Vaishnava Songs

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Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy

By Bhaktivinoda Thakura From Saranagati

`ahaṁ mama’-śabda-arthe jāhā kichu hoy arpiluṅ tomāra pade, ohe doyā-moy!

Word for word

‘aham’ ‘I’; ‘mama’ ‘mine’; śabda of the words; arthe by the meaning; yāhā which; kichhu anything; haya happens; arpilu̐ I offered; tomāra Your; pade at the feet; ohe oh!; dayā mercy; maya made of

Translation

O merciful Lord! I have surrendered all that is meant by the words ‘I’ and ‘mine’ at Your feet.

`āmāra’ āmi to’ nātha! nā rohinu ār ekhona hoinu āmi kevala tomār

Word for word

‘āmāra’ ‘my’; āmi I; ta’ certainly; nātha! O Lord!; nā does not; rahinu I remained; āra more; ekhana now; ha-inu became; āmi I; kevala only; tomāra Yours

Translation

O Lord! I no longer remain ‘mine’. I have now become Yours exclusively.

`āmi’ śabde dehī jīva ahaṁtā chāḍilo twadīyābhimāna āji hṛdoye paśilo

Word for word

‘āmi’ ‘I’; śabde by the word; dehī animator of the material body; jīva the life, the soul; ahaṁtā the conception of ‘I’, false egotism; chhāḍila abandoned; tvadīya Your own; abhimāna ego; āji today; hṛdaye in the heart; paśila (praveśa karila) entered

Translation

I now understand that the word ‘I’ means the soul who animates the material body and have thus abandoned all false egotism. Today the ego of being ‘Your own’ has entered my heart.

āmār sarvasva—deho, geho anucar bhāi, bandhu, dārā, suta, dravya, dwāra, ghar

Word for word

āmāra my; sarvasva the whole of my wealth; deha body; geha home; anuchara servants; bhāi brothers; bandhu friends and relatives; dārā wife; suta children; dravya possessions; dvāra door; ghara house

se saba hoilo tava, āmi hoinu dās tomāra gṛhete ebe āmi kori bās

Word for word

se them; saba all; ha-ila became; tava Yours; āmi I; ha-inu became; dāsa servant; tomāra Your; gṛhete in Your house; ebe now; āmi I; kari do; vāsa residence

tumi gṛha-swāmī, āmi sevaka tomār tomāra sukhete ceṣṭā ekhona āmār

Word for word

tumi You; gṛha of the house; svāmī the master; āmi I; sevaka servant; tomāra Your; tomāra Your; sukhete for Your pleasure; cheṣṭā endeavours; ekhana now; āmāra my

Translation

You are the master of the house, and I am Your servant. All my endeavours are now for Your satisfaction.

sthūla-liṅga-dehe mora sukṛta duṣkṛta āra mora nahe, prabhu! āmi to’ niṣkṛta

Word for word

sthūla gross; liṅga subtle; dehe with the bodies; mora my; sukṛta good deeds; duṣkṛta bad deeds; āra any more; mora mine; nahe not; prabhu! O Lord!; āmi I; ta’ certainly; niṣkṛta free, liberated

Translation

Whatever good or bad deeds are performed by my gross and subtle bodies are no longer mine, O Lord! I am free.

tomāra icchāya mora icchā miśāilo bhakativinoda āja āpane bhulilo

Word for word

tomāra Your; ichchhāya with desire; mora my; ichchhā desire; miśāila mixed; bhakati-vinoda Bhakti Vinod; āja today; āpane himself; bhulila forgot

Translation

My desires have merged with Your desires. Today, Bhakti Vinod has forgotten himself.

About Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy

An eight-verse song whose title points at the very thing it examines: aham and mama, the words I and mine, and everything that follows from mistakenly attaching them to a body and life that were never truly one's own.

Composer: Bhaktivinoda Thakura · Read biography
Songbook: Saranagati
Mood: Surrender & Self-Offering (Śaraṇāgati)
Verses: 8

Further reading

Frequently asked

Who wrote Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy?

Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy was composed by Bhaktivinoda Thakura. It appears in Saranagati.

What is the meaning of Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy?

O merciful Lord! I have surrendered all that is meant by the words ‘I’ and ‘mine’ at Your feet.

How many verses does Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy have?

Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy has 8 verses.

Can I download Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy as a PPT or PDF?

Yes. A ready-to-display slide deck for Ahaṁ Mama Śabda Arthe Jāhā Kichu Hoy — verse and translation on each slide — is available to download in both PowerPoint (.pptx) and PDF formats from this page, for use in kirtan or temple programs.