Бхаджаху ре мана

Śrīla Govinda Dās Kavirāj

Bhajahu̐ Re Mana

 

bhajahu̐ re mana śrī-nanda-nandana
      abhaya-charaṇāravinda re
dūrlabha mānava janama sat-saṅge
      taroho e bhava-sindhu re

(1) O mind, just worship the lotus feet of the son of Nanda, which make one fearless. Having obtained this rare human birth, cross over this ocean of worldly existence through the association of saintly persons.

 

    śīta ātapa bāta bariṣaṇa
       e dina jāminī jāgi re
biphale sevinu kṛpaṇa durajana
   chapala sukha-laba lāgi’ re

(2) Both in the day and at night I remain sleepless, suffering the pains of the heat and cold, the wind and the rain. For a fraction of flickering happiness I have uselessly served wicked and miserly men.

 

e dhana, jauvana, putra, parijana
       ithe ki āche paratīti re
kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala
     bhajahu̐ hari-pada niti re

(3) What assurance of real happiness is there in all of one’s wealth, youthfulness, sons, and family members? This life is tottering like a drop of water on a lotus petal; therefore you should always serve and worship the divine feet of Lord Hari.

 

śravaṇa, kīrttana, smaraṇa, vandana,
         pāda-sevana, dāsya re
pūjana, sakhī-jana, ātma-nivedana
       govinda-dāsa-abhilāṣa re

(4) It is the desire and great longing of Govinda Dās to engage himself in the nine processes of bhakti, namely hearing the glories of Lord Hari and chanting those glories, constantly remembering Him and offering prayers to Him, serving the Lord’s lotus feet, serving the Supreme Lord as a servant, worshipping Him with flowers and incense and so forth, serving Him as a friend, [bad word] offering the Lord one’s very self.