जन्मकोटिसहस्राणां पातकादेव मुच्यते । राशब्दो विश्ववचनो मश्चापीश्वरवाचकः
By this, one is freed from the sins of thousands of millions of births; the syllable 'rā' is a universal word, and 'ma' is also a name of the Lord.
विश्वानामीश्वरो यो हि तेन रामः प्रकीर्तितः । रमते रमया सार्वं तेन रामं विदुर्बुधा
He who is the Lord of all the worlds is called Rāma; because he delights and causes all to delight, the wise know him as Rāma.
रमाया रमणस्थानं रामं रामविदो विदुः । राश्चेति लक्ष्मीवचनो मश्चापीश्वरवाचकः
Those who know the ways of Rāma understand Rāma as the beloved of Ramā; 'rā' is a word of Lakṣmī, and 'ma' is a term for the Lord.
लक्ष्मीपतिं गतिं रामं प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः । नाम्नां सहस्रं दिव्यानां स्मरणे यत्फलं लभेत्
The wise declare Rāma, the husband of Lakṣmī, as the supreme goal; by remembering a thousand divine names, one attains the fruit that comes from their recitation.
तत्फलं लभते नूनं रामोच्चारणमात्रतः । सारूप्यमुक्तिवचनो सारेति च विदुर्बुधाः
Indeed, simply uttering the name 'Rāma' grants that very fruit; the learned know that 'sā' means resemblance and liberation.
यो देवोऽप्ययनं तस्य स च नारायणः स्मृतः । नाराश्च कृतपापाश्चाप्ययनं गमनं स्मृतम्
That god whose abode is the highest is remembered as Nārāyaṇa; 'nārāḥ' are those who have committed sins, and 'ayana' means going or attaining.
यतो हि गमनं तेषां सोऽयं नारायणः स्मृतः । सकृन्नारायणेत्युक्त्वा पुमान्कल्मशतत्रयम्
Because he is the destination for them, he is called Nārāyaṇa; by uttering 'Nārāyaṇa' even once, a person is freed from threefold sin.
गङ्गादिसर्वतीर्थेषु स्नातो भवति निश्चितम् । नारं च मोक्षणं पुण्यमयनं ज्ञानमीप्सितम्
He is considered as having bathed in all holy places like the Gaṅgā; 'nāra' means liberation, 'ayana' means merit, and knowledge is the desired aim.
तयोर्ज्ञानं भवेद्यस्मात्सोऽयं नारायणः प्रभुः । नास्त्यन्तो यस्य वेदेषु पुराणेषु चतुर्षु च
Because knowledge arises from these two, he is the Lord Nārāyaṇa; whose end is not found in the Vedas or in the four Purāṇas.
शास्त्रेष्वन्येषु योगेषु तेनानन्तं विदुर्बुधाः । मुकुमध्ययमानं च निर्वाणं मोक्षवाचकम्
In other scriptures and yogas as well, the wise know him as infinite; 'muku' means liberation, 'madhya' means absorption, and 'nirvāṇa' signifies release.
* तद्ददाति च यो देवो मुकुंदस्तेन कीर्तितः । मुकुं भक्तिरसप्रेमवचनं वेदसंमतम्
He who gives that, the god is praised as Mukunda; 'muku' is the word for devotion, the essence of love, as approved by the Vedas.
** यस्तं ददाति भक्तेभ्यो मुकंदस्तेन कीर्तितः । सूदनं मधुदैत्यस्य यस्मात्स मधुसूदनः
He who gives that to devotees is thus called Mukunda; because he slew the demon Madhu, he is known as Madhusūdana.
इति सन्तो वदन्तीशं वेदे भिन्नार्थमीप्सितम् । मधु क्लीबं च माध्वीके कृतकर्मशुभाशुभे
Thus, the saints speak of the Lord in the Veda, each seeking a different meaning; 'madhu' means weak, intoxicating, and refers to actions, both good and bad.
भक्तानां कर्मणां चैव सूदनं मधुसूदनः । परिणामाशुभं कर्मं भ्रान्तानां मधुरं मधु
Because he destroys the actions of devotees, he is called Madhusūdana; for the deluded, 'madhu' means sweet, but their actions end in misfortune.
करोति सूदनं यो हि स एव मधुसूदनः । कृषिरुत्कृष्टवचनो णश्च सद्भक्तिवाचकः
He who destroys these is indeed Madhusūdana; 'kṛṣ' means excellent, and 'ṇa' signifies true devotion.
