Chapter 4.5 - Tansen
Tansen was a singer in Akbar the Great’s court. He won great fame, and his voice rang out like silver bells through the Badshahi Fort. Akbar felt a tremendous inner joy when he heard it. Stories tell us how the king praised him, rewarded him with jewels, and called him the chief jewel in his crown. One day, Tansen sang the Song of Fire, the Deepak Rag, with such intensity that his body burst into flames like a pyre. To cure his burning body and heart, a maiden sang Malhar, the song of cold water, and his health returned to normal as before.
Akbar told Tansen that his teacher must be really mighty and divine for Tansen to have learned such magic at his feet. Tansen bowed happily and said that his teacher lived in a remote cave in the Himalayas, far from the crowds and shunning earthly wealth. Akbar asked if he could meet him just once. He was ready to forget his position and walk in the clothes of a poor man if only he could sit at his feet and listen to his heavenly song.
Tansen accepted the king’s desire and said that it would be better if the king went as a poor slave, because his teacher was above all worldly things. He did not think that earthly kings were worthy enough for him to sing for.
The road was long, and Akbar, as a slave, followed Tansen towards the cave located high up in the mountains. They kneeled at the singer’s feet and humbly requested him to sing a song, for they had journeyed a long distance towards his abode.
The teacher, Ostad, was happy with their humility and sang songs of peace and happiness. He sang the Malkoush Raga with such great ecstasy that the birds and beasts gathered to hear, enchanted by the song. Akbar felt that he was dreaming as he heard the song with rapture. But when he turned to praise Ostad, he found that he had vanished.
Akbar asked Tansen what the musical composition was that held the soul enchanted and made the heart feel intense delight. When he knew the name, he asked Tansen if Tansen could sing the same composition in the same way to tempt his heart towards new roads. Whereupon Tansen replied that he could not, for he, Tansen, sang to Akbar, a human being, while Ostad sang to God.
Title: Tansen
Author: Hazrat Inayat Khan
Rhyme Scheme:
The poem is in couplets. So the rhyme scheme is aa, bb, cc, dd…….
Favourite line:
Ah no, to thee I sing; he sings to God.
Theme/Central idea:
This is the story of Akbar’s appreciation of Tansen’s singing, his meeting with Tansen’s teacher, and what he felt during this meeting. The final lines lead to the climax of the story.
Figure of Speech:
Alliteration: “Tell me, Tansen, what theme this is that holds”. Repetition of the sound of the letter ‘t’.
Special Feature/Implied meaning, etc.:
The poet wishes to convey that one can reach great heights in one’s field if one becomes unworldly and devotes ones talents to someone or something higher than mere human beings. The story is told systematically and logically and can be easily understood. The last line is the climax of the poem and really makes us think.
Why I like/don’t like the poem:
I like the poem because it is in the format of a story and easy to understand.
Warming up!
(a) Indian Classical music consists of many Ragas. Find out from an expert or the internet, the names of at least 10 Ragas and the time when they are sung to produce greater effect.
Ans: Ragas, also known as ragam are like the framework of melodious music. Ragas were invented by Balamurali. There is no exact count of the ragas in Indian classical music. There are almost 4 lakh ragas. Some Ragas are:
| No. | Name of Raga | Effective when |
|---|---|---|
1. | Raag Asaravi | This raga is usually supposed to be practiced in the late morning hours. |
2. | Raag Bhairav | This raga is suggested to be practiced in the early morning hours. |
3. | Raag Bhairavi | Raag Bhairavi is practiced in the late morning hours. |
4. | Raag Bilawal | This raga is typically supposed to be practiced in late-night hours. |
5. | Raag Kafi | This is supposed to be practiced at night. |
6. | Raag Kalyan | Raag Kalyan is practiced in the evening hours. |
7. | Raag Khamaj | Raag Khamaj is practiced in the late-night hours. |
8. | Raag Marwa | It’s usually sung in the evening golden hours of the day. |
9. | Raag Purvi | It is practiced during the evening hours or at the end of the day. |
10. | Raag Todi | This raga is usually supposed to be practiced between the third half of the morning to early afternoon. |
(b) Archaic words are those that are no longer used in a language, but sometimes their usage adds a historical or old-times flavour to a piece of writing.
Examples :
• behold – look
• afeared – frightened
• forsooth – indeed
• hither – this place
Now find out some archaic words from your mother tongue or another language that you are proficient in and write down at least ten of them, and against each, their modern equivalent and meaning in English.
