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Sri Damodarastakam

Nanda-tanuja Dasa - October 17, 2005 10:49 pm

Sri Damodarastakam

Verse 1

namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam

lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam

Yasoda-bhiyolukhalad-dhavamanam

paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya

“I bow down to the supreme controller, Sri Damodara, whose form is the embodiment of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. His glistening earrings swing playfully to and fro upon His cheeks. He manifests super-excellent pastimes in Gokula, stealing fresh butter suspended from the rafters of the gopis’ storerooms. In fear of Mother Yasoda, He jumps down from a wooden grinding mortar and quickly runs away. She runs swiftly after Him and finally catches Him from behind.”

Verse 2

rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrjantam

karambhoja-yugmena sataìka-netram

muhuh svasa-kampa-tri-rekhaìka-kantha-

sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham

“He cries and rubs His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are fearful and His breathing quick. As Mother Yasoda binds His belly with ropes, He shivers in fright and the pearl necklace shakes upon His neck, which is marked with three lines like a conch shell. To the Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound by His mother’s pure love, not by rope, I offer my humble obeisances.”

Verse 3

itidrk-sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde

sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam

tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam

punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

“O my Lord, by Your own childhood pastimes, You continually immerse the residents of Gokula in pools of ecstasy. You reveal to those who are attracted to Your majesty and opulence, that You are only conquered by the love of Your pure devotees. Again I offer my obeisances with love and devotion hundreds and hundreds of times.”

Verse 4

varam deva moksam na moksavadhim va

na canyam vrne ’ham varesad apiha

idam te vapur natha gopala-balam

sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaih

“O Lord Damodara, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for liberation, nor the supreme goal of eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor for any other boon. My only desire, O Lord, is that Your form as Bala Gopal in Vrndavana may constantly remain in my heart. I have no use for any other boon besides this.”

Verse 5

idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nilair-

vrtam kuntalaih snigdha-raktais ca gopya

muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me

manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih

“Your supremely enchanting face, encircled by shining locks of dark blue curling hair, resembles the fully blossomed lotus, tinged with a reddish luster, due to being kissed again and again by Mother Yasoda. May this vision of Your lotus face, with lips as red as bimba fruit, remain forever in my heart. Millions of other benedictions are of no benefit to me.”

Verse 6

namo deva damodarananta visno

prasida prabho duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam

krpa-drsti-vrstyati-dinam batanu-

grhanesa mam ajnam edhy aksi-drsyah

“O Damodara! O Lord of divine beauty and unlimited mercy! O all pervading Visnu! I offer my obeisances unto You. May You be pleased with me. I am drowning in an ocean of sorrow and feeling almost dead. Shower Your nectar laden glances upon me, thereby uplifting me and enthusing me with life. Please accept me, O Lord, and become visible before my eyes.”

Verse 7

kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yad-vat

tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca

tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha

na mokse graho me ‘sti damodareha

“O Lord Damodara, although Mother Yasoda bound Your divine form to a wooden grinding mortar, You mercifully delivered the sons of Kuvera, Manigriva and Nalakuvara, who were cursed to stand as trees, and You gave them the gift of devotional service. Please bless me in this same way with Your most wonderful prema bhakti. I have no eagerness for any other type of liberation.”

Verse 8

namas te ‘stu damne sphurad dipti-dhamne

tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne

namo radhikayai tvadiya priyayai

namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam

“O Lord, I offer respectful obeisances unto Your belly, the abode of the entire universe, which is bound by Mother Yasoda with a brilliantly effulgent rope. To this rope I offer my humble obeisances. I offer repeated obeisances to Your dearmost beloved Srimati Radharani, and I bow before You, who are performing unlimited super-excellent pastimes.”

damodarastaka_1.mp3

damodarastaka_2.mp3

Babhru Das - October 17, 2005 10:50 pm

Syamasundar made this suggestion:

Before my brain finishes melting over the index of the Siksastaka I wanted to post an idea I just had: why don't we comment on the Damodarastaka? I wanted to ask Gm to do it, but it would probably be a better meditation for all to see what we can come out with.

We could start today with the first sloka, or even just a word (we have a whole month).

Anyone want to play? I like Syamasundar's idea that we all share insights and questions. I think, though, that it would be wonderful if Swami were to come in and give some guidance, etc. to the extent that he is able.

Note: Nanda-tanuja started a thread at the same time I did, with the verses to get us going, here.

Panchatattva - October 18, 2005 1:10 am

Damodarastakam is one of my most favorite songs, so I'd love to see a discussion about it. It's been a very hard and tiring day of mothering, so I won't be the first to comment. But, I look forward to it. A happy, happy Kartika to everyone!

Bhrigu - October 18, 2005 12:45 pm

Number one is the morning melody; nr two the one for the evening. There is another alternative for the evening as well.

Syamasundara - October 18, 2005 2:41 pm

Now that's intriguing... You can't leave us with such a curiosity.

Bhrigu - October 18, 2005 4:05 pm

Now that's intriguing... You can't leave us with such a curiosity.

It isn't that exciting, just that there is another evening melody as well. But I like yours better!

Babhru Das - October 18, 2005 10:05 pm

This thread was begun because Syamasundar made this suggestion:

Before my brain finishes melting over the index of the Siksastaka I wanted to post an idea I just had: why don't we comment on the Damodarastaka? I wanted to ask Gm to do it, but it would probably be a better meditation for all to see what we can come out with.

We could start today with the first sloka, or even just a word (we have a whole month).

Anyone want to play? I like Syamasundar's idea that we all share insights and questions. I think, though, that it would be wonderful if Swami were to come in and give some guidance, etc. to the extent that he is able.

Syamasundara - October 19, 2005 11:03 pm

mukam karoti vacalam

pangum langhayate girim

yat krpa tam aham vande

sri-gurum dina-taranam

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains."

VERSE 1

namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam

lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam

Yasoda-bhiyolukalad-dhavamanam

paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya

“I bow down to the supreme controller, Sri Damodara, whose form is the embodiment of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. His glistening earrings swing playfully to and fro upon His cheeks. He manifests super-excellent pastimes in Gokula, stealing fresh butter suspended from the rafters of the gopis’ storerooms. In fear of Mother Yasoda, He jumps down from a wooden grinding mortar and quickly runs away. She runs swiftly after Him and finally catches Him from behind.”

When I set my mind on commenting on this verse my initial approach was to skip the concept of sat-cid-ananda-rupa as it was too intense and rather focus on the detail of Krsna's earrings shaped like sharks. I remember hearing this some 14 years ago and being really charmed about this Krsna consciousness thing, where we even know about God's earrings, and what original taste he has! It made me immediately feel like getting on Krsna's camp so to speak; "My (chosen) God is so cool, he wears shark earrings!"

However, when I read this verse and started to meditate on it I realized that not only there was no mention of the shark shape in this verse (makara), but that this verse makes the point I wanted to make, but in a deeper and sofisticated way.

This opening stanza starts with obeisances and a brief hint about the content of the poem, and so far nothing new. What struck me while reading it is that it was as if a trap door to Goloka was being opened to me.

The first thing you need in order to open a door is the key, and the door to Vrndavana and the Supreme's inner life is definitely locked up, so here we find the key in the very first word: namami (I prostrate). Upon turning the key, we find the ultimate goal, the best possible scenario for us if we put that key to good use; our Lord (isvara), who is eternal (sat), all-conscious (cit), and full of joy (ananda). In one moment we are drawn above the realm of Paramatma (cit), the brahmajyoti (sat) and we get a glimpse of the Lord's form and pastimes as it is described in the balance of the verse.

So we see how the very first line of the first verse contains all there is to know and contemplate, the organic whole in a bud: Radha (namami) and Krsna (isvaram sat-cid-ananda-rupam).

A more expanded or blossomed vision of this organic whole (to keep the bud metaphore), is that there is us jiva souls (namami), Sri Guru as a manifestation of Balarama who presides over sandhini-sakti (sat), Sri Krsna who presides over samvit (cit), and Radharani who is hladini-sakti and gives Krsna joy (ananda), and where there are Rama Krsna and Radha there is Vraja.

So we are all there.

I guess I'll let someone else continue as it's really late over here...

Jaya Radha-Damodara!

(Note to Nandatanuja: you may want to revise and edit the text of the song. There seems to be an ì where there should be an n and there is an h missing in bhiyolukhalad. Maybe copy it from another source.)

Forrest - October 20, 2005 9:06 pm

When I set my mind on commenting on this verse my initial approach was to skip the concept of sat-cid-ananda-rupa as it was too intense and rather focus on the detail of Krsna's earrings shaped like sharks. I remember hearing this some 14 years ago and being really charmed about this Krsna consciousness thing, where we even know about God's earrings, and what original taste he has! It made me immediately feel like getting on Krsna's camp so to speak; "My (chosen) God is so cool, he wears shark earrings!"

