Chithu Chithu La Bomma - Bathukamma Festival song

Batukamma is a spring festival celebrated by the Hindu women of Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is also called as Bodemma. This festival falls in the months of September/October called as Aswiyuja and concludes two days before Dussera called as Durgashtami.

Batukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with seasonal flowers, in seven concentric layers, of potter’s clay like a cone. Batuku in Telugu means live/life, and Amma means mother, hence Batukamma, is celebrated for the glory of Goddess Gauri (meaning fair or white) - the patron Goddess of womanhood.

Women celebrate the festival dressed-up in traditional silk sarees, wear jewellery and girls wear a two-piece saree called as Langa oni.

On this day the men folk of the house go into the wild plains and gather the flowers like gunuka , tangedi, lotus, alli, katla, teku flowers, Which bloom in this season in various vibrant colors all across the uncultivated and barren plains of the region.

Women start preparation of Batukamma from the afternoon. They cut the flowers leaving the little length base, some dip in colours, some scented and arrange them on a wide plate called as tambalamu, and stack them up in a conical mound, decorate with a pumpkin flower on top of stack.

In the evening, women gather in large numbers with their batukammas in their locality, place them in the middle and dance around them, synchronizing steps and claps in unison, and singing soul stirring batukamma folk songs.


Women dancing around their BatukammasAfter singing and dancing around for hours, Batukammas are taken to a lake or a pond and spend some more time singing and dancing and are set afloat in the water body.

Saddula Batukamma
This festival is celebrated for nine days and concludes on Durgastami. The main festival day is called Saddula Batukamma.[3] On this day they celebrate into wee hours before leaving their Batukamma in water. Lakes floating with batukammas in the evenings is a treat to the eyes.


MaleedaMaleeda, a prasadam made of jaggery, is prepared on this day and distributed at the end of the event. People wishing to watch Bathukamma festival being celebrated in its true sense and full glory must visit Warangal on its last day i.e 2 days before festival of Dussehra. Only Women are allowed and male companions must wait outside the festival grounds.


Once upon a time King Dharmangada of Chola Dynasty used to rule South India. After many prayers and rituals, his wife gave birth to Princess Lakshmi. Baby Lakshmi survived many accidents. So, the parents named her Batukamma (Batuku = life, Amma= suffix to female names and mother). Since then Batukamma festival is celebrated by young girls in Telangana region. The purpose of this festival is to pray to the Goddess in the belief that the young girls would get husbands as per their wish. It is celebrated for nine days beginning from the Padyami (first day) of the month Asvayuja (September-October). Flowers are arranged on a plate or square wooden plank or a square bamboo frame in a conical layout. On the top, gynecium of a pumpkin flower or a cone made of turmeric to represent Batukamma is installed. This floral arrangement is worshipped as Goddess Batukamma. This festival is mainly celebrated by unmarried young girls, though men and women also participate in collecting and arranging the flowers as Batukamma.

Alif Allah Chambay Di Booti - Sultan Bahu - Tabassum Sohail

Coke Studio - Arif Lohar - Alif Allah - Meesha
Title: "Alif Allah chambay di booti"

Alif allah chambay di booti, tey meray murshid mann vich lai hoo
My master has planted the fragrant seed of love in my heart

Ho nafi uss baat da paani dey kay
Which flourished with modesty, piety and acceptance of his existence

Har ragaay harjai hoo
My God is present in every throbbing pulse

Ho joog joog jeevay mera murshid sohna
My spiritual guide is ever-present

Hatay jiss ay booti lai ho
The one who blew life into me

(chorus # 1)

Pir meraya jugni ji
I have the spirit of my guide

Ae way allah waliyan di jugni ji
The spirit of all the messengers who brought His message to this Earth

Ae way nabbi pak di jugni ji
The spirit of Holy Prophet

Ae way maula ali wali jugni ji
The spirit of Ali and his followers

Ae way meray pir di jugni ji
The spirit of my saint

Ae way saaray sabaz di jugni ji
The spirit of all his words

Dum gutkoon, dum gutkoon, dum gutkoon, dum gootkun... karay Saeein
Everytime I think of you God, my heart flutters

Parhay tay kalma nabi da Parhay saeein pir merya
So I recite the kalma whenever I think of God

(chrous #1 repeat)
Jugni taar khaeein vich thaal
O my creation, share whatever you have

