13 Oct 2019
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Damodara, Kartika
Tags: ghee lamp, kartik, Krishna, month of Damodar, spiritual advancement
Kartik: Month of Prayer and Giving
Kartik, or the month of Damodar, is considered the best of months and is most auspicious for spiritual advancement. In the Skanda Purana it is stated:
“As Satya-yuga is the best of yugas, as the Vedas are the best of scriptures, as Ganga is the best of rivers, so Kartik is the best of months, the most dear to Lord Sri Krishna.”.
Also in the Skanda Purana it is stated:
“A person who offers a ghee lamp to Lord Krishna during Kartik burns away a collection of sins as big as Mt. Meru or Mt. Mandara, will not take birth again in this world and attains to the eternal spiritual realm where there is no suffering. Even if there are no mantras, no piety, and no purity, everything becomes perfect by such an offering.”
The Padma Purana describes the month of Kartik as Krishna’s favorite month. Devotional activities performed during this holy month are rewarded with greater spiritual results than usual so devotees often take vows to increase their spiritual practices or to simplify their material needs for the entire month. It is a way that they can remember Krishna more and increase their service to Him.
13 Oct 2019
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Childhood Pastimes of Krsna, Damodara, Damodarastakam, Kartika, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas
Tags: Damodara, Kartika, Krishna, month of Damodara, Mother Yasoda, namamisvarm, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Sri Damodarastaka, vishnujana swami
” Upon seeing His mothers whipping stick, He cried and rubbed His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes were fearful and His breathing quick, and as Mother Yasoda bound His belly with ropes, He shivered in fright and His pearl necklace shook. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, who is bound with His devotee’s love, I offer my humble obeisances.” (Damodarastakam)
We are now in the month of Damodara (Kartika). In honor and in celebration of the month of Damodara, we will be focusing our attention on the pastimes of Krishna in Vrndavan. Especially Krishna’s childhood pastimes. The following song is sung morning and evening and it is customary to offer a candle or gee lamp as well to a picture of Lord Krsna and Mother Yasoda.
Following song lyrics is a link of Vishnujana Swami chanting the Damodara Prayers
Full song
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06 Oct 2017
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara
Tags: A.C. Bhaktiveanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, Kartika, Krishna' childhood pastimes, Krsna Book, Krsna is known as Makhana-cora, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the butter thief
Makhan-chor The Butter Thief
We will be posting some of Lord Krishna’s childhood pastimes durning this month of Damodara (Kartika)
All the gopī friends of Yaśodā and Rohiṇī enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss, they all assembled and went to mother Yaśodā to lodge complaints against the restless boys. When Kṛṣṇa was sitting before mother Yaśodā, all the elderly gopīs began to lodge complaints against Him so that Kṛṣṇa could hear. They said, “Dear Yaśodā, why don’t you restrict your naughty Kṛṣṇa? He comes to our houses along with Balarāma every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows They let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows. So when we go to milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots. If we warn Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma about doing this, They simply smile charmingly. We cannot do anything. Also, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find great pleasure in stealing our stock of yogurt and butter from wherever we keep it. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are caught stealing the yogurt and butter, They say, ’Why do you charge Us with stealing? Do you think that butter and yogurt are in scarcity in Our house?’ Sometimes They steal butter, yogurt and milk and distribute them to the monkeys. When the monkeys are well fed and do not take any more, then your boys chide, ’This milk and butter and yogurt are useless–even the monkeys won’t take it.’ And They break the pots and throw them hither and thither. If we keep our stock of yogurt, butter and milk in a solitary dark place, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find it in the darkness by the glaring effulgence of the ornaments and jewels on Their bodies. If by chance They cannot find the hidden butter and yogurt, They go to our little babies and pinch their bodies so that they cry, and then They go away. If we keep our stock of butter and yogurt high on the ceiling, hanging on a swing, although it is beyond Their reach, They arrange to reach it by piling all kinds of wooden crates over the grinding machine. And if They cannot reach, They make a hole in the pot. We think therefore that you better take all the jeweled ornaments from the bodies of your children.”
