Govindashtakam
Govindashtakam
Govindashtakam
govindāṣṭakam
satyaṃ jñānamanantaṃ nityamanākāśaṃ paramākāśam |
goṣṭhaprāṅgaṇariṅkhaṇalolamanāyāsaṃ paramāyāsam |
māyākalpitanānākāramanākāraṃ bhuvanākāram |
kṣmāmānāthamanāthaṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 1 ||
mṛtsnāmatsīheti yaśodātāḍanaśaiśava santrāsam |
vyāditavaktrālokitalokālokacaturdaśalokālim |
lokatrayapuramūlastambhaṃ lokālokamanālokam |
lokeśaṃ parameśaṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 2 ||
traiviṣṭaparipuvīraghnaṃ kṣitibhāraghnaṃ bhavarogaghnam |
kaivalyaṃ navanītāhāramanāhāraṃ bhuvanāhāram |
vaimalyasphuṭacetovṛttiviśeṣābhāsamanābhāsam |
śaivaṃ kevalaśāntaṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 3 ||
gopālaṃ prabhulīlāvigrahagopālaṃ kulagopālam |
gopīkhelanagovardhanadhṛtilīlālālitagopālam |
gobhirnigadita govindasphuṭanāmānaṃ bahunāmānam |
gopīgocaradūraṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 4 ||
gopīmaṇḍalagoṣṭhībhedaṃ bhedāvasthamabhedābham |
śaśvadgokhuranirdhūtodgata dhūlīdhūsarasaubhāgyam |
śraddhābhaktigṛhītānandamacintyaṃ cintitasadbhāvam |
cintāmaṇimahimānaṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 5 ||
snānavyākulayoṣidvastramupādāyāgamupārūḍham |
vyāditsantīratha digvastrā dātumupākarṣantaṃ tāḥ
nirdhūtadvayaśokavimohaṃ buddhaṃ buddherantastham |
sattāmātraśarīraṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 6 ||
kāntaṃ kāraṇakāraṇamādimanādiṃ kāladhanābhāsam |
kālindīgatakāliyaśirasi sunṛtyantaṃ muhuratyantam |
kālaṃ kālakalātītaṃ kalitāśeṣaṃ kalidoṣaghnam |
kālatrayagatihetuṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 7 ||
bṛndāvanabhuvi bṛndārakagaṇabṛndārādhitavandeham |
kundābhāmalamandasmerasudhānandaṃ suhṛdānandam |
vandyāśeṣa mahāmuni mānasa vandyānandapadadvandvam |
vandyāśeṣaguṇābdhiṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam || 8 ||
govindāṣṭakametadadhīte govindārpitacetā yaḥ |
govindācyuta mādhava viṣṇo gokulanāyaka kṛṣṇeti |
govindāṅghri sarojadhyānasudhājaladhautasamastāghaḥ |
govindaṃ paramānandāmṛtamantasthaṃ sa tamabhyeti ||
iti śrī śaṅkarācārya viracita śrīgovindāṣṭakaṃ samāptaṃ
About This Stotram
Overview
The Govindashtakam is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn in praise of Lord Govinda, a form of Krishna and Vishnu. Each verse describes aspects of Govinda's divine nature, his cosmic role, and episodes from his childhood in Vrindavan. The text belongs to the Vaishnava devotional tradition and follows the ashtakam format common in Sanskrit praise poetry.
What are the benefits of chanting Govindashtakam?
- Recitation is associated with purification of the mind and removal of karma
- Said to bestow spiritual bliss and foster devotion to Lord Govinda
- Regular chanting is linked to worldly prosperity and progress in devotional practice
- Completion of the eight verses is held to confer the benefit of comprehensive worship
When is the best time to recite this?
Morning recitation is standard. Ekadashi, Janmashtami, and other Vaishnava observances are the most auspicious occasions. The ashtakam may also be recited during evening worship in homes and temples.
What is the historical and traditional background?
The exact authorship and date of the Govindashtakam are not documented. A version of a Govindashtakam is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya in some traditions, though this attribution is not confirmed by scholarly sources for all versions in circulation. Ashtakams are among the most common forms in Sanskrit devotional literature, composed by saints and scholars across many centuries to praise specific deities concisely. This text circulates within Vaishnava communities and is included in standard collections of Krishna and Vishnu praise hymns.
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 above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Madhurashtakam — another eight-verse Sanskrit hymn describing the sweetness of Krishna's Vrindavan form
- Govinda Damodara Stotram — a longer Vaishnava hymn by Bilvamangalacharya centered on Krishna's divine names