Kamal Netra Stotram: Devanagari Text, Meaning & Significance
Kamal Netra Stotram - Devanagari Text
श्री कमल नेत्र कटि पीताम्बर, अधर मुरली गिरधरम ।
मुकुट कुण्डल कर लकुटिया, सांवरे राधेवरम ॥१॥
कूल यमुना धेनु आगे, सकल गोपयन के मन हरम ।
पीत वस्त्र गरुड़ वाहन, चरण सुख नित सागरम ॥२॥
करत केल कलोल निशदिन, कुंज भवन उजागरम ।
अजर अमर अडोल निश्चल, पुरुषोत्तम अपरा परम ॥३॥
दीनानाथ दयाल गिरिधर, कंस हिरणाकुश हरणम ।
गल फूल भाल विशाल लोचन, अधिक सुन्दर केशवम ॥४॥
बंशीधर वासुदेव छइया, बलि छल्यो श्री वामनम ।
जब डूबते गज राख लीनों, लंक छेद्यो रावनम ॥५॥
सप्त दीप नवखण्ड चौदह, भवन कीनों एक पदम ।
द्रोपदी की लाज राखी, कहां लौं उपमा करम ॥६॥
दीनानाथ दयाल पूरण, करुणामय करुणा करम ।
कवित्तदास विलास निशदिन, नाम जप नित नागरम ॥७॥
प्रथम गुरु के चरण बन्दों, यस्य ज्ञान प्रकाशितम ।
आदि विष्णु जुगादि ब्रह्मा, सेविते शिव संकरम ॥८॥
श्रीकृष्ण केशव कृष्ण केशव, कृष्ण यदुपति केशवम ।
श्रीराम रघुवर, राम रघुवर, राम रघुवर राघवम ॥९॥
श्रीराम कृष्ण गोविन्द माधव, वासुदेव श्री वामनम ।
मच्छ-कच्छ वाराह नरसिंह, पाहि रघुपति पावनम ॥१०॥
मथुरा में केशवराय विराजे, गोकुल बाल मुकुन्द जी ।
श्री वृन्दावन में मदन मोहन, गोपीनाथ गोविन्द जी ॥११॥
धन्य मथुरा धन्य गोकुल, जहाँ श्री पति अवतरे ।
धन्य यमुना नीर निर्मल, ग्वाल बाल सखावरे ॥१२॥
नवनीत नागर करत निरन्तर, शिव विरंचि मन मोहितम ।
कालिन्दी तट करत क्रीड़ा, बाल अदभुत सुन्दरम ॥१३॥
ग्वाल बाल सब सखा विराजे, संग राधे भामिनी ।
बंशी वट तट निकट यमुना, मुरली की टेर सुहावनी ॥१४॥
भज राघवेश रघुवंश उत्तम, परम राजकुमार जी ।
सीता के पति भक्तन के गति, जगत प्राण आधार जी ॥१५॥
जनक राजा पनक राखी, धनुष बाण चढ़ावहीं ।
सती सीता नाम जाके, श्री रामचन्द्र प्रणामहीं ॥१६॥
जन्म मथुरा खेल गोकुल, नन्द के ह्रदि नन्दनम ।
बाल लीला पतित पावन, देवकी वसुदेवकम ॥१७॥
श्रीकृष्ण कलिमल हरण जाके, जो भजे हरिचरण को ।
भक्ति अपनी देव माधव, भवसागर के तरण को ॥१८॥
जगन्नाथ जगदीश स्वामी, श्री बद्रीनाथ विश्वम्भरम ।
द्वारिका के नाथ श्री पति, केशवं प्रणमाम्यहम ॥१९॥
श्रीकृष्ण अष्टपद पढ़त निशदिन, विष्णु लोक सगच्छतम ।
श्रीगुरु रामानन्द अवतार स्वामी, कविदत्त दास समाप्ततम ॥२०॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
śrī kamala netra kaṭi pītāmbara, adhara muralī giradharam |
mukuṭa kuṇḍala kara lakuṭiyā, sāṃvare rādhevaram ||1||
kūla yamunā dhenu āge, sakala gopayana ke mana haram |
pīta vastra garuḍa vāhana, caraṇa sukha nita sāgaram ||2||
karata kela kalola niśadina, kuṃja bhavana ujāgaram |
ajara amara aḍola niścala, puruṣottama aparā param ||3||
dīnānātha dayāla giradhara, kaṃsa hiraṇākuśa haraṇam |
gala phūla bhāla viśāla locana, adhika sundara keśavam ||4||
baṃśīdhara vāsudeva chaiyā, bali chalyo śrī vāmanam |
jaba ḍūbate gaja rākha līnoṃ, laṃka chedyo rāvanam ||5||
(verses 6–19 continue in the same metre)
śrīkṛṣṇa aṣṭapada paḍhata niśadina, viṣṇu loka sagacchatam |
śrīguru rāmānanda avatāra svāmī, kavidatta dāsa samāptatam ||20||
Meaning
The hymn opens by describing the lotus-eyed Lord (Kamal Netra) clad in yellow silk, the flute at his lips, lifter of Govardhana, crowned and ear-ringed, the dark-hued beloved of Radha (verse 1). On the banks of the Yamuna he leads the cattle and steals the hearts of the cowherds; yellow-robed, borne by Garuda, his feet are an ocean of bliss (verse 2). He sports eternally in the bowers, unborn, deathless, unmoving - the supreme Purusha beyond the beyond (verse 3). He is the protector of the destitute who slew Kamsa and Hiranyakashipu (verse 4); the flute-bearer Vasudeva who outwitted Bali as Vamana, who rescued the drowning elephant and pierced Ravana's Lanka (verse 5). The middle verses garland his deeds - sustaining the seven continents and fourteen worlds on one foot, guarding Draupadi's honour, churning butter as a child while Shiva and Brahma look on enchanted, sporting on the Kalindi's bank, and standing as Rama, lord of Sita and refuge of devotees. The closing verses praise him enshrined as Keshava-raya in Mathura, Mukund in Gokul, Madan Mohan and Gopinath in Vrindavan, Jagannath, Badrinath and Dwarakadhish - and end with the poet's signature, dedicating the song to Guru Ramananda and naming himself Kavidatta Das.