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05 Oct 2017
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Damodara, Damodarastakam, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas
Tags: Kartika, Krishna, month of Damadora, Mother Yasoda, Muni, namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Sri Damodara, Sri Damodarastakam, Sri Satyavrata, Supreme Controller
He ran in retreat in fear of Mother Yasoda bus was ultimately caught, to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.
Sri Damodarastakam
By Sri Satyavrata Muni
From the original 1974 “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas” songbook
This eight sloka prayer is sung morning and evening during the month of Damodara, which begins today.
namāmīśvaraḿ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaḿ
lasat-kuṇḍalaḿ gokule bhrājamanam
yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaḿ
parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā
1) To the supreme controller who possesses an eternal form of blissful knowledge, whose glistening earrings swing to and fro, who manifested Himself in Gokula, who stole the butter that the gopis kept hanging from the rafters of their storerooms and who then quickly jumped up and ran in retreat in fear of Mother Yasoda, but was ultimately caught-to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.
rudantaḿ muhur netra-yugmaḿ mṛjantam
karāmbhoja-yugmena sātańka-netram
muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-trirekhāńka-kaṇṭha-
sthita-graivaḿ dāmodaraḿ bhakti-baddham
2) Upon seeing His mothers whipping stick, He cried and rubbed His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes were fearful and His breathing quick, and as Mother Yasoda bound His belly with ropes, He shivered in fright and His pearl necklace shook, To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, who is bound with His devotee’s love, I offer my humble obeisances.
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05 Nov 2014
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, Kartika, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, brahmanas, gopis, handcart, hither and thither, Krishna, Krishna's childhood pastimes, Krsna, Nanda Maharaja, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vedic hymns, Yasoda, YMother Yasoda
Continuining our month long attempt to stay focused on the childhood pastimes of Krsna, during this month of Damodara (Kartika), we bring you another exciting chapter from; Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Today we are posting the chapter entitled “The Salvation of Tṛṇāvarta”.
…Baby Kṛṣṇa had been placed underneath a hand-driven cart, and while He was kicking His legs, He accidentally touched the wheel of the cart, and it collapsed. Various kinds of utensils and brass and metal dishes had been piled up in the handcart, and they all fell down with a great noise. The wheel of the cart separated from the axle, and the spokes of the wheel were all broken and scattered hither and thither. Mother Yaśodā and all the gopīs, as well as Mahārāja Nanda and the cowherd men, were astonished as to how the cart could have collapsed by itself.
…If someone takes advantage of hearing the pastimes of the Lord, the material contamination of dust, accumulated in the heart due to long association with material nature, can be immediately cleansed. Lord Caitanya also instructed that simply by hearing the transcendental name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one can cleanse the heart of all material contamination. There are different processes for self-realization, but this process of devotional service–of which hearing is the most important function–when adopted by any conditioned soul, will automatically cleanse him of the material contamination and enable him to realize his real constitutional position. (Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead)
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25 Oct 2014
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, Gopis, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, affection of the gopis, damsels of Vraja, ecstasy, gopis, Krsna, Lord Krsna, remembrance of Lord Krsna, SB3.2.14, Srimad Bhagavatam, transcendental love, Vrndavana
click on image to enlarge
In our attempt to stay focused on the childhood pastimes of Lord Krsna throughout this month of Damodara, we were reading from the Third Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, chapter 2, entitled; “Remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa”. The great devotee Uddhava, was asked by Vidura, to speak on the messages of Lord Krsna. The following is but one of the verses and purports from this famous chapter.
