Aarti · Ram

Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhaju Man: Ram aarti and stuti with meaning

Five verses by Tulsidas that many homes sing at Ram's aarti: a portrait of Ram, from his lotus eyes to his bow, and a prayer that he live in your heart. Here in Hindi, in English letters and with a plain meaning.

Listen: Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhaju Man

A computer-voiced recitation over a soft aarti rhythm of claps, bell and manjira, checked line by line against the text. It is an aid to reading along, not a replacement for a priest or a family elder.

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What this hymn is

“Shri Ramchandra kripalu bhaju man” (“O mind, worship the kind Shri Ramchandra”) is strictly a stuti, a hymn of praise, not an aarti written for the lamp. It is song 45 of the Vinaya Patrika, a collection of prayers by the poet-saint Goswami Tulsidas (died 1623), the author of the Ramcharitmanas. Because it is short, beautiful and easy to sing, it became the hymn most families sing when they wave the lamp before Ram, and the Gita Press “Aarti Sangrah” prints it among Ram's aartis.

The language is a mix of Awadhi and Sanskrit-style words ending in “-am”. The first four verses paint Ram: lotus eyes, a body dark as a rain cloud, yellow robes, crown and earrings, long arms holding the bow. In the fifth Tulsidas names himself and asks Ram to make his home in the lotus of his heart. Sung slowly, it takes about three minutes.

When it is sung

Ram Navami and Vijayadashami (Dussehra), at the aarti of Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman.
After the Ramayan or Sundarkand path and at the end of Ramcharitmanas katha.
Diwali, the day Ram returned to Ayodhya, and in many homes every evening.

How to do the aarti, step by step

You need no priest. Aarti is the closing part of any puja, and it can also be done on its own, morning or evening, in about five minutes.

Wash your hands and face and stand or sit before a picture or murti of Ram (often with Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman).
Prepare a plate (thali) with a ghee diya or a piece of camphor, a little roli and rice, a flower and tulsi leaves and a sweet.
Light the diya or camphor. Someone rings a small bell, or everyone claps along while singing.
Sing the aarti below and slowly wave the plate clockwise before the deity. A common household way: four times at the feet, twice at the middle, once at the face, then seven times around the whole form.
After the last verse, circle a little water around the plate and set it down.
Everyone takes the aarti: hold both palms briefly over the flame and touch them to your eyes and head. Share the prasad.

Tunes and a few words differ from family to family. Sing it the way your home does; the feeling matters more than the exact wording.

Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhaju Man, with meaning

Many singers repeat the first line after every verse, like a refrain.

Show In English letters Hindi meaning English meaning

Verse 1

श्रीरामचन्द्र कृपालु भजु मन, हरण भवभय दारुणं।
नवकंज लोचन, कंज मुख, कर कंज, पद कंजारुणं॥

Shri Ramchandra kripalu bhaju man, haran bhav-bhay darunam,
nav-kanj lochan, kanj mukh, kar kanj, pad kanjarunam.

अर्थ: हे मन, कृपालु श्री रामचन्द्र जी का भजन कर, जो संसार के कठोर भय को हर लेते हैं। उनकी आँखें नए खिले कमल जैसी हैं; उनका मुख, उनके हाथ और चरण भी लाल कमल जैसे हैं।

Meaning: O mind, worship the kind Shri Ramchandra, who takes away the harsh fear of worldly life. His eyes are like freshly opened lotuses; his face, hands and feet are lotuses too, rosy red.

Verse 2

कंदर्प अगणित अमित छवि, नवनील नीरद सुंदरं।
पट पीत मानहु तड़ित रुचि शुचि, नौमि जनक सुतावरं॥

Kandarp aganit amit chhavi, nav-neel neerad sundaram,
pat peet manahu tadit ruchi shuchi, naumi Janak suta-varam.

अर्थ: उनकी सुंदरता अनगिनत कामदेवों से भी बढ़कर है; वे नए, गहरे नीले वर्षा-बादल जैसे सुंदर हैं। उनके पीले वस्त्र ऐसे चमकते हैं मानो बादल में पवित्र बिजली हो। जनक जी की पुत्री सीता के पति को मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ।

Meaning: His beauty is greater than that of countless gods of love; he is lovely as a fresh, dark-blue rain cloud. His yellow robe gleams like pure lightning across that cloud. I bow to the husband of Janaka's daughter, Sita.

