Pal Pal Hai Bhārī
Film: Swades 2004
Director: Asutosh Gowariker
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan as Mohan, Gayatri Joshi as Geeta/Sita and Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay as postmaster/Ravana
Singers: Madhushree and Vijay Prakash
Music: A.R. Rahman
Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
Link to clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRWr8OsVyjA
Introduction
Notwithstanding its star-studded team, with director Asutosh Gowariker and lead actor Shah Rukh Khan, to music director A.R. Rahman and lyricist Javed Akhtar, this film was not an immediate box office success in India, but it became a cult film especially among non-resident Indians. The story of Swades involves an NRI Mohan (SRK) working for NASA returning to India to visit his childhood nanny. He finds that she is taken care of by a childhood friend, Geeta (Gayatri Joshi), a school teacher in a remote village, named Caranpur or “City of Footprints (of Rama and Sita).” Soon Mohan becomes romantically interested in Geeta and committed to helping the cause of education of village children. Meanwhile, the Dassehra festival of Rama’s victory over Ravana is celebrated in the village, as is traditional, with Rām-līlā plays. Geeta takes the role of Sita, dressed in saffron, and the local postmaster/wrestler champion (Rajesh Vivek) takes on the part of the demon Ravana. The movie song “Pal Pal Hai Bhārī” is picturized as the Ashok Vatika scene where Sita is pining away in captivity in Lanka, beleaguered by her abductor Ravana. Usually, she is comforted by Rama’s messenger Hanuman in his monkey form, who at first hidden in the trees, manages to approach her and bring a message of hope, after which he returns to fetch Rama, on his way setting fire to the demon city. This is the subject of one of the first (silent) movies, Phalke’s Lanka Dahan “The Burning of Lanka.” However, the Swades version has some unexpected twists.
Lyrics, Transliteration, and Translation
पल पल है भारी वह विपदा है आई । मोहे बचाने अब आओ रघुराई ।। | pal pal hai bhārī vah vipadā hai āī, mohe bacāne ab āo raghurāī. | Every moment weighs heavy since fate turned against me. Now come, O Lord of the Raghus, and save me. |
आओ रघुवीर आओ रघुपति राम आओ । मोरे मन के स्वामी मोरे श्री राम आओ ।। राम राम जपती हूं सुन लो मेरे राम आओ ।। | āo raghuvīra āo raghupati rām āo, more man ke svāmī more śrī rām āo. rām rām japtī hūn sun lo mere rām āo. | Come, Hero of the Raghus, come King of the Raghus, Ram. Lord of my heart, my Shrī Ram, come I repeat “Ram, Ram”, listen to me, my Ram |
बजे सत्य का डंका जले पाप की लंका । इसी क्षण तुम आओ मुक्त कराओ सुन भी लो अब मेरी दुहाई ।। | baje satya kā ḍankā jale pāp kī lankā, isī kṣaṇ tum āo mukt karāo sun bhī lo ab merī duhāī. | Let the drum of truth resound, and sinful Lanka burn. Come right away and set me free. Right away, listen to my plea. |
राम को भूलो यह देखो रावण आया है । फैली सारी श्रृष्टि पर जिसकी छाया है ।। क्यों जपती हो राम राम तुम कयों लेती हो राम नाम तुम । राम राम का रटन जो यह तुमने है लगाया । सीता सीता तुमने राम में ऐसा क्या गुण पाया ।। | rām ko bhūlo yah dekho rāvaṇ āyā hai, phailī sārī śriṣṭi par jiskī chāyā hai. kyon japtī ho rām rām tum kyon letī ho rām nām tum, rām rām kā raṭan jo yah tumne hai lagāyā, sītā sītā tumne rām men aisā kyā guṇ pāyā. | Forget Ram, now look here, Rāvan has come, who overshadows the whole universe. Why do you repeat “Ram, Ram”? Why do you take Ram’s name? That chant of “Ram, Ram” that you have taken up, Sita, Sita, what good do you see in Ram?
