krishnakrishnashtakamvishnushankaracharya

ශ්රී කෘෂ්ණාෂ්ටකම් (භජේ ව්රජෛකමණ්ඩනම්)

ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಷ್ಟಕಂ (ಭಜೇ ವ್ರಜೈಕ ಮಂಡನಮ್) in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 8× repetitions·🕐 Early morning or evening; especially on Janmashtami and Wednesdays·📜 Attributed to Adi Shankaracharya (Stotra literature)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Englishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

Origin & Story

Attributed to Adi Shankaracharya (Stotra literature) · Adi Shankaracharya · c. 8th century CE

Lord Krishna, the eighth avatara of Vishnu, spent his childhood in Vraja (Vrindavan) enchanting all with his beauty, his flute and his playful pastimes — lifting Mount Govardhana, humbling Indra's pride, and stealing the hearts of the gopas and gopis. This Krishnashtakam, traditionally credited to Adi Shankaracharya, gathers those very pastimes into eight flowing verses. It is one of two famous ashtakas to Krishna ascribed to the acharya, the other beginning 'Vasudeva-sutam devam'.

✦ As told in scripture

The closing verse itself is the promised fruit (phala): tradition holds that whoever sincerely studies and recites these eight verses is granted unshakable devotion to Krishna life after life — a boon dearer to devotees than any worldly gain.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

භජේ ව්රජෛකමණ්ඩනං සමස්තපාපඛණ්ඩනං ස්වභක්තචිත්තරඤ්ජනං සදෛව නන්දනන්දනම් . සුපිච්ඡගුච්ඡමස්තකං සුනාදවේණුහස්තකං අනඞ්ගරඞ්ගසාගරං නමාමි කෘෂ්ණනාගරම් .. 1 ..

Bhaje vrajaikamandanam samastapapakhandanam Svabhaktachittaranjanam sadaiva nandanandanam | Supicchagucchamastakam sunadavenuhastakam Anangarangasagaram namami krishnanagaram || 1 ||

Meaning:ವ್ರಜದ ಏಕೈಕ ಆಭರಣವನ್ನು, ಸಮಸ್ತ ಪಾಪಗಳ ನಾಶಕನನ್ನು, ತನ್ನ ಭಕ್ತರ ಚಿತ್ತವನ್ನು ಆನಂದಗೊಳಿಸುವವನನ್ನು, ಸದಾ ಆನಂದಮಯ ನಂದನಂದನನನ್ನು ನಾನು ಭಜಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಯಾರ ತಲೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಸುಂದರ ನವಿಲುಗರಿಯ ಗೊಂಚಲು ಇದೆಯೋ, ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಧುರ ಧ್ವನಿಯ ವೇಣು ಇದೆಯೋ — ಪ್ರೇಮ ರಸದ ಸಾಗರವಾದ — ಆ ನಾಗರ (ರಸಿಕ) ಕೃಷ್ಣನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 2

මනෝජගර්වමෝචනං විශාලලෝලලෝචනං විධූතගෝපශෝචනං නමාමි පද්මලෝචනම් . කරාරවින්දභූධරං ස්මිතාවලෝකසුන්දරං මහේන්ද්රමානදාරණං නමාමි කෘෂ්ණවාරණම් .. 2 ..

Manojagarvamochanam vishalalolalochanam Vidhutagopashochanam namami padmalochanam | Kararavindabhudharam smitavalokasundaram Mahendramanadaranam namami krishnavaranam || 2 ||

Meaning:ಮನ್ಮಥನ ಗರ್ವವನ್ನು ಚೂರ್ಣ ಮಾಡುವವನನ್ನು, ವಿಶಾಲ ಚಂಚಲ ನೇತ್ರಗಳುಳ್ಳವನನ್ನು, ಗೋಪಾಲಕರ ಶೋಕವನ್ನು ತೊಲಗಿಸುವವನನ್ನು — ಆ ಕಮಲನಯನನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ತನ್ನ ಕರಕಮಲದ ಮೇಲೆ ಪರ್ವತವನ್ನು (ಗೋವರ್ಧನವನ್ನು) ಧರಿಸಿದವನನ್ನು, ಮುಗುಳ್ನಗೆಯ ನೋಟದಿಂದ ಸುಂದರನನ್ನು, ಮಹೇಂದ್ರನ (ಇಂದ್ರನ) ಗರ್ವವನ್ನು ಅಣಗಿಸಿದವನನ್ನು — ಆ ರಕ್ಷಕ ಕೃಷ್ಣನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 3

කදම්බසූනකුණ්ඩලං සුචාරුගණ්ඩමණ්ඩලං ව්රජාඞ්ගනෛකවල්ලභං නමාමි කෘෂ්ණදුර්ලභම් . යශෝදයා සමෝදයා සගෝපයා සනන්දයා යුතං සුඛෛකදායකං නමාමි ගෝපනායකම් .. 3 ..

