EE7.5 - Two Folk Songs – Bhát́iyáli and Bháoyáiyá

Two Folk Songs – Bhát́iyáli and Bháoyáiyá – Excerpt A

Published in:
Saḿgiita: Song, Dance and Instrumental Music [a compilation]

Notes:

from “Yatamána – The Stage of Perseverance”
Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 10

this version: is the printed Saḿgiita: Song, Dance and Instrumental Music, 1st edition, version (obvious spelling, punctuation and typographical mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

Online additional information

When a boat is rowed downstream, how do you express it in Bengali? It is said – váṋt́ite cáláno hocche naoká [“the boat is being propelled in down stream”]. There is no need of any effort at that time. If the sail is set, the boat moves smoothly. Since [in bhát́i, downstream movement] there is no need to toil, the song which is sung at that time is called bhát́iyáli. Since there is no labour involved here, the boat is being propelled by the wind. The boat is racing along with the sail unfurled. Since one has more leisure, one has at least five minutes to prolong the sound while singing bandhure [“Oh! My friend …”] in an elongated style. But when the boat is moving upstream, one has to struggle against the tide. Then one has to utter a battling sound like hṋei…. hṋei… [“pull… pull…”] while struggling against the current. It is strenuous exercise for the oarsman as well as for the boatman. Under such circumstances, there is not enough leisure to sing bandhure… in a prolonged style.

Káiye dhán kháilore
   Khedáner mánuś nái
Kháivár beláy áche mánuś
   Kámer beláye nái.
   Kámer mánuś nái.

[Look, the crow eats up the paddy,
There is no one to scare it away;
Most men only eat, do not work,
People of action are indeed scarce.]

While pronouncing this, one has to give stress. Every syllable is accented.⁽¹⁾

There are different expressions in human existence. What do these expressions signify? Some are concerned with existence, livelihood, life and death, and some others pertain to the domain of nandana vijiṋána. Nandana vijiṋána – “aesthetic science” in English – is the science which has for its basis the joy derived from the expressions of the mind at different stages or from the various ways in which the mind becomes concentrated in its different expressions.

The influence of the environment on various expressions of aesthetic science can hardly be denied. Although they are basically psychic in nature, the definite influence of the environment can never be disputed, because a certain environment, a certain ambience, leads the mind to a certain state. The songs which you like singing in the blinding darkness, the kind of thoughts that come to your mind, the kind of sadhana you yearn to pursue, are not what they would be on a moonlit night. For that is an altogether different environment.⁽²⁾

Environment has a tremendous impact on every human expression. The gigantic River Padma is racing ahead. Neither side of it can be seen. One is overtaken by the feeling that the unfamiliar environment surrounding me is verily my friend. Because there is no other friend around. There is no one else by my side. Then whom do I find as my friend? Yes, I find the unknown environment to be my only friend. Hence, addressing this unknown environment, I sing out bandhure … [“Oh! My friend”], prolonging, in particular, the re [“oh”] sound so that this elongated re sound, while floating along with the sonic vibrations of nature, merges with the Unknown Friend. This is the speciality of bhát́iyáli songs. And what is the speciality of bháoyáiyá [the song which is sung when the boat is moving upstream]? The characteristic of bháoyáiyá is that it will propel human’s working power, working will and working zeal, towards a known environment and not towards the Unknown Friend. I am toiling hard to move towards my own home. The bháoyáiyá of Bengal is based on this.

Human progress can take place in the material world or in aesthetic science. What is the speciality of this aesthetic science? When does aesthetic science become sweet and fascinating? It becomes so when internal psychic expressions move towards the supra-sensuous. It becomes crude in the absence of the supra-sensuous. But when there is dominance of the supra-sensuous, it establishes human beings in intuitive ideation (prajiṋábháva). When we cultivate a particular part or aspect of the science of music or aesthetic science, it is to be remembered that aesthetic science will have to be based on mysticism. What is mysticism? Mysticism is the never-ending endeavour to find out a link between the finite and the Infinite. I do not find any proper synonym in Bengali. I call it mystikváda. Some call it rahasyaváda. But it is not logically sound.

Humanity, in its all-out quest for this aesthetic science, attained spirituality. One must acknowledge this. Herein lies the excellence of aesthetic science. For this reason, I have given my whole-hearted and explicit support for nandana vijiṋána. You know that there are certain religions which do not encourage aesthetic pursuits. You will notice that in those religions inertia, inferiority complexes and a sense of violence are predominant.

(1) [[Some Bengali poetry and commentary on the poetry omitted here. –Trans.]]