Synopsis A Calisa is essentially a hymn of forty verses; it is a paean to the various incarnations of Visnu and to the deities with tutelary powers, some of whom are goddesses. These Calisas and Aartis are spiritual songs which are now an inseparable part of our folk culture. they have been the strength and stay of god's people in the Hindi speaking world and are sung alike in moments of grief and joy. In this compilation the text, first in Devanagari and then in Roman transliteration with diacritical marks, is followed by the Hindi and English translations in prose.