Saanj Ye Gokuli Saawali – For The Mesmerizing Dark One – Vazir

The song from the Marathi film Vazir (1994) is a description of an evening in Gokul, the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. The song is full of the description of the evening and has glorified the colour Black, as Krishna is also known as ‘The Dark One’ which is one of his amazing names. Here the presence of darkness means the presence of Krishna himself and thus makes it beautiful, mesmerizing and full of happiness.

The song is features Ashwini Bhave who is seen giving a performance in the college function. She is also seen enjoying the evening while singing this song. She looks beautiful, but the whole picturisation lets you down. Somehow one tends to close one’s eyes and let the imagination take over. After all, the song is a gem glowing in the darkness!

Saanj ye Gokuli, saawali saawali
Saawalayaachi janu saauli

The dark dusk descends in Gokul
The darkness of the evening is like
The silhouette of the dark lord (Krishna)…

Glorifying the colour black is not an easy job, especially in a country where there is a fetish for the fair skin, but the lyricist Sudhir Moghe does a fantastic job in doing so. The comparison of the evening, its activities and its beauty with Lord Krishna is something that makes you look beyond the colour and makes you fall in love with the entire scenery which is painted in front of you.

Dhool udaweet gaai nighaalyaa
Shaam rangaat waataa budaalyaa
Paratati tyaa sawe, paakharaanche thawe
Pail ghantaa ghume raauli

The cows are returning to their stables,
Filling the air with the dust as they go
Thus dissolving the paths in the dusk
So are the flocks of birds returning to their nests,
And the first bell for the evening prayer
Echoes in the temple

The music is by Shridhar Phadke while the singer is Asha Bhosle. The song is based on the raag ‘purva kalyan.’ It instantly gives us the feeling of the approaching twilight and the soft breeze that flows in the evening. Asha Bhosle’s voice takes you directly to Gokul and you find yourself in the midst of the cows, looking at the beautiful dark sky and humming the tune softly completely embraced by Lord Krishna.

Parwataanchi dise duur raang
Kaajalaachi janu daat regh
Hoi dohaatale chaandane saawale
Bhowati saawalayaa chaahuli

Far away there is a mountain range
Its darkness reminds that of the dark line of kohl
The dark starry night is fast approaching
Surrounded by the sounds of the approaching evening

Dohaatale chaandane means the reflection of the stars in the deep, still waters. According to one story, young Lord Krishna had jumped into the deep water of the river to recover his ball and ended up fighting with Kaliya, a huge serpent who had polluted the water with its venom, eventually killing it.

Maauli saanj, andhaar paanhaa
Wishw saare janu hoy kaanhaa
Mand waarayaawari waahate baasari
Amritaachyaa janu onjali

The dusk has become like a mother
And is nurturing the world with its darkness
And the entire universe has turned into Krishna
The gentle breeze is carrying with it the soft tunes of Krishna’s flute
As if it is carrying ambrosia in its hands

How beautifully the darkness is compared to that of mother’s love! The darkness is so profound that it has penetrated into the body, deep within the heart and running in its veins as blood. It fills the heart completely and overflows with love for the entire world which has become Krishna. The darkness is nothing but the love for Krishna, the obeisance that we pay to Him and the attachment that is so close to the heart; just like mother’s love, pure and eternal.

Here, one wonders if Krishna is the mother darkness, or is he the child, or is he Love itself and we come to a conclusion that Krishna is everything!