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I have to sincerely thank you for bringing up Krsna's makara-kundala, "shark" shaped earrings. Remembrance of them brought about a stream of thoughts. First of all I considered how the makara is a symbol used by Kama. This instantly made me think of Krsna as Madana-mohan. He is the original Cupid, who bewilders even Cupid himself. This led me to Madana-mohan-mohini, Srimati Radharani. How amazing she is that she charms the one who bewilders Kamadev.

Then I remembered how I heard it described that Krsna's jeweled earrings cast sparkling light on his cheeks. This must be a beautiful sight. I naturally consider this in the material light that ornaments beautify the person that wears them. But it is said that Krsna beautifies his ornaments.

This opening stanza starts with obeisances and a brief hint about the content of the poem, and so far nothing new. What struck me while reading it is that it was as if a trap door to Goloka was being opened to me.

The first thing you need in order to open a door is the key, and the door to Vrndavana and the Supreme's inner life is definitely locked up, so here we find the key in the very first word: namami (I prostrate). Upon turning the key, we find the ultimate goal, the best possible scenario for us if we put that key to good use; our Lord (isvara), who is eternal (sat), all-conscious (cit), and full of joy (ananda). In one moment we are drawn above the realm of Paramatma (cit), the brahmajyoti (sat) and we get a glimpse of the Lord's form and pastimes as it is described in the balance of the verse.

So we see how the very first line of the first verse contains all there is to know and contemplate, the organic whole in a bud: Radha (namami) and Krsna (isvaram sat-cid-ananda-rupam).

A more expanded or blossomed vision of this organic whole (to keep the bud metaphore), is that there is us jiva souls (namami), Sri Guru as a manifestation of Balarama who presides over sandhini-sakti (sat), Sri Krsna who presides over samvit (cit), and Radharani who is hladini-sakti and gives Krsna joy (ananda), and where there are Rama Krsna and Radha there is Vraja.

So we are all there.

I really appreciate this fluffing of the dense cotton of the opening line of the Sri Damodarastakam. I had never considered this line in this way.

Babhru Das - October 20, 2005 10:48 pm

These reflections on the sweetness of this pastime provoke a desire to always keep the Lord's beauty and love for his devotees in mind. This is especially so while singing Damodarstakam. As I read Syamadundar's and Forrest's reflections, I remembered the first time I went to the Honolulu temple, late in 1969 or at the beginning of 1970. The Deity on the altar was Govinda dasi's Kartamisha, whom she still worships in her home. He looks like a shy, sassy little boy, standing with his hand on one hip, sort of looking down toward the ground. When I went to the temple, I had no idea what to expect. When I saw Kartamisha, I was immediately charmed. I had no thought about the foreign nature of worshiping him. It never crossed my mind that this was an idol. All I could thing was, "If that's Krishna, I can see why they worship him! He's very beautiful and sweet."

And I like the way Syamasundar posits namami as the key to entering this pastime. The muni begins this poem with that, and it is that submissive attitude that affords us access to the Lord's pastimes. Another thing I really like about the first verse is that we see both Yasoda's effort (she becomes somewhat disheveled due to that effort) and Krishna's mercy in allowing her to catch him from behind.

Syamasundara - October 20, 2005 11:05 pm

I really appreciate this fluffing of the dense cotton of the opening line of the Sri Damodarastakam. I had never considered this line in this way.

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Me neither! It just popped in my mind when I read it and I am glad it did. I was thinking that since we have 8 slokas in four weeks it's probably time to move to the second verse already.

As nobody else seems to participate actively I'll just share my last thougths on the first verse and maybe start with the second.

So, after the first line has told us about our relationship with the Lord in his personal form, the second line zeroes in to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, svayam bhagavan Sri Krsna.

After all, the soul is sat-cid-ananda, too, and so is the whole of Vaikuntha with all those expansions of Narayana, who is also isvara, but the second line tells us that it is about Gokulananda (gokule).

Going back to the earrings (kundala) they seem to me like silent testimonials to Mahaprabhu's unprecedented show of mercy.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism gives us such a powerful closeup into transcendence that it stops at Krsna's earrings.

True, Satyavrata Muni has uttered this prayer (in Padma Purana by the way) prior to Mahaprabhu's advent and in the scriptures we find many descriptions of the Lord and even his ornaments, but only Gaurangadeva and his associates have given us the proper eyes to appreciate all this.

The last two lines introduce the concepts of rasa (vatsalya in this case) and lila, which Makhancora seems to be really lost in, forgetting about his godhood and preoccupied with hiding from his mother:

"due to breaking the yoghurt pot, he is very fearful of Mother Yasoda and jumping down from the wooden grinding mortar quickly runs away, and, chased by Yasoda, who is running after him very quickly, he is ultimately caught from behind."

I guess I'll let someone else comment on the second verse, as once again it's bedtime in Madrid.

Bhrigu - October 21, 2005 7:53 am

Verse 2

rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrjantam

karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram

muhuh svasa-kampa-tri-rekhanka-kantha-

sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham

“He cries and rubs His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are fearful and His breathing quick. As Mother Yasoda binds His belly with ropes, He shivers in fright and the pearl necklace shakes upon His neck, which is marked with three lines like a conch shell. To the Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound by His mother’s pure love, not by rope, I offer my humble obeisances.”

The second verse continues on from the first, syntactically as well as in terms of the lila. Here we learn more about the Isvara we bow down to in the first verse. I really like how the song jumps from the aisvarya of the first line to this, a small kid running from his mother, rubbing his eyes and crying out of fear!

We also learn something more about Damodara's form and ornaments: now we hear about his (pearl -- not in the Sanskrit but known from other sources) necklace! Not every child will have one on a daily basis; I come to think about how Swami explains that there is aisvarya in Gokula as well, it is just hidden into the background of the lila.

Having "yugma" (pair) twice in a single verse could be seen as a poetic blemish, but I kind of like it here, especially since it is the second verse!

Syamasundara - October 21, 2005 4:19 pm

All right today I'll write right before going to the temple to sing the Damodarastaka instead of right before going to bed.

I think the words that are the most important in this verse are bhakti-baddham "bound by devotion."

The whole Damodara lila is actually to prove that nothing can contain, limit, define, comprehend the Supreme unless and until he wants, and he does as soon as he sees bhakti.

Yesterday we were talking of vatsalya-rasa and Yasodarani's interactions with Krsna, but our saints are very expert at extrapolating Radha and Krsna out of anything, and sure enough, our GM told us that a more detailed version of this lila as narrated in the Bhagavatam is that mother Yasoda had finished all the ropes that her neighbors had given her from all Gokula and still the rope was two inches short. GM says that those two inches or fingers stand for something very specific, but I just can't remember what now. So anyway, at last little Radhika comes and she offers her hair ribbon to Yasoda and with that she was able to tie Krsna: bhakti-baddha, tied by devotion (Radhika), just like in the maha-mantra the name of Radha is all around that of Krsna and Rama (Radha-ramana) as in a hug. The bija mantra klim is also said to refer to the embrace of Radha and Krsna, Kamadeva.

As far as the poetry of this verse, the word muhu (suddenly) is also repeated twice, to convey the rapidity of the actions being described.

Nanda-tanuja Dasa - October 21, 2005 4:35 pm

I think this verse is extremely important because of several points:

1. Devotee is greater than God.

2. God allows to be concurred by His devotee's pure love.

3. Don't just wait for mercy -- earn it.

First one is shown by Krsna being afraid of punishment by Yasoda which makes her more powerful then Krsna. Second is shown by Krsna being bound by his mother's love, because no rope can ever bind Him. He allows mother Yasoda to bind him out of his mercy. Third is shown by Krsna becoming merciful when he sow his mother fatigued by her futile endeavor. It shows us that our practice should be laborious and hard to make our body "became covered with perspiration, and the flowers and comb were falling from hair." Great effort will gain great result.

Note: if I remember correctly, the first finger represents the devotee's endeavor to attain Krisna and second represents Krisna's mercy to be attained.

Babhru Das - October 21, 2005 7:02 pm

Yes, to all the above! His tearful, fearful eyes, his trembling in fear (and I picutre his lower lip trembling, too) take us quickly from any aisvarya necessarily addressed in the first verse to the overwhelming madhurya of this pastime. Although the song helps the devotee keep in mind that its object is the supreme Godhead, the sweetness of the exchange obscures the sense of awe that may otherwise be appropriate.

SashidharaDasa - October 21, 2005 7:43 pm

The Supreme Personality of Godhead crying as kid out of fear for her mother is extremely charming to me.

Yashoda Kanha ki Jaya

Nanda Dulal ki Jaya

Radha Damodar ki Jaya

Syamasundara - October 25, 2005 6:43 pm

All right, it hasn't been the best of days for me today, but by Krsna's mercy I've developed a little attachment to the Damodarastaka, so I'll try to see what can come out of the third verse, since it's already the second day of the three that each verse has.

mukam karoti vacalam

pangum langhayate girim

yat krpa tam aham vande

sri-gurum dina-taranam

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains."

