Madhurashtakam
Madhurashtakam
मधुराष्टकम्
अधरं मधुरं वदनं मधुरं
नयनं मधुरं हसितं मधुरम् ।
हृदयं मधुरं गमनं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 1 ॥
वचनं मधुरं चरितं मधुरं
वसनं मधुरं वलितं मधुरम् ।
चलितं मधुरं भ्रमितं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 2 ॥
वेणु-र्मधुरो रेणु-र्मधुरः
पाणि-र्मधुरः पादौ मधुरौ ।
नृत्यं मधुरं सख्यं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 3 ॥
गीतं मधुरं पीतं मधुरं
भुक्तं मधुरं सुप्तं मधुरम् ।
रूपं मधुरं तिलकं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 4 ॥
करणं मधुरं तरणं मधुरं
हरणं मधुरं स्मरणं मधुरम् ।
वमितं मधुरं शमितं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 5 ॥
गुञ्जा मधुरा माला मधुरा
यमुना मधुरा वीची मधुरा ।
सलिलं मधुरं कमलं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 6 ॥
गोपी मधुरा लीला मधुरा
युक्तं मधुरं मुक्तं मधुरम् ।
दृष्टं मधुरं शिष्टं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 7 ॥
गोपा मधुरा गावो मधुरा
यष्टि र्मधुरा सृष्टि र्मधुरा ।
दलितं मधुरं फलितं मधुरं
मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥ 8 ॥
॥ इति श्रीमद्वल्लभाचार्यविरचितं मधुराष्टकं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
About This Stotram
Overview
The Madhurashtakam is a Sanskrit devotional hymn of eight verses attributed to Vallabhacharya (1479–1531 CE), the founder of the Pushti Marg tradition of Vaishnavism. Each verse meditates on the inherent sweetness (madhurya) of Lord Krishna across every aspect of his being, with the repeated refrain "Madhuradhipaterakhilam madhuram" — "Everything of the Lord of sweetness is sweet." The text is a central composition of the Pushti Marg tradition and embodies its theology of divine grace and intimate devotion.
What are the benefits of chanting Madhurashtakam?
- Cultivation of the madhurya bhava — the devotional attitude of loving sweetness toward Krishna
- Development of spiritual joy and inner peace
- Deepening of the devotee's personal relationship with Lord Krishna
- Purification of the mind through meditative recitation
When is the best time to recite this?
The Madhurashtakam is recited in the morning and evening as part of devotional practice. Janmashtami, Radhashtami, and the Shravana month are the primary festival occasions associated with its recitation.
What is the historical and traditional background?
Vallabhacharya was a Gujarati Brahmin philosopher-saint who founded the Pushti Marg (Path of Grace), a Vaishnava tradition centered on the worship of Krishna as Shrinathji. His school emphasizes the concept of seva — loving service to Krishna — and the theological idea that Krishna's divine grace (pushti) is freely bestowed on devotees who cultivate intimacy with the Lord. The Madhurashtakam is considered an expression of Vallabhacharya's personal devotion and is believed to have been composed spontaneously. It holds a place of particular importance within the Pushti Marg sampradaya, where it is sung as part of daily devotional practice.
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
- Krishna Ashtakam — another eight-verse Sanskrit hymn praising Lord Krishna, belonging to the same ashtakam genre of Krishna devotional literature
- Krishnam Kalaya Sakhi — a Sanskrit devotional composition that similarly meditates on Krishna's beauty and sweetness in the madhurya devotional mode