Forward to Damodarastakam

Śrī Dāmodara-vrata, which is observed for the entire month of Kārtika, is the most important vrata for Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. It has become famous by the name Dāmodara because Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastime of being bound with rope by His mother took place during this month. Dāma means “rope” and bandhana means “to bind”, thus this pastime is known as śrī dāma-bhandana-līlā.
Śrī Satyavrata Muni’s eternally perfect Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam is part of the Padma Purāṇa, which was recorded by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vedavyāsa. This aṣṭakam, or prayer comprising eight verses, reveals many deep and fundamental secrets about this beautiful pastime. Therefore all of our Gauḍīya ācāryas have prescribed that we sing it every day during the month of Kārtika if we are serious about pleasing Kārtikī Śrīmatī Rādhikā, the presiding Goddess of the month of Kārtika.
Singing this aṣṭakam every day during the month of Kārtika is so vital that Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, the crest jewel among Śrī Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, has written a lucid and penetrating commentary on it, known as the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā. In 1954, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, the founder of Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, published this book in the Bengali language after very carefully translating and annotating Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s commentary. And our own beloved śrīla gurudeva, parivrājakācārya tridaṇḍi-svāmī Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who is the best among the disciples of Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, has translated the former edition into Hindi, with an additional commentary called the Dig-darśinī-vṛtti. Under his guidance this English rendition is now being presented.
Once, during the month of Kārtika, Śrīla Gurudeva read śrī dāmabhandana-līlā from Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda’s Gopāla-campūḥ to his spiritual master, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Upon hearing the pastime narrated by Śrīla Gurudeva, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja exhibited rare ecstatic symptoms. With Śrīla Gurudeva’s permission, we have included that same excerpt from Gopāla-campūḥ, translated into English for the first time, as an appendix to the present edition of Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam, along with Śrīla Gurudeva’s brief recount of the aforementioned history.
In the Bengali edition by Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, there are many footnotes and parenthetical statements clarifying the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā. In this English edition therefore, all of these clarifications are marked by square brackets with the exception of two pāda-ṭīkās (footnotes) in Verse Four, one in Verse Six and one in Verse Eight. We have marked all of our own footnoes in this English edition as “Editor’s footnotes”. Where direct English translations of Sanskrit terms have been provided, standard parentheses have been used.
- The editors
[From the Damodarastakam, by Gaudiya Vedanta Publications.]