VERSE 3

itidrk-sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde

sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam

tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam

punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

“O my Lord, by Your own childhood pastimes, You continually immerse the residents of Gokula in pools of ecstasy. You reveal to those who are attracted to Your majesty and opulence, that You are only conquered by the love of Your pure devotees. Again I offer my obeisances with love and devotion hundreds and hundreds of times.”

Well, the most import line is obviously the third one that correspond to the second sentence in the translation.

Uff I need to go now... anybody else?

Babhru Das - October 26, 2005 7:23 pm

I thought this quotation from Srila Sridhar Maharaja's Loving Search for the Lost Servant might also be appropriate for this discussion:

Love’s power is unthinkable. Although it is impossible, the infinite is defeated by the finite. What is that unthinkable position? It can only be attained through love. And how adorable and precious and valuable a drop of that love is! To acquire a drop of that divine love, no sacrifice is sufficient. So we are encouraged to “die to live.”

Syamasundara - October 26, 2005 9:15 pm

There is and will be nobody like Srila Sridhara Maharaja.

Bhrigu - October 27, 2005 4:04 pm

I've been thinking about the word ananda-kunde. I makes me think of Radhakunda, but the Radhakunda lilas are of course not directly connected to Krishna's childhood pastimes. But perhaps there is some kind of a connection?

Babhru Das - October 27, 2005 7:12 pm

This verse glorifies Krishna's excellent qualities, as well as the madhurya-maya bhakti of the Vrajavasis. And because Krishna enjoys this pastime took place at the age of four, ananda kunda probably doesn't refer directly to Radha-kunda. But devotees whose hearts are properly purified may see some allusion there, just as they may see Krishna's mind/heart turning back to Vraja as he speaks to Arjuna at the end of Bhagavad-gita: "mam ekam saranam vraja."

Syamasundara - October 29, 2005 1:08 pm

All right, I'm going to be incomunicado for a scanty week as I am jobless and homeless and I'll spend some time between the Madrid temple and Nava Vraja Mandala, where they have cows and Govardhana Puja is close at hand.

Please keep up with the study group; verse 4 is very nice and verse 3 hasn't been touched at all. I tried to write something but my mind is too burdened by my present situation. I feel like going through a sand clock. Anyway.

Jaya Radha-Damodara!

Syamasundara - November 3, 2005 11:04 am

All this bhisma-pancaka talk has given me impetus to rest my mind on some positive numbers and go on with this study group.

At first I thought I had no realization, but I would at least bring the attention to the verses of these days, then I started to check up some words in the dictionary and I discovered some interesting facts.

mukam karoti vacalam

pangum langhayate girim

yat krpa tam aham vande

sri-gurum dina-taranam

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains."

VERSES 4-5

The verse at first sight is quite clear. I was a little disturbed though, because our acaryas always manage to bring everything home to Radha-Krsna and srngara-rasa, whereas this verse seemed to clearly refer to Krsna as the object of meditation in his child form (bala gopala vapu) and therefore in relation to Yasodamata. However, I read that the word bAla just means a growing child, or anything young and growing, like the moon or the rising sun, and it may extend all the way to kaisora (16 years), so there you have it. We don't want any boons other than being able to contemplate Sri Vrndavanacandra.

I am glad nobody commented on Verse 4 alone, because the secret to understanding it is reading it together with verse 5. Analyizing the texts in context and together with what is said before or after is a very good and wise practice when studying the sastra. After all in order to understand Krsna and his mood at best we need to see who is on his side: Radhika, Balarama, Arjuna, etc.

Verse 5 refers to Krsna's face reddened and glistening from the repeated kisses of a gopi, gopya; I don't have a grammar here, but gopya could even mean "by gopis", so the reference to vatsalya rati is much weaker here.

I used to think that Krsna's lips "are" red like the bimba fruit, just like you see young children with red cheeks and lips, and that's considered irresistible. However cumbita means kissed and adhara (raktadharam) means lip, but also lower lip. I remembered that the Kamasutra says the upper lip cannot be bitten, so I did a research and found out quite a few things about lower lips, kissing, biting, reddening... So, no mothers involved here.

I am brimming with gratitude for this opportunity, because I am learning and appreciating this song much more this month than in the past 13 years; I'm also appreciating more the work Gm puts in his books and commentaries (if that's possible). Needless to say he must have sprinkled some sakti on all of us who are commenting since he was too busy to deal with this song, but I am having a lot of fun.

Nanda-tanuja Dasa - November 3, 2005 8:35 pm

The scripture is erotic, there is no question about it. But how to take it? This subject makes me feel quite uncomfortable and uneasy. Is it due to my upbringing and cultural background? Amorous enjoyments, love sports, lower lip biting, etc. I have a big difficulty thinking of Krsna as surata-natha. I understand that play between Lord and His Saktis is not quite same thing as making love, but still due to my material contamination I feel ashamed and usually skip those slokas.

Syamasundara - November 3, 2005 11:01 pm

I have the opposite reaction. There are some things that make me go: "Yeah, this is my Lord," like Nityananda Prabhu swimming with crocodiles or being an avadhuta, Mahaprabhu bringing prasada to Sarvabhauma, or Krsna swapping betel nuts from the gopis' mouths or going with Kubja.

Krsna steals, cheats, lies... or does he?

That's why it's highly recommended we read about Krsna's amorous pastimes in order to overcome lust (I hope this is not only for straight people), but it's also recommended we read all 9 cantos before reading about those pastimes, or we won't have the proper understanding, so don't skip any slokas, unless you want less than 100%.

Have you read the book Rasa? Its subtitle is another of those things that make me go: "Yes, I'm good hands."

Bhrigu - November 6, 2005 12:33 pm

because our acaryas always manage to bring everything home to Radha-Krsna and srngara-rasa, whereas this verse seemed to clearly refer to Krsna as the object of meditation in his child form (bala gopala vapu) and therefore in relation to Yasodamata.

Have you read any acharya interpret the Damodarastaka in relation to sringara-rasa? The only commentary I have seen is the one by Sanatana Goswami, and he does not, except for noting that "gopya" in verse 5 could also refer to Sri Radhika.

As far as I have understood, there are two Damodara lilas: one involving Krishna's stealing butter, being bound up by mother Yashoda, felling the Arjuna trees, etc, and a more secret one involving Radha, where she playfully ties him up to a tree near Govardhana. The Damodarastaka is obviously about the first lila, even though there may be a hint about the second in the very last line of the poem.

I remembered that the Kamasutra says the upper lip cannot be bitten, so I did a research and found out quite a few things about lower lips, kissing, biting, reddening... So, no mothers involved here.

I thought of Radha-kunda reading "ananda-kunda" earlier, so I can understand you coming to this conclusion! But it is by no means the only one; Krishna's lips are routinely likened the bimba-fruits, bitten or not.

Anyway, let's continue! Verse six:

Obeisances to You, O Deva! O Damodara! O Ananta! O Visnu! O Prabhu! Be pleased with me. I am sinking deeply into the ocean of tribulations. Shower the rain of Your merciful glance upon me who am so pitifully fallen. Alas! Kindly exhibit Your favour and deliver me. O Isa! I am totally ignorant. Please become visible to my eyes.

I like the "shower the rain of your merciful glance" -- phrase. Cooling rains may not be the most desired item over here in Finland this time of the year, but still. Also, I like how the poem alternates between madhurya and aisvarya. Here the author calls Damodara by some very majestic names (Ananta, Vishnu, Isa, Prabhu, Deva), but in the end what he asks for is simply for his darshan.

Syamasundara - November 6, 2005 8:23 pm

I hope I didn't pass the line with my commentaries. After all I have no authority, but I often think of Cakravarti Thakura who saw every sloka of the Bhagavata as a glorification of Radharani, and all the other saints seem to see nothing but Radha and Krsna everywhere (imagine that!).

This astaka is undoubtedly about the incident with Yasoda, or at least that is its mukhya-vrtti, but we are taught about gauna-vrtti, too.

Is the Bhagavad Gita about a war?

At the same time sometimes recurring to gauna vrtti may mislead, so here I was ten minutes ago, trying to see what this verse had to tell me, but first I felt too proud and unqualified, and second, the "face" meaning is already so rich and important to us I thought I should learn it as a single prayer in itself.

Still I feel there is something else to draw out of this verse, maybe it'll come later, maybe from someone else...

Bhrigu - November 7, 2005 3:57 pm

I hope I didn't pass the line with my commentaries.

Not in my opinion at least; I just wanted to point out that the Vatsalya-bhava view might be the more "natural" one here. But it's a pity so few persons have commented on this thread; I'm curious for example whether others share Nandatanujaji's feelings re. speaking about sringara-rasa. Our guardians have emphasised caution in this regard, but then again, as you say, hearing and chanting about these lilas in the proper way is the best way to rid the heart of lust.

Babhru Das - November 10, 2005 6:29 am

Here are some of Sanatan Goswami's comments on a couple of the names used to address the Lord in this verse:

Deva indicates that he is divya-rupa: his divine beauty excites a desire for his darshan.

Damodara hints that he is glorified for his quality of bhakta-vatsalya, he affection for his devotees, to the point that he allows himself to be bound around his waist.

