Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki
O you have so much to say about being genuine! You are seen to be wrapped in an old tattered blanket and wearing a simple loincloth, just like a renounced ascetic-but in actuality all of this is simply pretentious.
Leaving your legally married wife at home, you go off and keep the company of the wives of others. In your greed for acquiring more and more wealth, you wander like a poor beggar from door to door, and you secretly keep so much surplus stored away.
You are quite confident in presenting yourself as a saintly spiritual master, and thus you are busily engaged in initiating innocent people by reciting Krishna-nāma into their ear-is this behavior not a great charade?
Can anyone be called a "guru" simply because he gives advice to others? A cook can never use whey in a recipe that calls for milk. Now think about this and just see what I see.
On the strength of the true qualities of peacefulness, sense control, and tolerance, one's mundane desires are renounced as true spiritual faith arises. That being the case, the renunciant Chāṅd Bāul says, "What will become of your premature imitation of spiritual perfection?"
About Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki
The title signals a song getting down to brass tacks — "here is the real matter" — likely the point in the sequence where Bhaktivinoda drops folk indirection and states plainly what he thinks is wrong with the practices he's addressing.
Frequently asked
Who wrote Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki?
Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki was composed by Bhaktivinoda Thakura. It appears in Baula Sangita.
What is the meaning of Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki?
O you have so much to say about being genuine! You are seen to be wrapped in an old tattered blanket and wearing a simple loincloth, just like a renounced ascetic-but in actuality all of this is simply pretentious.
How many verses does Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki have?
Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki has 5 verses.
Can I download Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki as a PPT or PDF?
Yes. A ready-to-display slide deck for Āsalo Kathā Bolte Ki — verse and translation on each slide — is available to download in both PowerPoint (.pptx) and PDF formats from this page, for use in kirtan or temple programs.