Krishna Chalisa IAST

baṁśī śobhita kara madhura nīla jalada tana śyāma.

His sweet hands are adorned with a flute, and his dark body is like a blue lotus.

aruṇa adhara janu bimbaphala nayana kamala abhirāma.

His lips are red like the bimba fruit, and his eyes are beautiful like lotuses.

pūrṇa indra aravinda mukha pītāmbara śubha sāja.

His face is like the full moon and a blooming lotus, and he is auspiciously adorned in yellow silk.

jaya manamohana madana chavi kr̥ṣṇacandra mahārāja.

Glory to the mind-enchanting King Krishnachandra, whose beauty surpasses that of Cupid.

jaya yadunaṁdana jaya jagavaṁdana. jaya vasudeva devakī nandana.

Glory to the son of Yadu who is revered by the world; glory to the son of Vasudeva and Devaki.

jaya yaśudā suta nanda dulāre. jaya prabhu bhaktana ke dr̥ga tāre.

Glory to the son of Yashoda and the darling of Nanda; glory to Krishna ji who is the star of their people's eyes.

jaya naṭanāgara nāga nathaiyā. kr̥ṣṇa kanhaiyā dhenu caraiyā.

Glory to the supreme dancer who subdued the Kaliya serpent; O Krishna Kanhaiya, the herder of cows.

puni nakha para prabhu girivara dhāro. āo dīnana kaṣṭa nivāro.

O Krishna ji, You held the great mountain on Your fingernail; please come and remove the sorrows of the destitute.

vaṁśī madhura adhara dhari ṭerau. hove pūrṇa manoratha mero.

Place the sweet flute to Your lips and play it, so that my desires may be completely fulfilled.

āo hari puni mākhana cākho. āja lāja bhaktana kī rākho.

Come, O Hari, and taste the butter once again; protect the honour of your own today.

gola kapola, cibuka aruṇāre. mr̥du muskāna mohinī ḍāre.

Your cheeks are round, Your chin is reddish, and Your gentle smile casts a spell of enchantment.

raṁjita rājiva nayana viśālā. mora mukuṭa vaijantīmālā.

Your large eyes are like beautiful lotuses, and You wear a peacock-feather crown and the Vaijayanti garland.

kuṁḍala śravaṇa, pīta paṭa āche. kaṭi kiṁkiṇī kāchana kāche.

Earrings adorn Your ears, You wear fine yellow garments, and a waistband of tinkling bells is tied around Your waist.

nīla jalaja sundara tanu sohe. chabi lakhi, sura nara muni mana mohe.

Your beautiful body shines like a blue lotus; seeing Your murti, the minds of gods, men, and sages are captivated.

mastaka tilaka alaka ghum̐gharāle. āo kr̥ṣṇa bāṁsurī vāle.

Your forehead bears a tilak and Your hair is curly; please come, O Krishna, the flute-player.

kari paya pāna, pūtanahi tāryo. akā bakā kāgāsura māryo.

By drinking her milk, You liberated Putana; You also killed the asuras Aghasura, Bakasura, and Kagasura.

madhuvana jalata agina jaba jvālā. bhai śītala lakhatahiṁ naṁdalālā.

When the Madhuvan forest was burning with fierce flames, it became cool the moment it saw You, O Nandalaal.

surapati jaba braja caḍhyo risāī. mūsara dhāra vāri varṣāī.

When the king of gods angrily attacked Braj, he poured down torrential rain.

lagata lagata vraja cahana bahāyo. govardhana nakha dhāri bacāyo.

When Braj was on the verge of being washed away, You saved it by lifting the Govardhan mountain on Your nail.

lakhi yasudā mana bhrama adhikāī. mukha maṁha caudaha bhuvana dikhāī.

Seeing mother Yashoda's mind filled with great confusion, You showed her the fourteen worlds within Your mouth.

duṣṭa kaṁsa ati udhama macāyo. koṭi kamala jaba phūla maṁgāyo.

When the wicked Kamsa caused great turmoil, he demanded ten million lotus flowers.

nāthi kāliyahiṁ taba tuma līnheṁ. caraṇa cihna dai nirbhaya kīnheṁ.

Then You subdued the Kaliya serpent, leaving Your footprints on him and making him fearless.

kari gopina saṁga rāsa vilāsā. sabakī pūraṇa karī abhilāṣā.

