• Welcome to Tamil Brahmins forums.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our Free Brahmin Community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

What it means to be a Sri Vaishnava

I came across this piece of this famous song 'Vaishnava Janatho'.
I never knew the meaning until I watched this Youtube segment which has subtitles describing the meaning of this song in Gujarathi.

Such a vast vision indeed of what it means to be a Sri Vaishnava. Unfortunately it is hard to come across such people in real life. My impression of this term was shaped by one member here and I can only smile thinking about him and this song . LOL

 
Are there other such song with such lofty meanings? If so please share. Thanks
Did you notice that they are wearing Vibhuti. That will be a no-no for a Sri Vaishnava of south India.
The Vaishnava in this song simply means a humble human being and not necessarily A "Sri Vaishnava" like an Iyengar who would not even enter a Shivalaya. In North India, the sects are not so hardcoded.

Vaishnava janatho (With English Translation)


Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye je
PeeD paraayi jaaNe re
Par-dukhkhe upkaar kare toye
Man abhimaan na aaNe re (Vaishnava)

SakaL lok maan sahune vande
Nindaa na kare keni re
Vaach kaachh man nishchaL raakhe
Dhan-dhan janani teni re (Vaishnava)

Sam-drishti ne trishna tyaagi
Par-stree jene maat re
Jivha thaki asatya na bole
Par-dhan nav jhaalee haath re (Vaishnava)

Moh-maaya vyaape nahi jene
DriDh vairaagya jena man maan re
Ram naam shoon taaLi laagi
SakaL tirath tena tan maan re (Vaishnava)

VaN-lobhi ne kapaT-rahit chhe
Kaam-krodh nivaarya re
BhaNe Narsaiyyo tenun darshan karta
KuL ekoter taarya re (Vaishnava)


English Translation

One who is a Vaishnav (Devotee of Vishnu)
Knows the pain of others
Does good to others
without letting pride enter his mind.

A Vaishnav, Tolerates and praises the the entire world.
Does not speak ill of others
Keeps his promises, actions and thoughts pure
your mother is blessed indeed.

A Vaishnav sees everything equally, rejects greed and avarice
respects women as he respects his own mother
though his tongue may tire he will utter no untruth
Never touches the property of others.

A Vaishnav does not succumb to worldly attachments
he has renounced lust of all types and anger
The poet Narsi will like to see such a person by whose virtue,
the entire family gets salvation.
This is not a perfect translation of the poem, the first stanza has the words A Vaishnav in the susequent stanzas it is used only to make grammatical sense. It is not a poetic translation but the meanings of the lines have been explained simply and the integrity of the poem has been completely maintained.

 

Latest ads

Back
Top