SRI DAMODARASTAKAM Tika by Sri Sanatana Gosvamipada

Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's sannyasa guru, Srila Bhaki-prajnana Kesava Maharaja said, "Due to the eternal nature of Sri Sri Damodarastaka, it is necessary to study it every day during the month of Karttika (or Damodara)." The following passages describing this bhajan are taken from Sri Sanatana Gosvamipada's commentary on the DAMODARASTAKAM:
Kartik Vrata: What day was Damodara bound by Yasoda's rope? It was the day of Govardhana Puja (Krsna sukla pratipat, the first day after Divalli, which falls on Amavasya) when Krsna was four years old in Gokula lila. Later on when Krsna was seven years old, He lifted Govardhana Hill on this same day (Kartika month Krsna sukla pratipat). Hari Bhakti Vilas says its a rule that one must daily worship Radha Damodara with ghee lamp and chant the Damodarastakam. HBV 16.95-96- "One who worships a deity of Radha Damodara for purpose of Radhika's happiness, then Damodara Hari becomes very satisfied. One worships Damodara by daily chanting Damodarastakam attracts the Supreme Lord Damodara Himself."
Introduction: The Prayer--- The stotra named Sri Damodarastaka is found in the Padma P., spoken by Satyavrata Muni during conversation with Saunaka and Narada. Sanatana Gosvami, "This prayer is nitya-siddha, eternally perfect. It manifested through Satyavrata Muni and is capable of attracting Damodara Krsna."
Verse 1: Mula sloka, opening prayer defines the spiritual position of God-His transcendental form, sweet beauty and sweeter still pastime of breaking Mother Yasoda's butter pot.
Words:
Namam== I bow down with love and devotion before commencing description of the Supreme Lord's excellences (visesa) or attributes of tattva visesa, lila visesa, guna and rupa visesa. When starting any function it is customary to offer respects to the Isvara. This word serves as the Mangalacaran.
Isvara== an individual attributes or characteristics. This indicates tattva visesa, an excellence of the truth of the Supreme Lord. Obeisances are offered to the Supreme Controller in order to get the power to offer this prayer and prove that only the Supreme Lord is worthy of such glorification.
Sac-cid anandam rupam==defines the Supreme Lord as one with a transcendental form of eternity, knowledge, and bliss (rupa visesa) or a description of the excellence of His beauty.
Lasanti Kundalam== Swinging earrings running in fear of Yasoda. Earrings have a position above all other ornaments because always kissing Damodara's cheeks. Lasanti=glistening because reflect the splendorous effulgence of Krsna's bodily complexion. Therefore, Krsna's body is the ornament of all ornaments. See Subala 3.2.12 vismapanam
Gokule Bhrajamanam== Parivara visesa, excellence of His family, the Vrajavasis. Gokula, which is filled with gopas, gopis, cows, calves, Yamuna and Govardhana Hill, is a befitting place wherein Krsna can manifest His topmost pastimes.
Yasoda Bhiya== Lila visesa, excellence of Krsna's pastimes. Krsna displays great fear of Mother Yasoda punishment for breaking her yogurt pots and stealing the fresh butter.
Ulukhalat== Krsna stood on a large wooden grinding mortar to steal butter hanging from the rafters.
Dhavaman==Krsna jumps down and runs away.
Details see SB 10.9.8-9
Paramrstam== saundarya visesa, excellence of Yasoda's beauty.=caught by the back
Atyantato Drutya==Mother Yasoda running swiftly behind Krsna. Her beautiful hips, full breasts, flowers falling from loosened hair, perspiring.
Anvancamana
Gopya== Mother Yasoda.
Verse 2: Description of details of Damodara lila. The Supreme Lord, crying in fear, can only be bound Mother Yasoda's love. Shows lila visesa.
Rudantam==Crying. Upon seeing the whipping stick of Mother Yasoda, Krsna becomes terrified and starts crying.
Netra Yugmam Mrjantam== rubbing two lotus eyes again and again
Karambhoja Yugmena==with His lotus hands fearful Krsna rubs His eyes to make the tears fall out.
Satanka Netram==fearful eyes glancing here & there
Muhuh Svasa==crying again and again
Kampa== trembling
Tri-rekhanka Kanta== three lines on His conchshell neck
Sthita Graivam== pearl necklace situated there
Bhakti Baddham==Bound by love. Bhakta vatsalya, Krsna's quality of coming under control of His devotees. God can only be bound by a devotee's love and nothing else.
Krsna was bound by the pure parental love of Yasoda. Damodara willingly accepted the binding, although no rope has the power to bind the Supreme Absolute Truth. The Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.18-21 sva matuh gives proof that Krsna is controlled by His devotees. Krsna performs this Damodara lila and all His other pastimes because of His devotees's love.
