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स्पष्ट

ॐ जय जगदीश हरेOm Jai Jagdish Hare

The lamp-waving hymn sung in countless North Indian homes and temples, written in plain Hindi about 150 years ago.

All 8 verses

ॐजयजगदीशहरे

Om, victory to the lord of the world, O Hari.

स्वामीजयजगदीशहरे

Master, victory to the lord of the world, O Hari.

भक्तजनोंकेसंकटदासजनोंकेसंकट

The troubles of those devoted to you, the troubles of those who serve you,

क्षणमेंदूरकरे

you send away in an instant.

जोध्यावेफलपावेदुःखबिनसेमनका

The aarti says that whoever meditates on you receives the reward, and the mind's sorrow dies away.

स्वामीदुःखबिनसेमनका

Master, the mind's sorrow dies away.

सुखसम्पतिघरआवेकष्टमिटेतनका

Comfort and wealth come to the home, and the body's hardship ends.

मातपितातुममेरेशरणगहूंकिसकी

You are my mother and father. Whose shelter should I take?

स्वामीशरणगहूंमैंकिसकी

Master, whose shelter should I take?

तुमबिनऔरनदूजाआसकरूंमैंजिसकी

Without you there is no one else in whom I could place my hope.

तुमपूरणपरमात्मातुमअन्तर्यामी

You are the complete, supreme soul. You know what is inside every heart.

स्वामीतुमअन्तर्यामी

Master, you know what is inside.

पारब्रह्मपरमेश्वरतुमसबकेस्वामी

Supreme reality, highest lord, you are the master of all.

तुमकरुणाकेसागरतुमपालनकर्ता

You are an ocean of compassion. You keep everything going.

स्वामीतुमपालनकर्ता

Master, you keep everything going.

मैंमूरखफलकामीमैंसेवकतुमस्वामी

I am a fool who wants rewards. I am the servant and you are the master.

कृपाकरोभर्ता

Show me mercy, you who provide for all.

तुमहोएकअगोचरसबकेप्राणपति

You are the One, beyond the senses, the lord of every life.

स्वामीसबकेप्राणपति

Master, the lord of every life.

किसविधिमिलूंदयामयतुमकोमैंकुमति

Merciful one, how can someone as dull-minded as me ever meet you?

दीन-बन्धुदुःख-हर्ताठाकुरतुममेरे

Friend of the helpless, remover of sorrow, you are my Lord.

स्वामीरक्षकतुममेरे

Master, you are my protector.

अपनेहाथउठाओअपनेशरणलगाओद्वारपड़ातेरे

Raise your hands and take me into your shelter. I am lying at your door.

विषय-विकारमिटाओपापहरोदेवा

Wipe out my cravings. Take away my wrongdoing, O God.

स्वामीपापहरोदेवा

Master, take away my wrongdoing, O God.

श्रद्धाभक्तिबढ़ाओसन्तनकीसेवा

Increase my faith, my devotion and my service to good people.

Ask your elders

“Do you remember singing Om Jai Jagdish Hare before Purab Aur Paschim made it famous in 1970, and did your family's version go any differently?”

About the Om Jai Jagdish Hare
Language
Hindi
Attributed to
Traditionally Shardha Ram Phillauri (1837-1881)
Period
c. 1870
Verses
8

An aarti is the song sung while a lit lamp is circled in front of a deity. This one, addressed to Vishnu as Jagdish, 'lord of the world', is now sung at the end of worship to almost any god, so it is sometimes called a universal aarti.

It is usually credited to Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri (1837-1881), a writer and Hindu reformer from Phillaur in Punjab, who is also known for the early Hindi novel Bhagyawati. The date of about 1870 is approximate, and we have not seen a first printing. A minority of writers credit other authors. The phrase 'jai Jagdish Hare' is itself much older: it is the refrain of the ten-avatar hymn that opens Jayadeva's 12th-century Gita Govinda.

Unlike most old hymns, it is fairly easy to follow, because it is close to modern Hindi with some Sanskrit religious words. Much of its present fame is recent: the 1970 film Purab Aur Paschim carried it across India. Printings and singers differ in small ways, especially in the repeated half-lines, which we keep here as they are sung. The refrain comes back after every stanza; we print it once.

Sources
  1. Shardha Ram Phillauri (traditional attribution; text as commonly printed in Hindi aarti collections)
  2. Jayadeva, Gita Govinda (for the older refrain)
  3. Peter Manuel, Cassette Culture: Popular Music and Technology in North India (University of Chicago Press, 1993)