Vishnu intimates that he is sarva-vyaaka, all pervading. It further indicates that he is fond of entering into Vrindavan's secluded caves and bower cottages.

Swami - November 10, 2005 3:37 pm

I have heard it said tha this astakam was composed over yugas, and that each verse represents a progression in the muni's realization, culminating in his pranam to Sri Radha. I do not have Sri Sanatana Prabhu's tika at this time. I do not think he has, but to those that have it, has he written like this?

My overall suggestion would be to discuss our sambandha jnana acarya's commentary and take inspiration from there.

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:09 am

Here is Sanatana Goswami's commentary on the Damodarastakam:

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 1

namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam

lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam

yasoda-bhiyolukalad-dhavamanam

paramrstam atyam tato drutya gopya

I offer my respectful obeisances unto that Supreme Lord

Whose form is composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss

Whose earrings swing and play upon His cheeks

Who is splendrously manifest in Gokula

Who is very fearful of mother Yasoda,

and jumping down from the wooden grinding mortar quickly runs away

Who is chased by Yasoda running very quickly after Him

and is ultimately caught from behind

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

Bowing before Sri Damodara-isvara Who is accompanied by Sri Radha I now commence my purport of Damodarastaka entitled Dig-Darsini.

In the beginning of the mula-sloka, the very first intention is expressed by the word namami - “I bow down.” Obeisances are thus offered with love and devotion before commencing the description of the Lord's specific characteristics of excellence that are exhibited by His tattva, rupa, lila, guna and so forth. Also mentioned is the essence of His own divine supremacy as the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifested in Gokula, and also His distinctive features as the origin of all. Furthermore, the word namami is indicative of an auspicious invocation (mangalartham). At the start of all functions it is customary to offer respects to isvara which express an attitude of devotional service unto the Lord. For this reason, obeisances are offered first unto the Lord in this verse.

(Now the commentator, Sri Srila Sanatana Gosvami examines tattva-visesa or the excellence of the Lord's truth:) Obeisances unto whom? Unto Isvara, the supreme controller. Namely - He who is (1) sarva-saktimanta (endowed with all potencies), (2) jagat-ekanatha (the only Lord of the universe) and (3) nija-prabhu (my own Master). In the first instance He is addressed as such in order to obtain the power of sakti needed to offer the prayer, in the second instance, He is addressed as such to indicate that He is the one and only Lord Who is praiseworthy; in the final instance, He is addressed as such to signify the specific nature of bhakti or devotion. How is He manifest? As sac-cid-ananda-rupam or a form composed of compressed clouds of eternity, knowledge and bliss. This is the statement of His supreme sovereignty in regards to His tattva-visesa attribute or excellence of truth.

(Now rupa-visesa, the excellence of His beauty is described:) His distinct excellence of beauty is illustrated as follows: lasanti (the swinging of His earrings) was manifested when He ran away in fear of Sri Yasoda; or also, His earrings sport upon His cheeks as a result of His continuously playing in the transcendental pastimes of childhood. Thus, His divinely splendrous face is especially portrayed. Or also, yet another meaning of lasat-kundalam is - due to the maha-saubhagya or great fortune of personally kissing His divine cheeks, these earrings have attained a position of superexcellence above all His other ornaments. And this superexcellence also indicates the fortune of the other ornaments adorning His various limbs. Furthermore, lasanti indicates that these earrings are glistening because they are enriched with the splendrous effulgence of the Lord's bodily complexion; therefore Krsna's body is the ornament of His ornaments. This is the meaning. Consequently, it is stated by the gopis in the Tenth Canto (Bhag. 10.29.40):

“O Sri Krsna! By seeing Your beauty, which attracts the three worlds, these cows, birds, trees and deer are all experiencing their hairs standing on end!” (“What is the wonder, then, if we are also bewildered?”)

In the Third Canto (Bhag. 3.2.12), it is also stated by Sri Uddhava to Vidura regarding Sri Krsna's beauty:

“Sri Krsna's beauty is so enchanting that it even astonishes Himself: that beauty represents the supreme zenith of great opulence, so much so that He is actually the ornament of His ornaments.”

Now the parivara-visesa or attributes of His family portray His unique excellence. The word gokule indicates that place where gopas, gopis, cows, calves and so forth reside. The word bhrajamanam indicates a particularly befitting place wherein He can manifest an excellence that surpasses that of previous lilas. Moreover, He is splendrous because only in Gokula does He manifest His svabhavika-sobha, or most natural characteristics of brilliance. It is stated in the Tenth Canto (Bhag. 10.32.14):

“(Bhagavan Sri Krsna, Who sits upon the asana formed in the lotus-like hearts of the siddha-yogis...) Manifesting a body that is the abode of all the splendour of the three worlds, He sat upon the asana presented by the gopis, was worshipped by them, and thereby radiated even more splendour.”

His excellence of lila-visesa, or attributes of His pastimes, are stated in the last two lines of the verse. The word yasoda indicates yasodaya, or “From His mother Yasoda”. Bhiya indicates the fear of being punished for His offense of breaking the yoghurt pots, stealing fresh butter and so forth. Ulukhalat denotes “from the mortar” - in order to steal the fresh butter suspended from the rafters, He took a large wooden grinding mortar that was kept in the same storeroom, turned it on end, and climbed up on it; but (spotting His mother coming into the room with a stick in her hand) He immediately gets down again. Dhavamanam - He speedily runs away. In this regard, if one desires to know the particulars of this pastime, it can be found in the Tenth Canto (Bhag. 10.9.8-9) thus:

“Then Sri Krsna turned the grinding mortar on end, climbed up on it and began distributing the fresh butter hanging from the rafters to the monkeys as freely as He liked. Due to knowledge of His own mischievous thievery, His eyes fearfully darted this way and that. Mother Yasoda saw Him doing this and slowly crept up from behind to catch Him; but He noticed Her coming with a stick in her hand, and He quickly got down from the mortar and started running away, just like a person stricken with fear. Even though highly advanced yogis are enabled by the strength of their penances to merge their minds with brahma, still they cannot get a glimpse of this scene - of Yasoda-devi chasing her son Krsna from behind while attempting to catch Him.”

Then, tato-drutya - she ran very swiftly. Due to the samasa conjunction, these two words become one. Gopya - by Sri Yasoda, para amrstam - catching hold of His back. Here the words atyanta tato drutya (running behind Krsna very swiftly) imply the saundarya-visesa (excellence of beauty) of Yasoda's full breasts, broad hips and so on, as well as the particulars of her affection for her son. The loving use of the word gopya connotes the grand fortune that came upon the gopa caste (by Krsna preferring to appear among them). By the word paramrstam (caught by His back), the unique attribute of superexcellent affection that Bhagavan Sri Krsna feels for Yasoda-mata (sneha-visesa) is intimated. In this regard also, one may search out the following verse from the Tenth Canto (Bhag. 10.9.10):

“While chasing after Krsna, the slim waisted Yasoda's broad hips caused her pace to slow down. From running quickly, the flowers had come loose from her hair and were falling after her, but she still continued to pursue Him. In this fashion, after chasing and chasing Him, she finally caught Him from behind.”

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the first sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:09 am

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 2

rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrjantam

karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram

muhuh svasa-kampa-tri-rekhanka-kantha-

sthita-graiva damodaram bhakti-baddham

(Afraid of the stick in His mother's hand) | Who cries again and again and rubs His eyes with both His lotus-like hands | Whose eyes express extreme fearfulness | Who sobs again and again with quick breathing making the necklaces upon His three-lined neck quiver | Whose belly is bound only by His mother's devotion. Unto this Damodara I offer my humble obeisances

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

After this, Krsna's lila-visesa (excellence of pastimes) is mentioned, as confirmed in the Bhagavatam (10.9.11) thus:

“(Mata Yasoda saw that) The mischievous child then cried and cried while rubbing His eyes with His hands, thereby smearing the dark eye-lining cosmetics from them. (Krsna saw the stick in her hands, and) His eyes became overwhelmed with fright. In this condition, Yasoda seized His hand and proceeded to chastise Him in order to instil fear in Him.”

The details of this pastime are now spoken of in the second verse beginning with rudantam. Seeing the whipping stick in His mother's hand, and apprehending being struck with it, He behaved as if terrified so that she would see His distress and think “He is afraid of being punished”. He hoped that by her seeing this attitude of His, she would not hit Him with the stick. Thinking in this way (that He would be spared punishment), therefore karambhoja-yugmena netra-yugmam mrjantam - He rubbed both eyes again and again with both of His lotus-like hands at the same time. This is a natural characteristic of balya-lila, and indeed the normal habit of small children.

Or else, karambhoja-yugmena netra-yugmam mrjantam may also indicate that by the influence of His fright, many tears were actually forming in His eyes; therefore He rubbed them again and again in order to make the tears fall out. Or furthermore, He rubbed His eyes again and again in order to wipe away the tears that were falling again and again; this is yet another meaning. Now satanka-netram - dreading His mother's punishment, His eyes expressed how much He was terrified in His mind. Or else, it refers to His glancing this way and that in extreme fear. In this regard also, He tries to avoid being punished; thus another confidential pastime is disclosed.

