खल परिहास होइ हित मोरा । काक कहहिं कलकंठ कठोरा ॥
हंसहि बक दादुर चातकही । हँसहिं मलिन खल बिमल बतकही ॥
khala parihāsa hoi hita morā | kāka kahahiṃ kalakaṃṭha kaṭhorā ||
haṃsahi baka dādura cātakahī | ham̐sahiṃ malina khala bimala batakahī ||
Bala Kanda
Chapter 9: Mockery welcome; no poet's craft
7 verses · 9 of 361
What happens in this chapter
Mockery welcome; no poet's craft
Tulsidas says the mockery of the wicked will do him good. Crows call the cuckoo harsh, and herons laugh at swans. Lovers of poetry who do not love Rama's feet will find this plain bhasha amusing, and may laugh without blame. Those without love for the Lord will find it dull. But those who love the feet of Hari and Hara and are free of contentious argument will find Raghubar's katha sweet, and praise it as adorned with devotion. He then says plainly that he is no poet. He knows nothing of letters, meaning, ornaments, metres, the kinds of bhava and rasa, or poetic faults and merits. The work lacks every virtue but one the world knows, and the wise will weigh that one.
कबित रसिक न राम-पद-नेहू । तिन्ह कहँ सुखद हास रस एहू ॥
भाषा भनिति भोरि मति मोरी । हँसिबे जोग हँसें नहिं खोरी ॥
kabita rasika na rāma-pada-nehū | tinha kaham̐ sukhada hāsa rasa ehū ||
bhāṣā bhaniti bhori mati morī | ham̐sibe joga ham̐seṃ nahiṃ khorī ||
प्रभु-पद-प्रीति न सामुझि नीकी । तिन्हहिं कथा सुनि लागिहि फीकी ॥
हरि-हर-पद-रति मति न कुतरकी । तिन्ह कहँ मधुर कथा रघुबर की ॥
prabhu-pada-prīti na sāmujhi nīkī | tinhahiṃ kathā suni lāgihi phīkī ||
hari-hara-pada-rati mati na kutarakī | tinha kaham̐ madhura kathā raghubara kī ||
राम भगति-भूषित जियँ जानी । सुनिहहिं सुजन सराहि सुबानी ॥
कबि न होउँ नहिँ चतुर प्रबीनू । सकल कला सब बिद्या-हीनू ॥
rāma bhagati-bhūṣita jiyam̐ jānī | sunihahiṃ sujana sarāhi subānī ||
kabi na houm̐ nahim̐ catura prabīnū | sakala kalā saba bidyā-hīnū ||
आखर अरथ अलंकृति नाना । छन्द प्रबन्ध अनेक विधाना ॥
भाव-भेद रस-भेद अपारा । कबित दोष-गुन बिबिध प्रकारा ॥
ākhara aratha alaṃkṛti nānā | chanda prabandha aneka vidhānā ||
bhāva-bheda rasa-bheda apārā | kabita doṣa-guna bibidha prakārā ||
कबित बिबेक एक नहिं मोरें । सत्य कहउँ लिखि कागद कोरे ॥
kabita bibeka eka nahiṃ moreṃ | satya kahaum̐ likhi kāgada kore ||
भनिति मोरि सब गुन रहित, विस्व विदित गुन एक ।
सो बिचारि सुनिहहिँ सुमति, जिन्ह कें बिमल बिबेक ॥
bhaniti mori saba guna rahita, visva vidita guna eka |
so bicāri sunihahim̐ sumati, jinha keṃ bimala bibeka ||
Text source: Wikisource · Public domain (Tulsidas, 16th c.; 1925 edition, Wikisource PD-1996 tag); transcription CC BY-SA 4.0