Original text
वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिये, जे पीड परायी जाणे रे । पर दुःखे उपकार करे तो ये, मन अभिमान न आणे रे ॥ वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिये, जे पीड परायी जाणे रे । सकल लोकमां सहुने वंदे, निंदा न करे केनी रे । वाच काछ मन निश्चळ राखे, धन धन जननी तेनी रे ॥ वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिये, जे पीड परायी जाणे रे । समदृष्टि ने तृष्णा त्यागी, परस्त्री जेने मात रे । जिह्वा थकी असत्य न बोले, परधन नव झाले हाथ रे ॥ वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिये, जे पीड परायी जाणे रे । मोह माया व्यापे नहि जेने, दृढ़ वैराग्य जेना मनमां रे । रामनाम शुं ताली रे लागी, सकल तीरथ तेना तनमां रे ॥ वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिये, जे पीड परायी जाणे रे । वणलोभी ने कपटरहित छे, काम क्रोध निवार्या रे । भणे नरसैयॊ तेनुं दरसन करतां, कुल एकोतेर तार्या रे ॥
Transliteration
Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye Je Pid Parayi Jane Re Par Duhkhe Upakar Kare To Ye Man Abhiman Na Ane Re. Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye Je Pid Parayi Jane Re Sakal Lokaman Sahune Vande Ninda Na Kare Keni Re Vach Kachh Man Nishchal Rakhe Dhan Dhan Janani Teni Re. Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye Je Pid Parayi Jane Re Samadrishti Ne Trishna Tyagi Parastri Jene Mat Re Jihva Thaki Asatya Na Bole Paradhan Nav Jhale Hath Re. Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye Je Pid Parayi Jane Re Moh Maya Vyape Nahi Jene Drirh Vairagya Jena Manaman Re Ramanam Shun Tali Re Lagi Sakal Tirath Tena Tanaman Re. Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye Je Pid Parayi Jane Re Vanalobhi Ne Kapatarahit Chhe Kam Krodh Nivarya Re Bhane Narasaiyaॊ Tenun Darasan Karatan Kul Ekoter Tarya Re.
Who is a true Vaishnav?
The opening line asks the question and answers it at once: "Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye, je peed parayi jaane re" — "Call him a true Vaishnav who knows the pain of others." Not one who wears the tilak, keeps the fasts or knows the rituals, but one who feels another's suffering as his own. Everything else in the bhajan follows from that.
It was written in Gujarati in the 15th century by Narsinh Mehta of Junagadh, the adi-kavi (first poet) of Gujarati literature, a Krishna devotee who sang in the language of ordinary people and was ostracised by his own caste for singing among the poor. The text here is the Gujarati original as it is commonly sung.
What each stanza says
- Help without pride: he helps those in sorrow, and never lets pride enter his mind for having helped.
- Respect for all: he bows to everyone in the world and speaks ill of no one; he keeps his word, deeds and mind pure — "blessed is the mother who bore him."
- Equal vision: he sees all alike and has given up craving; he regards other women as his mother; his tongue never speaks a lie; he never touches another's wealth.
- Detachment and the Name: worldly attachment and illusion do not touch him; firm renunciation lives in his heart; he is absorbed in Ram's name — "all the places of pilgrimage are in his body."
- Free of greed: without greed or deceit, he has overcome lust and anger. "Says Narsaiyo: seeing such a person saves seventy-one generations."
The bhajan never mentions a temple, a murti or a ritual. Its devotion is entirely ethical — which is exactly why it travelled so far beyond any one sampradaya.
Gandhi's favourite bhajan
Mahatma Gandhi included it in the daily prayers at Sabarmati Ashram, and it became associated with the freedom movement and with his idea of religion as service. It is still sung at prayer meetings, at Gandhi Jayanti and on 30 January, and at gatherings for peace and harmony.
When to sing it
- At morning or evening prayer, in school assemblies and satsang.
- On Gandhi Jayanti (2 October) and Martyrs' Day (30 January).
- Whenever the point is to remember what devotion looks like in daily conduct.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye?
Narsinh Mehta (Narsi Mehta), the 15th-century Krishna-devotee poet of Junagadh, Gujarat.
What is the meaning of "Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye je peed parayi jaane re"?
"Call that person a true Vaishnav who understands the pain of others."
What language is the bhajan in?
Gujarati. Hindi versions also circulate, but the bhajan as Gandhi sang it is the Gujarati original.
Why is it associated with Mahatma Gandhi?
It was part of the daily prayers at his ashram and was his favourite bhajan; it became a symbol of his idea of service as religion.
What does "kul ekoter taarya" mean?
"Seventy-one generations of one's family are saved" — the poet's way of saying how great the merit of meeting such a devotee is.
Spotted a mistake?
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