Aarti · Ganga

Om Jai Gange Mata: Ganga aarti lyrics with meaning

The aarti of Mother Ganga, the river worshipped as a goddess: five short verses sung on the ghats of Haridwar and Varanasi and in homes on Ganga Dussehra, in Hindi, in English letters and with a plain meaning.

Listen: Ganga Aarti: Om Jai Gange Mata

A computer-voiced recitation over a soft aarti rhythm of claps, bell and manjira, checked line by line against the text. It is an aid to reading along, not a replacement for a priest or a family elder.

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What this aarti is

The Ganga is worshipped as a mother and a goddess. In the old story, King Bhagiratha brought her down from heaven to free the souls of his ancestors, the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara; Shiva caught her in his hair to soften her fall. “Om Jai Gange Mata” is the short Hindi aarti most families know, and it recalls that story in its second verse.

It is a traditional composition of unknown authorship, sung to the “Om Jai Jagdish Hare” tune. The famous evening Ganga aarti on the ghats uses large lamps and several songs; this one can be sung anywhere, with a small diya and a little Ganga water. Once through takes about three minutes.

When it is sung

Ganga Dussehra (Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami), the day the Ganga is said to have come down to earth, and Ganga Saptami.
On the ghats at dusk, in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Varanasi and Prayagraj, and after a holy dip.
Kartik Purnima, Makar Sankranti and Mauni Amavasya, the great bathing days.

How to do the aarti, step by step

You need no priest. Aarti is the closing part of any puja, and it can also be done on its own, morning or evening, in about five minutes.

Wash your hands and face and stand or sit before a picture or murti of Mother Ganga (a picture, or a small pot of Ganga water).
Prepare a plate (thali) with a ghee diya or a piece of camphor, a little roli and rice, a flower and a sweet.
Light the diya or camphor. Someone rings a small bell, or everyone claps along while singing.
Sing the aarti below and slowly wave the plate clockwise before the deity. A common household way: four times at the feet, twice at the middle, once at the face, then seven times around the whole form.
After the last verse, circle a little water around the plate and set it down.
Everyone takes the aarti: hold both palms briefly over the flame and touch them to your eyes and head. Share the prasad.

Tunes and a few words differ from family to family. Sing it the way your home does; the feeling matters more than the exact wording.

Om Jai Gange Mata, with meaning

The first verse is the refrain: it is sung at the start and repeated after every verse.

Show In English letters Hindi meaning English meaning

Refrain

ॐ जय गंगे माता, श्री जय गंगे माता।
जो नर तुमको ध्याता, मनवांछित फल पाता॥

Om jai Gange Mata, shri jai Gange Mata,
jo nar tumko dhyata, manvanchhit phal pata.

अर्थ: जय हो गंगा माता, जय हो श्री गंगा माता! जो मनुष्य आपका ध्यान करता है, उसे मनचाहा फल मिलता है।

Meaning: Glory to you, Mother Ganga, glory to blessed Ganga! Whoever keeps you in mind receives the fruit their heart desires.

Verse 1

चन्द्र सी जोत तुम्हारी, जल निर्मल आता।
शरण पड़े जो तेरी, सो नर तर जाता॥

Chandra si jot tumhari, jal nirmal aata,
sharan pade jo teri, so nar tar jata.

अर्थ: आपकी चमक चाँद जैसी है और आपका जल निर्मल बहता है। जो आपकी शरण में आ जाता है, वह (संसार-सागर से) पार हो जाता है।

Meaning: Your glow is like the moon's, and your water flows pure. Whoever takes shelter in you crosses over the sea of worldly life.

Verse 2

पुत्र सगर के तारे, सब जग को ज्ञाता।
कृपा दृष्टि तुम्हारी, त्रिभुवन सुख दाता॥

Putra Sagar ke taare, sab jag ko gyata,
kripa drishti tumhari, tribhuvan sukh data.

अर्थ: आपने राजा सगर के पुत्रों का उद्धार किया, यह सारा संसार जानता है। आपकी कृपा भरी दृष्टि तीनों लोकों को सुख देती है।

Meaning: You set free the sons of King Sagara, as the whole world knows. Your kind gaze brings joy to the three worlds.

Verse 3

एक ही बार जो तेरी, शरणागति आता।
यम की त्रास मिटाकर, परम गति पाता॥

Ek hi baar jo teri, sharanagati aata,
Yam ki traas mitakar, param gati pata.

अर्थ: जो एक बार भी आपकी शरण में आता है, उसका यम (मृत्यु) का डर मिट जाता है और वह परम गति पाता है, ऐसा माना जाता है।

Meaning: Whoever comes to your shelter even once is freed, it is believed, from the dread of Yama, lord of death, and reaches the highest state.

Verse 4

आरती मात तुम्हारी, जो जन नित्य गाता।
दास वही सहज में, मुक्ति को पाता॥

Aarti maat tumhari, jo jan nitya gaata,
daas vahi sahaj mein, mukti ko pata.

अर्थ: हे माँ, जो व्यक्ति रोज़ आपकी आरती गाता है, आपका वह सेवक सहज ही मुक्ति पा लेता है।

Meaning: Mother, the one who sings your aarti every day, that devoted servant finds freedom with ease.

Questions

Who wrote “Om Jai Gange Mata”?

The author is not known. It is a traditional folk aarti, sung for generations and printed in many aarti books, and free for everyone.

Is this the aarti sung at Har Ki Pauri and Dashashwamedh Ghat?

The big evening aartis on the ghats have their own sequence of songs and chants (often with “Har Har Gange”), and each ghat has its custom. “Om Jai Gange Mata” is commonly part of them and is the easiest to sing at home.

Are there other Ganga aartis?

Yes. The Gita Press “Aarti Sangrah” gives “Jai Ganga maiya, maa jai Surasari maiya” and two songs by Tulsidas (“Jai jai Bhagirath-nandini…”). Some singers also begin with the Sanskrit verse “Namami Gange tava pada-pankajam”.

Text and sources

The text is a traditional aarti of unknown authorship, in the public domain. Every line was checked against Bhakti Bharat, Bharat Discovery and Drik Panchang. We follow the reading Bhakti Bharat and Bharat Discovery share, with standard spelling (“pade”, “sharanagati”, “mukti”). Drik Panchang has “maiya jai Gange Mata” in the refrain, “jyoti” for “jot”, “kripa drishti ho tumhari”, “ek baar jo prani, sharan teri aata” in verse 3 and “aarti matu tumhari, jo nar nit gaata; sevak vahi sahaj mein” in verse 4. Bhakti Bharat opens with the Sanskrit verse “Namami Gange” and the chant “Har Har Gange”, which we do not include. The transliteration and meanings are our own.

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