Keno Hare Krishna Nam –
“Oh Why While Chanting Hare Krishna…?”
#Bhaktivinoda Thakura
(refrain) keno hare krishna nam hari bole
mano pran kande na
keno—why?; hare krishna nam—the names Hare Krishna; hari bole—chanting the name of Lord Hari; mano pran—my inner heart; kande na—does not weep.
(refrain) Oh, why does my heart not weep from chanting the holy names Hare Krishna?
(1)
pakhi na jani kon aparadhe
mukhe hare krishna nam bolo na
pakhi—the bird of my heart; na jani—I do not know; kon aparadhe—by some offense; mukhe—with the mouth; hare krishna nam—the names of Hare Krishna; bolo na—does not chant.
1) The bird of my heart does not know what past sinful activities it has committed to cause this inability to chant Hare Krishna properly.
(2)
baner pakhi re dhare raklam hridoy mandire
madhu makha ei hari nam
pakhi re sikhaile sikhe
baner pakhi—a bird of the forest; re—O!; dhare—holding; raklam—I have kept; hridoy mandire—in the temple of my heart; madhu makha—smeared with honey; ei—this; hari nam—name of Lord Hari; pakhi re—O bird!; sikhaile—upon being instructed; sikhe—learns.
2) O forest bird! I have kept something for you very carefully within the cottage of my heart—the holy name of Lord Hari, which is overflowing with pure sweet honey. O bird, you could learn the chanting of this name if you were taught.
(3)
pakhi sakal nam bolte paro
keno hare krishna nam bolo na
keno hare krishna nam hari bole mano pran kande na
pakhi—a bird; sakal nam—all names; bolte paro—is able to speak; keno—why?; hare krishna nam—the names of Hare Krishna; bolo na—does not chant.
3) A bird is easily able to speak all names; why then does this bird of my heart refuse to chant Hare Krishna? Oh, why does my heart not weep from chanting the holy names Hare Krishna?
(4)
chalo pakhi ruper dese jai
je desete maner manus asa jaoya nai
chalo—please go; pakhi—O bird!; ruper dese—to the land of true beauty; jai—I go; je desete—at which place; maner manus—the mentally-imagined man; asa jaoya—comes and goes (as in repeated birth and death); nai—not.
4) O bird! Come, let us go to the spiritual world, the land of true and everlasting beauty. It is the place where the imaginary man of my mind will never again come and go on the revolving cycle of birth and death.
(5)
pakhi re tor marana kalete
carabi vaser dolate
ore car janete kandhe kore
loye jabe smasan ghatete
pakhi re—O bird!; tor—your; marana kalete—at the time of death; carabi—you will be placed; vater dolate—on the funeral stretcher made from slips of bamboo; ore—oh!; car janete—by four persons; kandhe kore—placing on the shoulder; loye—carrying; jabe—will proceed; smasan ghatete—to the cremation landing.
O bird! At the time of death, your body will simply be placed upon a funeral stretcher, lifted on the shoulders of four persons and carried to the cremation grounds.
(6)
ore o tor mukhe aguna jihve tule
ki korobi tai bolo na
ore o—alas!; tor—your; mukhe—in the mouth; aguna—fire; jihve—the tongue; tule—obliterate; ki korobi—what can you do?; tai—at that; bolo na—you do not speak.
(6) Alas! The cremation fire will then enter your mouth and totally consume your tongue. There will be nothing you can do to save yourself, for at that time it is too late—you will be unable to speak any more.
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