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गिन पाएगा यों उनके गुण कोई क्या इतने शब्द ही कहां हैं । पहुंचेगा यों उस शिखर पे कौन भला मेरे राम जी जहां हैं ।। जग में सबसे उत्तम हैं मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम हैं । सब से शक्तिशाली हैं फिर भी रखते संयम हैं ।। पर उनके संयम की अब आने को है सीमा । रावण समय है मांग ले क्षमा ।। | gin pāegā yon unke guṇ koī kyā itne śabd hī kahān hain, pahuncegā yon us śikhar pe kaun bhalā mere rām jī jahān hai. jag men sabse uttam hain maryādā puruṣottam hain, sab se śaktiśālī hain phir bhī rakhte sanyam hain. par unke sanyam kī ab āne ko hai sīmā, rāvaṇ samay hai māng le kṣamā. | Can anyone count his virtues? There aren’t enough words! Who on earth could reach that top, where my Ram dwells. He’s on top of the world, the pinnacle of morality. He’s the most powerful, still he practices self-restraint. But now he is reaching the limit of his self-restraint. Rāvan, the time has come to beg for mercy. |
बजे सत्य का डंका जले पाप की लंका । आये राजा राम करें हम प्रणाम संग आये लक्ष्मण जैसा भाई ।। | baje satya kā ḍankā jale pāp kī lankā, āye rājā rām karen ham praṇām sang āye lakṣmaṇ jaisā bhāī. | Let the drum of truth resound, and sinful Lanka burn. King Ram has arrived, let’s bow And with him has come a brother like Lakshman! |
राम में शक्ति अगर है राम में साहस है तो । क्यों नहीं आये अभी तक वह तुम्हारी रक्षा को ।। जिनका वर्णन करने में थकती नहीं हो तुम यहां । यह बताओ वह तुम्हारे राम है इस पल कहां ।। | rām men śakti agar hai rām men sāhas hai to, kyon nahīn āye abhī tak vah tumhārī rakṣā ko. jinkā varṇan karne men thaktī nahīn ho tum yahān, yah batāo vah tumhāre rām hai is pal kahān. | If Ram has power, if Ram has courage, why hasn’t he come to your rescue till now? You don’t tire of praising him here, but tell me, this Ram of yours where is he right now? |
राम हृदय में हैं मेरे रामही धड़कन में हैं । राम मेरी आत्मा में रामही जीवन में हैं ।। राम हर पल में हैं मेरे राम हैं हर श्वास में । राम हर आशा में हैं मेरे राम ही हर आस में ।। | rām hriday men hain mere rāmhī dhaṛkan men hain, rām merī ātmā men rāmhī jīvan men hain. rām har pal men hain mere rām hain har śvās men, rām har āśā men hain mere rām hī har ās men. | Ram is in my heart, Ram is in its every beat, Ram is my soul, Ram is my very life, Ram is in every eyeblink, Ram is in my every breath, Ram is in every desire of mine, Ram is in every aspiration. |
राम ही तो करुणा में हैं शांति में राम हैं । राम ही एकता में प्रगति में राम हैं ।। राम बस भक्तों नहीं शत्रु की भी चिंतन में हैं ।। देख तजके पाप रावण राम तेरे मन में हैं राम मेरे मन में हैं ।। राम तो घर घर में हैं राम हर अंगन में हैं ।। मन से रावण जो निकाले राम उसके मन में हैं ।। | Ram hī to karuṇā men hain śānti men rām hain, rām hī ektā men pragati men rām hain. rām bas bhakton nahīn śatru kī bhī cintan men hain. dekh tajke pāp rāvan rām tere man men hain, rām mere man men hain. rām to ghar ghar men hain rām har angan men hain. man se rāvan. jo nikāle rām uske man men hain. | Ram is in compassion, Ram is in peace Ram is in unity, Ram is in progress. Rām is not only his devotee’s but his enemy’s fixation! Look, when you let go of sin, Rāvan, Ram settles in your heart. Ram dwells in my heart… Ram dwells in every house, Ram is in every courtyard, Force Rāvan out of your heart, And Ram comes to dwell there.
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सुनो रामजी आये मोरे रामजी आये । राजा रामचंद्र आये श्री रामचंद्र आये ।। | suno rāmjī āye more rāmjī āye, rājā rāmcandra āye śrī rāmcandra āye. | Listen, Ram has come, My Ram has come King Ramcandra has come, Shrī Ramcandra has come |
(Gratefully acknowledging https://lyricsindia.net/songs/3930)
Wordlist
पल pal [pala-1], m. 1. a partic. measure, esp. one of time: a moment, an instant. 2. [× H. palak] the eyelid. — ~ के ~ में, adv. in (the space of) an instant. ~ ~, or ~ ~ में, or पर, at every moment.
विपदा vi-pădā [S.], f. = विपत्ति f. 1. distress, adversity; a misfortune. 2. disaster.
स्वामी svāmī [S.], m. 1. owner, proprietor. 2. master, lord; king. 3. title of the supreme being (esp. as Viṣṇu or Śiva). 4. head of a religious order. 5. title given to a renowned sage or devotee. 6. husband; lover.
जपना japnā [conn. japyati: w. Panj. japṇā], v.t. 1. to repeat in a low tone an incantation, or the name of a deity. 2. to meditate on the name of a deity. 3. to count (one's beads).
