I hoped to ask this on the call today, but I didn't have a chance to do so because I came on late. When I mentioned that Karttika is Radharani's month, and that the extra service and austerities devotees perform are meant for attracting her favor, my wife's students asked me why. I couldn't come up with an authoritative answer. Can anyone help?
I hoped to ask this on the call today, but I didn't have a chance to do so because I came on late. When I mentioned that Karttika is Radharani's month, and that the extra service and austerities devotees perform are meant for attracting her favor, my wife's students asked me why. I couldn't come up with an authoritative answer. Can anyone help?
I looked high and low in Prabhupada's books under Kartika via the folio and nothing---only what benedictions are given. Then I tried Kartik and found the following with some quotes from our acharya's in Vaiyasaki's book, Radha-Damodar Vilas, which includes his research:
"One day when Mother Yasoda saw that all the maidservants were engaged in other household affairs, she personally began to churn the yogurt. While churning, she remembered the childish activities of Krsna, and in her own way she composed songs and enjoyed singing to herself about all those activities." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.1-2)
All the gopis love to hear Mother Yasoda sing about the glories of Krsna. Radharani is especially keen to hear Krsna's pastimes, but She is particularly attracted to the Damodara pastime. Charmed by Damodara's mood of surrender in agreeing to be bound by Mother Yasoda's love, Sri Radha longs to have that same exchange with Krsna. She desires to express such intense love for Krsna that He will also agree to be bound by Her love. Appreciating this mood of Mother Yasoda to enhance Her own feelings for Krsna, She resolves to experience this same reciprocation of love. Srila Prabhupada states, "The position of Mother Yasoda is the greatest." And he adds that, "...Mother Yasoda is in the super-most exalted position, and thus Krsna has become completely subordinate to her." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.20, purport.)
Radha-Damodara thus refers to Radharani's mood of intense attraction for this pastime between Damodara and Mother Yasoda. In celebration of this mood of love, She performs Katyayani vrata in the month of Kartik to receive the benediction to enter into this intimate relationship of loving exchange. By performing this vrata, Sri Radha is willing to undergo any austerities so that Krsna will agree to be bound by Her love.
According to Vedic civilization, during the month of Kartik unmarried girls are required to worship goddess Durga and perform austerities in order to get a good husband. In KRSNA book, the unmarried gopis perform Katyayani vrata to get Krsna as their husband. They eat only havisyanna -- a bland kichari prepared by boiling mung dahl and rice together without any spices -- to purify the body before enacting a ritualistic ceremony. After taking bath in the Yamuna River, they worship a deity of goddess Durga with sandalwood pulp, garlands, incense, lamps, fruits, grains, and twigs of plants. After worship, they pray for the benediction to become the wives of Krsna. (KRSNA, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, chapter 22)
Jiva Goswami has written that Srimati Radharani always performs austerities simply to bind Krsna more and more with Her love. Because without Krsna, She cannot even bear to live. It is due to Sri Radha's aradhana, or worship, that Krsna never leaves Vrndavana. Gaudiya Vaisnavas consider Radharani to be the presiding Deity for the month of Kartik, which, significantly, is also called Damodara. Srila Rupa Goswami, in his Sri Utkalika-vallari, proclaims Radharani as Kartik-devi, the goddess of Kartik.
The Hari-bhakti-vilasa proclaims, "O learned brahmanas! Lord Damodara becomes very pleased if during the month of Kartik one worships a Deity of Radhika solely for Her pleasure." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 16.95) For this reason, Vaisnavas perform austerities in the month of Kartik to please Sri Radha. They consider Kartik as the month of Radha-Damodara because of the following pastime in the Uttara-khanda of the Bhavisya Purana.
"Once in the auspicious month of Kartik, Krsna came late for a rendezvous with Radharani in Her kunja. In loving anger, Sri Radha looked at Krsna with frowning eyebrows. Using some golden vines, Radha then tied a rope around Sri Krsna's belly to punish Him for not showing up as promised. Krsna said He was late because Mother Yasoda kept Him home for a festival. Seeing Her mistake, Radha quickly untied Her beloved Damodara." (Radha Kunda Mahima Madhuri, by Mahanidhi Swami, page 50)
Radharani's desire to bind Krsna with Her love is fulfilled in this pastime. Therefore, Vraja Vaisnavas worship this Damodara who is bound by Radharani's love. Of course, Krsna is already famous as Damodara from His childhood. In fact, just as Krsna is eternal, so is His Holy Name. He is always known as Damodara, although it appears that His name comes into being as a result of the pastime with Mother Yasoda, just as Krsna appears to take birth from Devaki.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => RDV: Introduction
Otherwise I have lots of quotes about the effects such as these I posted in a blog from last year which you surely have access to, though perhaps others may find it useful:
According to Shri Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita [10.35] next month represents Krishna (masanam marga-shirsha: Of months I am margashirsha [Nov-Dec.]). The present month of Kartika represents Shri Radha, who is Krishna's sakti or his expansion as his greatest devotee. Her month precedes his.
