Patta Bola Vriksh Sey | Sant Kabir's Hindi Bhajan

Patta bola Vriksh sey: 'Suno Vriksh vana raeh. ab ka pat jadah na miley, dur pad de jaaye.' Vriksh bola Patta sey: 'Suno Patte meri bhai, yeh hi jagat ki reet hai Ik aaye ik jaaye.' Saas saas mey Naam ley, bache saas na koyeh, kyaa jaane phir saas ka, Aawan hoi na hoye! Aisa baani boliye man ka paak hoye apna tan sheetal kare auron ko sukh dey. Dukh me sumiran sab kare, Sukh me kare na koi. Jo sukh me sumiran kare Dukh kaahe ko howay!

A leaf says to a tree: 'Listen O tree of the forest, when your leaves wither away you will be done in and forgotten.' The tree says to the leaf: 'heed my words, dear brother o' mine, It is forever the way of this world - one comes while another goes. In every breath remember the Divine Name, lest any breath escape wasted, who knows whether another breath will arrive or not! Always say such words, that will sanctify your heart, tranquil your entire being and emanate peace and joy to others. Everyone dwells on grief and unhappiness, But none meditates on joy and blessedness. Those who meditate on beatitude, For them goes away any pain or grief!'

~ Patta Bola Vriksh Say (Thus Spoke a Leaf to a Tree), original Vani by Sant Kabir, 

translated from Hindi to English by Uma Subbaranam and Sadiq M. Alam ~

painting credit

'Patta Bola Vriksh Se' is a Hindi Bhajan or Devotional song by medieval mystic poet Kabir. Kabir, may Allah be pleased with him, was a mystical poet and an ecstatic God realized being, who according to tradition was a weaver in profession and lived a very simple life, yet his words and poetry were full of divine beauty, awe and grace - so much so that his words are part of sacred scripture of Shikh religion as well as Sufi songs. Kabir is a living testimony of the truth that in order to receive God's grace and to be carrier in the hearts of humanity for generations after generations, one doesn't need material wealth or temporal fame but needs immense faith and devotion to God through which God ennoble His faithful servants and adorn them with clothes of immortality in the hearts of humanity, for Immortality or Ever Livingness (al-Hayy) is a quality of God alone.

The song is featured in the album titled Unforgettable Sufis by soulful artist Ustad Shujaat Husain Khan. Some of the tracks from this album is available on Youtube. You may listen to them here.

I'm grateful to Uma Subbaraman for helping with the transliteration from original Hindi and translation to English. God bless for her contribution.

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