Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

Other ritual songs
58 Gaṅgā Snāna [Nieuw Nickerie, 1967]
Call to Gaṅgā-Snāna

parabī ā̈ī nhāna calo jamunā
kāhe ko nhāna karyau kairo paṇḍavā; kāhe ko nhāna karyau saba duniyą̄ - parabī ā̈ī...
punyaų ko nhāna karyau kairo paṇḍavā; māvasa nhāna karyau re duniyą̄ - parabī ā̈ī...
kāhe ko dāna karyau kairo paṇḍavā; kāhe ko dāna karyau saba duniyą̄ -
sonā ko dāna karyau kairo paṇḍavā; anna ko dāna karyau duniyą̄ - parabī ā̈ī...

The sacred day² has come; come along to bathe in the Yamunā.³
For what occasion did the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas take a (sacred) bath? For what occasion has the whole world taken a (sacred) bath?

2 (S. Parvan).

3 See note 2 p. 43.

[p. 114]

III.

The Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas took the (sacred) bath for the occasion of full moon; the whole world has taken a (sacred) bath for the occasion of new moon.

IV.

What¹ was the gift made by the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas? What is the gift made by the whole world?

V.

The gift of gold was made by the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas. The gift of food (grains) has been made by the whole world.

1 ‘What was given as a donation?’. It is customary both in India and Surinam to make gifts to priests and the poor on sacred days and after the sacred baths in rivers etc.