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Chapter 24: Song Practice (IX)

During the month of Kartika (the Vaisnava month of Damodara), the eight verses glorifying Lord Krsna in the form Damodara is sung. Unlike any of the songs that were studied before, this song is set in Bangla ektal (some will play this as dadra tala). While Bangla ektal is twelve beats per cycle and dadra is six beats per cycle, overall, it has a “waltz” style that counts in threes. Please keep this in mind when practicing this song.

Another unique feature of this song is the use of off-beats. Off-beats are whole matras that start and terminate in the middle of the matras in a cycle. Look at Line 2 of the asthayi. Notice how the syllable “ma” starts off at the half-way point in matra 1, and ends at the half-way point at matra 2. The “ma” is held for one beat’s worth, but it does not evenly fall on any of the beats of the cycle. In practicing, try saying each line as if the tempo slowed down and saying everything in half-time.

Therefore Line 2 would be said as:

na-ma-a-mi-sva-a-ram-m-sa-ac-ci-i

Structurally, this is a very simple, “asthayi-antara” repetition. The colored lyrics represent a relatively common pattern known as “antara-antara-asthayi” which is used for many astakams and or long stotrams.

FORM A:

X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
S	g		S	g	m	m	P
na	ma		mi	sva	ram	sa	ci
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
S	g		S	P	m	-	-
da	nan		da	ru	pam
X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
S	g		S	g	P	m	g
la	sat		kun	da	lam	go	ku
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
R		R	g	r	S	-	-
le		braja		ma	na	a	am
X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
P	P		P	P	P	d	P
ya	so		da	bhi	yo	lu	kha
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
m		m	g	P	m	-	-
lad		dha	va	ma	na	a	m
X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
S	g		S	g	P	m	g
pa	ra		mr	stam	at	yan	ta
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
R		R	g	r	S	-	-
to		drut	ya	go	pya	a	a

FORM B:

X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
P	S’		S’	S’	S’	r’	S’
i	ti		drk	sva	li	ra	bhir
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
n		n	d	n	P	-	-
a		nan	da	kun	de
X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
m	d		d	d	P	m	g
sva	gho		sam	nir	maj	jan	tam
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
R		R	g	r	S	-	-
a		khya	pa	yan	tam
X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
P	S’		S’	S’	S’	r’	S’
ta	di		ye	si	ta	jne	su
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
n		n	d	n	P	-	-
bhak		tair	jit	at	vam	a	m
X					2
1		2		3	4	5	6
m	d		d	d	P	m	g
pu	nah		pre	ma	tas	mam	sa
0					3
7		8		9	10	11	12
R		R	g	r	S	-	-
ta		vrt	ti	van	de	e	e

LYRICS:

(1)

namāmīśvaraḿ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaḿ 
lasat-kuṇḍalaḿ gokule bhrājamanam
yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaḿ 
parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā

(2)

rudantaḿ muhur netra-yugmaḿ mṛjantam
karāmbhoja-yugmena sātańka-netram
muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-trirekhāńka-kaṇṭha- 
sthita-graivaḿ dāmodaraḿ bhakti-baddham

(3)

itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe
sva-ghoṣaḿ nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam
tadīyeṣita-jñeṣu bhaktair jitatvaḿ 
punaḥ prematas taḿ śatāvṛtti vande

(4)

varaḿ deva mokṣaḿ na mokṣāvadhiḿ vā
na canyaḿ vṛṇe ‘haḿ vareṣād apīha
idaḿ te vapur nātha gopāla-bālaḿ 
sadā me manasy āvirāstāḿ kim anyaiḥ

(5)

idaḿ te mukhāmbhojam atyanta-nīlair
vṛtaḿ kuntalaiḥ snigdha-raktaiś ca gopyā
muhuś cumbitaḿ bimba-raktādharaḿ me 
manasy āvirāstām alaḿ lakṣa-lābhaiḥ

(6)

namo deva dāmodarānanta viṣṇo
prasīda prabho duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam
kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnaḿ batānu
gṛhāṇeṣa mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ

(7)

kuverātmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat
tvayā mocitau bhakti-bhājau kṛtau ca 
tathā prema-bhaktiḿ svakāḿ me prayaccha
na mokṣe graho me ‘sti dāmodareha

(8)

namas te ‘stu dāmne sphurad-dīpti-dhāmne
tvadīyodarāyātha viśvasya dhāmne
namo rādhikāyai tvadīya-priyāyai
namo ‘nanta-līlāya devāya tubhyam

UPDATED: June 18, 2009