Chad duniya dey janjaal
Remove yourself from worldly concerns

Kuch ni nibna bandiya naal
There is nothing that you can get from other human beings that you can take to the after-life

(repeat)

Rakhi saabat sidh amaal
Just keep you actions and intentions pure

(chorus # 1 repeat)

Jugni dig payee vich roi
So absorbed was the creation that she stumbled into a ditch

Othay ro ro kamli hoi
There she wailed relentlessly

Oddi vaath naye lainda koi
But there was no one who enquired about her

(repeat)

Tey kalmay binna nai mildi toi
Remember, there is no salvation for anyone without remembering your creator

(chorus #1 repeat)

Ho wanga charha lo kuriyon
Put on your bangles, girls

Meray daata dey darbaar dian
Those that you get at your Master's shrines

(repeat)

Ho naa kar teeya khair piyari
Daughter, don't be proud of your youth

Maan daindiya galaryaan
Your mother scoffs and scolds you

Din din talhi juwani jaandi
That with each passing day, your youth slips by

Joon sohna puthia lariyaan
Even gold when put in the furnance moulds itself, there is absolutely no permanence

Aurat marad, shehzaday sohney
Women, men are like so beautiful

O moti, O laa lariyaan
Like pearls, like the gems

Sir da sarfa kar naa jairey
Those who are not self-centered

Peen prem pya lariyan
They are the ones who truly love the humanity

O daatay day darbaan chaa akho
Whenever you visit the darbar of any saint

Pawan khair sawa lariyan
God fulfils all your wishes and showers you with his blessings

(arif plus meesha)

(chorus 2)

O wanga charha lo kuriyon meray daata tey darbar diyan
Put on your bangles, girls ... Those that you get at your Master's shrine

O wangha charha lo kuriyon meray daata tey darbar diyan
Put on your bangles, girls ... Those that you get at your Master's shrines

(chorus 2 repeat)

Dum gutkoon, dum gutkoon, dum gootkoon, gootkoon gootkon

(chorus 1 repeat)

Jugni ji
Jugni ji
Jugni ji...

Karavan
Yaadein

Koi naa kahay
Koi bhi na sunay
Dil ki baat yeh
Dil mein hee rahay
Yaadein naa rahain
Chaahoon aisa mein toh
Naa yaad ho mujh ko mera maazi

Na hee saamnay manzil raastay
Jo bhee saath thay, lootay waastay
Yaadein na rahain

Aisa bikhra mein bhee iss haal mein
Bojhal raatein meri
Yaadein naa rahain

Kaisi majboori hai

Kitna zaroori hai
Kay jivan ki taptee iss dhop mein ho
Jo saaya, saaya
Ho saaya, saaya

Kyun yeh dil kahay
Tooh phir aamplay
saanson mein rahay
Aakhon mein wasay
Aur na hon judaa


Jugni

Lyrics (Gurmukhi)
ਅਲਫ ਅੱਲਾ ਚੰਬੇ ਦੀ ਬੂਟੀ
ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਮੁਰਸ਼ਦ ਲਾਈ.. ਹੂ…

ਨਫੀ ਅਸਬਾਤ ਦਾ ਪਾਣੀ ਮਿਲਿਆ
ਹਰ ਰਗੇ ਹਰ ਜਾਈ.. ਹੂ…

ਅੰਦਰ ਬੂਟੀ ਮੁਸ਼ਕ ਮਚਾਇਆ
ਜਾਂ ਫੁੱਲਾਂ ਤੇ ਆਈ.. ਹੂ…

ਜੀਵੇ ਮੁਰਸ਼ਿਦ ਕਾਮਿਲ ਬਾਹੂ
ਜੀਹ ਨੇ ਬੂਟੀ ਲਾਈ.. ਹੂ…

Contribution: Jasdeep Singh

Lyrics (in Shahmukhi)
الف اللہ چمبے دی بوٹی
ميرے من وچ مرشد لائی ہو

نفی اثبات دا پانی مليا
ہر رگے ہر جائی ہو

اندر بوٹی مشک مچايا
جاں پھلاں تے آئی ہو

جيوے مرشد کامل باھو
جيں اے بوٹی لائی ہو

Contribution: Sohail Abid

Sultan Bahu (Punjabi)(ca 1628 - 1691) was a Muslim Sufi and saint, who founded the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order. Darbar Hazrat sultan Bahoo is located near Garh More city.

Sultan Bahu belonged to Awan tribe and was born in Anga, Soon Valley Sakesar (Vadi-e-Soon Sakesar). Like many other sufi saints of South Asia, Sultan Bahu was also a prolific writer, with more than forty books on Sufism attributed to him. Most of His books are in Persian language. However, as the majority of his books deal with specialised subjects related to Islam and Islamic mysticism, it is his Punjabi poetry that has generated popular appeal and made him a household name in the region. His poetic verses are sung in many genres of sufi music, including qawaalis and kaafis. Tradition has established a particular style of singing his couplets, which is not used in any other genre of sufi music.

The Mausoleum of Sultan Bahu is located in Garh Maharaja, Punjab, Pakistan. It is a popular and frequently-visited sufi shrine, and the annual festival is celebrated with the usual fervour, which is now a distinguishing feature of what is being called a 'shrine culture' of the South Asia. Annual festival is held during the holy month of Muharram. Every year on the 9th of Muharram (Islamic calendar month) a ghusal is also taken place under the supervision of Muhammad Najeeb Sultan (Sajjada Nasheen (Chair-holder) of Sultan Bahoo shrine), in which all decedents of Sultan Bahoo wash His shrine with tones of pure rose water.

Hazrat Sultan Bahu is from the progeny of Hazrat Ali and is a direct descended from Hazrat Ali. Sultan Bahu belonged to the Qadiri sufi order, and later initiated his own offshoot, Sarwari Qadiri. Sultan Bahu's education began at the feet of his mother, Mai Rasti, who was herself a saintly woman, and has her own Mausoleum in Shorkot, Punjab, Pakistan. She told him to seek spiritual guidance from a wali (friend of GOD). After some time, he moved to Delhi for further 'polishing' under the guidance of Sheikh Abdul Rehman al Qadari. Soon Sheikh Abdul Rehman al Qadari felt that he can not add anything to Sultan Bahoo's knowledge as Sultan Bahoo already knew more than Sheikh Abdul Rehman al Qadari. This did not take long, after which Sultan Bahu returned to his own, familiar surroundings.

Dil Mein Ishq e Nabi - Milad Raza Qadri - Nisar Ahmed Dar

Nasheed Artist: Muhammed Milad Raza Qadri
Album: Rukh Sey Kakul Hata Diya Tu Na

Lyrics:
Dil main ishq e Nabi (SAW) ki ho aisi lagan,
Ruh tarapti rahe dil machalta rahe,
Zindagi ka maza hey kay har saans say,
Ya Muhammad Muhammad (SAW) nikalta rahey.

Dil Main Ishq-e-Nabi Kee Ho Aesee Lagan.

Ya Muhammad Muhammad (SAW) mein kehta raha,
Noor kay motion ki lare ban gaee,
Ayaton sey milata raha ayatayn,
Phir jo dekha to Naat e Nabi (SAW) ban gaye.

Jo bhi ansoo bahe merey Mehboob kay,
Sab key sab abr e rehmat kay cheentay banay,
Chah gaee raat jab zulf lehra gaee,
Jab tabasum kiya chandani ban gaee.

Yeh to maana kay jannat hai bagh e haseen,
Khoobsoorat hey sab khuld ki sar zameen,
Husn e jannat ko phir jab samayta gaya,
Sarwar e ambiya ki galee ban gaee.

Jab chirah tazkira un kay rukhsaar ka,
Waduha par liya, wal qamar keh dia,
Sooraton kee tilawat bhi hoti rahi,
Naat bhi ho gayi baat bhi ban gayi.

Sab say saim zamanay main mazoor tha,
Sab sey beykas tha beybas tha majboor tha ,
Un ko reham agaya merey halaat par,
Meree azmat meree beybasee ban gaee.

