Radha Kripa Kataksh Stotra: meaning and how to chant it
राधा कृपा कटाक्ष स्तोत्र is a hymn to Shri Radha attributed to Lord Shiva, who speaks it to Parvati in the Urdhvamnaya Tantra. All thirteen verses are below, each with its meaning underneath. Every verse but one ends with the same question — when will you make me a vessel fit to receive your merciful glance — and that refrain is what gives the stotra its name. It is recited daily across Vrindavan, and people there call it the anthem of the town.
Last updated 31 August 2026राधा कृपा कटाक्ष स्तोत्र, verse by verse
All thirteen verses as they are recited, each with its sense in plain English underneath. Every verse but the twelfth ends with the same line: कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष-भाजनम् — when will you make me a vessel fit to receive your merciful glance?
मुनीन्द्रवृन्दवन्दिते त्रिलोकशोकहारिणी, प्रसन्नवक्त्रपंकजे निकुंजभूविलासिनी।
व्रजेन्द्रभानुनन्दिनी व्रजेन्द्र सूनुसंगते, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष-भाजनम्॥ (1)
The opening verse names who is being addressed. She is worshipped by hosts of great sages, she removes the sorrow of all three worlds, her face is a lotus in bloom, and she plays in the groves of Vrindavan. She is the daughter of Vrishabhanu and the companion of the son of the king of Vraj. Then comes the question that will end every verse from here on: when will you make me a vessel fit to receive your merciful glance?
अशोकवृक्ष वल्लरी वितानमण्डपस्थिते, प्रवालज्वालपल्लव प्रभारुणाङ्घ्रि कोमले।
वराभयस्फुरत्करे प्रभूतसम्पदालये, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष-भाजनम्॥ (2)
She is seated in a pavilion formed by the creepers of the ashoka tree. Her tender feet glow red like coral and like new leaves catching flame. Her hands are raised in the gestures that grant boons and remove fear, and she is herself the dwelling place of all abundance. The setting is a grove, not a throne room, which is the point.
अनंगरंगमंगल प्रसंगभंगुरभ्रुवां, सुविभ्रम ससम्भ्रम दृगन्तबाणपातनैः।
निरन्तरं वशीकृत प्रतीतनन्दनन्दने, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष भाजनम्॥ (3)
Her eyebrows curve like the stage on which love itself performs. From the corners of her eyes glances fall like arrows, playful and startled at once, and by these the renowned son of Nanda is held continuously under her sway. This is the theological heart of the stotra: Krishna is described as the one who is captivated, not the one who captivates.
तडित्सुवर्णचम्पक प्रदीप्तगौरविग्रहे, मुखप्रभापरास्त-कोटिशारदेन्दुमण्डले।
विचित्रचित्र-संचरच्चकोरशावलोचने, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष भाजनम्॥ (4)
Her form shines gold like lightning and like the champaka flower. The radiance of her face defeats the light of ten million autumn moons. Her eyes move like a young chakora bird, the bird that in poetry lives only on moonlight and cannot look away from it.
मदोन्मदातियौवने प्रमोद मानमण्डिते, प्रियानुरागरंजिते कलाविलासपण्डिते।
अनन्यधन्यकुंजराज कामकेलिकोविदे कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष-भाजनम्॥ (5)
She is in the fullness of youth, adorned with delight and with the loving pride that belongs to her alone. She is coloured through with love for her beloved, skilled in every art, and versed in the play of the unmatched grove. Nothing here is abstract or bloodless; the tradition describes her as a person, in a place, in love.
अशेषहावभाव धीरहीर हार भूषिते, प्रभूतशातकुम्भकुम्भ कुम्भिकुम्भसुस्तनी।
प्रशस्तमंदहास्यचूर्णपूर्णसौख्यसागरे, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष भाजनम्॥ (6)
She is adorned with every gesture and expression of love, and with steady necklaces of diamonds. Her form is described in the frank language of Sanskrit poetry rather than in euphemism. Her gentle smile is an ocean filled with the powder of happiness, which is a way of saying the smile is not a detail of the scene but the whole weather of it.
