Shrinathji Ki Aarti

By the BhaktiRas Editorial Team · Updated 14 July 2026

Shrinathji is the beloved child form of Krishna worshipped in the Pushtimarg (Vallabh Sampraday) tradition, whose main shrine sits at Nathdwara near Udaipur. This aarti is sung while the lamp is waved before his darshan, greeting him as the lifter of Govardhan and the giver of grace. It is short, quick to learn, and meant to be sung with the whole household joining the refrain. Below you will find the verses in easy Roman transliteration and Devanagari, a plain-language meaning for each line, and notes on how and when families sing it.

Shrinathji Ki Aarti Lyrics

Meaning & Significance

Shrinathji is not pictured as a distant, crowned king but as a young child, roughly seven years old, with his left arm raised in the pose of lifting Govardhan hill. That single image carries the whole meaning of this aarti. In the story loved by Pushtimarg devotees, Krishna raised the hill to shelter the people of Braj from a storm sent by Indra, and by doing so he taught that God protects those who take refuge in him rather than in ritual for its own sake.

The verses move in a simple arc. They first name him by his great deed, then place him in his shrine at Nathdwara, then describe the act of worship, his dress, and finally the reward of surrender. When you sing “charan sharan jo aave,” you are stating the tradition’s central hope: that coming to his feet is itself enough. The peacock crown and yellow robe are not decorative asides; dressing and adorning the swarup is an act of intimate service (seva) in this path, and the aarti is the moment that service becomes song.

How Do You Perform the Aarti?

1. Choose the time — Sing it at one of the darshan periods, most commonly at the morning Mangala or the evening lamp offering, or simply before your home altar of Shrinathji.
2. Light the lamp — Prepare a ghee or oil lamp on a small plate. In many homes a conch is blown and a bell rung to begin.
3. Stand facing the image — Face the swarup or picture of Shrinathji with the plate in your right hand, ringing the bell with the left if you have one.
4. Sing the refrain first — Begin with 'Jai Jai Shrinathji, Jai Jai Shrinathji' and let others join, circling the lamp gently in a clockwise motion.
5. Add each verse — Sing the antaras in order, returning to the refrain after each so everyone can keep pace.
6. Close and offer — End on the refrain, set the lamp down, and offer it to those present to pass their palms over the flame and touch their eyes.

What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?

Families keep this aarti in daily and festival worship for reasons that are practical as much as devotional:

• Short and easy to learn: With a repeating refrain and few verses, children and elders can pick it up in a single sitting.
• Anchors daily seva: It gives the morning or evening darshan a clear, shared close, turning private prayer into a household moment.
• Carries the Govardhan message: Each singing repeats the tradition's core idea, that refuge at the Lord's feet is met with shelter and grace.
• Fits any setting: It works before the full swarup at Nathdwara, at a home altar, or during Janmashtami and Annakut gatherings.
• Settles the mind: The steady refrain and lamp motion give a simple point of focus, useful for beginning or ending the day calmly.

Who Wrote This Aarti?

This aarti belongs to the living oral tradition of the Pushtimarg, the “path of grace” founded by Sri Vallabhacharya in the sixteenth century, whose devotion centres on the child Krishna as Shrinathji. Like most aartis in this stream, no single named poet is claimed for it; it was shaped and carried forward by generations of devotees and temple singers, and today circulates in slightly varying forms across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the wider Vaishnava diaspora.

The version given here follows the commonly recited text, with the refrain and the Govardhan, Nathdwara, and refuge verses that appear most consistently across households and recordings. Local families often add a stanza or two of their own; that flexibility is part of how a folk aarti stays alive.

Frequently Asked Questions

जय श्री कृष्ण! जय जय श्रीनाथजी!