प्रलयपयोधिजले धृतवानसि वेदम् ।
विहितवहित्रचरित्रमखेदम् ॥
केशव धृतमीनशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥१॥
क्षितिरतिविपुलतरे तव तिष्ठति पृष्ठे ।
धरणिधरणकिणचक्रगरिष्ठे ॥
केशव धृतकच्छपरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥२॥
वसति दशनशिखरे धरणी तव लग्ना ।
शशिनि कलङ्ककलेव निमग्ना ॥
केशव धृतसूकररूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥३॥
तव करकमलवरे नखमद्भुतशृङ्गम् ।
दलितहिरण्यकशिपुतनुभृङ्गम् ॥
केशव धृतनरहरिरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥४॥
छलयसि विक्रमणे बलिमद्भुतवामन ।
पदनखनीरजनितजनपावन ॥
केशव धृतवामनरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥५॥
क्षत्रियरुधिरमये जगदपगतपापम् ।
स्नपयसि पयसि शमितभवतापम् ॥
केशव धृतभृगुपतिरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥६॥
वितरसि दिक्षु रणे दिक्पतिकमनीयम् ।
दशमुखमौलिबलिं रमणीयम् ॥
केशव धृतरामशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥७॥
वहसि वपुषि विशदे वसनं जलदाभम् ।
हलहतिभीतिमिलितयमुनाभम् ॥
केशव धृतहलधररूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥८॥
निन्दसि यज्ञविधेरहह श्रुतिजातम् ।
सदयहृदयदर्शितपशुघातम् ॥
केशव धृतबुद्धशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥९॥
म्लेच्छनिवहनिधने कलयसि करवालम् ।
धूमकेतुमिव किमपि करालम् ॥
केशव धृतकल्किशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥१०॥
श्रीजयदेवकवेरिदमुदितमुदारम् ।
शृणु सुखदं शुभदं भवसारम् ॥
केशव धृतदशविधरूप जय जगदीश हरे ॥११॥
वेदानुद्धरते जगन्निवहते भूगोलमुद्बिभ्रते
दैत्यं दारयते बलिं छलयते क्षत्रक्षयं कुर्वते ।
पौलस्त्यं जयते हलं कलयते कारुण्यमातन्वते
म्लेच्छान्मूर्च्छयते दशाकृतिकृते कृष्णाय तुभ्यं नमः ॥
pralayapayodhijale dhṛtavānasi vedam |
vihitavahitracaritramakhedam ||
keśava dhṛtamīnaśarīra jaya jagadīśa hare ||1||
kṣitirativipulatare tava tiṣṭhati pṛṣṭhe |
dharaṇidharaṇakiṇacakragariṣṭhe ||
keśava dhṛtakacchaparūpa jaya jagadīśa hare ||2||
vasati daśanaśikhare dharaṇī tava lagnā |
śaśini kalaṅkakaleva nimagnā ||
keśava dhṛtasūkararūpa jaya jagadīśa hare ||3||
tava karakamalavare nakhamadbhutaśṛṅgam |
dalitahiraṇyakaśiputanubhṛṅgam ||
keśava dhṛtanaraharirūpa jaya jagadīśa hare ||4||
chalayasi vikramaṇe balimadbhutavāmana |
padanakhanīrajanitajanapāvana ||
keśava dhṛtavāmanarūpa jaya jagadīśa hare ||5||
kṣatriyarudhiramaye jagadapagatapāpam |
snapayasi payasi śamitabhavatāpam ||
keśava dhṛtabhṛgupatirūpa jaya jagadīśa hare ||6||
vitarasi dikṣu raṇe dikpatikamanīyam |
daśamukhamaulibaliṃ ramaṇīyam ||
keśava dhṛtarāmaśarīra jaya jagadīśa hare ||7||
vahasi vapuṣi viśade vasanaṃ jaladābham |
halahatibhītimilitayamunābham ||
keśava dhṛtahaladhararūpa jaya jagadīśa hare ||8||
nindasi yajñavidherahaha śrutijātam |
sadayahṛdayadarśitapaśughātam ||
keśava dhṛtabuddhaśarīra jaya jagadīśa hare ||9||
mlecchanivahanidhane kalayasi karavālam |
dhūmaketumiva kimapi karālam ||
keśava dhṛtakalkiśarīra jaya jagadīśa hare ||10||
śrījayadevakaveridamuditamudāram |
śṛṇu sukhadaṃ śubhadaṃ bhavasāram ||
keśava dhṛtadaśavidharūpa jaya jagadīśa hare ||11||
vedānuddharate jagannivahate bhūgolamudbibhrate
daityaṃ dārayate baliṃ chalayate kṣatrakṣayaṃ kurvate |
paulastyaṃ jayate halaṃ kalayate kāruṇyamātanvate
mlecchānmūrcchayate daśākṛtikṛte kṛṣṇāya tubhyaṃ namaḥ ||
Meaning
1. In the waters of the great deluge you held up the Veda, taking on, without weariness, the work of a boat. O Keshava, who took the form of a fish, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
2. The earth rests on your vast back, scarred into a great circle by the weight of bearing it. O Keshava, who took the form of a tortoise, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
3. The earth sits on the tip of your tusk, held fast like the dark mark sunk in the moon. O Keshava, who took the form of a boar, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
4. On your lotus hand the nails are wondrous points that tore the body of Hiranyakashipu as easily as a bee. O Keshava, who took the form of the Man-Lion, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
5. Wondrous Vamana, with your stride you outwitted Bali, and the water from your toenail (the Ganga) purifies all people. O Keshava, who took the form of Vamana, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
6. You bathe the world in the blood of the (wicked) kshatriyas, washing away its sin and soothing the pain of existence. O Keshava, who took the form of Parashurama, lord of the Bhrigus, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
7. In battle you scatter to the directions the heads of the ten-headed one, a pleasing offering longed for by the guardians of the quarters. O Keshava, who took the body of Rama, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
8. On your fair body you wear a garment the colour of a rain cloud, the colour of the Yamuna who came to you in fear of the blow of your plough. O Keshava, who took the form of Balarama the plough-bearer, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
9. Ah, with a heart full of mercy you speak against the rules of sacrifice that show the killing of animals. O Keshava, who took the body of Buddha, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
10. For the destruction of the hordes of barbarians you wield a sword, terrible as a comet. O Keshava, who took the body of Kalki, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
11. Hear this noble song of the poet Jayadeva, giving joy and good fortune, the best of this worldly life. O Keshava, who took ten forms, victory to you, Lord of the world, Hari!
Shloka: To you who brought back the Vedas, who bore the world, who lifted the earth, who tore the daitya, who outwitted Bali, who ended the (wicked) kshatriyas, who conquered Ravana, who wields the plough, who spreads compassion, who strikes down the barbarians: to you, Krishna, who took these ten forms, my salutation.
About this bhajan
Jayadeva sang the Gita Govinda in the twelfth century, and its first song is the one every Vaishnava knows: the ten avatars, each stanza ending "Keshava dhrita... jaya Jagadisha Hare". At Puri it is sung before Bhagwan Jagannath; in Kerala it is the Ashtapadi of the sopanam steps; in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka bhajan groups open with it. Jayadeva names Balarama as the eighth avatar and Buddha as the ninth, and the closing shloka sums up all ten as forms of Krishna himself. Some lists of the Dashavatara give Krishna in Balarama's place; both are honoured.
Jayadeva, Gītagovinda, sarga 1 (Sāmodadāmodara), gīta 1 + closing śloka 5, Sanskrit Wikisource गीतगोविन्दम्/सामोददामोदरः