Vaishnava Songs

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Gora Pahun

Gaurā Pahu — (from Prārthanā)

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1

gaurā pahu nā bhajiyā goinu prema-ratana-dhana helāya hārāinu

Word for word

gaurā pahu Lord Gaurāṅga; nā bhajiyā not worshiping; goinu I invited spiritual death; prema of love of God; ratana the jewel; dhana transcendental treasure; helāya by neglect; hārāinu I have lost

Translation

I invited my spiritual death by not worshiping Lord Caitanya. Due to my neglect, I have lost the transcendental treasure of love for Kṛṣṇa.

2

adhane yatana kari dhana teyāginu āpana karama-doṣe āpani ḍubinu

Word for word

adhane for worthless things; yatana striving; kari doing; dhana the treasure of love of God (the real purpose of life); teyāginu I have rejected; āpana my; karama-doṣe in the misdeeds; āpani myself; ḍubinu I have drowned

Translation

I rejected the real purpose of my life and strove for worthless things. I am drowning in the ocean of birth and death because of my own misdeeds.

3

sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa te-kāraṇe lāgilo ye karma-bandha-phāṅsa

Word for word

sat of devotees; saṅga the association; chāḍi’ giving up; kainu I have made; asate with materialists; vilāsa enjoyment; te-kāraṇe for that reason; lāgilo began; ye which; karma of fruitive activities; bandha of the entanglement; phāṅsa the web

Translation

I gave up the association of devotees to enjoy sense gratification in the association of common, nonsense men, and immediately Māyā caught me and entangled me in the web of fruitive activities.

4

viṣaya-viṣama-viṣa satata khāinu gaura-kīrtana-rase maghana nā hainu

Word for word

viṣaya of sense gratification; viṣama most dangerous; viṣa the poison; satata always; khāinu I have drunk; gaura of Lord Caitanya; kīrtana of the congregational chanting of the holy name; rase in the mellows; maghana merged; nā not; hainu I have become

Translation

I have always drunk the most dangerous poison of sense gratification, and therefore I could not merge myself into the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya.

5

keno vā āchaye prāṇa ki sukha pāiyā narottam dās keno nā gelo mariyā

Word for word

keno vā why; āchaye is there; prāṇa life; ki what; sukha happiness; pāiyā getting; narottama dāsa Narottama Dāsa; keno why; nā did not; gelo go; mariyā (to) death

Translation

Why am I living? What is my happiness? Why did Narottama Dāsa not die long, long ago?

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About Gora Pahun

From Prarthana, a song describing Gora (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) as the singer's one and only lord and shelter, with nothing else in this world worth seeking.

Srila Prabhupada on this song

In a class given in Los Angeles on January 10, 1969, Srila Prabhupada spoke on this song:

“Why I have invited the spiritual death? Because I am engaged in something which is useless and I have rejected the real purpose of my life”

Los Angeles, January 10, 1969 Read the full class on Vanisource →

Excerpted from Srila Prabhupada's recorded classes, © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Read the complete purport at the Vanisource link above.

Frequently asked

Who wrote Gora Pahun?

Gora Pahun was composed by Narottama Dasa Thakura. It appears in Songs of Vaishnava Acaryas.

What is the meaning of Gora Pahun?

I invited my spiritual death by not worshiping Lord Caitanya. Due to my neglect, I have lost the transcendental treasure of love for Kṛṣṇa.

Where can I listen to Gora Pahun?

You can listen to 8 recordings of Gora Pahun on this page, including versions sung by Srila Prabhupada, HG Vrindavan Prasad Prabhu, Vaishnavas, HG Jai Sachinandana Prabhu.

How many verses does Gora Pahun have?

Gora Pahun has 5 verses.

Can I download Gora Pahun as a PPT or PDF?

Yes. A ready-to-display slide deck for Gora Pahun — 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.

Audio courtesy of ISKCON Desire Tree, ISKCON Devotees. All glories to the devotee singers.