First Radha, then Krishna. Therefore we say "Radha-Krishna", "Radha-Shyam" or "Sita-Rama". Krishna's sakti always comes first, and is always glorified as the dearest to Krishna.
We approach Krishna through Radha, who also represents the greatest devotee of Krishna. We must approach Radha through a devotee who is dear to Krishna, the guru who represents Radha. In the Adi-Purana it is said: "My dear Partha [Arjuna], one who claims to be my devotee is not so. Only a person who claims to be the devotee of my devotee is actually my devotee."
So during this month we can more easily obtain the favor of Radha. If Shri Radha recommends us to Krishna, we can be sure he will take notice.
Prabhupada speaks in the Nectar of Devotion (summary of the Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu) about the power of performing devotional service during the month of Karttika:
"One of the most important of these ceremonial functions is called Urja-vrata. Urja-vrata is observed in the month of Karttika (Oct.-Nov.); especially in Vrindavana (Krishna's place of "birth"), there is a specific program for temple worship of the Lord in his Damodara form. "Damodara" refers to Krishna's being bound with rope by his mother, Yashoda. It is said that just as Lord Damodara is very dear to His devotees, so the month known as Damodara or Kartika is also very dear to them.
"In the Padma Purana it is said, "The Lord may offer liberation or material happiness to a devotee, but after some devotional service has been executed, particularly in Mathura (Krishna's appearance place in India) during the month of Kartika, the devotees want only to attain pure devotional service." The purport is that the Lord does not award devotional service to ordinary persons who are not serious about it. But even if such unserious persons execute devotional service according to the regulated principles during the month of Kartika, and within the Jurisdiction of Mathura in India, are very easily awarded the Lord's service.
Although this speaks specifically of Mathura, and many devotees do go there for this special month, Mathura or Vrindavana can also refer to a holy place like a Temple where there are Krishna Deities present and pure devotional service rendered. Wherever there is consciousness of Krishna, and we perform devotional service for Krishna's pleasure, we are greatly benefited, especially during this month.
Whatever your situation---even if you live far from a Temple--try to be Krishna conscious as best you can, and pray for the mercy of Krishna and his devotees. There will be special benefit during this month. That can be an impetus for us for this month, but the idea is to make our entire life, day after day, month after month, and year after year centered around devotional service so we can offer our whole life to Krishna. Then we will go to a plane where the only activity is Krishna bhakti, performed with love and devotion.
Devotees take special vows (vratas) to increase their spiritual practices. One activity they do during Kartika, which was given by Shrila Sanatana Goswami (the principle architect of our Gaudiya sampradaya who was empowered by Lord Chaitanya) is to chant the 8 verses found in the Padma Purana, the Damodarastaka prayers, and offering a ghee lamp or candle.
These prayers recount the lila or pastime of Krishna as a child being bound by his mother to a grinding mortar. And we learn the tattva (essential truth) of this lila and of Krishna consciousness in general. Although Krishna is the original form of God (sac-cid-ananta-rupam), he acted like an ordinary child, crying out of fear of being punished by his mother for his mischief. Devotees are not interested in worshiping Krishna in awe and reverence as is practiced to other forms of God---like Vishnu---but in worshiping Krishna in loving intimacy afforded by the form of Krishna.
Due to the devotee's intense love for him, Krishna forgets his position as God. And for the devotee, after studying the scriptural knowledge of Krishna's position as God and realizing it, he forgets that Krishna is God--a kind of Divine ignorance. This occurs so he can have more intimate love for him.
So for the remainder of this month, if you haven't already started, you can chant this prayer found on-line and in Krishna conscious song books, and try to increase your spiritual practices. Read the English translation and think deeply about the significance of the Damodara lila, and of the special nature of Krishna prema (love for Krishna) given by the residents of Vrindavana, like Krishna's mother Yashoda. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to give this type of love of Krishna to the world, and Krishna conscious movements are meant to help its' members develop it.
Thanks, Karnam. This should more than satisfy the first and second graders. I think I'm used to spelling it with two t's, which limited my searches. (Bhrighu, are both spellings correct? I don't think I've read the word in devanagari.)
Yes, Panini gives the option to double consonants after r. The BBT (and modern academic) standard is not to do so, but many do, especially in Bengal. In Sridhar Maharaja's books, for example, you will find kirttana, sarvva, etc.
Ah, that explains that one. Thanks.