7. From dohA cometh a Singer

Muhabbat ka iqraar chahiye,
Ishq ka mauj nahin!
Saakshaat Krishna chahiye,
Krishna ki fauj nahin!

These couplets, more commonly known as dohA in the Hindi/Urdu speaking belt, were the inspiration for this blog posting. I heard them during a spiritual discourse by Sri Morari Baapu on a TV channel today. I hadn't originally planned to view the channel at this hour, but then fate decided upon my free-will to view it!

For the non-Hindi/Urdu speaking reader, here is my shot at the meaning of these verses (I don't know who authored them) :

Muhabbat ka iqraar = Bond of Affection/Love
chahiye = is needed

nahin = not
Ishq ka mauj = physical love

Saakshaat Krishna = Real Krishna
chahiye = is needed

nahin = not
Krishna ki fauj = Krishna's army

This dohA reflects on Prince Arjuna's choice in the Mahabharata epic when he was offered by Lord Krishna to either have the Lord Himself as his charioteer, or the Lord's vast army. Arjuna chose Lord Krishna to be on his side (the Pandavas), while Lord Krishna's army fought alongside Duryodhana (the Kauravas) in the Battle of Kurukshetra. (Also read Sri Chinmoy's brief discourse on this subject)

From here, my mind takes me to a very beautiful and enchanting Krishna Bhajan (Bhajan = Devotional Song) which my mother often sings. Here are the lyrics of this Bhajan:

Radheshyam Radheshyam,
Radhamadhava Radheshyam (2)

Eesha Ramesha Radheshyam,
Keshava Achutha Meghashyam (2)
Vasudeva Sutha Radheshyam,
Vasuki Shayana Meghashyam (2)

Radheshyam Radheshyam,
Radhamadhava Radheshyam (2)

Kaurava Shikshaka Radheshyam,
Pandava Rakshaka Meghashyam (2)
Aadi Deva Hari Radheshyam,
Anaadi Purusha Meghashyam (2)

Radheshyam Radheshyam,
Radhamadhava Radheshyam (2)

Radheshyam Radheshyam (High),
Radhamadhava Radheshyam (2)
Radhamadhava Radheshyam (2)

Listen to a rendition of this Bhajan in my voice, if you dare!

betarecords.com/aham.asmi