Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari

By the BhaktiRas Editorial Team · Updated 14 July 2026

Unlike the long descriptive aartis sung with a lamp, this is a naam-dhun — a name-chant. Its whole substance is a run of Krishna’s names, strung together so the tongue keeps moving from one to the next without a break. The core couplet comes from the Govinda Damodara Stotram, a verse-set carried in the tradition of Adi Shankaracharya and later devotee-poets, where the singer literally instructs the tongue: taste this nectar, keep saying Govinda, Damodara, Madhava. Because it leans on repetition rather than narrative, it works equally as a first thing in the morning invocation and as an evening chant, and it is short enough to learn in a single sitting.

Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari Lyrics

Meaning & Significance

The chant is built in two halves. The refrain sets the rhythm with a handful of Krishna’s most familiar names, then does something unusual — it speaks to the tongue directly, telling it that these names are nectar and that repeating them is all it needs to do. That instruction is the whole method of a naam-dhun: you are not asked to understand a story or picture a scene, only to keep the names moving.

The two antaras widen the garland. The first lists names drawn from Krishna’s own life and from the larger family of Vishnu’s forms — Achyuta, Keshava, Damodara, Hari. The second folds in the Rama story, ending on the plain word bhaje, “I sing.” By closing on Ramachandra and Janaki-nayaka, the chant quietly says that the many names point to one reality. Sung slowly it becomes meditative; sung fast it becomes a joyful kirtan.

How Do You Perform the Aarti?

1. Sit facing an image or picture of Krishna, or simply close your eyes. Because this is a name-chant, no lamp or tray is required — though many light a diya at dawn or dusk. —
2. Begin with the refrain and repeat it several times until the rhythm settles. Let the four names in the first line — Govind, Hare, Murari — lead each cycle. —
3. Add the two antaras once the refrain is steady, then return to the refrain. Many singers loop the refrain far more often than the antaras. —
4. Keep the tempo comfortable. Slow and low for morning stillness; brisk and clapped for an evening kirtan with others. —
5. Close by sitting quietly for a few breaths, letting the last name fade before you open your eyes. —

What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?

A naam-dhun asks very little and gives a steady footing to the day. Reasons devotees return to this short chant:

• Short and memorable: With only a refrain and two antaras, the whole chant can be held in memory after a few sittings — no book needed.
• Works morning and evening: It suits both a quiet dawn practice and a lively evening kirtan, so it fits either end of the day.
• Names over narrative: Because it is a garland of names rather than a long story, attention can rest on the sound itself, which many find calming.
• A single thread through many forms: By naming Krishna and Rama together, it gathers several of Vishnu's forms into one continuous chant.
• Easy to sing in a group: The repeating refrain makes it simple for a gathering to join in without rehearsal.

Who Wrote This Aarti?

The chant has no single named composer in the way a modern bhajan does; it is a traditional naam-dhun. Its heart — the couplet jihve pibasvamritam etadeva, govind damodar madhaveti — belongs to the Govinda Damodara Stotram, a set of verses long carried in the devotional stream associated with Adi Shankaracharya and echoed by later Krishna-poets. Over time the refrain was paired with the well-loved Achyutam Keshavam naam-mala and sung as one continuous chant. What has kept it alive is not authorship but use: generations have simply passed it mouth to mouth as an easy way to keep Krishna’s names on the tongue.

Frequently Asked Questions

॥ जय श्री कृष्ण ॥