Rasikpath - Edition 9
Tedhe Din Ka Matlab: Jab Sona bhi Haath Mein Mitti Ban Jaye
Ram Ram Sa!
Hope you’re having a good day. Or at least, a straight one. Because today we’re talking about the OTHER kind: the ones that bend sideways and refuse to cooperate.
Let me tell you about the worst day in Braj.
No, not the day Krishna left for Mathura. That was devastating, yes. But at least it was CLEAR. He left. They cried. Pain with a name.
I’m talking about the day AFTER. The hangover of heartbreak. The morning when reality sets in.
The gopis wake up and say to themselves: He’s actually gone. The butter pots stand full. The cows stand quiet. The flute is silent.
And then. along comes Uddhav.
Not Krishna. His FRIEND
The absolute AUDACITY.
This is the day Surdas captured in a pad so brutally honest, so painfully relatable, that 500 years later, it still reads like your group chat during a breakdown:
The Pad That Sees Through You
जब टेढ़े दिन आवैं ऊधो, जब टेढ़े दिन आवैं Uddhav, when the crooked days arrive, when the crooked days arrive
टेढ़ी मेढ़ी बनी कूबरी, वाको हरि लपिटावैं The crooked one - Kubja - He embraced her warmly
चंद्रवदन सी सुघड़ राधिका, वाको योग सिखावैं But moon-faced Radha? For her, yoga lessons
ऊँचे नीचे बैन कहति हैं, धिक् बैठे बेलबावै People speak carelessly, sitting shamelessly
मांगे कतौ कछु नहि देवें, नाहक दोषु लगावैं We ask for nothing, yet they blame us anyway
इष्ट मित्र मुखहू नही बोलै, देखत नैन चुरावैं Even dear friends won’t speak, they avoid eye contact
सोना छुवत होत माटी, जब मूरख ज्ञान सिखावैं Gold turns to dust when fools become teachers
आपनि आपनि भागि सखीरी, काको दोष लगावैं Everyone has their own fate - who can we blame?
सूरदास विधना के आखर, छिनु भरि टरि न पावैं Surdas says: Before destiny, no one stands firm even for a moment
ऊधो जब टेढ़े दिन आवैं|
Tedhe din. Crooked days. The days when nothing goes right. When even gold crumbles to dust in your hands.
And the gopis are about to give the most brutal heartbreaking answer to well-meaning wisdom.
How Tedhe Din Feel
Before we get into the gopis’ response, let me show you what tedhe din FEEL like:
Imagine this:
You’ve spent months getting ready. That test - the one that counts. The one that’ll change everything. JEE, NEET, UPSC, CAT - whatever big challenge you’re facing.
You skipped parties. You quit scrolling. Your friends went out, you stayed home. You read page after page. You solved problem after problem. You took mock test after mock test.
Your parents noticed the light under your door at 2 AM and said nothing. They just left tea outside.
You UNDERSTOOD the content. You felt prepared. You entered that exam room with a racing heart but a focused mind.
You gave it your all.
Then results day arrives.
You visit the website. Your hands tremble. The screen loads.
NOT SELECTED.
You scroll down to check your marks. And there it is:
Cutoff: 142. Your score: 140.
Two marks. TWO MARKS.
Not because you skipped studying. Not because you didn’t put in effort. Not because you lacked ability.
Just... two points. Two questions you doubted. Two careless errors. Two points between your aspiration and your heartbreak.
And all of a sudden:
Everyone offers their two cents. “You should’ve done this.” “Why didn’t you try that?” “My cousin’s buddy prepped for 3 months and passed it.”
Friends who goofed off all year now seem distant. They’re at a loss for words. You catch them glancing at you and... turning away.
Your parents try to comfort you: “Don’t worry, you can give it another shot next year.” But you sense the letdown they’re struggling to hide.
Even YOU begin to sound like a stranger to yourself: “Maybe I’m not bright enough. Maybe this path wasn’t for me.”
That’s tedhe din.
Not over-the-top. Not like a movie scene. Just everything a bit OFF. When gold (your hard work, your commitment, your aspiration) seems like sand slipping through your fingers.
When clueless people who barely cracked a book start offering you “advice” on dealing with setbacks.
When your own thoughts turn into your worst enemy: “You’re not up to par. You’ll never succeed. Everyone else is moving ahead except you.”
Two points. And your entire world tilts off-balance.
जब टेढ़े दिन आवैं - When the crooked days arrive.
