Gopala Vimsati 1 of 21

GOPALA VIMSATI

SriRamaJayam

Ohm Srimaan Vedantha Desikaaya Namaha

Sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamasthu

Srimaan Venkata Nadhaarya Kavithaarkika kesari

Vedantaachaaryavaryome sannidhatththaam sadaahridi

Vimsati in sanskrit is twenty. Swamidesikan composed this 20 verses Gopala Vimsathi    in praise of Lord Rajagopalan of Thiruvahindrapuram. Swami in these beautiful verses gives us the nectar of BalaKrishna Leelas and his youthful joyful time with the Gopas and Gopis wandering and playing in Vrundavan.  In first verse swami makes us guess whom he is describing by giving us clues like who he has his Jayanthi in the month of  AAvani and who wanders with a vijayanthimala on his neck and who is the king of the cow herds. Even without a thought we can say it is our little Lord supreme Gopala. Hence the composition is Gopala Vimsati. This is a humble maiden attempt to explain the slokas in very simple language for the understanding of youngsters and children who are not initiated into sanskrit.

1.  vande bRndAvanacaram vallavI janavallabham

jayantisambhavam dhAma vaijayantI vibhUshaNam ||

1.       vande – Salute, Praise,  Prostrate, Pray

2.       brindAvan- near the town in Gokulam in the district of MathurA on the left bank of river YamunA

3.       chara- wandering / walking

4.       vallavi – Cow herd (girls) - gopikas

5.       jana – People

6.       vallabham – beloved

7.       jayantI  sambhavam – Holy birth – Sri Jayanthi – Birth of Krishna

8.       dhAma – supreme Jyothi

9.       vijayantI – necklace of viShnu

10.   vibhushanam – adorning, ornament

I prostrate before that supreme power, He who wanders in the forest of Vrundavan a town near Gokulam in the district of Mathura. ). He who grazes the cows and enjoys the company with the cow herd girls the gopis and wears a garland made of wild flowers.  Jayanthi is always SriJayanthi the day (unless specified by another prefix as Nrusimha Jayanthi, Ramanuja Jayanthi etc). Perumal took avataram as Krishna, and was born to Devaki and Vasudeva . Krishna was born in the tamil month of avani, Krishna paksha ashtami  (eighth day from full moon to new moon)