Gopāla Viṃśati
Śrī Gopāla Viṃśati is a garland of twenty verses composed by Śrī Vedānta Deśika (1268–1369 CE) in adoration of Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the enchanting cowherd of Gokula and Vṛndāvana. Traditionally associated with Śrī Deśika’s worship of Lord Rājagopāla at Tiruvahindrapuram, the hymn paints vivid poetic visions of the Lord as the divine infant, the mischievous thief of butter, the dancer in Nanda’s home, the flute-playing youth, the beloved of the cowherd maidens, and the Supreme Person whom even the Upaniṣads continue to seek. Beneath its sweetness and playful imagery, the hymn celebrates His supreme lordship, compassion, accessibility, protection of devotees, and the grace of surrender.
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श्रीमान् वेङ्कटनाथार्यः कवितार्किककेसरी ।
वेदान्ताचार्यवर्यो मे सन्निधत्तां सदा हृदि ॥
śrīmān veṅkaṭanāthāryaḥ kavi-tārkika-kesarī
vedāntācārya-varyo me sannidhattāṃ sadā hṛdi
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
May the illustrious Veṅkaṭanātha—the lion among poets and logicians and the foremost teacher of Vedānta—dwell forever in my heart.
वन्दे वृन्दावनचरं वल्लवीजनवल्लभम् ।
जयन्तीसम्भवं धाम वैजयन्तीविभूषणम् ॥ १ ॥
vande vṛndāvana-caraṃ vallavī-jana-vallabham
jayantī-sambhavaṃ dhāma vaijayantī-vibhūṣaṇam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
I bow to that divine radiance who was born on sacred Śrī Jayantī, who wanders through Vṛndāvana, who is dearly beloved by the cowherd maidens, and whose beauty is adorned by the Vaijayantī garland.
वाचं निजाङ्करसिकां प्रसमीक्षमाणो
वक्त्रारविन्दविनिवेशितपाञ्चजन्यः ।
वर्णत्रिकोणरुचिरे वरपुण्डरीके
बद्धासनो जयति वल्लवचक्रवर्ती ॥ २ ॥
vācaṃ nijāṅka-rasikāṃ prasamīkṣamāṇo
vaktrāravinda-viniveśita-pāñcajanyaḥ
varṇa-trikoṇa-rucire vara-puṇḍarīke
baddhāsano jayati vallava-cakravartī
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Victorious is the emperor of the cowherds, seated upon the exquisite lotus whose center shines with the triangle of sacred syllables. Pāñcajanya rests at His lotus mouth, while He gazes tenderly upon Vāc, the Goddess of speech, who delights upon His lap.
आम्नायगन्धिरुदितस्फुरिताधरोष्ठम्
आस्राविलेक्षणम् अनुक्षणमन्दहासम् ।
गोपालडिम्भवपुषं कुहनाजनन्याः
प्राणस्तनन्धयम् अवैमि परं पुमांसम् ॥ ३ ॥
āmnāya-gandhi-rudita-sphuritādharoṣṭham
āsrāvilekṣaṇam anukṣaṇa-manda-hāsam
gopāla-ḍimbha-vapuṣaṃ kuhanā-jananyāḥ
prāṇa-stanandhayam avaimi paraṃ pumāṃsam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
I recognize the Supreme Person in the tiny form of a cowherd infant: His lips quiver as He cries with breath fragrant with the Vedas, His eyes overflow with tears, yet a gentle smile appears moment after moment. At the breast of the deceitful false mother, He drank away not merely her milk, but her very life.
आविर्भवत्व् अनिभृताभरणं पुरस्ताद्
आकुञ्चितैकचरणं निभृतान्यपादम् ।
दध्ना निमन्थमुखरेण निबद्धतालं
नाथस्य नन्दभवने नवनीतनाट्यम् ॥ ४ ॥
āvirbhavatv anibhṛtābharaṇaṃ purastād
ākuñcitaika-caraṇaṃ nibhṛtānya-pādam
dadhnā nimantha-mukhareṇa nibaddha-tālaṃ
nāthasya nanda-bhavane navanīta-nāṭyam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
May the Lord’s butter-dance in Nanda’s house appear before me: one little foot bent and lifted, the other planted firmly, His ornaments ringing without restraint, while His steps keep time with the rhythmic sound of the rod churning the curds.
