Mukunda Mala Stotra

[Guest guest]

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Mukunda-m•l•-stotra

Introduction

MM 1: O Mukunda, my Lord! Please let me become a constant reciter of Your

names, addressing You as Œr•-vallabha ["He who is very dear to Laks•m•"],

Varada ["the bestower of benedictions"], Day•para ["He who is causelessly

merciful"], Bhakta-priya ["He who is very dear to His devotees"], Bhava-lun•t•

hana-kovida ["He who is expert at plundering the status quo of repeated birth

and

death"], N•tha ["the Supreme Lord"], Jagan-niv•sa ["the resort of the cosmos"],

 

and N•ga-œayana ["the Lord who lies down on the serpent bed"].

MM 2: All glories to this Personality of Godhead known as the son of Œr•mat•

Devak• dev•! All glories to Lord Œr• Kr•s•n•a, the brilliant light of the

Vr•s•n•i dynasty! All glories to the Personality of Godhead, the hue of whose

soft body resembles the blackish color of a new cloud! All glories to Lord

Mukunda, who removes the burdens of the earth!

MM 3: O Lord Mukunda! I bow down my head to Your Lordship and respectfully

ask You to fulfill this one desire of mine: that in each of my future births I

will, by Your Lordship's mercy, always remember and never forget Your lotus

feet.

MM 4: O Lord Hari, it is not to be saved from the dualities of material

existence or the grim tribulations of the Kumbh•p•ka hell that I pray to Your

lotus feet. Nor is my purpose to enjoy the soft-skinned beautiful women who

reside

in the gardens of heaven. I pray to Your lotus feet only so that I may

remember You alone in the core of my heart, birth after birth.

MM 5: O my Lord! I have no attachment for religiosity, or for accumulating

wealth, or for enjoying sense gratification. Let these come as they inevitably

must, in accordance with my past deeds. But I do pray for this most cherished

boon: birth after birth, let me render unflinching devotional service unto Your

 

two lotus feet.

MM 6: O Lord, killer of the demon Naraka! Let me reside either in the realm

of the demigods, in the world of human beings, or in hell, as You please. I

pray only that at the point of death I may remember Your two lotus feet, whose

beauty defies that of the lotus growing in the Œarat season.

MM 7: I always think of Lord Hari, whose joyful lotus face bears a gentle

smile. Although He is the son of the cowherd Nanda, He is also the Supreme

Absolute Truth worshiped by great sages like N•rada.

MM 8: The desert of material existence has exhausted me. But today I will

cast aside all troubles by diving into the lake of Lord Hari and drinking

freely

of the abundant waters of His splendor. The lotuses in that lake are His hands

and feet, and the fish are His brilliant shining eyes. That lake's water

relieves all fatigue and is agitated by the waves His arms create. Its current

flows deep beyond fathoming.

MM 9: O mind, please never stop taking pleasure in thinking of the Mura

demon's destroyer, who has lotus eyes and bears the conch and disc weapon.

Indeed,

I know of nothing else that gives such extreme pleasure as meditating on Lord

Hari's divine feet.

MM 10: O foolish mind, stop your fearful fretting about the extensive

torments imposed by Yamar•ja. How can your enemies, the sinful reactions you

have

accrued, even touch you? After all, is your master not the Supreme Lord, the

husband of Goddess Œr•? Cast aside all hesitation and concentrate your thoughts

 

on Lord N•r•yan•a, whom one very easily attains through devotional service.

What can that dispeller of the whole world's troubles not do for His own

servant?

MM 11: The people in this vast ocean of birth and death are being blown about

by the winds of material dualities. As they flounder in the perilous waters

of sense indulgence, with no boat to help them, they are sorely distressed by

the need to protect their sons, daughters, and wives. Only the boat that is

Lord Vis•n•u can save them.

MM 12: Dear mind, do not bewilder yourself by anxiously thinking, How can I

cross this fathomless and impassable ocean of material existence? There is one

who can save you — Devotion. If you offer her to the lotus-eyed Lord, the

killer of Narak•sura, she will carry you across this ocean without fail.