Archaic Language
| Archaic Word | Modern Equivalent | Meaning in English | |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | shrive | forgive | (of a priest) absolve (a person making a confession) |
2. | slay | murder | kill in a violent |
3. | smite | knock, bash | defeat or conquer |
4. | sooth | factuality, authenticity | truth |
5. | truth | pony | a horse |
6. | wondrous | amazing, awesome | wonderful |
7. | yonder | beyond | over there |
8. | pate | head, crown | a person's head |
9. | nigh | next door, proximate | near |
10. | knave | villain, rogue | a dishonest man |
(c) There are many legends about the ‘nine gems’ in Akbar’s Court. These are popular tales and they may not have a historical basis. Can you name some of the nine gems and the stories associated with them?
Ans: The nine gems of Akbar’s court were:
1. Abu’l Fazi ibn Mubarak
Abul Fazl was the chronicler of Akbamama in three volumes over seven years, the third volume is known as the Ain-i-Akbari.
2. Raja Todar Mai
Raja Todar Mal, a Hindu Khatri was Akbar’s finance minister, who from 1560 onwards overhauled the revenue system in the kingdom.
3. Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khana
Abdul Rahim KhanI-Khana, son of Akbar’s trusted general and tutor. Best known for his Hindi couplets.
4. Raja Birbal
Raja Birbal, a poor Hindu Brahmin Maheshdas was appointed to the court of Akbar for his intelligence and became the court jester. The name Raja Birbal was given by the Emperor. Birbal’s duties in Akbar’s court were mostly military and administrative. He was also a poet and his collections under the pen name “Brahma” are preserved in Bharatpur Museum. Raja Birbal died in battle, in an attempt to subdue unrest amongst Afghani tribes in Northwest India.
5. Mirza Aziz Koka
Mirza Aziz Koka aka. Khan-i-Azam or Kotaltash was one of the leading nobles and also the foster brother of Akbar. He also served as a Subedar of Gujarat.
6. Faizi
Faizi was Abul Fazl’s brother, the poet laureate of Akbar. The name of the father of Abul Fazal and Faizi was Mubarak Nagori, a scholar in the philosophy and literature of Greece as well as in Islamic theology
7. Fakir Aziao-Din
Fakir Aziao-Din was a Sufi mystic and an advisor.
8. Tansen
Miyan Tansen was born as Tanna Mishra, in 1520. He was a disciple of Swami Haridas and later became a disciple of Hazrat Muhammad Ghaus (Gwalior). He was a court musician with the prince of Mewar and later was recruited by Akbar as his court musician.
9. Raja Man Singh
Raja Man Singh, the prince of Amber was a trusted general in Akbar’s army and was the grandson of Akbar’s father-in-law Bharmal. Raja Man Singh was the foremost (7000 Mansabdari) and ablest among Akbar’s military commanders and assisted Akbar in many fronts including holding off advancing Hakim (Akbar’s half-brother) in Lahore. He was also the Mughal viceroy of Afghanistan, led campaigns in Bihar, Orissa, Deccan, and was also the viceroy of Bengal.
In Between the Lesson!
Q1. How did Akbar reward Tansen for the ecstatic effect of his singing?
Ans: Akbar rewarded Tansen by praising him, gifting him a lot of jewels and calling him the chief jewel in his diadem.
Q2. What happened to Tansen when he sang the Deepak Raga with great vigour ?
Ans: When Tansen sang the Deepak Raga with great fervour, his body burst into flames and burnt like a pyre.
Q3. How did he come back to normal, again?
Ans: He (Tansen) came back to normal again when a maiden sang Malhar, the song of cold water. and put out the fire.
Q4. What did Tansen tell about his Teacher to Akbar ?
Ans: Tansen told Akbar that his teacher stayed in a remote cave in the Himalayas, far away from the unworthy crowds, scorning worldly wealth. He did not think it worthy to sing to kings, and hence Tansen suggested that it would be better for Akbar to meet him as a poor slave.
Q5. Why did Akbar change his kingly attire ?
Ans: Akbar badly wanted to meet Tansen’s teacher and hear him sing. However, the teacher did not think it worthy to sing to kings, and hence Tansen suggested that it would be better for Akbar to meet him as a poor slave. Therefore Akbar changed his kingly attire and wore the robes of a poor man.
Q6. What was the magical effect of Ostad’s rendering of the Malkous Raga?
Ans: When Ostad sang the Malkous Raga, the birds and beasts gathered around, enchanted with the song. Akbar felt waves of heavenly rapture. He felt his soul was enchanted and his heart was filled with delight.
Q7. What happened before Akbar could come out of his trance ?
Ans: Ostad had vanished before Akbar could come out of his trance.
Q8. Why did Tansen’s singing not produce the same effect as that by Ostad?
