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gOvinda.dAmOdara

From the Bhakti List Archives

usdeiva • June 4, 1997 


Ref Shree's inquiry May 29.   This beautiful and 
luminous stotram (lyrically akin to periAzhvAr) is
available from the Gita Press, Nai Sarak, Delhi-110006.

Hereunder the 'stOtram', with my paraphrase in English:

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                gOvinda-dAmOdara stOtram
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

aGrE kurUNAm atha pANDavAnAm
    duhSAsanEnAhrta-vastra-kESA
krshNA tadAkroSad ananya-nAthA
    gOvinda-dAmOdara-mAdhavEti    (1)


    [*krshNA was pulled by her robes and hair 
      and dragged by duhSAsana,
      in front of the kuru and the pANdava;
      with none to protect her, she wailed then,
      gOvinda! dAmOdara! mAdhava!]

      *draupadI, the dark beauty.
-------------------------------------------------------

SrIkrshNa vishNo madhu-kaiTabhArE
     bhaktAnukampin bhagavan murArE
trAyasva mAm kESava lokanAtha
     gOvinda....                    (2)

     [SrIkrshNa! vishNu! O the foe of madhu and
      kaiTabha! you verily are compassionate unto
      your devotee!   Rescue me, O *bhagavan! 
      Enemy of mura, kESava, lord of the worlds!
      gOvinda....]

      *characterised by 'bhaga', the combination of
      the qualities of jnAnam, Sakti, balam, aiSvaryam,
      vIryam and tejas, as defined in vishNu purANam.
---------------------------------------------------------

vikrEtu-kAmA:(a)Kila-gOpakanyA
     murAri-pAdArpita-chitta-vrttayah
dadhyOdakam mOha-vaSAd avOcha
     gOvinda....                     (3)

     [The gOpa lass had forfeited her heart 
      to the feet of murAri;  and 
      wanting to sell yogurt, 
      she called out absent-mindedly, gOvinda...]
---------------------------------------------------------

*jagAda...navanIta-piNDah
     GrhE yaSodA...
uvAcha satyam vada hE murArE
     gOvinda....                      (4)

     [*yaSOdA said, Tell me the truth, murAri! gOvinda...]

      *the first 2 pAda of the Slokam are garbled;
       I could not guess this either.
---------------------------------------------------------

jihvE rasAgrE madhurA priyA tvam
     satyam hitam tvam paramam vadAmi
AvarNayetA madhurAksharANi
     gOvinda....                       (5)
 
     [These verily are very euphonious syllables,
      they constitute Truth, 
      they are the supreme comfort,
      they are dear to us, 
      repeat them to savour on the tip of the tongue,
      gOvinda...]
----------------------------------------------------------
gOvinda gOvinda harE murAre 
     gOvinda gOvinda mukunda krshNa
gOvinda gOvinda *rathAngapANE
     gOvinda....
                
     [* = chakrapANi, one adorning the chakra-discus;
          the divyAyudham, the divine weaponry, is
          borne by him as trinket, divyAbharaNam!]
----------------------------------------------------------

sukhAvasAnE-tvidamEva sAram
     du:khAvasAnE-tvidamEva gEyam
dEhAvasAne-tvidamEva japyam
     gOvinda....

     [This the essence and ultimate of happiness;
      this is what one would chant at the height of grief;
      and gOvinda... this is what one would utter when
      departing from hither.]
----------------------------------------------------------

vaktum samarthO:pi na vakti kaSchit
     ahO janAnAm vyasanAbhimukhyam
jihvE pibasvAmrtamEtadEva
     gOvinda....

     [He who speaks can tell these Names, but few do it!
      thus, alas, is men's orientation towards suffering.
      But, my lips, drink of this and this very elixir,
      gOvinda, dAmOdara, mAdhava!]
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aDiyEn rAmAnujadAsan, T.S. Sundara Rajan.