This song describes Krishna’s early childhood pastime of running from His mother when she tried to chastise Him for stealing butter.
During the month of Kartika, devotees around the world sing this prayer each day while offering ghee lamps or candles to Krishna. Each verse describes various qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, in this pastime, appears as a child and allows Himself to be captured by the love of His devotees. Sing along with the below, which include the English translations.
Click on the link to listen to an audio recording of the late Aindra Dasa singing Damodarastakam during Kartika at the ISKCON Krishna-Balarama temple in Vrindavan, India. The link will open in a new tab. Once the song begins to play, return to this page to follow the lyrics.
॥ Sri Damodarastakam English Lyrics ॥
॥ damōdarastakaṁ ॥
namamīśvaram sac-cid-ananda-rūpam
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
yaśoda-bhiyolūkhalad dhavamanam
paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya ॥ 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.
rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrjantam
karambhoja-yugmena satańka-netram
muhuḥ śvasa-kampa-trirekhańka-kantha-
sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham ॥ 2 ॥
Upon seeing His mother’s 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, I offer my humble obeisances.
itīdrk sva-līlabhir ananda-kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadīyesita-jñesu bhaktair jitatvam
punaḥ prematas tam śatavrtti vande ॥ 3 ॥
Those superexcellent pastimes of Lord Krishna’s babyhood drowned the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy. To the devotees who are attracted only to His majestic aspect of Narayana in Vaikuntha, the Lord herein reveals: “I am conquered and overwhelmed by pure loving devotion.” To the Supreme Lord, Damodara, my obeisances hundreds and hundreds of times.
varam deva moksam na moksavadhim va
na canyam vrne ‘ham varesad apīha
idam te vapur natha gopala-balam
sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaiḥ ॥ 4 ॥
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.
idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nīlair
vrtam kuntalaiḥ snigdha-raktaiś ca gopya
muhuś cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaiḥ ॥ 5 ॥
O Lord, the cheeks of Your blackish lotus face, which is encircled by locks of curling hair, have become reddened like Bimba fruits due to Mother Yasoda’s kisses. What more can I describe than this? Millions of opulences are of no use to me, but may this vision constantly remain in my mind.
namo deva damodarananta visno
prasīda prabho duḥkha-jalabdhi-magnam
krpa-drsti-vrstyati-dīnam batanu
grhanesa mam ajñam edhy aksi-drśyaḥ ॥ 6 ॥
O unlimited Vishnu! O, master! O Lord! Be pleased upon me! I am drowning in an ocean of sorrow and am almost like a dead man. Please shower the rain of mercy on me; uplift me and protect me with Your nectarean vision.
kuveratmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat
tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
na mokse graho me ‘sti damodareha ॥ 7 ॥
O Lord Damodara, in Your form as a baby Mother Yasoda, bound You to a grinding stone with a rope for tying cows. You then freed the sons of Kuvera, Manigriva and Nalakuvara, who were cursed to stand as trees and You gave them the chance to become Your devotees. Please bless me in this same way. I have no desire for liberation into Your effulgence.
namas te ‘stu damne sphurad-dīpti-dhamne
tvadīyodarayatha viśvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadīya-priyayai
namo ‘nanta-līlaya devaya tubhyam ॥ 8 ॥
O Lord, the entire universe was created by Lord Brahma, who was born from Your abdomen, which was bound with a rope by Mother Yasoda. To this rope I offer my humble obeisances. I offer my obeisances to Your most beloved Srimati Radharani and to Your unlimited pastimes.
iti śrīmadpadmapuranē śrī damōdarastakaṁ sampūrnam ॥