Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna Jaya Vrndavana
Sri Vraja Dhama Mahimamrta — The Nectarean Glories of Vraja-dhama
By Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami — a beautiful glorification of Vrindavana, its sacred places and the residents of Vraja
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A Glorification of Vraja-dhama
"Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna Jaya Vrndavana" is the opening line of the beloved Bengali bhajan Sri Vraja Dhama Mahimamrta ("The Nectarean Glories of Vraja-dhama"), composed by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami — the same great acarya who authored the Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, the definitive biography and philosophical treatise on the life of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Each verse begins or ends with the word jaya — "all glories" — a joyful glorification offered one by one to Sri Radha and Krsna, to the sacred sites of Vraja, and to every resident of Vrndavana. Singing it is a form of parikrama in sound: the devotee travels through the entire holy land of Vraja, remembering its lakes, hills, forests and eternal associates of the Lord.
Verse 1
jaya rādhe, jaya kṛṣṇa, jaya vṛndāvana śrī govinda, gopīnātha, madana-mohana
All glories to Radha and Krsna and the divine forest of Vrndavana. All glories to the three presiding Deities of Vrndavana — Sri Govinda, Gopinatha, and Madana-mohana.
Verse 2
śyama-kuṇḍa, rādhā-kuṇḍa, giri-govardhana kālindi jamunā jaya, jaya mahāvana
All glories to Syama-kunda, Radha-kunda, Govardhana Hill, and the Yamuna River (Kalindi). All glories to the great forest known as Mahavana, where Krsna and Balarama displayed all of Their childhood pastimes.
Verse 3
keśī-ghāṭa, baṁśī-baṭa, dwādaśa-kānana jāhā saba līlā koilo śrī-nanda-nandana
All glories to Kesi-ghata, where Krsna killed the Kesi demon. All glories to the Vamsi-vata tree, where Krsna attracted all the gopis by playing His flute. Glories to all of the twelve forests of Vraja. At these places the son of Nanda, Sri Krsna, performed all of His pastimes.
Verse 4
śrī-nanda-jaśodā jaya, jaya gopa-gaṇa śrīdāmādi jaya, jaya dhenu-vatsa-gaṇa
All glories to Krsna's divine father and mother Nanda and Yasoda. All glories to the cowherd boys, headed by Sridama, the older brother of Srimati Radharani and Ananga Manjari. All glories to the cows and calves of Vraja.
Verse 5
jaya vṛṣabhānu, jaya kīrtidā sundarī jaya paurṇamāsī, jaya ābhīra-nāgarī
All glories to Radha's divine father and mother, Vrsabhanu and the beautiful Kirtida. All glories to Paurnamasi, the mother of Sandipani Muni. All glories to the young cowherd maidens of Vraja.
Verse 6
jaya jaya gopīśwara vṛndāvana-mājha jaya jaya kṛṣṇa-sakhā baṭu dwija-rāja
All glories, all glories to Gopisvara Siva, who resides in Vrndavana to protect the holy dhama. All glories, all glories to Krsna's funny Brahmana friend, Madhumangala.
Verse 7
jaya rāma-ghāṭa, jaya rohiṇī-nandana jaya jaya vṛndāvana-bāsī jata jana
All glories to Rama-ghata, where Lord Balarama performed His rasa dance. All glories to Lord Balarama, the son of Rohini. All glories, all glories to all of the residents of Vrndavana.
Verse 8
jaya dvija-patnī, jaya nāga-kanyā-gaṇa bhaktite jāhārā pāilo govinda-caraṇa
All glories to the wives of the proud Vedic brahmanas. All glories to the wives of the Kaliya serpent. Through pure devotion they all obtained the lotus feet of Lord Govinda.
Verse 9
śrī-rasa-maṇḍala jaya, jaya rādhā-śyāma jaya jaya rasa-līlā sarva-manorama
All glories to the place where the rasa dance of Sri Krsna was performed. All glories to Radha and Syama. All glories, all glories to the divine rasa dance, which is the most beautiful of all Lord Krsna's pastimes.
Verse 10
jaya jayojjwala-rasa sarva-rasa-sāra parakīyā-bhāve jāhā brajete pracāra
All glories, all glories to the mellow of conjugal love, which is the most excellent of all rasas and is propagated in Vraja by Sri Krsna in the form of the divine parakiya-bhava.
Verse 11
śrī-jāhnavā-pāda-padma koriyā smaraṇa dīna kṛṣṇa-dāsa kohe nāma-saṅkīrtana
Remembering the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda's consort Sri Jahnava Devi, this very fallen and lowly servant of Krsna sings the sankirtana of the holy name.
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Spiritual Significance
Vrndavana is glorified in the Vaishnava tradition as the supreme spiritual abode — the innermost realm of the spiritual world where Sri Krsna eternally enjoys His most intimate pastimes with the residents of Vraja. It is described as non-different from Krsna Himself. By singing "Jaya Vrndavana," the devotee glorifies not merely a geographical place but the eternal, transcendental dhama, and prays to one day attain residence there in loving devotional service.
Scriptural Source & Tradition
The bhajan was composed by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami (16th–17th century), the celebrated author of the Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita — regarded as the most authoritative account of the life and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. A disciple in the line of the Six Goswamis of Vrndavana, he wrote in Vraja itself. The final verse signs off with humility as dina krsna-dasa — "the fallen, lowly servant of Krsna" — remembering the lotus feet of Sri Jahnava Devi, the consort of Lord Nityananda.
Commentary from the Acharyas
The repeated word jaya — "all glories" or "all victory" — is the heart of this bhajan. Glorification (kirtana) is itself the recommended process of devotion in the age of Kali. By glorifying Radha, Krsna, the dhama and the devotees one after another, the singer purifies the heart and gradually awakens remembrance (smarana) of the eternal pastimes. Srila Prabhupada often had this bhajan sung, encouraging devotees to travel through Vraja in their meditation while chanting its glories.
When to Sing / Chant
- During Vraja-mandala parikrama and pilgrimage to Vrndavana
- In daily kirtan and satsang glorifying Radha-Krsna
- While meditating on the sacred places and lila of Vraja
- On festivals such as Radhastami, Janmashtami and Kartik
- As a prayer of longing to attain residence in the holy dhama
Benefits for the Devotee
- Awakens remembrance of Vrndavana and its sacred places
- Deepens attachment to Sri Radha and Sri Krsna
- Connects the singer to the mood of the Six Goswamis of Vraja
- Purifies the heart through joyful glorification (kirtana)
- Invokes the aspiration for eternal residence in the dhama
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.
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