हर्तुं कुम्भे विनिहितकरः स्वादु हैयङ्गवीनं
दृष्ट्वा दामग्रहणचटुलां मातरं जातरोषाम् ।
पायाद् ईषत्प्रचलितपदो नापगच्छन् न तिष्ठन्
मिथ्यागोपः सपदि नयने मीलयन् विश्वगोप्ता ॥ ५ ॥
hartuṃ kumbhe vinihita-karaḥ svādu haiyaṅgavīnaṃ
dṛṣṭvā dāma-grahaṇa-caṭulāṃ mātaraṃ jāta-roṣām
pāyād īṣat-pracalita-pado nāpagacchan na tiṣṭhan
mithyā-gopaḥ sapadi nayane mīlayan viśva-goptā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
His hand buried in the pot to steal its sweet fresh butter, He suddenly sees His angry mother rushing to seize a rope. His feet stir, yet He neither runs nor stands still; at once He closes His eyes and pretends to be only an innocent cowherd child. May that very protector of the universe protect us.
व्रजयोषिदपाङ्गवेधनीयं
मधुराभाग्यम् अनन्यभोग्यम् ईडे ।
वसुदेववधूस्तनन्धयं तत्
किम् अपि ब्रह्म किशोरभावदृश्यम् ॥ ६ ॥
vraja-yoṣid-apāṅga-vedhanīyaṃ
madhurā-bhāgyam ananya-bhogyam īḍe
vasudeva-vadhū-stanandhayaṃ tat
kim api brahma kiśora-bhāva-dṛśyam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
I praise that indescribable Brahman made visible in the beauty of a young boy—the infant who drank at Devakī’s breast, the unique treasure of Mathurā, and the enchanting One upon whom the sidelong glances of Vraja’s maidens fall like love’s arrows.
परिवर्तितकन्धरं भयेन
स्मितफुल्लाधरपल्लवं स्मरामि ।
विटपित्वनिरासकं कयोश् चिद्
विपुलोलूखलकर्षकं कुमारम् ॥ ७ ॥
parivartita-kandharaṃ bhayena
smita-phullādhara-pallavaṃ smarāmi
viṭapitva-nirāsakaṃ kayoś cid
vipulolūkhala-karṣakaṃ kumāram
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
I remember that divine child who, frightened, turns His neck aside while a smile blossoms upon His tender lip—the little boy who dragged the enormous mortar and released two celestial beings from their long imprisonment as trees.
निकटेषु निशामयामि नित्यं
निगमान्तैर् अधुनापि मृग्यमाणम् ।
यमलार्जुनदृष्टबालकेलिं
यमुनासाक्षिकयौवनं युवानम् ॥ ८ ॥
nikaṭeṣu niśāmayāmi nityaṃ
nigamāntair adhunāpi mṛgyamāṇam
yamalārjuna-dṛṣṭa-bāla-keliṃ
yamunā-sākṣika-yauvanaṃ yuvānam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
I behold Him always, very near me—the eternally youthful Lord whom the Upaniṣads continue to seek even now. The twin Arjuna trees witnessed His childhood play, while the Yamunā became the witness to the flowering sports of His youth.
पदवीम् अदवीयसीं विमुक्तेर्
अटवीसम्पदम् अम्बुवाहयन्तीम् ।
अरुणाधरसाभिलाषवंशां
करुणां कारणमानुषीं भजामि ॥ ९ ॥
padavīm adavīyasīṃ vimukter
aṭavī-sampadam ambu-vāhayantīm
aruṇādhara-sābhilāṣa-vaṃśāṃ
karuṇāṃ kāraṇa-mānuṣīṃ bhajāmi
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
I worship compassion itself in human form—the primal Cause who has come near as the shortest path to liberation, who brings life-giving rain to the wealth of Vṛndāvana’s forests, and whose flute rests upon His crimson lip as though longing to drink its sweetness.
अनिमेषनिषेवणीयम् अक्ष्णोर्
अजहद्यौवनम् आविर् अस्तु चित्ते ।
कलहायितकुन्तलं कलापैः
करणोन्मादकविभ्रमं महो मे ॥ १० ॥
animeṣa-niṣevaṇīyam akṣṇor
ajahad-yauvanam āvir astu citte
kalahāyita-kuntalaṃ kalāpaiḥ
karaṇonmādaka-vibhramaṃ maho me
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
May that radiant beauty appear within my heart—His youth eternally fresh, worthy of being gazed upon without even blinking; His curling locks playfully competing with the peacock plumes; His captivating grace carrying every sense into an ecstasy beyond control.
