Verse Text
padma-purāṇe ca kārttika-māhātmye (dāmodarāṣṭake)—
varaṁ deva mokṣaṁ na mokṣāvadhiṁ vā
na cānyaṁ vṛṇe ’haṁ vareśād apīha |
idaṁ te vapur nātha gopāla-bâlaṁ
sadā me manasy avirāstāṁ kim anyaiḥ ||44||
Translation
In the Padma Purāṇa, Kārtika-māhātmya it is said: O Lord, I do not accept liberation or anything leading up to liberation from the Lord who awards benedictions. May Your form as the young cowherd boy remain in my mind and nothing else.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
I do not accept anything leading up to liberation (mokṣāvadhim) or liberation itself. Liberation from hell or any other place, perceived as a type of liberation, is considered even lower.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Similarly, there is a statement in Padma Purāṇa describing the ritualistic function during the month of Kārttika (October-November). During this month, in Vṛndāvana it is the regulative principle to pray daily to Lord Kṛṣṇa in His Dāmodara form. The Dāmodara form refers to Kṛṣṇa in His childhood when He was tied up with rope by His mother, Yaśodā. Dāma means “ropes,” and udara means “the abdomen.” So Mother Yaśodā, being very disturbed by naughty Kṛṣṇa, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Kṛṣṇa is named Dāmodara. During the month of Kārttika, Dāmodara is prayed to as follows: “My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all, the giver of all benedictions.” There are many demigods, like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, who sometimes offer benedictions to their respective devotees. For example, Rāvaṇa was blessed with many benedictions by Lord Śiva, and Hiraṇyakaśipu was blessed by Lord Brahmā. But even Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā depend upon the benedictions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and therefore Kṛṣṇa is addressed as the Lord of all benefactors. As such, Lord Kṛṣṇa can offer His devotees anything they want, but still, the devotee’s prayer continues, “I do not ask You for liberation or any material facility up to the point of liberation. What I want as Your favor is that I may always think of Your form in which I see You now, as Dāmodara. You are so beautiful and attractive that my mind does not want anything besides this wonderful form.”