ShringaraAdvanced

खोलो, मुख से घूँघट

Kholo, Mukh Se Ghoonghat

2 verses · ~1 min

छाया खोलो, मुख से घूँघट खोलो, हे चिर अवगुंठनमयि, बोलो! क्या तुम केवल चिर-अवगुंठन, अथवा भीतर जीवन-कम्पन? कल्पना मात्र मृदु देह-लता, पा ऊर्ध्व ब्रह्म, माया विनता! है स्पृश्य, स्पर्श का नहीं पता, है दृश्य, दृष्टि पर सके बता! पट पर पट केवल तम अपार, पट पर पट खुले, न मिला पार! सखि, हटा अपरिचय-अंधकार खोलो रहस्य के मर्म द्वार! मैं हार गया तह छील-छील, आँखों से प्रिय छबि लील-लील, मैं हूँ या तुम? यह कैसा छ्ल! या हम दोनों, दोनों के बल? तुम में कवि का मन गया समा, तुम कवि के मन की हो सुषमा; हम दो भी हैं या नित्य एक? तब कोई किसको सके देख? ओ मौन-चिरन्तन, तम-प्रकाश, चिर अवचनीय, आश्चर्य-पाश! तुम अतल गर्त, अविगत, अकूल, फैली अनन्त में बिना मूल! अज्ञेय गुह्य अग-जग छाई, माया, मोहिनि, सँग-सँग आई! तुम कुहुकिनि, जग की मोह-निशा, मैं रहूँ सत्य, तुम रहो मृषा!

रचनाकाल: अप्रैल’१९३६

इति

Rasa: Shringara
Stanzas: 2
Lines: 30
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Free verse
Metre: मुक्त छंद
Rhyme: irregular

The poem evokes a profound, metaphysical romanticism that oscillates between an intimate lover’s longing and the existential vertigo of a seeker confronting the enigma of reality. A visual representation would show a solitary, shadowed figure attempting to pull back translucent, infinite layers of heavy, shifting veils that shroud a luminous but unreachable presence, casting light and dark shadows across a vast, cosmic void. The scene captures the tension of maya (illusion), where the seeker’s desperate gaze meets a reflection that is simultaneously his own soul and an unknowable, divine mystery. Ultimately, the work balances a serene, contemplative devotion with a tragic yearning, depicting the act of searching for truth as a haunting dance between the observer and the ungraspable essence of the universe.

खोलो, मुख से घूँघट (Kholo, Mukh Se Ghoonghat), by Sumitranandan Pant runs to 30 lines across 2 stanzas, set as एक पद, छब्बीस पंक्तियाँ।. Its governing rasa is Shringara, shaded by Shanta. The metre is मुक्त छंद. Rhyme falls as irregular.

It belongs to the 1900 · 1977 span of Sumitranandan Pant's working life, and keeps the plain, spoken register that period is known for.

Read it for रहस्य की खोज and माया और सत्य का द्वंद्व. 5 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Vishvarupa Darshan: Radiating an atmosphere of transcendent awe and overwhelming majesty, this contemporary devotional work captures the climactic moment of the Bhagavad Gita where Lord Krishna reveals His terrifying and glorious cosmic…

Words worth pausing on

अवगुंठन: घूँघट
अतल: बहुत गहरा
कुहुकिनि: मायावी
मृषा: झूठ
अज्ञेय: जिसे जाना न जा सके

Threads

Illusion Eyes Truth

The Poet

सुमित्रानंदन पंत

Sumitranandan Pant

1900 · 1977

Sumitranandan Pant was the absolute master of lyrical aestheticism in modern Hindi literature. Born in 1900 in the lush Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand, he drew his earliest and most profound inspiration from the pristine beauty of the Himalayas. He became one of the four foundational pillars of Chhayavaad, the Hindi neo romantic movement. However, his literary journey did not stagnate in romantic nature worship. Over a career spanning more than five decades, his poetry evolved through distinct phases, absorbing progressive ideologies and eventually culminating in the deep philosophical spiritualism of Sri Aurobindo. Works like Pallav showcased his unmatched ability to weave delicate, musical imagery, while his later masterpiece Chidambara earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1968, the very first time this prestigious honor was given to a Hindi writer. Pant was also recognized with the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan. He passed away in 1977, leaving behind a poetic vocabulary that taught the Hindi language how to capture the exact softness of falling dew and the quiet grandeur of the mountains.