Mayabono Biharini - a bond of seperation - Brilliance of Tagore

Mayabono Biharini Horini

          Another drop of pure brilliance from Gurudevs ocean of thoughts. The song/poem is as lyrically strong as it is musically sweet on the ears. This is one of those poems which appears seemingly simple but when you get deep, deep, it gets deeper and deeper. The song was recently covered in a Bengali movie called 'Bedroom' and has been brilliantly sung by Somlata Acharya Chowdhury

Maya bono biharini horini
Gohono sopono soncharini -
Keno tare dhoribare kori pon?
Okaron?

Thak thak nijo mone dure te.
Ami shudhu banshuriro sure te -
Porosho koribo or prano-mon,
Okaron

Chomokibe phagunero pobone
Poshibe akash bani shrobone.
Chitto akul hobe anukhon,
Okaron

Dur hote ami tare saadhibo
Gopone biroho dore bandhibo
Bandhono bihono sei - je badhon,
Okaron

Literal meaning of the song

The deer roams freely in the illusive, enchanted forest
 It roams within my deepest dreams
 Why do I pledge to imprison it
 without any rhyme or reason

Let it be by itself

I, with the melody of my flute

will serve her my life, my soul

without a reason

She will shine in the spring wind

Nurtured by the sounds of the skies

Her soul will get restless

without a reason

I will offer her my distance

secretly tie her in the bond of separation

I tie which isn't a tie

without a reason

This is my deduction of the song.
          Gurudev , like in some of his other poems, places the simple, shy and effortlessly beautiful deer as an analogy for beautifully vulnerable things. As humans, we thrive for all the beautiful pleasures of the world. The moment we see a beautiful object, we tend to run after it. Only after its possession, do we breathe a sigh of relief, else it lingers in our minds and we envy, strive, vie, cry, fight for it.
        
         It makes us restless. Whether it is a beautiful girl we fell in love with, or that stylish car we always longed for, we cannot find peace till it becomes ours. Even on holidays or when at a scenic location, there are very few moments when we actually relax, sit down and just take in the beauty of the scenery. We get busy in imposing ourselves on the scenery, getting our photos clicked or capturing it in our cameras.
          What is captured stays for further retrieval and reference and for reliving the moments but what remains in that mind, the first glimpse, the awe inspiring moment, the strange feeling, a shallow mild pain in the heart is what makes the moment; the scenery different from million others and is much much more valuable.
          We don't always need to be in the picture. Some things are better left the way they are, especially nature and it is better to be a mere observer and breathe in the freshness by just observing, no need to plunge in.
          Leave the quest for conquering. Let it be! Conquering isn't always achieving, most of the times it is losing, and what remains with you is a soul in bondage. You may impose, get it to do what it wants, but you will never win, because deep down it has never become yours.
          Let nature and what God created be by itself. Don't make the useless effort of trying to capture it or put boundaries to it or beautify it. The simplicity and the beauty might get lost. Just feel and enjoy it though your eyes, your touch. Keep the beauty alive by singing praises for nature, for the Lord who created it, who let us get a glimpse of it; always be in awe and never take it for granted. Give it your mind and soul. Only then will the creation of God be truly yours and you will feel oneness with him, you will feel utopia!
          There are times you will feel restless on seeing this beauty. You may have a lot to say, to express and your soul will become restless without reason. It's trying times like these, when you need to promise yourself "I will not give in, I will offer my separation, I will be at peace with this separation. This reclusive separation itself will be the bond that i tie with the Giver, with the Creator. In this separation will I get nearer to him."

          The song, according to me signifies the importance of nurturing the value of separation and letting things be, because once conquered, the value is lost or diminishes over time as we move to a new conquest. Unconquered, it lingers in our minds for a longer time and the value remains.