Wo Kala Ek Bansuri Wala English Translation

Wo Kala Ek Bansuri Wala, loosely translates as, That Dark One with the Flute. It is a Hindi song, in the genera of Bhajans, in the religion of Hinduism. Kala (dark or black) refers to the colour of Krishna’s skin. In the Hindu/Eastern mythology, black is a positive symbol of great power and strength. One should not confuse this with Western attitudes towards this colour. Many texts also refer to him as shyam-sundar, which closely approximates to dusky-beauty. Additionally, in the evening (shyam), he had a slight tint or glow of blue around him, whilst during day he appeared darker. Bansuri is a flute, and bansuri-wala approximates to the one with the flute. The best version of this song is by Anup Jalota, who sings it with expert skill. Just like the bansuri-wala, his singing gift conveys great feeling, and he endows the lyrics with a soul that will leave you mesmeriesd.

My impression of this song is that a milkmaid (gopi) very likely sang it, and she might very well have been Radha, that Krishna eventually marries. Imagine a small village, where Krishna as a cow herder, would have taken the cows to pasture. It would have involved walking under the hot sun, whilst playing the flute, keeping the cows calm. Walking around all day under the hot sun usually has the effect of making ones skin dark or black (kala). His other distinctive feature was that he was extremely adept playing the flute, and consequently, anyone who heard him was instantly mesmerised in a trance-like state, losing all consciousness (sudh bisera). Therefore, the gopis usually referred to him as the dark one with the flute. The back-story to this song is that a gopi (milkmaid) was at the riverbank collecting water in a clay pot. Krishna was walking past with his cows playing the flute as he usually did. When he saw a snake in the river, and that the gopi was in danger, he pulled her arm out of the water, thereby twisting it in the process. The clay pot also broke in the process, and when she saw it was Krishna, she fell at his feet requesting to go with him. However, he said nothing, and silently went away like an arrow.

Krishna had gained a reputation amongst the milkmaids as a butter-thief (makhan-chor) because he used to take and eat the butter without their permission. Even though he was the son of a King (Nand-Raja), and could have as much butter as he wanted, his mischievousness always landed him into trouble.

Ek taan suuna ke approximates to listening to one tune, but in this context it means engrossed in his thoughts. Therefore, he walked on, engrossed in his own thoughts. I have tried to keep the order of the words the same in the translation, even though it comes out back to front in some places, because precision is more important. This song is loaded with nuanced terms and meanings that have long back-stories. If you were versed in the classical stories, then you would know instantly. Here are some basic words and concepts that will help you understand the song.

Meaning and Context

Nand refers Krishna’s Father Nand-Raja.

Bineti (in Hindi), vinanti (in Gujarati), is a humble polite request.

Sudh (in Hindi), or Bhaan (in Gujarati), approximates to consciousness or awareness.

Paiya (in Hindi), or pug (in Gujarati) means feet.

Sudh Bisera Gaya approximates to all consciousness or faculties gone.

Baiyan is the arm.

Marodi means twisted.

Kishor is another name for Krishna, a name traditionally reserved for little boys. When any text refers to Krishna as Kishor, it usually means Krishna when he was a young child.

Matki is a small water-pot made of clay, since clay approximates as mati.

Baan is an arrow.

Gokul is a village where Krishna was born

Mathura is the village where Krishna grew up

Nagariya approximates to cities or districts, for example, Jam-nagar.

English Translation

Woh kala ek, bansuri wala...

That dark one, with the flute...

sudh bisera, gaaya, mori re

took all consciousness, of mine

Makhan-chor, jo, Nand Kishor, ho

Butter-thief, though, Nand’s little boy, he was

Kar gayo, man ki, chori re

Left, and stole my heart

Panghat pe, mori baiyan, marodi

On the riverbank, my arm, (he) twisted

(On the riverbank, he twisted my arm)

Main boli to, meri matki thodi

When I spoke, my water-pot broke (because of him)

Paiya paaru, kaaru bineti main, per...

Falling at his feet, I requested/pleaded, but...

maane na ek wo, mori re.

(he) would not obey (even) one of my (requests).

Choop gayo phir, ek taan suuna ke...

Silently (he) left again, listening to his own thoughts...

(He left as silently as he came, engrossed in his thoughts)

kaha gayo, ek baan chalaa ke.

where did he go, (so fast) like an arrow.

Gokul dhoodha maina, Mathura dhoodhi

I searched (for him in) Gokul, (I) searched (for him in) Mathura

koi nagariya, na chodi re

(I) did not leave (out) any districts (in my search)

These are beautiful lyrics, and even when you read just the lines in English, it is a poem in its own right, as truth is universal, and makes sense in any language.