भागवताष्टकम्
Bhāgavatāṣṭakam

Eight verses in praise of Bhagavān’s bhaktas

By Śrī Rasikānandadeva Gosvāmī

श्रीगोविन्दपदारविन्दमधुपानभिलाषोज्झितान्
पूर्णप्रेमरसोत्सवोज्ज्वलमनोवृत्तिप्रसन्नाननान् ।
शश्वत्कृष्णकथामहामृतपयोराशौ मुदा खेलतो
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥১॥

śrī-govinda-padāravinda-madhupān anyābhilāṣojjhitān
pūrṇa-prema-rasotsavojjvala-mano-vṛtti-prasannānanān |
śaśvat-kṛṣṇa-kathā-mahāmṛta-payo-rāśau mudā khelato
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||1||

Bees [lit., nectar-drinkers] in the lotus of Śrī Govinda’s feet,
Free from [all] other desires,
Their faces bright and their thoughts [lit., mental functions] brilliant,
On account of the bliss [alt., festival] of rasa that is pure prema,
Joyfully sporting in the vast, nectarean ocean
Of constant Kṛṣṇa-kathā—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

पादाब्जे कृतसत्कृतावपि चतुर्वर्गे घृणां कुर्वतो
दृक्पातेऽपि गतव्यथान्व्रजपतिप्रेमामृतस्वादकान् ।
मन्वानानतिदुस्तरं भवमहापाथोनिधिं गोष्पदं
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥२॥

pādābje kṛta-satkṛtāv api caturvarge ghṛṇāṁ kurvato
dṛk-pāte’pi gata-vyathān vraja-pati-premāmṛta-svādakān |
manvānān atidustaraṁ bhava-mahāpāthonidhiṁ goṣpadaṁ
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||2||

Although the caturvarga [i.e., dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa] worship their lotus feet,
They recoil from even casting a glance towards them;
Free from [all forms of] suffering,
[By] Relishing the nectar of prema for the Protector of Vraja,
They consider [even] the vast, exceedingly difficult to traverse ocean of material existence
To be [as insignificant as the quantity of water in] a cow’s hoof print—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

मृग्यां ब्रह्मभवादिभिर्व्रजवधूनाथाङ्घ्रिकञ्जद्वयीं
स्वातन्त्र्यात्प्रणयोरुरज्जुभिरहो बद्ध्वा बलान्निर्भरम् ।
स्वच्छन्दं पिबतस्तदासवरसं प्रस्यन्दमानं मुदा
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥३॥

mṛgyāṁ brahma-bhavādibhir vraja-vadhū-nāthāṅghri-kañja-dvayīṁ
svātantryāt praṇayoru-rajjubhir aho baddhvā balān nirbharam |
svacchandaṁ pibatas tad-āsava-rasaṁ prasyandamānaṁ mudā 
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||3|| 

Aho!
Having by force tightly bound
The two lotus feet of the Protector of the ladies of Vraja, 
Which are sought after by Brahmā, Śiva, and others [i.e., Lakṣmī],
With the strong ropes of intimate love (praṇaya)
On account of their independence
[i.e., their freedom and capability to subdue even Bhagavān],
They joyfully drink
The flowing rasa of the nectar thereof at will [i.e., to their heart’s content]—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

विश्वेषां हृदयोत्सवान्स्वसुखदान्मायामनुष्याकृतीन्
कृष्णेनाध्यवतारितान्जनसमुद्धाराय पृथ्वीतले ।
संसाराब्धिवहित्रपादकमलांस्त्रैलोक्यभाग्योदयान् 
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥४॥

viśveṣāṁ hṛdayotsavān sva-sukhadān māyā-manuṣyākṛtīn
kṛṣṇenādhyavatāritān jana-samuddhārāya pṛthvī-tale |
saṁsārābdhi-vahitra-pāda-kamalāṁs trailokya-bhāgyodayān 
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||4||

The joy of everyone’s hearts,
Bestowers of happiness upon those who are their own
[alt., bestowers of their own happiness],
Possessed of human forms because of māyā [i.e., yogamāyā],
And sent down from above by Kṛṣṇa
To the surface of the earth
For the ultimate deliverance of the people,
Their lotus feet are the boats on [i.e., to cross] the ocean of saṁsāra;
They are the appearance [i.e., result, or, cause] of good fortune
For the three worlds—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

आलोकामृतदानतो भवमहाबन्धं नृणां छिन्दतः 
स्पर्शात्पादसरोजशौचपयसां तापत्रयं भिन्दतः ।
आलापाद्व्रजनागरस्य पदयोः प्रेमानमातन्वतो
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥५॥

