On Prayer-From the Words of Mahatma Gandhi

[Guest guest]

Dandavat pranams to all!!!

 

The following excerpt from the recent thread on the

death of Mahatma Gandhi prompted me to go

looking for a rendition of the bhajan mentioned...

my thanks to everyone who participated in this

thread and who provided the material for this

post and the blog post as well. We are all blessed

by His Grace to be together as a sangha and

I am very grateful...

 

"The song “Vaishnava Janato” was broadcast over the radio and Bhagavan listened to it sadly. At 9-45, Bhagavan was about to go out when a newspaper reporter came and requested him to give his views on the tragedy so that they might be published.Bhagavan, his voice choked with emotion, said, “For the Mahatma’s death in this tragic manner, every person’s heart is mourning. What is there in particular that I could say? Who is there who is not grieved? If I say anything, you will publish it and then, one after another, people will come and ask me. What is the good of it?”So saying, Bhagavan sent the reporter away and went for his walk. On his return, “Vaishnava Janato” was again being broadcast and tears fell from Bhagavan’s eyes."

 

 

 

The thread itself also prompted me to finish

one of the several drafts from Swami Sadsivananda

I have waiting completion on the blog, this one on

prayer-taken from his transcriptions of a speech

containing excerpts from Gandhiji's works...

this is the link to the article:

 

on-prayer

 

This is the link to the youtube video I found

of the bhajan, which was a favorite of the

Mahatma. When I searched in youtube, I

naturally chose the version sung by Ms Amma,

being that she is one of my very favorites :-) The

link at the very bottom of this post is to another

site which contains a similar translation to the one

below and links to some other versions of the

bhajan should you wish to listen:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3syJ9hfwh4

 

This is the information provided by the gentleman

who had uploaded the video on youtube:

 

Vaishanav: A follower of Vaishnav school of Hinduism. Strict vegetarianism, ahimsa simplicity are the hallmarks of a true vaishnav. The Bhajan is in essence a "definition" of "vaishnav".

 

Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye je

[One who is a vaishnav]

PeeD paraayi jaaNe re

[Knows the pain of others]

Par-dukhkhe upkaar kare toye

[Does good to others, esp. to those ones who are in misery]

Man abhimaan na aaNe re

[Does not let pride enter his mind]

Vaishnav... SakaL lok maan sahune vande

[A Vaishnav, Tolerates and praises the the entire world]

Nindaa na kare keni re

[Does not say bad things about anyone]

Vaach kaachh man nishchaL raakhe

[Keeps his/her words, actions and thoughts pure]

Dhan-dhan janani teni re

[O Vaishnav, your mother is blessed (dhanya-dhanya)]

Vaishnav... Sam-drishti ne trishna tyaagi

[A Vaishnav sees everything equally, rejects greed and avarice]

Par-stree jene maat re

[Considers some one else's wife/daughter as his mother]

Jivha thaki asatya na bole

[The tongue may get tired, but will never speak lies]

Par-dhan nav jhaalee haath re

[Does not even touch someone else's property]

Vaishnav... Moh-maaya vyaape nahi jene

[A Vaishnav does not succumb to worldly attachments]

DriDh vairaagya jena man maan re

[Who has devoted himself to stauch detachment to worldly pleasures]

Ram naam shoon taaLi laagi

[Who has been addicted to the elixir coming by the name of Ram]

SakaL tirath tena tan maan re

[For whom all the religious sites are in the mind]

Vaishnav... VaN-lobhi ne kapaT-rahit chhe

[Who has no greed and deceit]

Kaam-krodh nivaarya re

[Who has renounced lust of all types and anger]

BhaNe Narsaiyyo tenun darshan karta

[The poet Narsi will like to see such a person]

KuL ekoter taarya re

[by who's virtue, the entire family gets salvation]

 

by 15th century Gujarati poet Narsi Mehta, emphasising the virtues of the Vaishnav code of life.

 

http://sacred-songs.blogspot.com/2007/06/vaishnav-jan-to-tene-kahiye.html

 

Finally... Hare Krishna!!!

 

In His Service,

 

Radhe