Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam

Spoken by Satyavrata Muni

recorded in the Padma Purāṇa by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vedavyāsa

1.
namāmīśvaraṁ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ I worship the Supreme Controller, whose form is
I offer obeisance to the eternity knowledge bliss to He who embodies
Supreme Controller eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. Upon His
lasat-kuṇḍalaṁ gokule bhrājamānam cheeks, makara-shaped earrings are swinging, and
frolicking (on His cheeks) earings in Gokula splendorously manifest
He shines most brilliantly in Gokula. Running away
yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād-dhāvamānaṁ from the grinding mortar in great fear of Mother
(of) Yaśodā in fear jumping down from running away
the grinding mortar Yaśodā, He was ultimately caught from behind.
parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā
seized from behind ultimately chased swifty by the gopī (Yaśodā)

2.
rudantaṁ muhur netra-yugmaṁ mṛjantaṁ Weeping incessantly, He rubs His eyes with His
weeping again and again eyes two rubbing two lotus hands. His eyes are filled with fear. He
karāmbhoja-yugmena sātaṅka-netram takes heavy breaths again and again that cause
hand lotus-like with the two with fear-filled eyes
the pearls and other ornaments around His neck,
muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-tri-rekhāṅka-kaṇṭha-
repeatedly heavy sobbing trembling 3 lines conch like neck… which is marked by three gracefully curving lines,
sthita-graiva-dāmodaraṁ bhakti-baddham to tremble. ( I offer praṇāma unto) that
situated necklace to He whose waist (udara) devotion bound
is bound by rope (dāma)
Dāmodara, who is bound by His mother’s
vātsalya-bhakti.
3.
itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe Through pastimes such as these, He drowns the
like this His by the pastimes bliss in pools of
residents of Gokula in pools of bliss, thereby
sva-ghoṣaṁ nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam
His residents of Gokula submerging informing informing people who are aware of His Godhood
tadīyeśita-jñeṣu bhaktair jitatvaṁ that He can only be conquered by His devotees.
(of) His divinity to those who are by devotion He is conquered Hundreds of times, I again offer loving obeisance
knowledgable
to Him.
punaḥ prematas taṁ śatāvṛtti vande
again with love unto Him 100s of times I offer obeisance

4.
varaṁ deva! mokṣaṁ na mokṣāvadhiṁ vā O Deva, I do not ask for liberation [from this
benedictions O Lord! liberation not the pinnacle of liberation or world], nor the highest liberation (of residence in
na cānyaṁ vṛṇe ’haṁ vareśād apīha Vaikuṇṭha). Nor do I seek any other benediction
not anything else pray for I from You, who even though here [in Vraj]
can grant any boon from You, the supreme benefactor. O Nātha! May
idaṁ te vapur nātha! gopāla-bālaṁ this form of Yours as Bāla-gopāla (a little cowherd
this Your divine form O Lord! cowherd little boy
boy) in Vṛndāvana forever remain visible in my
sadā me manasy āvirāstāṁ kim anyaiḥ heart. What is the use of any other benediction?
always in my heart may it be manifest what [use]? of other [boons]
5.
idaṁ te mukhāmbhojam avyakta-nīlair Your lotus-like face, encircled by soft, blackish-
this Your face lotus-like by extremely dark blue
blue curly locks of hair that have a reddish glow, is
vṛtaṁ kuntalaiḥ snigdha-raktaiś ca gopyā
encircled by curls of hair soft reddened and by Yaśodā Gopī repeatedly kissed by the gopī Śrī Yaśodā. May
muhuś cumbitaṁ bimba-raktādharaṁ me Your lotus face, with lips like red bimba-fruit,
repeatedly kissed bimba fruit red lips my
always remain manifest in my heart. I do not care
manasy āvirāstām alaṁ lakṣa-lābhaiḥ
in the mind/heart may [that face] useless millions of other attainments
about millions of other attainments.
be manifest

6.
O Deva! O Dāmodara! O Ananta! O Viṣṇu!
namo deva! dāmodarānanta! viṣṇo!
obeisances O Deva! O Dāmodara! O Ananta! O Viṣṇu! Obeisance unto You! O Prabhu, be pleased with
prasīda prabho! duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam me. I am drowning in an ocean of miseries. Alas, I
be pleased O Master! sufferings network in an ocean drowning
am most afflicted and do not know what to do.
kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnaṁ batānu- O Īśa, shower me with Your merciful glance and
mercy glance by the rain very fallen alas!
kindly uplift me by becoming directly visible to my
gṛhāṇeśa! mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ eyes.
please accept o Lord! me ignorant please my eyes visible
become

7.
kuverātmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat Just as You freed the two sons of Kuvera, even
the two sons of Kuvera by the divine form which certainly just as
was bound (baddha) while bound around the belly, and made them
tvayā mocitau bhakti-bhājau kṛtau ca recipients of devotion, similarly, please bestow
by You they were both recipients of made them and upon me profuse prema-bhakti to You (in Your
delivered bhakti both
form as a little cowherd boy). O Dāmodara! I long
tathā prema-bhaktiṁ svakāṁ me prayaccha
similarly loving devotion His own for me please profusly bestow
for this alone; I do not want any other kind of
liberation.
na mokṣe graho me ’sti dāmodareha
not for yearning for me there O Dāmodara only for this
liberation is

8.
namas te ’stu dāmne sphurad-dīpti-dhāmne O Dāmodara, I offer praṇāma to the rope binding
obeisance to You may to the rope splendrous unto the effulgent abode
there be Your belly, for it is an abode of brilliant effulgence.
tvadīyodarāyātha viśvasya dhāmne I offer praṇāma to Your belly, which is the
Your unto Your furthermore of the entire to the support mainstay of the entire universe. I offer praṇāma
belly universe
again and again to Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Your most
namo rādhikāyai tvadīya priyāyai
I bow down unto Rādhikā of You unto the most beloved beloved. And I offer praṇāma to You, my Divine
namo ’nanta-līlāya devāya tubhyam Lord, who perform unlimited transcendental
obeisance to your unlimited to the divine Lord to You pastimes.
pastimes

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