Kadambasunakundalam sucharugandamandalam Vrajanganaikavallabham namami krishnadurlabham | Yashodaya samodaya sagopaya sanandaya Yutam sukhaikadayakam namami gopanayakam || 3 ||

Meaning:ಕದಂಬ ಹೂವಿನ ಕುಂಡಲಗಳುಳ್ಳವನನ್ನು, ಅತಿ ಸುಂದರ ಕೆನ್ನೆಯ ಮಂಡಲವುಳ್ಳವನನ್ನು, ವ್ರಜಾಂಗನೆಯರ ಏಕೈಕ ಪ್ರಿಯನನ್ನು — ಆ ದುರ್ಲಭ ಕೃಷ್ಣನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಯಶೋದೆ, ಗೋಪಾಲಕರು, ನಂದನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಆನಂದಮಗ್ನನನ್ನು, ಏಕೈಕ ಸುಖದಾತನನ್ನು — ಆ ಗೋಪನಾಯಕನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 4

සදෛව පාදපඞ්කජං මදීයමානසේ නිජං දධානමුක්තමාලකං නමාමි නන්දබාලකම් . සමස්තදෝෂශෝෂණං සමස්තලෝකපෝෂණං සමස්තගෝපමානසං නමාමි නන්දලාලසම් .. 4 ..

Sadaiva padapankajam madiyamanase nijam Dadhanamuktamalakam namami nandabalakam | Samastadoshashoshanam samastalokaposhanam Samastagopamanasam namami nandalalasam || 4 ||

Meaning:ಯಾರ ಚರಣ ಕಮಲಗಳು ಸದಾ ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಲೆಸಲಿ — ಬಿಚ್ಚಿದ ಮುಂಗುರುಳುಗಳನ್ನು ಧರಿಸಿದ ಆ ನಂದಬಾಲಕನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಸಮಸ್ತ ದೋಷಗಳನ್ನು ಒಣಗಿಸುವವನನ್ನು, ಸಮಸ್ತ ಲೋಕಗಳನ್ನು ಪೋಷಿಸುವವನನ್ನು, ಸಮಸ್ತ ಗೋಪಾಲಕರ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಲೆಸುವವನನ್ನು — ಆ ನಂದಲಾಲನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 5

භුවෝ භරාවතාරකං භවාබ්ධිකර්ණධාරකං යශෝමතීකිශෝරකං නමාමි චිත්තචෝරකම් . දෘගන්තකාන්තභඞ්ගිනං සදා සදාලසඞ්ගිනං දිනේ දිනේ නවං නවං නමාමි නන්දසම්භවම් .. 5 ..

Bhuvo bharavatarakam bhavabdhikarnadharakam Yashomatikishorakam namami chittachorakam | Drigantakantabhanginam sada sadalasanginam Dine dine navam navam namami nandasambhavam || 5 ||

Meaning:ಭೂಮಿಯ ಭಾರವನ್ನು ಇಳಿಸಲು ಅವತರಿಸಿದವನನ್ನು, ಭವಸಾಗರದ ಕರ್ಣಧಾರನನ್ನು, ಯಶೋದೆಯ ಕಿಶೋರನನ್ನು — ಆ ಚಿತ್ತಚೋರನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ನೇತ್ರಗಳ ಮನೋಹರ ಕಟಾಕ್ಷಗಳುಳ್ಳವನನ್ನು, ಸದಾ ಸತ್ಸಂಗಿಯನ್ನು, ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ನವ್ಯಾತಿನವ್ಯನನ್ನು — ಆ ನಂದನಂದನನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 6

ගුණාකරං සුඛාකරං කෘපාකරං කෘපාපරං සුරද්විෂන්නිකන්දනං නමාමි ගෝපනන්දනම් . නවීනගෝපනාගරං නවීනකේලිලම්පටං නමාමි මේඝසුන්දරං තඩිත්ප්රභාලසත්පටම් .. 6 ..

