Primordial Divine Thief

When you listen to Krishna’s pastimes it is never that you haven’t heard them before. You have heard them before, and yet we want to hear them again and again.

When I think of Damodara, I think of thieves. Srila Prabhupada calls it the “stealing propensity.”

What else except milk products is Krishna stealing? Yes, hearts. This is the real danger. In fact, Rupa Gosvami gives us a warning. He says, “You should not go and see that Govinda at Keshighat, who is standing in a threefold bending form on the bank of the Yamuna. Do not go and see Him!”

Is that our philosophy? Don’t go and see Krishna? No, but Rupa Gosvami says that. Why? “Because if you will see Him, you will give up all your attachments in this world.” “Ah! No, then I will not go and see Him!”

Of course it is a clever way to say, “Go and see Govinda,” because in this way we will direct all our attention, all our attraction, to Krishna. And Krishna will steal our hearts.

—From a lecture by Krishna Kshetra Swami on Damodara-lila, November 8th, 2014, Bushey, England

Radha-Damodara

What was the first reaction of Mother Yashoda when she saw the smashed pot with yoghurt? Her first reaction was to smile. She was charmed by the little yoghurt foot prints leading out of the room.

That is the image of baby Krishna—these yoghurt baby foot prints—that we can imprint in our minds. And not only in our minds, but in our hearts. Especially in this month, but also throughout the year, it will make us remember the sweet relationship of Krishna and Mother Yashoda. Also, it reminds us of the sweet relationship of Krishna and Radha, as at the end of the Damodarashtaka Radha-Damodara are glorified.

You may wonder what has Radha to do with Damodara? Actually, Radha has everything to do with Damodara, as it is explained. It is a different Damodara. Same and different. It is Damodara when He is older. He becomes Damodara in fact again by a glance of Srimati Radharani. At one point she throws a heavy glance at Krishna, so heavy that He is completely stunned, frozen in place, He cannot move. So, whereas Mother Yasoda had to do so much effort getting one rope, another one, more and more, tying, tying, but for Srimati Radharani all it took was one heavy glance.

We can see how powerful Her control of Krishna is and imprint this impression within ourselves.

Sri Sri Radha-Damodara ki jay!

—From a lecture by Krishna Kshetra Swami on Damodara-lila, November 8th, 2014, Bushey, England