Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki

What the refrain calls him

The refrain packs three of Krishna's names into two lines. Kunj Bihari is "the one who wanders in the kunj": the shaded groves of creepers along the Yamuna at Vrindavan, where his childhood and the ras lila take place. Girdhar is "the holder of the mountain", from the story of Krishna lifting Govardhan to shelter Braj from Indra's storm. Murari is "the enemy of Mura", the demon he killed. The aarti is written in Braj Bhasha, the language of the Krishna country, which is why you hear forms like bajavai, tarsain and gagan son instead of standard Hindi. Unlike many aartis it has no closing signature line naming a poet, and its author isn't reliably recorded.

Verse by verse

• First verse, his form: the Vaijayanti garland at his neck, the sweet flute he plays, earrings shining at his ears, the joy of Nanda. His body is dark like the sky, and Radha shines beside him. He stands among the creepers as Banmali, the one who wears a garland of forest flowers. His curls are dark as a black bee, there is a musk tilak on his brow and a glow like the moon, and the verse ends on the lovely image of Shyama's beloved.
• Second verse, the ras: a golden peacock crown gleams on his head, and the gods themselves long for a glimpse of him. Flowers rain from the sky, and the murchang (jaw harp) and mridang play. He is among the gopis, and the verse speaks of the incomparable love of the cowherd girls.
• Third verse, his feet: the aarti turns to the feet "from which the Ganga appeared". This follows the tradition that the Ganga flows from Vishnu's foot, which is why she is called Vishnupadi. It calls her kalush kali harini, the one who takes away the impurity of the Kali age: remembering her breaks delusion, she came to rest in Shiva's matted hair, and she washes away the mire of sin. So the verse honours the beauty of Banvari's (Krishna's) feet.
• Fourth verse, the plea: the sand of the Yamuna's banks glitters, the flute sounds through Vrindavan, and gopis, cowherds and cows are all around. He smiles softly under the moonlight, and the bonds of worldly existence are cut. The last line is the devotee's own request: ter sun deen dukhari ki, "hear the cry of this suffering, helpless one."

When it is sung

This is the aarti most North Indian homes sing to Krishna at the evening lamp. It is also the aarti of Janmashtami, sung at midnight when the image of baby Krishna is bathed, dressed and placed in the cradle. In Vrindavan and across Braj it is part of the ordinary daily round of temple worship. As with any aarti, the lamp is circled in front of the image while it is sung. Many families follow it with Om Jai Jagdish Hare, and it pairs naturally with the Krishna Chalisa or a short Krishna mantra.

Variant readings

Printed versions differ in a couple of places. In the third verse, some read sakal man harini Shri Ganga ("Ganga who captivates every heart") instead of kalush kali harini. In the last verse, some read deen bhikhari ("the poor beggar") instead of deen dukhari ("the poor sufferer"). Neither changes the sense. We give the readings found in the published sources we checked, and if your family sings the other, there's no need to change.