Madhurashtakam: Meaning
Madhurashtakam, "eight verses on sweetness", is listed among the works of Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Pushti Marg. It has almost no story or argument: each line simply names something of Krishna, his body, his acts, his belongings, the places and people of Braj, and calls it madhura, sweet. Every verse ends with the same refrain, "everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet". The notes explain the less obvious words.
अधरं मधुरं वदनं मधुरं नयनं मधुरं हसितं मधुरम् । हृदयं मधुरं गमनं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
adharaṃ madhuraṃ vadanaṃ madhuraṃ nayanaṃ madhuraṃ hasitaṃ madhuram । hṛdayaṃ madhuraṃ gamanaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
अधरम् adharam lips हसितम् hasitam smile मधुराधिपतेः madhurādhipateḥ of the lord of sweetness अखिलम् akhilam everything उनके अधर मधुर हैं, मुख मधुर है, नेत्र मधुर हैं, मुस्कान मधुर है; हृदय मधुर है, चाल मधुर है: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
His lips are sweet, his face is sweet, his eyes are sweet, his smile is sweet; his heart is sweet, his walk is sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
The first verse begins with Krishna's face: lips, face, eyes and smile, then his heart and his way of walking. The refrain calls him madhuradhipati, the lord or king of sweetness: not only are these things sweet, he is the source of all sweetness.
वचनं मधुरं चरितं मधुरं वसनं मधुरं वलितं मधुरम् । चलितं मधुरं भ्रमितं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
vacanaṃ madhuraṃ caritaṃ madhuraṃ vasanaṃ madhuraṃ valitaṃ madhuram । calitaṃ madhuraṃ bhramitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
चरितम् caritam his deeds, his story वसनम् vasanam garment वलितम् valitam the bend of his body भ्रमितम् bhramitam his wandering उनके वचन मधुर हैं, चरित्र मधुर है, वस्त्र मधुर हैं, मुद्रा मधुर है; चलना मधुर है, घूमना मधुर है: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
His words are sweet, his deeds are sweet, his garments are sweet, his posture is sweet; his movements are sweet, his wanderings are sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
Now his words and deeds (charita, his life story), his clothes, and the graceful bend of his body (valita), his movements and his wandering through the forests of Braj.
वेणुर्मधुरो रेणुर्मधुरः पाणिर्मधुरः पादौ मधुरौ । नृत्यं मधुरं सख्यं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
veṇurmadhuro reṇurmadhuraḥ pāṇirmadhuraḥ pādau madhurau । nṛtyaṃ madhuraṃ sakhyaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
वेणुः veṇuḥ flute रेणुः reṇuḥ dust (of his feet) सख्यम् sakhyam friendship उनकी बाँसुरी मधुर है, चरण-रज मधुर है, हाथ मधुर हैं, चरण मधुर हैं; नृत्य मधुर है, मित्रता मधुर है: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
His flute is sweet, the dust of his feet is sweet, his hands are sweet, his feet are sweet; his dance is sweet, his friendship is sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
His flute (venu) and even the dust of his feet (renu) are sweet; the poet rhymes the two words. Then his hands and feet, his dance and his friendship (sakhya), the love of a friend that the cowherd boys share with him.
गीतं मधुरं पीतं मधुरं भुक्तं मधुरं सुप्तं मधुरम् । रूपं मधुरं तिलकं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
gītaṃ madhuraṃ pītaṃ madhuraṃ bhuktaṃ madhuraṃ suptaṃ madhuram । rūpaṃ madhuraṃ tilakaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
गीतम् gītam song भुक्तम् bhuktam eating सुप्तम् suptam sleeping तिलकम् tilakam the mark on his forehead उनका गीत मधुर है, पीना मधुर है, खाना मधुर है, सोना मधुर है; रूप मधुर है, तिलक मधुर है: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
His song is sweet, his drinking is sweet, his eating is sweet, his sleeping is sweet; his form is sweet, his tilak is sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
Even the ordinary acts of daily life become sweet in Krishna: singing, drinking, eating and sleeping. Then his form and the tilak on his forehead.