Dil mein ishq e Nabi (SAW) ki ho aisi lagan,
Rooh tarapti rahay dil machalta rahay,
Zindagi ka maza hai kay har saans say,
Ya Muhammad Muhammad (SAW) nikalta rahey

Ibaadat - Satinder Singh Sartaj from Amit Sharma

Song: Ibadat Kar
Album: Ibadat
Singer: Satinder Sartaz

Ibaadat kar ibaadat karaN de naaL gal baN di hai gal baNdi hai
kise di aaj ban di hai te kise di kal ban di eh
//pray n pray, praying will make things happen
//someone's today n someone's tomorrow


ucchi soch sir neeva rakhi..n, yaar tu kyun ke yaar tu kyun ke
yo eh sagar jinna gehra oDi hi chhal ban di eh
// high thinking n keep head down, coz my frend
//the deeper the sea the more value will it have

kyu hankar karda eh ve ik din khaak ho jaaNa... eh khak ho jana -2
hai ke khak ho jaaNa
tere to jaanvar change jinna di khaall ban di eh
//wht r u proud of, you will be destroyed in this soil one day
//will be destroyed one day
//an animal whose flesh is used even after death is better than you

ke pittal oh vee hai jiss to..n tikhe hathiaar baN de ne hathiyaar bande ne
par toh assal pittal hai jo mandir da tall baN di eh
//one type of copper turns into sharp weapons
//but the real copper is the one which becomes a temple's bell

je kar mushkila yaavan tere raste tu Dolee na rasste tu Dolee na
kai waari musibat vee dukhan da hall baN di eh
//if face with difficulties on your path don't be afraid
//sometimes difficulties becomes the cure for pain...

ik vari zara dil naaL tu ardaas ta kar ve ardaas ta kar ve
ke dekhin pher teri gall osse pall baN di eh
// try and pray once with your full heart
//then you see that your problems will resolve the same moment

ehna rassteya tenu satindra paar nai loNa par nai loNa
ohee pagdandi phad jedi gura de wall baN di eh
Ibaadat kar ibaadat karan de naal gal ban di hai gal ban di a
kise di aaj ban di hai te kise di kal ban di eh
kise di aaj bandi hai tai kise di kal bandi hai ibadat kar ibadat kar ibadat kar
//hey SATINDRA, these paths will not get u anywhere
//catch the lane which goes to GURU's (GOD) home


Satinder Sartaaj (Satinderpal Singh)was born in the village mullanpur in ludhiana, Punjab. From his childhood he developed a keen interest in the Folk traditions of the land. He did his schooling from the government schools in his village and the nearby villages Chabbewal and Patti. He started performing on children stages by the time he was in class 3rd. After that, he joined Government College, Hoshiarpur to complete his graduation in Music with Honours. He also joined Sangeet Visharad, a five year diploma in classical music from Jallandhar. After completing his graduation and diploma, Satinder went to Panjab University, Chandigarh for a Masters in Music. He went on to complete his M.Phil and then a PhD with specialization in Sufi music. Satinder also completed a Certificate Course and Diploma in Persian language which allowed him access to the rich Sufi literature in that language. It was in college, when he also started writing poetry and adopted his Takhallus (poetic name) Sartaaj

Satinder dresses in a very traditional Punjabi attire, similar to what the likes of Waris Shah used to wear, and unlike the common practices of turban-wearing-Sikh, he sometimes keeps his hair flowing free, on top of which he wears his turban. This practice has been likened to the eccentric styles of some modern punjabi singers by a few but some have come forward in his defense saying that his dressing sense is in harmony with the Punjabi culture and a positive influence on the Punjabi youth

Dr. Satinder has been teaching at the Department of Music in Panjab University in Chandigarh for the last ten years
Satinder did not release a commercial album up until 2009, when he released a compilation album of his live recordings

2009 Mehfil-E-Sartaaj - Live Concert Mahal Enterprises Ltd.
2009 Ibadat - Mehfil-E-Sartaaj Finetone Cassettes Industries
2010 Sartaaj

Guftaam Chi Roshaan Qamar - Mahsa Vahdat - From Andy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha0LLztNrrI&feature=related

Hukus Bukus Telwan Tsukus - From Mujtaba

Kailash Mehra Sadhu

From http://www.koausa.org/music/shokachaniya/lyrics.html

The sequence of the whole song is:
The children start:

"hukus bukus telli wann che kus
onum batta lodum deag,
shaal kich kich waangano,
Brahmi charas puane chhokum,
Brahmish batanye tekhis tyakha."