ālokāmṛta-dānato bhava-mahābandhaṁ nṛṇāṁ chindataḥ 
sparśāt pāda-saroja-śauca-payasāṁ tāpa-trayaṁ bhindataḥ |
ālāpād vraja-nāgarasya padayoḥ premānam ātanvato
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||5||

By bestowing the nectar of their sight,
They cut away people’s abject bondage in material existence;
By the touch of the pure water
From their lotus feet,
They terminate the three miseries;
[And] By conversing,
they spread prema for the feet of the Nāgara of Vraja—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

भावावेशसमुज्ज्वलान्पुलकिनो हर्षाश्रुधारावली-
निर्धौताननपङ्कजान्नवनवानन्दाद्भृशं नृत्यतः ।
प्रेम्नोच्चैश्चरितं सगद्गदपदं गोपीपतेर्गायतो
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥६॥

bhāvāveśa-samujjvalān pulakino harṣāśru-dhārāvalī-
nirdhautānana-paṅkajān nava-navānandād bhṛśaṁ nṛtyataḥ |
premnoccaiś caritaṁ sa-gadgada-padaṁ gopī-pater gāyato
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||6||

Completely brilliant in their absorption in bhāva,
Horripilating, 
Their lotus faces bright
With streams of tears of joy,
Dancing exuberantly
Out of newer and newer bliss,
Their words faltering,
As they loudly sing with prema of feats of the gopīs’ Lord—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

प्रेमास्वादपरायणान्हरिपदस्फूर्तिस्फुरन्मानसान्
आनन्दैकपयोनिधीन्रससमुल्लासिस्मितश्रीमुखान् ।
धन्यान्सच्चरितौघनन्दितजनान्कारुण्यपूराश्रयान्
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥७॥

premāsvāda-parāyaṇān hari-pada-sphūrti-sphuran-mānasān
ānandaika-payonidhīn rasa-samullāsi-smita-śrī-mukhān |
dhanyān sac-caritaugha-nandita-janān kāruṇya-pūrāśrayān
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||7||

Their ultimate refuge [in] tasting prema,
Their minds reeling from sphūrtis of Hari’s feet,
They are unparalleled oceans of bliss;
Their beautiful faces bear effulgent smiles because of [their relishing] rasa;
They are virtuous,
They delight the people with the stream of their exalted conduct,
And they shower compassion upon those who take shelter [in them]—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

कृष्णादन्यमजानतः क्षणमपि स्वप्नेऽपि विश्वेश्वरे
तस्मिन्भक्तिमहैतुकीं विदधतो हृत्कायवाग्भिः सदा ।
श्रीलान्सद्गुणपुञ्जकेलिनिलयान्प्रेमावतारानहं
वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥८॥

kṛṣṇād anyam ajānataḥ kṣaṇam api svapne’pi viśveśvare
tasmin bhaktim ahaitukīṁ vidadhato hṛt-kāya-vāgbhiḥ sadā |
śrīlān sad-guṇa-puñja-keli-nilayān premāvatārān ahaṁ
vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau ||8||

They do not know anyone other than Kṛṣṇa
Even for a moment,
Even in [their] dreams,
As they are always engaged
With their hearts, bodies, and speech
In unconditional bhakti to him,
The Lord of the universe;
They are fortunate,
Abodes of the play of myriads of good qualities,
And avatāras of prema—
I offer obeisance at every moment to these Bhāgavatas,
Having bowed with my head to the earth.

एतद्भागवताष्टकं पठति यः श्रद्धान्वितः क्षेमदं
भक्त्युद्रेकविवर्धनं प्रतिपदं प्रेमप्रमोदप्रदम् ।
प्रेमाणं परमं ध्रुवं स लभते वृन्दावनेशात्मसु
क्षिप्रं भागवतेषु येन वशगो गोपाङ्गनावल्लभः ॥९॥

etad bhāgavatāṣṭakaṁ paṭhati yaḥ śraddhānvitaḥ kṣemadaṁ
bhakty-udreka-vivardhanaṁ pratipadaṁ prema-pramoda-pradam |
premāṇaṁ paramaṁ dhruvaṁ sa labhate vṛndāvaneśātmasu
kṣipraṁ bhāgavateṣu yena vaśago gopāṅganā-vallabhaḥ ||9||

One who, imbued with śraddhā,
Recites this Bhāgavatāṣṭaka,
Which bestows well-being,
Increases the abundance of bhakti,
And with every word
Produces the great delight of prema,
Certainly and quickly attains the pinnacle of prema
For the Bhāgavatas,
Who hold the Lord of Vṛndāvana in their hearts,
By which the Beloved of the gopīs is captivated.

Cross-references

Verse one is cited in Bhāvanā-sāra-saṅgraha (Upasaṁhāra: 16), and verse five is cited in Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā (9.16).

Meter

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