Namaste Sirona
I love this beautiful bhajan , it is in Hindi, while the names chanted are Sanskrit names of VishNu/Bramhan'.
(It is not entirely in Vraja-bhAshA - the dialect used in the 80-kos radius of Vraj (Vrindavan, Mathura, GokuL...) , which is typically the language used in many KRshNa bhajans because they are composed by residents of Vraj )
I don't know who composed it . Dr. Manikantan composed "Gopala Goplala Shyama Gopala" another Art of Living bhajan
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hari sundara nanda mukunda hari nArAyaN hari Om |
hari keshav hari Govinda hari nArAyaNa hari Om ||
Hari = A popular avatAr of VishNu , the name is a favorite reference because it means One Who takes away miseries (and unwanted luxuries) from the devotee. The story of Gajendra Moksha BhAgvat purAN Canto 8 is about this Hari avatAr of the Lord Who transported to Gajendra in a flash of an instance on His GaruDa, to save both Gajendra(victim) and the crocodile (attacker).
sundar = Beautiful - inner and outer beauty
nanda-mukundA can be taken as Mukunda , Son of Nanda
OR
Mukunda (Giver of Moksha , freedom) Who is perpetually blissful and giver of Bliss (nanda)
nArAyaN = VishNu Who lies on the Cosmic Waters (nAr) and Who is the destination (Ayan) of humans (nara)
Om = the Primordial Universal Sound known as OnkAr, which exists / existed at the beginning of creation. Om is Shabda-Bramhan' i.e. Sound-form, Sound-incarnation of Bramhan'
keshav = VishNu with beautiful long flowing hair, and the Lord and Beloved of ka (BramhA) and Isha (Shiv)
vanamAlI muralidhAri govardhan girivaradhAri |
nita nita kara mAkhan chorI gopI man hAri ||
vanamAlI KRshNa Who is the gardner of this forest (Van) of life (world), Who is always found dressed head to toe in a variety of fragrant flowers from the Forests (Van) of VrundAvan
muralIdhArI -- muralidhar -- Who holds the Flute AND is the Shelter of that very Flute (dhArI), (the GopIs are jealous of the Flute because she is always with KRshNa)
govardhan-girivaradhAri -- Who held the Govardhan mountain (gir) for 7 days-nights to protect the residents of Vraja from Indra's induces storm and flood,
nita nita (in the local braja bhAshA) = nitya , nitya = eternally or , always, perpetually
nita nita kar mAkhan chori - perpetually stealing freshly churned butter from the Gopis' homes [not for Himself, but for their pleasure ] / taking away the material attachments of devotees to grace them with Devotion to Him, which sends them into ecstacy and wonder
gopI mana hAri = Who snatches away the minds of the Gopis, leaving them thinking of Him, the Supreme and thereby helping them lose attachment to the world and worldliness
Ao re, kAnhA re, gokul ke pyAre |
gAo re, nAcho re, rAsa rachAo re ||
This is calling O vanamAli, hari, mukundA, nandA, nArAyaNA, Om, kAnhA, come and sing , O darling of the entire GokuL. Come and sing and dance by setting up Your rAAs mandaL - the circle of transcendence -- of highest joy where the pattern is a KRshNa between 2 GopIs (GopI represents any devotee, male or female, human, bird, animal, plant, tree...), so that every GopI can see the paramAtmA (Highest Self, the Lord KRshNa) and Interact with Him one-on-one.
AtmA-paramAtmA ke milan kA madhumAs hai , yahi mahArAs hai, yahi mahArAs hai
The meeting and union of the individual self with the Highest One and Only Universal Self, is verily called mahArAs (the Grand raas)
A good percentage of the Gopis who interacted with KRshNa in the DvApar Yuga during His KRshNa-avatAr on earth, were Rshi-Muni - very austere sages of the DanDakAraNya forest in previous birth in TretA Yuga.
When they saw Shri RAm (VishNu avatAr of TretA Yug), with Sita , walking in DanDakAraNya, they prayed to Him, that they also wanted to be with Him. Shri RAm , at the time , told them, I have vowed to live with SitA alone in this life, but do not lose heart. In DvApar Yug, when I descend again as Shri KRshNa , you will ALL be able to associate with Me.
