* 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.
ब्रह्मेशशेषादिभवैश्च वन्द्यं ध्यानैर्न किंचित्सनकादिभिश्च । वेदैः पुराणैर्न निरूपितं च भजस्व भक्त्या नवनीतचोरम्
He is worshipped by Brahmā, Śiva, Śeṣa, and others, but not fully realized in meditation even by Sanaka and the sages; not defined by the Vedas or Purāṇas—worship with devotion the butter-thief.
क्व चापि दुग्धं क्व दघि घृतं वा नवोद्धृतं वा क्व च तक्रमीप्सितम् । तेषां क्व चोरोभवतिं क्व चापि क्व बन्धनं ते भवमूलमध्ये
Where is the milk, where the curd, or the freshly churned butter, or the buttermilk they desire? Where is the thief among them, and where is bondage for Him, in the root of existence?
न योगिभिः सिद्धगणैर्मुनीन्द्रैर्न भक्तसंघैर्भवपद्मशेषैः । योगैर्न बद्धो न हि रक्षितुं क्षमैः कथं स वद्धस्तव मूलमध्यतः
Not by yogis, hosts of perfected beings, great sages, nor by groups of devotees, nor by the lords of the world-lotus, nor by yogic means, can He be bound or protected—how then was He bound by you at the root of existence?
प्रम्णानु भक्त्या स्तवनेन पूजया भजस्व पुत्रं तरसा च भारते । हृत्पद्ममध्ये स्थितमीश्वरं परं ध्यानेन यत्नेन च संततं सति
With measureless devotion, praise, and worship, serve the child swiftly, O Bhāratī; with constant effort, meditate on the supreme Lord who dwells in the center of the heart-lotus.
वरं वृणुष्व भद्रं ते यत्ते मनसि वाञ्छितम् । सर्वं दास्यामि जगति देवानामपि दुर्लभम्
Choose a boon, good lady, whatever you desire in your heart; I will grant you everything in the world, even that which is difficult for the gods to obtain.
यशोदोवाच हरौ च निश्चला भक्तिस्तद्दास्यं वाञ्छितं मम । तव नाम्नश्च व्युत्पत्तिः का वा तद्वक्तुमर्हसि
Yaśodā said: May I have unwavering devotion to Hari, and the desire to serve Him; and what is the origin of Your name? You should tell me that.
राधिकोवाच भवेद्भक्तिर्निश्चला ते हरेर्दास्यं च दुर्लभम् । लभस्व मद्वरेणापि कथयामि सुनिर्णयम्
Rādhikā said: May you have unwavering devotion to Hari, and service to Him, which is rare; by my boon, you shall obtain it—I will tell you the settled truth.
पुरा नन्देन दृष्टाऽहं भाण्डीरे वटमूलके । मया च कथितो नन्दो निषिद्धश्च प्रजेश्वरः
Once, I was seen by Nanda at Bhāṇḍīra, at the root of a banyan tree; and I spoke to Nanda, but the lord of the people forbade me.
अहमेव स्वयं राधा छाया रायणकामिनी । रायणः श्रीहरेरंशः पार्षदप्रवरो महान्
I myself am Rādhā, the shadow and the beloved of Rāyaṇa; Rāyaṇa is a great foremost attendant, a portion of Śrī Hari.
राशब्दश्च महाविष्णुर्विश्वानि यस्य लोमसु । विश्वप्राणिषु विश्वेषु धा धात्री मातृवाचकः
The syllable 'rā' is Mahāviṣṇu, in whose pores exist all worlds; among all beings and universes, 'dhā' signifies the nourishing mother.