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Jayendrabhai and Madhuben requested a special poem to celebrate the centenary of their grand-mother, Dahi Ma. My main brief was to be ‘brief’. Having written a poem on Ba only 2 years ago, it was difficult to summarise her life again in another poem. I decided to celebrate her life in a different way by writing a poem in 100 letters. At the family's request, I wrote two poems - one in Sanskrit and one in Gujarati.
At her birthday function in Feb 2015, the great-grand-children recited the Gujarati poem and I was requested to recite the Sanskrit poem.
Here is a short explanation of the poem I recited and translated on the memorable occasion.
शत शरदं, शत आयुषं, शत सुदरं II
In India, we celebrate six seasons, spring, summer, monsoon, harvest, autumn and
winter.
આપણે
ત્યાં
છ
ઋતુઓ
છે,
વસંત,
ગ્રીષ્મ,
વર્ષા,
શરદ,
હેમંત,
શિશિર. Of the six seasons, harvest season,
શરદઋતુ,
is considered the most beautiful.
This is because in the harvest season we reap 100 times more than what you have
sowed. For this reason,
શરદઋતુ
is even more precious than spring.
Like the fall colours, the tapestry of Dahi Ma’s life is rich in colour and
beauty. Dahi Ma has seen 100 such
harvests
Sata SardM.
In celebrating your 100 years,
Sata AayauYaM,
we are celebrating 100s of beautiful things,
Sata sauMdrM,
in your life.
शत सहस्त्र सानुभव मेरु सुअचलं I
Dahi Ma, in these 100 years, you have had a 100,000 different experiences,
शत
सहस्त्र
सानुभव.
As a result of these experiences, Dahi Ma is as firm as the sacred mountain Meru
मेरु
सुअचलं. In Jain cosmology, Mount Meru is at
the center of the universe.
As our mother, grandmother, great grandmother, Dahi Ma, you are the center of
our universe.
शतकोटि
सुख
दुख
पाचनं
आयुमहं II M
Dahi Ma, in your long life,
AayaumahM
शम दम शांति तप धैर्य विमलं I
Dahi Ma, life’s various experiences have resulted in pure and spiritual values
such as equanimity, self control, peace, penance and patience,
Sama dma SaaMita tapa QaOya- ivamalaM
जीवराज
प्रिय
सूत
पंच
वर्गं II
Dahi Ma, you were the beloved of our Jivraj dada and you have had five wonderful
children
sauta paMca vaga-M
विशाल वड सुज्ञाति, ख्याति, शत योजनं I
Dahi Ba, you have seen five generations.
Your children, their children and their children’s children! All the various people related to
your extended family form a wonderful cohesive network of families like a banyan
tree.
જેમ ગેઘુરો, વિશાળ વડ, ચોમેર ફેલાઈ બધાને સુંદર છાંયો આપે છે, તેમ, તમારો પ્રેમ,
અને તમારા આશીર્વાદ, અમેને બધાને દુર સુદૂર સુધી ટાઢક પહોંચાડે છે. Your kindness and help are not just
limited to the family, you extend your love to all those you meet. Friends, family and community
appreciate your generous nature.
ડાહિ
મા આખી
જ્ઞાતિમાં તમારી ખ્યાતી ફેલાયેલી છે.
कल्पतरु
सु-डाहिमाँ,
शत
शत
प्रणामं II
Dahi Ma, like the divine wish granting tree, Kalpataru (cornucopia), you always
grant our wishes.
અમે જે માંગીએ, જયારે માંગીએ, એ તમારી કૃપાથી અમને મળી જાય છે. અમે માંગીએ તો
સ્વેટર, રોટલો, વ્હાલ, શિખામણ અને જરૂર પડે મીઠો ઠપકો પણ વણમાંગ્યે મળી
જાય છે. બસ, આનાથી વધારે કલ્પતરુ પણ
શું આપી શકે? You lovingly make sweaters for us,
make impromptu meals, give us unconditional love, your precious advice and even
reprimand us in your own loving way.
You give us all this and more with your loving smile.
તમારા આશિષ અમારા માટે કલ્પતરુ સમાન અકસીર છે. Your blessings are like the divine
tree
klpata# (cornucopia) itself. What more
can we ever ask for? Dahi Ma, we
bow to you over a hundred times on your hundredth birthday.
અમારા વહાલસોયા ડાહી માં ને અમારા સો સો પ્રણામ.
© Bhagwat Shah
[email protected]