Damodarashtakam Verse 01 – How the Supreme Controller becomes fearful and controlled

Hare Krishna Damodarashtakam is a very beautiful composition by Satyavit Rishi and it has been commented upon by Sanatana Goswami so I will discuss verse by verse the meaning of the Damodarashtakam and its significance and relevance in our practice of bhakti so let us begin with the first verse it is Damodarashtakam Ashtakam is eight verses so the eight verses are all centered in the glorification of Lord Damodar and actually this comes as a part of a discussion between Satyavit Rishi who is narrating this to Narada Muni the Puranas are generally spoken by Vyasadev they are written down by Vyasadev but Vyasadev himself is actually speaking or writing down different conversations that have happened at different times so here he is describing this particular conversation and it is a part of that Satyavit Muni is speaking this Namam Eswaram Satchidananda Roopam so he is beginning this pastime which is actually describing a very intimate and very extraordinary facet of the Lord's glory that is how he becomes controlled and conquered by his devotees love the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Controller and the Supreme Conqueror but he becomes controlled and conquered by love by the devotion of his devotees and lest we misunderstand such a pastime lest we start thinking that this is just an ordinary child he begins it by saying Namami, Namami first of all is a respectful offering of obeisances and he also says Eswaram the word Eswaram can in a generic analytical or philosophical sense mean the Supreme Controller the Controller of all energies, the Master of all of existence in a more intimate devotional sense Eswaram can also mean My Lord so My Lord is a very intimate address as Bhaktivinoda Thakur says in his Vaishnava song Amitato Mara Amitato Mitho Amara Kikaja Pardhane I am yours my dear Lord, you are mine what other things do I need the word Eswaram can also be an intimate form of address when we are talking about it as The Lord being My Lord, Namami Eswaram now what is the nature of this Supreme Being He is Satchidananda Rupam He is not a formless light, He has a Rupa and what kind of Rupa Satchidananda, eternal full of knowledge and full of bliss sometimes in some cakes there is a coating of cream so that coating of cream is soft and very delicious and very attractive now sometimes out of that coating of cake coating on the cake that same material may be used to be shaped into a particular form say if the child's birthday is there then with that cream a small child's figurine might be made, so that whole figurine of the child is fully nothing but cream so like that the Satchidananda the whole Brahman spread everywhere Satchidananda but that all pervading Brahman manifests in a form of concentrated bliss concentrated Brahman in a particular form which is actually the highest revelation of Brahman that is the Supreme Lord, so He is Satchidananda Rupam, His form is nothing like the Asat, Achitniran the form of this world it is supremely attractive being eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss and then Lasatkundalam Gokule Brajmanam so this transcendental Lord who is worshipped as Vishnu who is the Ishwara Supreme Ishwara but what is He doing? He is Gokule Brajmanam He is performing pastime Brajmanam, He is illuminating Gokul with His pastimes and which particular pastime He is talking about? When we are looking at someone, suppose we are looking with a camera at something and suddenly something catches our interest then we focus and take the camera closer try to get a closer view so here in this pastime Satyarath Munne in his meditative trance is taking a close up not just on Krishna but on Krishna's face and not just on Krishna's face but on His ear and not just on His ear but on His hearing and Kundalam, He is thinking this, you know I would be fortunate if I just touch the lotus feet of this Lord and get a little bit or even the speck of the dust which has touched His feet but this hearing is so fortunate that it is right on the beautiful face of the Lord in the ear and not only is it in the ear but also it's effulgent, fortunate it's fortunate as Krishna is running so Satyarath Munne's vision is right in the middle of the pastime that Krishna has stolen butter and He is running and as He is running right in the middle He is seeing that this Kundala it is moving and as it is moving it is touching Krishna's cheeks softly and Satyarath Munne is thinking that what is this Kundala doing? It is actually kissing the cheeks of Krishna none of the other ornaments of Krishna have the fortune of kissing His cheeks this fortune which is reserved for His most intimate devotees that fortune this Kundala is having how extraordinary Lasat Kundalam and actually it is not Krishna who becomes beautiful with His ornaments it is the ornaments that become beautiful by being present in Krishna He is Bhushanam Bhushanam Bhushanam Bhushanam He is the ornament of all ornaments as Uddhava tells in his remembrance of Krishna in the second and third chapters of the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam so Yashoda Biyo Luka Laddha Vamanam so it is not just extraordinary this is in Gokul Gokul itself is a simple village villagers abode it is not opulent, magnificent materially very extraordinarily impressive place as is Vaikuntha so that Supreme Lord in such a place Gokul itself is extraordinary but even more extraordinary is that Yashoda Biyo Luka Laddha that out of fear of Yashoda Yashoda Biyo Luka Laddha Vamanam Yashoda Biyo Luka Laddha Vamanam is running away we know that Krishna had stolen butter and was feeding butter to the monkeys and suddenly as he was feeding the butter to the monkeys the monkeys froze up their mouths fell open their eyes became broad and they froze Krishna understood something is wrong and just one glance he saw Yashoda jumped up and started running away running away in mortal fear Yashoda Biyo Luka Laddha Vamanam he ran ran ran ran and what happened as he ran Param Rushdam Athyantha Thodhruthya Gopya so Param Rushdam that Lord whom nobody can cause fear and nobody can outrun actually Kulti Maharani also remembers this past and he says how extraordinary it is that the Supreme Lord of whom everyone is fearful that Lord has become fearful of Mother Yashoda and is running away in fear it is described that when Kaalyavan tried to catch Krishna, Krishna was just calmly walking away, Kaalyavan was running at full speed but he could never catch Krishna because the sinful cannot Yashoda Mai she on the other hand was able to catch Krishna Param Rushdam she ran faster than him Athyantha Thodhruthya Gopya after great effort she was able to catch and bind Krishna how wonderful is this Lord who is superseded by his devotees he becomes fearful of the devotee runs away from the devotee and is outrun by the devotee how extraordinary is such a Lord to that Lord I offer my obeisances.