मृणालबालवल्लरी तरंगरंगदोलते, लतागलास्यलोलनील लोचनावलोकने।
ललल्लुलम्लिन्मनोज्ञ मुग्ध मोहनाश्रये, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष भाजनम्॥ (7)
Her arms sway like young lotus stalks moving on a wave. Her dark eyes move restlessly, like a creeper swinging in wind. She is the refuge of the enchanting one who is himself enchanted, which repeats the reversal of verse three in gentler language.
सुवर्णमालिकांचिते त्रिरेखकम्बुकण्ठगे, त्रिसूत्रमंगलीगुण त्रिरत्नदीप्तिदीधिति।
सलोलनीलकुन्तले प्रसूनगुच्छगुम्फिते, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष भाजनम्॥ (8)
A golden necklace rests at her throat, which carries the three lines said to mark a conch and, in this poetry, great beauty. She wears the auspicious three-strand cord set with three shining gems, and her dark curls are gathered and bound with bunches of flowers.
नितम्बबिम्बलम्बमान पुष्पमेखलागुण, प्रशस्तरत्नकिंकणी कलापमध्यमंजुले।
करीन्द्रशुण्डदण्डिकावरोहसौभगोरुके, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष भाजनम्॥ (9)
A garland of flowers hangs as a girdle, and a jewelled belt of small bells sounds at her waist. The image of the elephant's trunk is a standard measure of grace in Sanskrit description, not a comparison English readers should take literally.
अनेकमन्त्रनादमंजु नूपुरारवस्खलत्, समाजराजहंसवंश निक्वणातिग।
विलोलहेमवल्लरी विडम्बिचारुचंक्रमे, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा-कटाक्ष-भाजनम्॥ (10)
The many notes of her anklets are sweeter than the calls of a flock of royal swans. Her waist is charming as a golden creeper swaying. Four verses in a row have described sound, movement and ornament, because the stotra is building a presence rather than making an argument.
अनन्तकोटिविष्णुलोक नमपदमजाचिते, हिमादिजा पुलोमजा-विरंचिजावरप्रदे।
अपारसिद्धिवृद्धिदिग्ध -सत्पदांगुलीनखे, कदा करिष्यसीह मां कृपा -कटाक्ष भाजनम्॥ (11)
Her lotus feet are worshipped by countless Vishnu realms. She is the giver of boons to Parvati, to Sachi and to Saraswati, that is, to the consorts of the great gods themselves. The nails of her toes are smeared with boundless perfections. The verse places her above the pantheon rather than within it.
मखेश्वरी क्रियेश्वरी स्वधेश्वरी सुरेश्वरी, त्रिवेदभारतीश्वरी प्रमाणशासनेश्वरी।
रमेश्वरी क्षमेश्वरी प्रमोदकाननेश्वरी, ब्रजेश्वरी ब्रजाधिपे श्रीराधिके नमोस्तुते॥ (12)
The one verse that breaks the pattern. Instead of asking a question it simply salutes her, twelve times over: mistress of sacrifice, of action, of offering, of the gods, of the three Vedas and of speech, of authority, of fortune, of forgiveness, of the grove of delight, queen of Vraj and its ruler. Shri Radhika, salutations to you.
इतीदमद्भुतस्तवं निशम्य भानुनन्दिनी, करोतु संततं जनं कृपाकटाक्ष भाजनम्।
भवेत्तदैव संचित-त्रिरूपकर्मनाशनं, लभेत्तदव्रजेन्द्रसूनु मण्डलप्रवेशनम्॥ (13)
The phalashruti, the closing verse describing what the recitation brings. Having heard this wonderful hymn, may the daughter of Vrishabhanu make the reciter a vessel of her merciful glance always. Then the threefold accumulated karma is destroyed, and entry is obtained into the circle of the son of the king of Vraj. Read it as the tradition offers it, as encouragement to keep reciting rather than as a transaction being entered into.
॥ हरि: ॐ तत् सत् ॥
The closing invocation with which the recitation is sealed.
What "Radha Kripa Kataksh" actually means
Three words carry the whole hymn, and knowing them changes how the recitation feels.
