Verse Text
nārasiṁhe ca—
stotraiḥ stavaiś ca devāgre yaḥ stauti madhusūdanam |
sarva-pāpa-vinirmukto viṣṇu-lokam avāpnuyāt ||159||
Translation
In the Narasiṁha Purāṇa it is said: He who praises Madhusūdana with stotras and stavas in front of His deity form is freed from all sins and attains the planet of Viṣṇu.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Though stotra and stava are not different, there is some slight distinction. The former is not composed but found in scripture, whereas the latter is self-composed. Stotras, which are not composed by one, are for practicing using one’s speech. The stavas, created by a devotee, express his individual emotions. Nevertheless, here it has been said that the wise consider the Gītā to be a stava (verse 157). This is because the reciter practices speaking of written praises (Gītā in its stotra portion), but with intense personal devotion (its stava portion). Devāgre means “in front of the deity form.”
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
In the Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa it is stated, “Any person who comes before the Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa and begins to chant different prayers is immediately relieved from all the reactions of sinful activities and becomes eligible, without any doubt, to enter into the Vaikuṇṭhaloka.”