The Achyutashtakam is a short Sanskrit hymn in praise of Vishnu, approached through the names and forms of his two best-loved incarnations, Krishna and Rama. Ashtakam means a set of eight, and the title means the eight verses of Achyuta, the Unfallen or Unshaken one, which is one of Vishnu’s names. The printed edition this text comes from attributes it to Adi Shankaracharya. Scholars debate which stotras are truly his, so it is best to treat the attribution as traditional.
What you notice first is that the hymn is built from names rather than from a story. Keshava, Damodara, Madhava, Govinda and many others follow one another like beads on a thread, and the later verses add pictures: the cowherd boy of Vraja, the prince Rama in the forest, and the dark-hued lord adorned with a forest garland. A ninth verse closes with the benefit the text itself claims for reading it.
On this page you will find each verse in Devanagari with a simple transliteration and a meaning in plain English, followed by notes on recitation, tradition and pronunciation. For the festival of Krishna’s birth see the Janmashtami page, and for Rama see Ram Navami, where dates are given each year.
The text, transliteration and meaning
The nine verses are shown below. The first eight are the hymn proper, and the last is the verse that speaks of the benefit of reading it.
Verse 1
अच्युतं केशवं रामनारायणं
कृष्णदामोदरं वासुदेवं हरिम् ॥
श्रीधरं माधवं गोपिकावल्लभं
जानकीनायकं रामचन्द्रं भजे ॥
Achyutam keshavam ramanarayanam
Krishnadamodaram vasudevam harim
Shridharam madhavam gopikavallabham
Janakinayakam ramachandram bhaje
MeaningI worship Achyuta, Keshava, Rama, Narayana, Krishna, Damodara, Vasudeva and Hari, and also Shridhara, Madhava, the beloved of the cowherd women, the lord of Janaki, Ramachandra. All of these are names of the one divine figure.
Verse 2
अच्युतं केशवं सत्यभामाधवं
माधवं श्रीधरं राधिकाराधितम् ॥
इन्दिरामन्दिरं चेतसा सुन्दरं
देवकीनन्दनं नन्दनं संदधे ॥
Achyutam keshavam satyabhamadhavam
Madhavam shridharam radhikaradhitam
Indiramandiram chetasa sundaram
Devakinandanam nandanam sandadhe
MeaningAchyuta, Keshava, the husband of Satyabhama, Madhava, Shridhara, the one worshipped by Radhika, the dwelling place of Indira (Lakshmi), beautiful to the mind, the son of Devaki and of Nanda: I hold him in my heart.
Verse 3
विष्णवे जिष्णवे शङ्खिने चक्रिणे
रुक्मिनीरागिणे जानकीजानये ॥
वल्लवीवल्लभायाऽर्चितायात्मने
कंसविध्वंसिने वंशिने ते नमः ॥
Vishnave jishnave shankhine chakrine
Rukminiragine janakijanaye
Vallavivallabhaya'rchitayatmane
Kamsavidhvamsine vamshine te namah
MeaningSalutations to Vishnu, the victorious, the bearer of conch and discus, the lover of Rukmini and husband of Janaki, the beloved of the cowherd girls, the worshipped one, the very Self, the destroyer of Kamsa, the flute-player.
Verse 4
कृष्ण गोविन्द हे राम नारायण
श्रीपते वासुदेवाजित श्रीनिधे ॥
अच्युतानन्त हे माधवाधोक्षज
द्वारकानायक द्रौपदीरक्षक ॥
Krishna govinda he rama narayana
Shripate vasudevajita shrinidhe
Achyutananta he madhavadhokshaja
Dvarakanayaka draupadirakshaka
MeaningA cry of address made of names: Krishna, Govinda, Rama, Narayana, lord of Shri, Vasudeva, the unconquered, treasure of Shri, Achyuta, the endless one, Madhava, Adhokshaja, lord of Dwarka, protector of Draupadi.
Verse 5
राक्षसक्षोभितः सीतया शोभितो
दण्डकारण्यभूपुण्यताकारणः ॥
लक्ष्मणेनान्वितो वानरैः सेवितोऽ
गस्त्यसंपूजितो राघवः पातु माम् ॥
Rakshasakshobhitah sitaya shobhito
Dandakaranyabhupunyatakaranah
Lakshmanenanvito vanaraih sevito'
Gastyasampujito raghavah patu mam
MeaningMay Raghava (Rama) protect me: he who stirred the demons, who is graced by Sita, who made the land of the Dandaka forest holy, who is accompanied by Lakshmana, served by the monkeys and honoured by the sage Agastya.
Verse 6
धेनुकारिष्टकोऽनिष्टकृद्द्वेषिणां
केशिहा कंसहृद्वंशिकावादकः ॥
पूतनाकोपकः सूरजाखेलनो
बालगोपालकः पातु माम् सर्वदा ॥
Dhenukarishtako'nishtakriddveshinam
Keshiha kamsahridvamshikavadakah
Putanakopakah surajakhelano
Balagopalakah patu mam sarvada
MeaningMay the child cowherd protect me always: the slayer of Dhenuka and Arishta, who brings harm to those who hate him, the killer of Keshi and Kamsa, the player of the flute, who angered Putana and who played on the banks of the Yamuna.