Moreover, muhuh svasena - due to His crying and sobbing again and again, kampat - trembling, tri-rekhanka - marked with three lines just like a conchshell, kanthe stitham graivam - all His neck ornaments like pearl necklaces and so forth - He who appears this way. Damodaram - Whose belly is tied with a rope. He is described thus in the Bhagavatam (10.9.14):

“Just as an ordinary mother binds her naughty son, Yasoda Mata considered Sri Krsna to be her own ordinary child and tied Him to the grinding mortar with a rope.”

In stating that knots were tied on the rope both to His belly and to the mortar, this indicates the particulars of Sri Krsna's excellence called bhakta-vasyata, or His quality of coming under the control of His devotees. Bhaktyaiva baddham - this refers to He Who responds only to bhakti in the following two ways: from His mother's viewpoint, He is bound by the loving parental devotion she feels for her son; from His viewpoint, He is bound by His mother's devotion in the form of bhakta-vasyata. Baddham - He willingly accepted the binding, although no rope had the power to bind Him. Thus mother Yasoda eventually collected all the ropes in her household, but upon tying them together the length still came out two fingers too short to fit around His waist. This is described in the following slokas from the Bhagavatam (10.9.15-17):

“While tying up the naughty child, the rope came out two fingers short, so Yasoda Mata tied another length to it. This rope also came out two fingers short, so she tied yet another length to that one; but no matter how many ropes she added, it always ended up too short. Thus she was unable to bind Him, even by combining all the ropes in the house. (Then her gopi friends began to smile and she herself also smiled and laughed in astonishment).”

Or furthermore, the reason for this characteristic of the rope around His waist is: bhaktyaiva baddham - He can be bound only by devotion and nothing else. By this He becomes controlled. Such is certainly the conclusion of the aforementioned description. In this connection, it is further stated in the Bhagavatam (10.9.18-21):

“While attempting to bind Krsna) Yasoda became fatigued from tying so many ropes together again and again, and she perspired as the flower garlands in her hair fell loose. Then the young child Sri Krsna saw her weariness and mercifully consented to being tied up. O Maharaja Pariksit! Although He controls the entire universe along with its highly qualified demigods, the supreme independent Hari thus displayed how He comes under the control of His devotees. Therefore this gopi Yasoda Mata received such a great benediction from He Who awards liberation - a favour not granted to Lord Brahma, Mahesvara or even Laksmi Devi herself, who sports as half the body of all the Lord's incarnations. Bhagavan Gopika-suta, the Supreme Lord appearing as the son of a cowherd woman, is thus readily available for His devotees, yet remains far away from those absorbed in the bodily concept of the eight fold yoga practices as well as those focusing on visions of the Self through intellectual pursuits.” (In other words, the tapasvis and the jnanis embark on a very difficult path of spiritual searching, but - being completely unable to attain Bhagavan - at best can end up realising only a minute fraction of Lord Krsna's true glory”.

These verses from the Bhagavatam indicate direct proof of all such conclusions. Elsewhere in the Bhagavatam it is stated (10.10.25):

“Because Devarsi Narada is My dear devotee, and because these two boys are the sons of My devotee Kuvera, I will deliver them in order to fulfil the words previously spoken by Mahatma Narada.”

The purport of these words spoken by Sri Krsna is that He totally depends on the devotion of Sri Narada; (being pleased with Narada's bhakti) Krsna therefore dragged the grinding mortar and broke down the two trees in which the cursed brothers stood. This is why the Lord performs these and indeed all other pastimes (because of the devotion of His devotees).

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the second sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:10 am

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 3

itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde

sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam

tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam

punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

In this way, to He Who perpetually drowns the residents of Gokula in pools of pure bliss Who informs those devotees desirous of knowing His supreme opulence and majesty that He is naturally conquered only by His loving devotees I again offer my obeisances with love unto that lord Damodara hundreds and hundreds of times

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

Now the excellences of His guna-visesa (attributes of His qualities) are expressed in this verse beginning with the word iti. It depicts the reason for His coming under the sway of His devotees. And furthermore, iti means “by this Damodara-lila”; it also connotes idrsibhis ca - “by all Sri Krsna's supremely enchanting childhood pastimes like the Damodara-lila.” The word svasya indicates His own uncommonly divine pastimes - lilabhih - by all His sportive pastimes (He drowns all the living beings of Gokula in ecstasy). This is confirmed by many statements of the Bhagavatam such as the following (10.11.7-8):

"If you dance, then we will give you a sweet' - by these words, or by clapping their hands, the elder gopis sometimes induced Sri Krsna to dance. Thus Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, danced just like an ordinary child. Sometimes they made Him sing, and He therefore sang just like a bewildered innocent boy. In this way, He came under the control of the cowherd women exactly like a wooden puppet on strings. Sometimes His relatives would order Him to bring their shoes, chair or measuring pot; but if He was unable to lift the article called for, He would grasp it firmly and, just to please His dear relatives, flap His elbows again and again to demonstrate His childish strength.”

On the basis of these conclusions of the Bhagavatam, it is further stated - sva-ghosam means all the living beings dwelling in Gokula - ananda-kunde nimajjantam - He immersed them in a deep pool brimming with liquid bliss mellows (ananda-rasa-maya-gabhira-jala). Therefore it is declared in the Bhagavatam verse quoted above: svanam pritim samudvahan - by these actions, He stimulated the complete love of His own dearmost relatives (priti). And furthermore, the word ghosah additionally means “the loud proclamation of His glories.” Similarly, the word sva also connotes either svasya or svanam - that either His own glory or the glory of the gopas and gopis is proclaimed by these pastimes. In this mood He personally drowned them all in pools of bliss (ananda-kunde nimajjantam) - and they experienced a very special excellence of supreme happiness (parama-sukha).

"And furthermore, it is especially noted that - tadiyesita-jnesu - unto those who are attached to knowledge of the Lord's majestic opulence (aisvarya), and who worship Him accordingly, He declares bhaktair jitatvam - only in front of His own pure devotees does He become totally submissive, being conquered by their loving devotion; akhyapayantam - He has fully displayed this quality for all to see. The meaning is - “I willingly become submissive to the control of My servants who are attached to bhakti, but I will never submit Myself to those fond of jnana.” This is confirmed in the Bhagavatam (10.11.9) thus:

"Bhagavan Sri Krsna has proclaimed to the bhaktas of the universe who are fond of aisvarya-jnana that He is fully submissive only to His own pure devotees.”

"The meaning of this Bhagavatam verse is - the word tad-vidam indicates devotees who are attached to bhagavad-aisvarya-jnana. Or yet another meaning is - tadiyanam suggests that He displays this quality (of submission to His devotees) only in front of those who are already aware of the prabhava or power of His most dear, favourite devotees; He does not exhibit this feature to others. The reason for such behaviour is - those who are unaware of the special glories of the Vaisnavas, and those who cultivate kevala-jnana (impersonal knowledge) are unqualified to be presented with a display of the supremely confidential truth regarding devotion and the glories of devotion. In this mood, a further meaning of tad-vidam (from the Bhagavatam verse 10.11.9 quoted above) is - this word reveals bhrtya-vasyata-vidam, or those who are unaware of Sri Krsna's quality of submitting to His devotees. Now (in Damodarastakam) the word prematah denotes “with an excellence of love and devotion”; satavrtti means hundreds and hundreds of times; tam - unto that isvara - punah vande - I repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances. Therefore the only thing worshipful for me is to offer my obeisances unto the superexcellence of the process of bhakti, which brings the Supreme Lord under the control of His devotees. Such a condition can never come about through aisvarya-jnana, or knowledge of His divine majesty. This alone is the mood of the devotee offering this specific prayer.

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the third sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:11 am

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 4

varam deva! moksam na moksavadhim va

na canyam vrne 'ham varesad apiha

idam te vapur natha! gopala-balam

sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaih

He Deva! O Lord! Although You are capable of granting any boon I do not pray to You for liberation, | nor for eternal life in Vaikuntha, or for any other benediction | He Natha! O Lord! May Your form as a cowherd child forever remain manifest in my heart | Other than this I have no need of anything

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

In this way, continuing the description of the Lord's particular excellences, the prayer progresses with a request that mentions one's cherished desires. This is presented in two verses (4 and 5), starting with the word varam. The word deva means “O supremely effulgent one!” Or it also implies “O Lord engaged in superexcellent sweet sports!” The word iha means “here in Vrndavana” -varesad - from You, Who can bestow any benediction - varam na vrne - I do not seek any boon.

