naheen jaantaa kaun, manuj
आया बनकर पीनेवाला,
aayaa bankar peenewaalaa,
कौन अपरिचित उस साकी se
kaun aparichit us saakee se,
जिसने दूध पिला पाला;
jisne doodh pilaa paalaa;
जीवन पाकर मानव peekar
jeewan paakar manav peekar
मस्त रहे, इस कारण ही
mast rahe, is kaaran hee
जग में आकर सबसे पहले
jag me aakar sabse pehle
पाई उसने मधुशाला
payee usne madhushaalaa
There is a small scope for misunderstanding this verse, so I translate it:
"Who doesn't know that man came into this world as the drinker?
Who is unfamiliar with that bar-girl who nurtured us with her milk?
To get life, to drink mankind and stay ecstatically happy is man's nature;
That's why, as soon as he came into this world, he got the madhushala".
This, in my mind, is one of the most beautiful verses in the madhushala. Bachchan demonstrates in one verse that our fundamental nature is that of the drinker at this tavern called "life". We don't have to look far for the evidence: it stares us in the face.
We come to this world, and our very first earthly experience is that loving "bar-girl" who feeds and nurtures us. At every turn, we are given the opportunity to be grateful for life and for the bounty that it offers us.
What a wonderful thing our life is, what a wonderful thing we have at our disposal!!
Bachchan has written this verse beautifully; it brings tears to our eyes. Tears of gratitude and joy.
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