The text
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- Stanza 1
मथुरा कारागृह अवतारी, गोकुल जसुदा गोद विहारी।नन्दलाल नटवर गिरधारी, वासुदेव हलधर भैया की॥आरती श्रीकृष्ण कन्हैया की।
mathurā kārāgṛha avatārī, gokula jasudā goda vihārī।nandalāla naṭavara giradhārī, vāsudeva haladhara bhaiyā kī॥āratī śrīkṛṣṇa kanhaiyā kī।
Born as an avatar in the prison of Mathura, he delights in Yashoda's lap in Gokul — Nandlal, the graceful dancer, the lifter of the mountain, brother of Vasudev's son Haladhar (Balaram). Aarti to Shri Krishna Kanhaiya.
- Stanza 2
मोर मुकुट पीताम्बर छाजै, कटि काछनि कर मुरलि विराजै।पूर्ण सरद ससि मुख लखि लाजै, काम कोटि छवि जितवैया की॥आरती श्रीकृष्ण कन्हैया की।
mora mukuṭa pītāmbara chājai, kaṭi kāchani kara murali virājai।pūrṇa sarada sasi mukha lakhi lājai, kāma koṭi chavi jitavaiyā kī॥āratī śrīkṛṣṇa kanhaiyā kī।
A peacock crown and golden-yellow garments adorn him; at his waist a hunter's cloth, the flute resting in his hand. His face, like the full autumn moon, puts the moon itself to shame — his beauty outshines millions of Kamadevs. Aarti to Shri Krishna Kanhaiya.
- Stanza 3
गोपीजन रस रास विलासी, कौरव कालिय कंस बिनासी।हिमकर भानु कृसानु प्रकासी, सर्वभूत हिय बसवैया की॥आरती श्रीकृष्ण कन्हैया की।
gopījana rasa rāsa vilāsī, kaurava kāliya kaṃsa bināsī।himakara bhānu kṛsānu prakāsī, sarvabhūta hiya basavaiyā kī॥āratī śrīkṛṣṇa kanhaiyā kī।
The blissful one who delights in the Ras Leela with the gopis, and who brought about the downfall of the Kauravas, of the serpent Kaliya, and of Kansa. Radiant as the moon, the sun, and fire — he who dwells in the heart of every living being. Aarti to Shri Krishna Kanhaiya.
- Stanza 4
कहुँ रन चढ़ै भागि कहुँ जावै, कहुँ नृप कर, कहुँ गाय चरावै।कहुँ जागेस, बेद जस गावै, जग नचाय ब्रज नचवैया की॥आरती श्रीकृष्ण कन्हैया की।
kahũ rana caḍhai bhāgi kahũ jāvai, kahũ nṛpa kara, kahũ gāya carāvai।kahũ jāgesa, beda jasa gāvai, jaga nacāya braja nacavaiyā kī॥āratī śrīkṛṣṇa kanhaiyā kī।
Somewhere he rides into battle, elsewhere he seems to flee; somewhere he acts as a king, elsewhere he herds cows. Somewhere he is Jagdish, whose glory the Vedas sing — he who makes the whole world dance, and Braj dance with him. Aarti to Shri Krishna Kanhaiya.
- Stanza 5
अगुन सगुन लीला बपु धारी, अनुपम गीता ज्ञान प्रचारी।दामोदर सब विधि बलिहारी, विप्र धेनु सुर रखवैया की॥आरती श्रीकृष्ण कन्हैया की।
aguna saguna līlā bapu dhārī, anupama gītā jñāna pracārī।dāmodara saba vidhi balihārī, vipra dhenu sura rakhavaiyā kī॥āratī śrīkṛṣṇa kanhaiyā kī।
He takes on a form of divine play, both formless and with form; the teacher of the peerless wisdom of the Gita. Damodar, in every way worthy of devotion — protector of brahmins, cows, and gods. Aarti to Shri Krishna Kanhaiya.
Overview
Aarti Shri Krishna Kanhaiya Ki is a Braj aarti of five stanzas addressed to Krishna as Kanhaiya, each closing with the refrain “Aarti Shri Krishna Kanhaiya ki.” Rather than dwelling on a single iconographic form the way some Krishna aartis do, it moves across his whole life and character in turn: his birth in the prison of Mathura and childhood in Yashoda’s lap at Gokul; his peacock crown, flute, and moon-shaming beauty; his part in the Ras Leela with the gopis and his ending of Kansa and the serpent Kaliya; his contrasting roles as warrior, king, and cowherd; and, in its final stanza, his teaching of the Bhagavad Gita and his standing as Damodar, protector of brahmins, cows, and the gods.
Origin and source
The composer of Aarti Shri Krishna Kanhaiya Ki is not reliably established. Like many widely sung Braj aartis, it circulates as part of a shared devotional tradition rather than a text with one certain named author, and it is printed among the standard Krishna aartis in Gita Press’s long-running Hindi Aarti Sangrah (Aarti Collection), one of the most widely distributed devotional compilations in North India. Its stanzas draw on episodes and epithets found across Vaishnav tradition and Puranic literature — Krishna’s birth account from the Bhagavata Purana, his role in the Mahabharata narrative, and his discourse in the Bhagavad Gita — without retelling any one of them in full.
How it is recited
Aarti Shri Krishna Kanhaiya Ki is sung by many Krishna devotees at the daily aarti in home shrines and temples, and it is especially prominent during Krishna Janmashtami amid the wider celebration of Krishna’s birth. As with other aartis, it is usually sung while a lit diya or camphor flame is circled before the deity’s image, with the refrain — “Aarti Shri Krishna Kanhaiya ki” — repeated by everyone present after each stanza.
Frequently asked questions
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Sourcing
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