॥ Vaishnav Jan To ॥
Composed by the great Gujarati saint-poet Narsinh Mehta (1414–1481)
Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite prayer
Full Text
વૈષ્ણવ જન તો તેને કહીએ જે પીડ પરાઈ જાણે રે।
પર દુઃખે ઉપકાર કરે તોયે મન અભિમાન ન આણે રે॥
Vaiṣṇava jana to tene kahie je pīḍa parāī jāṇe re
Para duḥkhe upakāra kare toye mana abhimāna na āṇe re
Meaning: Call that person a true Vaishnava (devotee of Lord Vishnu) who feels the pain of others as their own, who helps others in their suffering, yet does not let pride enter their mind.
Verse 2
સકળ લોક માં સહુ ને વંદે, નિંદા ન કરે કેની રે।
Sakaḷa loka māṃ sahu ne vande, niṃdā na kare kenī re
Vāca kācha mana niścaḷa rākhe, dhana dhana jananī tenī re
Meaning: One who bows to all in the world, who speaks ill of no one, whose speech, body, and mind remain pure and steady — blessed, blessed is the mother who bore such a person!
Verse 3
સમ દ્રષ્ટિ ને તૃષ્ણા ત્યાગી, પરસ્ત્રી જેને માત રે।
Sama dṛṣṭi ne tṛṣṇā tyāgī, parastrī jene māta re
Jivhā thakī asatya na bole, paradhana nava jhāle hātha re
Meaning: One who looks equally upon all, who has renounced desire, who sees another’s wife as their own mother, whose tongue never utters falsehood, whose hands never reach for another’s wealth.
Verse 4
**મોહ-મ? ?, **
Moha māyā vyāpe nahiṃ jene, dṛḍha vairāgya jenā mana māṃ re
Rāma nāma śuṃ tāḷī lāgī, sakala tīratha tenā tana māṃ re
Meaning: One who is not caught in the web of illusion and attachment, whose mind is firm in renunciation, who is completely absorbed in the name of Rama — all sacred pilgrimages reside in the body of such a person.
Verse 5 (Concluding)
Vaṇa lobhī ne kapaṭa rahita che, kāma krodha nivāryā re
Bhaṇe Narasaiyyo tenuṃ darśana kartāṃ kuḷa ekotera tāryā re
Meaning: One who is free from greed and deceit, who has transcended lust and anger — says Narsi (Narsinh Mehta): the very sight (darshan) of such a person redeems seventy-one generations of their family!
The Definition of a Vaishnava (Devotee)
This bhajan is extraordinary: it does not define a Vaishnava by what they believe or what rituals they perform. Instead, it defines a true devotee of God entirely by their character and conduct:
| Quality | Description |
|---|---|
| Empathy | Feels others’ pain as their own |
| Service without ego | Helps but claims no credit |
| Universal respect | Bows to all, criticizes none |
| Purity in all dimensions | Speech, body, and mind are clean |
| Equal vision | Sees all beings equally |
| Absence of desire | Not driven by craving |
| Absolute truthfulness | The tongue never utters falsehood |
| Contentment | Never reaches for another’s wealth |
| Detachment | Not caught in illusion |
| Absorption in God | Living in constant remembrance of the divine name |
| Freedom from greed and deceit | Complete inner honesty |
| Mastery of lower impulses | Lust and anger transcended |
This is a complete spiritual curriculum in five short verses.
Narsinh Mehta: The Composer
Narsinh Mehta (1414–1481) was a Gujarati saint-poet and devotee of Lord Krishna. His life was marked by both great spiritual realization and personal hardship — poverty, social ostracism, and the loss of his beloved daughter. Through all of it, he remained anchored in his devotion.
His story includes a famous incident: his sister-in-law drove him out of the home. He wandered to a Shiva temple and spent seven days and nights in meditation. Lord Shiva, pleased with his devotion, appeared and granted him direct darshan of Lord Krishna. Narsinh saw Krishna’s divine play (Rasa Leela) and returned transformed.
The Vaishnav Jan To was born from the depth of this transformation — a vision of what a truly God-realized human being looks like in their daily conduct.
Gandhi and Vaishnav Jan To
Mahatma Gandhi made this bhajan the centerpiece of his daily prayers at the Sabarmati Ashram and throughout the independence movement. He saw it as the complete expression of his vision for India: a civilization built not on power and wealth but on empathy, truth, and selfless service.
In Gandhi’s reading, the “Vaishnava” of Narsinh’s bhajan was not a Hindu by religion but a universal human type — the person who has transcended all the smallness of ego and stands as a servant of all.
Phala Shruti
Jene darśana karatāṃ kuḷa ekottera tāryā re
“By the mere sight of such a person, seventy-one generations of their lineage are liberated.”
This extraordinary promise tells us something important: the transformation of one person transforms everything around them. The ripple of genuine goodness, genuine wisdom, genuine devotion spreads outward through time and space far beyond what any of us can calculate.