કહો ભાઈ રૂડું તે શું કર્યું

નાદબ્રહ્મ પદ - ૮૨૮
Nādbrahma pada  828

કહો ભાઈ રૂડું તે શું કર્યું, પામ્યો મનુષ્ય દેહ;
હરિ રસ પ્રેમે પીધો નહિ, હરિ સંગ કર્યો ન સ્નેહ ... ટેક
kaho bhā-ii rudu te shuň karyu, pāmyo manushya deh
hari ras preme pidho nahi, hari saňg karyo na sneh ... repeat

રમતાં તે દહાડાં નિર્ગમ્યા, જ્યાં લગી હતો તું બાળ;
ધ્રુવની પેરે સેવ્યો રે, દીનાનાથ દયાળ ... ૧
ramatā te dahādā nirgamyā, jyāň lagi hato tuň bāl
dhruv-ni pere sevyo re, dinā-nāth dayāl ... 1

નાના થકી પરણાવ્યા રે, નાંખ્યો માયાની જાળ;
મહાજુગ મોહ્યો નાથદી રે, ત્યાંથી ભજો રે ગોપાળ ... ૨
nānā thaki par-nāvyā, nākhyo māyā-ni jāl
mahā-jug mohyo nāthadi re, tyāň-thi bhajo re gopāl ... 2

સાચાં જૂઠા તેં બહુ કર્યાં રે, એમ કર્યું એકત્ર દ્રવ્ય;
હતું છતા પણ વાપર્યું નહિ, નહિ થયું પુન્ય ને દાન ... ૩
sāchā juthā teň bahu karyā, em karyu ekatra dravya
hatuň chhatā pan vāparyu nahi, nahi thayu punya ne dān ... 3

મરતાં દીઠાં રે અતિ ઘણા, અમર રહ્યું નહિ કોઈ;
સહુદેવ જ્યાં ઉડી ગયા, હૃદયે વિચારી જોઈ ... ૪
maratā dithā re ati ghanā, amar rahyu nahi ko-ii
sahu-dev jyāň udi gayā, rudaye vichāri jo-ii ... 4

એક દિન એવો આવશે, દીવડો વાએ ઓલવાય;
એવું જાણી ભજો ભગવાન, આત્મા સાધન થાય ... ૫
eka din evo āv-she, divado vā-e ola-vāy
evu jāni bhajo bhag-vān, ātmā sādhan thāy ... 5

જે જ્યાં હતું તે ત્યાં રહ્યું, સાથે આવ્યું ના કાંઈ;
ભાલણના સ્વામી સંદેશો કહી ગયાં રે, ભાઈઓ પામો સાધન ... ૬
je jyāň hatuň te tyāň rahyu, sāthe āvyu nā kāň-ii
bhālan-nā svāmi saňdesho kahi gayā re, bhā-ii-o pāmo sādhan ... 6

YouTube video(s):
1. Shree Ramkabir Mandir Bhajan Mandal (playlist)

English translation (by AI):
This bhajan is a masterpiece of medieval Gujarati devotional (Bhakti) literature composed by the revered 15th–16th century saint-poet Bhalan. It belongs to a specific genre of Indian spiritual poetry known as Vairagya Pad (verses of detachment and dispassion), which aims to shake the listener out of spiritual slumber.

0. Tell me, brother, what good or virtuous deed did you achieve after obtaining this human body?
You did not drink the essence of divine nectar with love, nor did you foster true affection for the Lord.

1. You spent all your days just playing, for as long as you were a child;
You did not serve the compassionate Lord of the helpless, in the exemplary way that Dhruva did.

2. You were married off while still young, and thus, you were thrown into the trap of worldly illusion (Maya);
Entangled and infatuated by this great worldly drama, you never remembered to worship Gopala (the Lord) from that point onward.

3. You engaged in many truths and lies (honest and dishonest means), and in this way, you accumulated wealth;
Even though you possessed it, you did not use it (for good), nor did you earn spiritual merit or perform charity.

4. You have seen so very many people die, absolutely no one has remained immortal here;
When even all the demigods and great souls (Sahudev/Sahu dev) have flown away (passed away), ponder and reflect deeply upon this within your heart.

5. A day will surely come when the lamp (of life) will be blown out by the wind (of death);
Knowing this truth, worship the Supreme Lord so that your soul fulfills its ultimate purpose.

6. Whatever belonged where it was, remained right there; absolutely nothing came along with you (at the time of death);
The Lord of Bhalan has left this message: "O brothers, attain the ultimate spiritual tool (devotion) for liberation."

The core meaning of Saint Bhalan’s bhajan is a powerful wake-up call to the human soul, highlighting the spiritual purpose of life and the tragic waste of time on temporary, worldly illusions.

The entire bhajan can be distilled into three central spiritual lessons:

1. The Rarity and True Purpose of Human Life

The poet begins and ends with the premise that obtaining a human body (Manushya Deh) is a rare, precious gift. Its ultimate purpose is not just to survive, but to serve as a vehicle (saadhan) for the soul to achieve spiritual liberation. The bhajan argues that a life lived without divine love (Hari Ras) is completely meaningless.

2. The Trap of Life's Chronological Stages

The core of the song tracks how easily a person procrastinates on their spiritual journey across a lifetime, always finding an excuse:
•    Childhood: Wasted in frivolous games and play.
•    Youth: Blended into the illusions of marriage, family, and domestic responsibilities (Maya).
•    Adulthood: Consumed by the stressful, sometimes dishonest pursuit of hoarding material wealth.
By comparing ordinary people to the child-sage Dhruva—who realized God at just five years old—the poet destroys the excuse that one is "too young" or "too busy" for spirituality.

3. The Certainty of Impermanence

The ultimate climax of the bhajan is a meditation on death. Life is as fragile as an oil lamp (deevdo) that can be blown out by a sudden gust of wind at any second. Death is the great equalizer; it spares absolutely no one, not even demigods or kings.

The Final Takeaway

The bhajan concludes with the ultimate truth of detachment: you enter the world empty-handed, and you leave it empty-handed. Every house, dollar, and relationship stays exactly where it is when you die. The only wealth that actually travels with your soul is your devotion, your good deeds, and your spiritual practice.

Therefore, Saint Bhalan’s urgent message to humanity is: Stop waiting. Wake up, look past the illusions of daily life, and connect with the Divine right now before your time runs out.