…In His boyhood at Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa was notorious as a teasing friend in transcendental love to all the girls His age. His love for them was so intense that there is no comparison to that ecstasy, and the damsels of Vraja were so much attached to Him that their affection excelled that of the great demigods like Brahmā and Śiva. Lord Kṛṣṇa finally admitted His defeat before the transcendental affection of the gopīs and declared that He was unable to repay them for their unalloyed affection. (from purport to SB 3.2.14)
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22 Oct 2014
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Childhood Pastimes of Krsna, Damodara, Kaliya Serpent, Krishna Consciousness, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Ppabhupada, black serpent kaliya, books of Srila Prabhupada, childhood pastimes of Krishna, Damodara, Kaliya, Kartika, Krsna Book, Lord Krsna, month of Damodara, pastimes of krsna, Yamuna river
“O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for liberation, nor eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon. My only prayer is that Your childhood pastimes may constantly appear in my mind. O Lord, I do not even want to know Your feature of Paramatma. I simply wish that Your childhood pastimes may ever be enacted in my heart.” (Damodarasatka prayers)
Continuining our month long attempt to stay focused on the childhood pastimes of Krsna, during this month of Damodara (Kartika), we bring you another exciting chapter from; Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Today we are posting the chapter entitled “Subduing Kāliya”
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Sixteen
Subduing Kāliya
When He understood that the water of the Yamunā was being polluted by the black serpent Kāliya, Lord Kṛṣṇa took action against him and made him leave the Yamunā and go elsewhere, and thus the water became purified.
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14 Oct 2014
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, Kartika, Krishna Consciousness, Krsna Consciousness, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, damodarastka prayers, Kartika, Krsna, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, month of Damodara, Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Krsna, spiritual subject matter, spiritually enlivening, transcendental subject matter
click on image to enlarge
The beauty of Transcendental subject matter is that it never gets old, but rather, becomes more relishable with every reading. For instance, every year we celebrate the month of Damodara or Kartika, with the reading of “Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Krsna”, and singing the Damodarastka prayers, and every year, it becomes more enjoyable and spiritually enlivening. That is the nature of Spiritual Subject Matter.
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Nine
Mother Yaśodā Binds Lord Kṛṣṇa
Once upon a time, seeing that her maidservant was engaged in different household duties, mother Yaśodā personally took charge of churning butter. And while she churned butter, she sang the childhood pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and enjoyed thinking of her son.
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08 Oct 2014
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Damodara, Damodarastakam, Kartika, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Visnujana Swami
Tags: damodarastakam by vishnujana swami, Kartika, Krishna in Vrndavan, Krishna's childhood pastimes, month of Damodara, songs of the vaisnava acharys, Sri Damodarastaka, Vishnujana Swami sings the Damodarastakam prayers
Today marks the begining of the month of Damodara (Kartika). In honor and in celebration of the month of Damodara, we will be focusing our attention on the pastimes of Krishna in Vrndavan. Especially Krishna’s childhood pastimes. The following song is sung morning and evening and it is customary to offer a candle or gee lamp as well to a picture of Lord Krsna and Mother Yasoda.
click on underlined link to listen
Sri Damordastaka sung by Vishnujana Swami
after clicking on above link you can return to page and sing along with the words listed below
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26 Oct 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktivedanta purport, Dhara, Drona, gopis, Krishna, krishna pastimes, Krsna, Krsna Book, Lord Balarama, Lord Damodara, Lord Krishna, month of Kartika, Mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja, residents of Vrndavana, SB 10.8, transcendental pleasure, Vision of the Universal Form
…continuing with our attempt to post Krsna’s childhood pastimes, throughout the duration of the “Month of Damodara”
…Another day, when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were playing with Their friends, all the boys joined Balarāma and told mother Yaśodā that Kṛṣṇa had eaten clay. On hearing this, mother Yaśodā caught hold of Kṛṣṇa’s hand and said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, why have You eaten earth in a solitary place? Just see, all Your friends including Balarāma are complaining about You.” Being afraid of His mother, Kṛṣṇa replied, “My dear mother, all these boys, including My elder brother Balarāma, are speaking lies against Me. I have never eaten clay. My elder brother Balarāma, while playing with Me today, became angry, and therefore He has joined with the other boys to complain against Me. They have all combined together to complain so you will be angry and chastise Me. If you think they are truthful, then you can look within My mouth to see whether I have taken clay or not.” His mother replied, “All right, if You have actually not taken any clay, then just open Your mouth. I shall see.”
