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Recitation
نہ پیالہ ہے ۔ چندر بھان برہمن
۱
خدا نے کِس شہر اندر ہمن کو لائے ڈالا ہے
نہ دِلبر ہے، نہ ساقی ہے، نہ شیشہ ہے، نہ پیالہ ہے
۲
پیا کے ناؤں کی سِمرن کیا چاہوں کروں کِس سیں
نہ تسبیح ہے، نہ سِمرن ہے، نہ کنٹھی ہے، نہ مالا ہے
۳
خوباں کے باغ میں رونق ہوئے تو کس طرح یاراں
نہ دونا ہے، نہ مروا ہے، نہ سوسن ہے، نہ لالا ہے
۴
پیاں کے ناؤں عاشق کوں قتل عجب دیکھے
نہ برچھی ہے، نہ کرچھی ہے، نہ خنجر ہے، نہ بھالا ہے
۵
برہمنؔ واسطے اشنان کے پھرتا ہے بگیاں سیں
نہ گنگا ہے، نہ جمنا ہے، نہ ندی ہے، نہ نالہ ہے
न प्याला है – चन्द्र भान बरहमन
१
ख़ुदा ने किस शहर अंदर हमन को लाए डाला है
न दिलबर है न साक़ी है न शीशा है न प्याला है
२
पिया के नाँव की सिमरन किया चाहूँ करूँ किस सीं
न तस्बीह है न सिमरन है न कंठी है न माला है
३
ख़ूबाँ के बाग़ में रौनक़ होए तो किस तरह याराँ
न दौना है न मरवा है न सौसन है न लाला है
४
पियाँ के नाँव आशिक़ कूँ क़त्ल अजब देखे
न बर्छी है न कर्छी है न ख़ंजर है न भाला है
५
बरहमन वास्ते अश्नान के फिरता है बगियाँ सीं
न गंगा है न जमुना है न नद्दी है न नाला है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit chandr bhan barhaman (1574-1662) was a companion/friend of daara shikoh. panDit anand mohan gulzar dehlavi, a scholar and a poet, claims that this Ghazal was read out by daara shikoh in the court of shaah jahaaN. This could well be one of the earliest formal Ghazal in urdu. The rest of the work of barhaman is in faarsi. There was a power struggle in the court with orthodoxy and auraNgzeb on one side and sufi/liberals/daara shikoh on the other. sarmad kashani and chandr bhan barhaman belonged in the latter camp. daara and sarmad were killed. barhaman lived on, served auraNgzeb, wrote ‘chahaar-chaman’ and died a peaceful death. This whole Ghazal talks about the changing conditions where tools of liberal thinking/practices are becoming hard to come by.
1
Khuda ne kis shahar andar haman ko laaye Daala hai
na dilbar1 hai, na saaqi hai, na shisha hai, na pyaala hai 1.beloved
What kind of a country has god dumped me into. There is no beloved, no saaqi, no bottle and no cup. Click on and see “background” for the conflict between orthodox and sufi traditions. This she’r and the following bemoan the loss of liberalism.
2
piya ke naaNv1 ki simran2 kiya chaahuN karuN kis-siiN3
na tasbih4 hai, na simran5 hai, na kanThi6 hai, na maala hai 1.old form of ‘naam’ – name 2.chant 3.with what, how 4.islamic rosary 5.hindu rosary 6.beads
I want to chant the name of the beloved, but how can I. I don’t have tasbih, or simran or beads or rosary. I am not sure if this is the beginning of the use of ‘piya ka naam’ as a symbol of god. The sufi tradition of doing so, is a few hundred years older than this, so it might well be. In any case, this she’r is probably about the loss of liberalism.
3
KhoobaaN1 ke baaGh meN raunaq2 ho’ye to kis tarah yaraaN
na dauna3 hai na marva4 hai na sausan5 hai na laala6 hai 1.beauties, beloved 2.brilliance, cheer 3.cup/bowl/platter stitched with dry leaves to carry flowers 4.fragrant grass 5.violet (flower) 6.tulip
How can I spread cheer in the garden of the beloved, my friend. I have no platter, no flowers, no fragrance.