Specifically, I do not pray for moksa, the fourth purusartha or goal of human life (to achieve freedom from material contact by merging into the brahman effulgence); nor do I pray for moksaya-avadhim, the highest supreme zenith of liberation in the form of eternally living in Sri Vaikuntha-loka, where the excellence of life is the nature of thickly condensed happiness; nor do I pray for anyan ca - other things such as the nine methods of devotional service headed by sravana (hearing, chanting, etc.) - I do not desire the boons that may be obtained by any of these processes. Furthermore - even if You want to give them to me, and additionally - even if others consider such things to be very appealing - iha, here in Vrndavana I do not have the slightest desire for them. This word iha can also be used in relation to the statements of the rest of the verse. It is naturally understood that the three benedictions referred to - moksa (liberation), moksavadhi (the highest zenith of liberation) and anya (other things) - all reflect an ascending level of superiority, each being greater than the last. In this regard, the superiority of Vaikuntha to impersonal liberation is clearly described in my (Srila Sanatana Gosvami's) Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara Khanda 1.14-15 *please see Appendix A, page 23*. And the superiority of the nine process of devotion (headed by sravana) to Vaikuntha-loka is described in the Bhagavatam (3.15.49) thus:

“(The four kumaras headed by Sanat, after cursing the disrespectful devotees named Jaya and Vijaya, said to Lord Visnu Who had just appeared:) Oh Lord, we pray that you let us be born in any hellish condition of life, as long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities.”

By these words, it becomes evident that the nine processes of devotion beginning with sravana can be perfected even while living in hell - wherever one is, and in whatever condition of life, one thereby experiences the perfection of living in the eternal abode of Vaikuntha.

This being the case, then what boon does one want from the Lord? The answer is given in this fourth verse of Damodarastakam: he natha! - iha idam te vapur gopala-balam - O Lord! This form of Yours as a cowherd child in Vrndavana - sada me manasi avirastam - may such a form ever be manifest in my mind. Since He is antaryami, situated as the indwelling Supersoul, He may be seen manifesting the divine beauty of His every limb within one's heart, just as clearly as one sees directly with the eyes.

Still - (even if Krsna were to personally address the devotee and offer:) “O he! The above-mentioned three kinds of boons beginning with moksa are not ordinary; they are most desirous, and anyone would immediately accept them...would you accept them?” The answer is given herein - kim anyaih - “What is the use of all these things? They have no value to me.” This is the meaning. The reason behind this attitude is - Sri Krsna is composed of all the bliss in the universe, so if He is attained then everything else is automatically and perfectly attained. But if one cannot attain Krsna, then the imperfection perceived in the absence of the desired goal especially creates a grand distaste and lamentable misery at the mere thought of attaining something of lesser value. Therefore it is said here that other boons are useless - kim anyaih - “What good are they?” This is the mood.

Or else, the words kim anyaih show yet another meaning. (Again the Lord may ask) “Even though you do not pray for the boons beginning with moksam, would you care then for the boon of directly seeing and conversing with My supremely worshipable four-armed form (of Sri Narayana and other aisvarya-maya-murtis)?” The answer remains the same - kim anyaih - “Other boons are useless to me.” The intention behind this is - “If Your divine form of a cowherd child (which is the crest-jewel of all splendours) would always be manifest in my heart, then I would feel very, very pleased; nothing short of that would satisfy me.” This is the mood.

For further details regarding the glories of antar-darsana (seeing the Lord within the heart), please see Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara-Khanda 2.86-96 *please see Appendix B, page 24.*. Therein the sage Sri Pippalayana on the planet Tapoloka has explained all these principles very elaborately. Now the Damodarastaka prayer offered by Satyavrata Muni similarly demonstrates that the longing for inner darsana is the best goal of all - from this prayer all these things can be clearly understood.

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the fourth sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:12 am

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 5

idam te mukhambhojam avyakta-nilair

vrtam kuntalaih nigdha-raktais ca gopya

muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me

manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih

O Lord! Your lotus like face is completely surrounded by very dark blue, glossy reddish- | tinted curling hair and is kissed again and again by mother Yasoda | Your lotus face is endowed with lips red as bimba fruits - may it always remain visible in my heart | The attainment of millions of other boons is completely useless to me

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

And furthermore, the longing to see Your sri-mukha, Your divine lotus face that is parama-manohara (supremely enchanting) is stated in this verse beginning with idam te. Sometime while one is meditating deeply within and perceives such indescribable beauty and splendour - that is what is revealed in this verse. His face is praphulla-kamalakara - it resembles a fully-blossomed lotus flower; nikhila-santapa-hari - His face is the remover of all kinds of distress; and paramananda-rasa-maya - and it is pervaded with the supreme mellows of pure bliss. That lotus face - manasi muhur-avirastam - may it be revealed again and again within my mind.

What does that lotus face look like? It is surrounded (vrtam) by curling hair (kuntala) that is very dark blue (avyakta-nila), glossy (snigdha) and tinged with red (rakta). The word vrtam suggests that just as a lotus flower is surrounded with hovering honeybees, similarly the Lord's lotus face is encircled with curly locks that bounce around whenever He moves. The word gopya (“by the gopi”) indicates that His face is kissed again and again by either Sri Yasoda or by Sri Radha. The word muhuh (again and again) is relative to this word gopya, and it reads properly exactly where it is in the verse. This being the case, may that divine lotus face - muhus-cumbitam - kissed repeatedly by the supremely fortunate gopi-mama manasi - in my mind - avirastam - may it manifest even once. This is the meaning.

Or else - the word sada (always) found in the previous verse carries over to its definitive conclusion in the present verse, thereby indicating “may it always manifest” - this intention can also be accepted. Finally, that lotus face is especially described thus - bimba-vad-raktadharam - He Whose lips are cherry red like the bimba fruit. (If that form is manifest within my mind, I will be fully satisfied). Therefore it is said about laksa-labhaih, the attainment of millions and millions of other types of benedictions - alam - they are of no use to me whatsoever. This is the meaning. This is most definitely the message that is conveyed by the fifth verse.

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the fifth sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:13 am

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 6

namo deva! damodarananta! visno!

prasida prabho! duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam

krpa-drsti-vrstyati-dinam batanu-

grhanesa! mam ajnam edhy aksi-drsyah

Obeisances to You, O Deva! O Damodara! O Ananta! O Visnu! | O Prabhu! Be pleased with me. I am sinking deeply into the ocean of tribulations | Shower the rain of Your merciful glance upon me who am so pitifully fallen | Alas! Kindly exhibit Your favour and deliver me O Isa! I am totally ignorant | Please become visible to my eyes

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

Now, by the potency of prayer, feelings of spontaneous love arise and one especially craves to have the direct vision of the Lord. In this regard, when referring to topics about saksat-darsana or direct vision of the Lord, only sri nama-sankirtana is the parama sadhana or supreme method for this attainment. After fixing His beauty in the mind, one then offers sorrowful prayers by way of sri nama-kirtana, as in this verse beginning with namo. In the text of a mula-sloka such as this sixth verse, usually the word tubhyam (“unto You”) would be found in order to complete the sense of the prayer; but in this case, the excitement of prema causes the reciter to neglect all feelings of awe or reverence. Therefore, in the mood of being in the personal presence of the Lord, the word tubhyam is neglected.

He prabho - means he madiya isvara, O my controller! (Offering You my obeisances, I beg) prasida - this word indicates prasadam, or be pleased with me and show Your mercy. (The reason for praying is) I am duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam - immersed in the ocean of misery. Specifically, the word duhkha (pain, misery, distress) indicates either the agony of repeated birth and death in the samsarika material world, or else the torment of not seeing You (resulting in feelings of ocean-like infinite desolation). Jalam - (meaning net, illusion, deception), and abdhih (ocean) denotes the extreme vastness - (By the force of my own karma) I am thus magnam (submerged). (I am tortured by all these harsh afflictions); therefore I am ati-dinam - very distressed.

Or else, another meaning of the word ati-dinam is - I am completely bereft of the association of saintly persons, and consequently without their assistance I am extremely fallen. Or else, yet another meaning is - (due to not seeing You) I am just like a living dead man. In this regard, I am also ajnam - I am particularly ignorant about how to resolve this problem. Then krpaya drsti-vrstya - showing Your own mercy, please shower me with Your nectar-laden glances - anugrhana - thereby uplifting me and once more enthusing me with life. This alone is the purport of the prayer. Then aksi-drsyo-edhi - please become visible before my eyes.

Prayers are usually made according to the sequence in which this one is prayed; as such it is not appropriate in this case to first mention the boon that is being requested, due to its nature of being the topmost of rarely attained benedictions.

The glory of attaining the direct vision of the Lord (saksat-darsana) within the mind is explained very logically by the personal associates of the Lord (sri bhagavat parsada) in the Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara Khanda 3.179-182 *please see Appendix C, page 27* from this passage one may gain specific knowledge of these topics.

