nikhilaof all;srutithe Vedas;maulicrown;ratnajewels;malanecklace;dyutieffulgence;nirajitaworshiped;padafeet;pankajalotus;antatips of the toes;ayiO!;mukta-kulairby the liberated souls;upasyamanamadored;paritascompletely;tvamYou;hariof Hari;namaname;samsrayamiI take shelter
Translation
O Hari-nama! The tips of the toes of Your lotus feet are constantly being worshiped by the glowing radiance emanating from the string of gems known as the Upanisads, the crown jewels of all the Vedas. You are eternally adored by liberated souls, such as Narada and Sukadeva. O Hari-nama! I take complete shelter of You.
jayaall glories;namadheyaO holy name;muniof sages;vrndaby the multitudes;geyachanted;heO!;janaof the people;rañjanayafor the happiness;paramsupreme;aksaraof syllables;akrtethe form;tvamYou;anadaradwithout respect;apieven;managonce;udiritamspoken;nikhilaall;ugraterrible;tapatortures;patalimabundance;vilumpasiyou take away
Translation
O Hari-nama, O name sung by the sages, O transcendental syllables that bring bliss to the people, even if You are spoken only once, and even if You are spoken disrespectfully, You at once remove the many harsh sufferings of everyone.
yad-ābhāso 'py udyan kavalita-bhava-dhvānta-vibhavodṛśaḿ tattvāndhānām api diśati bhakti-praṇayinīmjanas tasyodāttaḿ jagati bhagavan-nāma-taraṇekṛtī te nirvaktuḿ ka iha mahimānaḿ prabhavati
Word for word
yad-abhasothe dim light of which;apyeven;udyanrising;kavalitaswallowed up;bhavaof repeated birth and death;dhvantadarkness;vibhavopower;drsamof the eyes;tattvato the truth;andhanamblind;apieven;disatiindicates;bhaktidevotional service;pranayinimcausing;janaspeople;tasyaof Him;udattamexalted;jagatiin the world;bhagavanof the Supreme Personality of Godhead;namaof the name;taranein the deliverance;krtipious person;teof You;nirvaktumto describe;kawho? iha - here;mahimanamglory;prabhavatiis able
Translation
O sun of the Holy Name, even the dim light of Your early dawn 'namabhasa' devours the power of the darkness of the material world and gives those who are blind to the truth the insight to follow the path of pure devotion to Krishna. What learned person in this world can possibly fully describe Your transcendental glories?
yad-brahma-sākṣāt-kṛti-niṣṭhayāpivināśam āyāti vinā na bhogaiḥapaiti nāma sphuraṇena tat teprārabdha-karmeti virauti vedaḥ
Word for word
yad-brahmaBrahman;saksatdirect;krtiactivity;nisthayafaith;apialso;vinasamto destruction;ayatigoes;vinawithout;nanot;bhogaihenjoyment;apaitiattains;namaof the name;sphuranenaby the appearancew;tatthat;teof You;prarabdhabegun;karmakarma;itithus;virautideclares;vedahthe veda
Translation
O Holy Name, the Vedas declare that although meditation on impersonal Brahman cannot bring freedom from past karma, Your appearance [on the tongue of your chanter] at once makes all karma disappear.
aghadamana-yaśodānandanau nandasūnokamalanayana-gopīcandra-vṛndāvanendrāḥpraṇatakaruṇa-kṛṣṇāv ity aneka-svarūpetvayi mama ratir uccair vardhatāḿ nāmadheya
Word for word
aghadamanacrusher of Agha;yasodanandanauson of Yasoda;nandasunoson of Nanda Maharaja;kamalanayanalotusOeyed;gopicandramoon of the gopis vrndavanendrah - moon of Vrndavana;pranatakarunamerciful to the worshipper;krsnavKrsna;itythus;anekamany;svarupeforms;tvayiin You;mamaof me;ratirlove;uccairgreatly;vardhatammay increase;namadheyathe holy names
Translation
O Holy Name, I pray that my love for You in Your many forms—such as Aghadamana (Crusher of Aghasura), Yasodanandana (Son of Yasoda), Nandasunu (Son of Nanda), Kamalanayana (Lotus-eyed), Gopicandra (Moon of the gopis), Vrndavanendra (King of Vrndavana), Pranatakaruna (Merciful to the surrendered souls), and Krishna—may greatly increase.
