Govindashtakam of Adhi shankara

Govindashtakam
By
Adhi Shankara Bhagwat Pada
Translated by
P.R.Ramachander

Sathyam jnanam anantham nithyamanakasam paramakasam,
Goshta prangana ringana lolam anayasam paramayasam,
Maya kalpitha nanakara manakaram bhuvanakaram,
Kshmama nadha manadham, pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 1

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who is truth, wisdom, eternal , stable, not ether bound and the eternal ether,
Who is happy to crawl in cow sheds, is beyond problems and is the end of problems,
Who due to illusion appears as without any form and with many forms,
And who is of the universe, consort of Lakshmi and is without any lord.

Mruth sanamathsihethi yasodha thadana shaisava sam thrasam,
Vyadhitha vakthralokitha lokaloka chathurdasa lokaleem,
Loka thrayapura moola sthambham , lokalokamanalokam,
Lokesam paramesam, pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 2

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who with a child like fear of Yasoda’s punishment when he ate mud,
Showed her in his open mouth visible and invisible part of fourteen worlds,
Who is the ultimate basis of the three worlds which are visible and not visible,
And who is the lord of earth and the eternal goal thereof.

Trivishta paripuveeragnam, kshithi bharagnam, bhava rogagnam,
Kaivalyam nava neethaa haara manaahaaram bhuvanaharam,
Vaimalya sphuta chetho vruthi viseshabhaasa manabhasam,
Saivam kevala santham, pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 3

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who killed the valorous enemies of devas, reduced the burden of earth,
Who cures the sorrow caused by the day today life,
Who is ever detached, who eats butter, who eats no food, who eats the earth,
Who shines in the mind when it is clear but cannot be revealed by anything else,
And who is peaceful , is peace and nothing else but peace.

Gopalam Leela vigraha gopalam Kula gopalam,
Gopi khelana govardhana dhruthi leela laalitha gopalam,
Gopir nigaditha govinda sphuta naamaanam bahu namananam,
Gopi gochara dhooram, pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 4

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who looks after all beings in his playful form of cowherd,
Who protects those who look after cows, who playfully lifted ,
The govardhana where gopis play and made gopa lads happy,
Whose name “Govinda” is clearly by the cows*, who has many names,
And who always is beyond the reach of the ignorant#.

* The word could be translated as “words” also.
# the word could be translated as Gopis.

Gopi mandala goshtee bedham, bhedavastha bhedhabham,
Saswath gokhura nirdhathothkrutha dhooli sara soubhagyam,
Sradha bhakthi grahithananda chinthyam chinthida sadhbhavam,
Chinthamani mahimanam, pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 5

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who is present in each and every group of gopis, who appears,
In differing forms but actually is without difference.
Whose pretty form is covered by the dust raised by the hooves of cows,
Who is realized by attention and devotion in thought, who is beyond thought,
And whose greatness is determined by the gem of individual’s thought.

Snana kula yoshid vasthra mupadhayaga muparoodam,
Vyadhitsantheeradha digvasthradhy upadathu mupakarshantham,
Nirdhootha dhwaya soka vimoham budham budheranthastham,
Saththa mathra sareeram , pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 6

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who climbed the tree along with cloths of women taking bath in the pond,
Who wanted those who want their cloths back, to come close to the tree in the nude*,
Who destroyed sorrow and passion, who is wise, who is at the end of wisdom,
And who has a body that did not get disturbed by the senses.

* Come leaving everything

Kantham karana makarana adhi manadhim , kala manabhasam,
Kalindi gatha kaliya sirasi muhur nruthyantham sunruthyantham,
Kalam kalamanatheetham kalithasesham kalidoshagyam,
Kala thraya gatha hethum, pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 7

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who is pretty , cause of causes, primeval , without beginning and a form of time,
Who danced again and again on the head of serpent Kaliya in the river Yamuna,
Who is black in colour, ever present in time and destroys the evil effects of Kali,
And who is the cause of the march of time from the past to the future..

Vrundavana bhuvi vrundharaka gana vrundharadhitha vandeham,
Kundhabamala mandasmera sudhanandam suhrud anandam,
Vandhya sesha maha muni manasa vandhyananda pada dwandwam,
Vandhya sesha gunabdheem, pranamatha govindam paramanandham. 8

I salute that Govinda who is the extreme limit of happiness,
Who in the land of Brindavan is being worshipped by crowd of worshipful devas,
Whose nectar like smile is as pretty as jasmine flower, who gives happiness to his friends,
Whose twin feet are worshipped by the heart of great and worshipful sages,
And who is the sea of good qualities which are worshipped by all.

Govindashtakamethad adheeta govindarpitha chethayo,
Govindachyutha madhava vishno, gokula nayaka krushnethi,
Govindangri saroja dhyana sudha jala dhoutha samasthago,
Govindam paramanandam amruthamathastham sa samabhyethi. 9

He who dedicates his mind to govinda by chanting the holy names,
Govinda, Achyutha, Madhava, Vishnu, Lord of Gokula and Krishna,
And reads this octet on Govinda, will get drenched by the nectar of meditation,
Get washed away from all his sins , reach the blissful world of govinda,
And attain the nectar like supreme bliss.