Gunakaram sukhakaram kripakaram kripaparam Suradvishannikandanam namami gopanandanam | Navinagopanagaram navinakelilampatam Namami meghasundaram taditprabhalasatpatam || 6 ||

Meaning:ಗುಣಗಳ ಆಕರವನ್ನು, ಸುಖದ ಆಕರವನ್ನು, ಕೃಪೆಯ ಆಕರವನ್ನು, ಪರಮ ಕೃಪಾಳುವನ್ನು, ದೇವಶತ್ರುಗಳ ನಾಶಕನನ್ನು — ಆ ಗೋಪನಂದನನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ನಿತ್ಯ ನವ್ಯ ಗೋಪ-ನಾಗರನನ್ನು, ನವ್ಯ ಕ್ರೀಡೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ರತನನ್ನು, ಮೇಘದಂತೆ ಸುಂದರನನ್ನು, ಮಿಂಚಿನಂತೆ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಿಸುವ ಪೀತಾಂಬರಧಾರಿಯನ್ನು — ಆತನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 7

සමස්තගෝපනන්දනං හෘදම්බුජෛකමෝදනං නමාමි කුඤ්ජමධ්යගං ප්රසන්නභානුශෝභනම් . නිකාමකාමදායකං දෘගන්තචාරුසායකං රසාලවේණුගායකං නමාමි කුඤ්ජනායකම් .. 7 ..

Samastagopanandanam hridambujaikamodanam Namami kunjamadhyagam prasannabhanushobhanam | Nikamakamadayakam drigantacharusayakam Rasalavenugayakam namami kunjanayakam || 7 ||

Meaning:ಸಮಸ್ತ ಗೋಪಾಲಕರ ಆನಂದವನ್ನು, ಹೃದಯ ಕಮಲದ ಏಕೈಕ ಹರ್ಷವನ್ನು — ಪೊದರಿನ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿರಾಜಿಸುವ, ಪ್ರಸನ್ನ ಸೂರ್ಯನಂತೆ ಶೋಭೆಯುಳ್ಳ ಆತನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಸಮಸ್ತ ಕಾಮನೆಗಳ ದಾತನನ್ನು, ಕಟಾಕ್ಷದ ಸುಂದರ ಬಾಣಗಳುಳ್ಳವನನ್ನು, ಮಧುರ ವೇಣು ಗಾಯಕನನ್ನು — ಆ ಕುಂಜನಾಯಕನಿಗೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 8

විදග්ධගෝපිකාමනෝමනෝජ්ඤතල්පශායිනං නමාමි කුඤ්ජකානනං ප්රවිෂ්ටරාසමණ්ඩනම් . යදා තදා යථා තථා තථෛව කෘෂ්ණසත්කථා මයා සදෛව ගීයතාං තථා කෘපා විධීයතාම් .. 8 ..

Vidagdhagopikamanomanojnatalpashayinam Namami kunjakananam pravishtarasamandanam | Yada tada yatha tatha tathaiva krishnasatkatha Maya sadaiva giyatam tatha kripa vidhiyatam || 8 ||

Meaning:ಚತುರ ಗೋಪಿಯರ ಮನೋಹರ ಶಯ್ಯೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಶಯನಿಸುವವನನ್ನು — ರಾಸಮಂಡಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸಿದ ಪೊದರುವನದ ಆಭರಣಕ್ಕೆ ನಾನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಯಾವಾಗಲಾದರೂ, ಹೇಗಾದರೂ, ಸದಾ ನಾನು ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಸತ್ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಗಾನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರಬೇಕು — ಓ ಪ್ರಭೂ, ನನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಅಂತಹ ಕೃಪೆಯನ್ನು ತೋರು.

Verse 9

ප්රමාණිකාෂ්ටකද්වයං ජපත්යධීත්ය යඃ පුමාන් භවේත්ස නන්දනන්දනේ භවේ භවේ සුභක්තිමාන් ..

Pramanikashtakadvayam japatyadhitya yah puman Bhavetsa nandanandane bhave bhave subhaktiman ||

Meaning:ಯಾವ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಈ ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕ ಅಷ್ಟಕ ಜೋಡಿಯನ್ನು ಅಧ್ಯಯನ ಮಾಡಿ ಜಪಿಸುತ್ತಾನೋ, ಅವನು ಜನ್ಮಜನ್ಮಾಂತರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಂದನಂದನನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಉತ್ತಮ ಭಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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භජේ🔊BhajeI worship / I adore

ව්රජෛකමණ්ඩනම්🔊Vraja-eka-mandanamThe sole ornament (mandana) of Vraja (Vrindavan)

සමස්තපාපඛණ්ඩනම්🔊Samasta-papa-khandanamThe destroyer of all sins

ස්වභක්තචිත්තරඤ්ජනම්🔊Svabhakta-chitta-ranjanamOne who delights the hearts of his own devotees

