Om Jai Jagdish Hare

Refrain

ॐ जय जगदीश हरे, स्वामी जय जगदीश हरे। भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे॥ oṃ jaya jagadīśa hare, svāmī jaya jagadīśa hare bhakta janõ ke saṅkaṭa, dāsa janõ ke saṅkaṭa, kṣaṇa mẽ dūra kare Victory to you, Lord of the universe; victory, master, Lord of the universe. The troubles of those who are devoted to you — the troubles of those who serve you — you take away in a moment.

Verse 1 — the fruit of remembering

जो ध्यावे फल पावे, दुख बिनसे मन का। स्वामी दुख बिनसे मन का॥ सुख सम्पत्ति घर आवे, कष्ट मिटे तन का॥ jo dhyāve phala pāve, dukha binase mana kā svāmī dukha binase mana kā sukha sampatti ghara āve, kaṣṭa miṭe tana kā Whoever holds you in mind obtains the fruit, and the sorrow of the mind is undone. Happiness and prosperity come to the house, and the body's affliction is erased.

Verse 2 — no one else to ask

मात-पिता तुम मेरे, शरण गहूँ मैं किसकी। स्वामी शरण गहूँ मैं किसकी॥ तुम बिन और न दूजा, आस करूँ मैं जिसकी॥ māta-pitā tuma mere, śaraṇa gahū̃ maĩ kisakī svāmī śaraṇa gahū̃ maĩ kisakī tuma bina aura na dūjā, āsa karū̃ maĩ jisakī You are my mother and my father — whose shelter am I to take? There is no second apart from you in whom I might place a hope.

Verse 3 — the philosophical verse

तुम पूरन परमात्मा, तुम अंतरयामी। स्वामी तुम अंतरयामी॥ पारब्रह्म परमेश्वर, तुम सबके स्वामी॥ tuma pūrana paramātmā, tuma antarayāmī svāmī tuma antarayāmī pārabrahma parameśvara, tuma sabake svāmī You are the complete supreme Self; you are the one who dwells within. Supreme Brahman, supreme Lord — you are the master of all.

Verse 4 — the self-accusation

तुम करुणा के सागर, तुम पालनकर्ता। स्वामी तुम पालनकर्ता॥ मैं मूरख खल कामी, कृपा करो भर्ता॥ tuma karuṇā ke sāgara, tuma pālanakartā svāmī tuma pālanakartā maĩ mūrakha khala kāmī, kṛpā karo bhartā You are the ocean of compassion; you are the one who sustains. I am a fool, ill-natured and full of craving — show me grace, sustainer.

Verse 5 — how could I reach you

तुम हो एक अगोचर, सबके प्राणपति। स्वामी सबके प्राणपति॥ किस विधि मिलूँ दयामय, तुमको मैं कुमति॥ tuma ho eka agocara, sabake prāṇapati svāmī sabake prāṇapati kisa vidhi milū̃ dayāmaya, tumako maĩ kumati You alone are beyond the reach of the senses, lord of the breath of every living thing. By what means am I to reach you, merciful one — I, whose understanding is poor?

Verse 6 — at the door

दीनबंधु दुखहर्ता, तुम ठाकुर मेरे। स्वामी तुम ठाकुर मेरे॥ अपने हाथ उठाओ, द्वार पड़ा तेरे॥ dīnabandhu dukhahartā, tuma ṭhākura mere svāmī tuma ṭhākura mere apane hātha uṭhāo, dvāra paḍā tere Friend of the destitute, remover of sorrow, you are my lord. Lift your hand — I am lying here at your door.

Verse 7 — the actual request

विषय विकार मिटाओ, पाप हरो देवा। स्वामी पाप हरो देवा॥ श्रद्धा भक्ति बढ़ाओ, संतन की सेवा॥ viṣaya vikāra miṭāo, pāpa haro devā svāmī pāpa haro devā śraddhā bhakti baḍhāo, santana kī sevā Wipe out the distortions of sense-craving; take away wrongdoing, god. Increase faith and devotion, and service to those who are holy.

Verse 8 — giving back what was never yours

तन मन धन सब कुछ है तेरा। स्वामी सब कुछ है तेरा॥ तेरा तुझको अर्पण, क्या लागे मेरा॥ tana mana dhana saba kucha hai terā svāmī saba kucha hai terā terā tujhako arpaṇa, kyā lāge merā Body, mind and wealth — all of it is already yours. What is yours I offer back to you; what in it was ever mine?

