Month of Damodara

Purport to the Damodara Prayer which is Recited During the month of Kartika

Question: What Two Personalities Became Great Devotees of Krsna in His Damodara Lila?

Prabhupada: There is a statement in Padma Puräna describing the ritualistic function during the month of Kärttika (October-November). During this month, in Vrndävana it is the regulative principle to pray daily to Lord Krsna in His Dämodara form. The Dämodara form refers to Krsna in His childhood when He was tied up with rope by His mother, Yasodä. Däma means “ropes,” and udara means “the abdomen.” So Mother Yasodä, being very disturbed by naughty Krsna, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Krsna is named Dämodara. During the month of Kärttika, Dämodara is prayed to as follows: “My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all, the giver of all benedictions.”

There are many demigods, like Lord Brahmä and Lord Siva, who sometimes offer benedictions to their respective devotees. For example, Rävana was blessed with many benedictions by Lord Siva, and Hiranyakasipu was blessed by Lord Brahmä. But even Lord Siva and Lord Brahmä depend upon the benedictions of Lord Krsna, and therefore Krsna is addressed as the Lord of all benefactors. As such, Lord Krsna can offer His devotees anything they want, but still, the devotee’s prayer continues, “I do not ask You for liberation or any material facility up to the point of liberation. What I want as Your favor is that I may always think of Your form in which I see You now, as Dämodara. You are so beautiful and attractive that my mind does not want anything besides this wonderful form.” In this same prayer, there is another passage, in which it is said, “My dear Lord Dämodara, once when You were playing as a naughty boy in the house of Nanda Mahäräja, You broke the box containing yogurt, and because of that, Mother Yasodä considered You an offender and tied You with rope to the household grinding mortar. At that time You delivered two sons of Kuvera, Nalakuvara and Manigriva, who were staying there as two arjuna trees in the yard of Nanda Mahäräja. My only request is that by Your merciful pastimes You may similarly deliver me.” The story behind this verse is that the two sons of Kuvera (the treasurer of the demigods) were puffed up on account of the opulence of their father, and so once on a heavenly planet they were enjoying themselves in a lake with some naked damsels of heaven. At that time the great saint Narada Muni was passing on the road and was sorry to see the behavior of the sons of Kuvera. Seeing Narada passing by, the damsels of heaven covered their bodies with cloth, but the two sons, being drunkards, did not have this decency. Narada became angry with their behavior and cursed them thus: “You have no sense, so it is better if you become trees instead of the sons of Kuvera.” Upon hearing this, the boys came to their senses and begged Narada to be pardoned for their offenses. Narada then said, “Yes, you shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja. But Krsna Himself will appear in time as the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you.” In other words, the curse of Narada was a benediction to the sons of Kuvera because indirectly it was foretold that they would be able to receive the favor of Lord Krsna. After that, Kuvera’s two sons stood as two big arjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja until Lord Damodara, in order to fulfill the desire of Narada, dragged the grinding mortar to which He was tied and struck the two trees, violently causing them to fall down. From out of these fallen trees came Nalakuvara and Manigriva, who had by then become great devotees of the Lord. ( NoD 4: Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation)