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AartiKhatu Shyam

Khatu Shyam Aarti: Om Jai Shri Shyam Hare

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Pilgrims carrying peacock-feathered nishan flags on the road to the Khatu Shyam temple in Rajasthan
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  1. Verse 1

    ॐ जय श्री श्याम हरे, बाबा जय श्री श्याम हरे। खाटू धाम विराजत, अनुपम रूप धरे॥

    Om jay Shri shyam hare, baba jay Shri shyam hare. Khatoo dham virajat, anupam roop dhare ||

    Victory to you, Shri Shyam; victory, Baba Shyam. Taking a matchless form, you reside at Khatu Dham.

  2. Verse 2

    रतन जड़ित सिंहासन, सिर पर चंवर ढुरे। तन केसरिया बागो, कुण्डल श्रवण पड़े॥

    Ratan jadit sinhasan, sir par chanvar dhure. Tan kesriya bago, kundal shravan pade ||

    You sit on a jewel-studded throne while a fly-whisk (chanwar) is waved above your head. You wear a saffron bago (a long Rajasthani robe), and earrings hang from your ears.

  3. Verse 3

    गल पुष्पों की माला, सिर पर मुकुट धरे। खेवत धूप अग्नि पर, दीपक ज्योति जले॥

    Gal pushpon ki mala, sir par mukut dhare. Khevat dhoop agni par, dipak jyoti jale ||

    A garland of flowers is round your neck and a crown upon your head. Incense is burned on the fire, and the lamp’s flame is lit.

  4. Verse 4

    मोदक खीर चूरमा, सुवरण थाल भरे। सेवक भोग लगावत, सेवा नित्य करे॥

    Modak khir choorma, suvran thal bhare. Sevak bhog lagavat, seva nitya kare ||

    Golden plates are filled with modak (laddus), kheer and churma. Your servants offer them as bhog and serve you every day (churma is a Rajasthani sweet of crumbled roti or baati mixed with ghee and sugar).

  5. Verse 5

    झांझ कटोरा और घड़ियावल, शंख मृदंग घुरे। भक्त आरती गावे, जय-जयकार करे॥

    Jhanjh katora aur ghadiyaval, shankh mridang ghure. Bhakta aarti gave, jay-jaykar kare ||

    Cymbals (jhanjh), the struck metal bowl (katora) and the gong (ghariyaval) ring out, and the conch and mridang resound (ghure). Devotees sing the aarti and raise cries of victory.

  6. Verse 6

    जो ध्यावे फल पावे, सब दुःख से उबरे। सेवक जन निज मुख से, श्री श्याम-श्याम उचरे॥

    Jo dhyave phal pave, sab duhkh se ubre. Sevak jan nij mukh se, Shri shyam-shyam uchre ||

    Whoever meditates on you receives the fruit and rises out of every sorrow. Your servants chant ‘Shri Shyam, Shyam’ with their own lips.

  7. Verse 7

    श्री श्याम बिहारी जी की आरती, जो कोई नर गावे। कहत भक्त-जन, मनवांछित फल पावे॥

    Shri shyam bihari ji ki aarti, jo koee nar gave. Kahat bhakta-jan, manvanchhit phal pave ||

    The devotees say: whoever sings this aarti of Shri Shyam Bihari ji receives the fruit their heart desires.

  8. Verse 8

    जय श्री श्याम हरे, बाबा जी श्री श्याम हरे। निज भक्तों के तुमने, पूरण काज करे॥

    Jay Shri shyam hare, baba ji Shri shyam hare. Nij bhakton ke tumne, pooran kaj kare ||

    Victory to you, Baba Shri Shyam. You have brought every task of your devotees to fulfilment.

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Meaning, sources and more prayers: sanatanbodh.in/en/prayers/khatu-shyam-aarti/

In short

“Om Jai Shri Shyam Hare” is the aarti of Shyam Baba of Khatu Dham, in the Sikar district of Rajasthan. Tradition identifies Khatu Shyam with Barbarika, who is worshipped by Krishna’s name ‘Shyam’. The aarti describes his adornment, his offerings and the instruments played at his aarti. It is sung at his birth festival on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi (Dev Uthani Ekadashi), on every Ekadashi and at the Phalgun fair.

This is the text found, almost identically, in every source checked. Some sources read ‘shankh mridang dhure’ in verse 5. Some versions add a final verse: ‘Tan man dhan sab kuchh hai tera, ho Baba sab kuchh hai tera. Tera tujhko arpan, kya laage mera.’ Where many aartis carry the poet’s name, this one says ‘kahat bhakt-jan’ (so say the devotees), so it does not reveal the author. When sung, the first line (the refrain) is repeated after every verse.

After the aarti, most homes recite: कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम्।

Frequently asked questions

Who is Khatu Shyam?

Tradition identifies Khatu Shyam with Barbarika, grandson of Bhima and son of Ghatotkacha. His story is told in the Skanda Purana (Maheshvara Khanda, Kaumarika Khanda, chapters 59 to 66): there Shri Krishna cuts off his head at the start of the war, and the head, made immortal by the Goddess, watches the war from a hill. The gift of his head, Krishna’s boon that he would be worshipped by the name ‘Shyam’, and the finding of the head at Khatu come from folk tradition; they are not part of the Purana’s story.

When is Khatu Shyam’s birth festival?

In the Khatu tradition, Shyam Baba’s birth festival is celebrated on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi, that is Dev Uthani Ekadashi. A great fair is held at Khatu in the bright fortnight of Phalgun, its main day being Phalgun Shukla Ekadashi.

Why does the aarti call him ‘Shyam Bihari’?

Shyam and Bihari are names of Shri Krishna. According to folk tradition, Barbarika received the boon of being worshipped by Krishna’s name ‘Shyam’, so at Khatu he is called Shyam Baba and the aarti addresses him by Krishna’s names.

What do ‘bago’, ‘dhure’ and ‘churma’ mean?

‘Bago’ (baga) is Rajasthani for a long robe or angarkha, ‘chanwar dhure’ means the fly-whisk is being waved, and churma is a Rajasthani sweet of crumbled roti or baati mixed with ghee and sugar, regarded at Khatu as Shyam Baba’s favourite offering.

Sources

  1. Traditional aarti text (Khatu)
  2. Story of Barbarika: Skanda Purana, Maheshvara Khanda, Kaumarika Khanda, chapters 59 to 66
  3. Worship as Khatu Shyam and the birth festival: folk tradition of Khatu

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Text checked against: drikpanchang.com, bhaktibharat.com, hindi.webdunia.com, aajtak.in