa, kis se an-ban¹²
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan8. jealousy 9. longing, intense desire 10. mistake 11. kalpana, imagination 12. differences, conflict
All I do is click my beads (throbbing of the heart). Why should I have any jealousy, any longing. Mistakes, pain, forgetfulness, daydreaming, this is mine and that too. No quarrel with anyone, no differences. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

jadu, Tona, jantar, mantar  –  naag aur gaaye¹³, ooNT aur Khachchar¹⁴
chalna hai in sub se bach kar  –  deen¹⁵ hai pagle sar ka chakkar
dharam hai paapi man ki eiNThan¹⁶
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan13. cobra and cow, Hindu symbolism 14. camel and horse, Muslim symbolism 15. faith (Islamic) 16. conceit
Sorcery, deception, trickery, magical spell, the Hindu priest, the Muslim preacher, I stay away from all these. Muslim faith, is a disorientation of mad mind, Hindu dharam, the conceit of a sinful heart. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

piir, purohit, pongi, papa¹⁷  –  loTa, luTiya¹⁸, daaRha¹⁹, chuTiya²⁰
mandir, masjid, gopha²¹, girja²²  –  ghanTi, Dholak, taana, thayya²³
yaahoo, yaahoo, poN, poN, Tan, Tan²⁴
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan17. “holy” men, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Christian 18. pots used for ablutions (Muslim and Hindu) 19. beard (Muslim) 20. pigtail (Hindu) 21. cave (for sanyas) 22. church 23. ritual religious music/singing 24. meaningless noises
The Muslim preacher, the Hindu priest and the Pope, their ritual ablutions and silly adornments of pigtails and beards, their temple, mosque, church and cave, their noisy rituals, song and dance are all nothing but meaningless noise. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

paanDe ji²⁵ ki parbhu manti²⁶  –  roRe chunti, kunDe bunti²⁷
maaya malti, maaya chhanti²⁸  –  lambi maala khaT khaT ginti
baavan, tirpan, chavvan, pachpan
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan25. priest 26. getting god to agree (to bless) 27. ritual throwing dice to tell fortune 28. ritual magic chants
The priest promising to bring god’s belssings, counting pebbles, weaving chains, kneading illusions, sifting delusions, clicking a long rosary click clack, click clack – is nothing but meaningless counting – eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

mulla, paanDe, piir²⁹, abhimaani³⁰ – laTTham-laTThaa, kheeNchaa-taani³¹
man haiN andhe, buddhi³² kaani³³ – pahne haiN ye sub agyaani³⁴
mere gyani man ki utran
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan29. Muslim and Hindu “holy” men 30. conceited 31. quarrelling 32. mind, intellect 33. one-eyed, limited vision 34. opposite of gyani – foolish
The preacher, the priest and the saint – all conceited. They push and pull, strike and hit. Blind hearts, unseeing minds. All these fools wear clothes of ignorance that my seeing/feeling mind has discarded. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

loag ye saare chakkar khaate  –  raah gali meN aate jaate
chalte phirte, rote gaate  –  sub se rishte, sub se naate
saare saathi, saare saajan³⁵
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan35. saajan – beloved. alternatively sajjan – good people, both fit
All these people walking all around that I meet on the street up and down, walking, working, weeping, singing, I relate to them, one and all. They are all my friends, everyone my beloved. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

sub ki jholi, meri jholi  –  sub ki Toli, meri Toli
sub ki holi, meri holi  –  sub ki boli, meri boli
sub ka jeevan, mera jeevan
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhanTheir meagre belongings (symbolized by jholi – sack), just like my own sack, their family, just like mine. Their festivities, my festivities, their language, like my words. Their life, just like mine. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

saare jug³⁶ ke Dere³⁷ dil meN  –  sub ke hayre-phere³⁸ dil meN
duniya bhar ke ghere³⁹ dil meN  –  saare dil haiN, mere dil meN
sub ki dhaRkan, meri dhaRkan
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan36. world 37. place of residence 38. difficulties 39. circles – complications (as in going around in circles)
Sorrows of the whole world in my heart and everyone’s trials and tribulations, my own. Everyone’s difficulty, my difficulty. All their love, just like mine. Their heart beat, my heart beat. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

