Ek Mota Hathi
Hindi Nursery Rhyme
Original Lyrics
Hindi script
एक मोटा हाथी झूम के चला,मकड़ी के जाल में जा के वो फँसा।जाल को देखा, देख वो डरा,दूसरे हाथी को इशारे से बुलाया।इधर आ, इधर आ, इधर आ।
दो मोटे हाथी झूम के चले,मकड़ी के जाल में जा के वो फँसे।जाल को देखा, देख वो डरे,तीसरे हाथी को इशारे से बुलाया।इधर आ, इधर आ, इधर आ।
तीन मोटे हाथी झूम के चले,मकड़ी के जाल में जा के वो फँसे।जाल को देखा, देख वो डरे,चौथे हाथी को इशारे से बुलाया।इधर आ, इधर आ, इधर आ।
Romanized (pronunciation)
Ek mota hathi jhoom ke chala,Makri ke jaal mein ja ke vo phansa.Jaal ko dekha, dekh vo dara,Doosre hathi ko ishare se bulaya.Idhar aa, idhar aa, idhar aa.
Do mote hathi jhoom ke chale,Makri ke jaal mein ja ke vo phanse.Jaal ko dekha, dekh vo dare,Teesre hathi ko ishare se bulaya.Idhar aa, idhar aa, idhar aa.
Teen mote hathi jhoom ke chale,Makri ke jaal mein ja ke vo phanse.Jaal ko dekha, dekh vo dare,Chauthe hathi ko ishare se bulaya.Idhar aa, idhar aa, idhar aa.
English Translation
One big elephant went along swaying,And got caught in a spider's web.He saw the web and it frightened him,So he beckoned to a second elephant.Come here, come here, come here.
Two big elephants went along swaying,And got caught in a spider's web.They saw the web and it frightened them,So they beckoned to a third elephant.Come here, come here, come here.
Three big elephants went along swaying,And got caught in a spider's web.They saw the web and it frightened them,So they beckoned to a fourth elephant.Come here, come here, come here.
History and Meaning
In the Hindi counting rhyme “Ek Mota Hathi,” an elephant sways along until it gets tangled in a spider's web. It calls another elephant over, and the same thing happens again. Each time, the singer changes the number and calls the next elephant.
What are the Hindi counting words?
Ek, do and teen mean one, two and three. Listen for the change from doosre (second) to teesre (third) and chauthe (fourth) when the elephants call for help. Makri ka jaal is a spider's web, jhoom ke means swaying and idhar aa means “come here.”
How do you play along?
Hold up one finger and sway for the first elephant. Beckon with one hand when the elephant calls idhar aa. Add a finger for each new elephant. The printed verses stop when the third elephant calls the fourth; you can keep counting as a game.
These three stanzas follow the jhoom ke chala version in the Bal Vikas Progressive School nursery syllabus, with standardised spelling and agreement. Some versions open with ghoomne gaya (“went for a walk”) or give the story a different ending. For another elephant song, try Hathi Raja Kahan Chale.
Lyrics from nurseryrhymes.info