Mukanday the Liberator is father and mother, with me in life and death; before Him my rank is erased and every door opens.
The Arc
Ravidas's first Gond shabad, a steady meditation on the One as Liberator (Mukanday) and as the dignity of the poor.
P0 hold the Liberator close; without Him the body is passing dust; He is my father and mother.
The Rahau (P1) the Liberator in life and in death — His servant's joy is unshakable.
P2 He is my breath, the mark of belonging, the wealth of the poor.
P3 the social heart: my caste erased, I walked into the divine court.
P4 wisdom welled up, grace lifted even me; the thirst is quenched.
Key Vocabulary
mukand / mukanday — the Liberator, a name for the One (capitalized as a divine name).
jeevat ... marat mukanday — the Liberator in living and dying.
durbal dhan — the wealth of the weak and forlorn.
maytee jaat — caste erased.
keet daas — carried as empty-handed astonishment at grace, not self-contempt.
Themes and Cross-Connections
Caste dissolved before the One, and the truest wealth made equally available to the poor — Ravidas's signature social glory. The Liberator with the soul at both edges of life dissolves death-fear into steady joy. Central to philosophy.md on the Bhagats and dignity-below-the-world's-ranking.
For Raag Gond
The raag's warmth suits the intimacy of the One as father and mother and the quiet triumph of the erased rank.
Translation Notes
Caste-leveling (maytee jaat) foregrounded at full strength as the saint's hard-won dignity.
keet (worm) rendered as empty-handedness and astonishment that grace lifts even the lowliest — never self-erasure or self-condemnation, per voice rules.
Mukanday capitalized throughout as a name for the One (the Liberator).
Mukanday the Liberator is father and mother, with me in life and death; before Him my rank is erased and every door opens.
The Arc
Ravidas's first Gond shabad, a steady meditation on the One as Liberator (Mukanday) and as the dignity of the poor.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
Caste dissolved before the One, and the truest wealth made equally available to the poor — Ravidas's signature social glory. The Liberator with the soul at both edges of life dissolves death-fear into steady joy. Central to philosophy.md on the Bhagats and dignity-below-the-world's-ranking.
For Raag Gond
The raag's warmth suits the intimacy of the One as father and mother and the quiet triumph of the erased rank.
Translation Notes
Last updated: 2026-07-09