Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, quoting from the Vaisnava-tosani of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, says that the incident of Lord Krishna’s breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yasoda took place on the Dipavali Day. Even today in India, this festival is celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kartika. (SB 10.9.1–2 purport)
Damodara Vrata begins on the full-moon night and continues one month. Damodara is a name for Lord Krishna. Dama means “rope and “udara” means belly. So Damodara means “one who is bound around the belly with ropes.”
In this pastime, which is described in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, baby Krishna upset His mother, Yashoda, by breaking a pot of butter. He then ran away when He saw an exasperated Yashoda chasing Him. After a great struggle, Yashoda caught baby Krishna and tried to bind Him with rope to a grinding mortar. But surprisingly, she found the rope was two inches short. Although she added more rope and every time she tried to bind Krishna she found the rope astonishingly remained short by two inches. Finally, Lord Krishna, appreciating His mother’s hard endeavor, agreed to be bound. Devotees then began to call Him Damodara.
When devotees see the master of the entire universe bound by the love of His devotee, their hearts are filled with gratitude. Attracted by Lord Krishna’s divine qualities, their hearts are uncontrollably pulled toward Him. Although devotees do not wish to subdue the Lord, He takes extra pleasure in being ordered and controlled by His dear devotees. Each tries to be controlled by the other. Where unconditional love is present, happiness lies not in winning but in being won over. Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.16.34), “The Lord and the devotees both conquer. The Lord is conquered by the devotees, and the devotees are conquered by the Lord. Because of being conquered by one another, they both derive transcendental bliss from their relationship.”
After immersing their minds in this wonderful pastime for an entire month, devotees feel much more closely connected to the Lord. You can also experience this immersion. You may consider visiting an ISKCON temple and take part in the Damodarashtakam prayers throughout Karttika month, offering your own devotion to Lord Damodara with your lamp. Even if you cannot visit an ISKCON temple, you can still arrange to sing these prayers and offer lamps to Lord Krishna at home.
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