Dev Anand, Mohammed Rafi in "Mein Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya"

June 18, 2012

Click on this video, sit back and enjoy this Mohammed Rafi classic.

For lovers of old Hindi movies, this song from Hum Dono is a classic. The lyrics for this song are sourced here.

मैं ज़िंदगी का साथ निभाता चला गया
हर फ़िक्र को धुँएं में उड़ाता चला गया

बरबादियों का सोग़ मनाना फ़िज़ूल था - २
बरबादियों का जश्न मनाता चला गया
मैं ज़िंदगी...

जो मिल गया उसी को मुक़द्दर समझ लिया - २
जो खो गया मैं उसको भुलाता चला गया
मैं ज़िंदगी...

ग़म और खुशी में फ़र्क न महसूस हो जहाँ - २
मैं दिल को उस मुक़ाम पे लाता चला गया
मैं ज़िंदगी...

My free verse translation is as below
Enjoying Life, I sauntered along
All my worries, I just blew them away

So what if I failed, no time to regret
Got a kick out of failures, didn’t waste any time
Enjoying Life, I sauntered along...

The gifts of fate, I took in stride
Whatever I lost, just left them behind...
Enjoying Life, I sauntered along

Towards the state, beyond joy, beyond sorrow
Didn’t pause at all, just kept moving ahead
Enjoying life, I sauntered along

There are several verses in the Bhagavad Geeta which reference samatvam, equanimity (समत्वम्). The ones that I believe are closest to these soulful lyrics by the inimitable Mohammed Rafi with Dev Anand just gallivanting along... brings a song to anyone's heart.

यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः |
समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते ||४-२२||
yadR^ichchhaalaabhasantushhTo dvandvaatiito vimatsaraH .
samaH siddhaavasiddhau cha kR^itvaapi na nibadhyate .. 4-22
Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs-of-opposites and envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting he is not bound.

नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु ||१३-१०||
nitya.n cha samachittatvamishhTaanishhTopapattishhu 13-10
Constant even-mindedness on the attainment of the desirable or the undesirable.

Very equably, I ask... what do you think of my free verse translation? Go ahead and give it your best shot in the comments column.

For my previous posts on Gita in Bollywood, click here.

Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

PS: My thanks to my niece Rutvi for bringing this to my attention...

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Geeta in Literature - IF by Rudyard Kipling

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Everyday Geeta

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