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Mantra · Jayadeva's song of Vishnu's ten forms that opens the Gita Govinda

Dashavatara Stotram

प्रलयपयोधिजले धृतवानसि वेदम् । विहितवहित्रचरित्रमखेदम् । केशव धृतमीनशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥

Also known as Pralaya Payodhi Jale

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Dashavatara Stotram is

The Dashavatara Stotram is the opening song of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, the twelfth-century Sanskrit poem of Radha and Krishna, and it is often known by its first words, Pralaya Payodhi Jale. Tradition, resting on a verse thought to be a later addition, counts Jayadeva among five poets at King Lakshmana Sena's court in Bengal. His poem runs to twelve cantos built from twenty-four songs. This first song gives one couplet to each of Vishnu's ten descents, from the fish who held up the Veda in the flood to Kalki with a sword fearsome as a comet. Every couplet closes on the same refrain, 'Keshava dhrita ... jaya jagadisha hare'. The eleventh verse carries the poet's own signature. The text then gives the canto's next shloka, one long verse that runs through all ten deeds again and bows to Krishna as the one who took the ten forms. In Jayadeva's order Balarama stands eighth and the Buddha ninth.

Ten descents before the love story begins

The Gita Govinda opens on a dark evening by the Yamuna. In its first verse clouds thicken the sky, the tamala trees shade the woods black, and Nanda tells Radha that the boy is afraid of the night, so she should take him home; the two set off, and the poem hails their hidden play along the riverbank. Before the tale goes any further, Jayadeva steps in with his own voice. He calls himself the chief singer at the feet of Padmavati, names the poets of his circle, and asks to be heard only by those whose minds delight in remembering Hari. Then, instead of continuing with Radha and Krishna, he sings the ten avatars. Placed here, the song frames the whole love poem: the cowherd at the Yamuna is the same Lord who carried the earth on a tusk and outwitted Bali with a stride. A second hymn of praise follows, and only after it does spring in Vrindavan begin. According to tradition, Jayadeva married Padmavati, a dancer at Puri, and sang his poem in the Jagannatha temple, where the Gita Govinda is still sung at the night service called Badasinghara. Scholars point out that the early commentators do not tell the Padmavati story, and three villages named Kenduli each claim the poet's birthplace.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiप्रलयपयोधिजले धृतवानसि वेदम् । विहितवहित्रचरित्रमखेदम् । केशव धृतमीनशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥

Tamilப்ரலயபயோதிஜலே த்ருதவாநஸி வேதம் । விஹிதவஹித்ரசரித்ரமகேதம் । கேஶவ த்ருதமீநஶரீர ஜய ஜகதீஶ ஹரே ॥

Teluguప్రలయపయోధిజలే ధృతవానసి వేదమ్ । విహితవహిత్రచరిత్రమఖేదమ్ । కేశవ ధృతమీనశరీర జయ జగదీశ హరే ॥

Kannadaಪ್ರಲಯಪಯೋಧಿಜಲೇ ಧೃತವಾನಸಿ ವೇದಮ್ । ವಿಹಿತವಹಿತ್ರಚರಿತ್ರಮಖೇದಮ್ । ಕೇಶವ ಧೃತಮೀನಶರೀರ ಜಯ ಜಗದೀಶ ಹರೇ ॥

Malayalamപ്രലയപയോധിജലേ ധൃതവാനസി വേദമ് । വിഹിതവഹിത്രചരിത്രമഖേദമ് । കേശവ ധൃതമീനശരീര ജയ ജഗദീശ ഹരേ ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationpralayapayodhijale dhṛtavānasi vedam | vihitavahitracaritramakhedam | keśava dhṛtamīnaśarīra jaya jagadīśa hare ||

“When the waters of the great dissolution rose, you held up the Veda, taking with ease the part of a boat. O Keshava, who took the body of a fish, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.”

प्रलयपयोधिजले: pralayapayodhijale — in the waters of the ocean of dissolution
धृतवानसि: dhṛtavānasi — you have held up
वेदम्: vedam — the Veda
विहितवहित्रचरित्रमखेदम्: vihitavahitracaritramakhedam — taking the role of a boat, without effort
केशव: keśava — O Keshava
धृतमीनशरीर: dhṛtamīnaśarīra — who took the body of a fish
जय: jaya — victory
जगदीश: jagadīśa — O Lord of the world
हरे: hare — O Hari

Dashavatara Stotram lyrics in full

The ten avatar verses and the poet's signature verse, followed by the canto's closing shloka to Krishna. The printed closing line is given at the end.

All 13 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Dashavatara Stotram PDFAll 13 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Verse 1

प्रलयपयोधिजले धृतवानसि वेदम् ।
विहितवहित्रचरित्रमखेदम् ।
केशव धृतमीनशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥

When the waters of the great dissolution rose, you held up the Veda, taking with ease the part of a boat. O Keshava, who took the body of a fish, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 2

क्षितिरतिविपुलतरे तव तिष्ठति पृष्ठे ।
धरणिधरणकिणचक्रगरिष्ठे ।
केशव धृतकच्छपरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥

The vast earth rests upon your back, made mighty by the round scar left from bearing the world. O Keshava, who took the form of a tortoise, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 3

वसति दशनशिखरे धरणी तव लग्ना ।
शशिनि कलङ्ककलेव निमग्ना ।
केशव धृतसूकररूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥

The earth sits fixed on the tip of your tusk, like the dark mark sunk into the moon. O Keshava, who took the form of a boar, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 4