4
piyaN ke naaNv1 aashiq2 kuuN qatl3 ajab4 dekhe
na barchhi5 hai na karchhi6 hai na Khanjar7 hai na bhaala8 hai 1.old form of ‘naam’-name 2.lover 3.murder/death 4.strange, unusual 5.knife 6.grip, strangulation, noose 7.dagger 8.lance
We saw an unusual death of the lover, in the name of (attributed to) the beloved. There is no knife, no noose, no dagger or lance. This she’r anticipates mirza Ghalib by about 300 years!
is saadagii pe kaun na mar jaaye aye Khuda
laRte haiN aur haath meN talvaar bhii nahiN
5
barhaman1 vaaste2 ashnaan3 ke phirta hai bagiyaaN siiN
na gaNga hai na jamuna hai na naddi hai na naala hai 1.pen name of poet 2.for the sake of 3.ritual washing
barhaman for the sake of his ritual wash is wandering through the garden. He can find no rivers or streams. I am not sure what this means beyond the literal meaning.
panDit chandr bhan barhaman (1574-1662) was a companion/friend of daara shikoh. panDit anand mohan gulzar dehlavi, a scholar and a poet, claims that this Ghazal was read out by daara shikoh in the court of shaah jahaaN. This could well be one of the earliest formal Ghazal in urdu. The rest of the work of barhaman is in faarsi. There was a power struggle in the court with orthodoxy and auraNgzeb on one side and sufi/liberals/daara shikoh on the other. sarmad kashani and chandr bhan barhaman belonged in the latter camp. daara and sarmad were killed. barhaman lived on, served auraNgzeb, wrote ‘chahaar-chaman’ and died a peaceful death. This whole Ghazal talks about the changing conditions where tools of liberal thinking/practices are becoming hard to come by.
1
Khuda ne kis shahar andar haman ko laaye Daala hai
na dilbar1 hai, na saaqi hai, na shisha hai, na pyaala hai
1.beloved
What kind of a country has god dumped me into. There is no beloved, no saaqi, no bottle and no cup. Click on and see “background” for the conflict between orthodox and sufi traditions. This she’r and the following bemoan the loss of liberalism.
2
piya ke naaNv1 ki simran2 kiya chaahuN karuN kis-siiN3
na tasbih4 hai, na simran5 hai, na kanThi6 hai, na maala hai
1.old form of ‘naam’ – name 2.chant 3.with what, how 4.islamic rosary 5.hindu rosary 6.beads
I want to chant the name of the beloved, but how can I. I don’t have tasbih, or simran or beads or rosary. I am not sure if this is the beginning of the use of ‘piya ka naam’ as a symbol of god. The sufi tradition of doing so, is a few hundred years older than this, so it might well be. In any case, this she’r is probably about the loss of liberalism.
3
KhoobaaN1 ke baaGh meN raunaq2 ho’ye to kis tarah yaraaN
na dauna3 hai na marva4 hai na sausan5 hai na laala6 hai
1.beauties, beloved 2.brilliance, cheer 3.cup/bowl/platter stitched with dry leaves to carry flowers 4.fragrant grass 5.violet (flower) 6.tulip
How can I spread cheer in the garden of the beloved, my friend. I have no platter, no flowers, no fragrance.
4
piyaN ke naaNv1 aashiq2 kuuN qatl3 ajab4 dekhe
na barchhi5 hai na karchhi6 hai na Khanjar7 hai na bhaala8 hai
1.old form of ‘naam’-name 2.lover 3.murder/death 4.strange, unusual 5.knife 6.grip, strangulation, noose 7.dagger 8.lance
We saw an unusual death of the lover, in the name of (attributed to) the beloved. There is no knife, no noose, no dagger or lance. This she’r anticipates mirza Ghalib by about 300 years!
is saadagii pe kaun na mar jaaye aye Khuda
laRte haiN aur haath meN talvaar bhii nahiN
5
barhaman1 vaaste2 ashnaan3 ke phirta hai bagiyaaN siiN
na gaNga hai na jamuna hai na naddi hai na naala hai
1.pen name of poet 2.for the sake of 3.ritual washing
barhaman for the sake of his ritual wash is wandering through the garden. He can find no rivers or streams. I am not sure what this means beyond the literal meaning.
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