Introduction Kabirdas was an Indian mystic who lived in north India in 14th Century. He was a devotee of Nirguna God. There are many spiritual songs (bhajans) in Hindi to his credit containing profound messages. He was of the firm view that without purity of mind, there cannot be spiritual upliftment. An impure mind leads to hypocrisy. Through his bhajans, he criticized hypocrites in a satirical manner. Dennis had a posted my article: ‘Chaki- a Vedantic Perspective’ in 2018. It was based on a bhajan of Kabir. Now is presented another bhajan: ‘Ghunghat ka pat khol re’ and its Vedantic message
Lyrics
1 Ghunghat ka pat khol re, tohe piya milenge
2 Ghat ghat mein vo sanyee ramata, katu vachan mat bol re, tohe piya milenge
3a Dhan yovan ka garv na kije, jhuta pacharanga chol re,
3b Sunya mahal mein diva bal le, Asan se mat dol re, tohe piya milenge
4a Jag jugut so, rang mahal mein, piya payo anamol re,
4b Kahat Kabir Anand bhayo ab, bajat anhad dhol re, tohe piya milenge
Meaning of the words and satnzas and Vedantic Messages 1 Ghunghat ka pat khol re, tohe piya milenge Meaning Ghunghat – veil, ka- of, pat- door, khol- open, re- a mode of addressing, tohe- to you, piya- beloved (God), milenge- will get
If you open veil like door of ignorance, you will get the God, the most lovable entity, inside yourself.
Message: Kabir talks about removal of Self-ignorance and identity of AtmA and ParamAtmA
2 Ghat ghat mein vo sanyee ramata, katu vachan mat bol re, tohe piya milenge. Meaning Ghat ghat – everywhere, mein- in, vo- that, sanyee- God, ramata- exists, katu- harsh, vachan- words, mat-do not, bol- speak, re- a mode of addressing
As the God exists everywhere and in everyone, do not speak harsh words. You will get the beloved God.
Message God resides in every jiva. Do not speak harsh words because there is no reason of hatred, jealousy.
3a Dhan yovan ka garv na kije, jhuta pacharanga chol re
Meaning
Dhan- wealth, yovan- youth, ka- of, garv- pride, na- not, kije- to do, jhuta- unreal, pachranga- five colours (elements), chol- dress, re- a mode of addressing
Do not take pride in wealth and youth because they are made of five elements and are unreal. You will get the beloved God.
Message The mind-body complex is mithyA and by extension the world is also mithyA.
3b Sunya mahal mein diva bal le, Asan se mat dol re, tohe piya milenge Meaning Sunya- empty, mahal- a place or temple, mein-in, diva- small earthen lamp, bal le- lighten, Asan- a sitting place, se- from, mat- not, dol- distraction, re- a mode of addressing
In the heart, which is like an empty temple, lighten the lamp of knowledge and do not get distracted (remain established in the knowledge). You will get the beloved God.
Message It echoes the instructions in BG 2.60. Krishna says to Arjuna that even in the case of a wise man who strives and has the discriminating knowledge, the impetuous senses drive the mind towards sense objects as if by force and distract the mind. Therefore, Kabir advises a seeker to remain focussed on the beloved God (BG 2.61).
4a Jag jugut so rang mahal mein, piya payo anamol re
Meaning Jag jugut- Utmost effort (burning midnight oil), so- by, rang mahal- colourful place inside (i.e., heart), mein-in, piya- beloved (God), anamol- priceless, re- a mode of addressing
By the utmost efforts, I have found the priceless God in the colourful space of the heart. You will also get the God there.
Message By practising spiritual disciplines with utmost sincerity, I have found the God in my own heart. According to Vedanta heart is the locus of mind where jnAna vritti arises.
4b Kahat Kabir anand bhayo ab, bajat anhad dhol re, tohe piya milenge
Meaning Kahat- says, Kabir- name of the saint, the author, Anand- bliss, bhayo- to happen. ab-now, bajat- play of a musical instrument, anhad- unstruck, dhol- drum (a musical instrument)
If you follow the above, there is unstruck sound of transcendental happiness.
Message God is of the nature of bliss.
Below is a link of a soulful rendition.
Ghunghat Ka Pat Khol | Kabir Bhajan | Radhika Sood Nayak