Gopala Stotram
गोपाल स्तोत्रम्
What is the Gopala Stotram?
Gopala Stotram The Gopala Stotram, better known as the Gopalashtakam, is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn to Krishna as Gopala, composed by Swami Brahmananda. Every verse closes with the line 'tam gopalam santatakalam prati vande' – I bow to that Gopala for all time – praising him as the one supreme reality from whom the whole universe is born, in whom it rests, and into whom it finally dissolves.
If you have ever wondered why a hymn to a cowherd boy sounds so much like the Upanishads, the Gopala Stotram is your answer. Composed by the sage Swami Brahmananda and widely recited as the Gopalashtakam, its eight verses look past the flute and the peacock feather to the vast, quiet reality behind them. Gopala here is not only the child of Gokul; he is the ground the cosmos stands on.Each verse ends the same way, like a heartbeat you can return to: tam gopalam santatakalam prati vande, “I bow to that Gopala for all time.” Below you will find every verse in Sanskrit and Roman transliteration, a plain-English sense of each one, and a simple guide to chanting it. Read it slowly. This is a stotram meant to be felt as much as spoken.
Gopala Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Verses 1 to 8 each end with the refrain 'tam gopalam santatakalam prati vande.' Verse 9 is the phalashruti, which describes the fruit of daily recitation.
yasmād viśvaṁ jātam idaṁ citram atarkyaṁ
yasmin ānandātmani nityaṁ ramate vai
yatrānte saṁyāti layaṁ caitad aśeṣaṁ
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
यस्माद्विश्वं जातमिदं चित्रमतर्क्यं
यस्मिन्नानन्दात्मनि नित्यं रमते वै ।
यत्रान्ते सम्याति लयं चैतदशेषं
तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ १ ॥
Meaning
From him this dazzling, unfathomable universe is born. In him, the very Self of bliss, it always plays and rests. And into him, at the end of all things, this whole creation quietly melts away. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
yasyājñānāj janma-jarā-roga-kadambaṁ
jñāte yasmin naśyati tat sarvam ihāśu
gatvā yatrāyāti punar no bhava-bhūmiṁ
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
यस्याज्ञानाज्जन्मजरारोगकदम्बं
ज्ञाते यस्मिन्नश्यति तत्सर्वमिहाशु ।
गत्वा यत्रायाति पुनर्नो भवभूमिं
तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ २ ॥
Meaning
Not knowing him, we inherit the whole tangle of birth, ageing and disease. The moment he is truly known, that entire burden falls away in a flash. Reach him, and you never come back to the soil of worldly rebirth. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
tiṣṭhann antar yo yamayaty etad ajasraṁ
yaṁ kaścin no veda jano ‘py ātmani santam
sarvaṁ yasyedaṁ ca vaśe tiṣṭhati viśvaṁ
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
तिष्ठन्नन्तर्यो यमयत्येतदजस्रं
यं कश्चिन्नो वेद जनोऽप्यात्मनि सन्तम् ।
सर्वं यस्येदं च वशे तिष्ठति विश्वं
तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ ३ ॥
Meaning
He dwells within us and steers everything, ceaselessly, from the inside. Yet almost no one notices him, though he sits closer than our own breath, in the heart itself. This entire universe holds together only at his command. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
dharmo ‘dharmeṇeha tiraskāram upaiti
kāle yasmin matsya-mukhaiś cāru-caritraiḥ
nānā-rūpaiḥ pāti tadā yo ‘vani-bimbaṁ
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
धर्मोऽधर्मेणेह तिरस्कारमुपैति
काले यस्मिन् मत्स्यमुखैश्चारुचरित्रैः ।
नानारूपैः पाति तदा योऽवनिबिम्बं
तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ ४ ॥
Meaning
Whenever righteousness is shoved aside and wrongdoing takes over, he steps in. Wearing many forms, beginning with the Fish and every graceful deed that followed, he guards this round earth in its hour of need. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
prāṇāyāmair dhvasta-samastendriya-doṣā
ruddhvā cittaṁ yaṁ hṛdi paśyanti samādhau
jyotīrūpaṁ yogijanā moda-nimagnās
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
प्राणायामैर्ध्वस्तसमस्तेन्द्रियदोषा
रुद्ध्वा चित्तं यं हृदि पश्यन्ति समाधौ ।
ज्योतीरूपं योगिजना मोदनिमग्ना-
-स्तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ ५ ॥
Meaning
Yogis, having burned off every flaw of the senses through steady breath, still the mind and turn inward. There, in deep samadhi, they see him in the heart as pure light, and drown happily in that joy. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
bhānuś candraś coḍu-gaṇaś caiva hutāśo
yasmin naivābhāti taḍic cāpi kadāpi
yad-bhāsā cābhāti samastaṁ jagad etat
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
भानुश्चन्द्रश्चोडुगणश्चैव हुताशो
यस्मिन्नैवाभाति तडिच्चापि कदापि ।
यद्भासा चाभाति समस्तं जगदेतत्
तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ ६ ॥
Meaning
Sun, moon, the crowd of stars, fire, even lightning, none of them can shed light on him; they are simply too small. It is by his glow alone that this whole world is lit up at all. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
satyaṁ jñānaṁ modam avocur nigamā yaṁ
yo brahmendrāditya-girīśārcita-pādaḥ
śete ‘nanto ‘nanta-tanāv ambu-nidhau yas
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
सत्यं ज्ञानं मोदमवोचुर्निगमा यं
यो ब्रह्मेन्द्रादित्यगिरीशार्चितपादः ।
शेतेऽनन्तोऽनन्ततनावम्बुनिधौ य-
-स्तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ ७ ॥
Meaning
The Vedas called him Truth, Knowledge and Bliss itself. His feet are worshipped by Brahma, Indra, the Sun and even Shiva. Endless himself, he reclines on the endless-bodied serpent upon the cosmic ocean. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
śaivāḥ prāhur yaṁ śivam anye gaṇanāthaṁ
śaktiṁ caike ‘rkaṁ ca tathānye mati-bhedāt
nānākārair bhāti ya eko ‘khila-śaktis
taṁ gopālaṁ santatakālaṁ prati vande
शैवाः प्राहुर्यं शिवमन्ये गणनाथं
शक्तिं चैकेऽर्कं च तथान्ये मतिभेदात् ।
नानाकारैर्भाति य एकोऽखिलशक्ति-
-स्तं गोपालं सन्ततकालं प्रति वन्दे ॥ ८ ॥
Meaning
Shaivas call him Shiva; others name him Ganesha; some worship him as Shakti, others as the Sun, each seeing through their own lens. He is one, holding all power, yet he shines through every one of these forms. To that Gopala I bow, for all time.
Phalashruti
śrīmad-gopālāṣṭakam etat samadhīte
bhaktyā nityaṁ yo manujo vai sthira-cetāḥ
hitvā tūrṇaṁ pāpa-kalāpaṁ sa sameti
puṇyaṁ viṣṇor dhāma yato naiva nipātaḥ
श्रीमद्गोपालाष्टकमेतत् समधीते
भक्त्या नित्यं यो मनुजो वै स्थिरचेताः ।
हित्वा तूर्णं पापकलापं स समेति
पुण्यं विष्णोर्धाम यतो नैव निपातः ॥ ९ ॥
Meaning
Whoever recites this blessed Gopalashtakam every day, with devotion and a steady mind, quickly sheds the whole pile of past wrongs and reaches the holy abode of Vishnu, a place from which one never falls back.
Meaning & Significance
Read as a whole, the Gopala Stotram is less a description of Krishna and more an invitation to see through him. The first three verses set the frame: Gopala is where the universe comes from, where it happily abides, and where it dissolves, and he is doing all of this silently from inside your own heart. It is a big claim delivered in a gentle voice.
