Urdu, Hindi: bhogii بهوگي भोगी bhogī

[MonsieurGonzalito]

Friends,
In the Urdu Lughat (I believe as an example of the word pɛhle), there is this saying:

پَہْلے پَہْرے سَب کوئی جاگے، دوجے پَہْرے بھوگی، تیسرے پَہْرے چور جاگے، چَوتھے پَہْرے جوگی کہاوت

What are the bhogii in that saying, and what is the general sense of the phrase?

(There is an explanation at the bottom of the page, implying that bhogii = 3aurat-valaa. That means a womanizer? They get up early in order to commit adultery at ease?)

 

[Qureshpor]

What are the bhogii in that saying, and what is the general sense of the phrase?

The night is divided into 4 "pahar"s of 3 hour duration.

Everyone is awake in the first portion

The headman (of the village) is awake during the second portion

The thieves are all awake during the third portion

A "jogii" is awake when everyone is else is asleep during the last portion of the night.

(There is an explanation at the bottom of the page, implying that bhogii = 3aurat-valaa. That means a womanizer? They get up early in order to commit adultery at ease?)

If "bhogii" in this context means "3aurat vaalaa", then the meaning is "a married man".

 

[aevynn]

The headman (of the village) is awake during the second portion

Why is the headman of a village awake after almost everyone else has gone to sleep...?

The sentence makes a lot more sense to me if bhogii refers instead to a voluptuary (also called a bhog-vilaasii or bhog-bilaasii).

S بهوگي भोगी bhogī, adj. & s.m. Enjoying; using, possessing; suffering, experiencing; full of enjoyments; devoted to enjoyments, jovial, jolly; indulging in sensual pleasures; — one who enjoys or possesses (a thing, &c.), one who makes mere pleasure a pursuit, man of pleasure, one given up to carnal pleasures, voluptuary, rake, debauchee; — king, prince; head-man of a upvillage; barber.​

​

They get up early in order to commit adultery at ease?

The first pahar of the night starts at sundown. The second pahar, which starts three-ish hours after sundown, would therefore be not an inappropriate time for "carnal pleasures," to use Platts' phrase.

what is the general sense of the phrase?

I have not encountered this "in the wild," but it has nice rhythm/rhyme and can surely be used in a variety of situations. I imagine that people might use the full phrase in an "early bird gets the worm" type context: those who are wise like a jogii will be awake before sunrise (which is when the last pahar of the night ends and the first pahar of the daytime starts). I imagine that people might also truncate and say only the first two pahars in a "why are you up so late? wink-wink" type of situation.

PS. FWIW, essentially the same phrase is found written in Devanagari in books that bear titles like वृहत् हिन्दी लोकोक्ति कोश, so you may get answers from people who have encountered this phrase "in the wild" by re-titling the thread.

 

[MonsieurGonzalito]

Here we go:

pɛhle pɛhre sab ko'ii jaage, duuje pɛhre bhogii
tiisre pɛhre chor jaage, chauthaa pɛhre jogii

 

[Qureshpor]

Why is the headman of a village awake after almost everyone else has gone to sleep...?

No, he is not awake after almost everyone else has gone to sleep. He goes to sleep before the thief and the jogii! And we are not talking about one thief and one jogii!

Frankly, I don't know why anyone would need to stay up all night and I suspect only the thief would need to be awake and even he would go to sleep before the night is over. The only person who needs to stay awake is someone who is working a full night shift in a factory or a police officer/ambulance person working for an emergency service in a western country. I can't see this happening when this "kahaavat" was being formulated.

I had the concept of the village headman being equivalent to a "nambar-daar" kind of person but you could well be right that it refers to an 3ayyaash عَیّاش . But, if I was following this line of "business", I wouldn't wait for the second pahar of the night for my "carnal pleasures" but "har mausam hai pyaar kaa mausam", day or night and would sleep, day or night.

Anyway, let the "bhogii" "be a man of pleasure".

(As a sideline, the word 3ayyaash brings to mind a nazm "kalark kaa naGhmah-i-muHabbat" by Mira Jii which I am sure you will love - میراجی - نظم)

 

[littlepond]

pɛhle pɛhre sab ko'ii jaage, duuje pɛhre bhogii
tiisre pɛhre chor jaage, chauthaa pɛhre jogii

"bhogii," a very commonly used word in Hindi, is a person who indulges in "bhog,"* that is, fond of earthly pleasures: eating, drinking, sexual activity (which may not necessarily mean womanising), etc. (not necessarily all of them). It is not necessarily a negative word.

Note that it's "praihr" or "paihr," not "paihre." Post 3 has explained well the verse in question.

*Note that "bhog" has usage in many more contexts than "bhogii": for example, "bhog" offered to Lord Krishna.

 

[Qureshpor]

Note that it's "praihr" or "paihr," not "paihre." Post 3 has explained well the verse in question.

In "pahre", I believe, the -e is the old locative case.

pahle pahre..... In the first pahr

 

[littlepond]

In "pahre", I believe, the -e is the old locative case.

pahle pahre..... In the first pahr

Ah yes, you are right!

 

[littlepond]

*Note that "bhog" has usage in many more contexts than "bhogii": for example, "bhog" offered to Lord Krishna.

Another typical, famous "bhog" example is as in "chhappan bhog": a feast composed of several (ideally 56) dishes (including side-dishes, etc.). Many restaurants are named like that or offer something like that in their menu.

