Govinda Ashtakam

Govinda Ashtakam is a hymn written by Sri Adi Sankaracharya in praise of  Govinda ( Lord Krishna )

satyaM GYaanamanantaM nityamanaakaashaM paramaakaasham |
goshhThapraaNgaNariNkhaNalolamanaayaasaM paramaayaasam |
maayaakalpita naanaakaara manaakaaraM bhuvanaakaaram |
kshmaanaathamanaathaM praNamata govindaM paramaanandam ||1||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, real, knowledge, infinite, and eternal, who is free from Akasha (and other upadhis), who is the highest light, who was eager as a child to crawl in the cow-pen, who is really free from difficulties, but who appears to be in difficulties (or who is the abode of Maya, cause of all), who appears manifold due to Maya, who appears as the world, who is the Lord of the Earth (Bhoodevi) and Sree (Lakshmi), and who has no Lord to control him.


mRitsnaamatsiiheti yashodaataaDanashaishava santraasam.h |
vyaditavaktraalokitalokaalokachaturdashalokaalim |
lokatrayapuramuulastaMbhaM lokaalokamanaalokam |
lokeshaM parameshaM praNamata govindaM paramaanandham

||2||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who showed the fear of a child when beaten by Yashoda saying, ``You are eating earth''. and in whose opened mouth was seen the row of fourteen worlds, visible and invisible, who is the support of the three worlds (viz. Svarga, prithvi, pathala), who is in the form of the worlds, visible and invisible, who cannot be seen, who is the controller of the universe and who is the supreme Lord.


traivishhTaparipuviiraghnaM kshitibhaaraghnaM bhavarogaghnam |
kaivalyaM navaniitaahaaramanaahaaraM bhuvanaahaaram |
vaimalyasphuTachetovRittivisheshhaabhaasamanaabhaasam |
shaivaM kevalashaantaM praNamata govindaM paramaanandam

||3||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who killed the mighty enemies of the Devas and reduced the weight of the world, who removes the disease of birth (from his devotees), who is one, who had butter for his food, though not requiring food at all, who swallowed the world (during pralaya), who shines brilliantly in the pure and clear mental mode, who cannot be revealed by anything else, who adores Shiva, and who is wholly auspicious.

gopaalaM prabhuliilaavigrahagopaalaM kulagopaalam |
gopiikhelanagovardhanadhRitiliilaalaalitagopaalam.h |
gobhirnigadita govindasphutanaamaanaM bahunaamaanam.h |
gopiigocharapathikaM praNamata govindaM paramaanandam

||4||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who is the protector of the world, who made his advent in the world as Gopala through his lila, who is the protector of the race (of Yadavas) and of cows, who made the cowherds happy by lifting up through his lilá the Govardhana mountain were the gopis used to play, whose name ``Govinda'' is uttered clearly by the cows (or scriptures), who has may names, and who is beyond the reach of the ignorant.

gopiimanDalagoshhThibhedaM bhedaavasthamabhedaabham |
shashvadhgokhuranirghuutoddhatadhuulIdhuusarasaubhaagyam |
shraddhAbhaktigRihiitaanandamachintyaM chintitasadbhaavam |
chintaamaNimahimaanaM praNamata govindaM paramaanandam

||5||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who was present in each of the different groups of gopis, who appears in different forms, who is one and nondual, whose beautiful form was covered by the dust raised always by the hooves of the cows, whose blissful nature is realized by sraddha and bhakti, who is unimaginable, whose existence is known to the wise, and whose greatness is like that of the gem chintamani.


snaanavyaakulayoshidhvastramupaadaayaagamupaaruuDham  |
vyaditsantiratha digvastraa hyupudaatumupaakarshhantam |
nirdhuutadvayashokavimohaM buddhaM buddherantastham |
sattaamaatrashariiraM praNamata govindaM paramaanandam

||6||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who climbed up the tree carrying the clothes of women busily engaged in their bath and who made them come close to him for the purpose of giving the clothes to them who were naked and who desired to get back their clothes, who is free from duality, grief and delusion, who is wise, who dwells in the intellect, and who is pure-existence.

kaantaM kaaraNakaaraNamaadimanaadiM kaalamanaabhaasam |
kaalindIgatakaaliyashirasi muhurnRityantaM nRityantam |
kaalaM kaalakalaatiitaM kalitaasheshhaM kalidoshhaghnam |
kaalatrayagatihetuM praNamata govindaM paramaanandam

||7||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who is beautiful, who is the ultimate cause, who is the source of everything, who is without beginning whose colour is like that of the dark cloud, which often danced excessively on the hood of the serpent Kalindhi inhabiting the river Kalindhi (Yamuna), who manifests as time, who transcends the measures of time, who knows everything, who is the destroyer of the evil of kali, and who is the controller of the motion of the three dimensions of time.


vRindaavanabhuvi vRindaarakagaNavRindaaraadhyaM vandeaham |
kundaabhaamalamandasmerasudhaanandaM suhRidaanandam |
vandyaasheshhamahaamunimaanasavandyaanandapadadvandvam |
vandyaasheshhaguNaabdhiM praNamata govindaM paramaanandam

||8||

Meaning: Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss who is in the land of Brindavan which is worshipped and saluted by many groups of Gods, whose nectar-bliss of spotless smile resembles kunda flower, who is infinite bliss, whose feet are praised and worshipped by the minds of all great sages adored by all, and who is the ocean of praiseworthy qualities.


govindaashhTakametadadhiite govindaarpitachetaa yo |
govindaachyuta maadhava vishhNo gokulanaayaka kRishhNeti |
govindaaNghrisarojadhyaanasudhaajaladhautasamastaagho |
govindaM paramaana.ndaamRitama.ntaHsthaM sa tamabhyeti ||

Meaning:  He who recites this Govindaastakam by fixing his mind on Govinda and uttering the names of Govinda, Achyuta, Madhava, Vishnu, Gokulanayaka and Krishna, and gets all his sins washed off by the nectar of meditation on the lotus-feet of Govinda, attains the indwelling Govinda, the nectar of the supreme bliss.

|| iti shriimachchhaNkaraachaaryavirachitaM shriigovindaashhTakaM saMpuurNam||

Meaning: Thus ends the Govindaastakam by Sri Shankaracharya.

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Govinda Ashtakam in Sanskrit with meaning PDF Format

Govinda Ashtakam in Telugu with meaning PDF Format

Govinda Ashtakam in English with meaning PDF Format
Govinda Ashtakam MP3