About this Stotra
Kamal Netra Stotram is a vernacular devotional hymn in the Braj idiom, composed in the Ramanandi (Vaishnava) tradition and bearing the chhap (poet's seal) of Kavidatta Das, who honours Swami Ramananda as his guru in the final verse. Rather than a classical Sanskrit shastra-stotra, it belongs to the great stream of saint-poetry that flowered in the Hindi-speaking north, weaving the lila of Krishna and the majesty of Rama into a single garland of praise to the one lotus-eyed Lord, Vishnu. Its structure moves from intimate description of the cowherd Krishna, through the roll-call of Vishnu's avatars and famous rescues, to the great shrines where he is worshipped, closing in the manner of bhakti padas with the poet's humble signature. Because it names a guru-lineage poet, the work is best understood as a traditional sant-bhakti composition rather than an anonymous Vedic-era text.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
The stotra is sung to cultivate nama-smarana - the constant remembrance of the divine name - which the poet himself extols in verses 7 and 18 as the means to cross the ocean of worldly existence. By recalling avatar after avatar, the hymn reassures the devotee that the same Lord who saved Gajendra, Draupadi and Prahlada hears every cry for help; it is therefore chanted for protection, refuge and the dissolving of the sins of the Kali age (kalimal harana). Its sweeping tour of holy places - Mathura, Gokul, Vrindavan, Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, Badrinath - turns recitation into a mental pilgrimage, and its repeated names of Krishna and Rama make it an effective tool for japa and kirtan, settling the mind in loving devotion.
Astrological Relevance
As a hymn to Vishnu in his Krishna and Rama forms, Kamal Netra Stotram is a natural remedy for strengthening Surya (the Sun) - Rama belongs to the solar Raghu dynasty (Suryavansha) and the Sun governs authority, the soul and the father - and for soothing the Chandra (Moon) and Guru (Jupiter), since Krishna of the lunar Yadu line embodies the mind's bliss and devotional wisdom. Worshippers facing an afflicted Sun or a weak Jupiter, or those seeking refuge during difficult planetary periods (dashas) and Sade Sati, recite Vishnu stotras such as this to invite the Lord's protective grace. The repeated emphasis on rescue and refuge makes it especially apt during phases of crisis indicated by malefic transits, where Vaishnava devotion is the prescribed mental remedy.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Bathe and sit before an image of Krishna or Rama, light a lamp and offer a tulsi leaf and a flower. Recite the twenty verses melodiously, ideally as kirtan, keeping the lotus-eyed form of the Lord in the mind. The hymn lends itself to group singing with clapping or simple instruments. Conclude by repeating the divine names - Radhe Krishna, Sita Ram - and bow in gratitude. It may also be read silently as a daily devotional path.
Best Day & Time
Being a Vishnu hymn it is most auspicious on Thursdays and on Ekadashi, as well as on Janmashtami and Ram Navami, when Krishna's and Rama's appearances are celebrated. The early morning (Brahma-muhurta) and the evening lamp-offering are ideal times, though as a bhajan it may be sung at any hour of devotion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed Kamal Netra Stotram?
The hymn carries the poetic signature of Kavidatta Das, who in the final verse dedicates it to his guru Swami Ramananda. It therefore belongs to the Ramanandi stream of north-Indian saint-poetry rather than to the ancient Sanskrit canon, and is preserved as a traditional bhakti composition.
Which Lord does the stotra praise?
It praises the one lotus-eyed Lord Vishnu in all his forms - most vividly the cowherd Krishna of Vrindavan and Rama of Ayodhya, along with the avatars Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha and Vamana, and the deities enshrined at Mathura, Dwarka, Puri and Badrinath.
What is the benefit of reciting it?
Devotees chant it for divine protection and refuge, for the cleansing of sins, and to deepen loving remembrance of God through the repetition of Krishna's and Rama's names. Its garland of avatar-stories makes it a comforting prayer in times of difficulty.
A poet's garland of avatars: the Vaishnava vision in verse
The Kamal Netra Stotram offers devotees something relatively rare: a single hymn that spans the full arc of Vishnu's avatars in intimate, personal verse. The poet Kavidatta Das, working in the Ramanandi tradition, does not write as a pandit cataloguing divine attributes but as a bhakta whose heart has been claimed by the lotus-eyed Lord in every form - the fish who saved the Vedas, the dwarf who measured the cosmos, Krishna in Vrindavan, Rama in Ayodhya. Each verse carries the warmth of one who knows these stories not merely as scripture but as the living texture of the sacred world. The mention of Mathura, Gokul, and Vrindavan gives the stotra a strong pilgrimage consciousness: to sing these names is to spiritually walk those grounds.
Devotees in the Ramanandi and broader Vaishnava communities recite the Kamal Netra Stotram during morning puja, on Ekadashi, and on days associated with Vishnu's avatars - particularly Janmashtami and Ram Navami. Its scope makes it an ideal companion to the Vishnu Sahasranama for those seeking narrative-style engagement with the Lord's many forms. In the Jyotish tradition, Vishnu in his avatar forms is understood to uphold dharmic cosmic order; honoring the avatars through this stotra is considered to invite the Lord's protective grace into every dimension of life.