Kaun Thagwa Nagariya Lootal Ho | Anirudh Varma Collective at Mahindra Kabira Festival 2021

Who Is The Thug Who Is Robbing The Town.
A Small Cot Is Made Of Sandalwood,
On Which The Bride Is Sleeping
Get Up Beloved Companion
Adorn Me With Bridal Makeup,
The Groom Is Upset With Me
Yamaraj, The Lord of Death, Is Sitting On The Bed,
Eyes Are Filled With Tears
Four People Pick Up The Cot,
Sounds of The Flaring Flames Come From All Four Directions
Says Kabira Listen Oh Sadhu,
The Relationship With The World Comes To An End

Explanation
The town symbolises the body. The thug is death itself. It robs the body of its life force. The symbolism is at two levels. At the physical level, where the body and spirit are intertwined like the groom and bride, the spirit thinks that body is its abode and tries its best to hang on. It cries at the sight of catastrophic loss. But relentless Time (personified as Yamaraj) is in no mood to yield. The bride or spirit thinks that the groom (body) is upset so tries its best to attract its mate and resorts to all kinds of means represented in the song as "bridal makeup". The impermanence of the physical reality is manifested ever so clearly as the body is consumed by the very sensory attributes that it identified with (represented as flames). At the spiritual level, of course, the bride is starting her true journey to reach her permanent abode and the relationship with the world comes to an end. The latter part is inferred in contrast to the more apparent physical reality. In his typical mystical fashion, Kabir urges the listener (Sadhu or one who is doing Sadhana) to come to this understanding on their own - a realisation that is not bookish but experiential.

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