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Friday 19 February 2010

चंपा सिवराज है!

Recently, listening to Ninadrao Bedekar deliver his lecture on Kavi Bhushan has been an immense source of inspiration. Kavi Bhushan, as I have said before, really captivates ones imagination, as he is only one of the very few poets who has veer ras as the backbone of his poetry. The veer ras guna combined with the ornate use of language really is sensational. Bhushan has an ultimate eye to draw comparisons with nature. the following Chhanda has left me speechless.

कूर्म कमल कम धुज है कदमफूल गौर हे गुलाब राणा केतकी बिराज है|
पांढूरी पवार जुही सोहता है चंदावत तरत बुन्देलेसौज चमेली साज बाज है|
भूषणभंड कुञ्जपर गुजर है बघेले बसंत सब कुसुम समाज है|
लेई रस एतिल को बिठी न सकत है अली नवरंगजेब चंपा सिवराज है||

The meaning of the above lines is as follows:
The Kings of Jaipur- Kachhavas(Kurma) are like the lotus flower, the Kadamb kings are like the Kadamb flower. similarly, Gaurs are likend to Rose while the Rana of Udaipur is like the Ketaki flower. The Pawars are like the 'Pandhari' flowers, the Chandawats are compared to the 'Jui' flowers, whereas the Bundelas are the 'Chameli' flowers. The Gujars are like the 'mukunjphool' and thus, Bhushan goes on to say that the regional kings from all over India are just like a collection of flowers. Navrangzeb Ali(King Aurangzeb) collects revennue and money from these flowers, but he gets nothing from Shivaji, who is described as "Champa(Chapha)".

Well initially the shloka may seem inconculsive, but, if we look at it carefully, 'अली' in Sanskrit means a 'भुंगा'. Thus, Bhushan wants to say is that Aurangzeb, like a bee, collects money from all regional kings, but, whatever he does, he avoids Shivaji Maharaj. It is key to note here, that a Champa flower, although very sweet smelling, doesnt contain any nectar. If you observe nature closely, you will come to see that Bees tend to avoid 'Chaphyachi phule'. In a similar way, knowing that he is going to be rebuked if approached, Aurangzeb avoids Shivaji Maharaj.

It is very rare that one gets to listen to or hear such remarkable poetry. We are tremendously blessed that Ninadrao Bedekar is working tirelessly to propogate the work of Bhushan and thereby give the true picture and the immense importance of Shivaji Maharaj, to the common man. I found the following links on the internet, which directly provide Ninadrao Bedekars speech on Kavi Bhushan. Its worth listening to .Trust me, you listen once, and you will get hooked to good poetry for the rest of your life. 

I make a sincere request to all people who read Bhushan to share his chhandas on the internet. Also, in the above chhanda, if I have made a mistake, forgive me for that, for I have typed in what I have heard. If you have the right words, feel free to contact me, and make me do the necessary corrections.

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