Dukh Mein Mat Ghabrana Panchi Lyrics English Translation

Dukh Mein Mat Ghabrana Panchi Ye Jag Dukh Ka Mela Hai, translates into English as, Do not be afraid of sadness (little) bird, this world is a gathering of sorrows... It is a song in the genera of Bhajans in the religion of Hinduism. It was sung by Anup Jalota, and found in the LP record Bhajan Teerth, volume 1, side 2, track 4. Some of the people involved in its development were Shekhar, Kalyan, and Prem Gupta. The lyrics were penned by Rajesh John Harishchandra, Chandreskhar Pandey, and Amin Sanngeet. It is a very meaningful song that describes the human condition, using a bird as an analogy. These exquisitely beautiful and subtle lyrics sung by the brilliant and amazingly gifted Anup Jalota bring a totally new dimension and perspective to the listener. It is accompanied with very basic classical instruments that augment the lyrics extremely well making the whole piece a complete work of art. It is a song loved by Krishna conscious people, and generally everyone around the world.

In the religious landscape of Hinduism, a bird (panchi) represents the soul. Just as a bird is trapped inside a cage, and spends its entire life inside it, our soul is trapped inside our bodies, and has to remain there until the end of the body comes. In these lyrics, there are some wonderful universal truths that are independent of any religion, national boundary, or culture. Hence, this song can apply to almost anyone in any part of the civilized world.

For everyone alive in this world, there is always a string of miseries and darkness (aanthkar) in store, and nobody is exempt from it, from The Queen in the richest country of the world, to the common man in the poorest part of the world. It is the nature of the human condition at this point in our evolution, and the very truth of our existence. This song explains not to be afraid of sorrow, and to keep flying, or walking forward. If you sit down for good, then you will not be able to fulfil your ambitions (abhilasha).

All the great names in this world that are immortalized (amar) had to endure (Jhella) the suffering (sankat) this existence brings, and they continued flying right to the end. Whilst the rewards may appear small, and we may never reach our goal in one lifetime, it is the effort of passing through the struggle that counts. Many great people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln endured the suffering to achieve greatness. The secret is to be a decent human being and just do the best you can, when you can, until your time comes.

A mela is a gathering of people with a common interest, and there are many different types of gatherings for different interests. This world is a mela too, therefore, celebrate the human diversity of this world, that there are so many of us, in different parts of the world. Whilst the world may seem crowded, and occasionally conflicts occur due to ignorance, it would also be a very lonely place to be flying alone.

Nothing is really free in this universe, and there is always a cost. The cost of attaining heaven (gaggan) is to keep flying even in adversity and difficulty. One day, I will not be here, but my message to all you little birds is to keep those little wings flapping. Keep your knees high and keep running. :-)

Meaning and Context

For the most part, the meaning of the words is straightforward. In some places the meaning is complicated to approximate unless we place it into the correct context that translates well. At the very best I have tried to approximate it to the closest English words.

Mela approximates to union, meeting, or gathering

Bheed approximates to crowd, or a swarm of birds in this context

Ambar, akaash, sky

Gaggan, heaven

Jag, world

Abhilasha, desires, ambitions, wishes

Sankat, dukh in Gujarati, suffering, misery, difficulty

Jhella, in Guajarati it is sahan, endured

Ghella, mad, foolish, senseless, lacking intelligence

Amar, immortal, never forgotten

Hasmat, flippant, frivolous, foolish, not paying attention, not taking things seriously

Lobh, greedy, stingy, ungenerous

Berd, strong

Aanthkar, darkness

Bada, big, large, however in this context I approximate it to "very" for simplicity

Komal, delicate, soft

English Translation

Dukh mein mat ghabrana panchi, ye jag dukh ka mela hai,

Do not be afraid of sadness (little) bird, this world is a gathering of sorrows,

chahai bheed bahut ambar per, udna tujhe akela hai.

otherwise, without a very crowded sky, you would have to fly alone.

Nanne komal pankh hai tere, aur gaggan ke yeh doori,

Your wings are small and delicate, and heaven is very far,

baith gaya to ho gi mun ki, kaisa abhilasha poori?

if you sit down, then how will you fulfil your hearts ambitions?

Us ka naam amar hai jag mein, jis-ne sankat jhella hai.

Those whose names are immortal in this world, they had to endure the suffering (too).

Chatur shekari ne rakha hai, jaal becha ker pug pug per,

Clever hunters have laid net traps at (our) every step,

hasmat jana bhool se pagle, pachtaie ga jeevan bher.

foolish thinkers step in by mistake, (and) then regret all their lives.

Lobhi ke, daan mai maat paad na, bada samaj ka ghella hai.

The greedy say, do not fall into charity-work, (are) very mad in their understanding.

Jab tak sooraj asman per, berd ta chal, tuu chaal ta chal,

As long as the sun in the sky keeps burning strong, you keep walking,

gir jayenga aanthkar jab, bada kathin ho go pal pal,

(because) when the darkness falls, every second will become very hard,

kisse pata ke, ud chal ne ka, aaja ka kab mela hai.

(and) who knows, whilst you are flying, when the next gathering may come.

These are such wonderful lyrics that they even translate to English well. If you were to read just the English lines, then you will be amazed that it is almost poetry.