| The sequence of the
whole song is: The children start:
"hukus bukus telli wann che kus
onum batta lodum deag,
shaal kich kich waangano,
Brahmi charas puane chhokum,
Brahmish batanye tekhis tyakha."
The Teacher corrects:
"Itkayne ne Itkayne
Tse Kus Be Kus Teli Wan su Kus
Moh Batuk Logum Deg
Shwas Khich Khich Wang-mayam
Bhruman daras Poyun chokum
Tekis Takya bane Tyuk"
The broader meaning is below:
Tse Kus Be Kus Teli Wan su Kus
Who are you and who am I then tell us who is he the creator that
permeates through both you and I
Moh Batuk Logum Deg
Each day I feed my senses/body with the food of worldly attachment
and material love (Moh = attachment)
Shwas Khich Khich Wang-mayam
For when the breath that I take in reaches the point of complete
purification (Shwas = Breath)
Bhruman daras Poyun chokum
It feels like my mind is bathing in the water of divine love (Bhruman
= nerve center in the human brain, poyun = water)
Tekis Takya bane Tyuk
Then I know I am like that sandal wood which is pasted for divine
fragrance symbolic of universal divinity. I realize that I am,
indeed, divine (Tyuk = Tika applied on the forehead)
The message of this poem is rooted in Kashmiri spiritual
tradition. The poem itself is ageless. Some say it came up during
Lal Ded's time, other's say it dates back to the origin of Kashmir
and Kashmiri culture itself. The poem, in later years, was made a
song for children. For years it served as a poetic medium to
pass down the essence of Kashmiri culture to little ones.
It is said that the tones produced by the arrangement of words in
this poem as well as its rhythm has a calming effect for infants
and toddlers of all times. |
