GOVINDÁSHTAKAM - Voice of Sankara

GOVINDÁSHTAKAM- श्रीगोविन्दाष्टकं

सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं नित्यमनाकाशं परमाकाशं 
गोष्ठप्राङ्गणरिङ्खणलोलमनायासं परमायासम् । 
मायाकल्पितनानाकारमनाकारं भुवनाकारं 
क्ष्माया नाथमनाथं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ १॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, real, knowledge, infinite, and eternal, who is free from Ákásha (and other upádhis), who is the highest light, who was eager as a child to crawl in the cow-pen, who is really free from difficulties, but who appears to be in difficulties (or who is the abode of máyá, cause of all), who appears manifold due to máyá, who appears as the world, who is the Lord of the earth and shri, and who has no Lord to control him. (1)

मृत्स्नामत्सीहेति यशोदाताडनशैशव सन्त्रासं 
व्यदितवक्त्रालोकितलोकालोकचतुर्दशलोकालिम् । 
लोकत्रयपुरमूलस्तम्भं लोकालोकमनालोकं 
लोकेशं परमेशं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ २॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who showed the fear of a child when beaten by Yashodá saying, ``You are eating earth''. and in whose opened mouth was seen the row of fourteen worlds, visible and invisible, who is the support of the three worlds (vis., Svarga, pruthvè, pátála), who is in the form of the worlds, visible and invisible, who cannot be seen, who is the controller of the universe and who is the supreme Lord. (2) 

त्रैविष्टपरिपुवीरघ्नं क्षितिभारघ्नं भवरोगघ्नं 
कैवल्यं नवनीताहारमनाहारं भुवनाहारम् । 
वैमल्यस्फुटचेतोवृत्तिविशेषाभासमनाभासं 
शैवं केवलशान्तं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ ३॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who killed the mighty enemies of the Devas and reduced the weight of the world, who removes the disease of birth (from his devotees), who is one, who had butter for his food, though not requiring food at all, who swallowed the world (during pralaya), who shines brilliantly in the pure and clear mental mode, who cannot be revealed by anything else, who adores shiva, and who is wholly auspicious. (3)

गोपालं प्रभुलीलाविग्रहगोपालं कुलगोपालं 
गोपीखेलनगोवर्धनधृतिलीलालालितगोपालम् । 
गोभिर्निगदित गोविन्दस्फुतनामानं बहुनामानं 
गोपीगोचरपथिकं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ ४॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who is the protector of the world, who made his advent in the world as Gopála through his lilá, who is the protector of the race (of Yádavas) and of cows, who made the cowherds happy by lifting up through his lilá the Govardhana mountain were the gopès used to play, whose name ``Govinda'' is uttered clearly by the cows (or scriptures), who has may names, and who is beyond the reach of the ignorant. (4)

गोपीमण्डलगोष्ठिभेदं भेदावस्थमभेदाभं 
शश्वद्गोखुरनिर्घूतोद्धतधूलीधूसरसौभाग्यम् । 
श्रद्धाभक्तिगृहीतानन्दमचिन्त्यं चिन्तितसद्भावं 
चिन्तामणिमहिमानं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ ५॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who was present in each of the different groups of gopis, who appears in different forms, who is one and nondual, whose beautiful form was covered by the dust raised always by the hooves of the cows, whose blissful nature is realized by sraddhá and bhakti, who is unimaginable, whose existence is known to the wise, and whose greatness is like that of the gem cintámani. (5)

स्नानव्याकुलयोशिद्वस्त्रमुपादायागमुपारूढं 
व्यदित्सन्तिरथ दिग्वस्त्रा ह्युपुदातुमुपाकर्षन्तम् ।
निर्धूतद्वयशोकविमोहं बुद्धं बुद्धेरन्तस्थं 
सत्तामात्रशरीरं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ ६॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who climbed up the tree carrying the clothes of women busily engaged in their bath and who made them come close to him for the purpose of giving the clothes to them who were naked and who desired to get back their clothes, who is free from duality, grief and delusion, who is wise, who dwells in the intellect, and who is pure-existence. (6)

कान्तं कारणकारणमादिमनादिं कालमनाभासं 
कालिन्दीगतकालियशिरसि मुहुर्नृत्यन्तं नृत्यन्तम् । 
कालं कालकलातीतं कलिताशेषं कलिदोषघ्नं 
कालत्रयगतिहेतुं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ ७॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss, who is beautiful, who is the ultimate cause, who is the source of everything, who is without beginning whose colour is like that of the dark cloud, which often danced excessively on the hood of the serpent Kálindè inhabiting the river Kálindè (Yamuna), who manifests as time, who transcends the measures of time, who knows everything, who is te destroyer of the evil of kali, and who is the controller of the motion of the three dimensions of time. (7)

वृन्दावनभुवि वृन्दारकगणवृन्दाराध्यं वन्देऽहं 
कुन्दाभामलमन्दस्मेरसुधानन्दं सुहृदानन्दम् । 
वन्द्याशेषमहामुनिमानसवन्द्यानन्दपदद्वन्द्वं 
वन्द्याशेषगुणाब्धिं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥ ८॥

Worship Govinda who is supreme bliss who is in the land of Brindávan which is worshipped and saluted by many groups of Gods, whose nectar-bliss of spotless smile resembles kunda flower, who is infinite bliss, whose feet are praised and worshipped by the minds of all great sages adored by all, and who is the ocean of praiseworthy qualities. (8)

गोविन्दाष्टकमेतदधीते गोविन्दार्पितचेता यो 
गोविन्दाच्युत माधव विष्णो गोकुलनायक कृष्णेति ।
गोविन्दाङ्घ्रिसरोजध्यानसुधाजलधौतसमस्ताघो 
गोविन्दं परमानन्दामृतमन्तःस्थं स तमभ्येति ॥

He who recites this Govindáashtakam by fixing his mind on Govinda and uttering the names of Govinda, Acyuta, Mádhava, Vishnu, Gokulanáyaka and Krushna, and gets all his sins washed off by the nectar of meditation on the lotus-feet of Govinda, attains the indwelling Govinda, the nectar of the supreme bliss. (9)

॥ इति श्रीमच्छङ्कराचार्यविरचितं श्रीगोविन्दाष्टकं सम्पूर्णम् ॥