A Poetic Rendition of Damodarastakam

  • English

    1) After You steal butter, Your earrings dance and shine
    as You flee Your mother in Gokula pastimes.
    Though You are all blissful, all knowing, ever-new,
    greatest of controllers, Your mother controls You.

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    2) She shows You the stick and she binds You by the waist.
    You shudder and sob and Your neckace of pearls shakes.
    As You rub Your frightened eyes, tears roll down Your face.
    Ropes of her love bind You in Your mother’s embrace.

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    3) Relishing Your childhood activities like this,
    You plunge Your devotees in pools of complete bliss.
    Though many revere You, by love You are subdued.
    Again and again, Lord, I bow down before You.

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    4) Although You give freedom, I don’t ask to be free,
    nor do I want anything You could offer me.
    I only request that Your sweet childhood pastimes
    ever be enacted in my heart and my mind.

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    5) Curly hair encircles Your face of blackish-blue.
    Kisses make Your cheeks look like red bimba fruit.
    May this sublime vision be all that I can see.
    Any other treasure has no value to me.

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    6) Damodar! O Vishnu! O Lord beyond compare,
    be pleased with a soul sunk in oceans of despair.
    Uplift and protect me with glances from Your eyes;
    shower Your compassion like rainfall from the sky.

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    7) Two sons of Kuvera were cursed to stand as trees;
    You gave them the chance to become Your devotees.
    My Lord, will You offer the same blessing to me?
    I don’t want to merge with Your identity.

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    8) Although in Your belly the universe is found,

    Your mother’s effulgent rope has Your belly bound.

    I bow to that rope and to Radha, Your most dear,

    and those sublime pastimes in which You appear.

  • Sanskrit

    1) namamisvaram saccidananda rupam
    lasat-kuṇḍalam gokule bhrājamanam
    yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānam
    parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā

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    2) rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mṛjantam
    karāmbhoja-yugmena sātańka-netram
    muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-trirekhāńka-kaṇṭha-
    sthita-graivam dāmodaram bhakti-baddham

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    3) itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe
    sva-ghoṣam nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam
    tadīyeṣita-jñeṣu bhaktair jitatvam
    punaḥ prematas tam śatāvṛtti vande

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    4) varam deva mokṣam na mokṣāvadhim vā
    na canyam vṛṇe ‘ham vareṣād apīha
    idam te vapur nātha gopāla-bālam
    sadā me manasy āvirāstām kim anyaiḥ

    ---------------

    5) idam te mukhāmbhojam atyanta-nīlair
    vṛtam kuntalaiḥ snigdha-raktaiś ca gopyā
    muhuś cumbitam bimba-raktādharam me
    manasy āvirāstām alam lakṣa-lābhaiḥ

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    6) namo deva dāmodarānanta viṣṇo
    prasīda prabho duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam
    kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnam batānu
    gṛhāṇeṣa mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ

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    7) kuverātmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat
    tvayā mocitau bhakti-bhājau kṛtau ca
    tathā prema-bhaktim svakām me prayaccha
    na mokṣe graho me ‘sti dāmodareha

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    8) namasthesthu dāmne sphurad-dīpti-dhāmne
    tvadīyodarāyātha viśvasya dhāmne
    namo rādhikāyai tvadīya-priyāyai
    namo ‘nanta-līlāya devāya tubhyam

A Poetic Rendition of Damodarastakam - translated by HG Kalakantha das (ACBSP)