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THE << TRUE VAISNAVA >>A JAINA HERITAGE IN GUJARAT*
Françoise Mallison
One of the best-known pada-s (devotional lyrics) in Gujarati begins with the words "Vaisnavajana to tene kahiye, je..." "He alone can be called a true Vaisnava who..". The pada is attributed to Narasimha Maheta, the foremost Vaisnava bhakta poet of Gujarat (15th c.). It has become famous all over India thanks to Mahatma Gandhi whose favourite prayer it was. It is a simple description of what makes a Vaisnava and it reads thus2 : Vaisnavajana to tene kahiye,
je pida parat jane re; paradukhe upakāra kare,
ne mana abhimāna na āņe re. 1 Sakala lokamām sahune vande, ninda na kare keni re, vāca-kācha-mana niścala rākhe, dhana dhana janani teni re. 2 Samadrsti ne trsnätyägi,
parastri jene mäta re; jihva thaki asatya na bole,
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paradhana na jhale hatha re. 3
Mohamäyä lepe nahi tene,
drdha vairagya tena manamām re; rāmanāma śum tālī lāgi,
sakala tīrtha tena tanamām re. 4
Vanalobhi ne kapatarahita che,
kāmakrodha jene märyä re;
bhane Narasaimyo tenum darasana karatām, kula ekotera täryäm re. 5
He alone can be called a true Vaisnava
who does not ignore the sufferings of others,
who helps them in their miseries
and has no conceit. 1
He greets everyone everywhere,
slanders none,
he is steady in speech, deeds and mind: blessed indeed is his mother. 2
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