Murdak Bayaan: Verse 1 - The Irony of Farewell

This is the second part of our series exploring Sherda Anpad's "Murdak Bayaan." Read the opening here →

Verse 1: The Irony of Farewell

जो दिन अपैट बतूँ छी, वी मैं हूँ पैट हौ
Jo din apait batuṁ chhi, vi main huṁ pait hau
जकैं मैं सौरास बतूँ छी, वी म्यौर मैत हौ।
Jakain main sauras batu chhi, vi myaur mait hau
माया का मारगाँठ आज, आफी-आफी खुजि पड़ौ
Maya ka maragaṇṭh aaj aafi-aafi khuji paḍau
दुनियल् तरांण लगै दे, फिरलै हाथ हैं मुचि पड़ौ।
Duniyal taraṇ lagai de, firlai haath hain muchi paḍau.
अणदेखी बाट् म्यौर ल्हि जाऔ-ल्हिजाऔ है गे।
पराण लै छुटण निदी, उठाऔ-उठाऔ है गे।।
Aṇdekhi baat myaur lhi jaau-lhijaau hai ge,
Praan lai chhutan nidi, uthau-uthau hai ge.

Sandarbh, Prasang & Vyakhya

Context (Sandarbh): This verse comes from the perspective of the recently deceased, watching their own funeral rites unfold.

Situation (Prasang): The dead observe the living's paradoxical behavior during funeral ceremonies, where grief and ritual intersect with the practical need to move on.

Explanation (Vyakhya): Sherda uses this moment to explore the fundamental human condition — our attachment to life and our simultaneous need to detach from it. The verse reveals that every farewell is inherently half-hearted because the living must continue living.

In this first verse of "Murdak Bayaan", Sherda Anpad gives voice to the dead, who watch their own funeral with detached irony. The deceased observes how the living transform their relationship to him the moment he's gone.

The Paradox of Timing

The verse opens with a profound observation about how death changes everything:

• The very day they once called inauspicious (अपैट) is now auspicious (पैट) — because I am gone.
• The house I mocked as a prison (सौरास - In-law's home) has become my eternal home (मैत - My Home).

Here, Sherda captures the strange reversal that death brings. What was once considered inauspicious when alive becomes auspicious simply to give comfort to the living. The house that felt like a prison in life, a funny slang for (सौरास - In-law's home) philosophically death now becomes a permanent dwelling for me.

The Ritual of Release

The middle lines reveal the living's desperate search for their own freedom:

• "Those bound by worldly ties now search for their own release"
• "The same hands that once guided me have slipped away midway"

The poet observes how the living, while performing funeral rites, are actually seeking their own liberation from the bonds of attachment. The hands that once guided him in life are now unwilling to walk the unseen road to the end.

The Chant of Distance

The verse concludes with the haunting refrain:

• "As they carry my body, they keep chanting, 'Lift him, lift him'"
• "Never realizing how far they already are from me"

This is perhaps the most poignant observation — the living continue their rituals, chanting and carrying the body, but they're already emotionally and spiritually distant from the deceased.

The Wisdom of Detachment

Sherda's genius lies in showing us that death is not cruel; it's clarifying. Through the voice of the dead, he reveals:

• The Illusion of Permanence: What we think is permanent (relationships, attachments) dissolves instantly
• The Ritual of Grief: How quickly we move from genuine sorrow to ritual performance
• The Distance of Living: How the living are already halfway back to their lives even while performing funeral rites