Verse 7
विद्युदुद्धयोतवानप्रस्फुरद्वाससं
प्रावृडम्भोदवत्प्रोल्लसद्विग्रहम् ॥
वन्यया मालया शोभितोरःस्थलं
लोहितांघ्रिद्वयं वारिजाक्षं भजे ॥
Vidyududdhayotavanaprasphuradvasasam
Pravridambhodavatprollasadvigraham
Vanyaya malaya shobhitorahsthalam
Lohitanghridvayam varijaksham bhaje
MeaningI worship the lotus-eyed one whose garment gleams like lightning, whose body shines like a rain-laden cloud, whose chest is adorned with a garland of forest flowers, and whose two feet are reddish like the lotus.
Verse 8
कुञ्चितैः कुन्तलैर्भ्राजमानाननं
रत्नमौलिं लसत् कुण्डलं गण्डयोः ॥
हारकेयूरकं कङ्कणप्रोज्ज्वलं
किङ्किणीमञ्जुलं श्यामलं तं भजे ॥
Kunchitaih kuntalairbhrajamanananam
Ratnamaulim lasat kundalam gandayoh
Harakeyurakam kankanaprojjvalam
Kinkinimanjulam shyamalam tam bhaje
MeaningI worship that dark-hued one whose face shines among curling locks, who wears a jewelled crown and bright earrings on his cheeks, who glitters with necklace, armlets and bracelets, and who is sweet with the tinkle of small bells.
Benefit verse
अच्युतस्याष्टकं यः पठेदिष्टदं प्रेमतः प्रत्यहं पूरुषः सस्पृहम् ।
वृत्ततः सुंदरं कर्तृ विश्वंभरं तस्य वश्यो हरिर्जायते सत्वरम् ॥
Achyutasyashtakam yah pathedishtadam prematah pratyaham purushah saspriham
Vrittatah sundaram kartri vishvambharam tasya vashyo harirjayate satvaram
MeaningThe text states its own benefit: a person who reads this eight-verse hymn to Achyuta each day, with love and longing, finds that Hari, the sustainer of the world, quickly becomes won over to him. This is the hymn's own claim, offered as devotion.
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource, page “अच्युताष्टकम्”. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
When and how it is traditionally recited
Many devotees read the Achyutashtakam in the morning or at the evening lamp, often as part of a short sequence of Vishnu hymns. The verses are quick to learn, because the opening names repeat and the metre is light, so it is a common first stotra for children and beginners in many families.
It is sung or spoken on Ekadashi, the eleventh day of each lunar fortnight that many Vaishnava households keep as a day of devotion, and around Janmashtami and Ram Navami. The Ekadashi page explains the day, and dates are listed on the festival pages rather than here.
There is no fixed count. Some people read it once, some read it eight or twenty-one times, and others simply sing it with a harmonium or a bell. Customs differ by region, family and teacher, so follow what you have been taught.
What the tradition says it is for
Tradition values hymns of this kind as nama-smarana, the remembrance of the divine through names. Instead of arguing about God, the verse lets the mind rest on many names in turn, each of which recalls a story or quality: Damodara, the one with a rope at the waist; Govinda, the keeper of cows; Achyuta, the one who never falls.
The hymn joins Krishna and Rama in a single prayer, which fits the Vaishnava view that both are forms of Vishnu. The final verse says that daily loving reading brings Hari close. That is the text’s own claim, and the tradition reads it as the nearness that comes from devotion rather than as a bargain for worldly gain.
Nothing here is a medical, legal or financial remedy. If you are facing a health or money worry, seek proper professional advice and let the hymn be a quiet companion alongside it.
Pronunciation notes
The hymn is full of long and short vowels that change a name, so give the long ones about twice the time. Say Achyuta as “a-chyu-ta”, Keshava as “kay-sha-va” and Damodara as “da-mo-da-ra”. Krishna is closer to “krish-na” with the ending soft, and the sh in Keshava and Shridhara is the sound in English “shin”.
Watch the aspirated consonants: dh in Madhava and Shridhara and bh in bhaje carry a puff of breath. A final m, as in Harim, is a soft hum. The ri in Krishna and Shri is a light vowel, close to “ri”. Reading aloud slowly a few times helps more than rushing.
Related mantras and pages
- Krishnashtakam: another eight-verse hymn to Krishna with a steady refrain
- Hanumat Pancharatnam: a short hymn to Rama’s devoted servant
- Ekadashi: a fortnightly day of devotion to Vishnu
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What does Achyutashtakam mean?
Ashtakam means a group of eight, and Achyuta is a name of Vishnu meaning the one who never falls. So the title means the eight verses of Achyuta. The hymn is a string of names and pictures of Vishnu as Krishna and Rama.
↳ Who wrote the Achyutashtakam?
The printed edition it comes from attributes it to Adi Shankaracharya. Scholars debate which stotras are really his, so the attribution is best held as traditional rather than proven.
↳ Is the Achyutashtakam about Krishna or Rama?
Both. Verse 5 is a portrait of Rama with Sita and Lakshmana, and verse 6 turns to Krishna, the cowherd child who overcame Dhenuka, Keshi and Kamsa. Several other verses mix the names of both, since the hymn treats them as forms of Vishnu.
↳ When is the Achyutashtakam usually read?
Many families read it in the morning or evening, and on Ekadashi, Janmashtami or Ram Navami. There is no rule, and customs differ by region and teacher.
↳ What does the last verse promise?
The ninth verse says that a person who reads the hymn daily with love finds Hari quickly won over. This is the text's own statement of benefit, and tradition takes it as devotion, not as a guarantee of outcomes.