Yashoda and the rope

Episode 2 of 4 in Kartik kathas: stories for the month of lamps.

Narrated with an AI voice.

Reading time
1 min
Listening time
2 min
By
DharmikStudio Originals
Narration
AI voice

In this episode

  • Kartik is called Damodar month in many Vaishnava homes.
  • Every rope Yashoda brings is two fingers too short.
  • Damodar means the one bound at the waist by his mother's love.

Read along

Namaste, and welcome back to Kartik kathas. In many Vaishnava homes Kartik has another name: Damodar month. Every evening a lamp is waved before little Krishna, and a hymn called the Damodarashtakam is sung. Tonight, the story behind that name. It comes from the Bhagavata Purana, book ten, chapter nine.

**

Early one morning in Gokul, Yashoda was churning curd, singing about her son as she worked. Little Krishna came, hungry, and climbed into her lap. She fed him. Then she smelled the milk boiling over on the stove, set him down, and hurried away.

Krishna was cross at being put down. The curd pot cracked open, and he slipped into the storeroom, took the fresh butter, and shared it with the monkeys at the window.

**

Yashoda came back and saw it all. Krishna saw her coming and ran. She ran after him, round and round, until at last she caught his little hand. He was crying, rubbing his eyes, and she softened. She decided only to tie him to the wooden mortar, so he would stay put while she worked.

She took a rope. It was two fingers too short. She tied on another. Still two fingers short. She brought every rope in the house, and every time it was two fingers short. The women of Gokul gathered and laughed in wonder.

Yashoda was tired now, her hair coming loose. Seeing his mother so tired, Krishna let himself be tied.

**

That is the name. Dama means rope, udara means belly. Damodar, the one bound at the waist by his mother's love. The Bhagavata says that the Lord whom great sages cannot hold was held by Yashoda's love.

If you like, light a lamp tonight and wave it gently before a picture of little Krishna. Namaste.

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