The Govindam Prayers
from Sri Brahma-samhita
ishvarah paramah krishnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaha
anadir adir govindaha
sarva-karana-karanam
Krishna, Who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the Origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the Prime Cause of all causes.
chintamani prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vriksha-
laksavriteshu surabhir abhipalayantam
lakshmi-sahasra-shata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, the First Progenitor Who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose-trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of Lakshmis or Gopis.
Venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam
barhavatam samasitambuda-sundarangam
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya vishesha-shobham
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, Who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals, with head bedecked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of cupids.
Alola-chandraka-lasad-vanamalya-vamshi-
ratnangadam pranaya-keli-kala-vilasam
shyamam tribhanga-lalitam niyata-prakasham
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, round Whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the Moon-locket, Whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, Who always revels in pastimes of love, Whose graceful three-fold bending form of Shyamasundara is eternally manifest.
angani yasya sakalendriya-vrittimanti
pashyanti panti kalayanti chiram jaganti
ananda-chinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, Whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendour. Each of the limbs of that Transcendental Figure possesses in Himself, the fullfledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.
advaitam achyutam anadim ananta-rupam
adyam purana-purusham navayauvanam cha
vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, Who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, Who is without a second, Who is not subject to decay and is without a beginning, Whose Form is endless, Who is the beginning, Whose Form is endless, Who is the beginning, and the eternal Purusha; yet He is a Person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.
panthas tu koti-shata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vayor athapi manaso muni-pungavanam
so 'pyasti yat prapada-simny avichintya-tattve
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogis who aspire after the transcendental and betake themselves to pranayama by drilling the respiration; or by the jnanins who try to search out the nondifferentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane extending over thousands of millions of years.
eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim
yac chaktir asti jadad-anda-caya yad-antah
andantara-stha-paramanu-chayantara-stham
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
He is an undifferentiated Entity as there is no distinction between potency and the Possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in everyone of the atoms that are scattered through the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the Primeval Lord whom I adore.
yad bhava-bhavita dhiyo manujas tathaiva
samprapya rupa-mahimasanayanabhushaha
suktair yam eva nigama-prathitaih stuvanti
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I adore the same Govinda, the Primeval Lord, in Whose praise men, who are imbued with devotion, sing the mantra-suktas contained in the Vedas, by gaining their appropriate beauty, greatness, thrones, conveyances and ornaments.
ananda-chinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis-
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhihi
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, resembling His own spiritual figure, the Embodiment of the Ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidants (sakhis), embodiments of the extensions of her body, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.
premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilochanena
santah sadaiva hridayeshu vilokayanti
yam shyama-sundaram achintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, Who is Shyamasundara, Krishna Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts, with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.
ramadi-murtishu kala-niyamena tishthan
nanavataram akarod bhuvaneshu kintu
krishnah svayam samabhavat paramaha puman yo
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, Who manifested Himself personally as Krishna and the different avataras in the world in the forms of Rama, Nrisimha, Vamana, etc., as His subjective portions.
yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-
kotisu ashesha-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma nishkalam anantam ashesha-bhutam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upanishads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe, appears as the Indivisible, Infinite and Limitless Truth.
maya hi yasya jagad-anda-shatani sute
traigunya-tad-vishaya-veda-vitayamana
sattvavalambi-para-sattva-visuddha-sattvam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, Who is the Absolute Substantive Principle being the ultimate entity in the form of the Support of all existence, Whose external potency embodies the three-fold mundane qualities, viz., sattva, rajas, and tamas and diffuses the Vedic knowledge regarding the mundane world.
ananda-chinmaya-rasatmataya manahsu
yah praninam pratiphalam smaratam upetya
lilayitena bhuvanani jayaty ajasram
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the Primeval Lord, Whose glory ever triumphantly dominate the mundane world by the activity of His own pastimes, being reflected in the minds of recollecting souls as the Transcendental Entity of ever-blissful cognitive rasa.
goloka-namni nija-dhamni tale cha tasya
devi-mahesha-hari-dhamasu teshu teshu
te te prabhava-nichaya vihitash cha yena
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
Lowest of all is located Devi-dhama (mundane world), next above it is Mahesha-dhama (abode of Mahesh, Shiva); above Mahesh-dhama is placed Hari-dhama (abode of Hari) and above them all is located Krishna's own realm named Goloka. I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda, who has allotted their respective authorities to the rules of those graded realms.
