Protect Me, Protect Me, Rāma

पाहि, पाहि राम! पाहि रामभद्र, रामचंद्र! सुजस स्त्रवन सुनि आयो हौं सरन। दीनबन्धु! दीनता-दरिद्र-दाह-दोष-दुख दारुन दुसह दर-दुरित-हरन॥ १॥ जब जब जग-जाल ब्याकुल करम काल, सब खल भूप भये भूतल-भरन। तब तब तनु धरि, भूमि-भार दूरि करि थापे मुनि, सुर, साधु, आश्रम, बरन॥ २॥ बेद, लोक, सब साखी, काहूकी रती न राखी, रावनकी बंदि लागे अमर मरन। ओक दै बिसोक किये लोकपति लोकनाथ रामराज भयो धरम चारिहु चरन॥ ३॥ सिला, गुह, गीध, कपि, भील, भालु, रातिचर, ख्याल ही कृपालु कीन्हे तारन-तरन। पील-उद्धरन! सीलसिंधु! ढील देखियतु तुलसी पै चाहत गलानि ही गरन॥ ४॥

Protect me, protect me, Rāma! Protect me, Rāmabhadra, Rāmacandra! Hearing your splendid fame, I have come for refuge. Friend of the lowly, you remove lowliness, poverty, burning pain, faults, sorrow, dreadful unbearable fear, and sin. (1) Whenever the good were distressed in the world’s snare by action and time, and wicked kings became a burden upon the earth, you assumed a body, removed the earth’s burden, and reestablished sages, gods, holy people, the āśramas, and the social orders. (2) The Veda and the world are all witnesses: Rāvaṇa spared not the slightest honor of anyone, and the immortals began dying in his prison. Lord of the worlds, you gave the guardians of the worlds shelter and freed them from grief; in Rāma’s reign, dharma stood upon all four feet. (3) The stone-woman, Guha, the vulture, monkeys, Bhils, bears, and night-roamers—you, Compassionate One, made them cross and carry others across merely by taking thought of them. Rescuer of the elephant, Ocean of Virtue, delay is seen toward Tulsi, who wishes only to sink from shame. (4)