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Sab kucha Devatā Dīpā Dāyā... Mahābhūchadevadatta Dīpadāya Channamācha Nāmaka Dharidharamete... Mahābhūchadevadatta Dīpadāya. Aṣṭasiddhi Navanidhi Haridhe Saba Kuchhadeve, Rādhā Dayā Saba Kuchhadeve, Rādhi Padāya Saba Dukha Mete, Paramasukha Deve... Dara rupa jasa balati deve. Saba kucha deve data padhaya. Sab Kucha Devdā Padhāyā... Chaman se koī bhakti karate he... Sab kuch devatā dayā, devatā dayā. Kapaṭa kī bhakti prabhu nahīṁ māne. Kapaṭa kī bhakti prabhu nahīṁ māne. Sāche, sāche, sāche. Kab kuchhadevedatā kī padhāyā... Karhe takariye saa, koi na hi jag me. We are continuing the tradition which Swāmījī, Viśvagurujī started with Swāmī Bhajānānandajī. Later, a lot of work on the bhajans' translation was done by Swāmī Gajānānandajī, who is still engaged in Sādhanā, along with many, many others. Today, in Om Ashram, we have the opportunity to meet Bhakti Gyānānand. He not only works for Om Ashram and leads the Bhakti Builders group, but he is also deeply passionate about bhajans. You can witness his dedication in events like three-day or 24-hour continuous bhajan sessions in Strelka. He requested Swāmījī for permission to translate bhajans. I will now present a few bhajans, as translating them is quite difficult. The challenge is not only linguistic but also stems from the mixture of languages. The bhajans our gurus sang originated in Marwari, which slowly blended with Hindi. Many Marwari words changed into Hindi, altering their meanings, so one must trace them back to their original form. The second problem is that many educated people or professors I approached for translation lacked the background in our paramparā. For instance, "viśva dīpa" is usually translated as "universal light," but "Viśva Dīpa" is actually one of the names of Mahāprabhujī. Another significant challenge, especially when translating from the Anubhav Prakāś of Mahāprabhujī, is that one must know by heart—if not realized—the entire spectrum of hidden powers within humans. One of the most famous bhajans from this corpus is "Yogī Janogī Yoga Nidrā," which contains terms like "Ulta Nena." The word "nāna" can mean eyelids, a lotus, or other things depending on the context. We began with simpler bhajans, meaning those focused on bhakti, which primarily list the names of various gods and goddesses. The bhajan I will translate is a dohā, an auspicious invocation (maṅgalācaraṇa). The idea behind "Maṅga Maṅga La Charan" is that when you begin any work—be it singing bhajans, writing, or any other endeavor—you first invoke the deity responsible for removing obstacles. In India, this is Gaṇeśa Jī. In our paramparā, Gaṇeśa Jī is the Guru. Thus, in this first bhajan from Śrī Svāmī Mādhvānanda's Ānanda Prakāś, the holy Gurujī is requesting Gaṇeśa Jī to remove obstacles in the writing of his bhajan books. This bhajan is very common in our bhajan books. Śrī Mādhvānanda ke ānand karo ghananāmī Gurudev Viśva Dīpa Hari āpaho dijo caraṇakī sev. In this maṅgalācaraṇa stuti, we find various names of Gaṇeśa: Gajānanda, Gaṇapati, Gaṇādhiśa, Gaṇarāja. Gajānandajī is the most famous among them. The story of Gaṇeśa is well-known. He is the son of Pārvatī, who created him from mud. She instructed him to guard her door while she was occupied. When Lord Śiva arrived, Gaṇeśa, having just been created and not recognizing him, obstructed his path. A conflict ensued, and Śiva, in his power, severed Gaṇeśa's head. Upon discovering this, Pārvatī was distraught. To rectify the situation, Śiva replaced the head with that of an elephant, giving him life anew. Thus, Gaṇeśa became the son of both. While the story raises questions—like the fate of the elephant—the symbolism is key: the elephant head represents wisdom, while the human body represents the devotee. The combination signifies wisdom embodied. Later, when the gods needed a leader to approach when Śiva was in deep meditation, they