vishnukrishnaguruvayurguruvayurappan

Vatapuranatha Ashtakam (Guruvayurappan)

Vatapuranatha Ashtakam (Guruvayurappan) in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 8× repetitions·🕐 Morning after bath, or during darshan; especially Ekadashi, Ashtami Rohini (Krishna Janmashtami) and Guruvayur festival days·📜 Sri Vatapuranatha Ashtakam (hymn to Guruvayurappan)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

The Vatapuranatha Ashtakam is an eight-verse hymn to Vatapuranatha — the Lord of Vatapura, that is, Guruvayurappan, the form of Krishna-Vishnu enshrined at the great Guruvayur temple in Kerala. Composed by the renowned scholar Mahamahopadhyaya Ganapati Sastri while at Guruvayur, every verse closes with the refrain 'establish this Lord of Guruvayur in the lotus of your heart'. It lovingly describes the Lord's jasmine-soft smile, cloud-dark beauty and protecting, healing grace.

Origin & Story

Sri Vatapuranatha Ashtakam (hymn to Guruvayurappan) · Mahamahopadhyaya Brahmasri Ganapati Sastri · Modern (composed at Guruvayur)

This ashtakam was composed by the great Sanskrit savant Mahamahopadhyaya Ganapati Sastri during his stay at the Guruvayur temple in Kerala, overwhelmed by the beauty of Lord Guruvayurappan. Set in an intricate, musical metre, its eight verses describe the Lord's jasmine-soft smile, His cloud-dark form, His childhood sports, and His grace as protector and healer of His devotees, each verse ending with the loving instruction to enshrine Him in the heart-lotus.

✦ As told in scripture

Guruvayur is renowned for miraculous cures: the saint-poet Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri is said to have been freed of crippling paralysis by composing the Narayaniyam before Guruvayurappan, and countless devotees through the centuries have reported the Lord of Vatapura healing their ailments when they took refuge in Him.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

kundasumavṛndasamamandahasitāsyaṃ nandakulanandabharatundalanakandam | pūtanijagītalavadhūtaduritaṃ taṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 1 ||

Meaning:Establish in the lotus of your heart that Lord of Vatapura (Guruvayur), whose face wears a gentle smile soft as a cluster of jasmine blossoms, who is the abundant delight of Nanda's clan, and who washes away sin from those who sing His glory in purity. (1)

Verse 2

nīlatarajāladharabhālahariramyaṃ lolataraśīlayutabālajanalīlam | jālanatiśīlamapi pālayitukāmaṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 2 ||

Meaning:Establish in your heart's lotus that Lord of Guruvayur, lovely and dark as a deep rain-bearing cloud, given to the sweet sports of childhood, who longs to protect even those who but slightly bow to Him. (2)

Verse 3

kaṃsaraṇahiṃsamiha saṃsaraṇajāta- klāntibharaśāntikarakāntijharavītam | vātamukhadhātujanipātabhayaghātaṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 3 ||

Meaning:Establish in your heart that Lord of Guruvayur, the slayer of Kamsa, who is bathed in a peace-giving cascade of radiance that stills the weariness of the round of births, and who destroys the fear of afflictions arising from the (three) humours such as wind. (3)

Verse 4

jātudhuripātukamihāturajanaṃ drāk śokabharamūkamapi tokamiva pāntam | bhṛṅgarucisaṅgarakṛdaṅgalatikaṃ taṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 4 ||

Meaning:Establish in your heart that Lord of Guruvayur, ever ready to protect the suffering, swiftly guarding even the soul rendered mute by the weight of grief as a parent guards a child — He whose body is graceful as a creeper with the dark lustre of a bee. (4)

Verse 5

pāpabhavatāpabharakopaśamanārthā- śvāsakarabhāsamṛduhāsarucirāsyam | rogacayabhogabhayavegaharamekaṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 5 ||

Meaning:Establish in your heart that one Lord of Guruvayur, whose radiant face, lovely with a soft, reassuring smile, is bent on quelling the heat and anger born of sin and worldly life, and who removes the onrush of disease, fear and harmful pleasures. (5)

Verse 6

ghoṣakuladoṣaharaveṣamupayāntaṃ pūṣaśatadūṣakavibhūṣaṇagaṇāḍhyam | bhuktimapi muktimatibhaktiṣu dadānaṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 6 ||

Meaning:Establish in your heart that Lord of Guruvayur, who appears in a guise that removes the troubles of the cowherd folk, rich with ornaments that outshine a hundred suns, and who bestows upon the deeply devoted both worldly enjoyment and liberation. (6)

Verse 7

pāpakadurāpamatitāpaharaśobha- svāpaghanamāmatadumāpatisametam | dūnataradīnasukhadānakṛtadīkṣaṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 7 ||

Meaning:Establish in your heart that Lord of Guruvayur, whose beauty is hard for the wicked to attain and dispels great anguish — a very rain-cloud of repose — present here with the Lord of Uma (Shiva), and consecrated to granting happiness to the deeply afflicted and the destitute. (7)

Verse 8

pādapatadādaraṇamodaparipūrṇaṃ jīvamukhadevajanasevanaphalāṅghrim | rūkṣabhavamokṣakṛtadīkṣanijavīkṣaṃ vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje || 8 ||

