The Madhurasthakam (At the end of this article)
“Krishna is the sweetest honey we could ever taste, the sweetest ladhu we could ever enjoy and the sweetest icing on the cake we’ve ever crave for. In short He is sweetness personified that we sometimes become selfish not to share Him with others. Sri Vallabhacharya thus describes in this unique stotra, the Sweetness of Lord Sri Krishna.”
“The Gopi’s minds are always engaged in relishing the sweetness of Krishna’s Body. He is the Ocean of beauty, and His beautiful Face, His beautiful Smile, and the lustre of His Body are always attractive to the Gopi’s mind. In the Krishna Karnamrita these three things have been described as sweet, sweeter, and sweetest. When there are three kinds of contamination in the constitutional body, it is called convulsion.
So, similarly, a perfect devotee of Krishna attains a stage of convulsion when he is so overwhelmed by seeing the beauty of Krishna’s Body, His Face, and the beauty of Krishna’s Smile, This ocean of transcendental convulsion before Krishna’s beauty sometimes continues without any treatment, just as with ordinary convulsions a physician does not allow one to drink water for relief.
The devotee increasingly feels the absence of Krishna, because without Him one cannot drink the nectar of His beauty. When there is the transcendental sound of Krishna’s flute, the devotee’s anxiety to hear that flute penetrates the covering of this material world and enters into the Spiritual Sky, and the transcendental sound of the flute enters into the ears of the followers of the Gopis.
The sound of Krishna’s flute always resides within the ear of the Gopis, and increases their ecstasy. At the time when it is heard no other sound can enter into the ear, and in their family activities they are not able to reply properly because all these beautiful sounds are vibrating.”
(From The Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, 10. Chapter by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
The Madhurasthakam, composed by Sri Vallabhacharya (1478 A.D), is a unique stotra, describing the Sweetness of Lord Sri Krishna.
Madhurashtakam was originally written in Sanskrit and is easily understood. Only one word, madhuram, is repeated seven times each in this ashtakam (poem with eight verses)!
The Madhurasthakam 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.
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.”
Vallabha-acharya (1479-1531) A famous 16th century sage-philosopher of India and great devotee of Lord Krishna. He was born in Champaran near Raipur in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Vallabha is regarded as an acharya and guru within the Vaishnava traditions of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Within Indian Philosophy he is known as the writer of sixteen ‘stotras’ (tracts) and produced several commentaries on the Bhagavata Purana, which describes the many lilas (pastimes) of the Avatar, Lord Sri Krishna.
Many of his pieces involve praise of Lord Krishna, especially in the form of a boy. Some works include Vyasa Sutra Bhashya, Jaimini Sutra Bhasya, Bhagavata Tika Subodhini, Pushti Pravala Maryada and Siddhanta Rahasya, all in Sanskrit. He has written many books in Brij Bhasha as well.
Vallabha Acharya occupies a unique place in Indian culture as a scholar, a philosopher and devotional (bhakti) preacher. He is especially known as a lover and a propagator of Bhagavata Dharma, teaching the path of Pushti-Marga, or the “path of grace”, establishing the worship of Sri Nathji.
Shri Nathji is the form of Lord Krishna when he lifted the Govardhana Hill. He is shown with his left hand raised and the right hand closed in a fist and resting on his hip. His followers worship him both as Shri Radhanath or the Lord of Radha and as the mischievous, naughty child Bala-Krishna.
Vallabha emphasized, that Sri Krishna is the personification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who prevails everywhere and who resides in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul.
Srinathji – Shree Nathji
Shree Nathji is same as Lord Sri Krishna, it is the form of Lord Krishna when he lifted the Govardhana Hill. Srinathji is shown with his left hand raised and the right hand closed in a fist and resting on his hip. His followers worship him both as Shri Radhanath or the Lord of Radha and as the naughty child Bala-Krishna.
The Sweetness of Lord Sri Krishna. The Madhurasthakam
by Sripad Vallabha-acharya
sweet Krishna beauty Krsna sweet Krishna beauty Krsna
Text1
adharam madhuram vadanam madhuram
nayanam madhuram hasitam madhuram
hridayam madhuram gamanam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
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.
Text2
vachanam madhuram charitam madhuram
vasanam madhuram valitam madhuram
chalitam madhuram bhramitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
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.
Text3
venur madhuro renur madhurah
panir madhurah padau madhurau
nrityam madhuram shakhyam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
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.
Text4
gitam madhuram pitam madhuram
bhuktam madhuram suptam madhuram
rupam madhuram tilakam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
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.
Text5
karanam madhuram taranam madhuram
haranam madhuram ramanam madhuram
vamitam madhuram shamitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
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.
Text6
gunja madhura mala madhura
yamuna madhura vici madhura
salilam madhuram kamalam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
His gunja-berry 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.
Text7
gopi madhura lila madhura
yuktam madhuram muktam madhuram
dhristam madhuram shistam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
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.
Text8
gopa madhura gavo madhura
yastir madhura shristhir madhura
dalitam madhuram phalitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram
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.
iti srimad vallabha-acarya viracitam madhurastakam sampurnam
Thus ends the the eight stanza hymn madhurastakam composed by Sripad Vallabha-acharya
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