The lamp-waving hymn sung in countless North Indian homes and temples, written in plain Hindi about 150 years ago.
Sung by Anuradha Paudwal · T-Series Bhakti Sagar on YouTube
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Om jai Jagdish Hare
Om, victory to the lord of the world, O Hari.
Swami jai Jagdish Hare
Master, victory to the lord of the world, O Hari.
bhakt janon ke sankat daas janon ke sankat
The troubles of those devoted to you, the troubles of those who serve you,
kshan mein door kare
you send away in an instant.
jo dhyave phal pave dukh binse man ka
The aarti says that whoever meditates on you receives the reward, and the mind's sorrow dies away.
swami dukh binse man ka
Master, the mind's sorrow dies away.
sukh sampati ghar aave kasht mite tan ka
Comfort and wealth come to the home, and the body's hardship ends.
maat pita tum mere sharan gahun kiski
You are my mother and father. Whose shelter should I take?
swami sharan gahun main kiski
Master, whose shelter should I take?
tum bin aur na dooja aas karun main jiski
Without you there is no one else in whom I could place my hope.
tum pooran Paramatma tum antaryami
You are the complete, supreme soul. You know what is inside every heart.
swami tum antaryami
Master, you know what is inside.
Parabrahma Parameshwar tum sab ke swami
Supreme reality, highest lord, you are the master of all.
tum karuna ke sagar tum palan karta
You are an ocean of compassion. You keep everything going.
swami tum palan karta
Master, you keep everything going.
main moorakh phal kami main sevak tum swami
I am a fool who wants rewards. I am the servant and you are the master.
kripa karo bharta
Show me mercy, you who provide for all.
tum ho ek agochar sabke pran pati
You are the One, beyond the senses, the lord of every life.
swami sabke pran pati
Master, the lord of every life.
kis vidhi milun dayamay tumko main kumati
Merciful one, how can someone as dull-minded as me ever meet you?
Deen bandhu dukh harta Thakur tum mere
Friend of the helpless, remover of sorrow, you are my Lord.
swami rakshak tum mere
Master, you are my protector.
apne haath uthao apne sharan lagao dwar pada tere
Raise your hands and take me into your shelter. I am lying at your door.
vishay vikar mitao paap haro deva
Wipe out my cravings. Take away my wrongdoing, O God.
swami paap haro deva
Master, take away my wrongdoing, O God.
shraddha bhakti badhao santan ki seva
Increase my faith, my devotion and my service to good people.
Ask your elders
“Do you remember singing Om Jai Jagdish Hare before Purab Aur Paschim made it famous in 1970, and did your family's version go any differently?”
An aarti is the song sung while a lit lamp is circled in front of a deity. This one, addressed to Vishnu as Jagdish, 'lord of the world', is now sung at the end of worship to almost any god, so it is sometimes called a universal aarti.
It is usually credited to Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri (1837-1881), a writer and Hindu reformer from Phillaur in Punjab, who is also known for the early Hindi novel Bhagyawati. The date of about 1870 is approximate, and we have not seen a first printing. A minority of writers credit other authors. The phrase 'jai Jagdish Hare' is itself much older: it is the refrain of the ten-avatar hymn that opens Jayadeva's 12th-century Gita Govinda.
Unlike most old hymns, it is fairly easy to follow, because it is close to modern Hindi with some Sanskrit religious words. Much of its present fame is recent: the 1970 film Purab Aur Paschim carried it across India. Printings and singers differ in small ways, especially in the repeated half-lines, which we keep here as they are sung. The refrain comes back after every stanza; we print it once.