(Now the devotional kirtana of the Lord's names, used to address Him at the beginning of the mula-sloka, will be explained:) In this sixth verse the word deva indicates he divya rupa - O Lord of divine beauty! This beauty is the cause for desiring His darsana. The address of damodara intimates specifically that He is glorified for His excellence of bhakta-vatsalya, or affection for His devotees (up to the point of allowing them to bind Him around the waist). Therefore I will be qualified only by bhakti to see Him with my own eyes. He Who has no end (Whose mercy has no limits) is addressed as ananta. Therefore He will certainly shower His glance of mercy and thus favour me. The address prabhu connotes he acintya-ananta-adbhuta-maha-sakti-yukta - O You Who are endowed with inconceivable, limitless, astonishingly grand potency! Therefore You Who cannot be perceived by the senses can only become visible to my eyes by dint of this same inconceivable sakti of Yours. Addressing Him as isa suggests - he parama-svatantra - O You Who are supremely independent! In showing Your favour even to unfit souls, You are dependent on no one else. And moreover, the address visnu means he sarva-vyapaka - O You Who are all-pervading! Furthermore, it means - O You Who are fond of entering into Vrndavana's secluded caves and bower-cottages! Praying like this indicates that it is not difficult for Him to come before one's eyes; He does not have to labour hard to come from a distance.

(Some additional interpretations of the above-mentioned forms of address are now given:) Or else, he ananta means that He is aparicchinna or continuously existent without interval or separation. The address of visnu means He is sarva-vyapin or living everywhere. Therefore, he damodara proclaims Him thus - under the sway of His own parama-vatsalya-visesa or supremely affectionate attribute, there is absolutely nothing that He cannot do. The purport of the other words used for addressing Him may also be understood in terms of these expanded indications.

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the sixth sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:14 am

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 7

kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yad-vat

tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca

tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha

na mokse graho me 'sti damodareha

O Damodara! Although You were bound to the mortar with ropes tied by mother Yasoda | You mercifully liberated the sons of Kuvera who were cursed by Narada Muni to stand as trees and You gifted them with Your own devotional service | Therefore please also bestow upon me Your own prema-bhakti in the most profuse way | This is my exclusive longing - I have no desire to any other type of liberation

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

In this way, by the attributes of pure ecstatic love (prema-visesa) one becomes infused with supreme longing and prays for direct audience with the Lord (saksat-darsana). From the attributes of that prayerful longing arises ecstatic loving service (prema-bhakti), which demonstrates the supreme rarity of saksat-darsana. This prema-bhakti is verily the only means for attaining His darsana; first establishing this as a fact, prayer is then offered to Him. Or else - if one does receive His vision but once, the mind is unsatisfied, and (due to not seeing Him the very next second) the agony of separation sets in.

Holding an apprehension like this, which perpetually brings the Lord under one's sway, is a feature of prema-bhakti - which is the one and only means of maintaining such a condition. This being declared the case, then how could it possibly be accomplished by such an utmost offender like me? The answer to this concern is that Sri Bhagavan's quality of bhakta-vatsalya (affection for His devotees) makes the impossible quite possible. In order to resolve this for certain, the proposal of moksa is again rejected here in the seventh verse beginning with kuveratmajau, where the prayer is made purely for attaining prema-bhakti.

The words baddha-murtya indicate that His sri vigraha (divine bodily form) was bound with ropes tied to the grinding mortar by Sri Yasoda; by that sri vigraha (He liberated the two sons of Kuvera). Thus by His dragging the mortar between (the two trees known as yamalarjuna) Bhagavan personally demonstrates the supreme fortune that comes in the form of saksat-darsana (seeing His form), personally touching His form, and so forth, which are integral attributes of His supremely beautiful pastimes. (Even though He Himself was tied up, now it is described how he liberated Nalakuvara and Manigriva:) The word mocitau denotes that they were liberated not just from the curse of Sri Narada, but from samsara (the material world) as well; they were not awarded with kevalam or impersonal liberation of merging into His all-pervading effulgence, but it is definitely stated that they were gifted with prema-bhakti. These two boys are described as bhakti-bhajau - they took shelter of bhakti as the supreme goal. Those who cannot give up the shelter of devotion in any way, shape or form are called bhakti-bhajam. (Krsna personally transformed them in this way). Thus it is the intention of the author to specifically declare that not only were they liberated, but that they were also awarded with prema-bhakti. In this regard, the Lord has declared to these two boys in the Bhagavatam (10.10.42):

“The sprout of prema for Me, which was your most supremely cherished goal, has now fully arisen in both of you. From this ecstatic mood, you will never take birth in the material world again.”

(Srila Sanatana Gosvami has elucidated upon this verse in his own commentary on the Bhagavatam). The purport is - The word vam (“You two”) indicates that Lord Krsna was addressing the two boys thusly: “The most desired thing you have prayed for is parama-bhava and you both have fully developed this prema for Me. Therefore you will never again experience bhava, the repeated birth and death in the material world, nor will you feel the misery of samsara even while living here.”

Then, he damodara! tatha - just like that - svakam - the exclusive shelter (asraya) of Your own lotus feet, or else - the exclusive objective (visaya) of such a beautiful form as Yours; namely prema-bhakti - me - unto me - prayaccha - please bestow it unto me in the most lavish way. (yaccha means “please give” and the prefix pra indicates prakarsena or “with profusion or intensity”).

Verily, it is just like Lord Sri Krsna is saying, “O he! Why are you so enthusiastic for prema-bhakti? Just accept liberation like the two sons of Kuvera, whereby the miseries of birth and death in the material world are finished.” To that, the answer remains the same - neti - no, thank you. Other than iha, this goal named prema-bhakti - na mokse graho me asti damodara - I have no eagerness for any other type of liberation, O Damodara! The purport of this is: one may think, “If the samsara is destroyed by engaging in prema-bhakti, let it be.” Or, “If prema-bhakti doesn't destroy the samsara, then let me not develop it.” I truly have no inclination for either mentality. The confidential mood is thus - if a cintamani lies in the palm of your hand, then all activities you undertake will be perfect; therefore what is the value of grasping a tiny, insignificant thing (like moksa)?

Or else, the phrase he damodara! prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha means - this Bhagavan's belly is bound with ropes, so from Him one prays for prema-bhakti in order to perpetually bind His belly; the eagerness for this reciprocation makes it actually possible. Apprehending such, the prayer continues (na mokse grahah, etc.), wherein the alarmed devotee offers - “Do I not have eagerness for You to become liberated from the ropes?” The purport is: “Yes, I certainly care.” This is precisely the meaning. But all I want from You (in Your bound up form) is that You bestow my most cherished benediction of prema bhakti.

Or else,, yet another meaning is - the word iha indicates “please bestow prema-bhakti here in Vrndavana” - this intention also follows. To interpret further,, one prays thus because Sri Vrndavana is the exclusive agent for the arising of prema-bhakti's unique happiness, also, only in Vrndavana Sri Krsna especially appears; also, the attributes of His saksat-darsana are found there in that form) with His belly bound); and further, one prays for perpetual residence in Vrndavana because only there does Sri Bhagavan desire to especially manifest as the enjoyer of the forest - Vrndavana-Vihari. All this is additionally evidence. Further details of these topics could be ascertained as we have been doing herein.

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the seventh sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Audarya-lila Dasa - November 11, 2005 1:15 am

Eight Prayers to Lord Damodara Whose Belly is Bound by a Rope

Sri Sri Damodarastakam - Text 8

namas te 'stu damne sphurad dipti-dhamne

tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne

namo radhikayai tvadiya priyayai

namo 'nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam

O Lord Damodara! I offer my obeisances unto the exalted rope binding Your waist which is the source of splendrously brilliant effulgence | I offer my obeisances unto Your belly which is the support of the entire universe | I offer my obeisances unto Radhika, Your dearmost beloved | And I offer my obeisances unto Your wondrous, uncommon pastimes

Dig-Darsini-Tika by Srila Sanatana Gosvami:

Now at the conclusion of the prayer, in order to summarise the presentation of topics that are being prayed for, and also to arouse the attributes of bhakti, obeisances are given separately unto Bhagavan's unique binding,, bodily limbs, associates, and so on in the verse beginning with namas te 'stu. It is stated te damne namo 'stu - I bow to the maha-pasa, the magnificent rope that binds Your belly. What is this grand rope like? It is sphurantya dipte dhama - the source or shelter of a splendrous effulgence. In this regard, it is suggested by the author that such a maha-pasa is the very abode of the (endlessly radiant) concentrated brahma-teja, or all-pervading brahman effulgence.

After that, tvadiyaya udaraya namo 'stu - I bow to Your belly. The reason for this is because while bound with ropes, You especially manifest the beauty and other qualities of Your belly as well as the glorious characteristics of vatsalya-lila and other pastimes. What is that belly like? It is stated visvasya dhama - that belly is the support for all the universes in creation, including all the stationary and moving beings contained therein. From the lotus navel on His abdomen has sprouted a gigantic lotus flower that sustains the fourteen worlds. Additionally, (during His childhood pastimes in Vrndavana) He bodily displayed the visva-rupa or universal form to His mother on two occasions. This is another indication. Therefore, in such a pastime of binding Him by the waist, mother Yasoda bound up the whole universe, indeed, she brought the entire creation under her control. This is the proclamation.