vācyaḿ vācakam ity udeti bhavato nāma svarūpa-dvayaḿpūrvasmāt param eva hanta karuṇaḿ tatrāpi jānīmaheyas tasmin vihitāparādha-nivahaḥ prāṇī samantād bhavedāsyenedam upāsya so 'pi hi sadānandāmbudhau majjati
Word for word
vacyamthe object described;vacakamthe words;itythus;udetirises;bhavatoof you;namaof the name;svarupathe form;dvayamboth;purvasmatasbefore;paramgreat;evaindeed;hantaindeed;karunamcompassion;tatrathere;apieven;janimahewe know;yasone who;tasminion that;vihitaparadhacommitted an offense;nivahahmultitude;praniliving entity;samantadcompletely;bhavedmay be;asyenawith the mouth;idamthis;upasyaworshiping;soHe;apieven
Translation
O Holy Name, You are manifested in two forms: 1. the Supreme Person described by the Holy Name, and 2. the sound vibration of the Holy Name. We know that the second form is even more merciful than the first, because although a person may commit many offenses to Your first form, he will still plunge into an ocean of bliss by serving Your second form with his voice.
sūditāśrita-janārti-rāśayeramya-cid-ghana-sukha-svarūpiṇenāma gokula-mahotsavāya tekṛṣṇa pūrṇa-vapuṣe namo namaḥ
Word for word
suditadestroyed;asritasheltered;janaof the people;artisufferings;rasayeabundance;ramyacharming;cidspirit;ghanaintense;sukhahappiness;svarupineown form;namaname;gokulain Gokula;mahotsavayafor a great festival;teof You;krsnaof Lord Krsna;purnathe perfect and full;vapusetranscendental form;namoobeisances;namahobeisances
Translation
O perfect and complete Holy Name of Lord Krishna, You are the embodiment of delightful and intense spiritual bliss, You destroy the many sufferings of those who take shelter of You, and You are a festival of happiness for Gokula. I bow before You again and again.
nārada-vīṇojjīvanasudhormi-niryāsa-mādhurī-pūratvaḿ kṛṣṇa-nāma kāmaḿsphura me rasane rasena sadā
Word for word
naradaof rada;vinaof the lute;ujjivanathe life;sudhaof nectar;urmiwaves;niryasaessence;madhurisweetness;puraflood;tvamYou;krsnaof Krsna;namaO name;kamamif You wish;sphuraplease appear;meof me;rasaneof the tongue;rasenawith nectar;sadaalways
Translation
O Krishna-nama! O inspiration of Narada's vina! You are full of sweetness, which is like an ocean full of waves of nectar. If You wish, please appear constantly on my tongue, along with transcendental affection for the Lord.
About Namastakam
Namastakam is a set of eight verses in praise of the holy names of Krsna, composed by Srila Rupa Gosvami, the chief architect, alongside his brother Sanatana, of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology under the direct guidance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It comes from his larger anthology of devotional prayers, the Stava-mala, or garland of hymns. One detail sets Namastakam apart from most songs on this site: Rupa Gosvami composed each of its eight verses in a different Sanskrit meter, an intentional ornament rather than an accident of style. Its central argument is direct, that the name of Krsna is not a symbol pointing toward Him from a distance, but is non-different from Krsna Himself, and so deserves the same reverence. Rupa Gosvami lived from 1489 to 1564, and his writings remain the philosophical foundation much of this entire song tradition still draws from.
Namastakam was composed by Rupa Goswami. It appears in More Songs.
What is the meaning of Namastakam?
O Hari-nama! The tips of the toes of Your lotus feet are constantly being worshiped by the glowing radiance emanating from the string of gems known as the Upanisads, the crown jewels of all the Vedas. You are eternally adored by liberated souls, such as Narada and Sukadeva. O Hari-nama! I take complete shelter of You.
Where can I listen to Namastakam?
You can listen to 1 recording of Namastakam on this page, including versions sung by HG Yasoda Kumara Prabhu.
How many verses does Namastakam have?
Namastakam has 8 verses.
Can I download Namastakam as a PPT or PDF?
Yes. A ready-to-display slide deck for Namastakam — verse and translation on each slide — is available to download in both PowerPoint (.pptx) and PDF formats from this page, for use in kirtan or temple programs.