Verse 3: This sloka glorifies Vraja madhurya maya bhakti over aisvarya jnana bhakti. It describes Krsna's
Guna Visesa, the excellence of His qualities.
Itidrk==Srimad Bhagavatam 10.11.7-8 Damodara lila shows how Krsna under control of His devotees.
Sva Lilabhir==His own transcendental sportive pastimes like this
Ananda Kunda==pool of ecstasy, full of deep mellows and rich rasas.
Sva Ghosam==His own family in Gokula; ghosh also means loudly proclaims His glories and the sweet glories of His eternal Vraja bhaktas by this lila
Nimajjantam==immersed personally in pools of bliss
Akhyapayantam==let everyone see and understand My position by seeing this lila of Me coming under the control of My pure madhurya bhaktas.
Tadiyesita Jnesu==tadiya (opulence, majesty) Isa= the master, controller. Aisvarya jnana bhaktas who are the Vaikuntha vasis. Those attached to knowledge of the Lord's majestic opulences (aisvarya).
Bhaktair Jitatvam==Krsna only conquered by love and devotion of His devotees.
Line three means: "I willfully submit to the control of My bhaktas, but I never submit Myself to those fond of jnana.
Punah== repeatedly
Prematah== with an excellence of love and devotion
Tam==unto that Isvara, Lord Sri Krsna.
Satavrtti==100 times
Line four means: "I offer my obeisances hundreds and hundreds of times to the process of pure devotion, Vraja bhakti. This type of divine love puts the Supreme Lord Krsna under the control of His devotees.
Verse 4: Verse 4 & 5 mention Satyavrata Muni's cherished desire-to see the transcendental form of Gopal manifested within his heart. He wants no other boon than this. The muni is thinking, "Oh! If Your divine form of a bala gopal would be manifested in my heart, then I would feel very very pleased; nothing short of this will satisfy me." Verse four shows that the longing for inner darsan of Krsna is the best of all goals.
Varam== boon
Deva== effulgent Supreme Lord
Moksam== Brahman liberation
Na== not want, reject
Moksavadhim== highest type of liberation to Vaikuntha planets
Na Canyam anya== reject all other things, not want anything else.
Vrne== pray
This verse rejects three Boons: 1-moksa=Brahman liberation 2-moksavadhim=Vaik. Liberation which is the zenith of all liberations 3-na canyam= boons achieved by following nava vidha bhakti
Idam== this
Vapur== vani/vapuh divine form and words; instructions.
Natha==Lord. The are four famous Nathas that if one sees all then gets liberation. Badri in north, Jagan in east, Dvaraka in west, Ranga in south and Gopal Nathji in center. But if see only one Natha, Sri Nathji or Gopal Nathji get full benefit of seeing other 4.
Gopal Balam== young cowherd boy
Sada==always sac-cid-ananda
Me==mine
Manasy==mind, heart
Avirastam==ever manifested (avirbhava)
Kim Anyaih==What good are they? What is the use of any other thing such as moksa or the boons gained by performed devotional service?
Summary: This attitude, as stated by Sat. Muni above, comes from one absorbed in thinking of Krsna's name, form, qualities and pastimes. If one attains Krsna, then everything else in automatically and perfectly attained. If Krsna is not attained, then all other boons are useless
Verse 5: This verse, describing the beauty of Krsna's face, is a prayer to see the sweet lotus face of Krsna.
Idam==this
Mukhambhojam==lotus face. Krsna's face resembles a fully blossomed lotus flower.
Avyakta==un manifested , dark
Nilair==blue
Vrtam==surrounded; lotus face surrounded by bumblebee like curly locks of hair
Kuntalaih==curly dark blue hair
Snigdha==soft, glossy
Raktais==red tint
Gopya==a gopi, = that face kissed by either Radhika or Yasoda
Muhuh==again and again
Cumbitam==kissed
Bimba==like a bimba fruit
Raktadharam==lips cherry red
Manasy==mind
Avirastam==avirbhava, manifested. May this lotus face that is kissed by that fortunate gopi, Srimati Radhika, be manifested within my mind.
Alam==useless
Laksa==millions
Labhaih==greed; attainment of other boons and benedictions
Summary## IN deep meditation on the Damodara lila, one will see the divine lotus face of Krsna as described in this verse five.