srishti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-shaktir eka
chayeva yasya bhuvanani vibharti durga
icchanurupam api yasya che cheshtate sa
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
The external potency Maya who is of the nature of the shadow of the Chit potency, is worshiped by all people as Durga, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda in accordance with Whose will Durga conducts herself.
kshiram yatha dadhi vikara-vishesha-yogat
sanjayate na hi tatah prithag asti hetoho
yah shambhutam api tatha samupaiti karyad
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
Just as milk is transformed into curd (yogurt) by the action of acids, but yet the effect "curd" is neither the same as, nor different from, its cause, viz., milk, so I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda of whom the state of Sambu is transformation for the performance of the work of destruction.
diparchir eva hi dashantaram abhyupetya
dipayate vivrita-hetu-samana-dharma
yas tadrig eva hi cha vishnu-taya vibhati
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
The light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality. I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda who exhibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations.
yah karanarnava-jale bhajati sma yoga-
nidram ananta-jagad-anda-saroma-kupaha
adhara-shaktim avalambya param sva-murtim
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda who assumes His own great subjective form, who bears the name of Shesha. Replete with the all-accommodating potency, and reposing in the causal ocean with the infinity of the world in the pores of His hair, He enjoys creative sleep (yoga-nidra).
yasyaika-nishvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathaha
vishnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-vishesho
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
Brahma and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Maha-Vishnu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter (Maha-Vishnu). I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda of Whose subjective personality Maha-Vishnu is the Portion of a Portion [of the Surpeme].
bhasvan yathashma-shakaleshu nijeshu tejaha
sviyam kiyat prakatayaty api tadvad atra
brahma ya esa jagad-anda-vidhana-karta
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda from Whom the separated subjective portion Brahma receives his power for the regulation of the mundane world, just as the Supreme manifests some portion of His own light in all effulgent gems that bear the names of Surya-kanta, etc.
yat-pada-pallava-yugam vinidhaya kumbha-
dvandve pranama-samayesa ganadhirajaha
vighnan vihantum alam asya jagat-trayasya
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda, Whose lotus feet are always held by Ganesh upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his elephant head in order to obtain power for his function of destroying all the obstacles on the path of progress of the three-worlds.
agnir mahi gaganam ambu marud-dishash cha
kalas tathatma-manasiti jagat-trayani
yasmad bhavanti vibhavanti vishanti yam cha
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
The three-worlds are composed of the nine elements, viz., fire, earth, ether, water, air, direction, time, soul and mind. I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda from Whom they originate, in Whom they exist and into Whom they enter at the time of the Universal Cataclysm.
yac chakshur esha savita sakala-grahanam
raja samasta-sura-murtir ashesha-tejaha
yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrita-kala-chakro
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
The sun, who is the king of all the planets, full of infinite effulgence, the image of the good soul, is the eye of this world. I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda in pursuance of Whose order the sun performs his journey mounting the wheel of time.
dharmo 'tha papa-nicayah shrutayas tapamshi
brahmadi-kita-patagavadhayash cha jivaha
yad datta-matra-vibhava-prakata-prabhava
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda, by Whose conferred power are maintained the manifested potencies that are found to exist in all virtues, in the Vedas, in the penances and in all jivas from Brahma down to the meanest insect.
yas tv indra-gopam athavendra-maho sva-karma-
bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti
karmani nirdahati kintu cha bhakti-bhajam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda, Who burns up to their roots all fruitive activities of those who are imbued with devotion and impartially ordains for each the due enjoyment of the fruits of one's activities, of all those who walk in the path of work, in accordance with the chain of their previously performed works, no less in the case of the tiny insect that bears the name of "Indragopa" than in that of Indra, king of the devas.
yam krodha-kama-sahaja-pranayadi-bhiti-
vatsalya-moha-guru-gaurava-sevya-bhavaihai
sanchintya tasya sadrishim tanum apurete
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
I adore the Primeval Lord Govinda, the meditators of Whom, by meditating upon Him under the sway of wrath, amorous passion, natural friendly love, fear, parental affection, delusion, reverence and willing service, attain to bodily forms befitting the nature of their contemplation.
