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Mantra · Shankara's eight verses: infinite Brahman, crawling in a cow-yard

Govindashtakam

सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं नित्यमनाकाशं परमाकाशं गोष्ठप्राङ्गणरिङ्खणलोलमनायासं परमायासम् । मायाकल्पितनानाकारमनाकारं भुवनाकारं क्ष्मामानाथमनाथं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

Also known as Satyam Jnanam Anantam

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 Govindashtakam is

The Govindashtakam, often known by its opening words Satyam Jnanam Anantam, is a Sanskrit hymn of eight verses to Krishna under the name Govinda, with a ninth verse of result. It is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya: the colophon printed with it calls the author a disciple of Govinda Bhagavatpada, and the stotra collections of the Shankara monasteries carry it under his name. Each verse sets a statement about Brahman against a moment from the Vraja childhood, so that verse 1 opens on the Taittiriya Upanishad's definition and, before its first half ends, has that same reality crawling across a cow-yard and tiring itself. Verse 2 takes the eating of earth, verse 3 butter, verse 4 Govardhana, verse 5 the dust of the herd, verse 6 the bathers' clothes, verse 7 Kaliya and verse 8 the smile in Vrindavan. Word-play carries the sound: loka rings through verse 2, go through verse 4, kala through verse 7. Every verse closes on pranamata govindam paramanandam, bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Scenes from the Bhagavata, a teacher's name

No occasion of composition is handed down with the Govindashtakam. Its setting is the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana, which it retells in fragments and sometimes changes. Verse 2 draws on chapter 8, where the boys report that Krishna has eaten earth and Yashoda looks into his mouth to find the cosmos there. The Bhagavata has her take hold of him and scold him; the hymn speaks of a slap, and names the fourteen worlds and the Lokaloka mountain. Verse 7 follows chapter 16, the dance on the heads of Kaliya in the Yamuna. Verse 6 recalls chapter 22, where girls keeping a month's vow to Katyayani leave their clothes on the bank, and goes on at once to call the boy with the clothes pure existence. Verse 4 has its own account of the name: the cows themselves called him Govinda, whereas in chapter 27 Indra and the cow Surabhi bestow it after Govardhana is lifted. The closing line brings in a second Govinda, Shankara's teacher Govinda Bhagavatpada. The Madhaviya Shankaravijaya tells how the young Shankara found him in samadhi in a cave at Omkareshwar on the Narmada and stilled a rising flood with his water pot. Nothing in the verses connects the two names.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiसत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं नित्यमनाकाशं परमाकाशं गोष्ठप्राङ्गणरिङ्खणलोलमनायासं परमायासम् । मायाकल्पितनानाकारमनाकारं भुवनाकारं क्ष्मामानाथमनाथं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

Tamilஸத்யம் ஜ்ஞாநமநந்தம் நித்யமநாகாஶம் பரமாகாஶம் கோஷ்டப்ராங்கணரிங்கணலோலமநாயாஸம் பரமாயாஸம் । மாயாகல்பிதநாநாகாரமநாகாரம் புவநாகாரம் க்ஷ்மாமாநாதமநாதம் ப்ரணமத கோவிந்தம் பரமாநந்தம் ॥

Teluguసత్యం జ్ఞానమనన్తం నిత్యమనాకాశం పరమాకాశం గోష్ఠప్రాఙ్గణరిఙ్ఖణలోలమనాయాసం పరమాయాసమ్ । మాయాకల్పితనానాకారమనాకారం భువనాకారం క్ష్మామానాథమనాథం ప్రణమత గోవిన్దం పరమానన్దమ్ ॥

Kannadaಸತ್ಯಂ ಜ್ಞಾನಮನನ್ತಂ ನಿತ್ಯಮನಾಕಾಶಂ ಪರಮಾಕಾಶಂ ಗೋಷ್ಠಪ್ರಾಙ್ಗಣರಿಙ್ಖಣಲೋಲಮನಾಯಾಸಂ ಪರಮಾಯಾಸಮ್ । ಮಾಯಾಕಲ್ಪಿತನಾನಾಕಾರಮನಾಕಾರಂ ಭುವನಾಕಾರಂ ಕ್ಷ್ಮಾಮಾನಾಥಮನಾಥಂ ಪ್ರಣಮತ ಗೋವಿನ್ದಂ ಪರಮಾನನ್ದಮ್ ॥

