श्वानयुक्त श्रीखंड

हाटकेश्वर उत्सव में छाया था उत्साह चारो ओर जी,
वशेक के तेडे करने निकले थे सारे गोरजी l
वशेक था देहरे पर,
‘रणछोडजी’ थे पहरे पर l
भोजनशाला में बना था बड़ा स्वादिष्ठ नवेद जी,
भरा था तपेले में श्रीखंड, मीठा और सफ़ेद जी l
न जाने अचानक आ गया एक श्वान,
बन के बिन बुलाया मेहमान l
'अनंग' की तरह से लिया लंबा रन अप,
‘पाला’ समझ लगाई श्रीखंड मे जम्प l
देख कर यह नज़ारा ‘मानेकजी’ के उखड़े प्राण जी,
मचा हड़कंप, जैसे आया तूफ़ान जी l
आया ‘बंसी’, बोला, अब मै क्या खाऊँगा !
एक हफ्ते से डाइट प्लान पर हूँ !!
सोचा था श्रीखंड कटोरी खूब दबाऊंगा l
कुत्ते को निकाला, नहलाया,
खूब 'धोया' l
दे डाला उसे श्राप जी,
नही पचेगा तुझे ये श्रीखंड, हो जाएगा हैरान जी,
‘रुचिर’ की भी दवा आयेगी न तेरे काम जी l
कुत्ता बोला, माँ अन्नपुर्णा का है आशीर्वाद आप पर, भोजन खूब बनाते हो,
दुनिया में है कितने भूखे, ये कैसे भूल जाते हो l
मैंने जो ले लिया श्रीखंड में स्नान, तो क्यों चिल्लाते हो जी,
अपना बचा खुचा, सुबह दोपहर शाम, रोज मुझे ही खिलाते हो जी l
‘High Diabetese’ का मरीज़ हूँ, लेकिन,
खुश हूँ श्रीखंड की लालच ने बचा लिया,
क्या होता मेरा जो दाल में होता नहा लिया l
हाटकेश्वर बाबा के इस प्रसाद पर तो लिखा था मेरा नाम जी,
कुत्ता हुआ तो क्या हुआ, मै नागरवारा का निवासी, मै भी हूँ यजमान जी l
श्रीखंड को किया विसर्जित, अब प्रश्न खड़ा महान जी,
तब अन्नपुर्णा के सपूतो को आया 'दान्पुरवाला' का ध्यान जी l
'दान्पुरवाला' बना देव दूत,
दिया भक्तों को जीवनदान जी l
क्या 'गुरु' क्या 'किरीट', क्या ‘हेमंत’, क्या ‘गंगा’, क्या ‘गोल्डी’,
सबने जम के किया श्रीखंड का रसपान जी l
केसर युक्त श्रीखंड खाया, न खाया श्वानयुक्त पकवान जी,
पाया महाप्रसाद, आई तृप्ति, आई जान में जान जी l
भगवन, अगले जनम में फिर नागर दीजो बनाय,
न हो, कम से कम, एसो कुतरो जरूर दीजो बनाय l
आज भी वह कुत्ता गाथा अपनी गाता है,
नागरवारा में जाओ, अपने मित्रों को बताता है l
जहाँ नित नए पकवान बनाते जी,
मंदी आए या INFLATION, जशन रोज मनाते जी l
अच्छे हो या दिन बुरे, ज़िन्दगी रोज सजायेगा,
कहत ‘रोहित कविराय’,
कुत्ता गिरे या SENSEX, नागर तो वशेक खायेगा l
नागर तो वशेक खायेगा, नागर तो वशेक खायेगा lI

Narsinh Mehta

Narsinh Mehta is regarded as one of the best Saint Poets of India. He was born in a Nagar family in Vadnagar in Gujarat. However, the family was not very well to do. When Narsinh was a child, he lost both his parents and had to be dependent on his brother and bhabhi. Even in his childhood, Narsinh was deeply emersed in devotion of Lord Krishna and was totally oblivious of the hardships faced by the family due to poverty. His bhabhi used to taunt him a lot and fed up by the taunts, Narsinh left home and started living in a nearby jungle.

Importance of Nagar Sanskar- Contd

Ø Now comes the biggest regrets of my life. After taking bath, my father performs Sandhya puja, everyday!!! Unfortunately, I could never learn Sandhya Puja. I am sure that most of the people of my generation do not perform sandhya puja. Probably I was too young at the time of my Yagyopavit Sanskar to understand the importance of the rituals. I have now realised that Sandhya puja not only involves prayers to god but also involves some very important yogic aasanas and kriyas. People influenced in western culture are now returning to spiritualism and studying Vedas and yoga and unfortunately we fail to understand the importance of Sandhya puja where these basics of healthy living are naturally incorporated. Some where I have read about the importance of yagyopavit sanskar(it is also called upanayan sanskar) which I may narrate here. It is said that a Brahmin child should get consecrated with the sacred thread in his eighth year. Once upanayan sanskar has been performed a person should get up early every day and in the morning, after having a bath, he should do 'Pranayam' and chant the sacred Gayatri mantra facing east. In the evening he should chant Gayatri mantra facing south. In olden days after this the ritual of 'Bhikshatan' is performed whereby he seeks alms and donates everything that he gets to his Guru as a mark of respect to him. This particular ritual is symbolic and emphasizes the absolute necessity of subduing one's ego before acquiring knowledge from his Guru. A celibate is supposed to wear nothing but a Deer skin and a waist band made of long reeds on his person with a sacred thread hanging across his shoulder and carry a stick in his hand. The celibate whose Upanayan sanskar has been performed should stay at his Guru's hermitage till he completes his education. It is also his duty to collect food grains from the neighbourhood to meet the food requirement of all the people living in the hermitage. A Brahmin celibate should chant 'Bhavati bhiksham dehi' while seeking alms whereas a Kshatriya celibate should chant the same mantra with a slight modification ' Bhiksham bhavati dehi'. Similarly, a Vaishya celibate should chant 'Bhiksham dehi bhavati' while seeking alms.
Ø Putting on a white dhoti, and carrying a stick and going around seeking alms and chanting ‘Bhavati Bhiksham Dehi” are all performed at the time of upanayan sanskar, even today. Though we may not understand the meaning and necessity of these rituals but in simpler terms, I feel upanayan sanskar teaches us the basics of yoga, discipline in life, cleanliness and respect to our elders and teachers while also praying to God. The subduing of ones ego it also one of the major purposes of performing these rituals. Unfortunately, these basic values have been lost in the kind of rituals we are performing now a days where unnecessarily high expenditure and show of wealth and strength has replaced the religious fervour of the ritual. For the child whose upanayan sanskar is being performed, the occasion becomes just an occasion for getting new cloths and gifts from parents, relatives and friends.