तव करकमलवरे नखमद्भुतशृङ्गम् ।
दलितहिरण्यकशिपुतनुभृङ्गम् ।
केशव धृतनरहरिरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥

On your lotus-like hand is a wondrous pointed nail that tore apart the body of Hiranyakashipu as if it were a bee. O Keshava, who took the form of the man-lion, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 5

छलयसि विक्रमणे बलिमद्भुतवामन ।
पदनखनीरजनितजनपावन ।
केशव धृतवामनरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥

O wondrous dwarf, with your stride you outwit Bali, you who purify all people through the water born from the nails of your feet. O Keshava, who took the form of the dwarf, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 6

क्षत्रियरुधिरमये जगदपगतपापम् ।
स्नपयसि पयसि शमितभवतापम् ।
केशव धृतभृगुपतिरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥

In a flood of the blood of warriors you bathe the world, washing away its sin and calming the pain of worldly life. O Keshava, who took the form of the lord of the Bhrigus (Parashurama), victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 7

वितरसि दिक्षु रणे दिक्पतिकमनीयम् ।
दशमुखमौलिबलिं रमणीयम् ।
केशव धृतरामशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥

In battle you scatter to the directions a lovely offering, pleasing to their guardian gods: the crowned heads of ten-faced Ravana. O Keshava, who took the body of Rama, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 8

वहसि वपुषि विशदे वसनं जलदाभम् ।
हलहतिभीतिमिलितयमुनाभम् ।
केशव धृतहलधररूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥

On your bright body you wear a garment the colour of a rain cloud, dark like the Yamuna, which joined you in fear of the blow of your plough. O Keshava, who took the form of the plough-bearer (Balarama), victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 9

निन्दसि यज्ञविधेरहह श्रुतिजातम् ।
सदयहृदयदर्शितपशुघातम् ।
केशव धृतबुद्धशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥

Alas, you find fault with the body of scripture that prescribes sacrifice, with a compassionate heart showing the slaughter of animals. O Keshava, who took the body of the Buddha, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 10

म्लेच्छनिवहनिधने कलयसि करवालम् ।
धूमकेतुमिव किमपि करालम् ।
केशव धृतकल्किशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥

To destroy the hordes of barbarians you wield a sword, fearsome as a comet. O Keshava, who took the body of Kalki, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 11

श्रीजयदेवकवेरिदमुदितमुदारम् ।
शृणु सुखदं शुभदं भवसारम् ।
केशव धृतदशविधरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥

Hear this noble song spoken by the poet Shri Jayadeva; the verse says it gives happiness and good fortune and is the essence of existence. O Keshava, who took these ten forms, victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world.

Verse 12

वेदानुद्धरते जगन्निवहते भूगोलमुद्बिभ्रते दैत्यं दारयते बलिं छलयते क्षत्रक्षयं कुर्वते ।
पौलस्त्यं जयते हलं कलयते कारुण्यमातन्वते म्लेच्छान्मूर्च्छयते दशाकृतिकृते कृष्णाय तुभ्यं नमः ॥

Salutations to you, Krishna, who took ten forms: who lifts up the Vedas, bears the world, holds up the globe of the earth, tears apart the demon, deceives Bali, destroys the warrior class, conquers Ravana, wields the plough, spreads compassion, and makes the barbarians faint.

Closing

इति जयदेवकविकृतः दशावतारस्तवः सम्पूर्णः ।

Thus ends the hymn on the ten avatars composed by the poet Jayadeva.

The syllable people get wrong

In the refrain, jagadīśa has four syllables, ja-ga-dī-śa, with a long ī and a soft palatal ś; it is often clipped to the everyday name 'Jagdish', which drops the second a and breaks the line's rhythm.

When the Dashavatara Stotram is chanted

Weekday. Thursday

Questions

The eighth verse praises the plough-bearer, Balarama, whose dark garment is compared to the Yamuna, and the ninth praises the Buddha. Krishna is missing from the ten because the poem treats him as the Lord who takes all ten forms. The twelfth verse makes this plain: it lists every deed in turn and ends 'krishnaya tubhyam namah', salutation to you, Krishna, who made the ten forms. Many other lists place Krishna eighth and give the ninth place to Balarama or the Buddha.

The ninth verse says: alas, you find fault with the scriptural rule of sacrifice, with a compassionate heart showing the slaughter of animals. The word 'ahaha' is a cry of pity, and 'sadaya hridaya' means a heart full of mercy. Tradition reads the verse as honouring the Buddha's compassion in turning away from animal offering; the refrain then names him, like the other nine, as a form taken by Keshava.

Keshava is a name of Vishnu; 'dhrita' means 'who has taken', and the next word names the form, such as 'mina sharira', the body of a fish, or 'kacchapa rupa', the form of a tortoise. 'Jaya jagadisha hare' means victory to you, Hari, Lord of the world. In the Rama verse some popular printings sing 'dhrita raghupati vesha', the guise of the Raghu king, where the full text of the poem reads 'dhrita rama sharira'.

The song proper has eleven verses: ten for the avatars and an eleventh in which Jayadeva signs his name. That eleventh verse is its phala shruti; it asks the listener to hear the poet's noble words and says they give happiness and good fortune and are the essence of existence. The twelfth is the next shloka of the canto, in a longer metre and without the refrain, which most printings attach to the song; some stop at eleven.

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Dashavatara Stotram

What the Dashavatara Stotram is

Ten descents before the love story begins

The mantra, in six scripts

Dashavatara Stotram lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Dashavatara Stotram is chanted

Questions

Have your chart read before you decide

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