Prabhu Ji Tum Chandan Hum Pani – Sant Ravidas Bhajan Lyrics & Meaning

Prabhu Ji Tum Chandan Hum Pani Lyrics (हिंदी में)

प्रभु जी तुम चंदन हम पानी।
जाकी अंग-अंग बास समानी॥

प्रभु जी तुम घन बन हम मोरा।
जैसे चितवत चंद चकोरा॥

प्रभु जी तुम दीपक हम बाती।
जाकी जोति बरे दिन राती॥

प्रभु जी तुम मोती हम धागा।
जैसे सोनहिं मिलत सुहागा॥

प्रभु जी तुम स्वामी हम दासा।
ऐसी भगति करै रैदासा॥

Prabhu Ji Tum Chandan Hum Pani – Transliteration (English)

Prabhu jī tum chandan hum pānī.
Jākī ang-ang bās samānī.

Prabhu jī tum ghan ban hum morā.
Jaise chitvat chand chakorā.

Prabhu jī tum dīpak hum bātī.
Jākī joti bare din rātī.

Prabhu jī tum motī hum dhāgā.
Jaise sonahiṃ milat suhāgā.

Prabhu jī tum svāmī hum dāsā.
Aisī bhagati karai Raidāsā.

Meaning & Significance

In five compact verses, Ravidas constructs one of the most exquisite meditations on the relationship between the human soul and the divine in all of Indian devotional poetry. Each verse presents a paired image in which two things that are distinct from one another are nonetheless inseparable. Sandalwood (chandan) and water: the wood is solid, fragrant, rare - the water pervades every grain, absorbing the perfume until the fragrance inhabits every molecule (ang-ang bās samānī - the fragrance is spread through every limb). The rain-cloud (ghan) and the peacock (morā): the peacock stares at the dark cloud with the same desperate yearning with which the devotee gazes at God, waiting for the monsoon of grace. Lamp (dīpak) and wick (bātī): separated, they are inert; together, the wick gives itself entirely to the flame, burning through day and night without ceasing. Pearl (motī) and thread (dhāgā): the thread is invisible inside the pearl, yet without the thread the necklace does not exist. Gold (sona) and borax (suhāgā): the goldsmith uses borax to purify gold, just as divine contact purifies the devotee. The closing verse offers Ravidas's signature: such is the devotion that Ravidas practises - not claiming equality with God, but insisting on a relationship of complete, interpenetrating intimacy in which the human takes the form of the lesser element, the one that exists only in and through the divine.

About the Composer

Sant Ravidas, also known as Raidas or Rohidas (approximately 1450–1520 CE), was born in Varanasi into the chamar community, which was assigned the task of leatherwork - a profession considered ritually impure by the caste hierarchy of medieval India. Despite this social marginalisation, Ravidas attained such spiritual eminence that he was revered across social boundaries. He is counted among the foremost saints of the Bhakti movement alongside Kabir, Namdev and Mirabai. Indeed, according to hagiographical accounts, Meera Bai travelled to Kashi to receive instruction from Ravidas, and regarded him as her guru. Forty-one of his compositions (padas) are preserved in the Adi Granth, the sacred scripture of Sikhism, compiled by Guru Arjan Dev - testimony to his stature in the wider Bhakti tradition. His poetry is remarkable for its combination of philosophical depth and lyrical simplicity, and for the radical equality it implies: if the God-soul relationship is like sandalwood and water, no social hierarchy can stand between the devotee and the divine.

About Vishnu / Nirguna Brahman

Ravidas composed within a theological space that deliberately resists full classification as either saguna (with form) or nirguna (without form) bhakti. His "Prabhu ji" is intimate and personal, yet his metaphors transcend any specific iconographic form. The divine in this bhajan is what the sandalwood is to the water, what the cloud is to the peacock - the inescapable environment that saturates and activates the devotee. This resonates with the Vaishnava theology of viśiṣhṭādvaita - qualified non-duality - in which the soul is real and distinct yet cannot exist apart from God, just as the waves of the ocean are real yet are only ever ocean-water. Ravidas's vision is also profoundly inclusive: a God who enters equally into every pore of the water that surrounds sandalwood is not the possession of any caste or community.

Spiritual Significance & Benefits

• Meditation on the sandalwood-water image (chandan-pānī) is a classical sādhana for dissolving the sense of separation between the individual self and the divine, allowing the devotee to feel pervaded by God's presence.
• The lamp-wick metaphor (dīpak-bātī) is used in guru-disciple teaching as an image of self-surrender: the disciple must be willing to be consumed by the divine light just as the wick is consumed by the flame.
• Recitation of this bhajan is said to cultivate genuine humility - the devotee identifies not with the sandalwood but with the water, not with the pearl but with the thread, embracing the supporting role rather than claiming spiritual superiority.
• The social and caste-transcending dimension of Ravidas's vision means this bhajan carries a specific blessing for those who feel excluded from spiritual life by social disadvantage or a sense of unworthiness.
• In the Ravidassia tradition and among devotees of the Bhakti movement broadly, this bhajan is among the most widely used for opening meditation sessions, as its images immediately settle the mind into a receptive, devotional state.

When & How It Is Sung

Prabhu Ji Tum Chandan Hum Pani is sung at satsangs, bhajan evenings, and Ravidas Jayanti celebrations (which fall on the full moon of Magh, typically in February). It is performed across North India, particularly in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The melody is typically set in Rāga Bhairavī or a simple pentatonic scale that makes it accessible to non-classical singers. The bhajan is often sung in call-and-response format, with a lead singer presenting each couplet and the congregation repeating it, creating a steady meditative rhythm. Given its brevity and the completeness of each metaphor, it is also frequently memorised and used as a personal chant during daily activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this bhajan found in the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib)?

Sant Ravidas's padas are included in the Adi Granth, the sacred scripture of Sikhism, compiled by Guru Arjan Dev in 1604 CE. Forty-one of his compositions appear in this scripture, which is a remarkable testimony to his spiritual authority and the trans-sectarian nature of the Bhakti movement. While this specific pad in the form most commonly sung may represent a later textual variant, it belongs to the body of poetry associated with Ravidas and reflects the theological sensibility documented in his authenticated Adi Granth compositions.

What does suhāgā (borax) mean in the gold metaphor?

Suhāgā is borax, a mineral flux used by traditional goldsmiths to remove impurities and to join pieces of gold during the soldering process. When borax meets gold in the fire, it purifies the metal and allows a perfect, seamless bond. Ravidas uses this image to say that God is to the devotee what borax is to gold: the divine contact purifies all dross, removes every impurity, and allows the soul to become its truest, most luminous self. The image also carries the connotation of auspiciousness - suhāg in Hindi means the auspicious state of a married woman whose husband lives, and the homophone enriches the metaphor with overtones of divine love and conjugal union.

Why is Sant Ravidas significant beyond his own religious community?

Ravidas's significance extends far beyond any single community because his poetry directly challenged the link between social status and spiritual worth. Born into a marginalised community, he attained a spiritual eminence that was recognised by Brahmins, queens and Sikhs alike. His compositions in the Adi Granth placed him alongside saints of every caste background in the shared spiritual heritage of Sikhism. His influence on Meera Bai, Kabir and later Bhakti poets spread his ideas widely. In the modern period, the Ravidassia community of Dalits has claimed him as their central saint, while scholars of the Bhakti movement recognise him as one of its most theologically sophisticated voices.