कार्तिक मास की जय | राधा दामोदर मास की जय |
This is the one month for which all Vaishnav people wait throughout the year. Vaishnav brothers and sisters become extremely happy on hearing the name of this month.
Everyone dances and sings in their homes with joy and enthusiasm, remembering Lord Radha Damodar and at night, everyone together donates a lamp to the Thakurji of their home. There is only joy everywhere.
What is it like in this month? What is such a big thing in this month of Kartik? You will have many questions. So let us tell you in this article what is this Kartik month?
What is Kartik month? How is it different from other months?
Well, in our Sanatan culture every month has a different significance and joy. Something special happens in every month, there are always some celebrations taking place.
Sometimes the holy month of Shravan will come, sometimes the month of Magashirsha will come, big time. But why is the month of Kartik so special?
Look, the month of Kartik is the only month in which there are so many festivals together. There are many special days which come in the month of Kartik, let me tell you about them also. But there is one thing which makes this month especially special. So that thing is Damodar Leela of Lord Shri Krishna. Jai Ho! This is what makes this month special.
This is a wonderful play of God. I will write a complete article on this but for now let us know about this divine and beautiful Leela in summary.
This beautiful leela of God is described in Bhagwat Mahapuran that Mother Yashoda was churning curd in the courtyard of her house. On one side he has put milk on the stove to heat it. Now here comes our little child Gopala who has just woken up from sleep and starts saying to Mother Yashoda, “मैया! मुझे भूख लगी है। दूध पिलाओ।” Mother Yashoda starts feeding milk to Shri Krishna from her breasts.
After some time, the milk kept on the stove for heating starts boiling (it has many meanings which are well described in our scriptures). So Mother Yashoda places Krishna on the ground and goes to keep the milk on the stove properly.
This Krishna now gets angry and breaks the jars containing curd and butter. Mother Yashoda said, now this son will be beaten today. Krishna has troubled me a lot. I tie it with a mortar.
Seeing the angry red eyes of his mother, little Krishna started running. From here he started running across the courtyard. Mother Yashoda started running ahead of Krishna with a stick in her hand. Now all the gods sitting in the heavenly world started enjoying this divine play.
After a lot of running, Krishna thought that let’s get tied. Then Shri Krishna is caught and after much difficulty is tied because of Shri Radha Rani. Krishna then starts walking, dragging the mortar with his small legs. While walking, Krishna’s mortar gets stuck in a tree named Yamalarjuna in the courtyard of the house. And with just a little force, Krishna uproots those two trees (actually they were the sons of Kuber, they were bound to the trees on earth by the curse of Narad Muni, then Narad Muni had told them that in Dwaparyuga, Narayan himself They will be saved at the hands of). Two divine souls emerge from them and praise Shri Krishna.
This sacred leela took place in this Kartik month. Because of this divine leela of God, this month is also known as Damodar Month.
Sri Damodarashtakam from Padma Purana
This divine play of God has been described in Padmapuran through verses in an ashtak, whose name is Damodarashtakam.
We have also written an article on that. We have uploaded Sri Damodarashtakam with its lyrics. You can enjoy this divine leela by reading it also.
Other special days of Kartik month
Kartik month starts with Devuthani Ekadashi. On this date Lord Vishnu wakes up from four months of Yoganidra. There are many important fasts and festivals in the month of Kartik, such as-
The celebration of Bhai Dooj, Diwali, Chhath Puja, Mokshada Ekadashi, Govardhan Puja, Gopashtami, Tulsi-Shaligram marriage and other such Hindu festivals makes the month of Kartik special.
What should we do in the Kartik Month?
Well, on this our favorite Amogh Leela Prabhuji has made a very beautiful video, do watch it.
But I would like to tell you that whether you do anything or not, you must offer a lamp to Shri Krishna (Shri Shri Radha Damodar) once.
Just have to do this. You can go to the nearby ISKCON temple because every evening of the month of Kartik, lamps are donated in the ISKCON temples. Many devotees come together and offer lamps to Sri Sri Radha Damodar. And this view is also amazing.
Conclusion
The month of Kartik holds a special place in our hearts, which resonates with the sweet stories and teachings of Lord Shri Krishna. For the Vaishnav community, it is not just a month but an intense journey of devotion, nostalgia and spiritual awakening. Damodar Leela, with its playful yet deeply symbolic narrative, reminds us of the omnipresent divine love and mischief that is always present all around us. From Bhai Dooj to Diwali, many festivals enrich our soul, bring us closer to God and each other.
I am so grateful to all of you for walking this path with me, sharing the joys of these stories, and immersing yourself in the deep knowledge of our Sanatana culture. Your enthusiasm and curiosity inspire me to dig deeper and bring more such stories to life. Among the treasures of our tradition, the Vishnu Sahasranamam stands as a pinnacle of spiritual and philosophical depth. This ancient hymn, extolling a thousand names of Lord Vishnu, embodies the essence of wisdom and devotion. I invite you to explore the profound layers of the Vishnu Sahasranamam with me, as we continue to delve into the riches of our heritage.
For those who yearn for such spiritual nectar, I heartily invite you to explore our other writings at vrindavanrasamrit.in Each article, story and verse has been lovingly crafted with the aim of taking you to the divine realms of Vrindavan and Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari bhajan with pdf download.
Discover the essence of devotion with every click through our exclusive collection of Radha Krishna images, where each photo is a testament to the eternal love and divine beauty that Radha and Krishna embody.”