डंका ḍaṅkā [*ḍaṅka-: Pk. ḍakka-], m. a drum; a kettledrum. —बजना (का), to be proclaimed; to be celebrated, or notorious.
पाप pāp [S.], m. 1. sin; evil; wickedness, wrong; moral guilt. 2. transf. difficulty, suffering (seen as arising from sin)
दुहाई duhāī , f. a calling twice: 1. announcement, proclamation. 2. cry for help, mercy, or justice; appeal (to, की); complaint. 3. exclamation; oath (upon, की)
सृष्टि sr̥ṣṭi [S.], f. 1. creating. 2. creation, production; invention. 3. the creation, the world; nature.
छाया chāyā [S.], f. 1. shade; a shady place. 2. shadow; darkness, obscurity. 3. reflection. 4. fig. protection, shelter. 5. imitation: a rendering (of a text); a faint image or resemblance; travesty (of, की). 6. an apparition, spectre
रटन raṭan [cf. H. raṭnā < *raṭyati], f. repeating
गुण guṇ [S.], m. var. /gũṛ/. 1. a quality, a property. 2. ling. (in Sanskrit grammar) a partic. vowel grade. 3. philos. each of the three constitutents of nature (viz. sattva 'goodness', rajas 'passion' and tamas 'darkness'). 4. a symbol for the number three. 5. a good quality, a virtue; a skill, aptitude; a talent. 6. (with numerals.) a multiplicative suffix: -fold, times.
शिखर śikhar [S.], m. 1. peak; summit. 2. tapering tower (as of a temple); pinnacle. 3. dome. 4. Brbh. a bright red gem.
भला bhalā [cf. bhalla-1], adj. & m. & interj. 1. adj. good; excellent. 2. honest, righteous. 3. kind, kindly. 4. in good health. 5. m. welfare. 6. advantage, benefit. 7. interj. well! how lucky! 8. indeed, in truth.
1जग jag [ad. jaga-, also jagat-], m. the world; the universe.
उत्तम uttam [S.], adj. 1. highest; supreme; best. 2. choice, excellent. 3. las
पुरुष puruṣ [S.], m. 1. a man, human being. *2. a male. 3. a person, individual. 4. pl. Pl. ancestors. 5. gram. person. 6. the supreme being or soul of the universe. 7. the primary being, source of the universe. 8. the human soul. पुरुषोत्तम [˚sa + u˚], adj. best of men; the supreme being, a title of Viṣṇu or Kr̥ṣṇa.
शक्ति śakti [S.], f. 1. power, strength (physical, or otherwise); energy; transf. electric power. 2. ability, capacity. 3. phys. a force. 4. pol. a power, nation. 5. the energy of a deity personified as his wife (as Durgā or Gaurī of Śiva, Lakṣmī of Viṣṇu). शक्तिशाली, adj. powerful, strong.
संयम saṃ-yam [S.], m. 1. restraint, control; self-control. 2. abstinence (from partic. foods, &c.), moderation.
सीमा sīmā [S.], f. 1. limit, boundary; frontier. 2. bounds, limit (of morality or convention).
प्रणाम pra-ṇām [S.], m. & interj. 1. m. bow; respectful greeting. 2. interj. respectful greetings! — ~ करना (को), to greet respectfully.
साहस sāhas [S.], m. 1. boldness, courage; spirit, vigour. 2. resoluteness.
रक्षा rakṣā [S.], f. 1. protection; preservation; protection against spirits. 2. custody, care. 3. defence. 4. ash. — करना (की), to protect, &c. (from, से); to defend (against).
वर्णन varṇan [S.], m. description, account. — ~करना (का)), to describe
हृदय hr̥day [S.], m. 1. the heart. 2. the soul; mind. 3. breast, bosom. 4. heart, core. 5. affection.
धड़कन dhaṛkan = धड़क dhaṛak [cf. *dhaḍ-: Pk. dhaḍahaḍia-], f. 1. beating, throbbing (as of the heart: = धड़कन). 2. fear, alarm.
श्वास śvās [S.], m. 1. breathing. 2. the breath. 3. a sigh. 4. transf. asthma.
आस ās [āśā-], f. hope, &c. (= आशा)
करुणा karuṇā [S.], f. 1. compassion, pity. 2. mercy, tenderness.
प्रगति pra-gati [S.], f. progress
शत्रु śatru [S.], m. an enemy; an opponent.
चिंतन cintan [S.], m. 1. thought, the process of thought. 2. thinking, reflecting, meditating (over or upon, का)
अँगन = आँगन āṁgan [aṅgana-], m. 1. courtyard (of a house). 2. court, area, quadrangle.
