gOvinda.dAmOdara

[Guest guest]

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:

 

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gOvinda-dAmOdara stOtram

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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.

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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.

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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...]

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*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.

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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...]

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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!]

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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.]

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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.