Damodarashtakam: The Eight-Verse Hymn to Baby Krishna (Damodar)
Damodarashtakam - Sanskrit Text
नमामीश्वरं सच्चिदानन्दरूपं
लसत्कुण्डलं गोकुले भ्राजमानम् ।
यशोदाभियोलूखलाद्धावमानं
परामृष्टमत्यं ततो द्रुत्य गोप्या ॥ १ ॥
रुदन्तं मुहुर्नेत्रयुग्मं मृजन्तं
कराम्भोजयुग्मेन सातङ्कनेत्रम् ।
मुहुःश्वासकम्पत्रिरेखाङ्ककण्ठ-
स्थितग्रैवं दामोदरं भक्तिबद्धम् ॥ २ ॥
इतीदृक्स्वलीलाभिरानन्दकुण्डे
स्वघोषं निमज्जन्तमाख्यापयन्तम् ।
तदीयेशितज्ञेषु भक्तैर्जितत्वं
पुनः प्रेमतस्तं शतावृत्ति वन्दे ॥ ३ ॥
वरं देव मोक्षं न मोक्षावधिं वा
न चान्यं वृणेऽहं वरेशादपीह ।
इदं ते वपुर्नाथ गोपालबालं
सदा मे मनस्याविरास्तां किमन्यैः ॥ ४ ॥
इदं ते मुखाम्भोजमत्यन्तनीलै-
र्वृतं कुन्तलैः स्निग्धरक्तैश्च गोप्या ।
मुहुश्चुम्बितं बिम्बरक्ताधरं मे
मनस्याविरास्तामलं लक्षलाभैः ॥ ५ ॥
नमो देव दामोदरानन्त विष्णो
प्रसीद प्रभो दुःखजालाब्धिमग्नम् ।
कृपादृष्टिवृष्ट्यातिदीनं बतानु-
गृहाणेष मामज्ञमेध्यक्षिदृश्यः ॥ ६ ॥
कुबेरात्मजौ बद्धमूर्त्यैव यद्वत्
त्वया मोचितौ भक्तिभाजौ कृतौ च ।
तथा प्रेमभक्तिं स्वकां मे प्रयच्छ
न मोक्षे ग्रहो मेऽस्ति दामोदरेह ॥ ७ ॥
नमस्तेऽस्तु दाम्ने स्फुरद्दीप्तिधाम्ने
त्वदीयोदरायाथ विश्वस्य धाम्ने ।
नमो राधिकायै त्वदीयप्रियायै
नमोऽनन्तलीलाय देवाय तुभ्यम् ॥ ८ ॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
namāmīśvaraṃ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaṃ
lasat-kuṇḍalaṃ gokule bhrājamānam ।
yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaṃ
parāmṛṣṭam atyaṃ tato drutya gopyā ॥ 1 ॥
rudantaṃ muhur netra-yugmaṃ mṛjantaṃ
karāmbhoja-yugmena sātaṅka-netram ।
muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-tri-rekhāṅka-kaṇṭha-
sthita-graivaṃ dāmodaraṃ bhakti-baddham ॥ 2 ॥
namo deva dāmodarānanta viṣṇo
prasīda prabho duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam ।
kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnaṃ batānu-
gṛhāṇeṣa mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ ॥ 6 ॥
Meaning
To the Supreme Lord, whose form is eternal existence, knowledge and bliss (sat-cit-ananda), whose alligator-shaped earrings swing as he plays in Gokula - who, terrified of mother Yashoda's stick, jumps down from the wooden mortar and runs away, only to be caught from behind by her - to him I offer my obeisances.
Seeing the Lord weeping, rubbing his eyes with his two lotus hands, his eyes fearful, his neck marked with three lines and adorned with a pearl necklace trembling with his quick breath, bound at the belly (Damodara) not by rope alone but by his mother's pure love - to that Damodara I bow again and again, hundreds of times, out of love. The hymn goes on: "O Lord, I do not ask for liberation or any boon; only let your beautiful childhood form as the cowherd boy forever shine in my heart." It closes by bowing to the rope around his waist, to his belly that contains all the worlds, to his beloved Radhika, and to the Lord of endless pastimes.
