The ''Krishna Karnamrita'' () is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

devotional work by the poet Vilvamangala of Kerala. Dated between the period of the ninth to the fifteenth century CE, the work eulogises the Hindu deity

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

Etymology

''Kṛṣṇakarṇāmṛtam'' means 'nectar to the ears of Krishna'.

Legend

According to legend, Bilvamangala is regarded to have lavished all of his time and attention on a harlot called Cintamani, being unable to focus his energy on anything else. Cintamani urged Bilvamangala to devote himself to Krishna so that he would attain eternal joy, for which she is hailed as his guru in the work. Bilvamangala travelled to

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

a, where he spent his final days and worked on the composition of the text. Krishna himself is regarded to have listened to the poems of Bilvamangala.

Description

The work exists in two recensions. The southern and western manuscripts of the work feature three ''āśvāsa''s (sections) comprising a hundred verses each, whereas the eastern manuscripts of Bengal feature a single section of one hundred and twelve verses. The hymns of the work describe the pastimes of the deity Krishna in Vrindavana, expressing the '' rasa''s associated with ''

bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

'' (devotion) towards him. Most of the verses describe the ardent desire of the soul to be reunited with the

Ultimate Reality Ultimate reality is "the supreme, final, and fundamental power in all reality". It refers to the most fundamental fact about reality, especially when it is seen as also being the most valuable fact. This may overlap with the concept of the Absolut ...

represented by the deity. The text was influential for

Bengali Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal (present-day Malda distr ...

due to its introduction to the region by

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

, who encountered the work during his journey to the south.

Hymn

The second verse of the work extols the attributes of Krishna:

References

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External links