MM 13: O Lord of the three worlds, we are drowning in the vast ocean of sam•s•

ra, which is filled with the waters of material hankering, with many waves of

illusion whipped up by the winds of lust, with whirlpools of wives, and with

vast schools of sharks and other sea monsters who are our sons and brothers. O

giver of all benedictions, please grant me a place on the boat of devotion

that is Your lotus feet.

MM 14: Once our savior has been seen, the whole earth becomes no greater than

a speck of dust, all the waters of the ocean become mere droplets, the

totality of fire becomes a minute spark, the winds become just a faint sigh,

and the

expanse of space becomes a tiny hole. Great lords like Rudra and Grandfather

Brahm• become insignificant, and all the demigods become like small insects.

Indeed, even one particle of dust from our Lord's feet conquers all.

MM 15: O people, please hear of this treatment for the disease of birth and

death! It is the name of Kr•s•n•a. Recommended by Y•jñavalkya and other

expert yog•s steeped in wisdom, this boundless, eternal inner light is the best

 

medicine, for when drunk it bestows complete and final liberation. Just drink

it!

MM 16: O mortal beings, you have submerged yourselves fully in the ocean of

material existence, which is filled with the waves of misfortune. Please hear

as I briefly tell you how to attain your supreme benefit. Just put aside your

various attempts at gaining knowledge and instead begin constantly chanting the

 

mantra om• namo n•r•yan••ya and bowing down to the Lord.

MM 17: Our master, the Personality of Godhead N•r•yan•a, who alone rules the

three worlds, whom one can serve in meditation, and who happily shares His

personal domain, is manifest before us. Yet still we beg for the service of

some

minor lord of a few villages, some lowly man who can only meagerly reward us.

Alas, what foolish wretches we are!

MM 18: O lotus-eyed Lord, please sustain our lives as we constantly relish

the nectar of meditating on Your lotus feet, with our palms prayerfully joined,

 

our heads bowed down, our bodily hair standing up in jubilation, our voices

choked with emotion, and our eyes flowing with tears.

MM 19: That head is the loftiest which is white with dust from bowing down to

Lord Kr•s•n•a. Those eyes are the most beautiful which darkness has

abandoned after they have seen Lord Hari. That intelligence is spotless — like

the

white glow of the moon or a conchshell — which concentrates on Lord M•dhava.

And

that tongue rains down nectar which constantly glorifies Lord N•r•yan•a.

MM 20: O tongue, praise the glories of Lord Keœava. O mind, worship the enemy

of Mura. O hands, serve the Lord of Œr•. O ears, hear the topics of Lord

Acyuta. O eyes, gaze upon Œr• Kr•s•n•a. O feet, go to the temple of Lord Hari.

O nose, smell the tulas• buds on Lord Mukunda's feet. O head, bow down to Lord

Adhoks•aja.

MM 21: All glories to Lord N•r•yan•a! Without remembrance of His lotus feet,

recitation of scripture is merely crying in the wilderness, regular

observance of severe vows enjoined in the Vedas is no more than a way to lose

weight,

execution of prescribed pious duties is like pouring oblations onto ashes, and

bathing at various holy sites is no better than an elephant's bath.

MM 22: O Cupid, abandon your residence in my mind, which is now the home of

Lord Mukunda's lotus feet. You have already been incinerated by Lord Œiva's

fiery glance, so why have you forgotten the power of Lord Mur•ri's disc?

MM 23: Think only of your master and sustainer, the Supreme Lord, who is

known as N•r•yan•a and M•dhava and who lies on the body of the serpent Ananta.

He is the darling son of Devak•, the hero of the demigods, and the Lord of the

cows, and He holds a conchshell and the bow Œ•rñga. He is the husband of the

goddess of fortune and the controller of all the universes, which He manifests

from His abdomen as a pastime. What will you gain by thinking of anything

else?

MM 24: O M•dhava, please do not let me even glance at those whose pious

credits are so depleted that they have no devotion for Your lotus feet. Please

do

not let me be distracted from listening to the worthy narrations of Your

pastimes and become interested in other topics. Please, O Lord of the universe,

let

me pay no attention to those who avoid thinking of You. And let me never be

unable to serve You in some menial way, birth after birth.