It is never possible to factually bind the (all-pervading, limitlessly potent) Lord, Who is Isa (the supreme controller), but He willingly accepts binding as an attribute of His superexcellent affection for His devotees (bhakta-vatsalya-visesa). And by that acceptance of binding we are informed that such pastimes are imperceptible to all the logic and reasoning available within all the material universes. This is an intimation of His aisvarya-visesa or attributes of majesty.

The reason for offering obeisances first unto the rope (dama) and then unto the Lord's belly (udara) is - because the rope is situated upon His belly. Or furthermore, to indicate the ascending superiority in the significance of different things, (respects are first offered to the rope, then to His belly).

Now, namo radhikayai - obeisances are offered unto His beloved, Bhagavati Sri Radhika. This is done in order to show that the mercy of His beloved enables one to fully attain the desire objective - including objectives that are even beyond the range of desire. By offering obeisances unto Sri Radhika, it is implied that obeisances are also being offered unto all the gopis. Or else, since Sri Radhika is the foremost of them all, obeisances are offered only unto Her.

The word radhika is used here to denote the attributes and excellence of one who is always engaged in Sri Bhagavan's aradhana or worship (arranging only for His pleasure); this is the purpose of using Her specific name “Radhika” in this text. Therefore - tvadiya-priyayaih - obeisances unto Your beloved. Or else, this name “Radhika” indicates rudhi (in grammatical terms, it is capable of conveying a meaning not supported by derivation). Therefore, regardless of Her aradhana or worship of You, She is still Your eternally dearmost beloved (nitya-priya). In this connection also, the word tvadiya indicates that not only is She dear to Yourself, but to all Your other devotees as well; what more, then, could be said about how dear She is to You? Additionally, this statement implies that You are also Her nitya-priya (eternally dear beloved). By such the excellence of Sri Radhika's love for Sri Krsna (prema-visesa) is suggested. This the words priyayaih namah in this verse can either mean - my obeisances unto You, Radhika's beloved; or, my obeisances unto Radhika, Your beloved. Whoever is beloved to You, such a person is certainly worshipable for the entire universe. Therefore, since Radhika is Your own dearmost beloved, namo 'stu - I bow before Her.

And finally at the conclusion of the prayer, the author desires to describe the supreme superexcellence of the rasa-lila and other transcendental pastimes that Lord Sri Krsna performs with Sri Radhika, but since these are the topmost of confidential topics, they are not mentioned directly. The logic of madhurena samapayet - “all undertakings should be completed sweetly” - applies here. Therefore such confidential pastimes are referred to only by a mere dint as they are offered obeisances with the words namo 'nanta-lilaya (obeisances unto Your limitless pastimes)

The word devaya indicates that obeisances are offered unto Bhagavan Who is lokottara - supernatural, divine, transcendental. With this it is intimated that by Damodara Krsna's divinely supernatural quality, then all the lilas performed by Him are also similarly transcendental. Or else, it could also be interpreted to mean - my obeisances unto You Who are continuously engaged in pastimes along with Sri Radhika. Therefore, ananta-lilaya tubhyam namah - I offer my respectful obeisances unto You Who are thus performing limitless pastimes. By the words ananta-lila, it is suggested to include all the pastimes associated with the realm of Gokula Vrndavana. I offer my obeisances unto all those lilas, such a mood is most certainly expressed in this verse.

Thus ends Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-Darsini-Tika

on the eighth sloka of Sri Damodarastakam

Bhrigu - November 13, 2005 5:00 pm

There's just a couple of days left of the month of Damodara, so I guess we have to move on. Verse 7:

O Damodara! Although You were bound to the mortar with ropes tied by mother Yasoda, You mercifully liberated the sons of Kuvera who were cursed by Narada Muni to stand as trees and You gifted them with Your own devotional service. Therefore please also bestow upon me Your own prema-bhakti in the most profuse way. This is my exclusive longing - I have no desire to any other type of liberation.

This is my favourite verse, especially the tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha - line. Not because it would speak about me, but because of the ideal it extols: love of Krishna with no selfish desire, even for liberation.

I used to think that the author here implies that while Krishna made the sons of Kuvera recepients of bhakti to him (bhakti-bhajau krtau tau), the devotion they received was not pure devotion, since they returned to heaven. However, reading the commentary of Srila Sanatana Goswami, I could see that I was wrong.

He writes that prema is the "only means to attaining [Krishna's] darshana". But Krishna sometimes gives his darshana even to the demons. Perhaps it means that the only way we can "earn" Krishna's darshana is by coming to the stage of prema?

Swami - November 13, 2005 8:34 pm

 

This is my favourite verse, especially the tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha - line. Not because it would speak about me, but because of the ideal it extols: love of Krishna with no selfish desire, even for liberation.

 

I used to think that the author here implies that while Krishna made the sons of Kuvera recepients of bhakti to him (bhakti-bhajau krtau tau), the devotion they received was not pure devotion, since they returned to heaven. However, reading the commentary of Srila Sanatana Goswami, I could see that I was wrong.

 

He writes that prema is the "only means to attaining [Krishna's] darshana". But Krishna sometimes gives his darshana even to the demons. Perhaps it means that the only way we can "earn" Krishna's darshana is by coming to the stage of prema?

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According to Sri Jiva Goswami, the two sons of Kuvera eventually attained prema and appeared in Vraja as Snigdakanta and Madhukanta

Karnamrita Das - November 15, 2005 12:06 am

I was just reading this part of the Tenth Canto. Although they wanted to return to their heavenly kingdom, they also offered some great prayers, my favorite being:

Henceforward, may all our words describe Your pastimes, may our ears engage in aural reception of Your glories, may our hands, legs and other senses engage in actions pleasing to You, and may our minds always think of Your lotus feet. May our heads offer our obeisances to everything within this world, because all things are also Your different forms, and may our eyes see the forms of Vaiñëavas, who are nondifferent from You.

And look how Krsna responded after glorifying His devotee:

O Nalakuvera and Manigriva, now you may both return home. Since you desire to be always absorbed in My devotional service, your desire to develop love and affection for Me will be fulfilled, and now you will never fall from that platform.

I could deal with that benediction!!!!!

Babhru Das - October 16, 2006 3:34 am

Since Gaurangi asked something about Damodarastakam on the other day's call, I thought I'd bump this up, just so those who weren't aware of last year's discussion might notice it.

Gaurangi-priya Devi - October 17, 2006 3:44 pm

Since Gaurangi asked something about Damodarastakam on the other day's call, I thought I'd bump this up, just so those who weren't aware of last year's discussion might notice it.

Thanks for bringing this thread back. It's nice reading it again. Jai Damodarastakam!

Prema-bhakti Marga - October 17, 2006 5:40 pm

Thank you. I hadn't seen it.

Braja-sundari Dasi - October 24, 2010 10:03 am

Karttik has began so I`m refreshing this thread.

This topic was discussed on The Harmonist as well:

http://harmonist.us/2009/10/sanatana-goswa...akam-verse-one/

http://harmonist.us/2009/10/sri-damodarastakam-verse-two/

http://harmonist.us/2009/10/sri-damodarastakam-verse-three/

http://harmonist.us/2009/10/sri-damodarastakam-verse-four/

http://harmonist.us/2009/10/3103/

http://harmonist.us/2009/10/sri-damodarastakam-verse-six/

http://harmonist.us/2009/10/sri-damodarastakam-verse-seven/

http://harmonist.us/2009/11/sri-damodarastakam-verse-eight/

Caitanya-daya Dd - October 25, 2010 7:13 pm

I've always been keen on the last verse when obeisances are being offered to Damodara's belly. It reminds me of how every part of Krishna is worshipable, not just some ephemeral concept of him, that he is complete and whole. It is a wonderful thought and meditation.

Nitaisundara Das - October 26, 2010 3:25 am

Verse 6 is my favorite. Its always feels so very relevant. Damodarastakam is one of my favorite songs, partly because I first started going to the temple right around Kartika 4 years ago and singing it everyday then was very helpful.

Tadiya Dasi - October 27, 2010 3:24 pm

I also love the Damodarastakam prayers. There has been periods in my life when I have recited it daily even when it wasn't kartika, just because I love the song so much. There's also been plenty of times in my life when I've listened to Agnideva's version on repeat again and again

My favorite verse at the moment is this one:

idam te mukhambhojam avyakta-nilair

vrtam kuntalaih nigdha-raktais ca gopya

muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me

manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih

O Lord! Your lotus like face is completely surrounded by very dark blue, glossy reddish- | tinted curling hair and is kissed again and again by mother Yasoda | Your lotus face is endowed with lips red as bimba fruits - may it always remain visible in my heart | The attainment of millions of other boons is completely useless to me

I just love the visual of it.

Babhru Das - October 27, 2010 4:06 pm

I've always like this one, too. The imagery is really strong--very visual.

Caitanya-daya Dd - October 29, 2010 10:25 pm

I also love the Damodarastakam prayers. There has been periods in my life when I have recited it daily even when it wasn't kartika, just because I love the song so much. There's also been plenty of times in my life when I've listened to Agnideva's version on repeat again and again

I have definitely done this as well.

And i am probably agnideva's biggest fan so i relate to you on this point as well!