krishnakarnamritambilvamangalalilashuka

Krishna Karnamritam (Selections)

कृष्णकर्णामृतम् (चयनिका) in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Early morning or evening for meditation; especially on Janmashtami and Ekadashi·📜 Krishna Karnamritam by Lilashuka Bilvamangala Thakura (opening verses, Chapter 1)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

The Krishna Karnamritam ('Nectar for Krishna's ears') is a celebrated devotional poem by Lilashuka Bilvamangala Thakura, overflowing with the sweetness (madhurya) of Krishna's beauty and pastimes. These opening selections begin with the famous benediction 'cintamanir jayati' honouring his gurus and Krishna, then meditate on Krishna's nectar-sweet face and dark, charming boyhood form on the banks of the Yamuna. It culminates in the beloved 'madhuram madhuram' verse, where every feature of the Lord is declared 'sweet, sweet, sweeter than sweet'.

Origin & Story

Krishna Karnamritam by Lilashuka Bilvamangala Thakura (opening verses, Chapter 1) · Lilashuka Bilvamangala Thakura · c. 13th–14th century CE (South India)

The Krishna Karnamritam is the masterwork of Lilashuka Bilvamangala Thakura, a poet-saint of the South who, according to tradition, turned from a life of attachment to become utterly absorbed in Krishna. His verses pour out the sweetness of the Lord's beauty, His flute, His glances and His childhood play in Vraja. The poem opens with the benediction 'cintamanir jayati', glorifying his initiating guru Somagiri (compared to the wish-fulfilling chintamani jewel) and his instructing guru, the peacock-crowned Lord Krishna Himself. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to have treasured a copy of this text, and it remains one of the most beloved devotional poems in the Vaishnava world.

✦ As told in scripture

Tradition relates that Bilvamangala, once blinded (in some accounts by his own hand to end his attachment), was lovingly guided and protected by Krishna Himself appearing as a cowherd boy; from his Krishna-intoxicated heart flowed the Karnamritam, verses so sweet they are said to be 'nectar for the ears of Krishna' Himself.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

cintāmaṇir jayati somagirir gurur me śikṣā-guruś ca bhagavān śikhi-piñcha-mauliḥ | yat-pāda-kalpataru-pallava-śekhareṣu līlā-svayaṁvara-rasaṁ labhate jaya-śrīḥ || 1||

Meaning:All glory to my guru Somagiri, who is like the wish-fulfilling chintamani jewel, and to my instructing guru, the Lord Himself, whose crown bears a peacock feather — at the tender, blossoming shoots of whose lotus feet (which are like a wish-yielding tree) the goddess of fortune, Jaya-shri, attains the joy of the playful self-choosing of love.

Verse 2

asti svastaruṇī-karāgra-vigalat-kalpa-prasūnārpita- svacchandoccala-manda-māruta-calat-prālamba-lolālakam | āloolādhara-bimba-phāṇṭa-madhuraṁ vaktraṁ smarāmi prabhoḥ || 2||

Meaning:I meditate upon the face of my Lord — adorned with kalpa-tree blossoms placed by the fingertips of lovely young gopis, His dangling curls swaying freely in the gentle breeze, sweet with the nectar of His tremulous bimba-red lips.

Verse 3

cāturyaika-nidhāna-sīma-capalāpāṅga-cchaṭā-mantharaṁ lāvaṇyāmṛta-vīci-lolita-dṛśaṁ lakṣmī-kaṭākṣāśritam | kālindī-pulināṅgaṇa-praṇayinaṁ kāmāvatārāṅkuraṁ bālaṁ nīlam amī vilocana-camatkāraṁ vahantaś ciram || 3||

Meaning:May these eyes of mine forever bear the wonder of beholding that dark-blue boy: the very treasure-house of all charm, languid with the flashing radiance of His restless sidelong glances, His eyes rolling like waves in an ocean of the nectar of beauty, resorted to by Lakshmi's own glance, the loving lord of the sandy courtyards of the Yamuna, the budding sprout of the incarnation of Love himself.

Verse 4

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vapur asya vibhor madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vadanaṁ madhuram | madhu-gandhi mṛdu-smitam etad aho madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuram || 4||

Meaning:Sweet, sweet is the body of this Lord; sweet, sweet, sweet is His face; and ah! this gentle smile of His, fragrant with honey, is sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet!

