Kartik Deepotsava
Deepotsava is celebrated in the month of Kartik every year. It is a month-long festival commemorating Damodara-lila, the sweet pastime of baby Krishna stealing butter and consequently being tied to a mortar by His dear mother Yashoda. In Sanskrit, “dama” means rope and “udara” means belly. Damodara refers to Krishna who was bound with a rope by His mother Yashoda.
What is Damodara Puja?
Damodara Puja, the festival of offering ghee lamps to Lord Krishna, lasts the entire month of Kartika. It is described in the scriptures as the best among months. Damodara (Kartika) month glorifies Krishna’s pastime of being bound with ropes by Mother Yasoda.
Observing vrata (austerities) in the month of Kartika is glorified in the Puranas. It is also mentioned that one who offers ghee lamps to Lord Damodara in this auspicious month and sings the Damodara Ashtakam (8 verses glorifying the Lord) will get rid of his past sins and develop bhakti (devotion) to Lord Damodara (Krishna).
Everyone, indiscriminately – man, women, young and old can offer the ghee lamps. Ghee lamp offerings can be made in the morning or evening or during both times.
Why Damodara Puja?
Lord Krishna has many glorious names like Gopala, Madhava, Mukunda, Hrishikesa etc. The name, Damodara, means one who is bound by the ropes of love. This pastime happened when Lord was tied with a cord (daama) around His waist (udara), denoting a divine pastime in which Krishna's mother Yasoda bound Krishna for being mischievous.
Through his pure willingness to be finally bound by the pure love of Yasoda, His divine mother, He becomes submissive to His mother’s love although in truth, no rope has the power to bind the Supreme Lord. It is this love that we hope to fill our hearts with, to bind Lord Krishna to us, eternally.
Srimad-Bhagavatam says that even though the Lord is greater than us in every single way, He is controlled and bound by the love of His pure devotee.
What are the Puja Benefits? (Based on Puranas)
Of all plants, the sacred Tulasi is most dear to Me, of all places of pilgrimage, My beloved Dvaraka is most dear, and of all days, Ekadasi is most dear, of all months, Kartika is most dear.
One who offers a ghee lamp to Lord Hari during the month of Kartik enjoys pastimes in Lord Hari’s splendid spiritual world.
When one offers a ghee lamp during the month of Kartika, his sins in many thousands and millions of births perish in half an eyeblink.
A person who offers a ghee lamp during the month of Kartika attains a result that cannot be obtained with even a hundred yajnas or a hundred pilgrimages.
O king of brahmanas, a person who offers a ghee lamp in this way will not take birth again in this world and attains the eternal spiritual world where there is no suffering.
Of all gifts the gift of a ghee lamp during the month of Kartika is the best. No gift is its equal.
Daily Damodara Puja at Home (8–10 mins)
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Place the picture of Lord Krishna (Damodara) in your puja area.
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Sing the Damodara Astakam song. You can find the lyrics and audio links below.
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After the song finishes, light the ghee lamp.
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Offer the lamp in 7 clockwise circles before the picture of Lord Krishna.
Damodara Ashtakam Lyrics
(1)
namāmīśvaraṁ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ
lasat-kuṇḍalaṁ gokule bhrājamanam
yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaṁ
parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā
To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence, knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro, who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who I (due to the offense of breaking the pot of yogurt that His mother was churning into butter and then stealing the butter that was kept hanging from a swing) is quickly running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of mother Yasoda, but who has been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater speed--to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.
(2)
rudantaṁ muhur netra-yugmaṁ mṛjantam
karāmbhoja-yugmena sātaṅka-netram
muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-trirekhāṅka-kaṇṭha-
sthita-graivaṁ dāmodaraṁ bhakti-baddham
(Seeing the whipping stick in His mother's hand) He is crying and rubbing His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are filled with fear, and the necklace of pearls around His neck, which is marked with three lines like a conch shell, is shaking because of His quick breathing due to crying. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His mother's pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.
(3)
itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe
sva-ghoṣaṁ nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam
tadīyeṣita-jñeṣu bhaktair jitatvaṁ
punaḥ prematas taṁ śatāvṛtti vande
By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbues with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. With great love I again offer my obeisances to Lord Damodara hundreds and hundreds of times.
(4)
varaṁ deva mokṣaṁ na mokṣāvadhiṁ vā
na canyaṁ vṛṇe ‘haṁ vareṣād apīha
idaṁ te vapur nātha gopāla-bālaṁ
sadā me manasy āvirāstāṁ kim anyaiḥ
O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon (which may be obtained by executing the nine processes of bhakti). O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala in Vrndavana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?
(5)
idaṁ te mukhāmbhojam atyanta-nīlair
vṛtaṁ kuntalaiḥ snigdha-raktaiś ca gopyā
muhuś cumbitaṁ bimba-raktādharaṁ me
manasy āvirāstām alaṁ lakṣa-lābhaiḥ
O Lord, Your lotus face, which is encircled by locks of soft black hair tinged with red, is kissed again and again by mother Yasoda, and Your lips are reddish like the bimba fruit. May this beautiful vision of Your lotus face be ever manifest in my heart. Thousands and thousands of other benedictions are of no use to me.
(6)
namo deva dāmodarānanta viṣṇo
prasīda prabho duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam
kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnaṁ batānu
gṛhāṇeṣa mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ
O Supreme Godhead, I offer my obeisances unto You. O Damodara! O Ananta! O Vishnu! O master! O my Lord, be pleased upon me. By showering Your glance of mercy upon me, deliver this poor ignorant fool who is immersed in an ocean of worldly sorrows, and become visible to my eyes.
(7)
kuverātmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat
tvayā mocitau bhakti-bhājau kṛtau ca
tathā prema-bhaktiṁ svakāṁ me prayaccha
na mokṣe graho me ‘sti dāmodareha
O Lord Damodara, just as the two sons of Kuvera, Manigriva and Nalakuvara, were delivered from the curse of Narada and made into great devotees by You in Your form as a baby tied with rope to a wooden grinding mortar, in the same way, please give to me Your own prema-bhakti. I only long for this and have no desire for any kind of liberation.
(8)
namas te ‘stu dāmne sphurad-dīpti-dhāmne
tvadīyodarāyātha viśvasya dhāmne
namo rādhikāyai tvadīya-priyāyai
namo ‘nanta-līlāya devāya tubhyam
O Lord Damodara, I first of all offer my obeisances to the brilliantly effulgent rope which binds Your belly. I then offer my obeisances to Your belly, which is the abode of the entire universe. I humbly bow down to Your most beloved Srimati Radharani, and I offer all obeisances to You, the Supreme Lord, who displays unlimited pastimes.
