![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-s3L7JEicSBQ\/Vj9S-Hpo4WI\/AAAAAAAAWLM\/oK7Pf4np8rQ\/s0\/2015-11-08_14-49-33.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
From Back to Godhead<\/p>\n
By Damodara Nityananda Dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n For centuries, Muslim poets have revealed their attraction to all-attractive Lord Krishna.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n In Chaitanya-charitamrita<\/em> (Madhya<\/em> 22.80), Lord Chaitanya lists “poetic” as one of the twenty-six qualities of a Vaishnava, a devotee of Lord Krishna. He Himself demonstrates a poetic flair in His Sikshashtakam<\/em> by using seven metaphors to elucidate the benefits of chanting the holy names of the Lord. The Supreme Lord is often referred to as Uttamahshloka: He who is praised with the choicest poetry. Great devotees like Sri Bilvamangala Thakura use poetic descriptions comparing Krishna\u2019s hue to the fresh rain-cloud, His eyes to lotuses, and the rays from His toenails to soothing autumnal moons. These metaphors imply that Krishna consciousness is not lackluster, but poetic. With poetic expression a devotee poet succinctly deals with a variety of topics, including prayer, self-criticism, spiritual happiness, agony in separation from Krishna, the superiority of Vaishnavism, the guru\/disciple relationship, residence in Vrindavan, and humility.<\/p>\n In Brahma-samhita<\/em> (5.56) Lord Brahma poetically describes Lord Krishna’s home, Goloka Vrindavana, as the place where every step is a dance, every word is a song, and the ecstasy never ceases. Srimad-Bhagavatam <\/em>(1.5.22) states, “Learned circles have positively concluded that the infallible purpose of the advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study of the Vedas, sacrifice, chanting of hymns, and charity, culminates in the transcendental descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry.” Srila Vyasadeva (the compiler of the Vedas<\/em>), Valmiki (the author of the Ramayana<\/em>), and Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami (the author of Chaitanya-charitamrita<\/em>) saw the Supreme Lord in their meditations and were directed to compose perfect shlokas,<\/em> verses of exquisite poetry.<\/p>\n Rupa Goswami, a great poet and acharya<\/em> in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was born in a brahmana<\/em> family but worked for the Islamic government under Nawab Hussein Shah, the emperor of Bengal. Rupa was given the Persian title Dabhir Khas and endowed with great wealth and prestige. But in the eyes of the conservative Hindu society of sixteenth-century Bengal, he was deemed to have accepted the Islamic faith by dint of his close contact with the Muslim ruler. Lord Chaitanya and His followers, however, held him in the highest esteem, knowing him to be a superlative Vaishnava. In Chaitanya-charitamrita<\/em> (Antya<\/em> 1.195-198), Raya Ramananda, in a conversation with Sri Chaitanya, extols Rupa Goswami’s poetic descriptions by quoting an unnamed authority on poetry:<\/p>\n \u201c’What use is a bowman\u2019s arrow or a poet\u2019s poetry if they penetrate the heart but do not cause the head to spin?'”<\/p>\n Then Raya Ramananda tells Lord Chaitanya, “Without Your mercy such poetic expressions would be impossible for an ordinary living being to write. My guess is that You have given him the power.”<\/p>\n Chaitanya-charitamrita<\/em> continues: “Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu praised the metaphors and other literary ornaments of Srila Rupa Goswami\u2019s transcendental poetry. Without such poetic attributes, He said, there is no possibility of preaching transcendental mellows.”<\/p>\n Earlier, Lord Chaitanya had said of Rupa’s poems, tomara krishna-rasa-kavya-sudha-sindhu:<\/em> “Your exalted poetic depictions of the mellows of Krishna\u2019s pastimes are like an ocean of nectar.” (Antya<\/em> 1.179)<\/p>\n Innumerable poems about Lord Krishna are available in literature written by poets of Islamic background. Many of these authors, in the very least, were great admirers of Krishna. The persona of Lord Krishna – the fact that He is one without a second – attracts one and all, and many have described their feelings through poetry. Poets such as Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, Rasa Khan, Uzir Beg, and Taaz Khan were great devotees of Lord Krishna, as evidenced by the sheer number of their poems that express intense love for Him.