વનવન શોધતી રે (રાગ - પંથીડો)

નાદબ્રહ્મ પદ - ૬૯૮, રાગ - પંથીડો
Nādbrahma pada - 698, rāga - panthido

વનવન શોધતી રે હો, જોતી પદમ તણા એંધાણ
ડગમગ ડોલતી રે હો, બોલતી મૂકી મનની સાન ... ટેક
van-van shodhati re ho, joti padam tana eňdhān
dag-mag dolati re ho, bolati muki man-ni sān ... repeat

હૈયું બિગાડતી રે હો, નારી હરિ વિના થઇ નિરાશ
મૂર્છા પામતી રે હો, નરહરિ નહિ દેખે નિશ્વાસ ... ૧
hai-yu bigādati re ho, nāri hari vinā tha-ii nirāsh
murchhā pāmati re ho, nar-hari nahi dekhe nishvās ... 1

અવની આળોટતી રે હો, જાણ્યું પ્રેમદા તજશે પ્રાણ
સખી સમજાવતી રે હો, આપણ રમીએ રાસવિલાસ ... ૨
avani ālot-ti re ho, jānyu prem-dā taj-she prān
sakhi samajāv-ti re ho, āpan rami-e rās-vilās ... 2

હરિએ જે કર્યું રે હો, લીલા આચરીએ તેણી વાર
એક થઇ પુતના રે હો, એક થઇ કાન નાનેરું બાળ ... ૩
hari-e je karyu re ho, lilā āchari-e teni vār
eka tha-ii put-nā re ho, eka tha-ii k(h)ān nāneru bāl ... 3

તેને શોધી રે હો, ફરતી પ્રાણ પવન તેણીવાર
વાય વંટોળિયો રે હો, લઇને ઉડતી આકાશ ... ૪
tene shodhi re ho, farati prān pavan teni-vār
vāy vaňtoliyo re ho, la-ii-ne udati ākāsh ... 4

એક મંહી હિંડોળતી રે હો, બાંધતી ઊલખા સાથે હાથ
વૃક્ષ ઉખેડતી રે હો, ભરતીજમલા અર્જુન બાથ ... ૫
eka maňhi hiňdol-ti re ho, bāňdh-ti ulakhā sāthe hāth
vruksha ukhed-ti re ho, bharati-jamalā arjun bāth ... 5

અદ્‌ભુત ચુરંતી રે હો, કરતી દાવાનલનું પાન
પર્વત તોળતી રે હો, હરતી ઇન્દ્ર તણું અભિમાન ... ૬
ada-bhut churaňti re ho, karati dāvā-nal-nu pān
parvat tolati re ho, harati indra tanu abhi-mān ... 6

બાંસુરી વગાડતી રે હો, કરતી અન્યોન્ય ગાન
રાસ રમાડતી રે હો, નારી થઇ સ્વયં ભગવાન ... ૭
bāňsuri vagād-ti re ho, karati anyonya gān
rās ramād-ti re ho, nāri tha-ii svayam bhag-vān ... 7

વ્રેહની વ્યાકુલતી રે હો, વનિતા હીંડે વનમોઝાર
અનાથ એકલી રે હો, વનમાં મેલી ગયા વ્રજનાથ ... ૮
vreh-ni vyakul-ti re ho, vanitā hiňde van-mojhār
anāth ekali re ho, van-māň mEli gayā vraj-nāth ... 8

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

English translation (by AI):
This devotional song captures the intense longing and spiritual devotion of the Gopis, reflecting their emotional state in their search for the Lord.

0. Searching from forest to forest, she looks for the signs of His lotus footprints;
Tottering and swaying unsteadily, she speaks, having cast aside all her mental inhibition.

1. Losing her peace of mind, the woman became hopeless without Hari (the Lord).
She is falling unconscious, sighing deeply because she cannot see Narahari.

2. Rolling on the ground, it felt as though the loving woman would give up her life.
Her companion comforts her, saying, 'Come, let us play the joyful Raas-leela.

3. Whatever pastimes Hari performed, they enacted those divine plays right then;
One companion became Putana, while another became Krishna, the little child.

4. Searching for Him, she wandered like the wind of life at that moment;
Becoming a swirling whirlwind, she flew up, carrying Him into the sky.

5. One companion was swinging, while another tied her hands to the mortar;
Uprooting the trees, she embraced the twin Arjuna trees with her arms.

6. Performing a wondrous act, she drank the raging forest fire;
Lifting and balancing the mountain, she crushed the pride of Indra.

7. Playing the flute, they sang songs in perfect harmony with one another;
Leading the Raas dance, the woman herself became the Supreme Lord.

8. Distressed by the agony of separation, the woman wanders deep within the forest;
Left helpless and all alone, the Lord of Vraj abandoned her in the woods.

The core meaning of this bhajan is a profound allegorical representation of the human soul’s journey toward ultimate union with the Divine, expressed through the lens of Viraha Bhakti (the path of intense longing and separation).

Instead of just a literal story about the Gopis looking for Krishna, the bhajan outlines a deep psychological and spiritual process:

1. The Soul's Awakening (The Agony)

The dense forest represents the chaotic, material world. The "woman" is the individual soul (Jivatma), and Krishna is the Supreme Soul (Paramatma). The soul realizes its separation from its divine source, leading to total detachment from the world. When she "casts aside all mental inhibitions" and "rolls on the ground," it signifies that when a seeker is consumed by divine love, worldly ego, social status, and logic completely shatter.

2. Remembrance and Absorption (The Reenactment)

When God feels absent, the seeker turns to Lila Smaran (meditating on and reliving the attributes of the Divine). By acting out Krishna's miracles, the devotees are not just playing a game; they are practicing total absorption (Samadhi). To overcome grief, they fill their entire consciousness with God's actions, victories, and virtues. This teaches that when you constantly meditate on the Divine, you begin to take on divine qualities.

3. Ultimate Oneness (The Peak)

The absolute climax occurs in Verse 7: "The woman herself became the Supreme Lord." This is the core philosophical truth of the bhajan, aligning with Advaita Vedanta (Non-duality). It shows that at the highest peak of devotion, the boundary between the lover and the Beloved completely melts away. The seeker dissolves their individual identity and realizes that the Divine they were searching for outside is actually within them.

4. The Paradox of Mystic Longing (The Conclusion)

The bhajan ends back in the lonely forest to highlight the eternal paradox of mysticism. Even after experiencing a flash of absolute oneness, the physical body and mind return to worldly reality. The soul is left with a deeper, beautiful ache (Viraha) that keeps it perpetually focused on God, preventing it from ever falling back into worldly attachments.