अश्चापि दातृवचनः कृष्णं तेन विदुर्बुधाः । कृषिश्च परमानन्दे णश्च तद्दास्यकर्मणि
And 'ṇa' also means giver, so the wise know him as Kṛṣṇa; 'kṛṣi' is supreme bliss, and 'ṇa' is service to him.
तयोर्दाता च यो देवस्तेन कृष्णः प्रकीर्तितः । कोटिजन्मार्जिते पापे कृषिःक्लेशे च वर्तते
He who gives both is therefore called Kṛṣṇa; 'kṛṣi' is the suffering accumulated from millions of births.
भक्तानां णश्च निर्वाणे तेन कृष्णः प्रकीर्तितः । नाम्नां सहस्रं दिव्यानां त्रिरावृत्त्या चयत्फलम्
And 'ṇa' is liberation for devotees, thus he is called Kṛṣṇa; the fruit obtained by reciting a thousand divine names three times,
एकावृत्त्या तु कृष्णस्य तत्फलं लभते नरः । कृष्णनाम्नः परं नाम न भूतं न भविष्यति
A man attains that fruit by reciting the name of Kṛṣṇa just once; there has never been, nor will there be, a name higher than Kṛṣṇa's.
सर्वेभ्यश्च परं नाम कृष्णेति वैदिका विदुः । कृष्ण कृष्णोति हे गोपि यस्तं स्मरति नित्यशः
The Vedic knowers declare that among all names, the supreme name is 'Kṛṣṇa'; he who always remembers 'Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa,' O Gopī,
जलं भित्त्वा यथा पद्मं नरकादुद्धरेच्च सः । कृष्णेति मङ्गलं नाम यस्य वाचि प्रवर्तते
Just as one lifts a lotus by piercing water, so does he lift himself from hell, whose tongue utters the auspicious name 'Kṛṣṇa'.
भस्मीभवन्ति सद्यस्तु महापातककोटयः । अश्वमेधसहस्रेभ्यः फलं कृष्णजपस्य च
Instantly, countless great sins are reduced to ashes; and the fruit of reciting Kṛṣṇa's name surpasses that of a thousand horse sacrifices.
वरं तेभ्यः पुनर्जन्म नातो भक्तपुनर्भवः । सर्वेषामपि यज्ञानां लक्षाणि च व्रतानि च
Better than all those is rebirth for them, but not so for the devotee who is not reborn; all sacrifices and hundreds of vows,
तीर्थस्नानानि सर्वाणि तपांस्यनशनानि च । वेदपाठसहस्राणि प्रादक्षिण्यं भुवः शतम्
All pilgrimages and austerities, fastings, thousands of Vedic recitations, and a hundred circumambulations of the earth—
कृष्णनामजपस्यास्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम् । तेषां लोभा द्भवेत्स्वर्गफलं च सुचिरं नृणाम्
These do not equal even a sixteenth part of the recitation of Kṛṣṇa's name; from these, people only gain the fruit of heaven for a long time due to desire.
स्वर्कादवश्यं पुंसश्च जपकर्तुर्हरेः पदम् । के जले सर्वदेहेऽपि शयनं यस्य चाऽऽत्मनः
But from heaven, a person must certainly fall; yet the reciter of Hari's name attains His abode, who lies upon the waters and within all beings, even as their very self.
वदन्ति वैदिकाः सर्वे तं देवं केशवं परम् । कंसश्च पातके विघ्ने रोगे शोके च दानवे
All Vedic authorities declare Him to be that supreme god Keśava; and Kaṃsa, in sin, obstacle, disease, sorrow, and among demons—
तेषामरिर्निहन्ता च स कंसारिः प्रकीर्तितः । रुद्ररूपेण संहर्ता विश्वानामपि नित्यशः
He is called the slayer of their enemy, Kaṃsa; in the form of Rudra, He is the destroyer of all worlds, eternally.
भक्तानां पातकानां च हरिस्तेन प्रकीर्तितः । मा च ब्रह्मस्वरूपा या मूलप्रकृतिरीश्वरी
He is called Hari, the remover of the sins of devotees; and Mā, who is of the nature of Brahman, the primal power, the sovereign goddess—
नारायणीति विख्याता विष्णुमाया सनातनी । महालक्ष्मीस्वरूपा च वेदमाता सरस्वती राधा वसुंधरा गङ्गा तासां स्वामी च माधवः
She is renowned as Nārāyaṇī, the eternal power of Viṣṇu; she is the form of Mahālakṣmī, the mother of the Vedas, Sarasvatī, Rādhā, the earth, and Gaṅgā; and Mādhava is their Lord.