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- Stanza 1 (refrain)
श्री बांके बिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊं, हे गिरिधर तेरी आरती गाऊं।आरती गाऊं प्यारे आपको रिझाऊं, श्याम सुन्दर तेरी आरती गाऊं॥
śrī bāṅke bihārī terī āratī gāūṃ, he giridhara terī āratī gāūṃ।āratī gāūṃ pyāre āpako rijhāūṃ, śyāma sundara terī āratī gāūṃ॥
I sing your aarti, Shri Banke Bihari — I sing your aarti, O Giridhar. I sing this aarti, beloved, to delight you — I sing your aarti, Shyam Sundar.
- Stanza 2
मोर मुकुट प्यारे शीश पे सोहे, प्यारी बंसी मेरो मन मोहे।देख छवि बलिहारी मैं जाऊं।श्री बांके बिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊं, हे गिरिधर तेरी आरती गाऊं।आरती गाऊं प्यारे आपको रिझाऊं, श्याम सुन्दर तेरी आरती गाऊं॥
mora mukuṭa pyāre śīśa pe sohe, pyārī baṃsī mero mana mohe।dekha chavi balihārī maiṃ jāūṃ।śrī bāṅke bihārī terī āratī gāūṃ, he giridhara terī āratī gāūṃ।āratī gāūṃ pyāre āpako rijhāūṃ, śyāma sundara terī āratī gāūṃ॥
A peacock crown graces your dear head, beloved one; your sweet flute enchants my heart. Seeing your beauty, I offer myself to you. I sing your aarti, Shri Banke Bihari — I sing your aarti, O Giridhar. I sing this aarti, beloved, to delight you — I sing your aarti, Shyam Sundar.
- Stanza 3
चरणों से निकली गंगा प्यारी, जिसने सारी दुनिया तारी।मैं उन चरणों के दर्शन पाऊं।श्री बांके बिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊं, हे गिरिधर तेरी आरती गाऊं।आरती गाऊं प्यारे आपको रिझाऊं, श्याम सुन्दर तेरी आरती गाऊं॥
caraṇoṃ se nikalī gaṅgā pyārī, jisane sārī duniyā tārī।maiṃ una caraṇoṃ ke darśana pāūṃ।śrī bāṅke bihārī terī āratī gāūṃ, he giridhara terī āratī gāūṃ।āratī gāūṃ pyāre āpako rijhāūṃ, śyāma sundara terī āratī gāūṃ॥
From your feet flows the beloved Ganga, which has carried the whole world across; may I behold the sight of those feet. I sing your aarti, Shri Banke Bihari — I sing your aarti, O Giridhar. I sing this aarti, beloved, to delight you — I sing your aarti, Shyam Sundar.
- Stanza 4
दास अनाथ के नाथ आप हो, दुःख सुख जीवन प्यारे साथ आप हो।हरी चरणों में शीश झुकाऊं।श्री बांके बिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊं, हे गिरिधर तेरी आरती गाऊं।आरती गाऊं प्यारे आपको रिझाऊं, श्याम सुन्दर तेरी आरती गाऊं॥
dāsa anātha ke nātha āpa ho, duḥkha sukha jīvana pyāre sātha āpa ho।harī caraṇoṃ meṃ śīśa jhukāūṃ।śrī bāṅke bihārī terī āratī gāūṃ, he giridhara terī āratī gāūṃ।āratī gāūṃ pyāre āpako rijhāūṃ, śyāma sundara terī āratī gāūṃ॥
You are the protector of the orphaned and the helpless; in sorrow and in joy alike, you are my dear companion. I bow my head at your feet, Hari. I sing your aarti, Shri Banke Bihari — I sing your aarti, O Giridhar. I sing this aarti, beloved, to delight you — I sing your aarti, Shyam Sundar.
- Stanza 5
श्री हरीदास के प्यारे तुम हो।मेरे मोहन जीवन धन हो।देख युगल छवि बलि बलि जाऊं।श्री बांके बिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊं, हे गिरिधर तेरी आरती गाऊं।आरती गाऊं प्यारे आपको रिझाऊं, श्याम सुन्दर तेरी आरती गाऊं॥
śrī harīdāsa ke pyāre tuma ho।mere mohana jīvana dhana ho।dekha yugala chavi bali bali jāūṃ।śrī bāṅke bihārī terī āratī gāūṃ, he giridhara terī āratī gāūṃ।āratī gāūṃ pyāre āpako rijhāūṃ, śyāma sundara terī āratī gāūṃ॥
You are beloved of Shri Haridas; you, my Mohan, are the wealth of my life. Seeing your beautiful form together with Radha, I offer myself again and again. I sing your aarti, Shri Banke Bihari — I sing your aarti, O Giridhar. I sing this aarti, beloved, to delight you — I sing your aarti, Shyam Sundar.
Overview
Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun is a Braj aarti of five stanzas sung to Krishna in his Banke Bihari form — the form worshipped at the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, one of the most visited Krishna shrines in the Braj region. “Banke” means curved or bent in three places (a traditional description of Krishna’s tribhanga standing posture, bent at the neck, waist, and knee while playing the flute), and “Bihari” means one who wanders or delights — together naming Krishna as the graceful wanderer of Vrindavan. The opening stanza serves as the refrain, repeated in full after each of the following stanzas, exactly as it is sung and printed in devotional collections.
Origin and source
The composer of this aarti is not reliably established; devotional sources present it simply as part of the Braj Bhasha bhakti tradition sung at Krishna shrines, without attributing it to a named poet. The deity form it addresses has its own separate history: according to an account widely told in Vrindavan’s devotional tradition, the image of Banke Bihari appeared before Swami Haridas — a 16th-century saint-musician remembered as the guru of the classical musician Tansen — in answer to his devotion to Radha and Krishna together, and it was Haridas himself who gave the form the name Banke Bihari. The temple built to house it in Vrindavan dates to the 19th century. The aarti’s stanzas describe this form directly: the peacock crown and flute, the belief — shared across Vaishnav tradition — that the Ganga flows from Krishna’s feet, and Krishna’s connection to Swami Haridas.
How it is recited
Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun is sung daily by devotees at the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan and in home shrines, and it is especially prominent during Krishna Janmashtami. The Banke Bihari Temple observes customs distinct from most Krishna temples: darshan is given as a repeatedly opened and closed jhanki (glimpse), with a curtain drawn across the deity every few minutes rather than left open continuously, and aarti here is traditionally performed with soft instruments and singing rather than bells, since Krishna is worshipped in this form as a child who should not be woken abruptly. As with other aartis, a lit diya or camphor flame is circled before the deity while this aarti is sung, with the refrain repeated by everyone present after each stanza.
Frequently asked questions
How many verses does Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun have?
Who is Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun dedicated to?
When is Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun typically recited?
What language is Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun composed in?
What tradition is Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun associated with?
Is an English translation of Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun available?
Is there a Roman transliteration of Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun?
Sourcing
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