Śrī Dāmodara Aṣṭakam VERSE 4
वरं देव मोक्षं न मोक्षावधिं वा
न चान्यं वृणेऽहं वरेषादपीह
इदं ते वपुर्नाथ गोपालबालं
सदा मे मनस्याविरास्तां किमन्यैः
varaṃ deva mokṣaṃ na mokṣāvadhiṃ vā
na cānyaṃ vṛṇe 'haṃ vareṣād apīha
idaṃ te vapur nātha gopāla-bālaṃ
sadā me manasy āvirāstāṃ kim anyaiḥ
SYNONYMS
varam: boon | deva: O Lord! | mokṣam: liberation | mokṣāvadhim: the highest limit of liberation | vā: or | na: not | ca: and | anyam: other | vṛṇe: I choose | aham: I | vareṣāt: from the bestower of boons | api: even | iha: here | idam: this | te: Your | vapuḥ: form | nātha: O Lord! | gopāla-bālam: the form of a cowherd boy | sadā: always | me: my | manasi: in my mind | āvirāstām: may it be manifest | kim: what | anyaiḥ: with others |
TRANSLATION
O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for liberation, nor eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon. My only prayer is that Your childhood pastimes may constantly appear in my mind. O Lord, I do not even want to know your feature of Paramatma. I simply wish that Your childhood pastimes may ever be enacted in my heart.
PURPORT
In this way, continuing the description of the Lord's particular excellences, the prayer progresses with a request that mentions one's cherished desires. This is presented in two verses (4 and 5), starting with the word varam. The word deva means "O supremely effulgent one!" Or it also implies "O Lord engaged in superexcellent sweet sports!" The word iha means "here in Vrindavana" -vareṣād - from You, Who can bestow any benediction - varam na vṛṇe - I do not seek any boon. Specifically, I do not pray for mokṣa, the fourth puruṣārtha or goal of human life (to achieve freedom from material contact by merging into the brahman effulgence); nor do I pray for mokṣāya-avadhim, the highest supreme zenith of liberation in the form of eternally living in Sri Vaikuntha-loka, where the excellence of life is the nature of thickly condensed happiness; nor do I pray for anyan ca - other things such as the nine methods of devotional service headed by śravaṇa (hearing, chanting, etc.) - I do not desire the boons that may be obtained by any of these processes. Furthermore - even if You want to give them to me, and additionally - even if others consider such things to be very appealing - iha, here in Vrindavana I do not have the slightest desire for them. This word iha can also be used in relation to the statements of the rest of the verse. It is naturally understood that the three benedictions referred to - mokṣa (liberation), mokṣāvadhi (the highest zenith of liberation) and anya (other things) - all reflect an ascending level of superiority, each being greater than the last. In this regard, the superiority of Vaikuntha to impersonal liberation is clearly described in my (Srila Sanatana Goswami's) Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara Khanda 1.14-15. And the superiority of the nine process of devotion (headed by sravaṇa) to Vaikuntha-loka is described in the Bhagavatam (3.15.49) thus:
"(The four kumāras headed by Sanat, after cursing the disrespectful devotees named Jaya and Vijaya, said to Lord Vishnu Who had just appeared:) Oh Lord, we pray that you let us be born in any hellish condition of life, as long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities."
By these words, it becomes evident that the nine processes of devotion beginning with śravaṇa can be perfected even while living in hell - wherever one is, and in whatever condition of life, one thereby experiences the perfection of living in the eternal abode of Vaikuntha.
This being the case, then what boon does one want from the Lord? The answer is given in this fourth verse of Damodarashtakam: he nātha! - iha idaṃ te vapur gopāla-bālaṃ - O Lord! This form of Yours as a cowherd child in Vrindavana - sadā me manasi āvirāstāṃ - may such a form ever be manifest in my mind. Since He is antaryāmī, situated as the indwelling Supersoul, He may be seen manifesting the divine beauty of His every limb within one's heart, just as clearly as one sees directly with the eyes.
