Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his message with the citizens of India at 6 PM on Tuesday. He said that the country is in a stable situation with respect to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, however, he added that we must not be careless and follow the appropriate safety protocols until the threat dies down.
During his speech, the Prime Minister cited a verse from a poem by the 15th-century Indian mystic poet an saint, Kabir. "Paki kheti dekhike, garb kiya kisan," quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
For the uninitiated, the above-quoted lines are from a famous verse by Kabir, known for his folk-like parables on life's truths, on the success and ambition of an agricultural worker.
A small mistake can ruin all that a person has achieved through hard work over the years, Kabir had said. The goal of a farmer is to get a good crop and earn enough money for his livelihood, but there are some uncertain things in this line of work. A precise remark was made by Kabir on this 'success' of the farmer. He said, even after the farmer gets a good crop, everything might just be wasted on one simple mistake.
Kabir's poem
Kabir's verse goes,
"Paki kheti dekhike, garb kiya kisan,
ajanhu jhola bahut hai, ghar auwe tab jan"
The meaning of the couplets can be interpreted as such:
In these lines, the word 'jhola' has come, which loosely translates to "jhamela", or "trouble". Kabir is saying that the farmer has cultivated a good crop and that makes him very self-content and proud. Once he becomes proud of himself, he stands a chance of committing a careless mistake which may ruin everything he has worked so hard to achieve. This is why he warns the farmer to not be so sure of himself as there is much potential trouble until he brings the crop back home. The crop needs to be cut on the field, which carries with it much uncertainty. Moreover, if the skies bring rain, the crops stand a chance of getting damaged as well. This is why farmers should only be happy about their achievement once the crop is safe and secure. This is when success is achieved, not before.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's usage of the couplet is presumably a warning to his fellow Indians to not get too ahead of themselves with changes in numbers and statistics until there is a lasting solution to the coronavirus menace for every last person in the country.
