ShantaIntermediate

तजौ मन, हरि-बिमुखनि को संग

Tajau Man Hari Bimukhani Ko Sang

1 min read 1 versesNature

1 verses · ~1 min

तजौ मन, हरि बिमुखनि कौ संग। जिनकै संग कुमति उपजति है, परत भजन में भंग। कहा होत पय पान कराएं, बिष नही तजत भुजंग। कागहिं कहा कपूर चुगाएं, स्वान न्हवाएं गंग। खर कौ कहा अरगजा-लेपन, मरकट भूषण अंग। गज कौं कहा सरित अन्हवाएं, बहुरि धरै वह ढंग। पाहन पतित बान नहिं बेधत, रीतौ करत निषंग। सूरदास कारी कमरि पै, चढत न दूजौ रंग।

इति

Rasa: Shanta
Stanzas: 1
Lines: 8
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Pada
Metre: pada
Rhyme: AABBCCDD

The poem evokes a serene yet stern atmosphere of moral clarity and spiritual steadfastness grounded in the tranquil shanta rasa. A painting of this scene would visually contrast the purity of sacred devotion with the futility of trying to reform the inherently corrupt, perhaps depicting a sage or seeker stepping away from a gathering of worldly cynics beneath a calm, open sky. Woven into the imagery are concrete metaphors of failure—a snake fed milk that refuses to drop its venom, a crow fed camphor, a dog bathed in the holy Ganges, a donkey smeared in fragrant sandal paste, and a monkey adorned with jewels—all symbolizing how bad nature resists transformation. The central symbol of the kari kamari (the black blanket) implies that some souls are dyed so deep in worldly detachment from the divine that no second color will ever take hold, establishing a devotional and uncompromising tone of ultimate spiritual discernment.

तजौ मन, हरि-बिमुखनि को संग (Tajau Man Hari Bimukhani Ko Sang), by Surdas runs to 8 lines, set as Eight-line didactic poem with multiple analogies. Its governing rasa is Shanta. The metre is pada. Rhyme falls as AABBCCDD.

A highly popular moralistic pad of Surdas emphasizing the importance of keeping holy company (Satsang).

Read it for दुर्जन और ईश्वर-विमुख लोगों की संगति का त्याग करने का उपदेश and मूल स्वभाव को बदलना असंभव होने के विभिन्न प्राकृतिक उदाहरण. 4 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Dattatreya: The oleograph exudes a serene, devotional atmosphere of timeless tranquility, capturing the divine sage in a state of absolute spiritual detachment against a lush riverbank. The three-headed manifestation of the Hindu…

Words worth pausing on

बिमुखनि: विमुख या विरक्त (जो ईश्वर से विमुख हों)
अरगजा: एक सुगंधित लेप
निषंग: तरकश (बाण रखने का पात्र)
कमरि: कमली या छोटा कंबल

Threads

Nature

The Poet

सूरदास

Surdas

c. 1478 · c. 1583

Surdas represents the absolute zenith of the Bhakti movement in North India. Born in the late fifteenth century and believed to have been blind from birth, he did not need physical sight to observe the intricate beauty of the divine. He became the foremost poet of the Ashtachhap, a group of eight mystic poets dedicated to Lord Krishna. Composing entirely in Brajbhasha, Surdas authored the monumental Sur Sagar, a collection of thousands of devotional songs that remain deeply ingrained in the cultural memory of India. He wrote with an unparalleled understanding of child psychology, capturing the innocent mischief of the infant Krishna with a tenderness that no other poet has ever matched. His verses are not merely literature. They are the musical foundation of Vaishnava devotion. Five centuries later, his words continue to echo in temples and classical music concerts, offering eternal comfort to the human soul.