Shri Banke Bihari Aarti · श्री बाँकेबिहारी जी की आरती

"Shri Banke Bihari teri aarti gaun", the aarti of Krishna as Banke Bihari, the deity of the famous temple in Vrindavan.

Refrain
श्री बाँकेबिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊँ ।shri bankebihari teri arti gaun |कुन्जबिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊँ ।kunjabihari teri arti gaun |श्री श्यामसुन्दर तेरी आरती गाऊँ ॥shri shyamasundar teri arti gaun ||
śrī bām̐kebihārī terī āratī gāūm̐ । kunjabihārī terī āratī gāūm̐ । śrī śyāmasundara terī āratī gāūm̐ ॥
हे श्री बाँकेबिहारी, मैं तेरी आरती गाऊँ; हे कुंजबिहारी, मैं तेरी आरती गाऊँ; हे श्री श्यामसुंदर, मैं तेरी आरती गाऊँ।
Shri Banke Bihari, I sing your aarti; Kunj Bihari (who plays in the groves), I sing your aarti; Shri Shyamasundar, I sing your aarti.
1
मोर मुकुट प्रभु शीश पे सोहे ।mor mukut prabhu shish pe sohe |प्यारी बंशी मेरो मन मोहे ।pyari banshi mero man mohe |देखि छवि बलिहारी जाऊँ ॥dekhi chhavi balihari jaun ||
mora mukuṭa prabhu śīśa pe sohe । pyārī baṃśī mero mana mohe । dekhi chavi balihārī jāūm̐ ॥
प्रभु के सिर पर मोर-मुकुट शोभा देता है; प्यारी बाँसुरी मेरा मन मोहती है; उनकी छवि देखकर मैं बलिहारी जाऊँ।
The peacock crown shines on the Lord's head; the lovely flute enchants my heart; seeing his beauty I offer myself to him.
2
चरणों से निकली गंगा प्यारी ।charnon se nikli ganga pyari |जिसने सारी दुनिया तारी ।jisne sari duniya tari |मैं उन चरणों के दर्शन पाऊँ ॥main un charnon ke darshan paun ||
caraṇoṃ se nikalī gaṃgā pyārī । jisane sārī duniyā tārī । maiṃ una caraṇoṃ ke darśana pāūm̐ ॥
आपके चरणों से प्यारी गंगा निकलीं, जिन्होंने सारी दुनिया को तारा; मैं उन चरणों के दर्शन पाऊँ।
The beloved Ganga flowed from your feet and saved the whole world; may I have the sight of those feet.
3
दास अनाथ के नाथ आप हो ।das anath ke nath ap ho |दुःख सुख जीवन प्यारे साथ हो ।duhkh sukh jivan pyare sath ho |हरि चरणों में शीश नवाऊँ ॥hari charnon men shish navaun ||
dāsa anātha ke nātha āpa ho । duḥkha sukha jīvana pyāre sātha ho । hari caraṇoṃ meṃ śīśa navāūm̐ ॥
आप अनाथ दास के नाथ हो; हे प्यारे, जीवन भर दुःख-सुख में साथ रहो; मैं हरि के चरणों में शीश नवाऊँ।
You are the master of the helpless servant; beloved, be with me in sorrow and joy throughout life; I bow my head at Hari's feet.
4
श्री हरि दास के प्यारे तुम हो ।shri hari das ke pyare tum ho |मेरे मोहन जीवन धन हो ।mere mohan jivan dhan ho |देखि युगल छवि बलि-बलि जाऊँ ॥dekhi yugal chhavi bali-bali jaun ||
śrī hari dāsa ke pyāre tuma ho । mere mohana jīvana dhana ho । dekhi yugala chavi bali-bali jāūm̐ ॥
आप श्री हरिदास के प्यारे हो; मेरे मोहन, आप मेरे जीवन-धन हो; युगल छवि देखकर मैं बार-बार बलिहारी जाऊँ।
You are the beloved of Shri Haridas; my Mohan, you are the wealth of my life; seeing the divine couple, I offer myself again and again.

About this text

Banke Bihari, "the one bent in three places who delights in play", is the form of Krishna worshipped at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, whose image is said to have appeared to the sixteenth-century saint Swami Haridas. This short aarti sings of his peacock crown and his flute, of the Ganga that flows from his feet, of the Lord who is the refuge of the helpless, and closes by naming him the beloved of Shri Haridas and offering itself to the sight of the divine couple, Radha and Krishna. Every edition of this aarti found online copies one source, so its lines could not be compared; the text is taken from the most-visited of them.

How it is recited

It is sung at the evening aarti, on Janmashtami and on Bihari Panchami (Margashirsha Shukla Panchami), the day the image is said to have appeared. Customs vary.