Govindam Adhi Purusham

Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajam
( I sing about the primeval God Govinda)

By

Lord Brahma

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

(This great prayer has been taken from a book called Brahma Samhita(Collection of writings by Lord Brahma) . This book was almost lost to the posterity and was recovered by Chaithanya Mahaprabhu from Kerala. He could get only 62 verses of this great work. The book gives a very esoteric description of Govinda in his world of Goloka. An excellent commentary was written for this great work by Sri Bhakthi Sidhananda Saraswathi. ( http://www.dharmakshetra.com/sages/relaization%20of%20brahma.htm ). He has also given a word to word meaning of all the verses. This work later formed the bedrock of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism I have used this word for word meaning as well as Dictionaries and arrived at a simple translation of a great prayer contained in this great book. I have considered it as a prayer and have not tried to establish its philosophical import.. In some places I have arrived at a slightly different meaning for some of the verses. I hope the great translator would pardon me. )


1.Chinthamani prakara sadmasu Kalpa Vuksha,
Laksha vrutheshu surabhir abhipalayantham,
Lakshmi sahasra satha sambhrama sevyamanam,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who is the wish giving tree ,
In a home built with wish giving gems,
Who tends and takes care of millions of cows,
And who is being served by millions of Lakshmis

2.Venum kwanantham aravinda dalayataksham,
Barha avatamsam aseethabudha sundarangam,
Kandarpa koti kamaneeya visesham shobham,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who plays the flute , who has eyes like lotus petals,
Who wears peacock feathers as an ornament,
Who is as pretty with the colour of the blue rich clouds,
And who has the glitter of billions of Gods of love.

3.Aalola chandra kalasad vana maalya vamsee,
Rathnangavam pranaya keli kala vilasam,
Shyamam tribanga lalitham niyatha prakasam,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who wears a garland of forest flowers,
Attached with a pendant of the moon,
Who holds the flute as well as ornaments studded with gems,
Who enjoys the sports of love play,
Who shines being dark and who is,
Simple and destroys the three types of suffering*.
*Due to mind, body and soul

4.Angaani yasya sakalendriya vruthi manthi,
Pasyanthi paanthi kalayanthi chiram jaganthi,
Ananda chinmaya sadujjwala vigrahasya,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Whose individual limbs can take up duties of all limbs,
And who eternally sees the universes that are apparent,
And whose form shines with extreme divine joy.

5.Advaitham achyutham anadhim anantha roopam,
Adyam Purana purusham nava youvanam cha,
Vedeshu durlabham adurlabhamathma bhkthou,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who has no second, who is without defects,
Who does not have beginning and has an endless form,
Who is first , most ancient and ever young,
Who is difficult to attain even by the Vedas,
But easily accessible to his dear devotees.

6.Pandhaasthu koti satha vathsara sampragamyo,
Vayor adhapi manaso muni pungavaanaam,
So apyasthi yath prapadha seemnya vichinthyathasthve,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Whose tip of the toe is beyond the reach of pranayama
And also beyond the minds of the foremost of the great sages.
Whose path of search extends to several billions of years*.
*Beyond Yoga and penance

7.Yeko apyasou rachayithum jagadanda kotim,
Yath sakthirasthi jagadanda chaya yadantha,
Andantharastha paramanu chayantharastham,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who being only single still creates billions of universes,
And fills that entire universe with his power,
And who is also in every atom of the scattered universes.

8.Yad bhava bhavithadhiyo manjasthadhaiva,
SAmprapya roopa mahimasana yana bhoosha,
Sookthairyameva nigama pradhithou sthuvanthi,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
By singing whose praises and greatness,
As told in the Vedas with great devotion,
Men attain beauty , fame, position and vehicles.

9.Ananda chinmaya rasa prathibhavitabhis,
Thabhirya yeva nija roopa thayaa kalabhi,
Goloka yeva nivasthya akhilathma bhootho,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
The soul all beings who surely lives in Gokula*,
Which is filled with joy and divine illusion,
And who shows interest towards all those,
Who are engrossed with his real form and its parts.
*Goloka is also considered as a separate heaven

10.Premanjana churitha bhakthi vilochanena,
Santha sadaiva hrudayeshu vilokayanthi,
Yam shyama sundaram achinthya guna swaroopam,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who is seen with love tinged collyrium in their eyes,
Always by saints in their heart of hearts,
As the dusk coloured handsome one,
With a form of unimagined good.

11.Ramadhi moorthishukalaa niyamena thishtan,
Nanavathara makarod bhuvaneshu kinthu,
Krishna swayam sambavatparama pumaan yo,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who though he took several incarnations in this world,
That of Lord Krishna is the most supreme one,
In spite of there existing several temporal forms like that of Rama.

12.Yasya prabha prabhavatho jagadanda koti,
Kotishwasesha vasudhadhi vibhoothi bhinnam,
Tad brahma nishkalam anantha masesha bhootham,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Whose power excels the power of people in crores of universes,
Which is different from the power of Earth and other planets,
And is the Brahmam which is unlimited and free of taints,
And that which never , ever ends.

