When O When

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree,
Free from any sense of hatred and animosity.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is free from lust and greed,
And from unwanted wants and needs.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is free from pride and envy,
And from wrong company.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is ready to embrace other's sorrows as one's own,
And not bother about sorrows of one's own.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is ready to forgive and forget,
And not be caught in Maya's net.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who is eager to offer respects to all,
And expect none at all.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who chants the Holynames incessantly,
With love, devotion and humility.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who considers everyone better than himself,
And loves everyone more than oneself.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who gives great pleasure to Guru and the Vaishnavas,
By genuinely feeling oneself to be the servant of the servants.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Who runs to Krishna at full speed,
Ready to overcome obstacles of any size, indeed.

When O when will I become a Vaishnava...
Whose heart is filled with pure love,
And thus sees the world through eyes tainted with love.

- Achyut Gopal Das