Last day of Kartika
In this very month Sri Krishna was bound by the rope of the vatsalya-rasa (relationship in parental affection) of His mother Mother Yasoda. Actually, He was not bound by a rope, but by vatsalya-rasa. The Supreme Lord Krishna had never been bound before, and I think He will not be bound again. He can only be bound by Mother Yasoda. He has accepted this fact:
“I am bound by vatsalya-rasa,”
and it is for this reason that this month is called Damodara.
Also, the gopis tied the veil of Srimati Radhika to Sri Krishna’s yellow chadar in Ganthuli, and Krishna therefore became known as “Radha-Damodara”. This pastime took place in this month.
Especially, the crown jewel of all pastimes, the supreme pastime, rasa-lila, took place in this month. All of Krishna’s unlimited pastimes, such as His boat pastimes at Manasi-Ganga[1] and the stealing of His flute, are building up to this rasa-lila.
In this month, Akrura went to Nandagaon and told Krishna and His family members about Kamsa’s torturing Vasudeva and Devaki. Hearing this, Krishna and Balarama became like fire. Extremely angry, They told Nanda Baba that They must go to Mathura. They went to Mathura, and there they killed Canura and Mustika, and all of Kamsa’s brothers and other associates.
Sri Krishna held Giriraja Govardhana on His pinky finger for 7 days, without Giriraja Govardhana shaking at all. At that time all the Vrajavasis, especially the purva-raga gopis[2], came very near, and those gopis held up Giriraja Govardhana by their eyesight. Aksaya navami[3] also comes in this month.
Therefore, this month is very, very auspicious.
All 64 limbs (practices) of bhakti are performed in this month very easily. Also, I have full confidence in the boon of Narada Muni, given in the form of a request to Sri Krishna: “Please give Krishna-prema to anyone who hears all Your sweet pastimes and goes to the places of those sweet pastimes.” I think that Sri Krishna will fulfill Narada’s desire, so please try to come each year.
[1] Sri Krishna would play the part of a boatman and perform boating-pastimes (nauka-vilasa) and other lilas while ferrying the gopis across Bhagavati Manasi Ganga. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given a very touching description of this nauka-vilasa-lila in his prayer Sri Govardhanastakam (text 7): yatraiva gangam anu navi radhamarohya madhye tu nimag na-naukahkrisno hi radhanugalo babhau sa, govardhano me disatam abhistam. “In the middle of Manasi Ganga, Srimati Radhika was sitting in Krishna’s boat. Krishna dressed like the boatman, tried to sink the boat, and the terrified Radhika caught Sri Krishna in Her embrace. May that Sri Govardhana fulfill all my desires.”]
[2] In this Bhauma-Vrindavana, all gopis – including Srimati Radhika – experience purva raga, i.e. they feel they have never met with Krishna before in an intimate way, although they had so much strong desire to do so.
[3] This particular day in Kartika month signifies that any undertaking on this day will be imperishable. Aksaya-trtiya is in April/May, and has a similar meaning.
This is a section of the book “Vrindavana Lila”.
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