Kararavindena Padaravindam — Bala Mukunda Verse
Meaning, pronunciation and word-by-word Sanskrit of the verse remembering Krishna as the divine child
Kararavindena Padaravindam is a verse of smaraṇa — remembrance. It holds one picture in the mind: the infant Krishna afloat on a banyan leaf, drawing his own foot to his mouth as a baby does, entirely at rest while the world between two creations is water and silence.
Stotra verse — the opening śloka of the Bāla Mukundāṣṭakam · 2h 4m chant
Listen
This is Spiritual Awakening's own long-form recording — the official way to listen. There is no separate audio hosted on this page.
Best suited for: Krishna smaraṇa — remembrance rather than counted japa · Janmashtami devotion and night-time prayer · Peaceful bedtime listening · Quiet meditation on the child form of Krishna
Sacred text
Devanagari
करारविन्देन पदारविन्दं मुखारविन्दे विनिवेशयन्तम् । वटस्य पत्रस्य पुटे शयानं बालं मुकुन्दं मनसा स्मरामि ॥
IAST transliteration
karāravindena padāravindaṃ mukhāravinde viniveśayantam | vaṭasya patrasya puṭe śayānaṃ bālaṃ mukundaṃ manasā smarāmi ||
Simple pronunciation
Ka-raa-ra-vin-de-na Pa-daa-ra-vin-dam; Mu-khaa-ra-vin-de Vi-ni-ve-sha-yan-tam; Va-ta-sya Pa-tra-sya Pu-te Sha-yaa-nam; Baa-lam Mu-kun-dam Ma-na-saa Sma-raa-mi
In this recording: The recording repeats this single verse slowly for two hours; the remaining seven verses of the Bāla Mukundāṣṭakam are not sung.
Meaning
I call to mind the child Mukunda — who, with his lotus hand, draws his lotus foot to his lotus mouth, lying in the cup of a banyan leaf.
- Literal meaning
- Him who is placing, with a lotus-hand, a lotus-foot into a lotus-mouth; him who is lying in the hollow of a leaf of the banyan tree — the child Mukunda I remember with the mind.
- Devotional interpretation
- The whole verse is one long look at a baby. Krishna does what every infant does — catches hold of his own foot and puts it in his mouth — and the poet simply refuses to look away. Three times he says 'lotus': the hand, the foot, the mouth, so that an ordinary gesture becomes a flower folding into itself. And the setting is the largest thing imaginable: between one creation and the next, when nothing exists but water, this child floats on a single banyan leaf, perfectly unbothered. That is the whole teaching, and it is given without a word of instruction. The verb at the end is not 'I praise' or 'I ask' but smarāmi — I remember. Nothing is being requested. Something is being held in mind until the mind takes its shape.
Word-by-word meaning
| Word | IAST | Literal meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| करारविन्देन | karāravindena | with his lotus-like hand | kara (hand) + aravinda (lotus), in the instrumental — 'by means of the lotus-hand'. The first of the verse's three lotuses. |
| पदारविन्दं | padāravindaṃ | his lotus-like foot | pada (foot) + aravinda (lotus), the object being moved. In devotional Sanskrit the Lord's feet are always 'lotus feet' — here they are also, quite literally, a baby's feet. |
| मुखारविन्दे | mukhāravinde | into his lotus-like mouth | mukha (mouth) + aravinda (lotus), in the locative — the place the foot is going. Three lotuses in three lines turn an infant's ordinary gesture into a flower closing on itself. |
| विनिवेशयन्तम् | viniveśayantam | placing, putting in | A causative present participle in the accusative, agreeing with 'the child Mukunda': he is being remembered in the very act of doing this, not after it. |
| वटस्य पत्रस्य पुटे | vaṭasya patrasya puṭe | in the cup of a leaf of the banyan tree | vaṭa (banyan) + patra (leaf), both genitive, with puṭa (a fold, hollow or cup) in the locative. Puṭa is the curl of the leaf that holds him like a cradle. |
| शयानं | śayānaṃ | lying, reclining, at rest | Another accusative participle: the child is not merely placed on the leaf but sleeping on it. This is Krishna as Vaṭapatraśāyī, 'he who lies on the banyan leaf'. |
| बालं | bālaṃ | the child, the infant | The Supreme is remembered here in the smallest form he takes — not as teacher or king, but as a baby. |
| मुकुन्दं | mukundaṃ | Mukunda — the giver of liberation | A name of Krishna from mukti (liberation) + da (giver). Set beside bāla it makes the verse's quiet paradox: the one who grants freedom, playing with his own foot. |
| मनसा | manasā | with the mind, in my heart | Instrumental of manas. The remembering is inward — no ritual, no offering, nothing but attention. |
| स्मरामि | smarāmi | I remember, I call to mind | The verse's only finite verb, held back to the last word. Not 'I praise' or 'I ask' but smaraṇa — remembrance, which in bhakti is itself a complete practice. |
करारविन्देनkarāravindena
- Literal meaning
- with his lotus-like hand
- Explanation
- kara (hand) + aravinda (lotus), in the instrumental — 'by means of the lotus-hand'. The first of the verse's three lotuses.
