जौ पै हरि जनके औगुन गहते। तौ सुरपति कुरुराज बालिसों, कत हठि बैर बिसहते॥ १॥ जौ जप जाग जोग ब्रत बरजित, केवल प्रेम न चहते। तौ कत सुर मुनिबर निहाय ब्रज, गोप-गेह बसि रहते॥ २॥ जौ जहँ-तहँ प्रन राखि भगतको, भजन-प्रभाउ न कहते। तौ कलि कठिन करम-मारग जड़ हम केहि भाँति निबहते॥ ३॥ जौ सुतहित लिये नाम अजामिलके अघ अमित न दहते। तौ जमभट साँसति-हर हमसे बृषभ खोजि खोजि नहते॥ ४॥ जौ जगबिदित पतितपावन, अति बाँकुर बिरद न बहते। तौ बहुकलप कुटिल तुलसीसे, सपनेहुँ सुगति न लहते॥ ५॥
If Hari held fast to his servant’s faults, why would he obstinately endure enmity with the lord of gods, the Kuru king, and Bali? (1) If, setting aside recitation, sacrifice, yoga, and vows, he did not desire love alone, why would he leave gods and great sages behind and live in the cowherds’ homes in Braj? (2) If he did not preserve his devotee’s pledge wherever needed and proclaim the power of worship, how would dull-witted people like us survive the hard path of works in Kali’s age? (3) If the Name taken by Ajamila for his son’s sake had not burned his measureless sins, Yama’s executioners, destroyers through torment, would hunt and hunt oxen like us and strike us down. (4) If the world-renowned, exceedingly bold title ‘Purifier of the fallen’ did not flow on, then even in a dream a crooked Tulsi such as this would not attain a good end through many aeons. (5)