The Teacher corrects:
"Itkayne ne Itkayne
Tse Kus Be Kus Teli Wan su Kus
Moh Batuk Logum Deg
Shwas Khich Khich Wang-mayam
Bhruman daras Poyun chokum
Tekis Takya bane Tyuk"

Tse Kus Be Kus Teli Wan su Kus
Who are you and who am I then tell us who is he the creator that permeates through both you and I

Moh Batuk Logum Deg
Each day I feed my senses/body with the food of worldly attachment and material love (Moh = attachment)

Shwas Khich Khich Wang-mayam
For when the breath that I take in reaches the point of complete purification (Shwas = Breath)

Bhruman daras Poyun chokum
It feels like my mind is bathing in the water of divine love (Bhruman = nerve center in the human brain, poyun = water)

Tekis Takya bane Tyuk
Then I know I am like that sandal wood which is pasted for divine fragrance symbolic of universal divinity. I realize that I am, indeed, divine (Tyuk = Tika applied on the forehead)

The message of this poem is rooted in Kashmiri spiritual tradition. The poem itself is ageless. Some say it came up during Lal Ded's time, other's say it dates back to the origin of Kashmir and Kashmiri culture itself. The poem, in later years, was made a song for children. For years it served as a poetic medium to pass down the essence of Kashmiri culture to little ones.

It is said that the tones produced by the arrangement of words in this poem as well as its rhythm has a calming effect for infants and toddlers of all times.

From : www.searchkashmir.org
Vinayak Razdan

Folk songs remain essential to Kashmiri way of life. The way in which these songs are being sung has changed. Folk songs still exist but you can now hear them on VCD/DVD produced especially for mass consumption. Naturally, purist sneer and they wonder: what happened to the genuine kashmiri folk songs? But, most people are happy knowing that these songs still exist and are sung, and hope that maybe the 'scene' is better in rural areas.

Here is a list detailing most of the types of Kashmiri folk Songs:

Love songs or Lol-gevun : Lyrics( known in Kashmiri as lol , the word for 'love') written by the beloved last queen of Kashmir, Habba Khatoon are famous in this category
Dance or Ruf songs: groups of girls or women stand in rows, facing each other, women in each row interlink their arms around each other’s waist, moving forward and backward, they sing these songs.
Pastoral songs: there are two type of such song, one sung by Kashmiris and the other by Gujjars (a separate ethnic group ) in their own dialect.
Spring songs or sont gevun: Songs celebrating the coming of spring season.
Wedding songs Wanwun: Common to both Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits, but Muslim songs have more Persian words while Pandit songs have Sanskrit vocabulary and some Vedic chants. Some of the best songs are sung on the night of the henna known as Maenzraath. Among others there are songs from the folktale about the legendary lovers, Himal and Nagiray.
Opera songs or Bhand Jashan: songs performed by the traveling band of folk theater (Bhand pather) artists known as Bhand. Salman Rushdie gave them a new literally life in his novel Shalimar The Clown.
Dancer’s songs (Bach nagma Jashan): Usually meant for occasions like marriage or other big festivity. A particular band of musician performs these songs accompanied by a lithesome (at times, effeminate) boy/man who dances comically attired like a woman. To listen to a real beautiful dancing girl hafiz-nagama would have to be arranged.
Ballads (called Bath or Kath, meaning 'stories' and literally in kashmiri meaning 'talk'): A particular variety of satarical ballads is popularly known as laddi shah. A man stirs the iron rings strung on an iron rod and makes witty comments on the social issues. A common refrain from the songs started with line: Laddi Shah, Laddi Shah draar’kin pyow, pya'waane pya'waane ha'patan khyow( Laddi Shah, Laddi Shah! fell off the window! And a Grizzly bit him just as he fell!)
Sacred Thread ceremony songs (Yagnopavit gevun) for Kashmiri Pandits again have more vedic chantings. In an almost equivalent ceremony for Kashmiri Muslims, there are separate songs for the circumcision ceremony.
There are also Cradle songs, lullaby (lala’vun) and ditties for children( most popular Kashmiri ditty: Bishte Bishte Braryo, khot’kho wan). An interesting thing to note is that with the passage of time the mystical poem hukus bukus telli wann che kus (Who’s he? Who are you? Now, tell me who am I?) by Lal Ded, the great poet-saint of Kashmir, morphed into a popular nonsensical childrens' ditty Akus Bakus Telivan Chakus.
Dirge or Van: recited in chorus by women of the family after the death of an old persons.
Then there are folk songs that depend on the occupation of the person singing them. There are songs of seed-sowers, harvesters and laborers doing their daily hard work. There are songs for workers involved in creating delicate embroidery weavers and makers of exquisite Kashmiri Ka'leens, creators of papier-mache. There are songs sung by saffron reapers (usually women), shepherds, village belles fetching water (some of Habba Khatoon’s lol songs are popular in this category). In Kashmir farm work like grinding, spinning yarn and stacking paddy are performed by women, unlike many other places in the India subcontinent, they also do sowing and harvesting, and they sing different song while doing these physically daunting tasks. Some of these are songs about the waters of Jhelum, songs of saffron fields of Pampore and song about Chinar.