Picture the gopis. They gave Krishna EVERYTHING - their hearts, their reputation, their whole existence. They held nothing back. Their love knew no bounds.
And He left. Not because they fell short. Not because they made a mistake. He just... left.
And sent Uddhav with YOGA LESSONS.
Can you SENSE their fury now? Their heartache? Their “are you KIDDING me?” vibe?
Let’s watch them let it all out.
Round 1: Read the ROOM, Uddhav
टेढ़ी मेढ़ी बनी कूबरी वाको हरि लपिटावैं चंद्रवदन सी सुघड़ राधिका, वाको योग सिखावैं
“Uddhav, let’s clear this up.
Krishna met Kubja - a hunchback bent and twisted shunned by others - and hugged her. His touch changed her. He gave her his COMPANY.
And Radha? The shining one? Whose love makes the moon seem dull? Who handed him her ALL?
She gets... YOU. With THEORY.”
The mockery could slice through Govardhan hill.
“You hugged the crooked one. But for the straight-hearted, you send detachment lessons?
These, Uddhav, are our TEDHE DIN.”
The Universal Truth
This destroys me:
When times get tough, the wrong people receive the right treatment. And the right people receive... lessons.
That person who knows you gets their calls returned right away. You - loyal devoted present - get “I’m busy.”
That average colleague gets promoted. You - who gave it your all - get “we’ll review next quarter.”
That relationship where you gave everything ends through a TEXT. Someone else gets the effort, the dates, the “let me prove myself” energy.
Wrong people get hugs. Right people get yoga classes.
That’s a crooked day. Like the universe’s GPS broke and everyone landed at the wrong spot.
Round 2: When Everyone Thinks They Know Best
ऊँचे नीचे बैन कहति हैं, धिक् बैठे बेलबावै मांगे कतौ कछु नहि देवें, नाहक दोषु लगावैं
“You want to know what twisted days look like?
All of a sudden, everyone has something to say. Everyone’s a know-it-all.
People who’ve never felt our kind of love explaining how love works. People who’ve never had to wait telling us we’re ‘too clingy.’ People who’ve never lost what we did saying ‘just get over it.’”
धिक् बैठे बेलबावै - They sit without shame and pass judgment.
We ask for NOTHING. We just exist in our pain. Yet, they still blame us.
‘You’re too emotional.’ ‘You’re making this harder than needed.’ ‘Have you tried... yoga?’”
That last line hits when Uddhav came to teach yoga.
Round 3: When Your People Disappear
इष्ट मित्र मुखहू नही बोलै देखत नैन चुरावैं
“The worst part, Uddhav?
Strangers judging isn’t it. That’s expected.
It’s when YOUR OWN PEOPLE go quiet.
इष्ट मित्र - those you cared for. The ones who promised, “I’ll stick around.”
They spot you approaching and :
“Can’t talk now, I’m swamped”
Read at 3:47 PM
They look away
It’s not that they dislike you. Your struggles make them uneasy. Your tough times remind them that life can throw curveballs at anyone.
So they pull back.
And you think: “Did people like me when I was carefree?”
When Idiots Turn Into Instructors
सोना छुवत होत माटी, जब मूरख ज्ञान सिखावैं
“This part hurts the most:
Everything you touch crumbles to dust. This happens not because of a curse, but because जब मूरख ज्ञान सिखावैं - fools teach you.
Bad voices start to sound correct. Poor advice seems like wisdom.
Do you recall Kaikeyi?
She was clever. A fighter. She saved the king’s life. She cared for Rama more than her own child.
But one bad day came. One servant - Manthara - spoke venom at just the right time. And all of a sudden:
Vashishtha’s insights seemed off
Manthara’s harmful words seemed smart
Gold (Rama’s crowning) turned to dust (his banishment)
मूरख ज्ञान सिखावैं - The ignorant became the instructor.
We all have a Manthara:
A friend who backs up our worst instincts
A voice telling us to “destroy everything”
An ex who messages when we’re feeling weak
An inner critic at 2 AM
When times are tough even idiots can seem smart. the idiot in your own mind.
The Truth That Transforms Everything
आपनि आपनि भागि सखीरी, काको दोष लगावैं सूरदास विधना के आखर, छिनु भरि टरि न पावैं
The gopis move from anger to something more profound. And it breaks your heart.
“Everyone has their own fate. काको दोष लगावैं - Who can we blame?
विधना के आखर - Destiny’s writing. छिनु भरि टरि न पावैं - Before it, no one stands firm even for a moment.”
