A TRUE VAISHNAVA
‘Vaishnava Janato
(This song in Gujarathi language was composed by Narsingh Mehta,
a 15th century poet. A favourite of Mahathma Gandhi, it was sung at
all his prayer meetings–English translation by Vengrai Parthasarathy)
.An adherent/devotee of Vishnu is one who:
Feels the pain of others as his own,
Who gives a helping hand to those in need
Whose mind is free from egotistic pride or vanity.
He is humble and does not spare praise of people,
Does not vilify others
Is pure of thought and deed and keeps his promises
O Vaishnav ! The one who gave birth to you is blessed.
A Vaishnav abjures greed and looks at everything without prejudice
He treats others’ wives and daughters as his own mother,
He does not utter falsehoods
And does not covet other peoples wealth
He renounces worldly attachments and pleasures
He is addicted to the divine name– Ram
He thinks of deities in pilgrim centers always
His mind is not given to deception
And He abjures lust, pride and anger
O Vaishnav ! The one who gave birth to you is blessed.
The sight of such a noble person, says poet Narsi,
Blesses the the entire family for sevens of generations