Damodarashtakam — full paath and English meaning
Damodarashtakam is from the Padma Purana and is believed to be a composition of Satyavrat Muni. It tells the leela of little Krishna (Damodar) tied to a mortar by Mother Yashoda, and the devotee asks not for moksha but only for loving devotion.
Throughout Kartik month, in the evening, lighting a diya — until Kartik Purnima.
Namamishvaran sachchidanandarupan
Lasatkundalan gokule bhrajamanam ।
Yashodabhiyolukhaladdhavman
Paramrishtamatyantato drutya gopya ॥
I bow to that Lord — the form of being, consciousness and bliss, with shining earrings, resplendent in Gokul — who leapt from the mortar and ran in fear of Yashoda, and whom the gopi (Yashoda) ran after and caught from behind.
Rudantan muhurnetrayugman mrijantan
Karambhojayugmen satankanetram ।
Muhuh shvasakampatrirekhankakanth-
Sthitagraivadamodaran bhaktibaddhm ॥
Crying at the sight of his mother's stick, rubbing his eyes again and again with his lotus hands, with frightened eyes, his throat with its three lines trembling with sobs — I bow to Damodar, bound by the rope of devotion (love).
Itidrikswalilabhiranandakunde
Swaghoshan nimajjantamakhyapayantam ।
Tadiyeshitagyeshu bhaktairjitatvan
Punah prematastan shatavritti vande ॥
With such childhood leelas he drowns all Gokul in a pool of bliss, and shows that he is won not by those who know his majesty but by loving devotees — to him I bow with love a hundred times.
Varan dev mokshan na mokshavdhin va
Na chanyan vrine'han vareshadpih ।
Idan te vapurnath gopalbal
Sada me manasyavirastan kimanyaih ॥
O Lord, you can give every boon, yet I ask neither for moksha, nor Vaikunth, nor any other boon. O Lord, may only this child-Gopal form of yours always appear in my mind — what use is anything else!
Idan te mukhambhojamatyantanilai-
Rvritan kuntalaih snigdharaktaishch gopya ।
Muhushchumbitan bimbaraktadharan me
Manasyavirastamalan lakshalabhaih ॥
Your lotus face surrounded by curly black hair, which Mother Yashoda kisses again and again, and your lips red as the bimba fruit — may these dwell in my mind; I need no lakhs of other gains.
Namo dev damodaranant vishno
Prasid prabho duhkhajalabdhimagnam ।
Kripadrishtivrishtyatidinan batanu-
Grihanesh mamagyamedhyakshidrishyah ॥
O Lord, Damodar, Anant, Vishnu, I bow to you. O Lord, be pleased with me, drowning in the ocean that is a net of sorrows; shower your glance of grace on this very humble, ignorant one and appear before my eyes.
Kuberatmajau baddhmurtyaiv yadwat
Tvaya mochitau bhaktibhajau kritau cha ।
Tatha premabhaktin swakan me prayachchh
Na mokshe graho me'sti damodreh ॥
Just as, while tied to the mortar, you freed Kuber's two sons (the Yamalarjun trees) and made them devotees, so give me your loving devotion; O Damodar, I have no longing for moksha.
Namaste'stu damne sphuraddiptidhamne
Tvadiyodarayath vishvasya dhamne ।
Namo radhikayai tvadiyapriyayai
Namo'nantalilay devay tubhyam ॥
I bow to the shining rope tied around your belly, and to your belly that holds the whole universe; I bow to your beloved Shri Radhika, and to you, the Lord of endless leelas.
The paath of Damodarashtakam is complete.
Send to someone on WhatsAppThe text is traditional and the wording differs slightly from region to region. The meanings are written in simple English by OmKiran Bhakti. If you spot a mistake, tell us with a comment on YouTube.
