SINGER SURDAS

ॐ कृष्णाय नमः

Om Krishnaya Namah

Long, long ago, in a very tiny village called Sihi a baby boy was born. Usually when a child is born everyone is happy and celebrates the birth. Unfortunately, this was not the case this time. The parents of the child were very, very poor. They already had three children. Now a fourth child meant another mouth to feed and the parents did not have enough money to do so. Worse still, this baby was born blind. He could not see anything.

No-one, not even his mother or father bothered with this blind baby boy. There were many days that the child would go hungry because his parents just could not be bothered with their blind child who they felt was an additional and unnecessary burden on them. He was so neglected that he was left nameless till he was around three years old. As no one knew his name the neighbours started calling him Sur. Some say he got this name because he was blind. It was only much later that he came to be known as Surdas.

His father would teach his brothers every day. Surdas would listen to him teaching them but was never allowed to sit with them or learn. His father would shoo him away saying, “What will you do with an education? You can’t learn anything because you are blind.” At hearing this his brothers would laugh and ridicule him some more. Heartbroken, Surdas would hold back tears and walk quietly away.

His parents showed him no love. At Diwali they would save up the little money they had to buy their other three children clothes but never bought anything for Surdas. They felt there was no need for new clothes for a blind boy because he would never know if the clothes were new or old as he couldn’t see.

The neighbours and children in the village made fun of Surdas and teased him. They would poke him and shove him and run away laughing. They were all mean to him. Sad and upset Surdas would run to his mother for comfort but she too pushed him aside saying she was too busy to bother with him. Instead of sympathy she would angrily shout at him saying, “Why do you go out when you can’t see anything anyway?” Like all other children his age Surdas wanted to be out playing but quickly learnt that he could not do so without being teased by people. So he would sit in the small porch outside his house all alone and spend his days in this way.

One day as he was sitting in the porch a group of singers passed by. They were bhajan singers. They were singing praises of the Lord. Surdas had never heard such singing or such beautiful melodies and he was enchanted. He thought to himself, “One day I will learn to sing too.”

As luck would have it, a few days later another group of bhakti (devotional) singers passed Surdas’s house. This time, with not a moment’s hesitation, Surdas followed the group of singers. As they were singing he followed the sound and stayed close to the group. At night the singers stopped by a lake to rest and cook a meal. It was then that they noticed Surdas. One of them came upto the boy and enquired, “Why are you following us?” Surdas simply replied, “Because I would like to learn to sing like you.” The singers feeling sorry for the young boy gave him some of their food. But they did not want the burden of a blind boy in the group. Early the next morning while Surdas was still asleep they quietly left leaving the boy alone to fend for himself.

When Surdas awoke, it was quiet and he could sense that all the singers had left. He called out to them but no one replied. Surdas could not go back home as being blind he had no idea of the way. Nor could he move ahead as he had no idea which way the singers had gone. So he did the only thing he could, he sat under a tree on the shores of the lake. It was then that he began to sing - just as he had heard the others sing.

God had blessed Surdas with an exquisite voice and the boy sung with such devotion and love that passersby could not but stop to hear him. His beautiful voice attracted everyone. The villagers started giving him food to eat and as the lake was an excellent resting spot for travellers, many people would come and sit not far from Surdas. The boy heard their conversations and learnt a lot about the outside world that was hidden from him because he was blind.

God is there for everyone but especially for those who have no-one. Besides having gifted Surdas with a wonderful voice, Surdas at just fourteen had also been gifted with the ability to predict things. If someone in the village lost their cow, Surdas would tell them where to find it. There were so many other matters that Surdas could predict that soon they began to refer to him as the "miracle boy." People would come to consult him. They would ask him which day was the best to set off on a journey or the most auspicious to commence a project. Surdas’s fame spread and people from far off places started coming to him for advice. One day a land owner who had lost his young son came to Surdas for help. Surdas predicted exactly where the toddler would be found. The rich land owner was so delighted that he gifted Surdas with a small cottage that he had built near the tree where Surdas usually sat.

Then one day someone gave Surdas a simple stringed instrument to play along with his singing. Slowly Surdas began to gather followers. His followers would write down the songs that Surdas composed. Everyone loved his singing and they respected him for his devotion to Lord Krishna.

