Damodarastakam
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To the Supreme Lord, whose form embodies eternal existence, knowledge, and bliss; whose shark-shaped earrings swing to and fro; who shines beautifully in the divine realm of Gokula; who, in fear of Mother Yasoda, runs swiftly from the wooden grinding mortar, only to be caught by her as she chases Him with even greater speed — to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.
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Seeing the whipping stick in His mother's hand, He cries and repeatedly rubs His eyes with His two lotus-like hands. His eyes are filled with fear, and the pearl necklace around His neck shakes as He breathes quickly due to crying. His neck is marked with three lines like a conch shell. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound not by ropes but by His mother's pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.
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Through such childhood pastimes, He immerses the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy, revealing to those devotees absorbed in the knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is conquered only by those whose pure love is imbued with intimacy, free from all notions of awe and reverence. With great love, I offer my obeisances to Lord Damodara, again and again, hundreds and hundreds of times.
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O Lord, although You can grant all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray for impersonal liberation, the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuntha, or any other boon that may be obtained through the nine processes of bhakti. My only desire is that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala in Vrindavana may always be manifest in my heart. For what use are any other boons to me besides this?
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O Lord, Your lotus face, framed by soft black curls tinged with red, is repeatedly kissed by Mother Yasoda, and Your lips are as red as bimba fruit. May this beautiful vision of Your lotus face always be manifest in my heart. Thousands and thousands of other benedictions are of no use to me.
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O Supreme Godhead, I offer my obeisances unto You. O Damodara, O Ananta, O Visnu, O master, O my Lord, be pleased with me. Shower Your merciful glance upon me, deliver this poor, ignorant fool who is immersed in an ocean of worldly sorrows, and reveal Yourself to my eyes.
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O Lord Damodara, just as You delivered the two sons of Kuvera, Manigriva and Nalakuvara, from Narada's curse and transformed them into great devotees while You were bound as a child to a wooden grinding mortar, in the same way, please grant me Your prema-bhakti. This is all I long for, and I have no desire for any kind of liberation.
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O Lord Damodara, I first offer my obeisances to the brilliantly effulgent rope that binds Your belly. Next, I offer my obeisances to Your belly, the abode of the entire universe. I humbly bow down to Your most beloved Srimati Radharani, and I offer all my obeisances to You, the Supreme Lord, who displays unlimited pastimes.
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Official Song Name: Damodarastakam
Aka: Namamisvaram Saccidananda Rupam
Original song language: Sanskrit
Written down by: Vyasadeva
Recorded in: Padma Purana
Originally spoken by: Satyavrata Muni in conversation with Narada Muni and Saunaka Rsi.
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