Muddugare Yashoda (Annamacharya) — Benefits & How to Chant
मुद्दुगारे यशोद
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Muddugare Yashoda (Annamacharya)
A beloved cradle-song for the divine child
traditionally sung while rocking babies, invoking Krishna's protection on the household.
Meditating on Krishna as the nine gems is said to bestow the auspiciousness of all the navaratnas together.
Deepens vatsalya bhakti
the tender, parental love of God as a child.
Unites devotion to Krishna and Venkateswara, recalling that Annamayya saw them as one Lord.
One of the most performed Annamacharya kritis in Carnatic concerts, dance and film
a treasure of Telugu devotion.
How to Chant Muddugare Yashoda (Annamacharya)
Instructions
Sing softly and sweetly, as a mother would to the divine child — it is a jola/lali (lullaby-like) sankirtana. Dwell on each gem-image of Krishna as you sing, from the pearl of Yashoda's courtyard to the sapphire of Venkatadri. Suitable for cradle ceremonies, Janmashtami nights and daily evening devotion.
Spiritual Significance
The Tallapaka copper plates lay forgotten in a sealed cellar of the Tirumala temple for over four centuries; when they were rediscovered in 1922, songs like 'Muddugare Yashoda' rose again as if the Lord had kept his poet's lullabies safe in his own treasury. Mothers who sing it as a cradle song believe the child Krishna himself watches over their little ones.
Origin & History
Source: Tallapaka sankirtana of Annamacharya (Telugu, 15th century CE); popularly sung in raga Kurinji, Adi tala
Author: Saint Annamacharya (Annamayya)
Among the thousands of sankirtanas Annamayya sang for Lord Venkateswara are tender songs on the Lord's avataras. In this famous lali-like kirtana he gazes at baby Krishna in Yashoda's courtyard and, jeweller-like, sets him as each of the nine gems in turn — ending with the indranila, the blue sapphire, who is none other than the Lord of Venkatadri. The song was preserved on the copper plates of the Tirumala temple and is today one of the most cherished pieces of the Annamacharya corpus.