If there is one aarti that almost every Hindu family knows by heart, it is Om Jai Jagdish Hare. It closes weddings, housewarmings, Satyanarayan kathas and Diwali pujas across India and in Hindu communities around the world. Yet many people who sing it every day do not know who wrote it, or what each line actually asks for.
Who wrote Om Jai Jagdish Hare?
The aarti was composed around 1870 by Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri, a scholar, writer and reformer from Phillaur in Punjab. He was known for his religious discourses and is also remembered as an early writer of Hindi prose. He wrote the aarti in simple, flowing Hindi so that ordinary people, not only scholars of Sanskrit, could sing praise to God.
Some printed versions end with a line naming Shivanand Swami, a signature line that also closes other popular aartis. Most sources, however, credit Om Jai Jagdish Hare to Pt. Shardha Ram.
Why is it sung for every deity?
Jagdish means “Lord of the Universe”, a name of Vishnu. Because Vishnu is the sustainer of all, and because the aarti speaks of God as mother, father, friend and refuge, families feel it fits at the end of any worship. It has effectively become a universal closing prayer.
Verse-by-verse meaning
Om Jai Jagdish Hare. Glory to the Lord of the Universe, who removes the troubles of his devotees in an instant.
Jo dhyave phal pave. Whoever meditates on you receives the fruit. Sorrow leaves the mind, happiness and prosperity come home, and bodily suffering ends.
Mat pita tum mere. You are my mother and father. Whose refuge could I seek except yours? There is no one else I can hope in.
Tum puran Paramatma. You are the complete Supreme Soul, the one who knows every heart, the Supreme Brahman, the Lord of all.
Tum karuna ke sagar. You are the ocean of compassion and the sustainer. I am foolish and still long for rewards, yet I am your servant and you are my master; have mercy on me.
Tum ho ek agochar. You are the one beyond the senses, the master of every life. How can I, with my poor understanding, ever reach you, O merciful one?
Deenbandhu dukhharta. Friend of the helpless, remover of sorrow, you are my Lord and protector. Raise your hand, take me into your shelter; I lie at your door.
Vishay vikar mitao. Wipe away worldly cravings and remove my sins. Increase my faith and devotion, and my service to saints.
Tan man dhan sab kuchh hai tera. Many families close with this verse: body, mind and wealth are all yours. I offer to you what is already yours; what of it is mine?
The heart of the aarti
The final line, tera tujhko arpan, kya lage mera, is the essence of bhakti. Nothing we offer is really ours. By recognising that, the devotee lets go of pride, and the aarti becomes a small daily act of surrender.
Read the complete Om Jai Jagdish Hare lyrics with English transliteration, or use aarti mode to sing along line by line.
Frequently asked questions
When was Om Jai Jagdish Hare written?
It was written around 1870 by Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri.
Is Om Jai Jagdish Hare in the Vedas?
No. It is a 19th-century composition in Hindi, though its ideas of surrender and grace come from much older bhakti traditions.