Lord Rama

śrī jānakīnātha jī kī āratī

(Shri Janki Nath Ji Ki Aarti in English (IAST))

Also known as sri janki nath ji ki aarti · shree janki nath ji ki aarti · janki nath ji ki aarti

A Hindi arati whose refrain hails Rama twice by relation rather than by name — victory to the lord of Janaki, victory to the lord of the Raghus — and whose first line establishes the posture the whole song keeps: with both hands folded I make my request, Lord, hear what I have to say. What follows is asked rather than described. Eighteen short lines with the refrain returning after each pair, in the plainest devotional Hindi, and the striking thing about it is how little it praises: almost the whole of the song is the petition, and the god is identified throughout by whose husband and whose lord he is.

jaya jānakīnāthā, jaya śrīraghunāthā |
dou kara jore~ binavauṃ prabhu! suniye bātā||
jaya jānakīnāthā...||
tuma raghunātha hamāre prāna, pitā-mātā|
tuma hī sajjana-saṃgī bhakti-mukti-dātā||
jaya jānakīnāthā...||
lakha caurāsī kāṭo meṭo yama-trāsā|
nisadina prabhu mohi rākhiye apane hī pāsā||
jaya jānakīnāthā...||
rāma bharata lachimana saṃga śatruhana bhaiyā|
jagamaga jyoti birājai, sobhā ati lahiyā||
jaya jānakīnāthā...||
hanumata nāda bajāvata; nevara jhamakātā|
svarṇathāla kara āratī kausalyā mātā||
jaya jānakīnāthā...||
subhaga mukuṭa sira, dhanu sara kara sobhā bhārī|
manīra rāma darasana kari pala-pala balihārī||
jaya jānakīnāthā...||
|| iti saṃpūrṇaṃm ||

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