Word-by-Word Meaning

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cintāmaṇir jayati🔊all glory to (him who is like) the wish-fulfilling jewel (chintamani)

somagirir gurur me🔊Somagiri, my (initiating) guru

śikṣā-guruś ca bhagavān🔊and my instructing guru, the Lord Himself

śikhi-piñcha-mauliḥ🔊He whose crown bears a peacock feather (Krishna)

yat-pāda-kalpataru-pallava🔊at the tender shoots of whose wish-fulfilling-tree-like feet

līlā-svayaṁvara-rasaṁ🔊the joy of the playful self-choosing (svayamvara) of love

labhate jaya-śrīḥ🔊Jaya-shri (the goddess of victory / Radha) obtains

vaktraṁ smarāmi prabhoḥ🔊I meditate upon the face of the Lord

prālamba-lolālakam🔊with curling locks dangling and swaying (on His face)

manda-māruta-calat🔊stirred by the gentle breeze

adhara-bimba-phāṇṭa-madhuraṁ🔊sweet like the nectar of His bimba-red lips

capalāpāṅga-cchaṭā🔊the flashing radiance of His restless sidelong glances

lāvaṇyāmṛta-vīci🔊the waves of the nectar of (His) loveliness

lakṣmī-kaṭākṣāśritam🔊resorted to by the sidelong glance of Lakshmi (Shri)

kālindī-pulināṅgaṇa🔊on the courtyard of the sandy banks of the Yamuna (Kalindi)

kāmāvatārāṅkuraṁ🔊the very sprout (origin) of the incarnation of love

bālaṁ nīlam🔊the dark-blue (cowherd) boy

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vapur asya🔊sweet, sweet is the body of this (Lord)

vadanaṁ madhuram🔊(His) face is sweet

madhu-gandhi mṛdu-smitam🔊(His) gentle smile, fragrant like honey

Benefits of Chanting कृष्णकर्णामृतम् (चयनिका)

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Immerses the heart in the madhurya (sweetness) of Lord Krishna's beauty, smile and pastimes

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The opening 'cintamanir jayati' is a treasured benediction honouring one's guru and the Lord together

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The 'madhuram madhuram' verse is a powerful, meditative chant on Krishna as sweetness itself

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Awakens loving devotion (madhura-bhakti) and a poet's relish (rasa) of the divine

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Deeply revered in the Gaudiya Vaishnava and South Indian Vaishnava traditions alike

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Calms and sweetens the mind, replacing worldly restlessness with the taste of Krishna-rasa

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Beautiful for daily meditation, kirtan and contemplation of Krishna's form

How to Chant कृष्णकर्णामृतम् (चयनिका)

Repetitions1times

Best TimeEarly morning or evening for meditation; especially on Janmashtami and Ekadashi

Recite these verses slowly and meditatively, savouring each image of Krishna's beauty rather than hurrying. Begin with the benediction 'cintamanir jayati', remembering your own guru and Krishna together. Let the 'madhuram madhuram' verse be repeated several times as a sweet refrain, dwelling on the Lord as the embodiment of all sweetness. These are selections from a much larger poem; devotees often learn and relish a few verses deeply rather than reciting all at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete कृष्णकर्णामृतम् (चयनिका) written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

The Krishna Karnamritam ('Nectar for the ears of Krishna') is a famous Sanskrit devotional poem celebrating the beauty, sweetness and pastimes of Lord Krishna. It is renowned for its intense madhurya-bhava (mood of sweetness) and is treasured by Vaishnava devotees across India.

It was composed by Lilashuka Bilvamangala Thakura, a great Krishna-intoxicated poet-saint of South India. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to have cherished this work and helped spread it; it is held in the highest esteem in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

It is the beloved verse 'madhuram madhuram vapur asya vibhoh...', which declares that Krishna's body, face and gentle honey-scented smile are 'sweet, sweet, sweeter than sweet'. It is often chanted on its own as a meditation on Krishna as the very embodiment of sweetness (madhurya).

The complete Krishna Karnamritam contains over a hundred verses across multiple chapters (ashvasas). These famous opening verses and the 'madhuram madhuram' verse are among the most loved and most often recited, and serve as a perfect introduction to the work's sweetness.