Soch samajh man meet piyarava
Lyrics, meaning and notation.
About this composition
| Entry | Beat 9 in both sections | | Sam syllable | mi of meet (sthayi); u of umar (antara) |
This composition uses both forms of Ma and komal Ni.
Lyrics, transliteration and meaning
| Section | Original script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sthayi | सोच समझ मन मीत पियरवा | Soch samajh man meet piyarava | Reflect and understand, my dear friend, my mind. |
| Sthayi | सतगुरु नाम करे सुमिरनवा | Satguru naam kare sumiranva | Remember the name of the true teacher. |
| Antara | घड़ी घड़ी पल पल उमर घटत सब | Ghadi ghadi pal pal umar ghatat sab | Hour by hour, moment by moment, the span of life keeps diminishing. |
| Antara | अजहूँ चेत मति मंद चतुरवा | Ajahun chet mati mand Chaturva | Awaken even now, slow-minded Chatur. |
Word notes
Meet and piyarava are affectionate addresses to the mind. Sumiran means remembrance or mindful repetition; ajahun means even now. Sing the first antara line twice.
Notation legend and cycle
Each division contains four beat cells separated by spaces. Dots pad positions outside a pickup or closing fragment; they do not add a rest cycle. The lyric syllables align with the beat cells. Slash pairs divide the beat equally. Repeated vowels such as paa-a or che-e indicate gamak or rearticulation, not extra words. Learn the vocal gesture by listening.
Teental: clap on 1 (sam), 5 and 13; wave on 9.
How to read this notation
Sa is the chosen reference pitch. Note signs used in this score:
S = Sa; R = shuddha Re; P = Pa; M^ = tivra Ma; D = shuddha Dha; n = komal Ni; M = shuddha Ma; N = shuddha Ni.
↑ marks the upper octave and ↓ the lower octave; an unmarked note is in the middle octave.
Each separate beat position is one matra. Joined notes fall within that beat. — continues the previous sound; · is an unsung position. Padding before an entry or after a close does not add another cycle.
Within a grouped column, spaces separate beats; letters joined without spaces share a beat. The column heading states the beat numbers.
/ separates successive events within one beat. Where shown, [½], [¼], [⅛] and [1] give durations in beats.
In this composition, a slash-separated pair occupies two equal half-beats.
Within-beat durations are exact only where specified. Learn the execution of glides, graces and inflection by listening.
| Section / layer | 1 2 3 4 · sam | 5 6 7 8 · clap | 9 10 11 12 · wave | 13 14 15 16 · clap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sthayi pickup | · · · · |
· · · · |
S R S P |
P P M^ P |
| Text | · · · · |
· · · · |
so o cha sa |
ma jha ma na |
| Sthayi cycle | D n D P |
M^ P M — |
M — P P |
S↑ — D P |
| Text | mi i ta pi |
ya ra vaa — |
sa t gu ru |
naa — ma ka |
| Sthayi close | M — D P |
M R S — |
· · · · |
· · · · |
| Text | re — su mi |
ra na vaa — |
· · · · |
· · · · |
| Antara pickup | · · · · |
· · · · |
P P S↑ S↑ |
S↑ S↑ S↑ S↑ |
| Text | · · · · |
· · · · |
gha ri gha ri |
pa la pa la |
| Antara cycle 1 | D N S↑ R↑ |
N S↑ D P |
P P S↑ S↑ |
S↑ N R↑ S↑ |
| Text | u ma ra gha |
ta ta sa ba |
gha ri gha ri |
pa la pa la |
| Antara cycle 2 | D N S↑ R↑ |
N S↑ D P |
P M M S↑/N |
R↑/S↑ S↑ D P |
| Text | u ma ra gha |
ta ta sa ba |
a ja hun che-e |
e-e ta ma ti |
| Antara close | M — D P |
M R S — |
· · · · |
· · · · |
| Text | man — da cha |
tu ra vaa — |
· · · · |
· · · · |
Section joins and returns
Start the section at beat 9, count through beat 16 and continue into the first full cycle. Sing the full-cycle rows in order, then the closing fragment. Re-enter at beat 9; to return from antara to sthayi, use the sthayi pickup there. Dot-marked padding does not add a rest cycle.
Learning sequence
Separate the two Ma signs before learning the words. Sing or audiate the beat-9 opening and locate meet on sam. Then read the antara’s two full cycles: the first repeats the time-passing image, and the second introduces the warning to awaken. In the second cycle, group each slash pair into one beat while keeping the surrounding beats unchanged.
First speak the lyric, then count the cycle, then read the melody. Combine them when the separate layers are clear. Learn the composition before adding bol-alap, taans or ornamentation.
Common pitfalls and self-check
Check three things on each return: the cycle has sixteen beats, the specified sam syllable arrives on beat 1, and the lyric remains intelligible through long notes. Learn ornaments and pronunciation by listening and with a teacher’s guidance.