Dhira Gauranga
Damodarashtakam (Evening mood)
Mantra
नमामीश्वरं सच्चिदानन्दरूपं लसत्कुण्डलं गोकुले भ्राजमनम् । यशोदाभियोलूखलाद्धावमानं परामृष्टमत्यन्ततो द्रुत्य गोप्या ॥
namāmīśvaraṁ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ lasat-kuṇḍalaṁ gokule bhrājamanam / yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaṁ parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā
"I bow to the Lord, whose form is eternity, knowledge and bliss, who with shining earrings runs in Gokula from the mortar in fear of mother Yashoda — but she catches Him."
Meaning
A prayer from the Padma Purana spoken by the sage Satyavrata: child Krishna bound by the love of mother Yashoda — hence the name Damodara, "bound at the waist with a rope." The devotee asks not for liberation but to forever contemplate these childhood pastimes. During the month of Kartika (October–November) it is sung every evening while offering lamps to Krishna.
