mukundamālāstotram

Oh Mukunda, make me one who daily invokes You with names like 'Consort of Lakshmi', 'Giver of boons', 'Full of compassion', 'Beloved of devotees', 'Skilled in destroying worldly existence', 'Lord', 'One who reclines on Shesha', and 'Abode of the universe'.

Victory, victory to this Lord, the son of Devaki! Victory, victory to Krishna, the lamp of the Vrishni lineage! Victory, victory to the one dark like a cloud, with tender limbs! Victory, victory to Mukunda, the destroyer of the Earth's burden!

Oh Mukunda, bowing my head, I humbly beg this one exclusive boon from You: May I have unwavering remembrance of Your lotus feet in every birth, by Your grace.

Oh Hari, I do not worship Your twin feet for the sake of liberation from dualities, nor to escape even the severe hell of Kumbhipaka, nor to revel in the beautiful gardens and with soft-limbed celestial nymphs in Nandana. Rather, in every birth, in the abode of my heart, may I meditate upon You.

I have no interest in dharma, nor in accumulating wealth, nor indeed in enjoying sensual pleasures. Whatever is destined, let it be, O Lord, according to my past karma. This alone is my most cherished prayer, even in birth after birth: May my unwavering devotion remain fixed on Your pair of lotus feet.

Whether my abode be in heaven or on earth, or even in hell, O Destroyer of hell, let it be as You wish. I shall meditate upon Your feet, which surpass the autumn lotus, even at the moment of my death.

Oh Krishna, may the royal swan of my mind enter the cage of Your lotus feet right today! At the moment of life's departure, when the throat is choked by phlegm, wind, and bile, how can there be any remembrance of You?

I constantly meditate upon Hari alone, whose lotus-like face is brightened by a gentle smile, the son of Nanda-Gopa, who is higher than the highest, worshipped by Narada and hosts of other sages.

Having been exhausted by the desert of worldly existence, today I abandon all suffering by plunging into the Hari-lake—where His hands and feet are like lotuses, His lustrous eyes like fish, which removes all weariness, is agitated by the waves of His arms, and has unfathomable depths—and having drunk deeply of its flood of luminous water (divine splendor).

Oh mind, do not cease to delight in Murabhidi (Vishnu), who has lotus-like eyes and holds the conch and discus! I never know any other happiness greater than or equal to the nectar of remembering Hari's feet.

Oh sluggish mind, do not fear, repeatedly thinking of the long-lasting torments of hell! These enemies, our sins, cannot overpower us, for our Lord is surely Shridhara (Narayana). Abandoning laziness, meditate on Narayana, who is easily attained through devotion. He who removes the distresses of the world, is He not capable of helping His own servant?

For those fallen into the ocean of worldly existence, struck by the winds of dualities, distressed by the burden of protecting children, daughters, and wives, sinking in the treacherous waters of sensual objects, and without any support, may the boat of Vishnu be their sole refuge.

Oh mind, do not become anxious, thinking 'How shall I cross this deep and difficult ocean of worldly existence?' Your unwavering devotion, fixed on the lotus-eyed Lord, the Destroyer of hell, will surely ferry you across.

Oh Giver of boons, Oh Lord of the three abodes, for us who are sinking in this great ocean named Samsara—which has the waters of desire, where the waves of delusion are stirred by the winds of lust, where wives are like whirlpools, and which is crowded with the multitude of alligators (of attachment to) sons and relatives—please provide the boat of devotion at Your lotus feet.

May I not see, even for a moment, those whose merits are exhausted and who are devoid of devotion to Your lotus feet. May I not hear any other narratives, abandoning the stories of Your deeds. Oh Madhava, Oh Lord of the universe, may I not remember those who deny You in their minds. And may I not be, even in birth after birth, without the means or engagement for Your worship.

O tongue, praise Keshav, the enemy of Mura! O mind, worship Sridhara! O pair of hands, offer reverence! O pair of ears, listen to the stories of Achyuta! O pair of eyes, behold Krishna! O pair of feet, go to Hari's abode (His lotus feet)! O nose, smell the Tulasi from Mukunda's feet! O head, bow to Adhokshaja!

O people, listen to this remedy for the disease of birth and death, which sages like Yajnavalkya, who know the science of Yoga, declare! Let that inner, immeasurable, singular, immortal light, known as Krishna, be imbibed! That, having been drunk, is the supreme medicine that grants eternal liberation.

O mortals, I will briefly tell you your supreme welfare, as you are situated, having properly entered the ocean of samsara, which is full of waves of calamities. Abandoning various thoughts in your mind, repeatedly chant with Om and reverence this mantra: "Om Namo Narayanaya."

In comparison to Him, a particle of earth is an atom, drops are waters, a tiny spark is fire, a breath is light, wind is extremely subtle, and space is a very minute aperture. Rudra, Brahma, and others are trivial; all gods are like insects. When seen in relation to whom, that all-transcending greatness of Yours, O Lord, triumphs!

