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What is Damodar Lila? Why Yashoda punishes Krishna in Damodar Lila? Why Krishna came to be known as Damodar? Why did mother Yashoda tie Krishna to a grinding mortar?<\/strong> What mischievous activity had Krishna done?<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the questions which all the devotees have in their mind. In fact, many who know this Damodar pastime of Krishna also love to read it again and again. And they also speak about it again and again because it gives unlimited joy to the heart.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us pause for few minutes and travel to Vrindavan and with our own eyes see this beautiful Damodar pastime of the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat best should I do for my Krishna today?\u201d Mother Yashoda always contemplated on this most important topic. Like a responsible mother she wanted to give best to her child. For example, Nanda Maharaj had 9 lakh cows.<\/strong> But Yashoda had chosen few cows among those 9 lakhs cows.<\/strong> And the milk of these cows where used to prepare various items for Krishna. <\/strong> These cows were so fortunate. They were serving Krishna. These cows were given flavoured grass and their milk too carried the flavour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One\nday when her little Krishna was deep asleep and other ladies in the house were\noccupied in different activities she immediately decided to prepare butter and\nyogurt which Krishna liked a lot. She\nused to get many complains from the gopis <\/strong>in Vrindavan that Krishna steals\nbutter from their house. It disturbed her a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How\ncan a mother tolerate her son eating at others house? In fact, he was not eating at others house but was\nstealing butter from others house.<\/strong> It was a serious issue and was unacceptable\nfor a responsible mother like Yashoda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday I<\/strong> will prepare the best butter which cannot be found anywhere in the entire universe. And when Krishna will taste it he will like it so much that he won\u2019t then even think of touching butter at other gopis\u2019 house.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile other gopis in Vrindavan were also preparing butter and were desperately waiting for Krishna to come and steal butter<\/strong> from their houses. \u201cWhat if Krishna does not come today?\u201d The mere thought disturbed them too much. \u201cAnd what if Krishna comes and there is no butter?\u201d The thought made them anxious and they hurriedly began churning the milk. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But mother Yashoda had a different plan today. She was determined to implement it. Putting aside all her work she began to churn the milk of the best of the cows.<\/strong> She was confident that her plan would succeed. While churning she started remembering Krishna, thinking about Krishna\u2019s pastimes she began smiling and singing. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyday\nshe used to compose many songs based on many pastimes of Krishna in the land of\nvraja. She was the lyricist, music\ndirector and singer.<\/strong> This was one of the best ways to be absorbed in\nKrishna for her when Krishna was away playing or was occupied somewhere else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A song on how Krishna played in the courtyard of her house, how in fear he used to come and embrace her, how in hunger he cried for food, how sometimes he used to become angry when his demands were not met, how he played with his friends, how he danced to give joy to everyone, how he slept, how the uncouth demons like Putana, Aghasura, Saka\u1e6dasura, T\u1e5b\u1e47avarta who came to harm Krishna got killed. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n When\nshe sang her bangles, earrings and ankle bells moved rhythmically, the churning\nrod too made melodious sound. Dressed in yellow sari she was joyfully singing\ngiving pleasure to everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mother Yashoda is teaching us how to always remember Krishna even while engaged in many works. Life\u2019s purpose is to always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna. <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile the Supreme Lord who was sleeping in the other room immediately got up. As Yashoda cannot be separated from Krishna similarly Krishna cannot live without Yashoda. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Krishna got up from the bed and ran towards her mother and embraced her. He held the churning rod and demanded his mother\u2019s complete attention. \u201cI am hungry I need milk\u201d<\/strong> was his demand. The words of little Krishna filled Yashoda\u2019s heart with love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She\nimmediately left churning the milk, took him on her lap and began feeding him\nher milk. Krishna was satisfied, mother Yashoda was so pleased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\nsomeone in the corner of the house was devastated. There was a pot of milk\nwhich was put on the fire for boiling. The milk was so excited thinking that Krishna\nwill drink it. The milk was waiting desperately for that momentous moment when it\nwill get an opportunity to serve Krishna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But seeing that Krishna has already begun drinking the milk of his mother it felt so sad. The milk thought, \u201cThe purpose of life is to serve Krishna but since I cannot serve Krishna now, so let me commit suicide. Let me jump out of the pot and burn myself in the fire.