Malayalamസത്യം ജ്ഞാനമനന്തം നിത്യമനാകാശം പരമാകാശം ഗോഷ്ഠപ്രാങ്ഗണരിങ്ഖണലോലമനായാസം പരമായാസമ് । മായാകല്പിതനാനാകാരമനാകാരം ഭുവനാകാരം ക്ഷ്മാമാനാഥമനാഥം പ്രണമത ഗോവിന്ദം പരമാനന്ദമ് ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationsatyaṃ jñānamanantaṃ nityamanākāśaṃ paramākāśaṃ goṣṭhaprāṅgaṇariṅkhaṇalolamanāyāsaṃ paramāyāsam | māyākalpitanānākāramanākāraṃ bhuvanākāraṃ kṣmāmānāthamanāthaṃ praṇamata govindaṃ paramānandam ||

“He is truth, knowledge, the endless and eternal, no physical sky and yet the supreme space; effortless, yet he tires himself crawling playfully in the cowherd yard. Through maya he takes many forms, formless yet the form of the worlds, lord of the Earth and of Lakshmi with no lord above him. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.”

सत्यं: satyaṃ — truth
ज्ञानमनन्तं: jñānamanantaṃ — knowledge, the endless
नित्यमनाकाशं: nityamanākāśaṃ — eternal, not the physical sky
परमाकाशं: paramākāśaṃ — the supreme space
गोष्ठप्राङ्गणरिङ्खणलोलमनायासं: goṣṭhaprāṅgaṇariṅkhaṇalolamanāyāsaṃ — playful at crawling in the cow-yard, effortless
परमायासम्: paramāyāsam — yet greatly tired
मायाकल्पितनानाकारमनाकारं: māyākalpitanānākāramanākāraṃ — taking many forms made by maya, yet formless
भुवनाकारं: bhuvanākāraṃ — the form of the worlds
क्ष्मामानाथमनाथं: kṣmāmānāthamanāthaṃ — master of Earth and of Lakshmi, with no master above
प्रणमत: praṇamata — bow to
गोविन्दं: govindaṃ — Govinda
परमानन्दम्: paramānandam — the supreme bliss

Govindashtakam lyrics in full

Eight verses and the closing phala verse, in the older reading. The printed closing line is given at the end.

All 10 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Govindashtakam PDFAll 10 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Verse 1

सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं नित्यमनाकाशं परमाकाशं गोष्ठप्राङ्गणरिङ्खणलोलमनायासं परमायासम् ।
मायाकल्पितनानाकारमनाकारं भुवनाकारं क्ष्मामानाथमनाथं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

He is truth, knowledge, the endless and eternal, no physical sky and yet the supreme space; effortless, yet he tires himself crawling playfully in the cowherd yard. Through maya he takes many forms, formless yet the form of the worlds, lord of the Earth and of Lakshmi with no lord above him. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Verse 2

मृत्स्नामत्सीहेति यशोदाताडनशैशवसन्त्रासं व्यादितवक्त्रालोकितलोकालोकचतुर्दशलोकालिम् ।
लोकत्रयपुरमूलस्तम्भं लोकालोकमनालोकं लोकेशं परमेशं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

Asked 'Are you eating earth here?', he was the child frightened by Yashoda's slap, and in his opened mouth the fourteen worlds and the Lokaloka mountain were seen. He is the root pillar of the city of the three worlds, the light of the worlds who is himself beyond sight, lord of the worlds, the supreme lord. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Verse 3

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

He slays the heroes among the enemies of the gods, removes the burden of the Earth and ends the sickness of worldly existence. He is liberation itself; he feeds on butter, needs no food, and takes the worlds into himself. He shines in the clear working of a pure mind, yet is beyond all appearance. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss, auspicious and wholly at peace.

Verse 4

गोपालं प्रभुलीलाविग्रहगोपालं कुलगोपालं गोपीखेलनगोवर्धनधृतिलीलालालितगोपालम् ।
गोभिर्निगदितगोविन्दस्फुटनामानं बहुनामानं गोधीगोचरदूरं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

He is the cowherd, the Lord who took a cowherd's form in play, protector of his clan, who sported with the gopis, lifted Govardhana in play and delighted the cowherds. Cows themselves called him clearly by the name Govinda; he has many names and is far beyond the reach of the senses and intellect. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Verse 5

गोपीमण्डलगोष्ठीभेदं भेदावस्थमभेदाभं शश्वद्गोखुरनिर्धूतोद्गतधूलीधूसरसौभाग्यम् ।
श्रद्धाभक्तिगृहीतानन्दमचिन्त्यं चिन्तितसद्भावं चिन्तामणिमहिमानं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

He appears distinct within the circle of the gopis, standing in difference while shining as one without difference; his good fortune is to be grey with the dust always raised by the hooves of cows. He is bliss grasped through faith and devotion, inconceivable, yet his true being is found by those who contemplate him; his glory is that of the wish-granting gem. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Verse 6

स्नानव्याकुलयोषिद्वस्त्रमुपादायागमुपारूढं व्यादित्सन्तीरथ दिग्वस्त्रा दातुमुपाकर्षन्तं ताः ।
निर्धूतद्वयशोकविमोहं बुद्धं बुद्धेरन्तःस्थं सत्तामात्रशरीरं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