Song Analysis
This play-within-the movie comes after Mohan has grown increasingly distressed at witnessing poverty and caste oppression. The song fittingly picks up this mood and starts on a plaintive note, since it expressing Sita’s sorrowful longing for liberation from captivity. Even as the demon has installed her in his pleasure garden, Ashok Vatika, named after its tree, the name of which, a-shoka, means “without sorrow,” Sita is pining away for her husband. Ravana makes regular attempts at seducing her, pointing out the hopelessness of her situation. At the beginning of the scene, Sita/Geeta picks up the ring that Rama had given to Hanuman to prove his bona fide credentials. However, in this clip from the Rām-līlā in Swades, Hanuman is not in the tree. Still, the ring presumably gives Sita courage to persist in her resistance to the demon.
The refrain at the beginning consists of Sita’s plea for Rama to come and rescue her. This prayer continues in the first stanza with repetition of the imperative āo, “please come.” The chorus breaks in with an angry outburst that prophesizes Rama’s triumphant intervention, contrasting truth and sin: “Let the drum of truth resound, let sinful Lanka burn” (baje satya kī ḍankā, jale papa kī lankā), in a parallel structure with internal rhyme. Sita’s call for instant liberation (isī kṣaṇ) fits the urgency of the situation, as Ravana appears on the scene. He delivers his lines in archaizing declamatory rhyming style typical of the Rām-līlā, asking why she keeps up her repetition of the name of Rama. Ironically, he himself repeats her name, Sita, betraying his obsession with his rival’s wife.
Ravana’s rhetorical question “what qualities do you see in Rama?” backfires as it prompts a hymn of praise, in which Sita answers him with a set of rhetorical questions of her own: “who can count Rama’s qualities?” “where are the words to praise him?” or “who can reach the top of his larger-than-life status?” She ends with warning that while Rama is forgiving, his patience is about to run out. The chorus again bursts in with the assertion that Rama is about to arrive. The audience of the film’s Rām-līlā is shown to be chiming in, hereby encouraging the film audience to do the same. Ravana predictably asks now “if he is so great and all-powerful, why doesn’t he save you, where is he anyways?” Again, Sita answers in the form of a prayer, starting each line with Ram’s name: “Ram is in her heart, Ram is in her every breath, Ram is in her every thought…”
At this point, in a surprise twist, Mohan in the audience gets up and delivers his own theological interpretation. Predictably, the scientist sees Rama in progress and unity. With the village’s foibles in mind, especially their caste and gender prejudices articulated earlier in the movie, he asserts that Rama is everywhere. In a exegetical vein, he declares Rama to dwell not only in his devotees’ hearts, but even in that of his enemies. Here Mohan hints at the concept of dveṣa bhakti, enmity-devotion, where even Rama’s adversaries, in their constant preoccupation with him, are ultimately meditating on God. He adds: it is those who have banned the demon Ravana out of their heart, who make room for Rama. That is, God dwells where there is no evil. For effect, he repeats the line twice.
It takes Geeta/Sita a moment to recover from this non-scripted interruption, that provides a chance for the message to sink in. Then she resumes the refrain. As she sings, there is a clearing in the darkness on the horizon. There arrives Rama, Lakshmana, and their army of monkeys, village children having a great time. Everyone triumphantly chimes in with the happy message: as prophesized, Rama has arrived. The demon is defeated as his giant Dassehra image explodes with fireworks. In reconnecting with his Ramyana heritage the NRI had proven himself fully worthy of his Sita and convinced the village (and film) audience that he understands the deep wisdom of his own tradition.
By Heidi Pauwels
Discussion Question: Compare with other instances of a play within the film What role does this Ram-lila play within the blockbuster movie serve and to what extent does it succeed?
Sources/ Further Reading
Lothspeich, Pamela. 2023. “Pandit Radheshyam’s Ramayan: A Sourcebook for Ramlila Scripts in the Orbit of Bareilly.” Journal of Hindu Studies 16 (3). UK: Oxford University Press: 270–93. doi:10.1093/jhs/hiad004.
Lothspeich, Pamela. 2020. “Introduction: The Field of Ramlila.” Asian Theatre Journal 37 (1). Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press: 3–33. doi:10.1353/atj.2020.0023.
Ranganathan, Maya. 2010. “Towards a More Inclusive Indian Identity? A Case Study of the Bollywood Film Swades.” National Identities 12 (1). Taylor & Francis Group: 41–59. doi:10.1080/14608940903542631.
Lanka Dahan: https://indiancine.ma/CI/player/00:01:00 (last accessed on April 17, 2025)