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Madhurashtakam

मधुराष्टकम्

StotramKrishnaShri VallabhacharyaSanskrit

Vallabhacharya's eight verses on the all-sweetness of Krishna — lips, face, gait, flute, friends, cows, everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet — sung in Krishna temples and homes everywhere.

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Verse 1

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

adharam madhuram vadanam madhuram nayanam madhuram hasitam madhuram hridayam madhuram gamanam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

adharaṃ madhuraṃ vadanaṃ madhuraṃ nayanaṃ madhuraṃ hasitaṃ madhuram hṛdayaṃ madhuraṃ gamanaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet are his lips, sweet his face, sweet his eyes, sweet his smile; sweet his heart, sweet his gait — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

Verse 2

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

vacanam madhuram caritam madhuram vasanam madhuram valitam madhuram calitam madhuram bhramitam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

vacanaṃ madhuraṃ caritaṃ madhuraṃ vasanaṃ madhuraṃ valitaṃ madhuram calitaṃ madhuraṃ bhramitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet his speech, sweet his deeds, sweet his garments, sweet the turn of his form; sweet his walking, sweet his wandering — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

Verse 3

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

venur madhuro renur madhurah panir madhurah padau madhurau nrityam madhuram sakhyam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

veṇur madhuro reṇur madhuraḥ pāṇir madhuraḥ pādau madhurau nṛtyaṃ madhuraṃ sakhyaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet his flute, sweet the dust of his feet, sweet his hands, sweet his feet; sweet his dance, sweet his friendship — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

Verse 4

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

gitam madhuram pitam madhuram bhuktam madhuram suptam madhuram rupam madhuram tilakam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

gītaṃ madhuraṃ pītaṃ madhuraṃ bhuktaṃ madhuraṃ suptaṃ madhuram rūpaṃ madhuraṃ tilakaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet his song, sweet his drinking, sweet his eating, sweet his sleep; sweet his beauty, sweet his tilak — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

Verse 5

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

karanam madhuram taranam madhuram haranam madhuram ramanam madhuram vamitam madhuram shamitam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

karaṇaṃ madhuraṃ taraṇaṃ madhuraṃ haraṇaṃ madhuraṃ ramaṇaṃ madhuram vamitaṃ madhuraṃ śamitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet his doing, sweet his crossing the river, sweet even his stealing, sweet his delight; sweet what he gives forth, sweet his stillness — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

Verse 6

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

gunja madhura mala madhura yamuna madhura vici madhura salilam madhuram kamalam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

guñjā madhurā mālā madhurā yamunā madhurā vīcī madhurā salilaṃ madhuraṃ kamalaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet his gunja-berry garland, sweet his mala; sweet the Yamuna and sweet her waves; sweet her water, sweet the lotuses — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

Verse 7

गोपी मधुरा लीला मधुरा युक्तं मधुरं मुक्तं मधुरम् । दृष्टं मधुरं शिष्टं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥

gopi madhura lila madhura yuktam madhuram muktam madhuram drishtam madhuram shishtam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

gopī madhurā līlā madhurā yuktaṃ madhuraṃ muktaṃ madhuram dṛṣṭaṃ madhuraṃ śiṣṭaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet the gopis, sweet his lila; sweet his union, sweet his letting go; sweet his glance, sweet his courtesy — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

Verse 8

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

gopa madhura gavo madhura yashtir madhura srishtir madhura dalitam madhuram phalitam madhuram madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram

gopā madhurā gāvo madhurā yaṣṭir madhurā sṛṣṭir madhurā dalitaṃ madhuraṃ phalitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipater akhilaṃ madhuram

Sweet the cowherds, sweet the cows, sweet his herding-staff, sweet his creation; sweet his subduing, sweet his bestowing of fruit — everything of the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

When it is recited: Krishna puja and Janmashtami, seva in the Pushtimarg tradition, and as a lullaby-like evening song before Krishna's image.

Traditional significance: Composed by Shri Vallabhacharya, founder of the Pushtimarg, the ashtakam repeats one word — madhuram, sweet — until nothing of Krishna remains outside it. It is bhakti's answer to philosophy: the Lord is not analysed but tasted, and every verse ends affirming the Lord of Mathura as sweetness itself.

Questions

Who composed the Madhurashtakam?

Shri Vallabhacharya (1479–1531), founder of the Pushtimarg (path of grace), whose tradition centres on the loving seva of Shrinathji — Krishna as the lifter of Govardhan.

Related

Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki Hare Krishna Mahamantra

Source: Composition of Shri Vallabhacharya (Pushtimarg tradition). Regional versions may vary — this text follows the version most widely used in community worship.