Meaning:Establish in your heart that Lord of Guruvayur, brimming with delight at the reverence of those who fall at His feet — whose feet are the fruit of all service offered by living beings and the gods — and whose very glance is vowed to liberating souls from harsh worldly existence. (8)

Verse 9

|| iti mahāmahopādhyāya brahmaśrī gaṇapatiśāstriviracitaṃ śrīvātapuranāthāṣṭakam sampūrṇam ||

Meaning:Thus is completed the Sri Vatapuranatha Ashtakam composed by Mahamahopadhyaya Brahmasri Ganapati Sastri.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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kundasumavṛndasama🔊Like a cluster of jasmine flowers

mandahasitāsyaṃ🔊Whose face wears a gentle smile

nandakulananda🔊The joy/delight of the clan of Nanda (the cowherds)

vātapuranātham🔊The Lord of Vatapura (Guruvayur) — i.e. Guruvayurappan

imam ātanu hṛdabje🔊Place (establish) Him in the lotus of (your) heart — the refrain of every verse

nīlatarajāladhara🔊Dark like a deep-blue rain cloud

bālajanalīlam🔊Who sports with childlike beings / engaged in childhood play

pālayitukāmaṃ🔊Desirous of protecting (those who bow to Him)

kaṃsaraṇahiṃsam🔊The slayer of Kamsa in battle

saṃsaraṇajātaklānti🔊The weariness born of the cycle of worldly existence (samsara)

śāntikarakāntijharavītam🔊Pervaded by a peace-bestowing cascade of radiance

āturajanaṃ drāk ... pāntam🔊Who at once protects the afflicted, as a parent protects a child

tokamiva pāntam🔊Protecting (the devotee) as one would protect one's own child

pāpabhavatāpabhara🔊The burning weight of sin and worldly existence

mṛduhāsarucirāsyam🔊Whose face is lovely with a soft, gentle smile

rogacayabhogabhayavegaharam🔊Who removes the onrush of disease, fear and (harmful) indulgence

ghoṣakuladoṣaharaveṣam🔊Whose very appearance removes the troubles of the cowherd folk

bhuktimapi muktim ... dadānaṃ🔊Who grants both worldly enjoyment and liberation to His devotees

atibhaktiṣu dadānaṃ🔊Bestowing (these gifts) upon those of deep devotion

umāpatisametam🔊Accompanied by the Lord of Uma (Shiva) — alluding to the Lord's grace upon Shiva at Guruvayur

mokṣakṛtadīkṣa🔊Vowed/consecrated to granting liberation

jīvamukhadevajanasevanaphalāṅghrim🔊Whose feet are the very fruit of service rendered by living beings and the gods

Benefits of Chanting Vatapuranatha Ashtakam (Guruvayurappan)

✦

Invokes the grace of Guruvayurappan, the beloved Lord of Guruvayur (Kerala)

✦

Each verse anchors the Lord's beautiful form firmly in the devotee's heart through meditation

✦

Traditionally cherished for invoking the Lord's healing power over disease and affliction

✦

Cultivates deep, childlike devotion (bhakti) to Krishna-Vishnu

✦

Brings peace by stilling the weariness and fear born of worldly existence (samsara)

✦

Believed to grant both worldly well-being (bhukti) and liberation (mukti) to the devout

How to Chant Vatapuranatha Ashtakam (Guruvayurappan)

Repetitions8times

Best TimeMorning after bath, or during darshan; especially Ekadashi, Ashtami Rohini (Krishna Janmashtami) and Guruvayur festival days

Bathe and sit calmly facing an image of Guruvayurappan or Krishna. Recite the eight verses slowly and melodiously, and at each refrain 'vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje' visualise the dark-hued, smiling Lord and lovingly install Him in the lotus of your heart. It is especially dear to those who pray at Guruvayur for health and protection. Reciting all eight verses daily with devotion is the traditional practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Vatapuranatha Ashtakam (Guruvayurappan) written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

Vatapuranatha means 'the Lord of Vatapura'. Vatapura (the town of the wind-god Vayu) is Guruvayur, so Vatapuranatha is Guruvayurappan — the enchanting form of Krishna-Vishnu (holding conch, discus, mace and lotus) enshrined at the famous Guruvayur temple in Kerala, often called the 'Bhuloka Vaikuntha' (Vaikuntha on earth).

It was composed by Mahamahopadhyaya Brahmasri Ganapati Sastri, a celebrated Sanskrit scholar, who wrote this melodious eight-verse hymn while staying at Guruvayur, a disciple of Mannargudi Raja Sastrigal.

Every verse ends with 'vātapuranāthamimamātanu hṛdabje' — 'establish this Lord of Guruvayur in the lotus of your heart'. The whole ashtakam is thus a guided meditation that paints the Lord's beauty and gently installs Him within the devotee's heart.

Guruvayurappan is traditionally revered as a healer (the temple is linked with Dhanvantari and Ayurveda). The third and fifth verses specifically praise the Lord as one who removes the fear of diseases arising from the bodily humours and who quells the onrush of illness, so devotees seeking health hold this hymn especially dear.