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Study guide

Bhaja Govindam Guide - Moha Mudgara

Learn about Bhaja Govindam (Moha Mudgara): its refrain, thirty-one verses, daily use, and how to read it on this site with Sanskrit and meanings.

Bhaja Govindam is among the best-known works linked to Adi Shankaracharya. Also called Mohamudgara, it uses direct language to turn the mind from postponement, vanity, and misplaced security toward remembrance of Govinda. The hymn is widely chanted in the morning and studied alongside Advaita Vedanta.

The refrain

Verse 1 opens with the famous call: worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, O bewildered mind. Read verse 1 in Devanagari or your preferred script, then continue verse by verse or use the full-text view.

Themes across thirty-one verses

The hymn moves through wealth and family attachment, the instability of the body, ritual without knowledge, friendship with the wise, desire and anger, and the joy of the mind resting in Brahman. Its tone is sharp but compassionate: it asks what we treat as final when only the Self is unlimited.

How to use this edition

Common questions

What is Bhaja Govindam?
Bhaja Govindam is a thirty-one-verse hymn traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, also called Mohamudgara. Its refrain calls the mind to worship Govinda.
How long does Bhaja Govindam take to chant?
Most devotees complete the full recension in about twenty to thirty minutes at a moderate pace.
Is Bhaja Govindam a Vishnu stotra?
Yes. It addresses Govinda, a name of Vishnu, and belongs to the Vishnu collection on this site alongside Govindashtakam and related hymns.

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