Verse 3

भजु दीनबंधु दिनेश दानव, दैत्य वंश निकंदनं।
रघुनंद आनंदकंद कोशल, चंद दशरथ नंदनं॥

Bhaju deenbandhu dinesh danav, daitya vansh nikandanam,
Raghunand anandkand Koshal, chand Dasharath nandanam.

अर्थ: हे मन, उनका भजन कर जो दीनों के बंधु हैं, सूर्य जैसे तेजस्वी हैं, और दानवों व दैत्यों के कुल का अंत करने वाले हैं; जो रघुकुल के आनंद, आनंद की जड़, कोसल देश के चंद्रमा और दशरथ जी के पुत्र हैं।

Meaning: Worship him, the friend of the helpless, radiant as the Sun, who ends the clans of demons; the joy of Raghu's line, the root of all delight, the moon of Kosala, the son of Dasharatha.

Verse 4

सिर मुकुट कुंडल तिलक चारु, उदारु अंग विभूषणं।
आजानुभुज शर चाप धर, संग्राम जित खरदूषणं॥

Sir mukut kundal tilak charu, udaru ang vibhushanam,
aajanubhuj shar chaap dhar, sangram jit Khar-Dushanam.

अर्थ: उनके सिर पर मुकुट, कानों में कुंडल और माथे पर सुंदर तिलक है, और हर अंग पर भव्य आभूषण हैं। उनकी भुजाएँ घुटनों तक लंबी हैं, वे धनुष-बाण धारण किए हैं, और उन्होंने युद्ध में खर और दूषण को जीता।

Meaning: A crown on his head, earrings, a lovely tilak, and fine ornaments on every limb; arms that reach to his knees, holding bow and arrows; the one who defeated Khara and Dushana in battle.

Verse 5

इति वदति तुलसीदास शंकर, शेष मुनि मन रंजनं।
मम हृदय कंज निवास कुरु, कामादि खल दल गंजनं॥

Iti vadati Tulsidas Shankar, Shesh muni man ranjanam,
mam hriday kanj nivas kuru, kamadi khal dal ganjanam.

अर्थ: तुलसीदास यह कहते हैं: हे प्रभु, आप शिव, शेषनाग और मुनियों के मन को आनंद देते हैं; काम, क्रोध जैसे दुष्टों के दल को कुचलने वाले, मेरे हृदय-कमल में निवास कीजिए।

Meaning: So says Tulsidas: you who delight the hearts of Shiva, Shesha and the sages, you who crush the gang of desire, anger and the other inner enemies, make your home in the lotus of my heart.

Questions

Is “Shri Ramchandra Kripalu” an aarti or a stuti?

Strictly a stuti (hymn of praise): it is song 45 of Tulsidas's Vinaya Patrika. It is sung so widely at Ram's aarti that most people call it the Ram aarti, and the Gita Press “Aarti Sangrah” includes it among Ram's aartis.

Who wrote it?

Goswami Tulsidas, the 16th–17th century poet-saint who wrote the Ramcharitmanas. He names himself in the last verse (“iti vadati Tulsidas”). He died in 1623, so the text is free for everyone.

What about “Aarti kijai Shri Raghuvar ji ki”?

That is another well-known Ram aarti, by an unknown author, praising Raghuvar (Ram) as truth, consciousness and bliss, son of Dasharatha and Kausalya and friend of the vanaras. Gita Press prints it too. Both are sung; “Shri Ramchandra kripalu” is the older text, with a known author and a fixed source.

Why do some versions have more verses?

Many singers add lines from the Bal Kand of the Ramcharitmanas, where Goddess Gauri blesses Sita (“man jahi rachyo milahi so bar…”) and a closing soratha. They are also by Tulsidas, but from a different book. We give the five verses of the Vinaya Patrika song.

Text and sources

Text: Vinaya Patrika, song 45 (raga Gauri), by Goswami Tulsidas (d. 1623), public domain. Checked line by line against the Gita Press Vinaya Patrika (with Hindi bhavarth), the Gita Press “Shri Aarti Sangrah” (under Bhagwan Shri Ramchandra) and Bhakti Bharat. We follow the Gita Press Vinaya Patrika. Small variants: “chhabi” for “chhavi”, “udar” for “udaru”, “-am” endings written “-म्”, and “bhajuman” run together. Bhakti Bharat also appends the Ramcharitmanas lines of Gauri's blessing to Sita, which we leave out. The transliteration and meanings are our own.

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