श्रीरामचंद्र कृपालु भजु मन

Selected reading version. Scope and sources

विनयपत्रिका, पद 45 (राग गौरी)

Tek (refrain)

श्रीरामचंद्र कृपालु भजु मन हरण-भवभय-दारुणं।
नवकंज-लोचन, कंजमुख, करकंज, पदकंजारुणं॥

śrīrāmacaṃdra kṛpālu bhaju mana haraṇa-bhavabhaya-dāruṇaṃ |
navakaṃja-locana, kaṃjamukha, karakaṃja, padakaṃjāruṇaṃ ||

English meaning: O mind, worship the compassionate Shri Ramachandra, who takes away the terrible fear of worldly existence. His eyes are fresh lotuses, his face a lotus, his hands lotuses, his feet red lotuses.

हिंदी अर्थ: हे मन, कृपालु श्रीरामचन्द्र को भज, जो संसार के दारुण भय को हरने वाले हैं। उनके नेत्र नए खिले कमल जैसे हैं, मुख कमल है, हाथ कमल हैं और चरण लाल कमल जैसे हैं।

Roman Hindi meaning: O mere man, kripalu Shri Ramchandra ka bhajan kar, jo sansaar ke daarun bhay ko harne wale hain. Unke netra naye khile kamal jaise hain, mukh kamal hai, haath kamal hain aur charan laal kamal jaise hain.

Antara

कंदर्प-अगणित-अमित-छवि, नवनील-नीरज-सुंदरं।
पटपीत मानहु तड़ित-रुचि शुचि नौमि जनकसुता-वरं॥

kaṃdarpa-agaṇita-amita-chavi, navanīla-nīraja-suṃdaraṃ |
paṭapīta mānahu taṛita-ruci śuci naumi janakasutā-varaṃ ||

English meaning: His beauty surpasses countless Kamadevas; he is lovely as a fresh blue lotus. His yellow garment gleams like the pure light of lightning. I bow to the bridegroom of Janaka’s daughter.

हिंदी अर्थ: उनकी छवि अनगिनत कामदेवों से भी बढ़कर है; वे नए नीले कमल जैसे सुंदर हैं। उनका पीला वस्त्र मानो बिजली की पवित्र चमक है। मैं जनकपुत्री सीता के वर (राम) को नमन करता हूँ।

Roman Hindi meaning: Unki chhavi anginat Kamdevon se bhi badhkar hai; ve naye neele kamal jaise sundar hain. Unka peela vastra maano bijli ki pavitra chamak hai. Main Janak-putri Sita ke var (Ram) ko naman karta hoon.

Antara

भजु दीनबंधु दिनेश दानव-दैत्यवंश-निकंदनं।
रघुनंद आनँदकंद कोशलचंद दशरथ-नंदनं॥

bhaju dīnabaṃdhu dineśa dānava-daityavaṃśa-nikaṃdanaṃ |
raghunaṃda ānam̐dakaṃda kośalacaṃda daśaratha-naṃdanaṃ ||

English meaning: Worship the friend of the lowly, radiant as the sun, who uproots the lines of the danavas and daityas: the joy of Raghu’s line, the root of bliss, the moon of Kosala, the son of Dasharatha.

हिंदी अर्थ: दीनों के बंधु, सूर्य के समान तेजस्वी, दानवों और दैत्यों के वंश का नाश करने वाले राम को भज। वे रघुकुल के आनंद, आनंद के मूल, कोसल के चंद्रमा और दशरथ के पुत्र हैं।

Roman Hindi meaning: Deenon ke bandhu, surya ke samaan tejasvi, daanavon aur daityon ke vansh ka naash karne wale Ram ka bhajan kar. Ve Raghukul ke anand, anand ke mool, Kosal ke chandrama aur Dashrath ke putra hain.

