Krishna Karnamrita

The word karnamruta means nectar to the ears. Krishna Karnamrita means Nectar to the ears about Lord Kṛṣṇa.

This is a work in Sanskrit created by Sage Sri Lila Suka, also known as Sri Bilvamangala Thakura (AD 1268-1369).

'Sri Krishna Karnamrita' is that nectar which makes the ears of Lord Krishna savour shringar rasa considered raja rasa or the peak of human emotions.

It is a popular Sanskrit Lyric, nectar like ravishes the ears of the listeners by extolling the greatness and divine powers of the Lord Krishna. It is full of rhymes, chimes and alliterations.

The recital of the passionate our pouring of heart on the sports of Krishna with sweetness, simplicity, purity and melody combined with the esoteric meaning, elevates the soul towards the divinity.

The inspiring rhapsodies will fetch the pleasant and soul stirring mystic experience apart from the grace and mercy of the Lord that grant the needs such as wealth, health, peace of mind and extra energy and prosperity.

When Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had gone on a pilgrimage to the south and was having darshan of the temples situated on the banks of the Krishna river, he saw its path religiously being done everywhere by Vaishnava Brahmins. Mahaprabhu was ecstatic on hearing a couple of its shlokas. He insistently got a hand written copy of the original composition made and took it back with him to Nilachal. Sri Raya Ramananda, Sri Svarup Damodar and others made copies of it for their personal use. It has, since then, been regarded as a great jewel of ecstatic devotion in the Gaudiya Vaisnava community.

In his commentary on this religious text, Krisnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says that there is no other work as savorous as this scripture. We gather knowledge of the pure prema of Sri Krishna.The scripture reaches the zenith of Lord Krishna's ineffable beauty, His madhurya and His divine play. Only the person who does its paath consistently and follows its religious observances can experience a state of religous rapture.

A rare gem of the treasure trove of Sanskrit literature, the bhavas of 'Shri Krishna Karnamrita are as exalted and serious as they are simple, and the language is as artistic and sweet as it is pure. Above all, the Shataka is not just an object of paath but it has all the divine ingredients needed for relishing Sri Radha-Krishna's transcendental pastimes, as it is an imperishable cascade of Vraja's madhur rasa.

Shri Bilavmangal Thakur, the composer of Sri Krishna Karnamrita, was born in a brahmin family in South India. He is said to have been a renowned scholar and lived on the eastern bank of river Krishna Venva in South India from the12th century A.D. to 13th century A.D.

His Grace Dravida Das has narrated this nectar here in a very absorbing melody along with its meaning in English.

He is a disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder acharya of ISKCON.