About this Stotra
Damodarashtakam is an eight-verse hymn from the Padma Purana, spoken by the sage Satyavrata Muni in a conversation with Narada and Shaunaka. "Damodara" means "one bound (dama) at the belly (udara)" - referring to the famous lila in which mother Yashoda, having caught the butter-stealing child Krishna, tries to tie him to a wooden mortar and finds the rope always two fingers too short, until Krishna at last allows himself to be bound by her love. The Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition and ISKCON have made this hymn central to the observance of the holy month of Kartik (Damodar month), when it is sung every evening before a lamp offered to the Lord.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
The hymn embodies the mood of pure, selfless devotion (prema-bhakti): the devotee explicitly refuses even liberation, asking only for love of God and the constant remembrance of Krishna's sweet childhood form. Recitation during Kartik is said to bestow immense spiritual merit, awaken devotion, dissolve the ocean of material suffering, and draw the Lord's compassionate glance. The reference to Krishna freeing Kuvera's two sons (Nalakuvara and Manigriva) from their curse reminds devotees that the Lord, even as a child, liberates the bound and rewards devotion.
Astrological Relevance
Sri Krishna is the complete (purna) avatar of Vishnu and is associated with the Moon (Chandra) - he is celebrated as born in the lunar dynasty (Chandravansha) and his very name evokes the soothing, nourishing, emotional and devotional qualities of the Moon, the karaka of the mind (manas) and the mother. Worship of baby Krishna and the Damodara form is therefore especially soothing for an afflicted or weak Moon, calming the mind, relieving emotional distress and strengthening the bond with the mother. As Vishnu, Krishna also governs the benefic, protective grace linked with Guru (Jupiter), the karaka of devotion and dharma. The Kartik-month recitation is a traditional period of intensified sadhana for inner purification and emotional healing.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
The classic practice is to offer a lamp (ghee diya) to Lord Damodara each evening during the month of Kartik while singing the Damodarashtakam. Bathe, sit before an image of baby Krishna or Radha-Krishna, light the lamp, and sing all eight verses with devotion, ideally offering the lamp in a clockwise arati during the hymn. Outside Kartik it may also be chanted daily, morning or evening, as part of one's Krishna bhakti.
Best Day & Time
The entire holy month of Kartik (October–November) is the most auspicious time, with evening lamp-offering being the recommended hour. Among weekdays, Wednesday (associated with Krishna) and the moonlit Monday (day of the Moon) suit Krishna worship; Janmashtami and Ekadashis are also especially favoured.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Krishna called Damodara?
"Damodara" combines dama (rope) and udara (belly), meaning "one bound at the belly." It refers to the pastime in which mother Yashoda lovingly tied the child Krishna around his waist to a mortar after he stole butter.
When is Damodarashtakam traditionally sung?
It is sung every evening throughout the holy month of Kartik (Damodar month), accompanying an offering of a lamp to Lord Damodara. It may also be recited daily at any time.
What does the devotee ask for in this hymn?
Remarkably, the devotee declines even moksha (liberation) and asks only for pure loving devotion (prema-bhakti) and the constant presence of Krishna's beautiful childhood form in the heart.
The month of Kartik and the cord that binds love to the infinite
The Damodarashtakam, composed by Satyavrata Muni, holds a central place in Vaishnava devotional life that no other hymn quite replicates. Its subject - Yashoda's act of binding the infinite Krishna with a rope of love - is understood in the bhakti tradition as a profound theological statement: that pure love can, in a sense, move the unmovable. The name Damodar itself, meaning one whose belly is bound by a cord, carries this entire theology. Recited daily throughout Kartik (October–November), which is especially sacred to Vishnu, the ashtakam has become inseparable from the sensory world of that season - ghee lamps, early mornings, and devotees gathering in Vrindavan and ISKCON temples worldwide.
The hymn's rasa is primarily vatsalya - the tender, maternal love that sees divinity in a child - and it invites every reciter, regardless of age or gender, to enter that intimate emotional register. Devotees believe that reciting it during Kartik with an oil lamp offered to Krishna earns the merit of an entire year of worship. In the Jyotish tradition, Kartik is regarded as a period of heightened spiritual potency, and Vaishnava practices during this month are considered especially effective for the purification of karma. The hymn's closing plea - asking Krishna to reveal his Vrindavan form - gives the composition a warmth that carries practitioners far beyond ritual obligation into genuine longing.