Yamunashtak is the first part of Sodasha Granth, the most prominent work of Pushtimargiya Vaishnava sect, written by Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya. Yamunashtakam consists of nine shlokas of these eight reveal extraordinary attributes, spiritual powers and eight aishwaryas of Yamuna, the holy river. The ninth tells of the fruits of devotion such as receiving a glance of God and the attainment of siddhis.
Bowing his head in honor of Yamuna, Sri Vallabhacharya claims in this collection that Yamuna is a store of all siddhis. Besides she enjoyed the fortune to sustain Bhagavan Sri Krishna on her banks. Endowed with an aim to plant devotion to Krishna Bhagavan in the hearts of the people, Yamuna fell down from Surya mandala to Kalinda Mountain and then flowed downward and approached the land of Vraj mandal. The fourth consort of Bhagavan Sri Krishna is Yamuna (symbolically defined beyond limitations of three constituent elements of primal nature: sattva, rajas and tamas). Possessed by the color of black clouds, Yamuna has boundless qualities. On its bank in Mathura, Dhruva and Prasara fulfilled their ambitions; the cowherds (Sri Krishna’s friends of childhood) had enhanced its sanctity.
Vallabhacharya states that Yamuna has superseded Ganga and Lakshmi (eternal consort of Narayana), because Yamuna is enriched with power to wash off the papas that people commit in Kali Yuga. Yama (deity of death) dares not punish anyone who has drunk the waters of Yamuna; because he (Yama) is the brother of Yamuna. With Yamuna’s mercy, man can get his divine body, which is essential for Pushtimargiya sadhana.
Among the commentators on Yamunashtak are Sri Purushotamji, Sri Hari Raiji and Goswami Sri Dvarikesha.