About this stotra
This prayer is a humble invocation of Lord Krishna as our supreme protector and divine liberator from suffering. Lord Krishna, revered as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, embodies divine wisdom, love, and compassion. Known for his role in the Mahabharata, where he delivered the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna guides humanity on dharma, or righteous living, emphasising devotion, selflessness, and inner peace. He is invoked here as Vāsudeva — grammatically "the son of Vasudeva", naming the avatar born to Vasudeva and Devaki, while the same name (from the root vas, "to dwell") also carries a universal sense: as the Vishnu Purana explains, He dwells in all beings and all beings dwell in Him — the all-pervading indweller. Krishna is addressed as "Paramātma", the Supreme Divine Self. He is also addressed as "Haraye" - the remover of all sins and suffering.
The verse then expresses the purpose of the invocation - "Praṇataḥ kleśanāśāya" - the one who removes or dispels (nāśāya) distress and afflictions (kleśa) for those who surrender unto him (praṇataḥ). The profound connection between surrender (praṇataḥ) and the removal of afflictions (kleśa nāśāya) through Krishna's grace operates on multiple spiritual and psychological levels. First, when we surrender to Krishna, we begin to see our difficulties through the lens of divine purpose rather than random misfortune, bringing psychological relief and deeper understanding. Second, surrender helps us release the burden of ego-driven control, which is itself a major source of distress - when we stop trying to be the controller and acknowledge Krishna's supreme position, many anxieties naturally fall away. Third, through surrender, we tap into Krishna's divine protection and guidance - He begins to handle our difficulties in ways that our limited intelligence couldn't conceive. The Bhagavad Gita affirms this with Krishna's promise: "Surrender unto Me; I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions, do not fear." The more complete our surrender, the more thorough the removal of our kleśas becomes. Just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, afflictions cannot persist in the presence of complete surrender to Krishna.
The verse concludes with the repeated salutation "Govindāya namo namaḥ" - obeisance upon obeisance to Govinda, another revered name of Lord Krishna.
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Verse 1
Krishnaya Vasudevaya Haraye Paramatmane – Verse 1
कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय हरये परमात्मने
प्रणतः क्लेशनाशाय गोविंदाय नमोनमः
kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya haraye paramātmane
praṇataḥ kleśanāśāya govindāya namo namaḥ
Salutations again and again to Lord Krishna — the son of Vasudeva and the indweller of all beings — to Hari, the Supreme Soul. Salutations to Govinda, the destroyer of the sorrows of those who surrender unto Him.
Word by word
- कृष्णाय (kṛṣṇāya)
- to Kṛṣṇa
- वासुदेवाय (vāsudevāya)
- to Vāsudeva — the son of Vasudeva, and also the indweller of all beings (from √vas, to dwell)
- हरये (haraye)
- to Hari, the remover of sin
- परमात्मने (paramātmane)
- to the Supreme Self (parama:supreme | ātmane:to the Self)
- प्रणतः (praṇataḥ)
- of those who bow in surrender (read with the next word as praṇata-kleśa-nāśāya)
- क्लेशनाशाय (kleśanāśāya)
- to the destroyer of sorrows (kleśa:sorrow, suffering | nāśāya:to the destroyer)
- गोविंदाय (govindāya)
- to Govinda
- नमोनमः (namo namaḥ)
- repeated salutations (namaḥ:salutation | namaḥ:salutation)
