अंबवा तले

ambvaa tale

Touch on each word to display its meaning

अंबवा तले

Under the mango tree

ए री सखी

मोरे सैयाँ घर आए [ x2 ]

[ several repetitions ]

Oh, my friend,

my beloved has come home [x2]

[several repetitions]

भाग लगे मोरे आंगन को

अपने पिया की मैं देख सूरतिया

हार गई मैं तन मन को [ x2 ]

Good fortune has entered my courtyard,

when I saw my beloved’s face,

I surrendered, body and soul [x2]

अंबवा तले डोला रख दे निहरवा [ x2 ]

आई सावन की बहार रे

[ several repetitions ]

Set down the palanquin beneath the mango, my dear [x2]

The blooming of Sawan has arrived!

[several repetitions]

अपने महलवा माँ गुड़िया खेलत थी

सैयाँ के आए कहार रे

[ both lines x2 ]

हे री सखी गुड़िया खिलने न पाई [ x2 ]

सैयाँ ने भेजे कहार रे

In my palace quarters, I was playing with dolls,

when the bridal bearers arrived

[both lines x2]

Oh, my friend, the doll never got to bloom [x2]

my beloved sent his wedding procession

मैं दासी हूँ प्रीत की प्यासी [ x2 ]

सैयाँ के गुण गाऊँ

मैं तो सखियो बल बल जाऊँ [ x3 ]

I am a servant, thirsty for love [x2]

I sing my beloved’s virtues,

oh friends, I would give myself for him again and again [x3]

अपने महलवा माँ झूला झूलत थी

सैयाँ के आए कहार रे

[ both lines x2 ]

हे री सखी झूला झूलने न पाई

नन्ही नन्ही बूंद फुहार रे

In my palace quarters, I was swinging on the swing,

when my beloved’s bearers arrived

[both lines x2]

Oh, my friend, I couldn’t keep swinging,

(there was) a fine drizzle

About this song

Singers: Javed Bashir, Humera Channa
Music: Strings
Show: Coke Studio (2014)

ambvaa tale (Hindi: अम्बवा तले, Urdu: اَمْبوا تَلے), *"Under the Mango Tree"*, is a song featured in Season 7 (2014) of the Pakistani musical show Coke Studio.

Written in the Braj language, the lyrics and melody draw from a variety of traditional sources. However, the composition and arrangement for this Coke Studio version were crafted by the band Strings. The song is performed by Javed Bashir and Humera Channa.

Interpreted with a tone that is both romantic and melancholic, the song gives voice to a young bride as she departs from her paternal home in a ceremonial palanquin. She is devoted to her new husband and holds him in reverence, yet her heart mourns the loss of childhood and innocence. There are poignant hints that she may not yet be fully mature, emotionally or physically.

At one point during her symbolic journey to her husband's home, she asks for the palanquin to stop *under the mango tree*, so she may watch the blossoming of spring—or of Sawan, the monsoon season. This gesture may symbolize her own coming of age, the moment of her inner and outer "flowering."

Humera Channa delivers most of the female narration in soft, tender tones. Javed Bashir, meanwhile, offers a rich counterpoint with traditional vocal improvisations. His warm, deep voice does not feel out of place—on the contrary, it aligns well with the tradition of Braj poetry, which often adopts a feminine perspective, even when sung by men. In fact, much of Braj devotional literature reframes romantic longing as a metaphor for divine love, with the devotee imagining themselves as a woman yearning for union with the beloved or the spiritual master.