Mahi Yaar di Gharoli
One of my favourite Sindhi Sufi songs. This post has turned out to be a work in progress.
Transliteration (from Sharukh Husain’s liner notes to Songs of the Mystics by Abida Parveen) with some changes by me
Ve ghara taikun bhanj sakuaan,
Mede Mehboob di chail rachae vo
Hik Baar Paida, dooja baar paani da
Teeja vendaae jaan de naal ralaae vo
Banh marori choodey vaali
O Dooji dal giraanti paae vo
O Sun Miyaan saheb badena dared
Saari umar gai ajaai
Yaar di gharoli bhar di mahe yaar di gharoli bhardi
Hik Maula kanoon main dardi
Peer Peeran Hazrat Meeran
Naame gidheje katyaan zanjeeran
O main murshid kaamil kardi
This part not there in this version
Bhanj na saunu kar na tukre
Asaan baar ghamn de chayose
Paila hi maar jhanjura vich
Val ghar kumhar ayose
Gaare Vaangar gich mich thee khar
Char chkhte sees kapaayose
Baah Barah di jee bharka
Asaan tain vich jaan jalaoyse
Ghin Aaye bazaar de vich Asaan hat hat taar vikayose
Mulh asaan da hikra tukra
Picche ghar mashooqan aayose
Contd.
Sachal Saare noor Ilahi
Ho Ali vali di hai hamrahi
O main har dam rab rab kardi
Can’t do a word by word translation, and I’ve skipped some verses, as my own understanding is limited and I’ve relied on some other sources. Unfortunately I don’t have very good translations of Sindhi poetry but am trying to remedy that. Also the literal meaning is never the real meaning!
The poem is by Sachal Sarmast, the Sindhi Sufi poet, whose name means truth. It’s about “my friend’s” (yaar)’s filled water pot (gharoli)who fears no one but God (the pot is filled literally with water-but it’s a metaphor for love). You might have noticed this metaphor of the water pot elsewhere, in Kabir etc.
The divine and the beloved also often become one.
The poet says to the pot, you are causing my beloved (the one who carries the water pot) pain, I shall break you
The pot says please don’t break me (kar na tukde)
My journey has been long and painful
I started off as clay
I was kneaded at the potter’s wheel, beaten
and then burned (in the kiln)
This part is sung in other versions of the song:
My life was consumed (in the fire)
and I was sold in the market
for one coin ((hikra takra)
But then I came to my beloved’s house
I only want to be with the beloved
Back to this version:
Sachal, the light of the the Divine/the sacred light is everything
Ali is my companion
I always chant god’s/the beloved’s name (Main hardam rab rab kar di).*
Let the potter’s wheel keep turning (she sings this line in some versions-not in this one-here she sings Allah etc-often couplets from other poems are added)
*I feel uncomfortable using the word “god” because really the words rab etc don’t literally translate into that but something more abstract.
The parts where Abida sings slowly are when the poet and the pot are addressing each other and the pot is talking about his painful journey.
Ok, here’s the version of the song with the verse missing in the first version, with some people dancing to it. There’s an explanation and subtitles.
Hi Ra, it is a song I like very much, though I don’t understand it much. Could you please tell me what it is about?
Best wishes,
Anjali
Lovely idea, “Let the potters wheel keep turning”. Thanks for the translation – I am glad I read the translation and then saw the video. Do you have the lyric or link to lyric in Sindhi for this?
Vidya, that line when it is sung, is: Ghoom Charakhra and it may not be attributed to Sarmast.
the lyrics in Sindhi are probably available in the Perso-Arabic script, though some Sindhi books are available in Devanagari today. I have a transliterated version which I’ll post here as an update, hopefully soon.
On the whole, there is a paucity of good material on Sindhi Sufi poetry on the internet. Sindh has tended to be dominated by Punjab, to the extent that a lot of Sindhi-Saraiki songs are labelled Punjabi (sucha s Dama Dam Mast Qalander). Another problem is that the Sindhi of the poets is difficult to understand, as a lot of people have lost touch with the language.
I’ve loved this song without really understanding it! Thanks for the translation.
I’m glad you’re back:)
Hey Ra, thanks so much for the translation! Now I get the song a bit… And i get to know who the poet is. Sachal seems a beautiful name. The song is quite human. A devotee/lover may have led a painful life and yet be aware and alive to the beloved. Thanks again for this translation!
lovely!
and the header pic is awesome too.
excellent effort uttara!
Can’t do a word by word translation, my own understanding is limited and I’ve relied on some other sources. Unfortunately I don’t have very good translations of Sindhi poetry but am trying to remedy that. Also the literal meaning is never the real meaning!
It’s by Sachal Sarmast, the Sindhi Sufi poet, whose name means truth. It’s about “my friend’s” (yaar)’s filled water pot (gharoli)who fears no one but God (the pot is filled literally with water-but it’s a metaphor for love). You might have noticed this metaphor of the water pot elsewhere, in Kabir etc.
The divine and the beloved also often become one.
The poet says to the pot, you are causing my beloved (the one who carries the water pot) pain, you are a burden, I shall break you
The pot says please don’t break me (kar na tukde)
My journey has been long and painful
I started off as clay
I was kneaded at the potter’s wheel, beaten
and then burned (in the kiln)
My life was consumed (in the fire)
and I was sold in the market
for one coin ((hikra takra)
But then I came to my beloved’s house
I only want to be with the beloved
Sachal, the light of the the Divine/the sacred light is everything
Ali is my companion
I always chant god’s/the beloved’s name (Main hardam rab rab kar di) I feel uncomfortable using the word “god” because really the words rab etc don’t literally translate into that but something more abstract.
Let the potter’s wheel keep turning
The parts where she sings slowly, are when the poet and the pot are addressing each other and the pot is talking about his painful journey.
I updated the post again-I realised this version was not the same I was translating from!
Anjali I had to make some other updates, as the verse about the pot’s pain was actuallyt missing fromthe first version! I AM sleepy!