One night Surdas dreamt that his beloved Lord Krishna was praising his singing. He woke up with a start and believed that the Lord was calling him. Vrindavan is one of the holiest places for Hindus. It is said that Lord Krishna spent a lot of time in Vrindavan. Vrindavan is also the centre for the worship of Lord Krishna. So Surdas immediately decided to go to Vrindavan.

His worried followers asked him, “Why are you leaving us?” Surdas explained his dream to them and said he had to leave as Lord Krishna had told him to do so. As he journeyed to Vrindavan people flocked around him to hear him sing. Everyone loved and respected this divine, blind singer whose voice and words gave them so much joy and peace. They would provide him food and shelter and would beg him to stay on and not leave. But Surdas would tell them, “I can not stay as I am a travelling monk. I must move on.” There were some people who adored him so much that they would follow him wherever he went.

Early one morning one of his followers said to Surdas, “The famous and learned Swami Vallabhacharya will be visiting Vrindavan.” Surdas was so happy and excited to hear this news because Swami Vallabhacharya.was renowned for his writings about Lord Krishna. Surdas impatiently awaited the arrival of the great saint. As soon as he got news of Swami Vallabhacharya’s arrival he started getting ready to go and meet with the swami. But before he could do so Swami Vallabhacharya himself arrived to see Surdas. Surdas was astonished and thrilled that the swami had come to meet him. He fell at Swami Vallabhacharya's feet and asked for the swami’s blessings. The swami requested Surdas to sing some of his Krishna bhajans. Surdas sang and the swami was enraptured. He had never ever heard a voice as sweet and divine as this. Swami Vallabhacharya stayed with Surdas for a few days and taught him all about Lord Krishna. Surdas was a quick learner and the swami said to him, “Surdas you must dedicate your whole life to singing praises of the Lord.”

Swami Vallabhacharya made Surdas the lead singer at Sreenath temple in a place called Govardhan, near Vrindavan,. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna’s devotees refer to him by many names - one of them is Sreenath. Surdas was very happy to stay at temple, doing what he loved most - singing praises of Lord Krishna.

With each passing day, Surdas was becoming more and more famous. People from far off towns and villages came to hear him sing. His hymns became popular all over the country and people would sing them in temples and whenever they prayed to Lord Krishna. One day Tansen who was the singer at the powerful Mughal Emperor Akbar’s court, sang one of Surdas’ s compositions. Akbar was enchanted with the song. Tansen then informed the Emperor that the song he had sung was one of Surdas’s. He told him about the famous blind singer who was a devotee of Lord Krishna.

Emperor Akbar immediately sent his men with an invitation to Surdas requesting him to come and sing at his court. It was a matter of great honour and prestige for a singer to be invited to Emperor Akbar’s court. The Emperor’s messengers rushed off to deliver the invitation. But when they met Surdas and handed the royal invite to the blind singer and conveyed the Emperor’s message they were shocked when Surdas refused the invitation. Surdas said to them, “I am truly honoured to receive this invitation from the great Emperor but I only sing in one court and that is in the court of my beloved Lord Krishna.

The messengers returned to the Emperor and hesitatingly gave him Surdas’s reply. Emperor Akbar was not only a great ruler, he was also a great man. Without any pride or arrogance the Emperor set off the very next day to meet Surdas. Emperor Akbar sat down and listened rapt as Surdas sang his prayers one after another in the temple. Once Surdas had ended the Emperor said to him, “Surdas your songs leave me in ecstasy. I thank you for this and wish to offer you whatever gift you ask of me.” Surdas smiled and replied, “All I ask great Emperor is that you never call me to your court to sing.” Emperor Akbar laughed and promised never to call the blind singer to his court ever again.

Surdas went on to live a long and happy life. He spent every day doing what he loved most - singing hymns in praise of Lord Krishna.

Though he was born many hundred years ago Surdas's devotional songs to Lord Krishna are treasured even today.

LESSONS LEARNT

1. Follow your passion and you will succeed. Surdas wanted to sing and in order to follow his passion for singing he readily gave up his home and security and bore several hardships.

2. Like Surdas have faith that God will always help you.

3. Never think of anyone as lesser than you because they are different. Surdas’s parents ignored him because unlike their other sons who had sight, Surdas was born blind.

4. Always remember that each of us have our own special talents. Surdas may have been blind but no one could sing as well as he could.