Who obliges others in distress
Without being swollen with pride,
He alone can be called a Vaishnava!
Humbly he bows before everyone in the world
And indeed he scorns none.
He is ever resolute in his words,
Deeds and mind - Glory be to his mother!
For he alone is a true Vaishnava!
He views everyone with equal eyes;
He has relinquished the tormenting thirst
And looks upon another’s woman
As his own mother!
He alone can be called a Vaishnava!
His tongue never utters a false word,
Never does he covet another's wealth.
One who feels others grief as his own
He alone can be called a Vaishnava!
Maya never overpowers him
And the spirit of renunciation is ever firm in his mind.
He is forever rapt in chanting Rama Nama
All the pilgrimages reside within him.
He alone can be called a Vaishnava!
He is without greed or cunning.
He has abandoned lust and wrath.
Says Narsinh, mere sight of such a man is enough
To liberate seventy and one generations of your kin!
He alone can be called a Vaishnava!
Narsimha Mehta (c. 1409 - c. 1488) India
Translated by Sachin Ketkar
Source: Sachin Ketkar's Pages
- Vaishnava - within Hinduism, a follower who considers Vishnu as the Supreme Lord.
- Rama Nama - a powerful mantra capable of alleviating suffering, giving solace to the agitated mind, and providing the means to salivation.
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