Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki

Refrain

आरती कुंजबिहारी की, श्री गिरिधर कृष्ण मुरारी की॥ āratī kuñjabihārī kī, śrī giridhara kṛṣṇa murārī kī The aarti of him who wanders in the groves — of Girdhar, of Krishna, of Murari. (Kuñja is a bower; bihārī, one who moves and plays there. Giridhara is the lifter of the mountain; Murāri, the enemy of the demon Mura.)

Verse 1 — the image

गले में बैजन्ती माला, बजावै मुरली मधुर बाला। श्रवण में कुण्डल झलकाला, नंद के आनंद नंदलाला। गगन सम अंग कांति काली, राधिका चमक रही आली। लतन में ठाढ़े बनमाली। भ्रमर सी अलक, कस्तूरी तिलक, चंद्र सी झलक। ललित छवि श्यामा प्यारी की, श्री गिरिधर कृष्ण मुरारी की॥ gale meṁ baijantī mālā, bajāvai muralī madhura bālā śravaṇa meṁ kuṇḍala jhalakālā, nanda ke ānanda nandalālā gagana sama aṅga kānti kālī, rādhikā camaka rahī ālī latana meṁ ṭhāṛhe banamālī bhramara si alaka, kastūrī tilaka, candra si jhalaka lalita chavi śyāmā pyārī kī, śrī giridhara kṛṣṇa murārī kī The vaijayanti garland at his throat; the young one playing sweetly on the flute. Earrings glinting at his ears — Nanda's delight, Nanda's boy. His body dark and radiant as the sky; Radhika shining beside him, friend. The wearer of forest garlands, standing among the creepers. Locks like bees, a tilak of musk, a gleam like the moon. The lovely form of the beloved dark one — of Girdhar, of Krishna, of Murari.

Verse 2 — the crown and the music

कनकमय मोर मुकुट बिलसै, देवता दरसन को तरसैं। गगन सों सुमन रासि बरसै। बजे मुरचंग, मधुर मिरदंग, ग्वालिन संग। अतुल रति गोप कुमारी की, श्री गिरिधर कृष्ण मुरारी की॥ kanakamaya mora mukuṭa bilasai, devatā darasana ko tarasaĩ gagana soṁ sumana rāsi barasai baje muracaṅga, madhura miradaṅga, gvālina saṅga atula rati gopa kumārī kī, śrī giridhara kṛṣṇa murārī kī A crown of peacock feathers worked in gold gleams on him; the gods themselves long for a sight of him. From the sky flowers fall in showers. The jew's harp sounds, the sweet mridang, the cowherd girls beside him. The measureless love of the young women of the cowherds — of Girdhar, of Krishna, of Murari.

Verse 3 — the river from his feet

जहां ते प्रकट भई गंगा, कलुष कलि हारिणि श्री गंगा। स्मरन ते होत मोह भंगा। बसी शिव सीस, जटा के बीच, हरै अघ कीच। चरन छवि श्री बनवारी की, श्री गिरिधर कृष्ण मुरारी की॥ jahāṁ te prakaṭa bhaī gaṅgā, kaluṣa kali hāriṇi śrī gaṅgā smarana te hota moha bhaṅgā basī śiva sīsa, jaṭā ke bīca, harai agha kīca carana chavi śrī banavārī kī, śrī giridhara kṛṣṇa murārī kī From these the Ganga appeared — blessed Ganga, remover of the defilement of this age. By remembering her, delusion is broken. She dwells on Shiva's head, in the midst of his matted hair, and carries away the mire of wrongdoing. Such is the beauty of the feet of the wearer of forest garlands — of Girdhar, of Krishna, of Murari.

Verse 4 — the riverbank, and the beggar

चमकती उज्ज्वल तट रेनू, बज रही वृंदावन बेनू। चहुं दिसि गोपि ग्वाल धेनू। हंसत मृदु मंद, चांदनी चंद, कटत भव फंद। टेर सुन दीन भिखारी की, श्री गिरिधर कृष्ण मुरारी की॥ camakatī ujjvala taṭa renū, baja rahī vṛndāvana benū cahuṁ disi gopi gvāla dhenū haṁsata mṛdu manda, cāndanī canda, kaṭata bhava phanda ṭera suna dīna bhikhārī kī, śrī giridhara kṛṣṇa murārī kī The sand of the bank shines bright; the flute of Vrindavan is sounding. On every side, cowherd women, cowherds, cattle. He laughs softly and slowly; moonlight, and the moon; and the snare of worldly existence is cut. Hear the call of this poor beggar — of Girdhar, of Krishna, of Murari.

