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Gita Dhyanam in Grantha Ā· ššš°šØšš„
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Origin & Story
Gita Dhyanam ā traditional invocation prefacing the Bhagavad Gita (attributed to Madhusudana Saraswati) Ā· Attributed to Madhusudana Saraswati Ā· Medieval
Editions of the Bhagavad Gita open with these nine dhyana verses. They frame the Gita not merely as a text but as the Divine Mother who showers the nectar of Advaita, and they pay homage to Vyasa, who placed the dialogue in the heart of the Mahabharata, and to Krishna, who 'milked' the essence of all the Upanishads into Arjuna's hearing. Reciting them before study is a centuries-old mark of reverence to the scripture.
⦠As told in scripture
The verse 'Mukam Karoti Vachalam' ā 'His grace makes the mute eloquent and the lame cross mountains' ā is quoted across India whenever the seemingly impossible is achieved by divine grace. Devotees who open their Gita reading with these verses speak of the text coming alive for them, its meaning unfolding far beyond what the words alone could give.
Complete Text with Meaning
Tap any line ā or the ā¶ button ā to hear it recited
š šŖš¾š°šš„š¾šÆ šŖšš°š¤šæš¬šš§šæš¤š¾š šššµš¤š¾ šØš¾š°š¾šÆš£ššØ šøššµšÆš šµššÆš¾šøššØ ššš°š„šæš¤š¾š šŖšš°š¾š£š®ššØšæšØš¾ š®š§ššÆš š®š¹š¾šš¾š°š¤š®šą„¤ š š¦ššµšš¤š¾š®šš¤šµš°šš·šæš£šš šššµš¤šš®š·ššš¾š¦š¶š¾š§ššÆš¾šÆšæšØšš®š š š®šš¬ š¤ššµš¾š®šØššøšØšš¦š§š¾š®šæ šššµš¦šššš¤š ššµš¦ššµšš·šæš£šš®šą„„
Om Parthaya Pratibodhitam Bhagavata Narayanena Svayam Vyasena Grathitam Purana-Munina Madhye Mahabharatam Advaitamrita-Varshinim Bhagavatim Ashtadasha-Adhyayinim Amba Tvam Anusandadhami Bhagavad-Gite Bhava-Dveshinim
Meaning:O Bhagavad Gita, by which Krishna himself enlightened Arjuna, which Vyasa set in the midst of the Mahabharata, showering the nectar of non-duality in eighteen chapters ā O Mother, destroyer of rebirth, I meditate upon you.
šØš®šš½šøšš¤š š¤š šµššÆš¾šø šµšæš¶š¾š²š¬šš¦šš§š š«šš²šš²š¾š°šµšæšØšš¦š¾šÆš¤šŖš¤šš°šØšš¤šš°ą„¤ šÆššØ š¤ššµšÆš¾ šš¾š°š¤š¤šš²šŖšš°šš£š šŖšš°šššµš¾š²šæš¤š šššš¾šØš®šÆš šŖšš°š¦ššŖšą„„
Namostu Te Vyasa Vishala-Buddhe Phullaravinda-Yatapatra-Netra Yena Tvaya Bharata-Taila-Purnah Prajvalito Jnanamayah Pradipah
Meaning:Salutations to Vyasa of vast intellect and lotus eyes, by whom the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata, was kindled.
šŖšš°šŖšØššØšŖš¾š°šæšš¾š¤š¾šÆ š¤šš¤šš°šµšš¤šš°šššŖš¾š£šÆšą„¤ šššš¾šØš®šš¦šš°š¾šÆ ššš·šš£š¾šÆ ššš¤š¾š®šš¤š¦šš¹š šØš®šą„„
Prapanna-Parijataya Totra-Vetraika-Panaye Jnana-Mudraya Krishnaya Gitamrita-Duhe Namah
Meaning:Salutations to Krishna ā the wish-fulfilling tree for those who surrender, holding the cane, bearing the seal of knowledge, the milker of the Gita's nectar.
šøš°ššµššŖšØšæš·š¦š šš¾šµš š¦šššš§š¾ šššŖš¾š²šØšØšš¦šØšą„¤ šŖš¾š°šš„š šµš¤ššøš šøšš§šš°šššššš¤š¾ š¦šššš§š ššš¤š¾š®šš¤š š®š¹š¤šą„„
Sarvopanishado Gavo Dogdha Gopala-Nandanah Partho Vatsah Sudhir Bhokta Dugdham Gitamritam Mahat
Meaning:All the Upanishads are the cows; Krishna the cowherd milks them; Arjuna is the calf; the wise drink the milk ā the supreme nectar of the Gita.
šµšøšš¦ššµšøšš¤š š¦ššµš šššøšš¾š£šš°š®š°šš¦šØš®šą„¤ š¦ššµšššŖš°š®š¾šØšØšš¦š ššš·šš£š šµšØšš¦š ššš¦šššš°šš®šą„„
Vasudeva-Sutam Devam Kamsa-Chanura-Mardanam Devaki-Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagad-Gurum
Meaning:I bow to Krishna, son of Vasudeva, destroyer of Kamsa and Chanura, the supreme bliss of Devaki, the teacher of the world.