अनुयायिमनोज्ञवंशनालैर्
अवतु स्पर्शितवल्लवीविमोहैः ।
अनघस्मितशीतलैर् असौ माम्
अनुकम्पासरिदम्बुजैर् अपाङ्गैः ॥ ११ ॥
anuyāyi-manojña-vaṃśa-nālair
avatu sparśita-vallavī-vimohaiḥ
anagha-smita-śītalair asau mām
anukampā-sarid-ambujair apāṅgaiḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
May that Lord protect me with His sidelong glances—cool with a flawless smile, like lotuses floating upon the river of His compassion—and with the enchanting notes of His bamboo flute, which move with those glances and instantly captivate the cowherd maidens.
अधराहितचारुवंशनाला
मकुटालम्बिमयूरपिञ्छमालाः ।
हरिनीलशिलाविभङ्गनीलाः
प्रतिभाः सन्तु ममान्तिमप्रयाणे ॥ १२ ॥
adharāhita-cāru-vaṃśa-nālā
makuṭālambi-mayūra-piñcha-mālāḥ
hari-nīla-śilā-vibhaṅga-nīlāḥ
pratibhāḥ santu mamāntima-prayāṇe
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
At the hour of my final departure, may radiant visions of Him remain before me: the lovely flute resting upon His lips, the garland of peacock feathers falling from His crown, and His luminous form dark blue like a newly cleft sapphire.
अखिलान् अवलोकयामि कालान्
महिलाधीनभुजान्तरस्य यूनः ।
अभिलाषपदं व्रजाङ्गनानाम्
अभिलापक्रमदूरम् आभिरूप्यम् ॥ १३ ॥
akhilān avalokayāmi kālān
mahilādhīna-bhujāntarasya yūnaḥ
abhilāṣa-padaṃ vrajāṅganānām
abhilāpa-krama-dūram ābhirūpyam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
At every moment I behold the incomparable beauty of that eternally youthful Lord, whose chest belongs forever to the divine Lady Śrī. He is the deepest longing of the women of Vraja, yet His beauty lies immeasurably beyond the reach of every attempt to describe it.
हृदि मुग्धशिखण्डमण्डनो
लिखितः केन ममैष शिल्पिना ।
मदनातुरवल्लवाङ्गना
वदनाम्भोजदिवाकरो युवा ॥ १४ ॥
hṛdi mugdha-śikhaṇḍa-maṇḍano
likhitaḥ kena mamaiṣa śilpinā
madanātura-vallavāṅganā-
vadanāmbhoja-divākaro yuvā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
What wondrous artist has painted Him upon the wall of my heart—this charming youth crowned with peacock feathers, this rising sun whose appearance makes the lotus-faces of the love-stricken cowherd maidens blossom?
महसे महिताय मौलिना
विनतेनाञ्जलिम् अञ्जनत्विषे ।
कलयामि विमुग्धवल्लवी
वलयाभाषितमञ्जुवेणवे ॥ १५ ॥
mahase mahitāya maulinā
vinatenāñjalim añjana-tviṣe
kalayāmi vimugdha-vallavī-
valayābhāṣita-mañju-veṇave
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
With my head bowed low, I offer my folded hands to that revered, collyrium-dark radiance—to the Lord whose sweet flute seems to converse with the jingling bangles of the cowherd maidens, utterly enchanted as they mark its rhythm.
जयति ललितवृत्तिं शिक्षितो वल्लवीनां
शिथिलवलयशिञ्जाशीतलैर् हस्ततालैः ।
अखिलभुवनरक्षागोपवेषस्य विष्णोर्
अधरमणिसुधायाम् अंशवान् वंशनालः ॥ १६ ॥
jayati lalita-vṛttiṃ śikṣito vallavīnāṃ
śithila-valaya-śiñjā-śītalair hasta-tālaiḥ
akhila-bhuvana-rakṣā-gopa-veṣasya viṣṇor
adhara-maṇi-sudhāyām aṃśavān vaṃśa-nālaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Victorious is the bamboo flute upon the jewel-like lip of Viṣṇu, who has assumed a cowherd’s form to protect every world. Drinking the nectar of that lip, the flute seems to learn the graceful art of dance from the cool hand-beats of the cowherd maidens and the soft jingling of their loosened bangles.