MM 25: O enemy of Madhu and Kait•abha, O Lord of the universe, the perfection

of my life and the most cherished mercy You could show me would be for You to

consider me the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the

servant of the servant of Your servant.

MM 26: My dear tongue, I stand before you with joined palms and beg you to

recite the names of Lord N•r•yan•a. These names describing the Supreme Absolute

 

Truth bring great pleasure, as if exuding honey.

MM 27: At every moment I bow down to the lotus feet of N•r•yan•a, I perform

worship to N•r•yan•a, I recite the pure name of N•r•yan•a, and I reflect on

the infallible truth of N•r•yan•a.

MM 28-29: O Œr•n•tha, N•r•yan•a, V•sudeva, divine Kr•s•n•a, O kind

friend of Your devotees! O Cakrap•n•i, Padman•bha, Acyuta, Kait•abh•ri, R•ma,

Padm•ks•a, Hari, Mur•ri! O Ananta, Vaikun•t•ha, Mukunda, Kr•s•n•a, Govinda, D

•modara, M•dhava! Although all people can address You, still they remain

silent. Just see how eager they are for their own peril!

MM 30: He is the jewel riding on the back of Garud•a, who carries away the

Lord's devotees on his wings. He is the magic jewel protecting the three

worlds,

the jewellike cloud attracting the c•taka-bird eyes of the gop•s, and the

jewel among all who gesture gracefully. He is the only jeweled ornament on the

ample breasts of Queen Rukmin••, who is herself the jewel of beloved consorts.

May that crown jewel of all gods, the best of the cowherds, grant us the

supreme benediction.

MM 31: O tongue, please constantly chant the mantra composed of Œr• Kr•s•n•

a's names. This is the only mantra for destroying all enemies, the mantra

worshiped by every word of the Upanis•ads, the mantra that uproots sam•s•ra,

the

mantra that drives away all the darkness of ignorance, the mantra for

attaining infinite opulence, the mantra for curing those bitten by the

poisonous snake

of worldly distress, and the mantra for making one's birth in this world

successful.

MM 32: O mind, please drink the transcendental medicine of Œr• Kr•s•n•a's

glories. It is the perfect medicine for curing the disease of bewilderment, for

 

inspiring sages to engage their minds in meditation, and for tormenting the

mighty Daitya demons. It alone is the medicine for restoring the three worlds

to life and for bestowing unlimited blessings on the Supreme Lord's devotees.

Indeed, it is the only medicine that can destroy one's fear of material

existence and lead one to the attainment of the supreme good.

MM 33: O Lord Kr•s•n•a, at this moment let the royal swan of my mind enter

the tangled stems of the lotus of Your feet. How will it be possible for me to

remember You at the time of death, when my throat will be choked up with

mucus, bile, and air?

MM 34: O mind, think of the lotus-eyed Lord who reclines on the mountainlike

serpent Ananta. O tongue, glorify Him. O head, bow down to Him. O hands, join

your palms in supplication to Him. O body, offer outstretched obeisances to

Him. O heart, take full shelter of Him. That Supreme Lord is the topmost Deity.

 

It is He alone who is all-auspicious and supremely purifying, He alone who

awards eternal perfection.

MM 35: One who hears descriptions of Lord Jan•rdana's pastimes and glorious

qualities but whose bodily hair fails to bristle in ecstasy and whose eyes fail

 

to flood with tears of pure love — such a person is indeed the most degraded

rascal. What a condemned life he leads!

MM 36: O Lord, the powerful thieves of my senses have blinded me by stealing

my most precious possession, my discrimination, and they have thrown me deep

into the pitch-dark well of delusion. Please, O Lord of lords, extend Your hand

 

and save this wretched soul.

MM 37: This body's beauty is fleeting, and at last the body must succumb to

death after its hundreds of joints have stiffened with old age. So why,

bewildered fool, are you asking for medication? Just take the Kr•s•n•a elixir,

the

one cure that never fails.

MM 38: The greatest wonder in human society is this: People are so

incorrigible that they reject the life-giving nectar of Lord N•r•yan•a's names

and

instead drink poison by speaking everything else.

MM 39: Let my relatives all abandon me and my superiors condemn me. Still,

the supremely blissful Govinda remains my life and soul.