कृपा · kripa
Grace, or mercy
Not a reward for effort and not something earned by qualification. Grace in this sense is given because the giver chooses to give it, which is why the hymn asks rather than argues.
कटाक्ष · kataksh
A sidelong glance
Not a full gaze, not an audience, not a conversation. A glance from the side, given in passing. The modesty of the request is the point: the devotee is not asking to be looked at directly, only to be noticed.
भाजनम् · bhajanam
A vessel, one fit to receive
The refrain does not ask for the glance to happen. It asks when the speaker will be made worthy of receiving it, which puts the work on the devotee and the timing on her.
How devotees in Braj do the paath
There is no initiation, no fee and no qualification. This is simply the shape the recitation usually takes in Vrindavan.
Nobody needs to be paid for this. No priest, no agent and no website should charge you to recite a stotra, to have it recited on your behalf, or to unlock a "special" version of it. Anyone asking for money to do so is selling something that was always free.
Where the stotra comes from
Eight things worth knowing before or alongside the recitation.
The Urdhvamnaya Tantra
The stotra reaches us as part of a conversation between Shiva and Parvati recorded in the Urdhvamnaya Tantra. That framing matters devotionally: it is Shiva, the great renunciate, who is shown praising Radha and asking for her glance.
A hymn to Radha spoken by Shiva rather than by a Vaishnava devotee is part of why Braj holds it in such regard.
Why every verse ends the same way
The refrain repeats at the close of each verse, and repetition is the method rather than a limitation. By the tenth verse the question is no longer being read, it is being felt, which is what the form is built to do.
It is the same principle behind naam japa: a single instruction repeated goes deeper than many instructions heard once.
Its place in Vrindavan
It is recited daily in temples across Vrindavan and in villages throughout Braj. Sadhus and older devotees know it by heart without ever having set out to memorise it, simply from hearing it every day.
Calling it the anthem of Vrindavan is affectionate rather than official, but it describes the reality accurately.
Radha at the centre, not beside
The stotra addresses Shri Radha alone throughout. Krishna appears in it only in relation to her, as Vrajendra-sunu, the son of the king of Vraj, who is described as being in her company.
That ordering is not incidental. It is the theological position of the Radhavallabh Sampradaya stated in devotional form.
The connection to Premanand Ji Maharaj
He received diksha into the Radhavallabh Sampradaya, founded by Shri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu, which holds Shri Radha as supreme rather than as a companion. His entire instruction rests on the Radha naam.
A devotee following his teaching and a devotee reciting this stotra are doing the same thing in two forms.
The phalashruti
The thirteenth and closing verse describes the fruit of reciting it, as the tradition's closing verses always do. Read it as the tradition intends: an assurance offered to encourage the practice, not a transaction you are entering into.
Maharaj Ji makes the same distinction about naam japa. Do the practice; do not negotiate over the outcome.
Radha Kripa Kataksh PDF: which text to recite from
The full text is on this page and you can recite from it on a phone without downloading anything. Printed editions differ slightly in verse count, ordering and spelling, and some circulating web copies have broken conjunct letters where they were typed or scanned badly.
If you are memorising it rather than reading it, check what you have against an edition from a Vrindavan temple or an established publisher.
Kripa cannot be earned, only received
The theology sitting inside the refrain is worth pausing on. If grace could be earned it would be wages, and the hymn would be an invoice rather than a request. Asking when you will be made fit to receive it concedes that the fitness is not yours to arrange.
This is the same ground Maharaj Ji stands on when he tells devotees to do the work fully and hand over the result.
If you do not read Devanagari
Transliterated editions are widely available and devotees across Braj recite it without any formal Sanskrit training. Read the meaning once so you know what you are asking for, and after that the recitation carries itself.
What the stotra does not promise
Read it looking for guarantees and you will not find them. There is no verse offering wealth, no verse offering the removal of an enemy, and no verse setting a number of recitations after which something must happen.
For a hymn recited this widely across Braj, that absence is striking, and it is probably the reason it has survived centuries while more transactional stotras faded.