<\/p>\n To highlight the universality of bhakti<\/em> and the trans-sectarian appeal of Krishna’s all-attractiveness, let us look at a handful of poems, including a poem each from Sayyed Martuza, Nazir Akbarabadi, and Hazrat Mohani. Many Muslim poets wrote in appreciation of Lord Krishna, but I’ve tried to unearth some of the rarer poems.<\/p>\n Sayyed Martuza (1590-1662), a Muslim fakir born in the Murshidabad district of Bengal, wrote poems adoring Krishna. The style of his composition is simple and rhythmic. Here is his Bengali poem that was compiled in Pada-kalpa-taru <\/em>by Satishchandra Raya in 1915:<\/p>\n Timely Compassion<\/em><\/p>\n Syama! O friend! My afflicted life is assuaged only by You<\/em> The following poem is by Maulana Chand Kazi, the Muslim magistrate of Navadvip during Lord Chaitanya\u2019s time. Jatindramohan Bhattacharjya compiled this poem in his book Bangalar Baishnab-Bhabapanna Musalman Kabi,<\/em> Second Edition, published in 1945.<\/p>\n The Forbidden Calling of the Flute<\/em><\/p>\n You do not know how to play the flute<\/em> Born in 1869 in Jajpur, Orissa in a Muslim family, Uzir Beg grew up to be an acclaimed poet and wrote many simple and melodious bhajanas<\/em> that show reverence for Lord Krishna. His anthology of poems on Lord Krishna is still popular in Orissa. His devotion is illustrated in this bhajana,<\/em> included in Mohammed Yamin\u2019s book Impact of Islam on Orissan Culture:<\/em><\/p>\n Krushna pujana kar, Krushna bhajan kar<\/em> Worship and recite in praise of Lord Krishna. Only He can make you free from this worldly life, says this ignorant Beg Uzir. His holy name is the essence. <\/em><\/p>\n In the eighteenth century, a Muslim devotee and poetess named Taaz Khan regularly went to the Madana Mohana temple of Karoli, Rajasthan for darshana,<\/em> to offer food, and to take prasada.<\/em> Until she had darshana, <\/em>she would not accept food or water. In one couplet (also quoted in Prof. Yamin\u2019s book), she writes:<\/p>\n Nanda ke Kumar, Kurbaan teri Surat par<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n O son of Nanda, I am enchanted by Your sweet face. Although I am born a Muslim, I will remain a devotee of Yours always.<\/em><\/p>\n Abdul Rahim Khan-e-khana (1556-1627) was one of the “nine gems” (Navaratna) of the court of Emperor Akbar. In a 2007 Hindi book of Rahim\u2019s poetry, titled Rahim-ke-dohe, Aabid Rizvi quotes the following doha<\/em> (a couplet whose meaning is complete in itself) by Rahim:<\/p>\n The narrow-minded create trouble, and the large-hearted always forgive them. Says Rahim, even Lord Krishna forgave when the sage Bhrigu kicked Him. <\/em><\/p>\n Maulana Hazrat Mohani (1878-1951) was born in a modest Muslim zamindar family of Uttar Pradesh. He was a poet, journalist, and parliamentarian of British India, besides being a part of the Indian Independence Movement. He was at Pune, Maharashtra when Janmashtami came around in 1923, and he wrote this poem extolling Krishna.<\/p>\n My heart has fallen in love with Kana<\/em> Another poem, published by Hazrat himself in Kulliyat-e-Hazrat,<\/em> reflects his desire to reside in Mathura.<\/p>\n Nazir Akbarabadi (1735-1830), a renowned Hindi poet, wrote a series of poems in praise of Sri Krishna. His famous poem Song of the Gypsies contains the refrain Sab thath para rah jaega jab lad chalega banjara:<\/em> “All your pomp will be of no avail when the gypsy caravan [of life] packs up for the journey.”<\/p>\n Nazir writes that Krishna, the Supreme Lord, has no prescribed work but performs childhood pastimes. And although He is everyone\u2019s father, He accepts a father and mother for pastimes. Here is a stanza of Nazir\u2019s poem from the Hindi book Mahakavi Nazir: <\/em><\/p>\n Kanhaiya ka balpan [Childhood Pastimes of Krishna]<\/em><\/p>\n Hear of the boyhood pastimes of the milk burglar<\/em> Although some poems of Sayyed Martuza, Nazir Akbarabadi, and Maulana Hazrat Mohani reflect sincere appreciation of Lord Krishna\u2019s persona, these authors wrote many poems on mundane matters, and unlike other poets I’ve mentioned, no evidence suggests they were practicing devotees of Lord Krishna for any significant length of time. Still, in