On the Surdas attribution

Tradition assigns this aarti to Surdas, the blind Braj poet of the Ashtachhap, conventionally dated c. 1478–1580 and associated with the Pushtimarg of Vallabhacharya. That attribution should be held loosely, and for a specific documented reason rather than general caution: the Sur Sagar, the collection published under his name, is the clearest case of accretion in Indian devotional literature. The earliest surviving manuscripts contain a small fraction of the poems that later printed editions carry, and the corpus grew for centuries after his death as Braj poets composed in his voice and under his signature. A poem being "by Surdas" in the tradition is a statement about the tradition, not a finding about the sixteenth century.

What does Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki mean?

The aarti of him who wanders in the groves. Kunja is a bower or thicket and bihari is one who moves and plays there, so the name places Krishna in the woodlands of Vrindavan. The refrain continues with Giridhara, the lifter of the mountain, and Murari, the slayer of the demon Mura.

Who wrote Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki?

Tradition gives it to Surdas, the blind Braj poet conventionally dated to about 1478 to 1580. That attribution deserves real scepticism for a documented reason: the Sur Sagar is the clearest case of accretion in Indian devotional literature, and the earliest manuscripts contain a small fraction of the poems later printed under his name. Calling a poem Surdas's is a statement about the tradition rather than a finding about the sixteenth century.

Is Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki sung to the Om Jai Jagdish Hare tune?

No, and that is what makes it interesting on this site. It has no Om Jai opening, no repeated second line, and its own melody. The four aartis that share the Om Jai Jagdish Hare tune are Om Jai Shiv Omkara, Jai Lakshmi Mata, Om Jai Gange Mata and Om Jai Saraswati Mata. This one shows that the template is one North Indian pattern rather than all of it.

What language is Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki in?

Braj Bhasha, the literary language of the Krishna devotional world and of Surdas and the Ashtachhap poets. It is neither Sanskrit nor modern Hindi, and the distinction matters for the same reason Awadhi matters for the Hanuman Chalisa: the language a devotional text chose is part of what the text is.

Why does a Krishna aarti talk about the Ganga?

The third verse says the Ganga arose from these feet and then dwells in Shiva's matted hair. This is the Vishnupadi tradition, in which the river flows from Vishnu's foot before descending. Putting it in a Krishna aarti is a compact theological assertion that the boy with the flute is the supreme being — made in passing, without argument.

What does 'Giridhar' mean?

The lifter of the mountain — Krishna raising Govardhan hill on one finger to shelter the cowherds from Indra's storm. It is one of his most widely used epithets and appears in the refrain of this aarti immediately after Kunj Bihari, pairing the pastoral name with the cosmic act.

What is the vaijayanti mala in the first verse?

A garland associated with Vishnu and Krishna, traditionally described as made of five kinds of gems or of forest flowers, and one of the standard elements of Krishna's iconography. Like most of this aarti the line describes an image dressed for worship rather than telling a story.

Why does the aarti end by calling the singer a beggar?

Tera suna dina bhikhari ki — hear the call of this poor beggar. After four verses of gold, jewels, falling flowers and moonlight, the closing phrase turns from the image to the person standing in front of it. It is the same self-abasing bhakti register found in the middle verses of Om Jai Jagdish Hare, placed here at the very end.

When is Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki sung?

At Janmashtami above all, often at midnight; at the fixed darshan hours of Vaishnava temples, where each opening of the image closes with an aarti; on pilgrimage through Braj; at household Krishna worship; and frequently at the close of a kirtan session rather than after a formal puja.

What are the short rhyming phrases in each verse?

Each verse breaks near its close into three brief internally rhyming phrases — bhramara si alaka, kasturi tilaka, candra si jhalaka in the first; baje muracanga, madhura miradanga, gvalina sanga in the second — before resolving into the refrain. No other aarti covered on this site uses the device, and it is why this one moves differently.

How many verses does Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki have?

A refrain and four verses in the most widely printed form, though as with every aarti the count and the wording vary between collections. It is a living song rather than a fixed scripture, and there is no authoritative edition to check a reading against.

Is this the same as the Govardhan or Radha aarti?

No. This aarti addresses Krishna as Kunj Bihari, though Radha appears in its first verse, shining beside him. Separate aartis exist for Radha and for Govardhan, and the wider Vaishnava repertoire in Braj is considerably larger than the handful of texts that travelled nationally.