Kaisi Hori machaai Kanhai
Acharaj lakhiyo na jaai
(The Holi you played, O Krishna,
is truly wondrous to behold)
Ek samay Shri Krishna Prabhu ko
Hori khelan man bhaai
(A time came, when the Lord Sri Krishna
desired to play Holi )
Ek se Hori mache nahi kabahu
Ya te kari bahutaai
Yehi Prabhu ne theheraai
(Holi cannot be played by One alone,
And so He created many)
Paanch bhoot ki dhaatu mila kar
Ant pichkari banaai
(By combining the five elements
His 'pichkari', He made)
Choudah bhuvan rang bheetar bhar kar
Nana roop dharaai
(Filling it with fourteen colours of the world
Myriad forms, did He create )
Prakat bhaye Krishan Kanhai
Kaisi Hori machaai....
(And thus appeared Krishna Kanhai )
Paanch bishaya ki gulaal bana kar
Beech brahmand udaai
(Gulaal (colour) made of the five vishaya(materials)*
Into the universe, He sprayed )
Jin jin nain gulaal padi woh
Sudh budh sab bisraai
Nahi soojhat apnaai
Kaisi Hori machaai....
(All those eyes which caught the gulaal
Lost all sense
Of their true identity)
Ved anit anjan ki silaka
Jisne nain me paai
(All those who received the kajal
Of the Vedas in their eyes)
Brahmanand jiska tam naasyo
Soojh gayi apnaayi
(The ecstasy of Brahman destroyed their darkness
Their true selves, they found )
Hori kachu bani na banaai
And Krishna could no longer play Holi with them
Kaisi hori machaai Kanhai .....
* paanch bishaya means objects related to the five senses and the negative emotions which arise from them - 'kaam', 'krodh', 'lobh', 'mad', 'moh' ie. desire, anger, greed, arrogance ,attachment.