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nmilk started overflowing which caught Yashoda\u2019s attention. She had no other\nchoice but to attend the milk. Reluctantly she put Krishna aside and ran to\nsave the life of the milk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And this angered Krishna. \u201cHow dare my mother leave me like this. Am I not enough valued in the house?<\/strong>\u201d He was a pampered child and always wanted undivided attention of Yashoda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nneed to teach my mother a lesson. He was extremely angry. Feeling neglected his eyes were filled with tears, in anger he bit his\nred lips with his teeth.<\/strong> He could not hold himself any longer. He picked up a stone and broke the\ncontainer of yogurt.<\/strong> As soon as the pot broke, he ran away from there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He\nwent to the other room. He climbed on the grinding motor which was upside down.\nNearby was a pot filled with butter. He\nbegan eating butter and began feeding butter to the monkeys<\/strong> and the monkeys\nwere enjoying the feast. He was also\nconstantly looking towards the door whether Yashoda is coming or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile as soon as mother Yashoda came to attend the overflowing milk, the milk felt ashamed at its own action, \u201cWhat have I done. Yashoda was so nicely serving my sweet Lord and my Lord was so happy<\/strong>. I interrupted the loving exchange between the supreme Lord and his supreme devotee. I am an offender.\u201d Thinking this it stopped overflowing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile\nYashoda hurried back to see Krishna. But Krishna was not there. There was a\nbroken pot and a piece of stone and yogurt everywhere. She understood what has happened.<\/strong> \u201cKrishna has become too\nmischievous. He needs to be corrected.\u201d She thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nbutter smeared little footprints gave her the direction. And as soon as the\nmonkeys sensed that Yashoda is about to enter the room they ran away from there.\nSensing trouble the crows too ran away from the house. And now Krishna was all alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy friends are so ungrateful,\u201d he thought. But he did not have much time. He jumped from the grinding mortar and ran away from there. Yashoda was in no mood to leave Krishna.<\/strong> She followed him. She even picked up a stick. Seeing stick and the grit of Yashoda Krishna was so fearful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He\nran with all his might. All the\nmaidservants left their household work and came to see what was happening. No one tried to stop Yashoda or catch Krishna.\nThey did not want to align themselves either with Krishna or Yashoda, they were\nneutral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile\nin entire Vrindavan the message had gone that Krishna is being punished by\nYashoda. Whoever heard this left all their work \u2013 urgent or not urgent did not\nmatter \u2013 and came to the house of Nanda Maharaj to see what is happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Krishna\u2019s little friends wanted to help Krishna but were helpless. The elderly gopis were confused \u2013 whether to take side of Krishna or of Yashoda. Yashoda is their friend and Krishna is so dear to them. But later they thought that Yashoda is his mother and a mother knows what is best for her child. <\/strong>But Krishna is in difficulty, so they also wanted to help him. However none of them took any action, they just stood to enjoy the fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Will Yashoda be able to catch Krishna?\nAnd if caught what punishment is he going to get? Everyone had this question in\ntheir mind. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile\nYashoda was putting in her best efforts to catch Krishna. While she was running her hair loosened and the\nmalati flowers from her hair started falling. Yashoda was getting tired and Krishna felt the\npain of his mother and so he finally agreed to be caught by her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Srila Prabhupada explains<\/strong>, \u201cYogis, mystics, want to catch Krishna as Paramatma, and with great austerities and penances they try to approach Him, yet they cannot. Here we see, however, that Krishna is going to be caught by Yashoda and is running away in fear. This illustrates the difference between the bhakta<\/em> and the yogi.<\/em> Yogis<\/em> cannot reach K\u1e5bishna, but for pure devotees like mother Yashoda, K\u1e5bishna is already caught.\u201d <\/p> Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.9 Purport<\/span><\/strong><\/a> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n But when Krishna saw the stick in her mother\u2019s hand, his eyes got filled with tears of fear. Yashoda did not want to frighten her child but wanted to correct him.<\/strong> Like all the parents she wanted her child to be disciplined, obedient and of impeccable character. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yashoda thought, \u201cNow is the right time to make him understand about the righteous and unrighteous behaviour. Let me tie him up. He will at least understand that if he commits any mistake he will be punished<\/strong> and so in future he won\u2019t be mischievous. She also thought since he is in fear so he may run away from the house but if bound by rope he won\u2019t flee.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n She\nthrew the stick and took a rope to tie Krishna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mother Yashoda meanwhile got a rope to tie Krishna, the Supreme Lord.