Verse 6: Is a prayer for saksat darsan; the boon of seeing Krsna face to face
Namo==obeisances
Deva==divine, beautiful Supreme Lord
Damodara==bound by the affection of Yasoda. Indicates his param bhakti vatsalya visesa. Therefore, there is nothing He cannot do
Ananta==Full of inconceivable sakti and unlimited mercy
Visno==all-pervading Supreme Lord Visnu is living everywhere
Prasida==show mercy, be pleased with one
Prabho==master, controller, astonishing power to reveal Yourself to me
Dukha==suffering, natural miseries
Jala==network
Abdhi==ocean
Magnam==immersed
Krpa==mercy
Drsti==glance
Vrsti==rain
Ati Dinam==very fallen
Batanu==please
Grhana==uplift, accept
Esa==independent Lord, controller
Mam==me
Ajnam==ignorance
Aksi Drsyah==give Your darsana, become visible to me
Summary Verse Six: Explains how to see Krsna?
1. Must fix Krsna in the mind and by pure bhakti will see Him
2. Attain pure bhakti by chanting Nama Sankirtan with love and devotion and sorrowful prayers. (verse six full of Krsna's names-Deva, Prabho, Damodara, Visnu, Ananta)
3. There are no fixed rules governing the appearance of the Lord. It is His free will only.
What happens if one gets the direct darsana of Supreme Lord Krsna?
In Hari-bhakti Sudhodaya says Prahlada M. Saw the Lord by the sea one day. Narada, Dhruva, Kardama Muni and Bilvamangala all received direct darsana, saksat darsana, of the Lord.
BRHAD BHAGAVATAMRTA chap. 3 179-182: "1. Seeing Lord Krsna in person direc tly with the eyes is the final reward for practicing nava vidha bhakti. One will experience profound bliss that surpasses all other forms of darsana such as seeing the Lord in meditation. 2. The ignorance and Maya covering the soul is destroyed. 3. Bhava increases 4. Devotee becomes overwhelmed with bliss and exhibits different sattvika bhavas, such as shivering, crying, hair standing erect. Prema vikaras, ecstatic symptoms.
Verse 7: Describes Prema visesa, the excellence of Krsna prema. It is a prayer to attain prema bhakti, which is the only means for attaining darsana of Lord Krsna as described in verse 6. Verse 7 also rejects moksa, liberation.
Kuveratmaja==sons of Kubera, Nalakuvara, Manigriva
Baddha==bound with ropes
Murtyaiva==Sri Vigraha, divine form
Yat vat== curse birth as trees
Tvaya==you
Mocitau==liberated
Bhakti bhajau==performance of devotional service. Never give up practice of bhakti
Krtau==gave, made them, Krsna awarded them prema bhakti
Tatha==then
Prema bhaktim==pure devotion
Svakam==Your own, shelter Your lotus feet
Prayaccha==give intense, profuse
Graho==enthusiasm, have no eagerness for any other type of liberation
Sti==this
Damodara==Lord Damodara who is bhakta vatsala
Iha==this or here in Vrndavana, please bestow prema bhakti.
Verse 8: This verse summarized things the prayer stands for
Damne==rope
Sphurad==splendrous
Dipti dhamne==effulgent abode
Tvadiya-udaraya==unto your belly
Visvasya==universe
Radhikayai priyayai==dearest beloved Radha
Dhamne==shelter
Nanta lila==unlimited sportive pastimes
Devaya==transcendental
Tubhyam==you
Summary: The rope around Krsna's belly represents the Brahman effulgence surrounding the spiritual world. His belly supports all the universe in creation. One lotus flower growing from His navel or belly sustains the 14 worlds (planetary systems). Krsna showed His universal form to Mother Yasoda. By binding this waist Mother Yasoda has single-handedly bound the whole universe and brought the entire creation under her control by the strength of Her vatsalya prema. For anyone else it would be totally impossible to bind the all pervading unlimitedly potent Supreme Lord; but He willingly accepts Mother Yasoda's binding as an attribute of His bhakta vatsalya visesa, excellence of His being controlled by the love of His devotees.
Radhika is also engaged in Krsna's aradhana or worship only for His pleasure. Eternally Radhika is Krsna's dearmost beloved nitya priya or Priyayai.
Namo Nanta Lilaya==Satyavrata Muni is herein glorifying the topmost unlimited pastimes of Krsna such as rasa lila which Krsna performed with His beloved Priyaji, Sri Radhika. Such confidential pastimes are hinted at and offered respects to with the word (Namo). Namo nanta lilaya refers to ananta lila, Ananta Bhagavan Sri Krsna who continually enjoys limitless pastimes. Satyavrata Muni is offering obeisances to Radha-Krsna unlimited pastimes of rasa lila.
Word LILA== root L i means lingita or embrace. La means to accept. Therefore, word lila means those playful pastimes wherein Krsna accepts the embraces of the gopis. Thus Satyavrata Muni is ending his prayer on a sweet note (madhurena samapayet, a sanskrit rule of drama meaning that everything should end on a sweet note) by offering respectful obeisances unto the topmost transcendental pastime of Krsna's rasa lila and other such confidential pastimes in Vraja Dhama.