Madhurashtakam

The Madhurashtakam - Vallabhacharya's eight verses celebrating the all-pervading sweetness (madhuram) of Lord Krishna.

अधरं मधुरं वदनं मधुरं
नयनं मधुरं हसितं मधुरम्।
हृदयं मधुरं गमनं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥१॥

वचनं मधुरं चरितं मधुरं
वसनं मधुरं वलितं मधुरम्।
चलितं मधुरं भ्रमितं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥२॥

वेणुर्मधुरो रेणुर्मधुरः
पाणिर्मधुरः पादौ मधुरौ।
नृत्यं मधुरं सख्यं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥३॥

गीतं मधुरं पीतं मधुरं
भुक्तं मधुरं सुप्तं मधुरम्।
रूपं मधुरं तिलकं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥४॥

करणं मधुरं तरणं मधुरं
हरणं मधुरं रमणं मधुरम्।
वमितं मधुरं शमितं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥५॥

गुञ्जा मधुरा माला मधुरा
यमुना मधुरा वीची मधुरा।
सलिलं मधुरं कमलं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥६॥

गोपी मधुरा लीला मधुरा
राधा मधुरा मिलनं मधुरम्।
दृष्टं मधुरं शिष्टं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥७॥

गोपा मधुरा गावो मधुरा
यष्टिर्मधुरा सृष्टिर्मधुरा।
दलितं मधुरं फलितं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम्॥८॥

adharam madhuram vadanam madhuram
nayanam madhuram hasitam madhuram।
hridayam madhuram gamanam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥1॥

vachanam madhuram charitam madhuram
vasanam madhuram valitam madhuram।
chalitam madhuram bhramitam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥2॥

venurmadhuro renurmadhurah
panirmadhurah padau madhurau।
nrityam madhuram sakhyam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥3॥

gitam madhuram pitam madhuram
bhuktam madhuram suptam madhuram।
rupam madhuram tilakam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥4॥

karanam madhuram taranam madhuram
haranam madhuram ramanam madhuram।
vamitam madhuram shamitam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥5॥

gunja madhura mala madhura
yamuna madhura vichi madhura।
salilam madhuram kamalam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥6॥

gopi madhura lila madhura
radha madhura milanam madhuram।
drishtam madhuram shishtam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥7॥

gopa madhura gavo madhura
yashtirmadhura srishtirmadhura।
dalitam madhuram phalitam madhuram
madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram॥8॥

Frequently asked questions about Madhurashtakam

Who composed the Madhurashtakam?

Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Pushti Marg. Every line ends madhuram - sweet - and the refrain closes each verse with madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram: everything about the Lord of sweetness is sweet.

What is the hymn doing?

Nothing but tasting. His lips are sweet, his face, his eyes, his laugh, his heart, his walk - the hymn refuses to ask for anything and simply dwells on Krishna. That is the whole method of the Pushti tradition.

When is it recited?

At Janmashtami, at the evening seva, and daily in Vaishnava homes and Pushti Marg havelis. It is sung far more often than recited, and children learn it early because of the repetition.

Is it hard to pronounce?

Among the easiest of all Sanskrit hymns - the same word ends every phrase, so the metre carries you. Read it once from the Roman text and the pattern is already familiar.

What is offered with it?

Makhan-mishri, kheer or panjiri with tulsi on it - the Krishna puja samagri page lists the rest, and the Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki closes the seva.

About the Madhurashtakam

The Madhurashtakam - Vallabhacharya's eight verses celebrating the all-pervading sweetness (madhuram) of Lord Krishna.

Meaning

Every line ends with "madhuram" (sweet) - declaring Krishna's lips, face, eyes, smile, flute, hands, feet and every deed and quality to be supremely sweet.

Benefits

Recited for loving devotion (bhakti) toward Krishna; fills the mind with his beauty and sweetness and is cherished for cultivating love and joy.

The Madhurashtakam above is given in both Devanagari (Sanskrit) and Roman transliteration so you can read it in whichever script you are comfortable with - switch between the two using the buttons above, share the link, or download a PDF.

A stotram is a longer Sanskrit hymn of praise, not a forty-verse chalisa and not the lamp-song of an aarti. Browse every stotra on the Stotram index. For japa of a short formula use a mantra. The steps of worship around the recitation are in Puja Vidhi.