Kartika month

In the Padma Purāṇa there is a statement that one should perform the ceremonies for the Lord according to one’s financial position. Everyone should observe the different ceremonies and celebrations of the Lord by all means. One of the most important of these ceremonial functions is called Ūrja-vrata. Ūrja-vrata is observed in the month of Kārttika (October-November); especially in Vṛndāvana, there is a specific program for temple worship of the Lord in His Dāmodara form. Dāmodara refers to Kṛṣṇa’s being bound with rope by His mother, Yaśodā. It is said that just as Lord Dāmodara is very dear to His devotees so the month known as Dāmodara or Kārttika is also very dear to them.
(Nectar of Devotion Chapter 12)

Similarly, there is a statement in Padma Purāṇa describing the ritualistic function during the month of Kārttika (October-November). During this month, in Vṛndāvana it is the regulative principle to pray daily to Lord Kṛṣṇa in His Dāmodara form. The Dāmodara form refers to Kṛṣṇa in His childhood when He was tied up with rope by His mother, Yaśodā. Dāma means “ropes,” and udara means “the abdomen.” So mother Yaśodā, being very disturbed by naughty Kṛṣṇa, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Kṛṣṇa is named Dāmodara. During the month of Kārttika, Dāmodara is prayed to as follows: “My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all, the giver of all benedictions.” There are many demigods, like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, who sometimes offer benedictions to their respective devotees. For example, Rāvaṇa was blessed with many benedictions by Lord Śiva, and Hiraṇyakaśipu was blessed by Lord Brahmā. But even Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā depend upon the benedictions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and therefore Kṛṣṇa is addressed as the Lord of all benefactors. As such, Lord Kṛṣṇa can offer His devotees anything they want, but still, the devotee’s prayer continues, “I do not ask You for liberation or any material facility up to the point of liberation. What I want as Your favor is that I may always think of Your form in which I see You now, as Dāmodara. You are so beautiful and attractive that my mind does not want anything besides this wonderful form.” In this same prayer, there is another passage, in which it is said, “My dear Lord Dāmodara, once when You were playing as a naughty boy in the house of Nanda Mahārāja, You broke the box containing yogurt, and because of that, mother Yaśodā considered You an offender and tied You with rope to the household grinding mortar. At that time You delivered two sons of Kuvera, Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, who were staying there as two arjuna trees in the yard of Nanda Mahārāja. My only request is that by Your merciful pastimes You may similarly deliver me.”

The story behind this verse is that the two sons of Kuvera (the treasurer of the demigods) were puffed up on account of the opulence of their father, and so once on a heavenly planet they were enjoying themselves in a lake with some naked damsels of heaven. At that time the great saint Nārada Muni was passing on the road and was sorry to see the behavior of the sons of Kuvera. Seeing Nārada passing by, the damsels of heaven covered their bodies with cloth, but the two sons, being drunkards, did not have this decency. Nārada became angry with their behavior and cursed them thus: “You have no sense, so it is better if you become trees instead of the sons of Kuvera.” Upon hearing this, the boys came to their senses and begged Nārada to be pardoned for their offenses. Nārada then said, “Yes, you shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand in the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāja. But Kṛṣṇa Himself will appear in time as the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you.” In other words, the curse of Nārada was a benediction to the sons of Kuvera because indirectly it was foretold that they would be able to receive the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa. After that, Kuvera’s two sons stood as two big arjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāja until Lord Dāmodara, in order to fulfill the desire of Nārada, dragged the grinding mortar to which He was tied and struck the two trees, violently causing them to fall down. From out of these fallen trees came Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, who had by then become great devotees of the Lord.
(Nectar of Devotion Chapter 4)

The sixteenth vilāsa discusses duties to be observed in the month of Kārtika (October-November), or the Dāmodara month, or Ūrja, when lamps are offered in the Deity room or above the temple.
(CC Madhya 1.35 purport)

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, quoting from the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, says that the incident of Kṛṣṇa’s breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yaśodā took place on the Dīpāvalī Day, or Dīpa-mālikā. Even today in India, this festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kārtika by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay.
(SB 10.9.1-2 purport)

So here it is said that kṛtāgasi. What is that? Kṛtāgasi? So Kṛṣṇa was offender before His mother. The mother, Yaśodā, was taking care of the milk, and Kṛṣṇa wanted to suck his (her) breast. So mother was very busy. So when the milk was overflowing, he (she) immediately left Kṛṣṇa and went to take care of the milk. Kṛṣṇa became very much angry. So He went to the butter stock and broke the butter pot, spoiled it, and when Mother Yaśodā saw that the child is breaking the butter pot, he (she) immediately wanted to catch Him, and Kṛṣṇa fled away. And then, after all, He was a small child, and Mother Yaśodā caught Him and wanted to bind Him with a rope. This is the fact. Kṛtāgasi.
Then gopy ādade kṛtāgasi tvam: “Because You were offender, therefore he (she) wanted to bind You.” Dāma. Dāma means rope. Tāvat. “And what was Your condition at that time? The condition was yā te daśā.” Daśā means condition. So He was crying. Lord Kṛṣṇa, out of fear of His mother—”Now mother will bind Me”—so He was crying. And while crying, the tears washed the, what is called? Kajala? Mascara? So they were dropping, and He was fearful, crying, and He was . . . his head was down, flapping. This condition. Ninīya. Vaktraṁ ninīya, face. He felt culprit that, “I have done wrong.” Bhaya-bhāvana. He was so much afraid that, “Mother will bind Me. My freedom will be lost.” Sthitasya: “In this way, when You were situated . . .”
(741011 – Lecture SB 01.08.31 – Mayapur)

Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa has written this song ”Namamisvaram Saccidananda Rupam“. The official name of this song is Sri Sri Damodarastakam. This song is taken from Padma Purana. This song was spoken by Satyavrata Muni to Nārada Muni and Saunaka Rishi.

(1)
namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
yasoda-bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam
paramrishtam atyantato drutya gopya

(2)
rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrijantam
karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram
muhuh svasa-kampa-trirekhanka-kanthasthita-
graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham

(3)
itidrik sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
sva-ghosham nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyeshita-jneshu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavritti vande

(4)
varam deva moksham na mokshavadhim va
na canyam vrine ’ham vareshad apiha
idam te vapur natha gopala-balam
sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaih

(5)
idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nilair
vritam kuntalaih snigdha-raktais ca gopya
muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
manasy avirastam alam laksha-labhaih

(6)
namo deva damodarananta vishno
prasida prabho duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam
kripa-drishti-vrishtyati-dinam batanu
grihanesha mam ajnam edhy akshi-drisyah

(7)
kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat
tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau kritau ca
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
na mokshe graho me ‘sti damodareha

(8)
namas te ’stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne
tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
namo ’nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam

(1) 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 [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) 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 conchshell, 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) 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 imbued 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) 0 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 Vrindavana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?

(5) 0 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) 0 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) 0 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) 0 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.

In the Skanda Purana, it is said :

“Text 99 ~ “When one offers a lamp during the month of Karttika, his sins in many thousands and millions of births perish in half an eye blink.”

Text 100 ~ It is further said : “Please hear the glories of offering a lamp during Kartika which is pleasing to Lord Kesava. O King of brahmanas, a person who offers a lamp in this way will not take birth again in this world.”

Text 101 ~ “By offering a lamp during the month of Karttika one attains a pious result ten million times greater than the result obtained by bathing at Kuruksetra during a solar eclipse or by bathing in the River Narmada during a lunar eclipse.”

Text 102 ~ “O Tiger of sages, for a person who thus offers a lamp burning with ghee or sesame oil, what is the use of performing an asvamedha yajna?”

Text 103 ~ “Even if there are no mantras, no pious deeds, and no purity, everything becomes perfect when a person offers a lamp during the month of Karttika.”

Text 104 ~ “A person who during the month of Karttika offers a lamp to Lord Kesava has already performed all yajnas and bathing in all holy rivers.”

Text 107 ~ The ancestors say : “When someone in our family pleases Lord Kesava by offering to Him a lamp during the month of Karttika, then, by the mercy of the Lord who holds the Sudarsana Cakra in His Hand, we will all attain liberation. Narada, no sin exists anywhere in the three worlds that will not be purified by offering a lamp to Lord Kesava during Karttika.”

Text 108 ~ It is further said : “By offering a lamp during the month of Karttika one burns a way a collection of sins as big as Mount Meru or Mount Mandara. Of this there is no doubt.”

Text 111 ~ “A person who offers a lamp during the month of Karttika attains a result that cannot be obtained with even a one hundred yajnas or one hundred pilgrimages.”

Text 112 ~ “Even a person addicted to all sins and averse to all pious deeds who somehow offers a lamp during Karttika becomes purified. Of this there is no doubt.”

Text 114 ~ “A person who offers a lamp to Lord Krishna during Karttika attains the eternal spiritual world where there is no suffering.”

Text 120 ~ “As fire is present in all wood and may be extracted by friction, so piety is always present in the offering of a lamp during the month of Karttika. Of this there is no doubt.”

Text 121 ~ It is further said : “O King of brahmanas, when someone offers Him a lamp on the full moon day of the month of Karttika, Lord Krishna, finding that He does not have sufficient money to repay that gift, gives Himself in exchange for that lamp.”

In the Padma Purana it is said :
“One who offers a steady lamp to Lord Hari during the month of Karttika enjoys pastimes in Lord Hari’s splendid spiritual world.” In the month of Karttika, one should worship Lord Damodara and daily recite the prayer known as Damodarastaka, which has been spoken by the sage Satyavrata Muni and which attracts Lord Damodara.”
(Sri Hari Bhakti Vilasa 02.16.198)