Wednesday, January 22, 2020

भर्तासि त्वमहं भार्या You are husband, I am wife

This is the Sanskrit translation of one of the beautiful short devotional poems (called ugaabhoga) composed by Achalananda Vithala in Kannada language. The love and affinity towards god expressed in this poem is typical of the "daasa" or "bhakti" movement that was in its peak during the 16th-18th century CE.

पुण्यार्धं लभते भार्या यदस्ति भर्तुरार्जितम् ।
भर्ता नार्हो भार्यापुण्यं पापं भुङ्क्ते स्वभार्यजम् ।।
स्वकृतञ्चापि सर्वस्वं भार्या न पापभागिनी ।
भर्तासि त्वमहं भार्या हे कृष्ण पापनाशन ।।

पदच्छेदः
पुण्यार्धं लभते भार्या यत् अस्ति भर्तुः आर्जितम् |
भर्ता न अर्हः भार्यापुण्यं पापं भुङ्क्ते स्वभार्यजम् ।।
स्वकृतं च अपि सर्वस्वं भार्या न पापभागिनी ।
भर्ता असि त्वम् अहं भार्या हे कृष्ण पापनाशन ।।

Meaning
Wife gets half the share of the virtuous deeds of her husband. But the husband does not get any share in the virtuous deeds of his wife. But he gets the sins of his wife as well as sins of his own. Wife does not get sins of husband. O Krishna, destroyer of sins, you are my husband, I am your wife!

This is the original Kannada composition:
ಗಂಡ ಮಾಡಿದ ಪುಣ್ಯ ಹೆಂಡತಿಗೆ ಸಮಪಾಲು
ಹೆಂಡತಿ ಮಾಡಿದ ಪುಣ್ಯ ಗಂಡನಿಗಿಲ್ಲ ।
ಗಂಡ ಮಾಡಿದ ಪಾಪ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯದಲ್ಲಾ
ಹೆಂಡತಿ ಮಾಡಿದ ಪಾಪ ಗಂಡನಿಗೆ ।
ತೊಂಡರಕ್ಷಕ ಅಚಲಾನಂದ ವಿಠಲಾ ನೀ ಗಂಡ ನಾ ಹೆಂಡತಿ ।।

3 comments:

  1. Very beautiful Lyrics with deeper meaning

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  2. what is the significance of wife getting merits while husband sharing wife's papa?

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    Replies
    1. I don't know whether there is any support in Shastra or if it literally happens like that. However, IMO such statements are to be taken in the spirit of 1) devotion - complete surrender to god who instigates our minds towards any karma. 2) and also in the meaning that a group leader is responsible for group's doings - in this case it is family head responsible for family's doings. Similarly king/ruler responsible for country's doings.

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