Krishna
Vasudeva Sutam Devam
वसुदेवसुतं देवं कंसचाणूरमर्दनम् । देवकीपरमानन्दं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
Vasudeva-sutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsa-cāṇūra-mardanam, devakī-paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum
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
About this mantra
The classic Krishna vandana — the son of Vasudeva and supreme joy of Devaki, 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 — insisting that the boy of Gokul and the voice of the Gita are one person, and bowing to both at once.
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)