But here’s what took me a long time to grasp:
Tough times don’t punish us. They start something new.
Think about this: Krishna’s tribhanga pose - that three-bend stance that makes the universe hold its breath? It’s CROOKED. No doubt about it. Three bends.
But it’s also the most stunning pose that exists.
The beauty shows up in the bend.
Straight doesn’t challenge us. Straight feels nice. Straight doesn’t need us to change.
But BENT? Bent shows what you’re made of. Bent reveals your flexibility, your grace, your ability to keep beauty even when nothing lines up.
You can be gold, sure. But gold needs FIRE to prove it’s real gold. It needs heat. It needs the crooked days that test if it’ll stay gold or turn to dust.
The gopis’ tedhe din didn’t destroy them. It REVEALED them. It showed they could love even when:
Friends vanished
Fools gave advice
The beloved sent messengers instead of coming
Everything went sideways
That’s not weakness. That’s the strongest thing in the universe.
And that’s what Uddhav got. That’s why he stayed.
Tough days aren’t here to crush you. They show up to reveal what you’re made of when things get tricky.
Lessons This Note Taught Me (Before My Hard Times Even Showed Up)
Here’s the truth: I haven’t faced my real tough times yet.
Not the kind that shakes you to your core. Not the type where friends vanish, everything falls apart, and your world turns upside down.
I’ve had letdowns, stress, and plans that fell through. But true HARD TIMES? The sort that makes you question everything and fools start to sound smart? Not yet.
This Pad? It’s my prep work. My caution sign. My reminder for when my day arrives.
Because Surdas is showing me:
Tough times will show what I’m made of. Will I remain golden or think I’m worthless?
When exam results come out. When a dream job says no. When someone I care about grows distant. When my best try falls just short.
Will I:
Believe the voice in my head saying “you’re not good enough”?
Get angry when fools try to teach me?
Shut others out when friends leave?
Or will I be like the gopis:
Stay gentle. Stay true. Stay caring. Even when everything twists.
That’s the initiation I’m preparing for. And I hope when my tedhe din arrive, I remember this pad. Remember that the bend doesn’t break you - it reveals you.
Remember, gold remains gold even when, for a season, it appears as dust.
So What Do You Actually DO?
You NAME it: “जब टेढ़े दिन आवैं” - These are my crooked days.
You don’t fake that they are straight. You don’t toxic-positivity your way through. You acknowledge this: My judgment is off. Fools sound wise. People are distant. This isn’t fair. And I cannot control it.
And you trust: Crooked days eventually straighten. But only if you don’t break yourself forcing them straight too soon.
The Question for YOU
Are you in Tedhe Din right now? Or like me, bracing for when they come?
Either way, ask yourself:
When a loved one is having crooked days, are you Krishna embracing Kubja, or Uddhav arriving with lessons?
Because we’re ALL Uddhav sometimes. Well-meaning. Thinking we’re helping. Showing up with philosophy when they need presence.
The gopis are asking US: Read the room. Is this a philosophy moment or a presence moment?
And if YOU’RE in the crooked days:
It’s okay to tell your Uddhavs, “Not now. I don’t need yoga. I need you to just. see me.”
The Final Truth
Remember, Uddhav came to teach detachment. And he remained because he got attached-to their devotion, to their honesty, to their capacity to love even on crooked days.
The gopis had tedhe din when Krishna left. Kaikeyi had hers when Manthara whispered. That student had theirs with two marks. You’ve had yours. I’m waiting for mine.
The question isn’t IF they’ll come. They will.
The question is, will you stay gold or will you believe you’re dust?
Because here is the secret the gopis knew, Uddhav learned, that this pad teaches:
Crooked days don’t define you; they reveal you. They show what you are made of when nothing falls into place.
And just like Krishna’s tribhanga, you know-those three beautiful bends-sometimes it’s the crooked that’s where the divine actually lives.
Tedhe din aren’t obstacles, they’re initiations. The bend is where you become who you’re meant to be.
Till next week - may you stay soft even when everything bends, All my love-and Surdas’s brutal honesty-
Priyanshi
Today happens to be Ekadasi, I perform Pushpa Abisheka of Narayana with his sacred thousand names. As I was preparing for it , this Rasikpath arrived. Such a beautiful omen. Thankyou mam for this beautiful post.
This world needs more Priyanshis and more Rasikpaths.🙏
Thank you for writing this...It gave me a boost to move on from past and these tedhe din things are trivial in life ....instead we should look at the positive light💫