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सारी रैन जागते बीती

Sari Rain Jagte Beeti

Amarnath Srivastava

1 min read 7 versesNight Sorrow Illusion

7 verses · ~1 min

असगुन के उल्कापातों में सारी रैन जागते बीती

जो दिन उजले चंदन चर्चित उसके लिए उपस्थिति वर्जित हुईं कोयला स्वर्ण गिन्नियाँ कालिख हुई थैलियाँ अर्जित

तीते रहे निबौरी सपने मधु में उम्र पागते बीती

यह बेमेल संग की छाया चमकाती है दुख की छाया उतना ही बाँधे रखती है जितना ही खुलती है माया

टाट लगे उखड़े मलमल को सारी उम्र तागते बीती

प्यासे पाषाणों का होकर लुप्त हो गया कोई निर्झर उसके राग हुए वैरागी जो ऐसी धारा पर निर्भर

बंद बाँसुरी की सुरंग में विह्वल सांस भागते बीती

इति

Rasa: Karuna
Stanzas: 7
Lines: 20
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Geet (lyric song)
Metre: geet
Rhyme: AAB

The poem evokes a desolate, grief-stricken atmosphere steeped in karuna rasa, where the emotional tone shifts between tragic sorrow and haunting disillusionment. A visual rendering would depict a stark, nocturnal landscape illuminated only by ominous shooting stars and the dull soot of burned gold coins, contrasting with faded patches of fine muslin hastily patched together with crude burlap. The scene implies a painful narrative of vanished luxury, unrequited separation, and an impossible yearning for a past brightness, symbolized by bitter neem fruits masquerading as sweet dreams and a dry, thirsty stone where a stream once flowed. Through heavy metaphors of sleepless nights, blocked flute melodies, and the inescapable entrapment of maya, the artwork would capture a deeply melancholic and hauntingly reflective mood of enduring spiritual exhaustion.

सारी रैन जागते बीती (Sari Rain Jagte Beeti), by Amarnath Srivastava runs to 20 lines across 7 stanzas, set as Five stanzas with a repeating refrain.. Its governing rasa is Karuna, shaded by Shanta. The metre is geet. Rhyme falls as AAB.

It belongs to the 1945 · 2000s span of Amarnath Srivastava's working life, and keeps the plain, spoken register that period is known for.

Read it for अशुभ संकेतों और चिंताओं के बीच अनिद्रा, जीवन भर के संचित दुखों और बेमेल संबंधों की छाया and अधूरी इच्छाओं और विह्वल सांसों का क्रंदन. 3 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Nala and Damayanti: Bathed in a heavy, melancholic atmosphere of exhaustion and impending doom, this late-nineteenth-century chromolithograph depicts the fallen King Nala keeping a vigilant watch over his sleeping wife, Damayanti, in the…

Words worth pausing on

रैन: रात
निबौरी: नीम का फल (कड़वा)
तागते: सिलाई करते या सिलते हुए

Threads

Night Sorrow Illusion Dreams

The Poet

अमरनाथ श्रीवास्तव

Amarnath Srivastava

1945 · 2000s

Amarnath Srivastava was a defining voice of the Navgeet movement who masterfully bridged traditional lyricism with the complex realities of modern Indian life. Born in 1937 in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, he spent much of his working life in Allahabad, balancing a corporate career with a deep commitment to literature. Rather than writing from an isolated ivory tower, he drew poetic inspiration from everyday struggles, urban alienation, and changing human relationships. His prominent collections, such as the acclaimed Geru Ki Lipiyan and Dopahar Mein Gulmohar, showcase his remarkable ability to infuse profound emotional depth into highly accessible language. He also made significant contributions to the Hindi ghazal with works like Aadmi Ko Dekhkar. Honored twice with the prestigious Nirala Samman and later the Sahitya Bhushan, Srivastava passed away in 2009. His verses remain a poignant commentary on the middle class experience, capturing both the ache of nostalgia and the stark truths of a rapidly shifting society.