REQUEST FOR THE MEANING OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS

[S.NAGESWARAN]

Dear Rasikas,

“DIL SE KAFIR NAA HONGE THO,
SUR MEIN TASEER NAHI HOGI”

This famous quote from a renowned Hindustani musician have conjured up
Many a vision in my mind even though I don’t know much of Hindi.

The gentleman [late] who had quoted the above quote told me thus.

“If you are able to shed your ego {of knowing every thing in music} and listen to the music,
You can see the swar devata dancing before you in all its splendor”.

I would request the senior Rasikas and Rasikas knowing Hindi to confirm what I have understood is correct and explain The lyrical beauty of the words.

Can the Rasikas guess the name of the Hindustani musician who had quoted the above words?

S.NAGESWARAN.
28.07.2010.

[kssr]

Ustad Bismillah Khan?

[KSJaishankar]

“DIL SE KAFIR NAA HONGE THO,
SUR MEIN TASEER NAHI HOGI”

Something seems wrong with the explanation. While the essence of the explanation seems OK, it is not a translation. The quote has negative statements in both lines, whereas the "translation" has a positive assertions in both. "Kaafir" means an infidel, or more generally, a non-believer. It also has a rarer usage to mean sweetheart or beloved. "Taseer" means effect, rather effectiveness.

What the quote then seems to say is - Unless you are a non-believer in your heart, your music will not be effective. Doesn't sound very intuitive, does it?

One possible resolution for this could be based on the fact that a Kaafir is specifically someone who worships a god other than Allah. So, if you worship the Swar Devata (and hence qualify to be branded a Kaafir in your heart), your music will be effective.

Someone who understands Urdu better could possibly give a much better explanation.

[Shivadasan]

Kafir means non believer.
Taseer means the capacity to produce intense emotion

“DIL SE KAFIR NAA HONGE THO,
SUR MEIN TASEER NAHI HOGI”

Interpreted in English it would mean,

“In your heart of hearts if you are not a non believer then
There will not be the intense bhava in your music”

This does not convey the meaning which Ustad Bismillah Khan used to convey in his conversations which I have witnessed. He has always insisted that one has to be an ardent believer if he wants his music to convey intense Bhava.

[arasi]

Urdu poetry (also poetic speak) lends itself to many interpretations. Here, in the musical context, if you take the second nA out, it could mean: with unswerving involvement with your music, you can invoke the rAga dEvatAs.
If the nA stays, which I doubt, again you could interpret it as: if you think of God only in your own religious way, then music which is beyond narrow minded religious beliefs, it cannot help you reach out to the heights of music. If you think this is way out, I'd say how the muslim vocalists sang/ sing about rAm and Krishna.

Hope Nandagopal gets to read this. He will have a more precise explanation.

[bhavarasa]

I agree with the interpretation in the original post.

"Dil Se Kafir" - freeing oneself from his/her ego. In this context, the word "Dil" does not mean "mind" but a broader "self"/"ego".
Broadly said, it means:

"When one is free of ego, is when one can truly experience the splendor of the music."

This could apply to the singer as well as a member of the audience.

[mahakavi]

It is much deeper than that. While the general sense is understood by everyone, the meanings given so far do not explain "TASEER NAHI HOGI"