Madhurashtakam

अधरं मधुरं वदनं मधुरं नयनं मधुरं हसितं मधुरम् |
हृदयं मधुरं गमनं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||1||
adharaṃ madhuraṃ vadanaṃ madhuraṃ nayanaṃ madhuraṃ hasitaṃ madhuram |
hṛdayaṃ madhuraṃ gamanaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||1||
His lips are sweet, His face is sweet, His eyes are sweet, His smile is sweet, His loving heart is sweet, His gait (walk) is sweet, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

वचनं मधुरं चरितं मधुरं वसनं मधुरं वलितं मधुरम् |
चलितं मधुरं भ्रमितं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||2||
vacanaṃ madhuraṃ caritaṃ madhuraṃ vasanaṃ madhuraṃ valitaṃ madhuram |
calitaṃ madhuraṃ bhramitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||2||
His words are sweet, His character is sweet, His dress (garment) is sweet, His posture is sweet, His movements are sweet, His wandering (roaming) is sweet, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

वेणुर्मधुरो रेणुर्मधुरः पाणिर्मधुरः पादौ मधुरौ |
नृत्यं मधुरं सख्यं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||3||
veṇurmadhuro reṇurmadhuraḥ pāṇirmadhuraḥ pādau madhurau |
nṛtyaṃ madhuraṃ sakhyaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||3||
His flute-playing is sweet, His foot-dust is sweet, His hands are sweet, His feet are sweet, His dancing is sweet, His friendship is sweet, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

गीतं मधुरं पीतं मधुरं भुक्तं मधुरं सुप्तं मधुरम् |
रूपं मधुरं तिलकं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||4||
gītaṃ madhuraṃ pītaṃ madhuraṃ bhuktaṃ madhuraṃ suptaṃ madhuram |
rūpaṃ madhuraṃ tilakaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||4||
His song is sweet, His drinking is sweet, His eating is sweet, His sleeping is sweet, His beautiful form is sweet, His Tilaka (mark on the forehead) is sweet, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

करणं मधुरं तरणं मधुरं हरणं मधुरं स्मरणं मधुरम् |
वमितं मधुरं शमितं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||5||
karaṇaṃ madhuraṃ taraṇaṃ madhuraṃ haraṇaṃ madhuraṃ smaraṇaṃ madhuram |
vamitaṃ madhuraṃ śamitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||5||
His deeds (activities) are sweet, His conquest (liberating) is sweet, His thieving (stealing) is sweet, His love-sports are sweet, His oblations (offerings) are sweet, His countenance is sweet, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

गुञ्जा मधुरा माला मधुरा यमुना मधुरा वीची मधुरा |
सलिलं मधुरं कमलं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||6||
guñjā madhurā mālā madhurā yamunā madhurā vīcī madhurā |
salilaṃ madhuraṃ kamalaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||6||
His gunja-berry (Chirmi) necklace is sweet, His flower garland is sweet, sweet is the Yamuna river, and sweet are her rippling waves, her water is sweet, and sweet are the lotus flowers also, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

गोपि मधुरा लीला मधुरा युक्तं मधुरं भुक्तं मधुरम् |
दृष्टं मधुरं शिष्टं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||7||
gopi madhurā līlā madhurā yuktaṃ madhuraṃ bhuktaṃ madhuram |
dṛṣṭaṃ madhuraṃ śiṣṭaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||7||
His gopis (cowherd girlfriends) are sweet, His pastimes (plays) are sweet, His union (meeting him) is sweet, His deliverance (rescue) is sweet, His sidelong glances are sweet, His courtesy (etiquette) is sweet, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

गोपा मधुरा गावो मधुरा यष्टिर्मधुरा सृष्टिर्मधुरा |
दलितं मधुरं फलितं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ||8||
gopā madhurā gāvo madhurā yaṣṭirmadhurā sṛṣṭirmadhurā |
dalitaṃ madhuraṃ phalitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ||8||
His gopas (cowherd boyfriends) are sweet, His cows are sweet, His cane (herding-stick) is sweet, His creation is sweet, His victory (trampling) is sweet, His accomplishment (fruition) is sweet, Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.
Krishna

Description

Shree Krishna Madhurashtakam (श्री कृष्णमधुराष्टकम), composed by Sri Vallabhacharya (1478 A.D), is a unique stotra, describing the Sweetness of Lord Sri Krishna. Madhura or Madhurya means ‘Sweetness’. Only that one word, madhuram: sweetness, is repeated seven times each in this ashtakam. Ashta means 8, this stotra has 8 verses in it. Madhurashtakam uses just one adjective, madhuram, meaning sweet or beautiful etc., to describe the lovely attributes of Lord Sri Krishna’s beautiful form, who is the master of Sweetness and Sweetness personified.

Sri Vallabhacharya propagated Pushtimarg, which emphasizes on the unconditional bhakti and seva of Krishna. According to ancient texts and accounts when Sri Krishna himself appeared in front of Vallabhacharya, on midnight of Sravana Sukla Ekadasi, Vallabhacharya composed the Madhurashtakam in praise of the lord. Shri Vallabhacharya posits Krishna as the paragon of sweetness and hence gives him epithets such as madhupati (Lord of Sweetness). Krishna exudes madhurya (sweetness) through his acts and his gestures, his words and his flute, his clothes and his sports. His madhurya or sweet love is richly shared with the gopis of Vrindavan. With tenderness and teasing, and the beauty of his dark body, Krishna enflames the desire of the individuated soul for union with the Divine.

The devotional hymn “Madhurāṣṭakam” of Sri Vallabhacarya was created to lead the devotee in Pustimarga, the Path of Grace, which involves a constant love-filled devotion to Krishna by various acts of homage, such as singing (kirtana), remembering (smarana), conceptualising and beholding (darshana) a beatific image of the deity and offering of services (seva). These acts enable the devotee to enter into the divine presence of Sri Krishna and to experience the Lord’s real essence (svarupa) which are in fact, succinctly laid down by the Madhurāṣṭakam. Hence, Madhurāṣṭakam plays an instrumental role in the realisation of the Lord.

It is evident from the ashtakam that the devotee is fascinated to have a look at not only the beautiful divine sweet form [sarvanga sundara rupam] of Lord Krishna but also the very existence of the Lord — by way of His moves, plays, pastimes, etc. Thus says the devotee: “The Lord of Mathura, Krishna, is sweet, sweet and nothing but sweet! Even ambrosia and nectar may satiate after some time, but concerning the sweetness of the Divine Lord, one cannot have enough of it. Krishna’s lips are very sweet, his beautiful face is sweet, his beautiful black eyes with sidelong glances are sweet, his enchanting smile is even sweeter, his love-sports are sweet, and his three-fold bend form is very sweet. O Lord of sweetness, everything about You is completely sweet, You are sweetness personified.”


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Kasturi Tilakam Lalaata

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Salutation again and again to Krishna, Vaasudeva, Devaki's darling too, Nandagopa's son and Govinda.

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Krishnaya Vasudevaya Haraye

Salutation to Krishna, Vaasudeva, Hari the Paramatman, Govinda, we bow our heads to you for the destruction of grief.

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Mukam Karoti Vachalam

I salute that supreme bliss, Madhava, by whose mercy the dumb become most eloquent and the lame are able to jump over the mountains.

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Namo Brahmanya Devaya

Salutation to the brahma-swarupa for the welfare of the devas, cows and brahmins. Salutation again and again to the benefactor of the universe, Krishna and Govinda.

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Madhurashtakam – Krishna – In Sanskrit, English Translation, Meaning, Significance and Audio.