Alokaye Sri Balakrishnam
Alokaye Sri Balakrishnam
Alokaye Sri Balakrishnam
ālokaye śrī bālakṛṣṇam
rāgaṃ: huseni
tālaṃ: ādi
pallavi
ālokaye śrī bāla kṛṣṇaṃ
sakhi ānanda sundara tāṇḍava kṛṣṇam ||ālokaye||
caraṇaṃ 1
caraṇa nikvaṇita nūpura kṛṣṇaṃ
kara saṅgata kanaka kaṅkaṇa kṛṣṇam ||ālokaye||
kiṅkiṇī jāla ghaṇa ghaṇita kṛṣṇaṃ
loka śaṅkita tārāvali mauktika kṛṣṇam ||ālokaye||
caraṇaṃ 2
sundara nāsā mauktika śobhita kṛṣṇaṃ
nanda nandanaṃ akhaṇḍa vibhūti kṛṣṇaṃ
kaṇṭhopa kaṇṭha śobhi kaustubha kṛṣṇaṃ
kali kalmaṣa timira bhāskara kṛṣṇaṃ
navanīta khaṇṭha dadhi cora kṛṣṇaṃ
bhakta bhava pāśa bandha mocana kṛṣṇam ||ālokaye||
nīla megha śyāma sundara kṛṣṇaṃ
nitya nirmalānanda bodha lakṣaṇa kṛṣṇaṃ
vaṃśī nāda vinoda sundara kṛṣṇaṃ
paramahaṃsa kula śaṃsita carita kṛṣṇam ||ālokaye||
caraṇaṃ 3
govatsa bṛnda pālaka kṛṣṇaṃ
kṛta gopikā cāla khelana kṛṣṇaṃ
nanda sunandādi vandita kṛṣṇaṃ
śrī nārāyaṇa tīrtha varada kṛṣṇam ||ālokaye||
About This Stotram
Overview
Alokaye Sri Balakrishnam is a Sanskrit devotional hymn in eight verses dedicated to Balakrishna, the child form of Lord Krishna. The text describes the enchanting appearance of the divine child — his jingling anklets, golden ornaments, and playful nature — inviting devotees to behold and meditate on him. It belongs to the Vaishnava Bhakti tradition.
What are the benefits of chanting Alokaye Sri Balakrishnam?
- Recitation cultivates devotion to Krishna through meditation on his child form.
- Devotees chant it to experience spiritual joy and inner peace.
- The hymn is recited for seeking protection and blessings from Krishna.
- It fosters a sense of innocence and surrender in worship.
- Singing or reciting it during festivals deepens connection with the deity.
When is the best time to recite this?
This hymn is recited during morning puja, during festivals such as Janmashtami and Nandotsavam, and at any time of personal devotion to Krishna. It is set to Raga Huseni and Tala Adi for musical performance.
Historical and traditional background
The composer of this hymn is unknown. The text belongs to the tradition of Telugu and Sanskrit devotional compositions that flourished from the medieval period onward, focused on Krishna's childhood (Balakrishna bhava). Musical notations indicate it was composed for devotional singing in the Carnatic tradition. The hymn is part of a broader genre of Balakrishna stotrams found in South Indian Vaishnava practice.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, IAST, Gurmukhi, Oriya, Assamese, Sinhala, ITRANS, HK. Use the script selector to read it in your preferred script.
Related Texts
- Balakrishna Ashtakam — an eight-verse hymn to the child Krishna in the same devotional genre.
- Gopala Stotram — another Vaishnava hymn addressed to Krishna as Gopala, the cowherd.