Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:

by
Srimad Acharya

Vandhe tham thva supoornapramathi manudhina sevitham devavrundai:

Vandhe vandharumeese sriya udhaniyatham Srimad Anandhatheertham

Humble seva by:

V.Prabhakar Rao
Singapore
Jan 2010
 Guru Vandanam

வ்யாேசன வ்யுப்த பீஜ: ஸ்ருதி புவி பகவத்பாத லப்தான்குரஸ்ரீ:

ப்ரத்ைந ரிஷத் ப்ரபின்ேனா ஜநி ெஜய முனினா சம்யகுத் பின்னசாக:I
ெமௗநீச வ்யாசராஜா துதித கிசலய: புஷ்பிேதாயம் ஜயீந்த்ராத்
அத்யஸ்ரீராகேவந்த்ராத் விலஸதி பலிேதா மத்வ சித்தாந்த சாகீ II
- “Sri Guru Guna Sthavanam”
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
A grantha authored by the great Srimad Acharya

The very name of the grantha tells us that the

name “Krishna” is like an ocean (maharnava)
full of amrutha (nectar).
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
What was His objective in writing this work?

Right in the second sloka He states clearly that the purpose of this work is the
welfare of the people of this world, who are immersed in the ocean of samsara
and consequently under great suffering.

“Thapathrayena santhaptham yadhethadhakilam jagath

Vakshyami shanthaye thasya krishnamrutha maharnavam”
- Sloka 2

It is virtually an Instruction Book on the right way of living

….. from a Divine Teacher
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:

It is an extraordinary work where Srimad

Acharya intersperses quotes from ancient
scriptures along with his own powerful
statements.
The grantha has totally 230 slokas. After the first 11 slokas
authored by Srimad Acharya, he commences his quotations from
Sri Brahma, Sri Bhagavan Vedavyasa, Sri Sankara and various
Maharishis. All through the work, he brings up these quotations
and adds his own commandments, in the process instructing us
about the right way of living.
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
What does the grantha cover?
ƒ The importance of Hari Bhakthi & Hari Puja
ƒ Need to visit Sacred Temples
ƒ How to do “Sashtanga Namaskara”?
ƒ The blessing power of partaking Hari-Naivedya
ƒ The benefit of taking bath in sacred rivers
ƒ The sanctity of “Sri Vishnu Padhodhaka”
ƒ The sacred benefits of having & worshipping Saligrama
ƒ EKADASI MAHIMA & Ekadasi Anushtana details
ƒ The importance of Gopichandan & Urdhvapundram
ƒ Human values (particularly slokas 209 to 212)
ƒ Finally, the slokas 226 (quotation from chandokya upanishad),
228 & 229 are the pinnacles of advice from Srimad Acharya
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
The importance of Hari Bhakthi & Hari Puja

Srimad Acharya goes ecstatic, again and

again talking about the need to be a Hari
Bhaktha. Over 100 slokas of this grantha
recount the fruits of Hari Bhakthi and Hari
Aradhana. Even the other slokas draw
heavily from a foundation of Hari Bhakthi &
Hari Aradhanam.

“Asarey kalu samsarey saaram ekam nirupitham

Samastha loka naathasya saram aradhanam Hare:
-Sloka 72 (Sri Brahma)
(In this listless samsara it has been proven that the only essence is aradhana of
Hari, the Lord of the entire Universe)
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
The importance of going to the temple

In the following slokas that Srimad

Acharya quotes from scriptures, he
points out that just standing in front of
Lord Hari with bhakthi & humility
takes you to Lord Achyutha’s divine
paadham. He also describes the
benefit of doing pradakshina
namaskara of Lord Hari’s temple.

“Rere manushya:purushoththamasya karou na kasmaan mukulikurudhvam

Kriyajushaam ko bhavathaam prayasa: Phalam hi yaththath padham achyuthasya”
- Sloka 85
“Pradhakshinam thu ya: kuryaath harim bhakthya samanvitha:
Hamsayuktha vimanena vishnulokam sa ghachchathi”
- Sloka 87
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
The importance of going to the temple

In this sloka Srimad Acharya says that when you do sashtanga namaskara in a
temple, our body is touched by the dust from the feet of Haridasas who have
worshipped in that temple. And we would live for so many thousands of years, in
Vishnuloka, as the amount of such dust that our body is blessed with.
“Renu kuntithagathrasya khanaa yavanthi bharatha
Thaavath varshasahasraani vishnuloke maheeyathe”
- Sloka 92
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
How to do Sashtanga Namaskara?
In this sloka Srimad Acharya describes how a proper sashtanga
namaskara is to be performed.

“Urasa sirasa dhrushtya manasa vachasa thatha

Padhbyaam karabhyaam jaanubhyaam praanamoshtanaga eeritha:”
-Sloka 89
(A namaskara is called sashtanga namaskara when the five bodyparts viz., Chest,
head, feet, hands & knees touch the ground and the three senses viz., one’s mind,
one’s eyes and one’s tongue are all focused on the Divine)
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
The power of Vishnu Naivedya
In this sloka Srimad Acharya declares that partaking Vishnu Naivedya
gives as much benefit as that obtained by performing crores of vrathaas.