Ans: Tansen’s singing did not produce the same effect as that by Ostad because Tansen sang to Akbar – a human being – while Ostad sang to God.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. Pick out Archaic words form the poem and give their modern equivalents
| Archaic Word | Modern Equivalent | |
|---|---|---|
1. | ||
2. | ||
3. | ||
4. | ||
5. |
Ans:
| Archaic Word | Modern Equivalent | |
|---|---|---|
1. | thy | your |
2. | thine | yours |
3. | 'twere | it were |
4. | o'er | over |
5. | thee | you |
2. Who said the following, to whom, and when?
(a) “Mighty thy Teacher must be and divine.”
Ans: Akbar said this to Tansen after hearing the wonderful Deepak Raga.
(b) “He dwells within a cave of Himalay.”
Ans: Tansen said this to Akbar when Akbar praised Tansen and asked him about his teacher.
(c) “As you desire, Huzoor.”
Ans: Tansen said this to Akbar when Akbar told Tansen that he wanted to see the teacher and hear him sing.
(d) “O Holy Master, bless us with thy song!”
Ans: Akbar and Tansen said this to the teacher when they met the teacher in the mountains.
(e) Ah no, to thee I sing: he sings to God.”
Ans: Tansen said this to Akbar when Akbar asks him to sing the same musical composition that Ostad had sung, in the same way.
3. Rearrange the following in their proper order as in the poem. Write the serial number against each line:-
(a) The Ostad sang the Malkous Raga enchantingly.
(b) Akbar followed Tansen, dressed miserably.
(c) I request you to sing such a song that I will experience unmatched joy.
(d) Ostad was nowhere to be seen.
(e) O Divine Teacher, please gift us the joy of your song.
(f) One day, the singer sang Deepak Raga in the court.
(g) Akbar expressed his wish to meet the Teacher.
(h) He experienced heavenly delight.
(i) Tansen sings to please the earthly king but Ostad devotes his songs to God.
(j) She sang Raga Malhar, which had a cooling effect.
Ans:
(a) One day, the singer sang Deepak Raga in the court.
(b) She sang Raga Malhar, which had a cooling effect.
(c) Akbar expressed his wish to meet the Teacher.
(d) Akbar followed Tansen, dressed miserably.
(e) O Divine Teacher, please gift us the joy of your song.
(f) The Ostad sang the Malkous Raga enchantingly.
(g) He experienced heavenly delight.
(h) Ostad was nowhere to be seen.
(i) I request you to sing such a song that I will experience unmatched joy.
(j) Tansen sings to please the earthly king but Ostad devotes his songs to God.
4. Write the reason in your own words.
(a) Akbar strongly desired to hear Ostad sing.
Ans: Akbar was enraptured with Tansen’s singing. He said that Tansen’s teacher must be mighty and divine for Tansen to have learnt to sing so magically under his coaching. Akbar then felt that Ostad’s singing would be even better, and so he strongly desired to hear Ostad sing.
(b) Akbar had to dress like a slave.
Ans: Tansen told Akbar that his teacher did not think it worthy to sing to kings, and suggested that it would be better for Akbar to meet him as a poor slave. Therefore Akbar changed his kingly attire and wore the robes of a slave.
(c) After the song Ostad had vanished.
Ans: Ostad vanished because he probably did not want to hear any praise or any demands for more songs.
(d) Ostad’s song was more elating than Tansen’s songs.
Ans: Ostad’s song was more elating than Tansen’s songs because Tansen sang to Akbar, a human being, while Ostad sang to God.
5. What message does the poet wish to convey through this narrative poem, ‘Tansen’?
Ans: The poet wishes to convey that one can reach great heights in one’s field if one becomes unworldly and devotes one’s talents to someone or something higher than mere human beings.
6. Summarise this poem in your own words in 8 to 10 lines, highlighting only
the main points.
Ans:
Tansen
Tansen was a singer in Akbar’s court. One day, he sang the Deepak raga so well that Akbar was enraptured. He wished to meet the teacher at whose feet Tansen had learned to sing so magically. Tansen told him that his teacher lived in a remote cave in the Himalayas. He shunned wealth and disdained to sing to earthly kings. Longing to hear Ostad, Akbar donned the clothes of a slave and went with Tansen to meet him. On their request, Ostad sang the Malkous raga. It was so enchanting that birds and beasts gathered to hear the song, and Akbar felt as if he had been transported to Heaven. Soon after this, Ostad vanished. Akbar then turned to Tansen and asked him whether he could sing the same musical composition that Ostad had sung and that had lured his heart. Tansen replied that he could not, for he, Tansen, sang to earthly kings while his Ostad sang to God.