ššš·šš®š¦šš°šš£š¤šš¾ ššÆš¦šš°š„šš²š¾ šš¾šØšš§š¾š°šØšš²šš¤ššŖš²š¾ š¶š²ššÆššš°š¾š¹šµš¤š šššŖšš£ šµš¹šØš šš°šš£ššØ šµšš²š¾ššš²š¾ą„¤ š š¶ššµš¤šš„š¾š®šµšæšš°šš£ššš°š®šš°š¾ š¦šš°ššÆšš§šØš¾šµš°šš¤šæšØš šøšš¤šš¤šš°šš£š¾ šš²š šŖš¾š£šš”šµš š°š£šØš¦š šššµš°šš¤šš ššš¶šµšą„„
Bhishma-Drona-Tata Jayadratha-Jala Gandhara-Nilotpala Shalya-Grahavati Kripena Vahani Karnena Velakula Ashvatthama-Vikarna-Ghora-Makara Duryodhana-Avartini Sottirna Khalu Pandavai Rana-Nadi Kaivartakah Keshavah
Meaning:The Pandavas crossed the river of battle ā its banks Bhishma and Drona, its waters Jayadratha, its crocodiles Ashvatthama and Karna ā with Krishna as the ferryman.
šŖš¾š°š¾š¶š°ššÆšµšš šøš°ššš®š®š²š ššš¤š¾š°šš„ššØšš§šš¤šššš šØš¾šØš¾šššÆš¾šØššššøš°š š¹š°šæšš„š¾šøšš¬šš§šØš¾š¬šš§šæš¤š®šą„¤ š²ššš šøššššØš·šššŖš¦šš°š¹š°š¹š šŖššŖššÆš®š¾šØš š®šš¦š¾ šššÆš¾š¦ššš¾š°š¤šŖššššš šš²šæš®š²šŖšš°š§ššµššøšæ šØš š¶šš°ššÆšøšą„„
Parasharya-Vachah Sarojam Amalam Gitartha-Gandhotkatam Nana-Khyanaka-Kesaram Hari-Katha-Sambodhana-Abodhitam Loke Sajjana-Shatpadair Aharahah Pepiyamanam Muda Bhuyad Bharata-Pankajam Kali-Mala-Pradhvamsi Nah Shreyase
Meaning:May the lotus of the Mahabharata, born of Vyasa's words, fragrant with the meaning of the Gita, drunk daily with joy by the good, destroy the impurities of this dark age and bring us blessing.
š®ššš šš°šš¤šæ šµš¾šš¾š²š šŖššššš š²ššššÆš¤š ššæš°šæš®šą„¤ šÆš¤ššššŖš¾ š¤š®š¹š šµšØšš¦š šŖš°š®š¾šØšØšš¦š®š¾š§šµš®šą„„
Mukam Karoti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim Yat-Kripa Tam Aham Vande Paramananda-Madhavam
Meaning:I bow to Madhava of supreme bliss, whose grace makes the mute eloquent and the lame cross mountains.
šÆš š¬šš°š¹šš®š¾ šµš°šš£ššØšš¦šš°š°šš¦šš°š®š°šš¤š šøšš¤ššØššµšØšš¤šæ š¦šæšµššÆšš šøšš¤šµšš šµšš¦šš šøš¾ššššŖš¦ššš°š®ššŖšØšæš·š¦šš°ššš¾šÆšØšš¤šæ šÆš šøš¾š®šš¾šą„¤ š§ššÆš¾šØš¾šµšøšš„šæš¤š¤š¦ššš¤ššØ š®šØšøš¾ šŖš¶ššÆšØšš¤šæ šÆš šÆšššæšØš šÆšøššÆš¾šØšš¤š šØ šµšæš¦šš šøšš°š¾šøšš°šš£š¾ š¦ššµš¾šÆ š¤šøšš®š šØš®šą„„
Yam Brahma Varunendra-Rudra-Marutah Stunvanti Divyaih Stavaih Vedaih Sanga-Pada-Kramopanishadair Gayanti Yam Samagah Dhyana-Avasthita-Tad-Gatena Manasa Pashyanti Yam Yogino Yasyantam Na Viduh Surasura-Gana Devaya Tasmai Namah
Meaning:Salutations to that God whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise with divine hymns, whom the singers of the Sama Veda extol, whom yogis behold in deep meditation, and whose limit neither gods nor demons know.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting Gita Dhyanam
The traditional nine 'dhyana' (meditation) verses chanted before reading the Bhagavad Gita
Salutes the Gita itself as the Divine Mother, and honours Vyasa and Krishna
Recited to open Gita parayana (sequential reading) and Gita study
Contains the beloved verses 'Vasudevasutam Devam' and 'Mukam Karoti Vachalam'
Settles and consecrates the mind before taking up the Lord's teaching
How to Chant Gita Dhyanam
Chant the nine verses slowly before beginning the Gita, as an act of reverence to the scripture, to Vyasa who recorded it, and to Krishna who spoke it. Many begin daily Gita reading with at least 'Vasudevasutam Devam' and 'Mukam Karoti Vachalam'.
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