Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. nazir akbarabadi (1735-1830) was a contemporary of mir taqi mir (1722-1810) and was a prolific shaa’er over his long life time writing acclaimed Ghazals of high quality in chaste urdu of the period. But he was also a “people’s poet” writing nazm in everyday conversational language about subjects of daily life – divali, holi, eid, rain, roTi, rupiya as well as paeans to mohammed and to krishn. This is a nazm in praise/devotion of krishn’s flute and its music which represents love and harmony and is written in conversational language of the time.

1
jab murlidhar ne murli apni adhar¹ dhari²
kya kya prem-meet³ bhari, us meN dhun bhari
lai⁴ us meN raadhe raadhe ki har dam bhari khari⁵
lahraaii dhun us ki idhar aur udhar zari
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishan kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri 1.lips 2.placed 3.love generating 4.melody 5.pure, genuine
krshn, kanhaiyya, kaanha, murlidhar, hari, madhav are all names of krishn. When krishn placed his flute on his lips and filled it with love generating tunes and a melody calling for radha (his beloved/playmate), and when the tune of that flute spread here and there, everyone cried out, “victory of hari”. Thus did krishn play his flute.
2
kitne to us ke sun-ne se dhan¹ ho gaye dhuni²
kitnauN ki sudh³ bisar⁴ gaii jis dam vo dhun suni
kitnauN ke man⁵ se kal⁶ gaii aur byakul⁷ chuni
kya nar⁸ se le ke naariyaaN⁹, kya kooRh¹⁰ kya guni¹¹
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishan kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri 1.wealthy, satiated 2.lost in the “dhun/obsession” of god, devotees 3.senses 4.forget 5.heart 6.comfort 7.restlessness 8.men 9.women 10.fool 11.wise
Oh, how many devotees were satiated/happy at hearing it. How may forgot/lost their senses the moment they heard that tune. How many hearts lost their contentment and became restless. Men and women, wise and foolish, all those who heard it cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.
3
jis aan¹ kaanha² ji ko vo bansi bajaauni
jis kaan meN vo aauni vaaN sudh³ bhulaauni
har man ki ho ke mohini⁴ aur chit⁵ lubhaauni
nikli jahaaN dhun us ki vo meeThi suhaauni
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishan kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri  1.moment 2.another name of krishn 3.awareness, senses 4.beloved 5.desire
The moment krishn played his flute, whichever ear it reached, they were transported beyond their senses. The tune became their beloved and the object of their heart’s desire. All those who heard it cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.
4
jis din se apni bansi vo seekishn ne saji
us saaNvre¹ badan pe nipat aan kar phabi²
nar³ ne bhulaaya aap ko, naari⁴ ne sudh⁵ taji⁶
un ki adhar⁷ se aa ke vo bansi jidhar baji
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishan kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri 1.dark 2.blossomed 3.men 4.women 5.senses, awareness 6.quit, gave up 7.lips
The day that krishn adorned his flute it embraced his dark body and blossomed. Men forgot themselves, women went beyond their senses, whenever that flute touched his lips and played tunes. All those who heard it cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.
5
gvaalauN¹ meN nandlaal² bajaate vo jis ghaRi³
gauveN dhun us ki sun-ne ko rah jaateeN sub khaRi
galiyauN meN jab bajaate to vo us ki dhun baRi
le le ke apni lahr⁴ jahaaN kaan meN paRi
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishan kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri 1.cowherd 2.another name of krishn 3.moment 4.wave
The moment that krishn played his flute among the cowherds, all cows stood still to hear it. When he played it in the streets, whoever received the wave of its tune cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.
6
bansi yuN murlidharji¹ bajaate gaye jidhar
phaili dhun us ki roz har ek dil me kar asar²
sunte hi us ki dhun ki halaavat³ idhar udhar
muNh-chaNg⁴ aur nai⁵ ki dhuneN dil se bhool kar
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishn kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri 1.another name of krishn 2.effect 3.sweetness 4.mouth organ 5.flute
Wherever krishn went playing his flute, its tune spread affecting the hearts of everyone. As soon as they heard its sweetness, they forgot all other tunes. All those who heard it cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.
7
bun¹ meN agar bajaate to vaaN bhi ye us ki chaah
karti dhun us ki panchhi², baTohi³ ke dil meN raah
basti meN jo bajaate to kya shaam o kya pagaah⁴
paRte hi dhun vo kaan meN balhaari⁵ ho ke vaah
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii krishn kanhaiyaa ne baaNsuri 1.forest 2.birds 3.travelers 4.dawn 5.intense devotion, dearer than life
When he played it in the forest, there too it was loved. Its tune made its way into the hearts of the birds of the jungle and travelers through it. When he played it in the neighbourhood everyone loved it more than their own lives. All those who heard it cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.
8
kitne to us ki dhun ke liye rahte beqaraar¹
kitne lagaaye kaan udhar rakhte baar baar
kitne khaRe ho raah meN kar rahe intezaar²
aaye jidhar bajaate hue shyaam³ ji muraar⁴
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishan kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri 1.restless, eager 2.waiting 3.another name of krishn 4.yet another name of krishn
Oh, how many were eager for its sound. How many had their ears tuned to it again and again. How many stood by the wayside, waiting for it. All those who heard it cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.
9
mohan¹ ki baaNsuri kya kya kahuN jatan²
lai³ us ki man⁴ ki mohini⁵ dhun us ki chit-haran⁶
is baaNsuri ka aan ke jis ja hua bachan⁷
kya chal-paauan⁸ nazeer, pakheru⁹ o kya haran¹⁰
sub sun-ne vaale kah uThe jai jai hari hari
aisi bajaaii kishan kanhaiyya ne baaNsuri 1.another name of krishn 2.effort/accomplishments 3.melody 4.heart 5.beloved 6.desire capturing 7.sound 8.walking on legs – animals 9.birds 10.capture
How can I describe the acheivements of krishn’s flute. Its melody the beloved of the heart, its tune desire capturing. Wherever the sound of this flute arrived, what to say of animals on the ground, even birds were entranced/captivated. All those who heard it cried out, victory to hari. Thus did krishn play his flute.