The middle verses widen the view. Verse four remembers his descents through the ages, from Matsya onward, whenever the world tilts toward chaos. Verses five and six move inward and upward at once: yogis meet him as light in the stillness of samadhi, and no sun or star can illumine him because he is the light that lets them shine. By verses seven and eight the poem is almost breathless, gathering Brahma, Indra, Shiva, Shakti and Surya into a single truth: the many names people argue over are all pointing at the one Gopala. The closing phalashruti brings it back to you and me, promising that steady, loving repetition slowly clears the heart.
How to Chant the Gopala Stotram
- Settle first – Sit facing your Krishna image or a lit lamp, take a few slow breaths, and let the day's rush drop away before you begin.
- Open with the name – A soft 'Om Sri Krishnaya namah' or three rounds of 'Hare Krishna' helps the mind arrive; then move into verse one.
- Lean on the refrain – Let 'tam gopalam santatakalam prati vande' anchor you at the end of each verse. If your attention drifts, the refrain brings it home.
- Follow the meaning – Read the English sense once, then chant the Sanskrit. Knowing what each verse says turns recitation into contemplation.
- Close and sit – After the phalashruti, stay quiet for a minute. The stillness after the words is part of the practice, not an afterthought.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
People return to the Gopala Stotram for reasons that are as practical as they are spiritual. A few of the most common:
- A calmer, steadier mind: The repeating refrain and slow meter act almost like a breathing exercise, easing anxiety and pulling scattered thoughts into one place.
- Freedom from fear: Verse two speaks directly to the fear of ageing, illness and death, offering the reassurance that these lose their grip once Gopala is known.
- Deeper devotion: Seeing Krishna as both the beloved cowherd and the infinite reality naturally warms and expands one's bhakti.
- Support for meditation: Verse five's image of the inner light makes this stotram a natural companion for japa and dhyana practice.
- A sense of unity: The eighth verse dissolves sectarian lines, leaving a quiet, generous feeling that all sincere worship reaches the same source.
- Purity of heart: The phalashruti promises that steady daily recitation gradually clears away old burdens and lightens the mind.
Who Composed This Stotram?
The Gopala Stotram is traditionally credited to the renunciant sage Swami Brahmananda, whose signature closes the hymn: ‘srimat-paramahamsa svami brahmananda viracitam sri gopalashtakam.’ Because several teachers have carried that honoured name across the centuries, its exact date is hard to pin down, but the composition itself is unmistakable in flavour, thoroughly Vedantic, steeped in the language of the Upanishads.
That is what sets this stotram apart from the many playful Bala Gopala songs of the Braj tradition. It borrows the cosmic vision of texts like the Katha and Mundaka Upanishads, where no sun or fire can light the Supreme, and pours it into a devotee’s bow before Krishna. The result is a short, dense poem that a beginner can chant for its music and a seeker can unpack for a lifetime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote the Gopala Stotram?
It is attributed to Swami Brahmananda, a paramahamsa renunciant, whose name appears in the closing colophon of the hymn. The work is popularly known as the Gopalashtakam.
How many verses are in the Gopala Stotram?
There are eight main verses, each ending with the refrain 'tam gopalam santatakalam prati vande,' followed by a ninth phalashruti verse that describes the reward of daily recitation.
Is the Gopala Stotram the same as the Gopala mantra or Gopala Sahasranama?
No. Those are separate texts, a seed mantra and a thousand-name hymn respectively. The Gopala Stotram here is a distinct eight-verse ashtaka by Swami Brahmananda.
What does the refrain mean?
'Tam gopalam santatakalam prati vande' means 'I bow to that Gopala for all time.' Repeating it after every verse gives the stotram its steady, meditative rhythm.
Can beginners chant the Gopala Stotram?
Yes. Start slowly with the Roman transliteration, keep the meaning nearby, and let the refrain guide you. Even reciting it once a day with attention is a complete practice.
When is the best time to recite it?
Early morning after bathing or during evening prayers is ideal, and it is especially fitting on Janmashtami and other Krishna festivals. Beyond that, any calm moment works.
॥ जय श्री कृष्ण ॥