पदारविन्दंpadāravindaṃ
- Literal meaning
- his lotus-like foot
- Explanation
- pada (foot) + aravinda (lotus), the object being moved. In devotional Sanskrit the Lord's feet are always 'lotus feet' — here they are also, quite literally, a baby's feet.
मुखारविन्देmukhāravinde
- Literal meaning
- into his lotus-like mouth
- Explanation
- mukha (mouth) + aravinda (lotus), in the locative — the place the foot is going. Three lotuses in three lines turn an infant's ordinary gesture into a flower closing on itself.
विनिवेशयन्तम्viniveśayantam
- Literal meaning
- placing, putting in
- Explanation
- A causative present participle in the accusative, agreeing with 'the child Mukunda': he is being remembered in the very act of doing this, not after it.
वटस्य पत्रस्य पुटेvaṭasya patrasya puṭe
- Literal meaning
- in the cup of a leaf of the banyan tree
- Explanation
- vaṭa (banyan) + patra (leaf), both genitive, with puṭa (a fold, hollow or cup) in the locative. Puṭa is the curl of the leaf that holds him like a cradle.
शयानंśayānaṃ
- Literal meaning
- lying, reclining, at rest
- Explanation
- Another accusative participle: the child is not merely placed on the leaf but sleeping on it. This is Krishna as Vaṭapatraśāyī, 'he who lies on the banyan leaf'.
बालंbālaṃ
- Literal meaning
- the child, the infant
- Explanation
- The Supreme is remembered here in the smallest form he takes — not as teacher or king, but as a baby.
मुकुन्दंmukundaṃ
- Literal meaning
- Mukunda — the giver of liberation
- Explanation
- A name of Krishna from mukti (liberation) + da (giver). Set beside bāla it makes the verse's quiet paradox: the one who grants freedom, playing with his own foot.
मनसाmanasā
- Literal meaning
- with the mind, in my heart
- Explanation
- Instrumental of manas. The remembering is inward — no ritual, no offering, nothing but attention.
स्मरामिsmarāmi
- Literal meaning
- I remember, I call to mind
- Explanation
- The verse's only finite verb, held back to the last word. Not 'I praise' or 'I ask' but smaraṇa — remembrance, which in bhakti is itself a complete practice.
Translations are prepared with editorial review against the Sanskrit text, transliteration and English master meaning. Sanskrit words may carry layers of meaning that no single translation can fully express.
How to chant
Preparation
- Sit or lie comfortably and let the breath slow before the first line.
- Read the meaning once, so the picture is there before the words arrive.
Pronunciation notes
- A-ra-vin-da recurs three times — keep it even and unhurried each time.
- Vi-ni-ve-śa-yan-tam — the 'ś' is a soft 'sh'.
- Śa-yā-naṃ — long 'yaa'; the 'ṃ' is a soft nasal hum.
- Sma-rā-mi — the opening 'sm' is one sound, not 'suma'.
How many times
As a verse of remembrance it is not counted on a mālā. Recite it once before sleep, or let it repeat slowly — as in this recording — while you keep the picture in mind.
To close
Let the last word, smarāmi, settle in silence, and hold the image a moment longer before you move.
How to use the recording
Chanting along
Follow the four lines softly; the loop returns often enough to learn it by ear.
Meditation
Build the picture as the words give it — the hand, the foot, the mouth, the leaf, the water — and simply stay with it.
Prayer or pūjā
Play it during Janmashtami worship, or as a quiet evening offering to Krishna.
Sleep listening
Keep the volume low and let the repetition carry you down; nothing in the recording rises to startle you awake.
