Meaning for Surdas Bhajan

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 25 Apr 2008, 00:06

I have the lyrics but I like to know the meaning of the Surdas bhajan:

Hey Govind Hey Gopal

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 25 Apr 2008, 03:13

Here is the text to make it easy for the translator:

hE gOvind hE gOpAl hE gOvind erAkhO sharan ab tO jIvan hArE
nIr pivan hEta gayO sindu kE kinArE sindhu bIch basat grAha caraN dhari pacArE
cAr prahar yuddh bhayO lE gayO majdhArE nAkE pAr Dub na lAgE krSN kO pukArE
dwarakA mE shapadh dayo shOr bhayO dvArE shankh cakra gadA padma garuDa ni sitArE
sUr kahE shyAm sunO sharaNE tihArE abkI bAr pAr calE nand kE dulArE

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 25 Apr 2008, 05:01

Here is my attempt - krishnaa may have to fix some errors I am sure are there.

Although many have rendered this bhajan before, and many more will attempt to in the future, I will always hear this fervent entreaty of sUr in the voice of Smt MSS.

hE gOvind hE gOpAl hE gOvind rAkhO sharan ab tO jIvan hArE

Oh (hE) gOvind! gOpAl! Please keep (rAkhO) me in your care/protection/refuge (SaraN), for it appears that I have now (ab tO) come to the end (hArE) of my life (jIvan).

nIr pivan hEta gayO sindu kE kinArE sindhu bIch basat grAha caraN dhari pacArE
In order to (hEtu) get a drink (pIvan) of water (nIr), the king of elephants, gajEndra proceded/went (gayO) to the banks (kinArE) of (kE) the ocean/river (sindhu). Unfortuntaely for him, a crocodile (gArha) that lived (basat) in (bIch) of that ocean/river (sindhu) grabbed (dhari) him by his foot (caran) and dragged (pacArE) him in.

cAr prahar yuddh bhayO lE gayO majdhArE nAkE pAr Dub na lAgE krSN kO pukArE

gajEndra put up a valiant fight (yuddh bhayO) for 12 hours (cAr prahar = 4 prahar. 1 prahar = 3 hours). However, when the crocodile drags/takes (lE gayO) him well beyond (pAr) his comfort zone, and he finds himself in the middle (maj) of a current (dhAr) he begins to wonder (lAgE) if he'd drown (dUb na) - it is only now that he realizes that he is in over his head, and calls out (pukArE) to krishNa Krishna kO).

dwarakA mE shabad gayO shOr bhayO dvArE shankh cakra gadA padma garuDa ni sitArE

His words (sabad) were carried to (gayO) Dwaraka (dwArakA mEin) and created a din (Sor bhayO) at the entrance (dvArE) to the city. As soon as he heard the entreaty, krishNa set out (sitArE) on garuDa armed with his conch (Sankh - pancajanyam), discuss (cakra - sudarSan), and his mace (gadA), and went to his aid.

sUr kahE shyAm sunO sharaNE tihArE abkI bAr pAr calE nand kE dulArE

Reminding krishNa of this story, the composer (sUr) says (kahE) " Listen (sunO) krishNa (SyAm), I have sought your (tihArE) protection (Saran), isn't it high time (ab ki bAr) that you took me across (pAr calE) this wordly-ocean? Oh beloved son (dulArE) of nand (nand kE).

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 25 Apr 2008, 05:56

Thank you Shankar Sir.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 25 Apr 2008, 06:03

VKR,

You are very welcome!

Shankar or Ravi will suffice - I have not, and am very unlikely to figure in the Queen's birthday honors!

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 25 Apr 2008, 06:58

Our mothers are Queens and they will always include us in the birthday honors. Noted your remarks for future. Thanks again.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 25 Apr 2008, 09:25

Sir Shankar sounds nice, though

Rajani · Post by **Rajani** » 25 Apr 2008, 12:34

This "Sir" is the "saar" that all men in/from India are entitled to

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 25 Apr 2008, 18:23

arasi wrote:Sir Shankar sounds nice, though

Arasi,

That is quite a slippery slope - could lead to people addressing the women on the forum as 'ma'ams' with the d in situ.

Rajani wrote:This "Sir" is the "saar" that all men in/from India are entitled to

sAr = essence?

Rajani · Post by **Rajani** » 25 Apr 2008, 19:51

No , not essence. It is the "Enna saar(sir), sowkiyama?" that one often hears.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 25 Apr 2008, 20:35

or sArE in malayAlam and so on.
Personally, I am happy when tamizh (?) sAr or maydem (madam) is left out.
Ravi, vous avez raison!