With clasped hands, with bowed head, with limbs bristling with hair, with a voice choked with emotion in the throat, and with eyes overflowing with tears – may our life, O Lotus-eyed One, always be spent tasting the nectar of meditation on Your twin lotus feet.

O Gopālaka! O ocean of compassion! O husband of Lakshmi! O slayer of Kamsa! O You whose compassion reached Gajendra! O Mādhava! O younger brother of Balarama! O preceptor of the three worlds! O Lotus-eyed One! O Lord of the Gopis, protect me! I know none other than You!

May the crest-jewel of cowherds, the crest-jewel of gods, who is a Garuda-gem for the serpent of dangers to devotees, a protective gem for the three worlds, a cloud-gem for the cātaka-like eyes of the Gopis, a gem that is the embodiment of beauty, and the sole ornamental gem for Rukmini's firm breasts – may He grant us supreme well-being!

O tongue, constantly chant, chant the Shri Krishna mantra – the sole mantra for severing enemies, the mantra worshipped by all Upanishadic statements, the mantra for crossing samsara, the mantra for driving away the multitude of intense darkness, the sole mantra for all prosperity, the mantra for rescuing those bitten by the serpent of misfortune, the mantra for the fulfillment of life!

O mind, drink the divine medicine of Shri Krishna – the medicine for calming delusion, the medicine for engaging the minds of sages, the medicine causing pain to the kings of demons, the sole life-giving medicine for the three worlds, the medicine for the ultimate welfare of devotees, the sole medicine for destroying the fear of samsara, the medicine that brings supreme well-being!

Without the remembrance of His twin lotus feet, the study of scriptures is like crying in the wilderness, daily Vedic vows are futile, acts of charity are like offering to ashes, and bathing in holy places is like an elephant's bath (external cleansing). That Lord Narayana triumphs (through such remembrance).

By merely uttering the sacred name, Narayana, how did even sinners attain their desires? Alas! Our speech was not engaged in that name before. Therefore, we have experienced the suffering of dwelling in the womb and so on.

O enemy of Madhu and Kaitabha! This is the fruit of my birth, this alone is the grace I pray for: O Lord of the world, remember me as the servant of the servant of the attendant of the servant of the servant of Your servant!

When our Lord, the Supreme Person, the sole sovereign of the three worlds, who is to be served by the mind, the giver of liberation, the Supreme Narayana, exists – alas, how foolish and wretched we are, that we seek for service some vile man, a lord of a few villages, a giver of little wealth!

O Kama, abandon your dwelling in my mind, which is the abode of Mukunda's lotus feet! You are already emaciated by the fire from Shiva's eye; do you not remember the prowess of Murari's discus?

With clasped hands, O tongue, I implore you: utter the names pertaining to Narayana, which declare the supreme truth from beyond, and seem to drip honey, bringing joy!

This body, whose joints are loosened and dilapidated, will surely fall. Why do you torment yourself with medicines, oh foolish and misguided one? Drink the elixir of Krishna, which is free from all ailments.

Your wife is the excellent daughter of the ocean (Lakshmi), your son is Brahma (born from your body). The Vedas are your praisers, the host of gods is your servant class, and grace is your nature. Liberation and the entire universe are yours, Devaki is your mother, and the son of the enemy of Bala (Arjuna) is your friend. Truly, I know no one else but You.

May Krishna, the guru of the three worlds, protect us. Always bow to Krishna. All enemies have been destroyed by Krishna; salutations to that Krishna. This universe has arisen from Krishna. I am a servant of Krishna. This entire universe rests in Krishna. Oh Krishna, protect me!

Therefore, please be gracious, oh Lord. Bestow your mercy upon me, who is helpless, oh Vishnu, for You are indeed supremely compassionate. You are fit to uplift me, who is wretched and endlessly submerged in the ocean of transmigration, oh Hari, for You are the Supreme Being.

I bow to the lotus feet of Narayana. I always perform the worship of Narayana. I utter the pure name of Narayana. I remember the imperishable truth of Narayana.

O Lord of Shri (Lakshmi), Narayana, Vasudeva, Shri Krishna, beloved of devotees, holder of the discus; O Shri Padmanabha, Achyuta, enemy of Kaitabha; O Shri Rama, lotus-eyed one, Hari, enemy of Mura!

O Ananta, Vaikuntha, Mukunda, Krishna, Govinda, Damodara, Madhava! Even though capable of uttering these names, no one does. Alas, such is the inclination of people towards worldly afflictions!

Those who meditate on Vishnu, the infinite, the imperishable, who is constantly situated within the lotus of the heart, and who always grants fearlessness to those who are absorbed in Him – they indeed attain the supreme Vaishnava perfection.

Salutations to Madhava, the enemy of Madhu, whose beautiful form is adorned with spray-like particles from the waves of the milk ocean, appearing like excellent stars, and who reclines on the bed of the serpent's coils.

This eulogy was created by King Kulasekhara, who is like a bee at the lotus feet of the lotus-eyed Lord, and whose beloved friends, masters of the Vedas and sung by the world of poets, were excellent brahmins, Padma and Sharava.

Thus, the Mukundamala composed by Shri Kulasekhara is complete.