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24 Oct 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Ppabhupada, Balarama, butter, cows, Dear Yasoda, Krishna, Krsna Book, Krsna's childhood pastimes, milk, naughty childish activities of Krsna and Balarama in Vrndavan, naughty Krsna, Rohini, steal butter, Yasoda, yogurt
…All the gopī friends of Yaśodā and Rohiṇī enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss, they all assembled and went to mother Yaśodā to lodge complaints against the restless boys. When Kṛṣṇa was sitting before mother Yaśodā, all the elderly gopīs began to lodge complaints against Him so that Kṛṣṇa could hear. They said, “Dear Yaśodā, why don’t you restrict your naughty Kṛṣṇa? He comes to our houses along with Balarāma every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows They let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows. So when we go to milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots. If we warn Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma about doing this, They simply smile charmingly. (Krsna Book Chapter 8)
…continuing with our attempt to post Krsna’s childhood pastimes, throughout the duration of the “Month of Damodara”
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23 Oct 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, Krishna Consciousness, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Balarama, clay and saffron, Damodara, gopis, Krishna, Krsna, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Damodara, naughty babies, Rohini, sandalwood pulp, Yasoda
Within the house of Nanda Mahārāja, the cowherd ladies would enjoy seeing the pastimes of the babies Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. The babies would catch the ends of the calves’ tails, and the calves would drag Them here and there. When the ladies saw these pastimes, they certainly stopped their household activities and laughed and enjoyed the incidents. (SB 10.8.24)
These childhood pastimes of Krsna are so sublime and pleasing to the consciousness. We will continue to post Krsna’s childhood pastimes throughout the duration of the “Month of Damodara”.
…both Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa began to crawl on Their hands and knees. When They were crawling like that, They pleased Their mothers. The bells tied to Their waist and ankles sounded fascinating, and They would move around very pleasingly. Sometimes, just like ordinary children, They would be frightened by others and would immediately hurry to Their mothers for protection. Sometimes They would fall into the clay and mud of Vṛndāvana and would approach Their mothers smeared with clay and saffron. They were actually smeared with saffron and sandalwood pulp by Their mothers, but due to crawling over muddy clay, They would simultaneously smear Their bodies with clay. As soon as They would come crawling to Their mothers, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī would take Them on their laps and, covering the lower portion of their saris, allow Them to suck their breasts. When the babies were sucking their breasts, the mothers would see small teeth coming in. Thus their joy would be intensified to see their children grow. Sometimes the naughty babies would crawl up to the cowshed, catch the tail of a calf and stand up. The calves, being disturbed, would immediately begin running here and there, and the children would be dragged over clay and cow dung. To see this fun, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī would call all their neighboring friends, the gopīs. Upon seeing these childhood pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs would be merged in transcendental bliss. In their enjoyment they would laugh very loudly. (excerpted from Krsna Book Chapter 8)
Also from the Srimad Bhagavatam More
22 Oct 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, Kartika, Srila Prabhupada's Books, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, austerities, bagavata, bhakta, black ointment around His eyes, Damodara, Krsna, Mother Yasoda, Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Krsna, mystics, Paramatma, penances, SB 10.9, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam, yogis
In celebration of the month of Damodara (Kartika) we are focusing our attention on the pastimes of Krishna in Vrndavan. Especially Krishna’s childhood pastimes. So with this in mind we are posting the entire 9th chapter from the Tenth Canto of Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad Bhagavatam entitled Mother Yaśodā Binds Lord Kṛṣṇa.
When caught by mother Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa became more and more afraid and admitted to being an offender. As she looked upon Him, she saw that He was crying, His tears mixing with the black ointment around His eyes, and as He rubbed His eyes with His hands, He smeared the ointment all over His face. Mother Yaśodā, catching her beautiful son by the hand, mildly began to chastise Him. (SB 10.9.11)
Yogīs, mystics, want to catch Kṛṣṇa as Paramātmā, and with great austerities and penances they try to approach Him, yet they cannot. Here we see, however, that Kṛṣṇa is going to be caught by Yaśodā and is running away in fear. This illustrates the difference between the bhakta and the yogī. Yogīs cannot reach Kṛṣṇa, but for pure devotees like mother Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa is already caught. (from purport to SB 10.9.9)
Srimad-Bhagavatam
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Tenth Canto, Chapter 9
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