The list is based on the excellent work titled Folklore of Kashmir (1945) by Somnath Dhar.
It can be found in the Encyclopaedia of Kashmir by Suresh K Sharma, Shiri Ram Bakshi.
Do read: An article on Bhand Pather by M K. Raina, one of India's best-known theater actors and directors

Vaishnav Janto

Gandhiji


Lataji


from www.ramanuja.org

Narasinh Mehta's wonderful "Vaishnava Janato" describes
what it means to be a Vaishnava, this was also one of Gandhiji's favourite bhajans.

Bhajan: Hymn sung by Hindus accompanied by music and claps
Vaishanav/a: A follower of Vaishnav school of Hinduism. Strict
Vegetarianism, Ahimsa, Simplicity are the hallmarks of a true Vaishnav.

This Bhajan is in essence the "Definition" of a "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 toungue 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 edicted 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 deciet]

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]
Vaishnav...

Narasinh Mehta's wonderful "Vaishnava Janato" describes
what it means to be a Vaishnava, this was also one of Gandhiji's favourite bhajans.

Bhajan: Hymn sung by Hindus accompanied by music and claps
Vaishanav/a: A follower of Vaishnav school of Hinduism. Strict
Vegetarianism, Ahimsa, Simplicity are the hallmarks of a true Vaishnav.

This Bhajan is in essence the "Definition" of a "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 toungue 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 edicted 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 deciet]

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]
Vaishnav...

Narsinh Mehta (Gujarati:નરસિંહ મહેતા)also known as Narsi Mehta or Narsi Bhagat (1414? – 1481?) was a poet-saint of Gujarat, India, notable as a bhakta, an exponent of Hindu devotional religious poetry. He is especially revered in Gujarati literature , where he is acclaimed as its Adi Kavi (Sanskrit for "first among poets"). His bhajan "Vaishnav Jan To Tene Re Kahiye..." is Mahatma Gandhi's favorite and has become synonymous to him.

Definite information about Narsinh Mehta's life is not available. Based on the historical and literary traces it can be said surely that Narsinh was born in Talaja, Bhavnagar District of Saurashtra, in Nagar community. He lost his mother in his child hood(about 1425). Narsinh married Manekbai probably in the year 1428 and soon he lost his uncle who raised him. Narsinh and his wife went to stay at his cousin Bansidhar’s place in Junagadh. However, his cousin's wife (Sister-in-law or bhabhi) did not welcome Narsinh very well. She was an ill-tempered woman, always taunting and insulting Narsinh for his worship (Bhakti). One day, when Narasinh had enough of this taunts and insults, he left the house and went to a nearby forest in search of some peace, where he fasted and meditated for seven days by a secluded Shiva lingam until Shiva appeared before him in person. On the poet’s request, the Lord took him to Vrindavan and showed him the eternal raas leela of Sri Krishna and the gopis, the cowherd girls of Vrindavan. A legend has it that the poet transfixed by the spectacle burnt his hand with the torch he was holding but he was so engrossed in the ecstatic vision that he was oblivious of the pain. Narsinh, as the popular account goes, at Sri Krishna's command decided to sing His praises and the nectarous experience of the rasa in this mortal world. He resolved to compose around 22,000 kirtans or compositions.

After this dream-like experience, transformed Narsinh returned to his village, touched his bhabhi's feet, and thanked her for insulting him. In Junagadh, Narsinh lived in poverty with his wife and two children, a son named Shamaldas, and a daughter for whom he had special affection, Kunwarbai. He revelled in devotion to his hearts’ content along with sadhus, saints, and all those people who were Hari's subjects - Harijans - irrespective of their caste, class or sex. It also seems that he must have fallen into a somewhat ill repute for his close relations with Lord's sakhis and gopis, Narsinh's women followers, with whom he danced and sang. The Nagars of Junagadh despised him and spared no opportunity to scorn and insult him. By this time, Narsinh had already sung about the rasleela of Radha and Krishna. The compositions are collected under the category of shringar compositions. They are full of intense lyricism, bold in their erotic conception and are not without allegorical dimensions, this saves the compositions from being something of erotic court poetry of medieval India.