“Kotyaindhava sahasraisthu maaso poshana kotibhi:

Yathphalam labhyathe pumbhi: vishnor naivedya pakshanaath”
- Sloka 94
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
Sacred Rivers
This sloka describes the beneficial effect
of taking bath in sacred rivers.
•Those rivers not reaching the ocean: x
Three times
• Those ordinary rivers which reach the
ocean: x one month
• Sacred rivers: x six months
• Ganges: x One year
But, according to Srimad Acharya, none
of them can even match one sixteenth of
the benefit of getting sprinkled with a few
drops of Vishnu Padhodhakam.

“Shanmasaphaladha godha vathsarasya thu jaahnavi

Vishnu padhodhakasyaitha: khalaam narhanthi shodaseem”
- Sloka 96
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
The Mahima of Saligrama

Through the slokas 102-106 (and again in sloka 198) Srimad Acharya tells us about the Mahima of
Saligrama. He says if you just see or touch a Saligrama it destroys all the sins committed (sloka
102). Even if you are living in a desa which is without achara anushtana if there is a saligrama, a
radius of three miles from the saligrama becomes a sacred kshetra of the Lord (sloka 104). Where
there is saligrama or Krishna or both, one will discover the pathway to mukthi (sloka 106).

“Mlecha dhesesuchou vaapi chakraango yathra thishtathi

Yojanani thathaa threeni mama kshetram vasundhare”
- Sloka 104
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
The guidelines for Ekadasi Anushtana & the benefits

Ambareesha Charithram

In a very elaborate and detailed fashion Srimad Acharya narrates, the benefits of following
Ekadasi Upavasa as well as the guidelines for doing so, over 61 slokas (slokas 121-181).
Very rarely one comes across such a detailed teaching on one aspect of our sampradaya,
that too from the Divine Teacher himself.

“Ekadasisamuththena vanhina padhakendhanam

Bhasmi bhavathi rajendra api janmasathodhbhavam”
-Sloka 168 (sloka 166 in another book that I referred to)
The fire that radiates from the merit of observing Ekadasi vratha burns to ashes the
accumulated heap of sins over many births.
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
The mahima of Gopichandana

Through a number of slokas (slokas 215 – 220) the grantha extolls the sanctity of Gopichandana &
Urdhvapundram (gopichandana namam). Sloka 216 which assures one that even if one is without aachara
and has committed a lot of sins, if he applies Urdhvapundra he becomes a cleansed person. And sloka 219
which declares with authority that one who sees someone who has applied gopichandana namas on his body
gets cleansed. It goes on to say even the ones seen by the person with the gopichandana namas get
cleansed. Both these slokas are very reassuing. And the sloka 220 which talks about the pithrus dancing
about in ecstasy on noticing one in their lineage applying gopichandana on his body, brings tears to one’s
eyes.

“Asphotayanthi pithara: pranruthyanthi pithamaha:

Vaishnavosmathkule jaatha: sa na: santharayishyathi”
-Sloka 220
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
Human Values

In slokas 209 to 212, Srimad Acharya turns his attention towards some key human values. In sloka 209 he
cautions one about worshipping those who do not deserve and not worshipping those who deserve. This can
be taken both in a religious sense as well as in a worldly sense. Sloka 210 is a beauty which lists the five
things which bring honour to one viz., Wealth, Bandhus, Age, Actions and Knowledge. And then the sloka
ends it beautifully by saying that each one is more important than the earlier one, thus putting wealth at the
bottom of the ladder and knowledge at the pinnacle. Sloka 211 defines “samadhrishti” (seeing all beings
alike) while sloka 212 defines “samabudhdhi” which puts value on appropriate respect for appropriate
positions.

“Yatha suhruthsu karthavyam pithrumathru sudheshu cha

Thatha karothi pujaam vai samabudhdhi: sa uchyathe”
-Sloka 212
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
Pinnacles of Advice from Srimad Acharya

“Yadheva vidyaya karothi shraddhayopanishadha

Thadheva veeryavaththaram bhavathi”
- Sloka 226 (quotation from chandokya upanishad)
[Any task when performed with full understanding of it and full
involvement as said in upanishads, it itself becomes the strength
or power of that task (makes it powerful)]
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
Pinnacles of Advice from Srimad Acharya

“Aacharaschaiva sadhunam atmanasthushti reva cha

Vedhapranihitho dharmahya dharmasthadhviparyaya:”
- Sloka 228
(The deeds of sadhus are to be taken as Acharam. Whatever has
been prescribed in Vedas are to be understood as Dharma.
These are the ones which please the Lord. All others
conflict with Dharma)

Remember “Achara prabhavo dharmo dharmasya prabhurachyutha:” from Sri

Vishnu Sahasranamam? …………
 Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:
Pinnacles of Advice from Srimad Acharya

“Nishkamam gyanapurvam thu nivruththam iha chochyathe

Nivruththam sevamanasthu brahmapyethisanathanam ”
- Sloka 229
(Those actions performed under the knowledge that Lord Hari is the
Master and that the actions are through His Grace, are called Nivrutta
Karma. This Nivrutta Karma, performed without any desire in the
results and undertaken as seva to Lord, will lead one to Moksha)
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:

“Sruthva dharma vijanathi sruthva thyajathi dhurmathim

Sruthva gyanamavapnothi sruthva moksham cha vindhathi”
Listening to these shasthras makes one understand dharma, overcome bad
thoughts, obtain gnana and attain moksha - Sloka 193 (194 in another book)

Sri Krishnarpanamasthu
Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava:

Acknowledgements:
• “Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava – Moola Slokas & explanations by Sri
Balegadde Madhavacharya
• Sri Krishnamrutha Maharnava (with meanings in English) – A SMSO
Publication

Dharma Brings Happiness