International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Founder Acharya — HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare

Vaishnav Bhajan

Kabe Habe Bolo

Composed by Bhaktivinoda Thakura

1
kabe ha’be bolo se-dina āmār (āmār) aparādha ghuci’, śuddha nāme ruci, kṛpā-bale ha’be hṛdoye sañcār
भावार्थWhen, O when, will that day be mine? When will you give me your blessings, erase all my offences and give my heart a taste [ruci] for chanting the Holy Name in purity?
2
tṛṇādhika hīna, kabe nije māni’, sahiṣṇutā-guṇa hṛdoyete āni’ sakale mānada, āpani amānī, ho’ye āswādibo nāma-rasa-sār
भावार्थWhen will I taste the essence of the Holy Name, feeling myself to be lower than the grass, my heart filled with tolerance? When will I give respect to all others and be free from desire for respect from them?
3
dhana jana āra, kobitā-sundarī, bolibo nā cāhi deho-sukha-karī janme-janme dāo, ohe gaurahari! ahaitukī bhakti caraṇe tomār
भावार्थWhen will I cry out that I have no longer any desire for wealth and followers, poetry and beautiful women, all of which are meant just for bodily pleasure? O Gaura Hari! Give me causeless devotional service [bhakti] to your lotus feet, birth after birth.
4
(kabe) korite śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma uccāraṇa, pulakita deho gadgada bacana baibarṇya-bepathu ha’be saṅghaṭana, nirantara netre ba’be aśru-dhār
भावार्थWhen will my body be covered with goose bumps and my voice broken with emotion as I pronounce Krishna's name? When will my body change colour and my eyes flow with endless tears as I chant?
5
kabe navadwīpe, suradhunī-taṭe, gaura-nityānanda boli’ niṣkapaṭe nāciyā gāiyā, berāibo chuṭe, bātulera prāya chāriyā bicār
भावार्थWhen will I give up all thought of the world and society to run like a madman along the banks of the Ganges in Navadvipa, singing and dancing and sincerely calling out the names of Gaura and Nityananda?
6
kabe nityānanda, more kori ‘doyā, chārāibe mora viṣayera māyā diyā more nija-caraṇera chāyā, nāmera hāṭete dibe adhikār
भावार्थWhen will Nityananda Prabhu be merciful to me and deliver me from the enchantment [maya] of the sense objects? When will he give me the shade of his lotus feet and the right to enter the market place [nama-hatta] of the Holy Name?
7
kinibo, luṭibo, hari-nāma-rasa, nāma-rase māti’ hoibo bibaśa rasera rasika-caraṇa paraśa, koriyā mojibo rase anibār
भावार्थWhen will I buy, borrow or steal the ecstasies of the Holy Name? When will I lose myself in the intoxication of the Holy Name? When will I immerse myself in the nectar of the Holy Name after grasping the feet of a saint who constantly relishes the flavours [rasa] of devotion?
8
kabe jībe doyā, hoibe udoya, nija-sukha bhuli’ sudīna-hṛdoya bhakativinoda, koriyā binoya, śrī-ājñā-ṭahala koribe pracār
भावार्थWhen will I feel compassion for all living beings [jibas]? When will I forget my own pleasure in genuine humility? And when will I, Bhaktivinode, meekly go from door to door, preaching your message of love?