Reciting it with children
Children in Braj households pick it up by hearing it rather than by being taught it, which is how most of the tradition transmits. Recite aloud where they can hear, and do not turn it into a lesson or a test.
Maharaj Ji says the same about raising children with sanskar: they copy what is done and ignore what is instructed.
If you miss a day
Begin again the next morning without treating the gap as a failure. A practice restarted quietly a hundred times still accumulates; a practice abandoned out of guilt does not.
This is exactly the position Maharaj Ji takes on naam japa, and it applies here without modification.
Reciting it alongside naam japa
They are not alternatives and there is no need to choose. Many devotees recite the stotra once in the morning as a settled beginning, and carry the naam through the rest of the day while working, cooking or travelling.
The stotra gives the practice a shape at a fixed hour. The naam gives it continuity through every hour that follows.
Why a hymn asking for so little asks for everything
Most prayers ask for outcomes. This one asks to be made fit to receive a glance given in passing, and it does not specify what should follow. There is no petition for wealth, health, relief or rescue anywhere in it, which is unusual for a stotra recited this widely and is probably why it has lasted.
Read alongside what Premanand Ji Maharaj says every morning, the two fit together exactly. Do the work fully and surrender the result. Ask, and leave the timing to her. Suffering is the distance between what happened and what you demanded, and a hymn that demands nothing closes that distance in the act of being recited.
For his own teachings see the teachings page, for the tradition behind both see the biography, and for Vrindavan itself the ashram guide.
What people ask about this stotra
Ten questions about the Radha Kripa Kataksh Stotram, answered plainly.
What is the Radha Kripa Kataksh Stotra?
A Sanskrit hymn in praise of Shri Radha, traditionally attributed to Lord Shiva, who is said to have spoken it to Parvati in the Urdhvamnaya Tantra. Every verse ends with the same plea: when will you make me a recipient of your merciful sidelong glance.
What does "Radha Kripa Kataksh" mean?
Kripa is grace or mercy, and kataksh is a sidelong glance. Radha Kripa Kataksh is therefore the merciful sidelong glance of Shri Radha, and the stotra is a request to receive it. The refrain repeating at the end of each verse is what gives the hymn its name.
Who composed it?
It is attributed to Lord Shiva himself and comes down through the Urdhvamnaya Tantra as a conversation with Parvati. There is no human author in the ordinary sense, and the text is many centuries old.
Why is it so important in Vrindavan?
It is recited daily in temples across Vrindavan and in the villages of Braj, and sadhus and elderly devotees know it by heart. People sometimes call it the anthem of Vrindavan, which is unusual affection for a Sanskrit stotra and tells you how deeply it is embedded there.
How is it connected to Premanand Ji Maharaj?
He belongs to the Radhavallabh Sampradaya, the tradition founded by Shri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu, which places Shri Radha at the centre of worship rather than beside Krishna. A stotra addressed entirely to Radha sits exactly at the heart of that path.
How many verses does it have?
The form recited most widely, and the one given on this page, runs to thirteen verses. The last is the phalashruti, the closing verse describing the fruit of the recitation. Some printed editions run longer or order the verses differently.
How should the paath be done?
Sit facing your Radha Krishna image or altar, bathe first if you can, and recite aloud rather than silently. Many devotees do one recitation daily and some do it in a series over several days. There is no initiation required and no fee to anyone for anything.
What is the best time to recite it?
Early morning, in the brahma muhurta before sunrise, is the traditional preference and the one most Vrindavan devotees keep. Evening is equally acceptable. The time you will actually keep matters more than the ideal time you will not.
Do I need to understand Sanskrit?
No. Devotees across Braj recite it without formal Sanskrit training. Reading the meaning once so you know what you are asking for is worth doing, and after that the recitation carries itself.
Is there a PDF I can download?
All thirteen verses are on this page, each with its meaning underneath, so you can recite directly from here on a phone. Printed editions differ slightly in verse count and spelling, so if you are memorising it, check against an edition from a Vrindavan temple or an established publisher.
The same instruction, in two forms
The stotra asks Radha for her glance. Maharaj Ji asks you to take her name. Both are free, both need no permission, and both start today.