Performing the joyful Raas dance with the Gopis, You fulfilled the desires of everyone.

ketika mahā asura saṁhāryo. kaṁsahi kesa pakaḍi dai māryo.

You destroyed countless great asuras, and You killed Kamsa by grabbing him by the hair.

māta pitā kī bandi chuḍāī. ugrasena kaham̐ rāja dilāī.

You freed Your parents from captivity and restored the kingdom to Ugrasena.

mahi se mr̥taka chahoṁ suta lāyo. mātu devakī śoka miṭāyo.

You brought back the six dead sons from the earth, thereby erasing mother Devaki's grief.

bhaumāsura mura daitya saṁhārī. lāye ṣaṭa daśa sahasakumārī.

Slaying the asuras Bhaumasura and Mura, You rescued the sixteen thousand princesses.

dai bhīmahi tr̥ṇa cīra sahārā. jarāsindhu rākṣasa kahaṁ mārā.

By tearing a blade of grass to give a hint to Bhima, You caused the death of the asura Jarasandha.

asura bakāsura ādika māryo. bhaktana ke taba kaṣṭa nivāryo.

You killed asuras like Bakasura and others, thereby removing the troubles of your own.

dīna sudāmā ke duḥkha ṭāryo. taṁdula tīna mūṁṭha mukha ḍāryo.

You removed the sorrow of poor Sudama by tossing three handfuls of his dry rice into Your mouth.

prema ke sāga vidura ghara mām̐ge. duryodhana ke mevā tyāge.

You lovingly asked for simple greens at Vidura's house, rejecting the rich dry fruits of Duryodhana.

lakhī prema kī mahimā bhārī. aise śyāma dīna hitakārī.

Seeing the immense glory of love, such is Shyam ji, the benefactor of the destitute.

bhārata ke pāratha ratha hām̐ke. liye cakra kara nahiṁ bala thāke.

You drove the chariot of Partha in the Mahabharata war, and holding the discus in Your hand, Your strength never tired.

nija gītā ke jñāna sunāe. bhaktana hr̥daya sudhā varṣāe.

You imparted the wisdom of Your Gita, raining nectar into the hearts of your own.

mīrā thī aisī matavālī. viṣa pī gaī bajākara tālī.

Mirabai was so intoxicated with devotion that she drank poison while clapping her hands in joy.

rāṇā bhejā sām̐pa piṭārī. śālīgrāma bane banavārī.

When the Rana sent a basket with a snake, You, O Banvari, turned it into a Shaligram stone.

nija māyā tuma vidhihi dikhāyo. ura te saṁśaya sakala miṭāyo.

You revealed Your divine illusion to Brahma, erasing all doubts from his heart.

taba śata nindā kari tatkālā. jīvana mukta bhayo śiśupālā.

When Shishupala immediately hurled a hundred insults at You, he was liberated from life by You.

jabahiṁ draupadī ṭera lagāī. dīnānātha lāja aba jāī.

When Draupadi called out to You, crying, "O lord of the destitute, my honour is now being lost!"

turatahi vasana bane naṁdalālā. baḍhe cīra bhai ari mum̐ha kālā.

Instantly, You, O Nandalaal, became her garments; the cloth kept extending, and the enemies' faces were blackened in defeat.

asa anātha ke nātha kanhaiyā. ḍūbata bhaṁvara bacāvata naiyā.

Such is Kanhaiya, the lord of the orphans, who saves the sinking boat from the whirlpool.

sundaradāsa āsa ura dhārī. dayā dr̥ṣṭi kījai banavārī.

Sundardas holds this hope in his heart: please cast a glance of compassion upon me, O Banvari.

nātha sakala mama kumati nivāro. kṣamahu begi aparādha hamāro.

O Krishna ji, remove all my wicked thoughts and quickly forgive my offenses.

kholo paṭa aba darśana dījai. bolo kr̥ṣṇa kanhaiyā kī jai.

Open the doors now and grant me Your divine vision; everyone say, "Glory to Krishna Kanhaiya!"

yaha cālīsā kr̥ṣṇa kā pāṭha karai ura dhāri.

Whoever recites this Chalisa of Krishna, holding it in their heart,

aṣṭa siddhi navanidhi phala lahai padāratha cāri.

Will attain the eight perfections, the nine treasures, and the four ultimate goals of life.