॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Srimad Bhagavatam - Govindashtakam, Wednesday, 9 August 2023 - Today I want to share my favourite Govindashtakam of Adi Shankaracharya, sung so melodiously by M.S. Subbulakshmi!
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Text and my translation:
सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं नित्यमनाकाशं परमाकाशं गोष्ठप्राङ्गण-रिङ्गण-लोलमनायासं परमायासम्।
मायाकल्पित-नानाकारमनाकारं भुवनाकारं क्ष्मामानाथमनाथं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
Who is all truth, knowledge and infinite!
Eternal, beyond space, and all light.
Did you see how baby Krishna crawled gleefully
With much effort in the cow pens?
He who is beyond effort!
With his Maya, he takes so many forms and indeed is beyond form.
His form is this entire universe!
The lord of Devi Earth and Devi Lakshmi, who has no overlord!
मायाकल्पित-नानाकारमनाकारं भुवनाकारं क्ष्मामानाथमनाथं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
Who is all truth, knowledge and infinite!
Eternal, beyond space, and all light.
Did you see how baby Krishna crawled gleefully
With much effort in the cow pens?
He who is beyond effort!
With his Maya, he takes so many forms and indeed is beyond form.
His form is this entire universe!
The lord of Devi Earth and Devi Lakshmi, who has no overlord!
मृत्स्नामत्सीहेति यशोदाताडन-शैशव-सन्त्रासं व्यादित-वक्त्रालोकित-लोकालोक-चतुर्दशलोकालिम्।
लोक्त्रयपुरमूलस्तम्भं लोकालोकमनालोकं लोकेशं परमेशं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
Did you see Yashoda beating baby Krishna
For eating mud, his opening mouth tearfully after punishment, and
Revealing all the fourteen worlds therein to her utter astonishment!
Oh the rogue!
He is the main pillar on whom all the three worlds
Rest- of humans, gods and demons.
He is the eternal witness, who needs not this
Universe for his existence! The lord of all worlds, the ultimate Ishwara!
त्रैविष्टप-रिपुवीरघ्नं क्षितिभारघ्नं भवरोगघ्नं कैवल्यं नवनीताहारमनाहारं भुवनाहारम्।
वैमल्य-स्फुटचेतोवृत्ति-विशेषाभासमनाभासं शैवं केवलशान्तं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम्॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
Krishna slew the enemies of the gods, relieved Earth of her burden.
Ameliorated the suffering.
He is the Impeccable eternal singularity, and yet
Krishna ate butter! When he needs no food ever!
And in a way, the world is his food too, his garland too!
He can be perceived in the purity of meditation, and yet,
Is beyond perception! He worships Shiva, the embodiment of all peace.
He can be perceived in the purity of meditation, and yet,
Is beyond perception! He worships Shiva, the embodiment of all peace.
गोपालं प्रभुलीलाविग्रहगोपालं कुलगोपालम्। गोपीखेलन-गोवर्धन-धृतिलीलालालित-गोपालम्।
गोभिर्निगदित-गोविन्द-स्फुटनामानं बहुनामानं गोपीगोचरदूरं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
He is called Gopala as he protects the earth, the innocent,
Krishna came here for his Leela amidst cowherds!
Teasing Gopis, lifting the Govardhana, what mighty sports he enacted!
The Vedas hail him as Govinda (protector of creation). He has many names indeed!
And he is beyond the reach of whom? Only those so dull they are unwilling to see!
गोपीमण्डलगोष्ठीभेदं भेदावस्थमभेदाभं शश्वद्गोखुर-निर्धूतोद्धत-धूलीधूसर-सौभाग्यम्।
श्रद्धाभक्ति-गृहीतानन्दमचिन्त्यं चिन्तितसद्भावं चिन्तामणिमहिमानं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम्॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
Did you see how Krishna played mischief by
Pitting one Gopi against another in tease?
He indeed creates duality and yet is beyond duality!
Krishna looks so sacred, even if covered with all the mud raised by cows’ hooves always!
His bliss can be sensed through dedication and devotion, not through thoughts!
He is always in the thoughts of the saintly,
He acts as the magnificent wish-fulfilling gem when he dwells in our minds.
स्नानव्याकुल-योषिद्वस्त्रमुपादायागमुपारूढं व्यादित्सन्तीरथ दिग्वस्त्राः उपादातुमाकर्षन्तं ताः।
निर्धूतद्वय-शोक-विमोहं बुद्धं बुद्धेरन्तस्थं | सत्तामात्रशरीरं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
Did you see how Krishna mischievously stole the Gopis’ clothes
As they were bathing in Yamuna, went and sat atop a tree,
Teasing them to come naked to get their clothes?
In a moment, he removed their delusory body sense, shame, sorrow!
He is the wisdom within the wise!
He took Krishna’s Avatara only for establishing Dharma.
कान्तं कारणकारणमादिमनादिं कालघनाभासं कालिन्दीगत-कालियशिरसि नृत्यन्तं मुहुरत्यन्तम्।
कालं कालकलातीतं कलिताशेषं कलिदोषघ्नं कालत्रयगतिहेतुं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
Beloved Krishna is the cause of all causes, without beginning.
He is imperceptible Time.
He danced for long on the hoods of Kaliya in Kalindi,
Ending the falsity of his ego.
Krishna is Eternal Time, beyond time and its effects, inexhaustible!
Removes the delusion that comes in Kaliyuga
He causes our perception of past, present and future!
वृन्दावनभुवि वृन्दारकगणवृन्दाराधितं वन्देऽहं कुन्दाभामल-मन्दस्मेर-सुधानन्दं सुहृदानन्दम्।
वन्द्याशेष-महामुनिमानस-वन्द्यानन्दपदद्वन्द्वं वन्द्याशेषगुणाब्धिं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥
Hail Govinda, ultimate bliss,
In the sanctified Vrindavan, Krishna was worshipped by all the cowherds,
I worship him too…with his spotless lustre like the Kunda flower
His divine flickering smile, nectarine bliss embodied
The beloved, giving true joy. His feet worshipped by countless sages in bliss,
Who can be worshipped just in the mind without ritual!
I worship him in my mind, and he bestows all virtues on me!
गोविन्दाष्टकमेतदधीते गोविन्दार्पितचेता यो गोविन्दाच्युत माधव विष्णो गोकुलनायक कृष्णेति।
गोविन्दाङ्घ्रिसरोज-ध्यानसुधाजल-धौतसमस्ताघो गोविन्दं परमानन्दामृतमन्तःस्थं स समभ्येति॥
Benediction!
The one who studies this Govindashtakam with the mind surrendered to Govinda,
Who recites Govinda! Achyuta! Madhava! Vishnu! Gokulanandana! Krishna!
Who is bathed in the nectar of meditating on Krishna’s lotus feet,
Cleansed of all evil,
Will indeed attain Govinda, ultimate bliss, who is within all!
॥ इति श्रीमच्छङ्कराचार्यविरचितं गोविन्दाष्टकं समाप्तम् ॥
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