Damodara Ashtakam
Damodara Ashtakam
dAmodara aSTakaM
namAmIzvaraM saccidAnandarUpaM
lasatkuNDalaM gokule bhrAjamAnam |
yazodAbhiyolUkhalAddhAvamAnaM
parAmRSTamatyantato drutya gopyA || 1 ||
rudantaM muhurnetrayugmaM mRjantaM
karAmbhojayugmena sAtaGkanetram |
muhuH zvAsakampatrirekhAGkakaNTha-
sthitagraiva-dAmodaraM bhaktibaddham || 2 ||
itIdRk svalIlAbhirAnandakuNDe
svaghoSaM nimajjantamAkhyApayantam |
tadIyeSitAjJeSu bhaktairjitatvaM
punaH prematastaM zatAvRtti vande || 3 ||
varaM deva mokSaM na mokSAvadhiM vA
na cAnyaM vRNe'haM vareSAdapIha |
idaM te vapurnAtha gopAlabAlaM
sadA me manasyAvirAstAM kimanyaiH || 4 ||
idaM te mukhAmbhojamatyantanIlair-
vRtaM kuntalaiH snigdha-raktaizca gopyA |
muhuzcumbitaM bimbaraktadharaM me
manasyAvirAstAM alaM lakSalAbhaiH || 5 ||
namo deva dAmodarAnanta viSNo
prasIda prabho duHkhajAlAbdhimagnam |
kRpAdRSTivRSTyAtidInaM batAnu
gRhANeza mAM ajJamedhyakSidRzyaH || 6 ||
kuberAtmajau baddhamUrtyaiva yadvat
tvayA mocitau bhaktibhAjau kRtau ca |
tathA premabhaktiM svakaM me prayaccha
na mokSe graho me'sti dAmodareha || 7 ||
namaste'stu dAmne sphuraddIptidhAmne
tvadIyodarAyAtha vizvasya dhAmne |
namo rAdhikAyai tvadIyapriyAyai
namo'nantalIlAya devAya tubhyam || 8 ||
iti zrImadpadmapurANe zrI dAmodarASTAkaM sampUrNam ||
About This Stotram
Overview
The Damodara Ashtakam is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn in the Vaishnava tradition that praises Lord Krishna in his childhood form as Damodara — a name derived from the episode in which his mother Yashoda tied him at the waist (dama: rope, udara: belly) as punishment for stealing butter. The hymn is especially associated with the month of Kartika in Vaishnava practice.
What are the benefits of chanting Damodara Ashtakam?
- Cultivates a mood of parental affection (vatsalya bhava) toward Krishna, a recognized form of devotional love in Vaishnavism.
- Recitation during Kartika masa is held to carry special spiritual merit within the Vaishnava calendar.
- The hymn supports purification of the mind through focus on Krishna's childhood pastimes.
- Chanting is associated with removal of accumulated sins.
- The text is used to deepen the practice of nama-smarana (remembrance of the divine name).
When is the best time to recite this?
The Damodara Ashtakam is traditionally recited every evening throughout the month of Kartika (Damodara Masa), which falls in October-November. It is also recited on Krishna Janmashtami and during morning or evening devotional sessions at any time of year.
What is the historical and traditional background?
The Damodara Ashtakam is conventionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, though this attribution is not universally established in scholarly sources. The hymn circulates widely in Vaishnava devotional collections, particularly within traditions that follow the liturgical calendar of the month of Kartika. It reflects the Bhakti tradition's emphasis on Krishna's childhood as an especially approachable and tender expression of the divine. The text has been transmitted through devotional sampradayas and printed stotram anthologies across India.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Gopala Ashtakam — another eight-verse hymn to Krishna in his cowherd form, sharing the same devotional mood.
- Vishnu Sahasranama — the thousand-name hymn to Vishnu, which includes many epithets shared with Krishna devotional texts.
- Chaurashtakam — a related ashtakam that praises Krishna as the "thief" of devotees' hearts, using similar childhood imagery.