 

[MonsieurGonzalito]

Old locative may be, but pɛhraa exists

A Practical Hindi-English Dictionary

Urdu Lughat

Also, FWIW, it seems that pɛhr(aa) jaagnaa can be used in direct case, which I assume means the verb is used transitively as in "veil the watch" or something.
For example (I don't know how much Punjabi there is in this song):

ho pɛhlaa pɛhr har ko'ii jaage
par duujaa na(h) jaage ko'ii !
ho, lagii binaa rain na(h) jaage ko'ii ...

Lagi Bina Rain Na Jage Koi Lyrics

And if so, the OP might be speaking about "the watches" in general.

 

[littlepond]

Old locative may be, but pɛhraa exists

A Practical Hindi-English Dictionary

"paihraa," of course, exists: is it a very common word of Hindi! But "paihraa" means keeping watch (as in a watchman - paihredaar), not 3-hour segment of the day, which is "praihr" or "paihr." Your post was not about "watch."

 

[littlepond]

Also, FWIW, it seems that pɛhr(aa) jaagnaa can be used in direct case, which I assume means the verb is used transitively as in "veil the watch" or something.
For example (I don't know how much Punjabi there is in this song):

ho pɛhlaa pɛhr har ko'ii jaage
par duujaa na(h) jaage ko'ii !
ho, lagii binaa rain na(h) jaage ko'ii ...

Lagi Bina Rain Na Jage Koi Lyrics

There is no "paihr jaagnaa" in the song. The song is saying "har koi jaage paihle paihr meN." You can replace "paihla paihr" with "subah ke chaar baje" in the song, then you may understand.

And if so, the OP might be speaking about "the watches" in general.

"watches"??? A watch that one wears is a "ghaRii," not "paihraa."

 

[Qureshpor]

Old locative may be, but pɛhraa exists

"pahr" and "pahraa" are not the same word. A pahraa is not equivalent to 3 hours. pahraa is the span of time a person keeps watch over something.

There is no "paihr jaagnaa" in the song. The song is saying "har koi jaage paihle paihr meN." You can replace "paihla paihr" with "subah ke chaar baje" in the song, then you may understand.

I don't understand this.

And if so, the OP might be speaking about "the watches" in general.

No. It's impossible to deduce "pahraa" from the declined "pahree". Is the whole word barring the Bhogi, chor and Jogi keeping watch. Watch over what?

 

[MonsieurGonzalito]

The song is saying "har koi jaage paihle paihr meN."

The song says (at 2:24)
ho pɛhlaa pɛhar har koii jaage
as I said. There is no meN

"watches"??? A watch that one wears is a "ghaRii," not "paihraa."

Watch over what?

For me, the relation between the "daily rounds of a watchman" and a measure of time (at an epoch were precise devices didn't exist) seems obvious. But maybe I am missing something?

 

[Qureshpor]

For me, the relation between the "daily rounds of a watchman" and a measure of time (at an epoch were precise devices didn't exist) seems obvious. But maybe I am missing something?

It is obvious to a simpleton like me too but the words, albeit related and made from the same ingrdient have become two dishes. A dish of Halvaa and a dish of khiir are not one dish, though they both contain sugar!

 

[MonsieurGonzalito]

Urdu Lughat
۵. رک : پہر .

 

[Qureshpor]

Urdu Lughat
۵. رک : پہر .

It says "5. rujuu3 kiijiye pahr" (in simple terms, please refer to the word "pahr")

So?

 

[MonsieurGonzalito]

So, pɛhr and pɛhraa could be synonyms in certain contexts?

 

[Qureshpor]

So, pɛhr and pɛhraa could be synonyms in certain contexts?

Not to my knowledge but I've known to be wrong, on occasions!

 

[Jashn]

Throughout my life, I've practised yoga (hatha and meditations). So I'm reasonably familiar as a layperson with Patanjali's yoga sutras and other related texts.

Yoga seeks to restrain the senses so a person's thoughts and attachments/aversions don't distract them from realising their true self. A yogi, therefore, restrains their senses. Meditation and sadhana are particularly auspicious during the brahmamuhurta, early in the morning, when the mind is anyway naturally still, making it easier to realise profound truths one is meditating on as the mind is not distracted by random thoughts that focus on attachments/aversions. It also has the benefit of being before daily work starts, so you're less likely to have something else to do, and there are fewer people awake to try to distract you. Performing meditations at this time is fundamental to most Hindu monastic orders, if not all, to my knowledge. So that is why a yogi is up early.

To continue, a yogi, or the person who restrains their senses in pursuit of moksha/liberation, is often compared and contrasted with the bhogi. The yogi has moderation, restraint, discipline, compassion, etc., as hallmarks of their character. They're concerned with others, not selfish, etc. They fulfill their duties and work. In this specific context, a bhogi is a sort of anti-yogi. He doesn't restrain his senses. He lives for maximizing enjoyment of his attachments and avoids things for which he has an aversion. So he goes after alcohol/other substances, women of ill-repute, and lives for the party. In short, debauched. When do such people get together? Well, not during the time yogi-types are working. Either they've shirked their work and are selfishly not helping support their family, or they're wealthy and squandering it. In either case, they're up late, pursuing their interests, which is why a bhogi is up late as per the saying. Comparing the two, yogi and bhogi, is a fairly common rhetorical trope that I've heard throughout my life in yoga centres and satsanghs.