13.Mayahi yasya jagad anda shathani soothe,
TRigunya tad vishaya Veda vithayamana,
Sathwa valambi para sathwam vishudha sathwam,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who is the illusion which brings out hundreds of universes,
With the three fold characters* as their subject,
Which are incorporated in the Vedas,
And which support existence of the divine and absolute beings.
*Sathva, Rajas and thamas

14.Ananda chinmaya rasathmathaya mana su,
Ya praninnaam prathiphalan smaratham upethya,
Leelayithena buuvanani jayathyajasram,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who when the mind is filled with divine joy,
Affirms that the soul being filled with intense taste
Of the living beings , and the play of the world, which forever wins.

15.Goloka namni , nija dhamni thale cha tasya,
Devi Mahesa Hari dhamasu theshu theshu,
They they prabhava nichayaavihithascha yena,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Whose real residence is the world called Goloka,
Below which are the worlds of Goddess, Shiva and Vishnu,
Which really have their power established by Him only.

16.Srishti , sthithi pralaya sadhana shakthir yeka,
Chayeva yasya bhuvanani vimarthi Durga,
Ichanuroopamapi yasya cheshtathe saa,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who alone does creation, upkeep and destruction,
And as his shadow Durga maintains the world,
As he can take any form and do any activity.

17.Ksheeram yadha dadhi vikara visesham yogath,
Sanmjayathe na hi thathapradhagasthi hetho,
Ya Shambhuthamapi thadha samupaithi karyad.
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Like the milk is but a different form of curds,
Transformed due to some reaction but does not,
Have the same properties like that of curds,
Lord Shiva is his another form for some other activity.

18.Deeparchireva hi dasantha ram abhyupetya,
Deepayate vivruta hethu samana dharma,
Yastha drugeva hi cha Vishnu thaya vibhathi,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Like one flame of a lamp lights another lamp,
Which in turn illuminates and does the same job,
Similarly he lights his form of Vishnu by his power.

19. Ya karanarnava jale bhajathi sma yoga,
Nidhram anantha jagad anda sa rome koopa,
Aadhara shakthim mavalambhya paraam swa moorthim,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who does his yogic sleep in the waters of the ocean,
With the endless universes as his pores of hair,
And depending on his basic power assumes his own form.

20.Yasyaika nisvasita kaalam athavalambya,
Jivanthi loma vilajaa jagadanda natha,
Vishnurmahan sa iha yasya kala visesho,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who is great Lord Vishnu with his special appearance
Taking shelter in the short time of his one breath,
As Lord Brahma who appeared from one pore of hair of him.

21.Bhaswan yadhasma sakaleshu nijeshu theja,
Sviyam kiyath prakatayathyapi thadvadthra,
Brhama ya eva jagadandi vidhana Kartha,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
From whom Lord Brahma , who is the chief of the universe,
Receives his power of regulation.
Like the Sun reflects his form as the ,
Shining images in various pieces of precious stones.

22.Yad pada pallava yugam vinidhaya khumba,
Dwandwe pranamasamaye sa Ganadhiraja,
Vignaan vihanthu malamasya jagat trayasya,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Whose pair of tender flower like feet are held,
By Lord Ganesa on the bulging parts of his forehead,
And at the time of his saluting you ,
He becomes capable of destroying all obstacles of the three worlds.

23.Agnirmahi gaganamambu marud disascha,
Kalasthadathma manaseethi jagat trayani,
Yasmad bhavanthi vibhavanthi visanthi yam cha,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
From whom, Fire, earth, sky , water , air
Directions, time , soul and mind of the three worlds,
Originate and also exist at the time of deluge.

24.Yacha chakshur savitha sakala grahaanaam,
Raja samastha sura moorthirasesha theja,
Yasyagnaya bhramathi sambhrootha kala chakro,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
By whose orders the Sun, the king of planets
Who is the king of all devas full of brilliance,
Does the journey mounting on the wheel of time .

25.Dharmoadha papanichaya srutha yasthapamsi,
Brahmadhi keeta pathagava dhayascxha jeeva,
Yad data mathra vibhava prakata prabhava,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who has conferred the power and potencies of all beings,
Right from Lord Brahma down to the very lowly insects,
As per their virtues and sins as prescribed by the Vedas.

26.Yasthvitha indra gopam adhavendra maho swakarma,
Bandhanuroopa phala bhajana mathanothi,
Karmani nirvahathi cha bhakthi bhaajaam,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Who manages the duties of his devotees,
Right from Lord Indra to the tiny insect Indragopa,
And impartially bestows on them the results of their actions,
And manages their affairs as per their bondage.

27.Yam krodha kama sahaja pranayadhi bheethi,
Vathsalya moha guru gowarava sevya bhavou,
SAnchinthya thasya sadruseem thanumapurethe,
Govindam adhi purusham thamaham Bhajami.

I sing about Govinda the primeval God,
Meditating on whom under the control of,
Anger, passion , friendship and other such emotions,
As well as fear , affection, reverence, servility,
Would result in to the bodily form fitting such emotions.