કીર્તન મુક્તાવલી
Translation
(1) Sangat tene shu kare jaīne kubuddhimā dhare kān
This kirtan by Pritamdas cautions one about the effects of bad company through various examples. Even if one has the association of good company, if one still has contact with bad company, they do not acquire any great virtues.
Sangat tene shu kare, jaīne kubuddhimā dhare kān... ṭek
What can company do when one lends an ear to those with a malicious intellect?
Marī kapūr beu bhegā rahetā re, nirantar karī ek vās;
Mari (black pepper) and kapur (camphor) are placed together.
Toy tīkhāsh enī na ṭaḷī re, enī kubuddhimā nāvyo barās... 1
Black pepper does not give up its spicy (hot) taste. It did not acquire the fragrance of camphor.
Chandan bheḷo vīnṭīne re’to re, rāt divas bhoyang;
A snake twists itself around a chandan tree all day and night.
Toy kanṭhethī viṣh na gayu re, ene na āvī shītaḷatā ang... 2
Even so, the snake’s venom did not leave its throat. It did not acquire the soothness of the chandan tree. (A poisonous snake twists itself around the trunk of a chandan tree. However, it keeps its head away from the tree. A person who has close physical contact with good company (i.e. the Satpurush), yet he does not associate with him through mind, speech, and body.)
Rāṇī ne dāsī bhegā rahetā re, jamatā nitya karī prīt;
A queen and her servant live together and eat together.
Toy shāṇī samajī nahi re, ene na āvī rājkuḷnī rīt... 3
Yet, the servant did not understand nor acquire the ways of royalty.
Moṭo khar ek bāndhiyo re, rājtaṇī ghoḍshāḷ;
A big donkey was kept in a royal stable.
Bolī ṭholī to badalī nahi re, chandī khāto’to hārohār... 4
Yet, it did not give up its heehawing and kicking habits, even though it ate grams with the horses. (A donkey can be given the same treatment as a horse, but the donkey remains a donkey.)
Dādur raheto taḷāvmā re, nitya kamaḷ supās;
A frog lives in a lake where the lotuses are nearby.
Kalbal karato kīchmā re, ene na āvī kamaḷnī suvās... 5
Yet, the frog croaks in the mud. It does not smell the fragrance of the lotuses.
Paththar raheto pāṇīmā re, ūnḍo karīne nivās;
A rock resides at the bottom of the lake (surrounded by water).
Prītam kahe ṭānkaṇe taṇakhā zare re, ene na lāgyo pāṇīno pāsh... 6
Pritamdas says, “The rock (when taken out of the lake) still produces sparks (when struck together). It was not affected by the water.”