Still - (even if Krishna were to personally address the devotee and offer:) "O he! The above-mentioned three kinds of boons beginning with mokṣa are not ordinary; they are most desirous, and anyone would immediately accept them...would you accept them?" The answer is given herein - kim anyaiḥ - "What is the use of all these things? They have no value to me." This is the meaning. The reason behind this attitude is - Sri Krishna is composed of all the bliss in the universe, so if He is attained then everything else is automatically and perfectly attained. But if one cannot attain Krishna, then the imperfection perceived in the absence of the desired goal especially creates a grand distaste and lamentable misery at the mere thought of attaining something of lesser value. Therefore it is said here that other boons are useless - kim anyaiḥ - "What good are they?" This is the mood.
Or else, the words kim anyaiḥ show yet another meaning. (Again the Lord may ask) "Even though you do not pray for the boons beginning with mokṣam, would you care then for the boon of directly seeing and conversing with My supremely worshipable four-armed form (of Sri Narayana and other aiśvarya-maya-mūrtis)?" The answer remains the same - kim anyaiḥ - "Other boons are useless to me." The intention behind this is - "If Your divine form of a cowherd child (which is the crest-jewel of all splendours) would always be manifest in my heart, then I would feel very, very pleased; nothing short of that would satisfy me." This is the mood.
For further details regarding the glories of antar-darśana (seeing the Lord within the heart), please see Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara-Khanda 2.86-96. Therein the sage Sri Pippalayana on the planet Tapoloka has explained all these principles very elaborately. Now the Damodarastaka prayer offered by Satyavrata Muni similarly demonstrates that the longing for inner darśana is the best goal of all - from this prayer all these things can be clearly understood. Thus ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darshini-Tika on the fourth shloka of Sri Sri Damodarashtakam.
"(The four kumāras headed by Sanat, after cursing the disrespectful devotees named Jaya and Vijaya, said to Lord Vishnu Who had just appeared:) Oh Lord, we pray that you let us be born in any hellish condition of life, as long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities."
By these words, it becomes evident that the nine processes of devotion beginning with śravaṇa can be perfected even while living in hell - wherever one is, and in whatever condition of life, one thereby experiences the perfection of living in the eternal abode of Vaikuntha.
This being the case, then what boon does one want from the Lord? The answer is given in this fourth verse of Damodarashtakam: he nātha! - iha idaṃ te vapur gopāla-bālaṃ - O Lord! This form of Yours as a cowherd child in Vrindavana - sadā me manasi āvirāstāṃ - may such a form ever be manifest in my mind. Since He is antaryāmī, situated as the indwelling Supersoul, He may be seen manifesting the divine beauty of His every limb within one's heart, just as clearly as one sees directly with the eyes.
Still - (even if Krishna were to personally address the devotee and offer:) "O he! The above-mentioned three kinds of boons beginning with mokṣa are not ordinary; they are most desirous, and anyone would immediately accept them...would you accept them?" The answer is given herein - kim anyaiḥ - "What is the use of all these things? They have no value to me." This is the meaning. The reason behind this attitude is - Sri Krishna is composed of all the bliss in the universe, so if He is attained then everything else is automatically and perfectly attained. But if one cannot attain Krishna, then the imperfection perceived in the absence of the desired goal especially creates a grand distaste and lamentable misery at the mere thought of attaining something of lesser value. Therefore it is said here that other boons are useless - kim anyaiḥ - "What good are they?" This is the mood.
Or else, the words kim anyaiḥ show yet another meaning. (Again the Lord may ask) "Even though you do not pray for the boons beginning with mokṣam, would you care then for the boon of directly seeing and conversing with My supremely worshipable four-armed form (of Sri Narayana and other aiśvarya-maya-mūrtis)?" The answer remains the same - kim anyaiḥ - "Other boons are useless to me." The intention behind this is - "If Your divine form of a cowherd child (which is the crest-jewel of all splendours) would always be manifest in my heart, then I would feel very, very pleased; nothing short of that would satisfy me." This is the mood.
For further details regarding the glories of antar-darśana (seeing the Lord within the heart), please see Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara-Khanda 2.86-96. Therein the sage Sri Pippalayana on the planet Tapoloka has explained all these principles very elaborately. Now the Damodarastaka prayer offered by Satyavrata Muni similarly demonstrates that the longing for inner darśana is the best goal of all - from this prayer all these things can be clearly understood. Thus ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darshini-Tika on the fourth shloka of Sri Sri Damodarashtakam.
