Gopinatha
A humble prayer to Lord Gopinatha by Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Bengali Verses (Transliteration)
Verse 1
gopinath, mama nivedana suno visayi durjana, sada kama-rata, kichu nahi mora guna
Verse 2
gopinath, amara bharasa tumi tomara carane, loinu sarana, tomara kinkora ami
Verse 3
gopinath, kemone sodhibe more na jani bhakati, karme jada-mati, porechi samsara-ghore
Verse 4
gopinath, sakali tomara maya nahi mama bala, jnana-sunya ati, tomara carane chaya
Verse 5
gopinath, kemone hoibe gati prabala indriya, basibhuta mana, na chare visaya-rati
Verse 6
gopinath, hridoye basiya mora manake samiya, laho nija pane, ghucibe vipada ghora
Verse 7
gopinath, anatha dekhiya more tumi hrishikesa, hrishika damiya, taraho samsriti-ghore
Verse 8
gopinath, galaya legeche phasa krpa-asi dhori', bandhana chediya, vinode koroho dasa
Verse 9
gopinath, dristi koro more tara-atara, kichu nahi jani, doro diya rakho more
Verse 10
gopinath, ami to' tomara tomara carane, loinu sarana, tomara kinkora ami
Verse 11
gopinath, kemone sodhibe more na jani bhakti, karme jada-mati, porechi samsara-ghore
Verse 12
gopinath, sakali tomara maya nahi mama bala, jnana-sunya ami, doro diya rakho more
Verse 13
gopinath, kemone hoibe gati prabala indriya, basibhuta mana, na chare visaya-rati
Verse 14
gopinath, hridoye basiya mora manake samiya, laho nija pane, ghucibe vipada ghora
Verse 15
gopinath, anatha dekhiya more tumi hrishikesa, hrishika damiya, taraho samsriti-ghore
Verse 16
gopinath, galaya legeche phasa krpa-asi dhori', bandhana chediya, vinode koroho dasa
Verse 17
gopinath, ami se' papi tumi to' doyalu, dhiro koro more, taraho samsriti-ghore
Verse 18
gopinath, amar upor kripa koro tumi, doro diya rakho, charana-kamale jani
Verse 19
gopinath, tumi to' asraya tomara carane, loinu sarana, koroho amara dhoira
Verse 20
gopinath, tumi to' doyalu tomara carane, loinu sarana, taraho samsriti-ghore
Verse 21
gopinath, tumi to' radhanath tumara carane, loinu sarana, doro diya rakho more
Verse 22
gopinath, tumi to' rasikan tumara carane, loinu sarana, taraho samsriti-ghore
Verse 23
gopinath, tumi to' gunasindhu tumara carane, loinu sarana, charana-kamale jani
Verse 24
gopinath, vinoder nivedana tumara carane, loinu sarana, vinode koroho dasa
Translation
1) O Gopinatha, Lord of the gopis, please hear my request. I am a wicked materialist, always addicted to worldly desires, and no good qualities do I possess.
2) O Gopinatha, You are my only hope, and therefore I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet. I am now Your eternal servant.
3) O Gopinatha, how will You purify me? I do not know what devotion is, and my materialistic mind is absorbed in fruitive work.
4) O Gopinatha, everything here is Your illusory energy. I have no strength or transcendental knowledge; (therefore I have taken) shelter at Your lotus feet.
5) O Gopinatha, how shall I be delivered? My powerful senses have overcome my mind, which cannot give up its attachment to material enjoyment.
6) O Gopinatha, sit within my heart, subdue my mind and take me to You; in this way the terrible dangers of material existence will disappear.
7) O Gopinatha, You are the master of the senses; seeing me so helpless, please control these senses of mine and deliver me from this dark and perilous worldly existence.
8) O Gopinatha, the noose of materialism has become tight around my neck. Taking the sword of Your mercy, please cut this bondage and make this Bhaktivinoda Your humble servant.
9) O Gopinatha, please glance upon me. I do not know what is beneficial or harmful; therefore, please give me Your shelter and protect me.
10) O Gopinatha, I am indeed Yours. I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet; I am Your eternal servant.
11) O Gopinatha, how will You purify me? I do not know what devotion is, and my materialistic mind is absorbed in fruitive work. I have fallen into the dark pit of material existence.
12) O Gopinatha, everything is Your illusory energy. I have no strength, and I am devoid of transcendental knowledge. Please give me Your shelter and protect me.
13) O Gopinatha, how shall I be delivered? My powerful senses have overcome my mind, which cannot give up its attachment to material enjoyment.
14) O Gopinatha, sit within my heart, subdue my mind and take me to You; in this way the terrible dangers of material existence will disappear.
15) O Gopinatha, You are the master of the senses; seeing me so helpless, please control these senses of mine and deliver me from this dark and perilous worldly existence.
16) O Gopinatha, the noose of materialism has become tight around my neck. Taking the sword of Your mercy, please cut this bondage and make this Bhaktivinoda Your humble servant.
17) O Gopinatha, I am indeed a sinner. You are indeed merciful. Please make me steady and deliver me from this dark material existence.
18) O Gopinatha, please be merciful upon me. Give me Your shelter at Your lotus feet.
19) O Gopinatha, You are indeed my shelter. I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet; please make me steady.
20) O Gopinatha, You are indeed merciful. I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet; please deliver me from this dark material existence.
21) O Gopinatha, You are indeed the Lord of Radha. I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet; please give me Your shelter and protect me.
22) O Gopinatha, You are indeed the enjoyer of rasas. I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet; please deliver me from this dark material existence.
23) O Gopinatha, You are indeed an ocean of qualities. I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet.
24) O Gopinatha, this is the request of Bhaktivinoda. I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet; please make this Bhaktivinoda Your humble servant.
Spiritual Significance
Gopinatha is one of the most piercingly honest prayers in all of Gaudiya Vaishnava literature. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura composes it from the position of a completely fallen, materially absorbed soul who, having exhausted every other shelter, finally cries out at the lotus feet of Krishna — the Lord of the gopis. There is no posturing, no claim of qualification; only the bare admission that without Krishna's mercy nothing is possible.
Scriptural Source & Tradition
The three-part Gopinatha prayer appears in Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Saranagati (1893), a manual of surrender (saranagati) modelled on the six limbs of surrender taught by Sri Vaishnava acharyas and embraced by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It belongs to the atma-nivedanasection — full self-offering — which Srila Prabhupada calls the ripest fruit of devotional service.
Commentary from the Acharyas
Srila Prabhupada often quoted this prayer to explain dainya (humility) — the very first qualification of a Vaishnava. He said, "A devotee never claims any qualification. He simply takes shelter, and Krishna does the rest." The refrain — "I have no strength, no knowledge, no devotion; You alone are my shelter" — mirrors King Kulashekhara's Mukunda-mala-stotra and Queen Kunti's prayers in the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura observed that whoever sings Gopinatha with attention is automatically practising the third and most confidential limb of surrender — goptritve varanam — accepting the Lord as one's only maintainer and protector.
When to Sing / Chant
- During moments of spiritual crisis, doubt, or emotional weakness
- As a daily evening prayer to review one's surrender
- Before chanting japa, to soften and humble the heart
- On Ekadashi and Kartik vrata, when introspection is emphasised
- At the bedside of a sick or departing devotee, to invoke Krishna's shelter
Benefits for the Devotee
- Cultivates genuine humility — the doorway to bhakti
- Removes false ego and the burden of trying to "earn" Krishna's grace
- Offers solace in difficult times: depression, loss, illness
- Trains the heart in the mood of saranagati that the Six Goswamis embodied
- Strengthens conviction that Krishna will personally protect a surrendered soul
Gratitude to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
We offer our humble obeisances at the lotus feet of our founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, without whose causeless mercy the priceless prayers, bhajans and sacred literature of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition would have remained inaccessible to most of the world. By his herculean preaching efforts, his unparalleled translations and his founding of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the holy names, pastimes and instructions of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are today chanted in every town and village.
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to the Vaishnava acharyas in the disciplic succession.
