Krishna
Vasudeva Sutam Devam
वसुदेवसुतं देवं कंसचाणूरमर्दनम् । देवकीपरमानन्दं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
Simple reading
Va-su-de-va su-tam de-vam kan-sa chaa-noo-ra mar-da-nam, de-va-kee pa-ra-maa-nan-dam krish-nam van-de ja-gad-gu-rum
Vasudeva-sutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsa-cāṇūra-mardanam, devakī-paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum
About this mantra
The classic Krishna vandana. The son of Vasudeva and supreme joy of Devaki is honoured as the guru of the whole world.
Meaning
I bow to Krishna, the guru of the world: divine son of Vasudeva, subduer of Kamsa and Chanura, supreme bliss of Devaki. The verse holds his whole arc in four feet: a father's son, a tyrant's end, a mother's joy, the world's teacher. It insists that the boy of Gokul and the voice of the Gita are one person, and bows to both at once.
Learn it by heart
Say the first line until it comes without reading, then add the next line and say both, until the whole mantra comes on its own.
Line 1 of 2
वसुदेवसुतं देवं कंसचाणूरमर्दनम् ।
Vasudeva-sutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsa-cāṇūra-mardanam, devakī-paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum
0not said yet
Aim for eleven before the next line. Move on when the line comes without reading.
Progress stays on this device.
When to recite it
Opens Janmashtami worship and Bhagavata readings; recited in many homes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and before study of the Gita.
Word by word
- वसुदेवसुतंvasudeva-sutaṁ
- son of Vasudeva
- कंसचाणूरमर्दनम्kaṁsa-cāṇūra-mardanam
- subduer of Kamsa and Chanura
- देवकीपरमानन्दंdevakī-paramānandaṁ
- supreme bliss of Devaki
- कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम्kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum
- I bow to Krishna, guru of the world
Source: Traditional Kṛṣṇa vandana (pooja paddhati corpus)