Closing couplet — and its signature

श्री जगदीश्वर जी की आरती, जो कोई नर गावे। कहत शिवानंद स्वामी, मनवांछित फल पावे॥ śrī jagadīśvara jī kī āratī, jo koī nara gāve kahata śivānanda svāmī, manavāñchita phala pāve Whoever sings this aarti to the blessed Lord of the universe — so says Shivanand Swami — obtains the fruit their heart desires. (This couplet is often omitted in practice, and the name in it is not Phillauri's. See the discussion of the signature below.)

Who wrote Om Jai Jagdish Hare?

It is attributed to Shardha Ram Phillauri, a Punjabi writer and preacher who lived from 1837 to 1881 and who is also credited with Bhagyavati, often described as the first Hindi novel. The composition is generally dated to around 1870. The attribution is standard but not without complications — the closing couplet printed in most collections carries a different name.

When was Om Jai Jagdish Hare written?

Around 1870. That makes it roughly a hundred and fifty-five years old — younger than the Indian railways, and by a wide margin one of the most recent texts in everyday Hindu use. It is very commonly assumed to be ancient, and it is not.

Which deity is Om Jai Jagdish Hare for?

Formally Vishnu, addressed as Jagadisha, lord of the universe. In practice it functions as a general-purpose aarti and is sung before images of Ganesha, Durga, Shiva and household deities. It names no avatar, tells no story and describes no iconography, which is exactly what makes it portable.

Why is Om Jai Jagdish Hare so popular?

Three reasons compound. Its language is general enough to be sung before any image. Its structure repeats every second line, so a newcomer can join in within one verse. And its appearance in the 1970 film Purab Aur Paschim is widely credited with carrying it from regional circulation to national familiarity.

What does 'Om Jai Jagdish Hare' mean?

Om; victory to you, Jagadisha — lord of the universe — Hari. The refrain then says that the troubles of those devoted to you, the troubles of those who serve you, are removed in a moment. Jagat is world, isha is lord, and Hari is a name of Vishnu.

Who is Shivanand Swami, named at the end?

The closing couplet reads kahata śivānanda svāmī — 'so says Shivanand Swami'. North Indian devotional verse conventionally ends with the poet naming himself, so the line looks like an authorial signature, and the name is not Phillauri's. The same signature appears at the close of Jai Ambe Gauri and Om Jai Shiv Omkara. Whether it marks a different author, a later editor, or a formula borrowed across the whole group is not settled, and honest sources say so.

Was Om Jai Jagdish Hare in a Bollywood film?

Yes. It appears in Manoj Kumar's Purab Aur Paschim (1970), and that appearance is widely credited with taking it from a song known in parts of North India to one known across the country. The aarti existed for a century before the film; its universality did not.

How many verses does Om Jai Jagdish Hare have?

Most printed versions carry a refrain, eight verses and a closing couplet, though the count varies between collections and some sung versions drop verses or the closing couplet altogether. There is no single authoritative text; it circulates as a living song rather than as a fixed scripture.

Why do other aartis sound exactly like this one?

Because they are sung to its tune. Om Jai Shiv Omkara, Jai Lakshmi Mata, Om Jai Gange Mata and Om Jai Saraswati Mata all use this aarti's melody, its metre and its 'Om Jai …' opening formula. It works as a template, which is why someone who knows this one can join an aarti for a deity they have never sung to.

Does singing Om Jai Jagdish Hare bring prosperity?

The text says so: the first verse states that happiness and prosperity come to the house, and the closing couplet that the singer obtains what their heart desires. Those are the song's own words, in the standard fruit-of-recitation idiom that runs through the whole genre. We report what the text claims and do not restate it as an outcome.

Why does the aarti call the singer a fool?

Verses four to six describe the singer as foolish, ill-natured, full of craving, poor in understanding and lying at the lord's door. This self-abasement against the lord's compassion is a standard register in bhakti poetry — the point of the contrast is the compassion, not the fault. It is nonetheless striking how cheerfully these verses get sung.

What does 'tera tujhko arpan' mean?

'What is yours, I offer to you.' The full verse says that body, mind and wealth are already the lord's, so that the act of offering costs the giver nothing and adds nothing to the receiver. It is the most theologically dense line in the aarti, and it is sung by children who have no idea what they are saying — which is arguably how such lines are meant to be learned.

Can anyone sing Om Jai Jagdish Hare?

Yes. It is Hindi, not Sanskrit; it requires no initiation, no priest and no ritual training; and it is designed to be picked up by ear in a room where others are already singing. This openness is characteristic of the aarti form in general and is a large part of why the form spread as far as it did.