Happy Republic day- Lets look back

Happy republic day to all of you. I am giving below the translation of a Gujarathi prayer very dear to Mahathma Gandhi’s heart, Narsi Mehta tells us who is the man of God .If only this is read by every Indian and followed, all the problems of our country would completely vanish.

Vaioshnava Janato
(The man of God)
By
Narasi Mehta

Translated by
P.R.Ramachander

One of the greatest Gujarati poet-saints, Narsi Mehta introduced philosophical poetry into the bhakti world of Gujarat. He composed about 740 songs. 'Vaishnava-janato', the prayer song popularized by Mahatma Gandhi, is a composition of Narsi Mehta’s. This soul stirring poetry moves any theist. I have taken the liberty of translating this poem by substituting “Man of God” instead of “Vaishnava”. I did this because I felt that, what the poet must have meant was that.

Original  in Guarathi typed in Hindi

वैष्णव  जन  तो  तेने  कहिये  जे
पीड़ा  पराई  जाने  रे
पर दुख्खे  उपकार  करे  तोये
मन  अभिमान  न  आने  रे

सकल  लोक  मान  सहने  वन्दे
निंदा  न  करे  केनी  रे
वाच  काछ  मन  निश्छल  राखे
धन धन  जननी  तेनी  रे

सम दृष्टि  ने  तृष्णा  त्यागी
पर स्त्री  जेने  मात  रे
जिव्हा  थकी  असत्य  न  बोले
पर धन  नव  झाली  हाथ  रे

मोह माया  व्यापे  नहीं  जेने
दृढ  वैराग्य  जेना  मन  मान  रे
राम  नाम  शून  ताली  लागी
सकल  तीरथ  तेना  तन  मान  रे

वन लोभी  ने  कपट रहित  छे
काम क्रोध  निवार्य  रे
भने  नरसैय्यो  तेनुं  दर्शन  करता
कुल  एकोतेर  तार्य  रे

English translation

He and he alone is the man of God,
Who knows the pain and misery of others,
Who tries to help others in distress,
And who does not have pride in his mind.

He and he alone is the man of God,
Who respects and salutes all,
Who does not talk ill of others,
Who keeps his mind pure in words and action,
And whose mother is considered blessed by all.

He and he alone is the man of God,
Who views everybody as equal,
Who considers other women as his mother,
Who never tells lies all his life,
And who never yearns for other’s wealth.

He and he alone is the man of God,
Who never has any attachments,
Who is strongly detached to worldly pleasures,
Who is addicted to remembering his God,
And in whose mind are all the holy places of the world.


He and he alone is the man of God,
Who has no greed and deceit in his mind,
Who has forsaken all pleasures and anger,
And whose sight is thirsted for by Narasi the poet,
For the entire family gets salvation on seeing him.