An Inspiring Poem About Missed Opportunities - Karvan Guzar Gaya

I am a big fan of the legendary Hindi poet Gopaldas 'Neeraj', and I have been fortunate enough to hear him recite his poems in a kavi sammelan. Particularly, I love his poem, "Karvan Guzar Gaya Gubar Dekhte Rahe", which has also been sung as a song by Md Rafi for 1965 film Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal. Before proceeding further, listen to the song in the video below, and you would agree that it is not just a normal song, but a beautifully crafted poem in which each word has been selected very carefully.

Click Here to Play The Video 

 

Whenever I read and hear this poem, it inspires me and charges me up. You may wonder that how can a poem about disappointments of life be inspiring? Let me answer this with my interpretation of the words of this immortal poem. The meaning of the poem is easily understood, so I will not try to give the literal meaning or translation of the poem.  I do not know if this is an accurate interpretation, but it is one that inspires me. Whenever I hear this poem, I get the following messages:

1. Realize your dreams before opportunity slips away
2. Life is short, do something now 
3. Change is inevitable, embrace it
4. Fulfill your mission in life
5. Act when the going is good

1. Realize your dreams before opportunity slips away

स्वप्न झरे फूल से,
मीत चुभे शूल से,
लुट गये सिंगार सभी बाग़ के बबूल से,
और हम खड़े-खड़े बहार देखते रहे
कारवां गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे!

This is the overarching message of this poem. The line कारवां गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे.. brings out the feelings of regret about lost opportunities very expressively. It stresses the need to take positive action to realize our dreams, before the opportunity slips away. Swami Vivekananda said, "Awake! Arise!! and stop not till the goal is reached." The poem is a poetic expression of what happens when we do not take right action in time.

2. Life is short, do something now 

नींद भी खुली न थी कि हाय धूप ढल गई,
पाँव जब तलक उठे कि ज़िन्दगी फिसल गई,
पात-पात झर गये कि शाख़-शाख़ जल गई,
चाह तो निकल सकी न, पर उमर निकल गई,

गीत अश्क़ बन गए,
स्वप्न हो दफ़न गए,
साथ के सभी दिऐ धुआँ-धुआँ पहन गये,

और हम झुके-झुके,
मोड़ पर रुके-रुके
उम्र के चढ़ाव का उतार देखते रहे
कारवां गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।

Very often we keep waiting for the right opportunity to act. To me, these lines highlight that even being alive is an opportunity that we should not underestimate. At the fag end of life, we regret about the things that we could have done. A common reason for it is that we continue to 'sleep' through life, and by the time we wake up, it is too late. Life is too short to wait for anything. These lines are wake up call to come out of our 'sleep' and do something now.

3. Change is inevitable, embrace it

क्या शबाब था कि फूल-फूल प्यार कर उठा,
क्या कमाल था कि देख आइना सिहर उठा
इस तरफ जमीन और आसमां उधर उठा,
थाम कर जिगर उठा कि जो मिला नज़र उठा,

एक दिन मगर यहाँ,
ऐसी कुछ हवा चली,
लुट गयी कली-कली कि घुट गयी गली-गली,

और हम लुटे-लुटे,
वक्त से पिटे-पिटे,
साँस की शराब का खुमार देखते रहे
कारवां गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।

Change is a harsh reality of life. Nothing is permanent. We may have youth, good looks, health and wealth today, but all of this may be lost tomorrow. In a sense, we should view each of these as opportunities that we should not let go waste; and to deal with changes in life, we need to stay mentally prepared to embrace changes quickly all the time.
Want to explore more on this topic? Read the book "Who Moved My Cheese" for more detailed coverage.

4. Fulfill your mission in life

हाथ थे मिले कि जुल्फ चाँद की सँवार दूँ,
होंठ थे खुले कि हर बहार को पुकार दूँ,
दर्द था दिया गया कि हर दुखी को प्यार दूँ,
और साँस यूँ कि स्वर्ग भूमी पर उतार दूँ,

हो सका न कुछ मगर,
शाम बन गई सहर,
वह उठी लहर कि दह गये किले बिखर-बिखर,

और हम डरे-डरे,
नीर नयन में भरे,
ओढ़कर कफ़न, पड़े मज़ार देखते रहे
कारवां गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे!

These lines remind me about the ultimate purpose or mission of life. We are born to help others, spread happiness, and make the world a better place to live. If we keep this mission firmly in mind, we will find time to work on it, and this in turn will give us an unbounded internal happiness. The poem brings out the sad emotions of emptiness that result from an unfulfilled mission.

5. Act when the going is good

माँग भर चली कि एक, जब नई-नई किरन,
ढोलकें धुमुक उठीं, ठुमक उठे चरण-चरण,
शोर मच गया कि लो चली दुल्हन, चली दुल्हन,
गाँव सब उमड़ पड़ा, बहक उठे नयन-नयन,

पर तभी ज़हर भरी,
ग़ाज एक वह गिरी,
पुंछ गया सिंदूर तार-तार हुई चूनरी,

और हम अजान से,
दूर के मकान से,
पालकी लिये हुए कहार देखते रहे।
कारवां गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे। 

These lines portray the uncertainties and the ephemeral nature of life very beautifully. We do not know when a calamity or disaster can strike and change the course of life or even end it. 
Hence, let us act now when the going is good.

To conclude, this beautifully worded poem contains a very inspirational message of action if taken in the right spirit.