devised a contest between Gaṇeśa and his brother Kārtikeya: whoever circumnavigated the world fastest would be worshipped first. Kārtikeya, riding a swift peacock, seemed destined to win. Gaṇeśa, heavy and riding a mouse, realized his physical disadvantage. However, in his intelligence, he recognized that his parents, Śiva and Pārvatī, constituted the entire universe. He simply circumambulated them and was declared the winner. Thus, Gaṇeśa is invoked first to remove obstacles. Gaṇeśa resides in the Mūlādhāra Cakra. By worshipping him, he subdues the influences of our past karmas. The work and challenges from the present moment onward remain, but Gaṇeśa allows us to start anew, unburdened by past failures. In this bhajan, holy Gurujī sings, "Gajānanda Ānanda." Gajānanda means "the blissful one with an elephant head." He is the embodiment of happiness, fond of sweets like laddus. The verse "Gajānanda Ānanda Mūrti, Kṛpākaro Mahārāj" means: "O Gajānanda, embodiment of bliss, be merciful, O great king." We repeat honorifics like "Mahārāj" just as one might repeatedly say "sir" when making a request, showing reverence. "Satsaṅg meṁ padārajo" is a request for Gajānandajī to grace our spiritual gathering (satsaṅg). "Saphala karo Sabhākāj" asks him to make fruitful all the activities and goals of this assembly. "Gaṇadīśa, Gaṇarāja, ho!" addresses him as the Lord (Īśvara) and King (Rāja) of the gaṇas. The gaṇas are the attendants of Śiva. Śiva is uniquely accessible; he does not discriminate based on one's nature—be they ghosts, demons, or sinners. All who are rejected by others can come to Śiva, and he accepts them. These diverse beings form his gaṇas, and Gaṇeśa is their lord, hence Gaṇādhipa or Gaṇarāja. The bhajan continues with synonyms praising Gaṇeśa: "Gajānanda, Sukharūpa" (O Gajānanda, you are the form of bliss). The logic is simple: if the deity is pleased, he is more likely to grant blessings. He is called the highest of all gods and the king of all kings, the supreme general of all the gaṇas, as scriptures often depict inner and outer battles requiring leadership. "Gajānanda Gaṇapati, Ṛddhi Siddhi Kedātar" means: "O Gajānanda Gaṇapati, you are the giver of ṛddhis and siddhis." The nine ṛddhis represent types of prosperity or wealth, and the eight primary siddhis represent spiritual powers. A simple translation encompassing worldly desires is "money and power," as these enable one to acquire and achieve many things. "Gyān ghaṭale padarjo" means: "Take the pot (ghaṭ) of knowledge and pour (make it rain) the nectar of knowledge upon us." This nectar is the realization that liberates us from repetitive mistakes, bringing true happiness. The plea is for this knowledge to make holy Gurujī happy. "Gaṇanāmī Gurudev" addresses the "Guru with many names." Herein lies a crucial point in translation. A person unfamiliar with our paramparā would translate this as praising Gaṇeśa as the Gurudev with many names. While Gaṇeśa is indeed a Guru for his followers, for our Gurujī, who follows Mahāprabhujī, this bhajan is a camouflaged invocation to Mahāprabhujī. All the epithets—Gaṇapati, Gaṇarāja, Gaṇeśa—are ultimately directed to him. The bhajan calls upon Mahāprabhujī to bestow all blessings. The final line clarifies this: "Viśva Dīpa Hari āpaho dijo caraṇakī sev." "Viśva Dīpa" is a name of Mahāprabhujī. "Hari" refers to Viṣṇu. Thus, it means: "O Mahāprabhujī, you are the Hari (Viṣṇu) of this world, the universal light. Grant me the service of your lotus feet." Serving the Guru's lotus feet translates into serving all beings—not only humans but also animals. The most direct seva for animals is to save them from slaughterhouses by adopting a vegetarian diet. In India, this often extends to protecting cows in Gosalas. Thus, Gurujī presents a bhajan common across India but concludes by revealing its true intent: a heartfelt call to Mahāprabhujī to grant the ultimate blessing of selfless service.