MM 40: O mankind, with arms raised high I declare the truth! Any mortal who

chants the names Mukunda, Nr•sim•ha, and Jan•rdana day after day, even in

battle or when facing death, will come to regard his most cherished ambitions

as

no more valuable than a stone or a block of wood.

MM 41: Raising my arms, I utter this compassionate advice as loudly as I can:

If those in the renounced order want to be delivered from the terrible,

poisonous condition of material life, they should have the good sense to

constantly

hear the mantra om• namo n•r•yan••ya.

MM 42: My mind cannot turn from Œr• Kr•s•n•a's lotus feet, even for a

moment. So let my dear ones and other relatives criticize me, my superiors

accept

or reject me as they like, the common people spread evil gossip about me, and

my family's reputation be sullied. For a madman like me, it is honor enough to

feel this flood of love of Godhead, which brings such sweet emotions of

attraction for my Lord.

MM 43: May Kr•s•n•a, the spiritual master of the three worlds, protect us.

Continually bow down to Kr•s•n•a. Kr•s•n•a has killed all our enemies.

Obeisances to Kr•s•n•a. From Kr•s•n•a alone this world has come into being. I

am

the servant of Kr•s•n•a. This entire universe rests within Kr•s•n•a. O Kr•s

•n•a, please protect me!

MM 44: O young cowherd boy! O ocean of mercy! O husband of Laks•m•, the

ocean's daughter! O killer of Kam•sa! O merciful benefactor of Gajendra! O M•

dhava! O younger brother of R•ma! O spiritual master of the three worlds! O

lotus-eyed Lord of the gop•s! I know no one greater than You. Please protect

me.

MM 45: Your wife is the beautiful daughter of the ocean, and Your son is Lord

Brahm•. The Vedas are Your panegyrist, the demigods comprise Your company of

servants, and liberation is Your benediction, while this entire universe is a

display of Your magic power. Œr•mat• Devak• is Your mother, and Arjuna, the

son Indra, is Your friend. For these reasons I have no interest in anyone but

You.

MM 46: The wise inhabitants of the heavenly regions know that the perfection

of the head is to offer prostrate obeisances to the Supreme Lord, the

perfection of the life-breath is to worship the Lord, the perfection of the

mind is to

ponder the details of His transcendental qualities, and the perfection of

speech is to chant the glories of His qualities.

MM 47: What person, even if most sinful, has ever said aloud the blessed name

N•r•yan•a and failed to fulfill his desires? But we, alas, never used our

power of speech in that way, and so we had to suffer such miseries as living in

 

a womb.

MM 48: The unlimited and infallible Vis•n•u, who is always present within

the lotus of the heart, grants fearlessness to those who fix their intelligence

 

upon Him. The devotees who meditate on Him will reach the supreme perfection

of the Vais•n•avas.

MM 49: O Supreme Lord, O Vis•n•u, You are the most compassionate. So now

please show me Your favor and bestow Your mercy upon this helpless soul. O

unlimited Lord, kindly uplift this wretch who is drowning in the ocean of

material

existence. O Lord Hari, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

MM 50: Obeisances to Lord M•dhava, enemy of the Madhu demon. His beautiful

form, lying on the couch of the serpent Ananta, is speckled by the shower of

spray from the milk ocean's waves.

MM 51: By themselves the words "Kr•s•n•a, Kr•s•n•a" are sufficient to

drive away the sins of all living beings. Anyone who possesses devotion for

Lord

Mukunda that is densely imbued with ecstasy holds in the palms of his hands the

 

gifts of liberation, worldly influence, and wealth.

MM 52: This work was composed by King Kulaœekhara, a bee at the lotus feet of

the lotus-eyed Lord. The king's two beloved friends are the twin stems of the

exquisite lotus of the br•hman•a community, expert Vedic scholars renowned

as leaders of the community of poets.

MM 53: Who among those who recite this Mukunda-m•l• will not achieve

complete happiness? An embodied being who chants these prayers will have all

his

sinful reactions eradicated and proceed straight to the supreme abode of Lord

Vis•n

•u.

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhup•da, Founder •c•rya of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari