Radha Krishna Stotram (Yugalashtakam)
युगलाष्टकम्
What is the Radha Krishna Stotram?
Radha Krishna Stotram (Yugalashtakam) The Radha Krishna Stotram is better known by its proper name, the Yugalashtakam, eight verses on the divine pair, composed by Srila Jiva Goswami of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan. Each verse pairs Radha and Krishna in a single image of union, love, wealth, life-breath, melting devotion, indwelling presence, and rulership of Vrindavan, and every verse closes with the same line: in life or in death, Radha and Krishna are my only shelter.
Search for a Radha Krishna Stotram and you will run into more than one text that goes by that name. The one gathered here is the Yugalashtakam, eight compact verses composed by Srila Jiva Goswami, one of the Six Goswamis who carried Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teaching into Vrindavan. It is called Yugal-ashtakam because yugal means the pair, and every line keeps Radha and Krishna side by side rather than praising either one alone, which is exactly why devotees reach for it when they want to address the couple together rather than Krishna or Radha in isolation.If you came here looking for a hymn to Radha by herself, this site keeps that as a separate page. This Radha Krishna Stotram is the joined, Yugal form, built for a mood where the two are never spoken of apart. The Sanskrit is simple enough to pick up in one sitting, and its refrain, repeated eight times, is the part most people end up carrying with them long after they close the page.
Radha Krishna Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Text as transcribed on a 2008 Gaudiya devotional blog and in the ISKCON Desire Tree ebook 'Krsna Prema Mayi Radha Yugalastakam,' both attributing the verses to Jiva Goswami; wording matches across both sources.
krsna-prema-mayi radha
radha prema-mayo harih
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
कृष्णप्रेममयी राधा राधाप्रेममयो हरिः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha is made entirely of love for Krishna, and Krishna is made entirely of love for Radha. Whatever comes, living or dying, this pair is the only refuge I have. It is the opening statement of the whole hymn: not two people who love each other, but two who are literally composed of that love.
krsnasya dravinam radha
radhaya dravinam harih
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
कृष्णस्य द्रविणं राधा राधाया द्रविणं हरिः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha is Krishna's wealth, and Krishna is Radha's wealth. Where ordinary wealth is measured and spent, this is a wealth that only grows by being given away to the other, and it is that wealth, not any worldly kind, that the verse calls my true shelter.
krsna-prana-mayi radha
radha-prana-mayo harih
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
कृष्णप्राणमयी राधा राधाप्राणमयो हरिः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha is the very life-breath of Krishna, and Krishna is the very life-breath of Radha. Praana is the breath that keeps a body alive, so this verse is saying each one lives only through the other, not beside the other.
krsna-drava-mayi radha
radha-drava-mayo harih
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
कृष्णद्रवमयी राधा राधाद्रवमयो हरिः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha is completely melted into Krishna, and Krishna is completely melted into Radha, the way solid ice gives up its shape and turns to water. This is the verse devotees quote most when they want to describe devotion that has stopped being effort and simply become a state of being.
krsna-gehe sthita radha
radha-gehe sthito harih
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
कृष्णगेहे स्थिता राधा राधागेहे स्थितो हरिः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha resides within Krishna's own being, and Krishna resides within Radha's own being. Geha literally means house or home, so the verse pictures each of them carrying the other inside, as a permanent resident rather than a visitor.
krsna-citta-sthita radha
radha-citta-sthito harih
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
कृष्णचित्तस्थिता राधा राधाचित्तस्थितो हरिः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha is fixed in Krishna's heart, and Krishna is fixed in Radha's heart. Where verse five placed them in each other's being, this one narrows to the heart itself, the seat of memory and feeling, so nothing that happens can dislodge either one from the other's thought.
nilambara-dhara radha
pitambara-dharo harih
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
नीलाम्बरधरा राधा पीताम्बरधरो हरिः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha wears blue cloth, and Krishna wears yellow cloth. After six verses of abstract union, this one turns to the two familiar figures a devotee actually pictures in meditation or on a temple altar, standing together in their traditional colors.
vrndavanesvari radha
krsno vrndavanesvarah
jivane nidhane nityam
radha-krsnau gatir mama
वृन्दावनेश्वरी राधा कृष्णो वृन्दावनेश्वरः
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम
Meaning
Radha is the Queen of Vrindavan, and Krishna is its King. The closing verse widens out from the personal to the geographic, naming the two as the joint rulers of the land where every earlier verse has quietly been taking place, and repeats the refrain one last time to seal the hymn.
