So, as I said in my earlier post, I’ve been listening quite a lot of South Asian rock/fusion bands including Indian Ocean, Agnee, Junoon and artists like Ali Azmat, Rabbi Shergill. All these are great musicians but I can’t stop listening Agnee these days. These two tracks, “Shadho Re” and “Kabira” are SUPER songs. Both are based in Kabir’s Dohas(poems). Kabir was 15th century mystic poet. What makes the songs very ecstatic is the lyrics of the song and voice of Mohan . Everytime I hear these lines I get goosebumps. Here are few lines of the songs:
“Saat Janam ke Sat Pher hai
saanp sidhi hai bhai
yam ka dand mund mein lage
dhari rahe chaturai”
Not that I am into religious philosophies and all that but there is something amazing in this line which makes me listen this song again and again.
Sadho Re is about Death if I’ve understood it correctly. And the death is nothing but “change”. It explains how simple Death is and inevitable it is. Everyone and everything in the world has to die and nothing can escape this system. Only one thing that remains is the name of the substance. Here’s the lyrics:
Sadho Re, Ye Murdo Ka Gaanv
peer mare, paigambar mari hain
marr gaye hain zinda jogi.
raja mari hain, praja ,ari hain
mari hain vaid aur rogi.
chanda mari hain, suraj mari hain
mari hain dharti aakasa.
chaudah bhuvan ke chaudhri mari hain
in hoon ki ka aasa.
nau hoon mari hain, dus hoon mari hain,
mari hain sahaj athaasi.
tetis koti devata mari hain
badi kaal ki bazi
naam anam anant rehat hai
duja tatva na hoi
kahe kabir suno bhai sadho
bhatak maro mat koi
This song roughly translates to:
Oh Good Men, this is the Village of the Dead
The Saints Have Died, The God-Messengers Die
The Life-Filled Yogis Die Too
The Kings Die, The Subjects Die
The Healers and the Sick Die Too
The Moon Dies, The Sun Dies
The Earth and Sky Die Too
Even the Caretakers of the Fourteen Worlds Die
Why Hope For Any of These
The Nine Die, The Ten Die
The Eighty Eight Die Easily Too
The three humdred and thirty million Devas Die
It’s a Big Game of Time
The Un-Named Name Lives Without Any End
There is No Other Truth
Says Kabir Listen Oh Good Men
Don’t Get Lost and Die
Kabir’s song are sung by many other artists including Indian Ocean, Kumar Gandarv, Jagjit Singh etc.