their poems quoted here they do not seem to have violated Svarupa Damodara Goswami\u2019s gold standard for devotional poetry:<\/p>\n \u2018yadva-tadva\u2019 kavira vakye haya \u2018rasabhasa\u2019 <\/em> \u201cIn the writings of so-called poets there is generally a possibility of overlapping transcendental mellows. When the mellows thus go against the conclusive understanding, no one likes to hear such poetry.” (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya<\/em> 5.102)<\/p>\n One Muslim poet who became a practicing Vaishnava was Sayyed Ibrahim, better known as Rasa Khan, who lived in the sixteenth century. Attracted by Krishna, he moved to Vrindavan as a young man and spent the rest of his life there. He was initiated into the disciplic succession of Vallabhacharya. Rasa Khan wrote, \u201cWorship Govinda the way a village woman carries a water jug.\u201d His advice is worth heeding. It takes a great deal of concentration to carry a water jug on one’s head. Without being focused, a woman couldn’t carry the jug long distances. But with practice, the task becomes natural and effortless. Rasa Khan uses this metaphor to urge us to worship Govinda with an undeviated mind. Indeed, that is the perfection of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sayyed Martuza (1590-1662), a Muslim fakir born in the Murshidabad district of Bengal, wrote poems adoring Krishna. The style of his composition is simple and rhythmic. Here is his Bengali poem that was compiled in Pada-kalpa-taru by Satishchandra Raya in 1915: Timely Compassion Syama! O friend! My afflicted life is assuaged only by You I cannot forget that auspicious day when I happened to meet You As I beheld Your moonlike face, I was overcome by restlessness! The soul of this unfortunate girl aches; in twenty-four minutes it dies ten times! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21308"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63826,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21308\/revisions\/63826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\n\nThe Poetry of the Former Dabhir Khas<\/h3>\n
Islamic Poets and Krishna<\/h3>\n
A Glimpse at Muslim Devotion to Krishna<\/h3>\n
I cannot forget that auspicious day when I happened to meet You<\/em>
As I beheld Your moonlike face, I was overcome by restlessness!<\/em>
The soul of this unfortunate girl aches; in twenty-four minutes it dies ten times!<\/em>
O my life – Kanu! Shower Your mercy; provide me shelter at Your feet<\/em>
I have given up reputation and family tradition; I cannot live without You!<\/em>
Sayyed Martuza submits at Kanu\u2019s feet: please accept this request, O Hari!<\/em>
Relinquishing everything, may he remain at Your feet in this body and beyond.<\/em><\/p>\n
Untimely You play it; my heart refuses any reason<\/em>
When I am seated amongst the elders, You call out my name<\/em>
Playing on the flute, embarrassing me to no end<\/em>
As You play the flute from the other bank and I hear from here<\/em>
Unfortunate lass I am, for I know not how to swim across<\/em>
The grove whose bamboo makes the flute, be under my feet<\/em>
Let it be uprooted by storm and set afloat in the Yamuna<\/em>
Chand Kazi says, \u201cAs I listen to Your flute, I crumble down,<\/em>
I won\u2019t live; I won\u2019t live if I don\u2019t see my Hari.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n
Phitiba gati mukti dwara, Bhane Beg Uzir<\/em>
Mu murkha durachara, kebala nama matra sar<\/em><\/p>\n
Hun to Muglaani, Hindumani hi rahungi me<\/em><\/p>\n
Why would it think of anyone else now?<\/em>
I looked for Him in Gokula and Vrindavan, <\/em>
Let\u2019s now go to Varshana and see if He\u2019s there.<\/em>
Hazrat, give up for Him all that is yours,<\/em>
Then go to Mathura and become a renunciant.<\/em><\/p>\n
The boyhood of the resident of Mathura<\/em>
The boyhood of the moon-faced dancer<\/em>
The herdsman who roams from one forest to another <\/em>
Such is the boyhood of the flute-player<\/em>
How do I depict the boyhood of Krishna Kanhaiya?<\/em><\/p>\n
siddhanta-viruddha shunite na haya ullasa <\/em><\/p>\n![\"Hare](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-TST4vcMUe5E\/WzSK6bnN-TI\/AAAAAAAAlQw\/mvY6H0vioNU8se5g93a51PZg-2jUZtydQCHMYCw\/s0\/2018-06-28_09-11-55.jpg\")
By Damodara Nityananda Dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n