Morning practice
A gentle beginning for a Krishna-centred morning, before the day becomes loud.
Background atmosphere
Let it run quietly while you work, read or rest at home.
Background & sourcesClassification, origin, historical context, symbolism, intentions & occasions
What kind of sacred text is this?
This is a stotra verse of smaraṇa — remembrance. It contains no request and no salutation: a single sentence describes a scene, and the verb that governs it all, smarāmi, simply says 'I call this to mind'. It stands as the opening verse of the Bāla Mukundāṣṭakam, the eight-verse hymn to Krishna as the divine child.
Origin and textual source
- Tradition / work
- Śrī Kṛṣṇakarṇāmṛtam (verse 2.57); also the opening verse of the Bāla Mukundāṣṭakam
- Section
- Kṛṣṇakarṇāmṛta, second śataka — the section given to the child form of Krishna
- Attribution
- Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura (Līlāśuka), c. 13th century, Kerala
- Variants
- The fourth line is sung both as 'bālaṃ mukundaṃ manasā smarāmi' and as 'bālaṃ mukundaṃ hṛdaye smarāmi' — 'in the heart' rather than 'with the mind'.
- Some editions read 'vaṭasya patrasya puṭe śayānam' and others 'vaṭasya patre puṭake śayānam'; the picture is unchanged.
Historical and devotional context
Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura — known also as Līlāśuka, 'the parrot of the divine play' — composed the Kṛṣṇakarṇāmṛta, 'the nectar for Krishna's ears', in Kerala around the thirteenth century. Its second śataka lingers on Krishna as a child, and this verse is its most travelled: it left the poem, gathered seven companions as the Bāla Mukundāṣṭakam, and is now recited by people who have never heard of either work. The image behind it is older still — the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, adrift at the dissolution of the world, finds nothing in the endless water but an infant asleep on a banyan leaf, and understands who he is looking at.
In the bhakti traditions vātsalya — loving God as one's own child — is a complete relationship, not a lesser one, and this verse is among its most beloved expressions. It is recited at Janmashtami, sung to children at bedtime, and kept as a nightly smaraṇa by householders who want a last thought that asks for nothing. Because it is remembrance rather than petition, it carries no requirement: no count, no ritual, no fixed hour.
Symbolism and inner meaning
- Three lotuses — hand, foot and mouth — fold an infant's commonest gesture into the shape of a flower closing on itself.
- The banyan leaf afloat on the waters of dissolution: the whole universe withdrawn, and what remains is a sleeping child, entirely unworried.
- Bāla beside Mukunda holds the paradox still — the giver of liberation, playing with his own toes.
- The verb comes last and is only 'I remember': in bhakti, attention held long enough is itself the practice.
Traditionally associated intentions
Traditional purpose
- Smaraṇa — remembrance of Krishna's child form
- Recitation at Janmashtami and during the Krishna-centred months
- A closing thought before sleep, asking for nothing
Devotional intentions
- Devotion
- Vātsalya — tenderness toward the divine as a child
- Stillness and inner quiet
- Remembrance
This recording is for
- Long-form listening through the night
- Slow Krishna meditation
- Janmashtami devotional listening
- Falling asleep with the mantra continuing
A note on wellbeing: Many people find a slow, tender chant settling at the end of the day. This is a devotional practice — not medical treatment for any condition.
When is it traditionally chanted?
Krishna Janmashtami
The celebration of Krishna's birth — the natural night for a verse that remembers him as a newborn. This recording was released for it.
Night-time prayer
Long kept as a last thought before sleep, and arranged here at exactly that pace.
Bedtime for children
Households sing it over sleeping children, the verse's own subject returned to them.
Related mantras
2h 8mKrishnaya Vasudevaya — Krishna Prayer of Surrender
ॐ कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय हरये परमात्मने । प्रणतः क्लेशनाशाय गोविंदाय नमो नमः ।।
2h 30mHare Keshava Govinda — Shiva Krishna Mantra
हरे केशवा गोविन्द । वासुदेवा जनार्धना । शिव शंकर रुद्रेति । नीलकंठ त्रिलोचना ॥
2h 34mKarpur Gauram Karunavataram — Shiva Stuti
कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं संसारसारम् भुजगेन्द्रहारम् । सदावसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे भवं भवानी सहितं नमामि ॥