jagmag jagmag Gham ki mahfil⁴⁰  –  nikhra⁴¹ nikhra ujRa⁴² saahil⁴³
halki phulki meri mushkil  –  seedha saada mera qaatil⁴⁴
bhola bhaala mera dushman
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan40. assembly 41. fresh, clean 42. destroyed, desolate 43. shore, refuge 44. killer, needs, essentials to stay alive
A juxtaposition of pain and pleasure and the simplicity of the life of an itinerant. Sparks of joy even in the assembly of sorrow. Even a devastated shore is fresh and clean for me. Light and easy my difficulties. Straight and simple my problems. Staightforward and few, my needs. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

mera kuTam⁴⁵ hai bigRa maava⁴⁶  –  baiyri⁴⁷ beTa, kapTi⁴⁸ baava
mera bhaii, jalta laava⁴⁹  –  mere hi man ka mujh par dhaava⁵⁰
maiN hi agni⁵¹ maiN hi eeNdhan⁵²
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan45. family 46. household 47. rival, enemy 48. deceitful 49. angry, jealous 50. attack 51. fire 52. fuel
A bit of introspection (not blame). The reference to family and angry brother is a reflection of Hindu-Muslim relationships. My own family, a broken house, my own son opposed to me, my father, deceitful, my own brother, raging like flowing lava. I look inside to find the real problem. I am the fire and I am the fuel. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

patta, patta maah-e-kan’aaN⁵³  –  booTa booTa jeeta insaaN
mukhRa mukhRa geeta qura’aN  –  kaisa kufr⁵⁴ aur kaisa eemaN⁵⁵
vo bhi phislan⁵⁶, ye bhi phislan
bol ektaare jhanjhan, jhanjhan53. moon of the tribe of Canaan – Joseph – metaphor for great beauty 54. non-belief (Hindu) 55. faith (Muslim) 56. slippery, deceptive
Everything around is beautiful like Joseph of Canaan. All life as valuable as human life. Every face reflects the beauty of Geeta and Quraan. Why talk of vice and virtue, this is deceptive and that too. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

zarra zarra⁵⁷, mera mandir  –  qatra qatra⁵⁸, mera gauhar⁵⁹
taara taara mera jhoomar⁶⁰  –  darya darya⁶¹, meri chaadar
sehra sehra⁶² mera daaman⁶³
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan57. particle (of dust) 58. drop (of water) 59. pearl 60. jewel (for forehead) 61. river, ocean (signifying open spaces) 62. desert 63. robe In every particle a temple, in every drop a pearl.
Every star is my jewel, open spaces my bed (sheet). The whole desert my robe. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

sub ke kaajal⁶⁴, mere paare⁶⁵  –  sub ki aaNkheN, mere taare
sub ki saaNseN, mere dhaare  –  saare insaaN, mere pyaare
saari dharti mera aaNgan
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan64. collyrium, beautiful eyes 65. white, joy
Beauty of their eyes, my joy, the twinkle in their eyes, my twinkle. Their breath, my breathing. All humans, my beloved. The whole earth, my courtyard. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

mere tan meN gulshan⁶⁶ sub ke  –  mere man meN joban⁶⁷ sub ke
mere ghaT⁶⁸ meN saajan sub ke  –  meri soorat, darshan⁶⁹ sub ke
sub ki soorat mera darshan
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan66. garden 67. adolescence, youth 68. heart 69. vision, reflection
The “me and my” reflects universal humanism rather than one person. Everyone’s beauty, reflected in me (humanity). The joy of youth for all, the desire of my heart. Everyone’s beloved, in my heart. My countenance, a blessed vision for all. Everyone’s countenance, my blessed vision. Play, my harp, jhanjhan, jhanjhan.

maiN huN madhira⁷⁰, bartan duniya  –  maiN huN maatha⁷², chandan⁷³ duniya
maiN huN baadal, saavan⁷⁴ duniya  –  maiN huN mukhRa, darpan⁷⁵ duniya
duniya mukhRa, maiN huN darpan
bol ektaare jhanjhan jhanjhan70. wine 71. forehead 72. forehead, brow 73. sandal paste (applied to forehead) 74. spring (spring rains considered benevolent) 75. mirror, reflection
I am wine, the world is the cup. I am the brow, the world sandal paste. I the cloud, world the shower. I the countenance, world the mirror. World the countenance, I am the mirror. Play my harp jhanjhan jhanjhan.