ભજો મન રે પંખીડા

નાદબ્રહ્મ પદ - ૬૪
Nādbrahma pada – 064

ભજો મન રે પંખીડા, મત પડ પાંજરે, સંસાર માયાજાળ છે;
Bhajo man re paňkhida, mat pad pāňjre, saňsār māyā-jāl chhe;

એક દિવસમાં ત્રણ જ ફેરા, સદાય જંપે કાળ રે;
અણચેત્યો તને લઈ જશે, પછી કોણ છોડાવન હાર રે ... ૧
Ek divas-māň tran ja fera, sadāy jampe kāl re;
Anchetyo tane la-ii jashe, pachhi kon chhodāvan hār re … 1

અન્ય દેવકી પૂજા કીધી, નહિ ઓળખ્યા આતમરામ રે;
ભુતની પેરે ભમતો ફરે છે, એનો એળે ગયો અવતાર રે ... ૨
Anya dev-ki pooja kidhi, nahi olakhyā ātam-rām re;
Bhut-ni pere bhamto fare chhe, eno ele gayo avatār re … 2

જ્યારે સરોવર ભર્યા હતા, ત્યારે પ્રથમ ન બાંધી પાળ રે;
નીર સઘળું જ્યારે વહી ગયાં, પછી હાથ ઘસે શું થાય રે ... ૩
Jyāre sarovar bharyā hatā, tyāre pratham na bāňdhi pāl re;
Nir saghalu jyāre vahi gayā, pachhi hāth ghase shuň thāy re … 3

માતા તારી સદા રૂવે, બેની રૂવે દસ માસ રે;
સ્ત્રી રૂવે તેર દહાડા, ઔર ઢુંઢે ઘરવાસ રે ... ૪
Mātā tāri sadā roove, beni roove das mās re;
Stree roove ter dahādā, a-u-r dhooňdhe ghar-vās re … 4

શેરી લગી સર્વે સુંદરી, ઝાંપા લગી મા બાપ રે;
તીર્થ લગી સગાં બંધુઓ, હંસ તું એકલો જાય રે ... ૫
Sheri lagi sarve suňdari, jhāmpā lagi mā bāp re;
Tirth lagi sagā baňdhu-o, haňs tuň eklo jāy re … 5

હાડ બળે જેમ લાકડું રે, કેશ બળે જેમ ઘાસ રે;
કંચન સરખી તારી કાયા બળે, કાંઈ ન આવે તારી સાથ રે ... ૬
Hād bale jem lākdu re, kesh bale jem ghās re;
Kaňchan sarkhi tāri kāyā bale, kāň-ii na āve tāri sāth re ... 6

મારું મારું પ્રાણી મિથ્યા થશે, જૂઠો આ જગત વહેવાર રે;
દાસ રણછોડ પ્રભુ હરિને ભજી લો, પલમેં ઉતારે ભવપાર રે ... ૭
Māru māru prāni mithyā thashe, jutho ā jagat vahevār re;
Dās Ranchhod prabhu hari-ne bhaji lo, pal-meň utāre bhav-pār re … 7

English Translation (by AI):
This bhajan warns the human soul (the bird) against worldly illusions and attachments. It highlights the certainty of death, the fleeting nature of relationships, and the futility of late regrets. Ultimately, it urges the mind to renounce greed and seek liberation through devotion to the divine.

0. Oh bird of my mind, repeat the name of God and do not fall into the trap of the cage. This worldly life is nothing but a web of illusion.

1. Time circles continuously three times a day, always vigilant and unyielding. Death will seize you completely unawares, and when that happens, there will be no one left to rescue or save you.

2. You spent your life worshipping other external deities and performing rituals, but you failed to recognize the divine soul residing within yourself. You wander around restlessly like a ghost, and because of this, your human birth has been completely wasted.

3. When the lake was full of water, you did not build a dam or embankment to preserve it. Now that all the water has completely drained away, what is the use of rubbing your hands together in empty regret?

4. Your mother will weep for you forever, and your sister will mourn your loss for ten months. Your wife will cry for thirteen days, and after that, she will look for a new household to live in.

5. The women of the house will accompany your body only up to the edge of the street, and your parents will walk with you up to the village gate. Your relatives and brothers will accompany you only as far as the holy cremation grounds, but from there, you, the soul bird, must fly forward entirely alone.

6. Your bones will burn away just like dry firewood, and your hair will burn up quickly like dry grass. Your body, which you treated like precious gold, will burn to ashes, and absolutely nothing you owned will go along with you.

7. Claiming "this is mine, that is mine" is completely useless, and all the transactions and relationships of this world are false. Servant Ranchhod says: pray to and praise the Lord Hari, who can deliver you across the ocean of worldly existence in a single moment.

...
The spiritual essence of this bhajan centers on detachment (Vairagya), self-realization, and the impermanence of the material world.

The Illusion of Bondage
The human mind is compared to a bird ("પંખીડા"), naturally born to be free, but trapped in the cage of worldly desires and family attachments ("માયાજાળ"). The bhajan teaches that true suffering comes from this self-imposed imprisonment to things that are not permanent.

The Certainty of Time and Death
Time ("કાળ") is portrayed as an active, sleepless hunter that counts down every day. The suddenness of death is a reminder that material wealth, status, and physical strength cannot bargain for more time. 

The Illusion of Relationships
The song systematically strips away the comfort of human bonds by measuring the timelines of grief—from a mother’s lifelong sorrow to a spouse's eventual transition back to daily life. By showing that even the closest relatives stop at the village gate or the crematorium, it highlights that the soul ("હંસ") enters and leaves this world completely alone.

The Call to Self-Realization
Worshipping external deities or running after rituals ("અન્ય દેવકી પૂજા કીધી") is called useless if one fails to recognize the divine spark within ("આતમરામ"). The lake metaphor warns against spiritual laziness: if you do not build the dam of spiritual practice while you have the energy of life, you cannot save yourself when your breath runs out.

Ultimate Liberation
The final message is a call to awaken from the false transaction ("જૂઠો આ જગત વહેવાર") of identity and ownership. By surrendering to the divine ("હરિને ભજી લો"), the soul can instantly cross the ocean of worldly existence ("ભવપાર"), transforming from a trapped bird back into a free spirit.

…
Here are the key practical and spiritual takeaways from this bhajan, organized for easy reflection:

• Embrace Detachment: Recognize that material wealth and worldly possessions are temporary traps. Do not let your mind become enslaved by greed or ownership.
• Cultivate Internal Awareness: Look inward rather than outward. True divinity is found by recognizing your inner soul (Atmaram), not through empty, external rituals.
• Acknowledge Life's Impermanence: Understand that death is sudden and guaranteed. Keep your ego in check by remembering that your physical body will eventually return to ash.
• Practice Spiritual Readiness: Build your spiritual foundation while you are healthy and stable. Do not wait until life drains away to regret a lack of discipline.
• Accept Your Solitary Journey: Realize that human relationships, while meaningful in life, end at the grave. Every soul must face its ultimate destiny completely alone.
• Prioritize Divine Devotion: Surrender your ego to the divine. Chanting and meditation are the ultimate vehicles to cross the chaotic ocean of worldly existence.