Meaning & Significance
Read straight through, the eight verses of this Radha Krishna Stotram build in a clear order. The first four describe an inner state, love, wealth, breath, melting, that belongs to no one but the pair themselves. The next two move that state into physical terms, each dwelling inside the other’s being and heart. The seventh brings the reader back to the visible image most familiar from art and temple worship, blue on one side and yellow on the other. The eighth then places both of them on the throne of Vrindavan, the land itself, before returning one final time to the shared line that has closed every verse: in life or in death, Radha and Krishna are my only shelter.
That refrain is doing more work than it first appears to. It is not asking for anything, no wish list, no request for wealth or protection in the usual stotra sense. It is simply stating where the devotee has already decided to stand, which is why this Yugalashtakam gets used less as a petition and more as a quiet, repeated affirmation before or after worship of the divine couple.
How to Chant the Radha Krishna Stotram (Yugalashtakam)
- Settle and face the Deity or image – Sit before a picture or murti of Radha Krishna, or simply close your eyes and hold the pair in mind, since the whole hymn addresses them together.
- Start with a short pranam – Offer a brief bow or a moment of silence before the first verse, the way you would before any short home stotra.
- Chant each verse slowly – Say the four lines of each verse at a steady pace rather than rushing, since the meaning depends on noticing how the same pattern shifts verse to verse.
- Let the refrain land – Give the closing line, jivane nidhane nityam radha-krsnau gatir mama, a beat of pause each time, since it is the phrase the whole hymn is built around.
- Repeat the set – Chanting the eight verses two or three times in a row is common practice and helps the sequence settle into memory.
- Close quietly – Sit for a few seconds after the last verse before moving on, rather than ending abruptly.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
Devotees who chant this Radha Krishna Stotram regularly describe a few consistent effects, more about attention and mood than any promised outcome.
- Sharpens focus on the pair, not either alone: Because every line names both Radha and Krishna together, the practice trains the mind away from picturing one without the other.
- Easy to hold in memory: Eight short, four-line verses sharing one refrain make this one of the quickest Sanskrit stotras to actually retain.
- Fits naturally before or after arati: Its brevity makes it a practical addition to daily worship without extending the routine by much.
- Deepens familiarity with Gaudiya devotional language: Terms like prana-mayi and citta-sthita introduce the vocabulary Gaudiya Vaishnava texts use for love, which helps when reading longer works later.
- Grounds abstract devotion in a concrete refrain: The repeated closing line gives the mind something steady to return to, useful during longer meditation or kirtan sessions.
- Connects the reciter to the Six Goswamis' tradition: Chanting words composed by Jiva Goswami links daily practice to the specific lineage that shaped devotional life in Vrindavan.
Who Composed This Stotram?
The Yugalashtakam is credited to Srila Jiva Goswami, one of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan who, following the direction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the sixteenth century, settled in Vrindavan and wrote the theological and devotional foundation of what is now Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Jiva Goswami is best known for large philosophical works, so this short eight-verse hymn shows a different side of his writing, compact enough to be sung at home rather than studied in a classroom.
Because the text names Radha and Krishna as a single unit in every line, it belongs to the Yugal, or paired, tradition of Braj devotion, distinct from hymns addressed to Krishna alone or to Radha alone. It continues to circulate in Gaudiya communities and ISKCON temples as a short recitation, often alongside other Goswami compositions from the same Vrindavan period.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Radha Krishna Stotram actually called?
Its proper Sanskrit name is the Yugalashtakam, eight verses on the divine pair. Radha Krishna Stotram is the descriptive name people search for since it addresses both deities together, but Yugalashtakam is the name used in the original Gaudiya sources.
Who composed the Yugalashtakam?
Srila Jiva Goswami, one of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan who established the philosophical and devotional base of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the sixteenth century.
How many verses does it have?
Eight verses, each four lines long, and each closing with the same refrain: in life or in death, Radha and Krishna are my only shelter.
Is this the same as other Radha Krishna stotras online?
No. Several different hymns share the Radha Krishna Stotram name. This page carries the Yugalashtakam specifically, verified against two independent Gaudiya sources. This site also keeps a separate stotram addressed to Radha alone, which is a different text.
When is it usually chanted?
It fits naturally into daily morning or evening worship of Radha Krishna, and is chanted with extra attention on Radhashtami and Janmashtami, though there is no fixed rule restricting it to those days.
What does the closing refrain mean?
Jivane nidhane nityam radha-krsnau gatir mama means, in life or in death, Radha and Krishna are perpetually my refuge. It is repeated after every verse and functions as the hymn's central statement rather than a request or a wish.
जीवने निधने नित्यं राधाकृष्णौ गतिर्मम