Translation

(1) Ek ja armān chhe mane

Ek ja armān chhe mane

I only yearn for one thing...

 Māru jīvan sugandhī bane...

That my life becomes fragrant.

Fūlḍā banu ke bhale dhupsaḷī thāu,

Whether I become a flower or whether I become an incense stick...

Āshā chhe pūjānī sāmagrī thāu,

All I hope is that I become any item in your puja.

 Bhale kāyā ā rākh thaī shame... 1

Even if my body burns into ashes, (I only yearn that my life becomes fragrant.)

Taḍkā chhāyā ke vāy varshānā vāyarā,

Whether it be heat, shade, rain, or wind...

Toye kusum kadī na karmāyā,

The flowers do not wither...

 Ghāv khīltā khīltāy khame... 2

They tolerate every type of weather while blooming.

Jagnī khārāsh badhī urmā samāve,

The ocean contains the saltiness of the whole earth in itself.

Toye sāgar mīṭhī varshā varsāve,

Yet, when it rains, the water is sweet (pure).

 Sadā bhartī ne oṭma rame... 3

And it happily plays in its tide and ebb.

Vātāvaraṇmā sugandh na samātī,

The surroundings cannot contain the fragrance (of sandalwood)...

Jem jem sukhaḍ orasiye ghasātī,

As sandalwood is ground with a grinding stone.

 Prabhu kāje ghasāvu game... 4

I like to grind away for God.

Gaurav mahān chhe Prabhu kārya keru,

The pride that comes from the work of God is great.

Nā jagmā kārya koī ethī adkeru,

There is no other work greater than this.

 Mārg tethī Prabhuno game... 5

Therefore, I like the path of God.