करणं मधुरं तरणं मधुरं हरणं मधुरं रमणं मधुरं । वमितं मधुरं शमितं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
karaṇaṃ madhuraṃ taraṇaṃ madhuraṃ haraṇaṃ madhuraṃ ramaṇaṃ madhuraṃ । vamitaṃ madhuraṃ śamitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
तरणम् taraṇam crossing, carrying across हरणम् haraṇam stealing, taking away रमणम् ramaṇam play, delight शमितम् śamitam calm उनके कर्म मधुर हैं, (भक्तों को) पार उतारना मधुर है, चुराना मधुर है, रमण मधुर है; उनका प्रसाद मधुर है, शांति मधुर है: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
His deeds are sweet, his crossing over (of rivers, of devotees) is sweet, his stealing is sweet, his play is sweet; his offerings are sweet, his calm is sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
Words that can be read in more than one way: his doing, his crossing (or carrying others across), his stealing, which devotees connect with his stealing butter and hearts, his play, what he lets go of, and his calm. Translators differ on some of these words.
गुञ्जा मधुरा माला मधुरा यमुना मधुरा वीची मधुरा । सलिलं मधुरं कमलं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
guñjā madhurā mālā madhurā yamunā madhurā vīcī madhurā । salilaṃ madhuraṃ kamalaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
गुञ्जा guñjā gunja seeds यमुना yamunā the river Yamuna वीची vīcī waves कमलम् kamalam lotus उनकी गुंजा-माला मधुर है, माला मधुर है, यमुना मधुर है, उसकी लहरें मधुर हैं; उसका जल मधुर है, कमल मधुर हैं: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
His gunja-berry necklace is sweet, his garland is sweet, the Yamuna is sweet, its waves are sweet; its water is sweet, its lotuses are sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
His necklace of gunja, the small red-and-black seeds worn by the cowherds, and his garland; then the river Yamuna, its waves, its water and its lotuses, the setting of his childhood in Braj.
गोपी मधुरा लीला मधुरा युक्तं मधुरं मुक्तं मधुरम् । दृष्टं मधुरं सृष्टं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
gopī madhurā līlā madhurā yuktaṃ madhuraṃ muktaṃ madhuram । dṛṣṭaṃ madhuraṃ sṛṣṭaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
गोपी gopī the gopis लीला līlā divine play दृष्टम् dṛṣṭam what is seen, his glance सृष्टम् sṛṣṭam what he creates गोपियाँ मधुर हैं, लीला मधुर है, मिलन मधुर है, मुक्ति मधुर है; दृष्टि मधुर है, शिष्टाचार मधुर है: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
The gopis are sweet, his play is sweet, his union is sweet, his release is sweet; his glance is sweet, his courtesy is sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
The gopis, the women of Braj who love Krishna, and his lila, his divine play. Then his meeting and parting (yukta, mukta), his glance and what he creates. As in verse 5, translators read some of these words differently.
गोपा मधुरा गावो मधुरा यष्टिर्मधुरा सृष्टिर्मधुरा । दलितं मधुरं फलितं मधुरं मधुराधिपतेरखिलं मधुरम् ॥
gopā madhurā gāvo madhurā yaṣṭirmadhurā sṛṣṭirmadhurā । dalitaṃ madhuraṃ phalitaṃ madhuraṃ madhurādhipaterakhilaṃ madhuram ॥
गोपाः gopāḥ the cowherds गावः gāvaḥ the cows यष्टिः yaṣṭiḥ staff दलितम् dalitam what is crushed ग्वाले मधुर हैं, गायें मधुर हैं, उनकी लाठी मधुर है, सृष्टि मधुर है; (दुष्टों का) दलन मधुर है, फल देना मधुर है: मधुरता के स्वामी का सब कुछ मधुर है।
The cowherds are sweet, the cows are sweet, his staff is sweet, his creation is sweet; his trampling (of evil) is sweet, his fruitfulness is sweet: everything about the lord of sweetness is sweet.
The last verse turns to the cowherds and the cows, his staff (yashti), used in herding, and all of creation. Then dalita, what he crushes (often read as his destroying of evil), and phalita, what bears fruit. The refrain closes the hymn: everything about him is sweet.
Sources & checks
- Commentary by
- SanatanVani editorial process
- Checked by
- SanatanVani editorial process
- Sources
- Vallabha, Wikipedia (2026)
- Krishna, Wikipedia (2026)
- Gopi, Wikipedia (2026)