He took the clothes of the young women busy bathing and climbed a tree, and as they, wearing only the sky, sought them back, he drew them near to return them. He has shaken off the grief and delusion of duality; he is awakened, dwelling within the intellect, his body pure existence alone. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Verse 7

कान्तं कारणकारणमादिमनादिं कालघनाभासं कालिन्दीगतकालियशिरसि सुनृत्यन्तं मुहुरत्यन्तम् ।
कालं कालकलातीतं कलिताशेषं कलिदोषघ्नं कालत्रयगतिहेतुं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

He is the beloved, the cause of causes, the first and yet without beginning, shining like a dark rain cloud, who danced beautifully again and again on the head of Kaliya in the Yamuna. He is Time, yet beyond the divisions of time; he holds all within him, destroys the faults of the Kali age and moves the course of past, present and future. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Verse 8

बृन्दावनभुवि बृन्दारकगणबृन्दाराधितवन्द्यायां कुन्दाभामलमन्दस्मेरसुधानन्दं सुमहानन्दम् ।
वन्द्याशेषमहामुनिमानसवन्द्यानन्दपदद्वन्द्वं नन्द्याशेषगुणाब्धिं प्रणमत गोविन्दं परमानन्दम् ॥

In the land of Vrindavan, adored and honoured by the hosts of the gods, his gentle, stainless smile, bright as jasmine, is a nectar of joy and a very great bliss. His two blissful feet are revered in the minds of all the revered great sages; he is a delightful ocean of every virtue. Bow to Govinda, the supreme bliss.

Phala Shruti 1

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

The verse says that whoever studies this eight-verse hymn on Govinda with the mind offered to Govinda, repeating 'Govinda, Achyuta, Madhava, Vishnu, lord of Gokula, Krishna', has every sin washed away by the nectar-water of meditation on Govinda's lotus feet, and reaches that Govinda, the immortal supreme bliss who dwells within.

Closing

इति श्रीमत्परमहंसपरिव्राजकाचार्यस्य श्रीगोविन्दभगवत्पूज्यपादशिष्यस्य श्रीमच्छङ्करभगवतः कृतौ गोविन्दाष्टकं सम्पूर्णम् ॥

Thus ends the Govindashtakam, a work of the revered Shankara, the paramahamsa wandering teacher, disciple of the venerable Govinda Bhagavatpada.

The syllable people get wrong

The compound kṣmāmānātham in verse 1 is often slurred into "kshamanatham", which suggests kṣamā, patience; it is kṣmā, earth, plus mā, Lakshmi, plus nātha, master. Say kshmaa-maa-naa-tham, with no vowel between ksh and m and three long a sounds in a row.

When the Govindashtakam is chanted

Weekday. Thursday

Festival. Krishna festivals and Ekadashi

Questions

Truth, knowledge, the endless. The words come from the Taittiriya Upanishad (2.1.1), where they define Brahman: satyam jnanam anantam brahma. The hymn leaves out the last word and runs on with nityam, eternal, then anakasham paramakasham, not the physical sky yet the supreme space. The missing subject arrives only at the close of the verse, and the name it gets is Govinda. That substitution is the argument of the hymn.

No. Both are attributed to Shankara and both turn on the name Govinda, but they work differently. Bhaja Govindam speaks to the reciter's own mind and argues from the failure of wealth, youth and family. The Govindashtakam says nothing about the reciter until its last verse: it piles up descriptions of Govinda and ends each verse on pranamata, a plural command to bow, addressed to everyone. It has eight verses and a verse of result, against thirty-one.

More than one reading tradition circulates, and this page prints the older. Verse 4 here reads godhigocaradura, beyond the reach of senses and intellect; the later form has gopigocarapathika, a wayfarer in the sight of the gopis. Verse 7 reads kalaghanabhasa, shining like a dark cloud, against kalamanabhasa, Time without appearance. Verse 8 reads sumahanandam, very great bliss, against suhridanandam, the joy of friends. The refrain is the same in both.

The ninth verse, opening govindashtakam etad adhite. The verse says that whoever studies the eight verses with the mind offered to Govinda, repeating Govinda, Achyuta, Madhava, Vishnu, Gokulanayaka and Krishna, has every sin washed away by the nectar-water of meditation on his lotus feet, and reaches that Govinda, the immortal bliss within. It names no worldly gain: the end it describes is the reality the hymn began by defining.

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Govindashtakam

What the Govindashtakam is

Scenes from the Bhagavata, a teacher's name

The mantra, in six scripts

Govindashtakam lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Govindashtakam is chanted

Questions

Have your chart read before you decide

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