चित्राकल्पः श्रवसि कलयन् लाङ्गलीकर्णपूरं
बर्होत्तांसस्फुरितचिकुरो बन्धुजीवं दधानः ।
गुञ्जाबद्धाम् उरसि ललितां धारयन् हारयष्टिं
गोपस्त्रीणां जयति कितवः कोऽपि कौमारहारी ॥ १७ ॥
citrākalpaḥ śravasi kalayan lāṅgalī-karṇa-pūraṃ
barhottāṃsa-sphurita-cikuro bandhujīvaṃ dadhānaḥ
guñjā-baddhām urasi lalitāṃ dhārayan hāra-yaṣṭiṃ
gopa-strīṇāṃ jayati kitavaḥ ko'pi kaumāra-hārī
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Victorious is that indescribably charming rogue who steals the youthful hearts of the cowherd women. A lāṅgalī blossom rests upon His ear, peacock plumes shine amid His curls, a red hibiscus brightens His form, and a graceful necklace of guñjā seeds lies across His chest.
लीलायष्टिं करकिसलये दक्षिणे न्यस्य धन्याम्
अंसे देव्याः पुलकरुचिरे सन्निविष्टान्यबाहुः ।
मेघश्यामो जयति ललितो मेखलादत्तवेणुर्
गुञ्जापीडस्फुरितचिकुरो गोपकन्याभुजङ्गः ॥ १८ ॥
līlā-yaṣṭiṃ kara-kisalaye dakṣiṇe nyasya dhanyām
aṃse devyāḥ pulaka-rucire sanniviṣṭānya-bāhuḥ
megha-śyāmo jayati lalito mekhalā-datta-veṇur
guñjāpīḍa-sphurita-cikuro gopa-kanyā-bhujaṅgaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Victorious stands the graceful, rain-cloud-dark Lord: His cowherd staff in His tender right hand, His other arm resting upon the shoulder of His divine beloved, whose skin thrills beneath His touch. His flute is tucked into His waistband, and guñjā beads gleam upon His curling hair—the irresistible enchanter of the cowherd maidens.
प्रत्यालीढस्थितिम् अधिगतां प्राप्तगाढाङ्कपालीं
पश्चाद् ईषन्मिलितनयनां प्रेयसीं प्रेक्षमाणः ।
भस्त्रायन्त्रप्रणिहितकरो भक्तजीवातुर् अव्याद्
वारिक्रीडानिबिडवसनो वल्लवीवल्लभो नः ॥ १९ ॥
pratyālīḍha-sthitim adhigatāṃ prāpta-gāḍhāṅka-pālīṃ
paścād īṣan-milita-nayanāṃ preyasīṃ prekṣamāṇaḥ
bhastrā-yantra-praṇihita-karo bhakta-jīvātur avyād
vāri-krīḍā-nibiḍa-vasano vallavī-vallabho naḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
May the beloved of the cowherd maidens protect us—the very life and sustaining medicine of His devotees. His garments bound firmly for water play and a water-syringe in His hand, He gazes lovingly upon His beloved, who stands poised after His close embrace, her eyes gently closing in delight.
वासो हृत्वा दिनकरसुतासन्निधौ वल्लवीनां
लीलास्मेरो जयति ललिताम् आस्थितः कुन्दशाखाम् ।
सव्रीडाभिस् तद् अनु वसने ताभिर् अभ्यर्थ्यमाने
कामी कश्चित् करकमलयोर् अञ्जलिं याचमानः ॥ २० ॥
vāso hṛtvā dinakara-sutā-sannidhau vallavīnāṃ
līlā-smero jayati lalitām āsthitaḥ kunda-śākhām
sa-vrīḍābhis tad anu vasane tābhir abhyarthyamāne
kāmī kaścit kara-kamalayor añjaliṃ yācamānaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Victorious is that playful, enchanting Lord who, after taking the cowherd maidens’ garments beside the Yamunā, sits smiling upon a graceful branch of the kunda tree. As they modestly plead for their clothes, He asks from their two lotus-like hands the single offering He desires: an añjali of surrender.
इत्य् अनन्यमनसा विनिर्मितां
वेङ्कटेशकविना स्तुतिं पठन् ।
दिव्यवेणुरसिकं समीक्षते
दैवतं किम् अपि यौवतप्रियम् ॥ २१ ॥
ity ananya-manasā vinirmitāṃ
veṅkaṭeśa-kavinā stutiṃ paṭhan
divya-veṇu-rasikaṃ samīkṣate
daivataṃ kim api yauvata-priyam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
One who recites this hymn, composed by the poet Veṅkaṭeśa with a heart devoted to no other, comes to behold that indescribable divine Lord—the connoisseur of the celestial flute, eternally dear to the young women of Vraja.
