Sri Damodarastaka

(1)

namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
yasoda--bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam
paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya

namami - I offer my humble obeisances; isvaram - unto the Supreme Lord; sat-cit-
ananda-rupam - the very form of eternity, knowledge and bliss; lasat - swinging;
kundalam - [bedecked with] earrings; gokule - in Gokula; bhrajamanam - full of
glowing radiance; yasoda-bhaya - in fear of Mother Yasoda; ulukhalad - from the
wooden mortar; dhavamanam - who is running away; para-amrstam - very upset; ati-
antah - finally; drutya-gopya - who is caught by the cowherd woman.

To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence, knowledge,
and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro, who is beautifully
shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who I [due to the offense of breaking the
pot of yogurt that His mother was churning into butter and then stealing the butter
that was kept hanging from a swing] is quickly running from the wooden grinding
mortar in fear of mother Yasoda, but who has been caught from behind by her who ran
after Him with greater speed--to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble
obeisances.

(2)

rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrjantam

karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram
muhuh svasa-kampa-trirekhanka-kantha-
sthita-graivam damodararm bhakti-baddham

rudantam - crying; muhur - again and again; netra-yugmam - eyes; mrjantam - who is
rubbing; kara-ambhoja-yugmena - with His two lotus hands; sa-atanka - full of fear;
netram - eyes; muhur - again and again; svasa - of quick breathing; kampa - is
shaking; tri-rekha - with three lines; anka - marked; kantha - on the neck; sthita
- placed around; graivam - necklace; damodaram - whose belly is bound with a rope;
bhakti-baddham - who is bound with love.

[Seeing the whipping stick in His mother's hand,] He is crying and rubbing His eyes
again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are filled with fear, and the
necklace of pearls around His neck, which is marked with three lines like a conch
shell, is shaking because of His quick breathing due to crying. To this Supreme
Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His mother's pure
love, I offer my humble obeisances.

(3)

itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde

sva-ghosam nimajjantam akkyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

iti-idrk - similar to this [lila]; sva-lilabhih - by His pastimes; ananda-kunde -

in pool of bliss; sva-ghosam - who is proclaiming about Himself; nimajjantam -
drowing; akhyapayantam - intimate relationship [of pure love]; tadiya-ista-jnesu -
to those who are conscious of His greatness; bhaktaih - to devotees; jitatvam -
allowing Himself to be conquered; punah - again; prematah - with love; tam - unto
Him; sata-avrtti - hundreds of times; vande - I offer my obeisances.

By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in

pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge
of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose
pure love is imbues with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and
reverence. With great love I again offer my obeisances to Lord Damodara hundreds
and hundreds of times.

(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

varam - gift; deva - oh Lord; moksam - liberation; na - not; moksa-avadhim -

highest liveration; va - or; na ca - neither; anyam - anything else; vrne aham - do
I ask; api - but; iha - here; idam - this; te - Your; vapuh - form; natha - oh
Lord; gopala-balam - Bala-Gopala; sada - always; me manasi - in my heart; avir-
astam - manifested; kim anyaih - what else.

Oh Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to
You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest liberation of eternal
life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon (which may be obtained by executing the nine
processes of bhakti). O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala
in Vrndavana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any
other boon besides this?

(5)

idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nilair

vrtam kuntalaih snigdha-raktais' ca gopya
muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih

idam - this; te - Your; mukha - face; ambhojam - lotus; ati-anta - beautiful;

nilaih - black; vrtam - encircled; kuntalaih - by hair; snigdha - soft; raktaih -
reddish; ca - also; gopya - by cowherd lady; muhur - again and again; cumbitam -
kissed; bimba-rakta - red like bimba fruits; adharam - lips; me manasi - in my
heart; avirastam - may this be manifested; alam - there is no more need; laksa -
hundreds of thousands; labhaih - for boons.

Oh Lord, Your lotus face, which is encircled by locks of soft black hair tinged
with red, is kissed again and again by mother Yasoda, and Your lips are reddish
like the bimba fruit. May this beautiful vision of Your lotus face be ever manifest
in my heart. Thousands and thousands of other benedictions are of no use to me.

(6)

namo deva damodarananta visno

prasida prabho duhkha jalabdhi-magnam
krpa-drsti-vrsyati-dinam batanu-
grhanesa mam ajnam edhy aksi-drsyah
namah - my respectful obeisances; deva - oh Lord; damodara - oh Lord whose belly is
bound with ropes; ananta - oh unlimited one; visnu - oh all-pervading Lord; prasida
- kindly be pleased with me; prabho - oh master; duhkha - of sorrow; jala-abdhi -
in the ocean; magnam - to one who is drowning; krpa-drsti - merciful glance; vrstya
- please shower; ati-dinam - unto one who is very unhappy; bata-anu-grhana-isa -
foolish wordly person; ajnam - ignorant; edhi - please become; aksi - to my eyes;
drsyaih - visible.

Oh Supreme Godhead, I offer my obeisances unto You. Oh Damodara! Oh Ananta! Oh

Vishnu! Oh master! Oh my Lord, be pleased upon me. By showering Your glance of
mercy upon me, deliver this poor ignorant fool who is immersed in an ocean of
worldly sorrows, and become visible to my eyes.

(7)

kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat

tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
na mokse graho me 'sti damodareha

kuvera-atmajau - two sons of Kuvera; baddha - bound; murtya eva - this form; yadvat
- just as; tvaya - by You; mocitau - are both delivered; bhakti-bhajau - two great
devotees; krtau - have been made; ca - and; tatha - then; prema-bhaktim - loving
devotion; svakam - for Yourself; me - to me; prayaccha - please grant; na - not;
mokse - liberation; grahah me asti - do I need; damodara - oh Lord Damodara; iha -
here [in this world].

Oh Lord Damodara, just as the two sons of Kuvera - Manigriva and

Nalakuvara - were delivered from the curse of Narada and made into great devotees
by You in Your form as a baby tied with rope to a wooden grinding mortar, in the
same way, please give to me Your own prema-bhakti. I only long for this and have no
desire for any kind of liberation.

(8)

namas te 'stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne

tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
namo 'nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam

namah - obeisances; te - unto You; astu - let it be; damne - to the rope; sphurad-
dipti - brilliantly effulgent; dhamne - abode; tvadiya - Your; udaraya - belly;
atha - then; visvasya - of the whole universe; dhamne - shelter; namah -
obeisances; radhikayai - to Srimati Radhika; tvadiya-priyayai - who is very dear
for You; namah - obeisances; ananta-lilaya - revealing multitudes of pastimes;
devaya - unto the Lord; tubhyam - unto You.

Oh Lord Damodara, I first of all offer my obeisances to the brilliantly effulgent

rope which binds Your belly. I then offer my obeisances to Your belly, which is the
abode of the entire universe. I humbly bow down to Your most beloved Srimati
Radharani, and I offer all obeisances to You, the Supreme Lord, who displays
unlimited pastimes.