Krishna Ashtakam
Krishna Ashtakam
कृष्णाष्टकम्
वसुदेव सुतं देवं कंस चाणूर मर्दनम् ।
देवकी परमानन्दं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
अतसी पुष्प सङ्काशं हार नूपुर शोभितम् ।
रत्न कङ्कण केयूरं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
कुटिलालक संयुक्तं पूर्णचन्द्र निभाननम् ।
विलसत् कुण्डलधरं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरम् ॥
मन्दार गन्ध संयुक्तं चारुहासं चतुर्भुजम् ।
बर्हि पिञ्छाव चूडाङ्गं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
उत्फुल्ल पद्मपत्राक्षं नील जीमूत सन्निभम् ।
यादवानां शिरोरत्नं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
रुक्मिणी केलि संयुक्तं पीताम्बर सुशोभितम् ।
अवाप्त तुलसी गन्धं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
गोपिकानां कुचद्वन्द कुङ्कुमाङ्कित वक्षसम् ।
श्रीनिकेतं महेष्वासं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
श्रीवत्साङ्कं महोरस्कं वनमाला विराजितम् ।
शङ्खचक्र धरं देवं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥
कृष्णाष्टक मिदं पुण्यं प्रातरुत्थाय यः पठेत् ।
कोटिजन्म कृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ॥
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About This Stotram
Overview
The Krishna Ashtakam is a Sanskrit devotional hymn of eight verses that praises Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. Each verse invokes specific aspects of Krishna's divine form and deeds, including his role as the sustainer of the universe and his compassionate nature. The text belongs to the broader corpus of Vaishnava ashtakam literature.
What are the benefits of chanting Krishna Ashtakam?
- Purification of the mind and removal of accumulated sins
- Development of devotion (bhakti) toward Lord Krishna
- Removal of obstacles and adversities
- Spiritual progress toward liberation (moksha)
When is the best time to recite this?
The Krishna Ashtakam is traditionally recited during morning and evening prayers. It is particularly appropriate on Janmashtami, Ekadashi, and other occasions dedicated to Lord Krishna.
What is the historical and traditional background?
The Krishna Ashtakam belongs to the tradition of ashtakam compositions — eight-verse hymns dedicated to a single deity — that flourished in Vaishnava devotional literature. The authorship of this specific text is not attributed to any known historical figure and is considered a traditional composition. It has circulated within various sampradayas as a popular devotional piece. The style and content are consistent with bhakti literature that emerged during and after the medieval period.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Madhurashtakam — another Krishna ashtakam that meditates on the sweetness of Krishna's every aspect
- Vishnu Sahasranama — a foundational Vaishnava text listing a thousand names of Vishnu, the deity of whom Krishna is an avatar