නන්දනන්දනම්🔊Nanda-nandanamThe (joy-giving) son of Nanda

සුපිච්ඡගුච්ඡමස්තකම්🔊Su-piccha-guccha-mastakamOne whose head bears a lovely cluster of peacock feathers

සුනාදවේණුහස්තකම්🔊Sunada-venu-hastakamOne holding in his hand the sweet-sounding flute

අනඞ්ගරඞ්ගසාගරම්🔊Ananga-ranga-sagaramAn ocean of the play (delight) of love / beauty

නමාමි කෘෂ්ණනාගරම්🔊Namami krishna-nagaramI bow to Krishna, the charming, gallant one

මනෝජගර්වමෝචනම්🔊Manoja-garva-mochanamOne who shatters the pride of Cupid (Manmatha)

විශාලලෝලලෝචනම්🔊Vishala-lola-lochanamOne with large, restlessly moving (lotus) eyes

පද්මලෝචනම්🔊Padma-lochanamThe lotus-eyed one

කදම්බසූනකුණ්ඩලම්🔊Kadamba-suna-kundalamOne wearing ear-ornaments of kadamba blossoms

ව්රජාඞ්ගනෛකවල්ලභම්🔊Vrajangana-eka-vallabhamThe one beloved of the women (gopis) of Vraja

නමාමි කෘෂ්ණදුර්ලභම්🔊Namami krishna-durlabhamI bow to Krishna, who is (otherwise) hard to attain

ගෝපනායකම්🔊Gopa-nayakamThe leader of the cowherds

නන්දබාලකම්🔊Nanda-balakamThe little child of Nanda

භුවෝ භරාවතාරකම්🔊Bhuvo bhara-avatarakamOne who descended to remove the burden of the Earth

භවාබ්ධිකර්ණධාරකම්🔊Bhava-abdhi-karnadharakamThe helmsman who steers (devotees) across the ocean of worldly existence

චිත්තචෝරකම්🔊Chitta-chorakamThe stealer of (devotees') hearts

මේඝසුන්දරම්🔊Megha-sundaramBeautiful as a (dark rain-) cloud

රසාලවේණුගායකම්🔊Rasala-venu-gayakamOne who sings sweetly upon the flute

කෘපා විධීයතාම්🔊Kripa vidhiyatamMay (your) grace be bestowed (upon me)

Benefits of Chanting ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಷ್ಟಕಂ (ಭಜೇ ವ್ರಜೈಕ ಮಂಡನಮ್)

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Kindles loving devotion (madhurya bhakti) toward Lord Krishna as the charmer of Vraja

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Beautifully describes Krishna's form, pastimes and grace, ideal for meditation and singing

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The closing verse promises steadfast devotion to Krishna in birth after birth to those who recite it

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Believed to destroy all sins, as declared in the very first verse ('samasta-papa-khandanam')

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Brings peace, joy and sweetness to the heart through its flowing, musical metre

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Attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, it carries the grace of the great acharya

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Excellent for daily recitation, Janmashtami and Krishna worship

How to Chant ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಷ್ಟಕಂ (ಭಜೇ ವ್ರಜೈಕ ಮಂಡನಮ್)

Repetitions8times

Best TimeEarly morning or evening; especially on Janmashtami and Wednesdays

Sit before an image of Lord Krishna, light a lamp and recite the eight verses melodiously, letting the internal rhyme carry the devotion. Visualise Krishna as each verse describes him — peacock-feathered, flute in hand, lifting Govardhana, dancing in the bower. It is especially sung on Krishna Janmashtami. Conclude with the final verse seeking devotion to Krishna in every birth.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಷ್ಟಕಂ (ಭಜೇ ವ್ರಜೈಕ ಮಂಡನಮ್) written in the Sinhala 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.

It is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn in praise of Lord Krishna, beginning 'Bhaje Vrajaika Mandanam samasta-papa-khandanam'. It is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya and is distinct from the other well-known Krishnashtakam that begins 'Vasudeva-sutam devam'.

It is traditionally ascribed to Adi Shankaracharya (8th century CE). The hymn's flowing, internally-rhyming metre and rich descriptions of Krishna's Vraja-lila have made it a favourite for devotional singing.

Every verse is built on internal rhymes and ends with the word 'namami' — 'I bow' — addressing a different aspect of Krishna, such as Krishna-nagaram (the charming one), Krishna-varanam (the protector), gopa-nayakam (leader of cowherds) and chitta-chorakam (the stealer of hearts).

The concluding verse states that one who studies and recites this 'pair of authentic ashtakas' becomes endowed with pure devotion to the son of Nanda (Krishna) in birth after birth. It is also said to destroy all sins and fill the heart with Krishna's sweetness.