Vaishnava Songs
Nandgram Dham
Nandgram Dham Vaishnava Songs · nandgramdham.org/songs
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Script
Text
ohe bhāi, mana keno brahma ho'te cāya ki āścarja ko'bo kā'ke sadopāsya bolo jā'ke tā'te keno āpane misāya
Word for word
ohe O; bhāi, brother; mana mind; kenaḥ why?; brahma Brahman; ho'te who; cāya desiring; ki what?; āścarja wonder; ko'baḥ will be; kā'ke to which; sadopāsya always the object of worship; bolaḥ please tell; jā'ke to which; tā'te to that; kenaḥ why?; āpane own; misāya merging
Translation

O my dear brother heart, why do you hanker after the impersonal Brahman? What wonderful thing will you obtain by always worshiping Brahman? Please tell me. Why do you wish to merge with Brahman?

bindu nāhi hoya sindhu bāmana nā sparśe indu reṇu ki bhūdhara-rūpa pāya lābha mātra aparādha paramārtha hoya bādha sāyujya-bādhīra hāya hāya
Word for word
bindu a drop; nāhi not; hoya becomes; sindhu the ocean; bāmana a dwarf; nā not; sparśe touches; indu the moon; reṇu dust; ki whether?; bhūdhara-rūpa the form of a mountain; pāya attaining; lābha attainment; mātra only; aparādha offense; paramārtha the supreme benefit; hoya is; bādha obstruction; sāyujya-bādhīra the obstacle of impersonal liberation; hāya alas; hāya alas
Translation

A drop of water cannot become an ocean. A dwarf cannot touch the moon. Can a grain of dust become a mountain? Impersonal liberation is an obstacle. It blocks the true goal of life. It is only an offense.

e heno duranta buddhi tyaji' koro' sattwa-śuddhi anweṣaha pritīra upāya sājujya-nirbāṇa-ādi śāstre śabda dekho jadi se sabe bhaktira aṅge jāya
Word for word
e this; henaḥ like; duranta mischievous; buddhi intelligence; tyaji' abandoning; koro' do; sattwa-śuddhi purity of existence; anweṣaha seek; pritīra of love; upāya the means; sājujya-nirbāṇa-ādi beginning with impersonal liberation and nirvana; śāstre in the scriptures; śabda words; dekhaḥ see; jadi if; se they; sabe all; bhaktira of devotional service; aṅge parts; jāya attaining
Translation

Turning away from all these horrible misconceptions, please become pure. Seek the path of spiritual love. If you see them in the scriptures, please know that words like "sāyujya" or "nirvāṇa" are meant to describe the stages of devotional service.

kṛṣṇa-prīti-phalamoya tat-twam-asi-ādi hoya sādhaka carame kṛṣṇa pāya akhaṇda ānandamoya bṛndābana kṛṣṇāloya para-brahma-swarūpa jānāya
Word for word
kṛṣṇa for Lord Kṛṣṇa; prīti love; phala fruit; moya consisting; tat-twam-asi-ādi beginning with the words "tat tvam asi"; hoya is; sādhaka the spiritual aspirant; carame at the end; kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa; pāya attaining; akhaṇda unbroken; ānandamoya blissful; bṛndābana Vṛndāvana; kṛṣṇāloya Lord Kṛṣṇa's abode; para-brahma-swarūpa the form of the Supreme Brahman; jānāya make to experience
Translation

"Tat tvam asi" and other teachings of the scriptures give love for Kṛṣṇa as their final fruit. In the end they bring the devotee to Kṛṣṇa. They make the devotee see Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa's eternal, blissful, spiritual abode.

tā' ho'te kiraṇa-jāla brahma-rūpe śobhe bhālo māyika jagat camatkāra māyā-baddha jība tāhe nirbṛta hoite cāhe sūrjābhābe khadyotera prāya
Word for word
tā' of Him; ho'te is; kiraṇa of light; jāla network; brahma-rūpe in the form of Brahman; śobhe shines; bhālaḥ good; māyika of maya; jagat of the world; camatkāra wonder; māyā-baddha bound by maya; jība souls; tāhe in that; nirbṛta free from sufferings; hoite become; cāhe desire; sūrja of the sun; abhābe in the absence; khadyotera of fireflies; prāya like
Translation

The impersonal Brahman is Lord Kṛṣṇa's bodily effulgence. It fill's Māyā's world with wonder. The souls in Māyā's prison may sometimes escape into it. As fireflies seem brilliant when the sun does not shine, so the impersonal Brahman is glorious only when Lord Kṛṣṇa's form remains unseen.

jadi kabhu bhāgyodoye sādhu-guru-samāśroye bṛndābana sammukhete bhāya kṛṣṇākṛṣṭa ho'ye tabe khudra-rasa-anubhabe brahma chāri' para-brahme dhāya
Word for word
jadi if; kabhu when; bhāgya of good fortune; udoye arisal; sādhu of the devotees; guru and the spiritual master; samāśroye in the shelter; bṛndābana Vṛndāvana; sammukhete in the presence; bhāya splendidly manifest; kṛṣṇa to Lord Kṛṣṇa; ākṛṣṭa attracted; ho'ye is; tabe then; khudra insignificant; rasa nectar; anubhabe in the perception; brahma Brahman; chāri' renouncing; para-brahme to the Supreme Brahman; dhāya runs
Translation

If your good fortune arises, you will take shelter of the spiritual master and the Lord's devotees. Then the world of Vṛndāvana will be splendidly manifest before you. You will attracted to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Turning from the paltry so-called nectar of the impersonal Brahman, you will run to the supreme personal Brahman.

śukādira su-jībana koro' bhāi ālocana e dāsa dhoriche taba pāya
Word for word
śukādira of the sages headed by Sukadeva Gosvami; su-jībana the life; koro' do; bhāi O my brother; ālocana seeing; e this; dāsa servant; dhoriche holds
Translation

This servant grasps your feet and begs: O my brother, please try to understand Lord Kṛṣṇa, the life of Śukadeva and the sages.

About Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya

From Updesa, asking why the mind wishes to become Brahman, brahma hote — addressing impersonalist aspiration directly, as a subtler, more philosophically dressed-up version of the same underlying error the section examines throughout.

Frequently asked

Who wrote Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya?

Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya was composed by Bhaktivinoda Thakura. It appears in Kalyanakalpataru.

What is the meaning of Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya?

O my dear brother heart, why do you hanker after the impersonal Brahman? What wonderful thing will you obtain by always worshiping Brahman? Please tell me. Why do you wish to merge with Brahman?

How many verses does Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya have?

Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya has 7 verses.

Can I download Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya as a PPT or PDF?

Yes. A ready-to-display slide deck for Ohe Bhāi Mana Keno Brahma Ho'te Cāya — 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.