<\/strong> But when she tried to bind Krishna she found that the rope was two fingers short. So she brought another rope, tied it to the first rope and began to tie Krishna. Again the rope was short by two fingers. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n She\nbrought another rope and tied it to the original rope. Again it was short by\nexactly two fingers. She instructed the maidservants to bring more rope and\nthey all immediately collected all the ropes in the house and tied with each\nother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile all the vrajvasis who were enjoying everything began laughing at the plight of mother Yashoda<\/strong>. Mother Yashoda was increasing the length of the rope but was unable to tie little waist of Krishna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever she tried the rope was short by two fingers. Yashoda was confused but refused to give it up. She was getting tired too. Many gopis sympathised with Yashoda. They too ran to their houses to bring the ropes. <\/strong>In fact almost all the available ropes of vraja was used now but Krishna was still not bound. Yashoda was extremely tired. She was sweating and breathing heavily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Krishna could not see his mother in this condition, his heart melted. Her devotion won Krishna\u2019s heart. And so he finally agreed to be bound by the ropes. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The two fingers represent – our endeavour and Krishna\u2019s mercy. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We are limited beings, Krishna is unlimited. We are infinitesimal and Krishna is infinite. With our efforts we cannot catch Krishna. But our efforts attract Krishna\u2019s attention.<\/strong> And when he sees that we are sincerely and selflessly putting in our best efforts then Krishna bestows his mercy upon us and then we attain Krishna\u2019s love and Krishna becomes ours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Krishna\nis the Supreme Lord. He is creator, maintainer and destroyer of the entire\nuniverse. He is the source of everything. \nNo one can ever conquer him. But that Supreme Lord is conquered by\nmother Yashoda by her pure love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sukhdev Goswami says in Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.20<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, \u201cNeither Lord Brahma, nor Lord Siva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as received by mother Yashoda.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n While\nbeing tied to the mortar, Krishna also delivered the sons of Kuvera – Nalakuvara and Ma\u1e47igriva – who were cursed to become\ntrees by the sage Narada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThose superexcellent pastimes of Lord Krishna\u2019s 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: \u201cI am conquered and overwhelmed by pure loving devotion.\u201d To the Supreme Lord, Damodara, my obeisances hundreds and hundreds of times.\u201d <\/p> Sri Damodarastaka<\/a> Verse 3 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The form of little Krishna tied by a cow rope to a wooden grinding mortar is called \u201cDamodar\u201d. “Dam” means rope and udar means belly<\/strong>. So “Damodar” means one who has a rope around his belly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Damodar pastime occurred on the day of Diwali. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This pastime is also called Ukhal Bandhan<\/strong> lila. Ukhal means grinding mortar<\/em> and bandhan means to be bound<\/em>. Ukhal Bandhan<\/strong> means Krishna was bound to Ukhal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This pastime of Krishna is so pleasing to the heart. Great sages and saints meditate on this beautiful Damodara pastime of Krishna and experiences unlimited bliss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This pastime occurred during the month of Kartik. <\/strong> Devotees during this entire Kartik month offer ghee lamp to the beautiful Damodar deity of the Lord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scriptures tell us that if during the month of Kartik, we offer ghee lamp to Lord Damodar and sing Damodarastakam <\/span><\/a>prayer then we will be able to attain great spiritual results.<\/strong> Our hearts will get cleansed of all the impurities and we will attain love of Krishna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, let us meditate on this sweet pastime of the Lord and worship him by offering lamp and by singing the Damodarastakam <\/span><\/strong><\/a>prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11 reasons why Kartik month is the holiest month<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nYashoda decides to make best butter for Krishna<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Yashoda – the lyricist, the music director and the singer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Krishna demands milk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Milk decides to commit suicide<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Krishna\u2019s anger<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The milk\u2019s repentance <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Yashoda chasing Krishna<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The news spreads in Vrindavan <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Yashoda punishes Krishna by binding him to a grinding mortar<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Krishna got the name Damodar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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