Antara

सिर मुकुट, कुंडल तिलक चारु, उदार अंग विभूषणं।
आजानुभुज, सरचाप-धर, संग्रामजित-खरदूषणं॥

sira mukuṭa, kuṃḍala tilaka cāru, udāra aṃga vibhūṣaṇaṃ |
ājānubhuja, saracāpa-dhara, saṃgrāmajita-kharadūṣaṇaṃ ||

English meaning: A crown on his head, earrings, a lovely tilak, ornaments on his noble limbs; arms reaching to his knees, bearing bow and arrows, he defeated Khara and Dushana in battle.

हिंदी अर्थ: सिर पर मुकुट, कानों में कुंडल, माथे पर सुंदर तिलक और सुडौल अंगों पर आभूषण हैं। उनकी भुजाएँ घुटनों तक लंबी हैं, वे धनुष-बाण धारण करते हैं और उन्होंने युद्ध में खर और दूषण को जीता।

Roman Hindi meaning: Sir par mukut, kaanon mein kundal, maathe par sundar tilak aur sudaul angon par aabhooshan hain. Unki bhujaayen ghutnon tak lambi hain, ve dhanush-baan dhaaran karte hain aur unhone yuddh mein Khar aur Dooshan ko jeeta.

Antara · chhap (poet's signature line)

इति वदत तुलसीदास संकर-सेष-मुनि-मनरंजनं।
मम हृदयकंज निवास करु कामादि-खल-दल-गंजनं॥

iti vadata tulasīdāsa saṃkara-seṣa-muni-manaraṃjanaṃ |
mama hṛdayakaṃja nivāsa karu kāmādi-khala-dala-gaṃjanaṃ ||

English meaning: Thus says Tulsidas: O delight of the minds of Shankara, Shesha and the sages, you who crush the host of wicked foes led by desire, make your home in the lotus of my heart.

हिंदी अर्थ: तुलसीदास ऐसा कहते हैं: हे शंकर, शेषनाग और मुनियों के मन को आनंद देने वाले, काम आदि दुष्टों के दल का नाश करने वाले प्रभु, मेरे हृदय-कमल में निवास कीजिए।

Roman Hindi meaning: Tulsidas aisa kehte hain: he Shankar, Sheshnaag aur muniyon ke man ko anand dene wale, kaam aadi dushton ke dal ka naash karne wale Prabhu, mere hriday-kamal mein nivaas kijiye.

What is Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhajman?

Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhajman is pad 45 of Goswami Tulsidas’s Vinaya Patrika, a five-couplet hymn in Sanskritised Braj urging the mind to worship Rama. This page gives the pad exactly as the 1923 Tulsi-Granthavali prints it; a 1926 printing has the same words. Many sung versions add lines from the Ramcharitmanas; those lines belong to a different work and are not part of this pad.

What this pad is

Vinaya Patrika is Tulsidas’s collection of devotional petitions (pads) set to ragas. Pad 45, in raga Gauri, opens with an instruction to the poet’s own mind to worship the compassionate Rama, then describes his lotus-like beauty, his lineage and his victories, and closes with Tulsidas asking Rama to live in the lotus of his heart.

Lines that singers often add

Popular renditions often continue after the fifth couplet with lines from the Balakand of the Ramcharitmanas, from the episode in which Parvati blesses Sita before her marriage: the chhand beginning मनु जाहि राचेउ, which is Parvati’s blessing, and the soratha beginning जानि गौरि अनुकूल, which is the narrator’s. Those lines are Tulsidas’s too, but they come from another work and are not part of Vinaya Patrika 45, so they are not reproduced here.

Source and spelling

The text follows the 1923 Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha printing letter for letter, including its Sanskrit-style endings in -ं (दारुणं, सुंदरं) and its spellings सरचाप, सेष and नीरज. The 1926 Naval Kishore Press printing has the same words, spelled शरचाप, शेष and शंकर, and also reads नीरज (lotus) in the second couplet, where many sung versions have नीरद (cloud).