તુમ કિર નાવ લઈ આવ રે (રાગ - કલ્યાણ)

નાદબ્રહ્મ પદ - ૧૬૦, રાગ - કલ્યાણ
Nādbrahma pada 160, rāga - kalyān

તુમ કિર નાવ લઈ આવ રે, તુમ કિર નાવ લઈ આવ રે;
તુમકો બોલાવે રઘુનાથ ગોસાંઈ, તુમ પર કીનો ભાવે રે ... ટેક
tum kir nāv la-ii āv re, tum kir nāv la-ii āv re
tum-ko bolāve raghu-nāth gosā-ii, tum par kino bhāve re ... repeat

તેરી નૌકા બહુત ચલત હૈ, સરિતા પાર લગાવ રે;
દીન જાણી મોહે દયા જો કરત હૈ, મત હી ભૂલો ઐસો દાવ રે ... ૧
teri na-u-ka bahut chalat hai, saritā pār lagāv re
din jāni mohe dayā karat hai, mat hi bhulo aiso dāv re ... 1

કીની રે કીરપા બહુત અતિ કરુણા, હૃદયે ધર્યો વિશ્વાસ રે;
લઘુતામાં પ્રભુ પાર કિયો હૈ, કુટુંબ સહિત ભરી નાવ રે ... ૨
kini re kirpā bahut ati karunā, rudaye dharyo vishvās re
laghutā-māň prabhu pār kiyo hai, kutumb sahit bhari nāv re ... 2

YouTube Video(s):
1. Shree Ramkabir Mandir Bhajan Mandal (playlist)

English Translation:
[Inspired by an event narrated in the Hindu Epic Ramayana, devout poet Raghunath Goswami has woven it in this enlightening verse on the recourse of Bhakti. When Kevat (boatman) belonging to the Harivansh Keer community enabled Rama, Sita and Lakshman in his boat, to cross over the Ganges at the time of exile. Before Lord Rama could board the boat, the Kevat pleaded to allow Lord Rama to wash his feet.

He argued that, what if a stone could turn into a woman merely with the touch of the dust from the feet of Lord Rama, if his boat too was turned into a woman, how he could sustain his poor family with his wife and kids. When Lord Rama insisted on paying for his services, the Kevat, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, refused the payment saying, the people of the same profession do not charge each other for their services. Amused by his reply, Lord Rama asked, how come they both had the same profession?

To this, the Kevat replied, "Lord, both of us do the same work. I ferry people from this shore of the Ganges to the other. You ferry people across the ocean of Samsaara through the journey of life. How can I accept payment from you? Prabhu! I don’t want anything. But please, as I have made you cross this river today, when my time comes, take me across Sansaar Saagar (the ocean of material existence). That would be your return to me!"]

0. The poet Raghunath pleads the Lord, addressing Him as 'Keer or Kevat' to bring the boat. Here, the usage of word 'Keer' denotes the Lord as the Captain of the Ship to enable us to fathom over the 'Ocean of Life'. With ardent love and devotion, Raghunath calls out the Lord.

1. Your boat makes several trips of this Ocean of the Universe. Bhagwan, help me cross over this span of the river. Though the Kevat was poor illiterate, but he was not foolish. Grumpily, the disciple says, you are showing mercy upon me, but forget it. Don't try to play with my devotional emotions. Portraying such kind gesture of the Lord, the poet Raghunath considering it as a bad trick to befool him, ask the Lord not to resort to such a trickery to mislead him.

2. Now, with a sense of utmost devotion and sense of faith on the Lord, the poet reflects that, truly the God has taken great mercy upon him. With a sense of devotional faith in the heart, the poet says, "Lord, you have taken mercy upon me, an individual from the lower strata of the society. Pleased by his sense of devotion, the God blesses him and makes it convenient for him to take himself as well as his entire family in a boat to cross over the rains.

3. We all beseech God for material elements and transitory physical pleasures. This is just like asking a penny to a benevolent who has ability to give us whole world. How foolish are we, who run after the worldly pleasures leaving the loving Supreme Soul! The Merciful Lord comes Himself or sends His saintly devotees like Kabirdas Ji, Meerabai, Narsinh Mehta, Raghunath Goswami etc to guide us the right path of attaining emancipation.