Another immortal composition of Meera, in Hindi, in praise of her beloved Hari or Vishnu. The song has been given unforgettable voice by MS Subbulakshmi.
Hari Tum Haro
hari tum harO jan ki peed
draupadIki lAj rAkhi tum baDhayO cheer
bhakat kArana rUp narahari dharyO Ap sharir
hiraNya kashyapa mAr lInhO dharyO nAdina dhIr
bUDhatE gaja rAja rAkhyO kiYO bAhar nIr
dAsi meerA lAl giradhar dukh jahAn tahAn peed
Hear MS Subbulakshmi sing the song here (open in a new window).
In translation:
O Hari, do relieve the people' suffering.
Without any delay, you helped to protect Draupadi's honour
You took the bodily form of Narasimha to save Bhakta Prahlad
and slayed Hiranyakashipu without fail.
You saved (the crocodile-attacked king elephant) Gajaraja from the waters
Meera, slave to the beloved bearer of the Mountain, is ever in distress
This song was a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi. He once expressed the wish to hear MS Subbulakshmi sing the song. Subbulakshmi answered that she had not practiced the song. Gandhi replied that he would rather hear her speak the words than hear someone else sing it. So Subbulaksmi recorded the song, and had the record delivered to Gandhi on his 78th birthday (2 October 1947). After Gandhi's assassination (on 30 January 1948), radio stations played Subbulakshmi's recording of Hari Tum Haro repeatedly after announcing the death of Gandhi.
MS Subbulakshmi sings this song in Carnatic style, in Raga Darbaari Kanada, set to Aadi talam.
2 comments:
Thankyou for putting it up. It is beautiful, and it is evocative of Lord Krishna. Hope he gives you Darshan in this Lifetime.
Mesmerizing voice. Takes you to another world.
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