Soon after his daughter Kunwarbai's marriage (around 1447) to Sringara Mehta's son, Kunwarbai became pregnant and it was a custom for the girl's parents to give gifts and presents to all the in-laws during the seventh month of pregnancy. This custom, known as Mameru, was simply out of the reach of poor Narsinh who had hardly anything except intransigent faith in his Lord. How Krishna helped his beloved devotee is a legend depicted in ‘Mameru Na Pado’. This episode is preserved vividly in the memory of Gujarati people by compositions by later poets and films. Other famous legends include 'Hundi (Bond)' episode and ‘Har Mala (Garland)’ episode. The episode in which none other than Shamalsha Seth (The Dark one as Seth) cleared a bond written by poverty stricken beloved, is famous not only in Gujarat but in other parts of India as well. The Har Mala episode deals with the challenge given to Narsinh by Ra Mandlik (1451–1472) a local king and a vassal of Delhi's Sultan, to prove his innocence in the charges of immoral behavior by making the Lord Himself garland Narsinh. Narsinh depicts this episode. How Sri Krishna, in the guise of a wealthy merchant, helped Narsinh in getting his son married is sung by the poet in ‘Putra Vivah Na Pado’. Mahmud Begada (Mahmud Shah I) 1458-1511, invaded Junagadh in 1467 and soon after many a sporadic Muslim raids, the city was annexed to the Gujarat Sultanate. Perhaps to escape the consequences, he went to Mangrol where, at the age of 66, he is believed to have died. The crematorium at Mangrol is called ‘Narsinh Nu Samshan’ where perhaps one of the greatest sons of Gujarat was cremated. He will ever remembered for his works, faith in God. He is known as the first poet of Gujrati.

Narsinh Mehta is a pioneer poet of Gujarati literature.He is known for his literary forms called " pada (verse) ", " Aakhyan ", & " Prabhatiya ". One of the most important features of Narsinh’s works is that they are not available in the language in which Narsinh had composed them. They have been largely preserved orally. The oldest available manuscript of his work is dated around 1612, and was found by the noted scholar K.K.Shastri from Gujarat Vidhya Sabha. Because of the immense popularity of his works, their language has undergone modifications with changing times.

For the sake of convenience, the works of Narsinh are divided into four categories:

Autobiographical compositions: Putra Vivah, Mameru, Hundi, Har Same No Pado, Jhari Na Pado, and compositions depicting acceptance of Harijans. These works deal with the incidents from the poet’s life and reveal how he encountered the Divine in various guises. They consist of ‘miracles’ showing how Narsaiyya’s Lord helped his devotee in the time of crises.


Miscellaneous Narratives: Chaturis, Sudama Charit, Dana Leela, and episodes based on Srimad Bhagwatam. These are the earliest examples of akhyana or narrative type of compositions found in Gujarati. These include:
Chaturis, 52 compositions resembling Jaydeva’s masterpiece Geeta Govinda dealing with various erotic exploits of Radha and Krishna.

Dana Leela poems dealing with the episodes of Krishna collecting his dues (dana is toll, tax or dues) from gopis who were going to sell buttermilk etc. to Mathura.
Sudama Charit is a narrative describing the well-known story of Krishna and Sudama.
Govinda Gamana or the Departure of Govind relates the episode of Akrura taking away Krishna from Gokul.
Surata Sangrama, The Battle of Love, depicts in terms of a battle the amorous play between Radha and her girl friends on the one side and Krishna and his friends on the other.


Miscellaneous episodes from Bhagwatam like the birth of Krishna, his childhood pranks and adventures.
Songs of Sringar. These are hundreds of padas dealing with the erotic adventures and the amorous exploits of Radha and Krishna like Ras Leela. Various clusters of padas like Rasasahasrapadi and Sringar Mala fall under this head. Their dominant note is erotic (Sringar). They deal with stock erotic situations like the ossified Nayaka-Nayika Bheda of classical Sanskrit Kavya poetics.