Jai Jai Giridhari Prabhu
जय जय गिरिधारी प्रभु
Nine verses that name, one after another, everyone Krishna and his avatars are said to have rescued.
Dedicated toLord Krishnaजय जय गिरिधारी प्रभु,जय जय गिरिधारी।दानव-दल-बलहारी,गो-द्विज-हितकारी ॥
जय गोविन्द दयानिधि,गोवर्धन-धारी।वंशीधर बनवारी,ब्रज-जन-प्रियकारी ॥
गणिका-गीध-अजामिल,गजपति-भयहारी।आरत-आरति-हारी,जग-मंगल-कारी ॥
गोपालक, गोपेश्वर,द्रौपदि-दुखदारी।शबर-सुता-सुखकारी,गौतम-तिय तारी ॥
जन-प्रह्लाद-प्रमोदक,नरहरि-तनु-धारी।जन-मन-रंजनकारी,दिति-सुत-संहारी ॥
टिट्टिभ-सुत-संरक्षक,रक्षक मंझारी।पाण्डु-सुवन-शुभकारी,कौरव-मद-हारी ॥
मन्मथ-मन्मथ मोहन,मुरली-रव-कारी।वृन्दाविपिन-विहारी,यमुना-तट-चारी ॥
अघ-बक-बकी उधारक,तृणावर्त-तारी।विधि-सुरपति-मदहारी,कंस-मुक्तिकारी ॥
शेष, महेश, सरस्वति,गुन गावत हारी।कल कीरति-विस्तारी,भक्त-भीति-हारी ॥
नारायण शरणागत,अति अघ, अघहारी।पद-रज पावनकारी,चाहत चितहारी ॥
Cross-checked against Drik Panchang and Bhakt Vatsal editions
Traditional public-domain Hindi devotional composition; BhajanDhara transcription and meanings prepared independently
All nine verses agree between the editions; the refrain differs, with Bhakt Vatsal reading जय श्री कृष्ण हरे, प्रभु जय जय गिरधारी where Drik Panchang reads जय जय गिरिधारी प्रभु, जय जय गिरिधारी (set here). Verse 1 reads बलहारी here against Bhakt Vatsal's बलिहारी, and verse 2 जग-मंगल-कारी against its जय मंगल कारी. No modern source translation is reproduced.
Related prayers
Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki ↗Shri Banke Bihari Teri Aarti Gaun ↗Aarti Shri Krishna Kanhaiya Ki ↗What does Jai Jai Giridhari Prabhu mean?
This aarti is essentially a list of rescues, and the list is chosen carefully. It gathers a courtesan, a vulture, a fallen brahmin and a trapped elephant; a woman turned to stone and a tribal woman of no standing; the eggs of a small shore bird; and, at the end of the same list, Kamsa — whom Krishna killed. The claim running underneath is that deliverance in this tradition is not a reward for merit, since none of these figures had any to offer. The aarti crosses freely between Rama's story and Krishna's, because for the poet they are the same person taking different bodies.