Composed by Sri Sri Sankardev
Masters are they who reveal Hari Chant His name recall His glory I remain a slave to them Pandits merely recite sastras, devotees absorb the essence Lotuses open up nectar, bees suck in the substance He who has devotion attains salvation; devotees know this tenet Like jewelers who admire the value of a jade or a garnet Says Sankara, slave of Krishna, lie at Govinda’s feet The sants are they, the praised ones, who chant Hari’s feat
Translated by Nirendra Nath Thakuria
Sri Sri Sankardev (1449-1568) was a 15-16th Century Indian Saint-Scholar, social and religious reformer, poet, playwright and musician of Assam. Borgeet or Songs Celestial is a tradition of raga and tala based Assamese song developed by Sri Sri Sankardev and Sri Sri Madhavdev, another Indian Saint-Scholar, poet of Assam.
Nirendra Nath Thakuria, retired Associate Professor of English, is a translator.
This appears to me to be a very good translation of the devotional song, suffused with the spirit of pure devotion that is present in the original. There’s a great economy of expression on the part of the translator. Like the intelligent devotee referred to in the text, he also, it seems, has managed to garner the substance!
Also, the lucidity of the original seeps into the translation. The writer’s careful choice of (simple) words has taken care of that; and the result, overall, is very sublime. 👍