Remember Who Is Responsible For The Name

By krishnasmercy on February 7, 2026 • ( 0 )

“’O naughty child, now try going from here, if you can.’ Having spoken thus, she returned to her household duties.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.15)

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यदि शक्नोषि गच्छ त्वम् अतिचञ्चलचेष्टित
इत्य् उक्त्वा च निजं कर्म सा चकार कुटुम्बिनी

yadi śaknoṣi gaccha tvam aticañcalaceṣṭita
ity uktvā ca nijaṃ karma sā cakāra kuṭumbinī

“It is one of the selling points. The acharyas are practically boasting about it. You won’t find this anywhere else, they claim. It is supposed to facilitate the launch into an infinite engagement, sanatana-dharma. This has supposedly always been our occupation, but we have forgotten. We have settled for temporary work, with temporary rewards, in temporary occupations, that naturally lead to temporary identifications. If we want to know who we truly are, we need help from the descending process of knowledge. It is a gift from above, in revealing our identity that we only think is hidden. We are Brahman, you see, and Brahman has an affinity for that which has endurance.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं
स्वभावो ऽध्यात्मम् उच्यते
भूत-भावोद्भव-करो
विसर्गः कर्म-संज्ञितः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
akṣaraṁ brahma paramaṁ
svabhāvo ‘dhyātmam ucyate
bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo
visargaḥ karma-saṁjñitaḥ

“The Supreme Lord said, The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. Action pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called karma, or fruitive activities.” (Bhagavad-gita, 8.3)

“To assist in remaining in sanatana-dharma, we have the many names. Too many to count, in fact. You can start with the generic and the impersonal. Brahman is one insight into Divinity. Ishvara points to a singular entity or being. Then there is Parameshvara, meaning that if you gathered all the individual ishvaras together, there is still one that stands supreme. This Parameshvara is also Parabrahman.

“Then, of course, you have the names relating to attributes, relationships, accomplishments, incidents, and movements. The all-attractive one is Krishna. He is the same Vishnu, who is the origin of men, Narayana. Krishna appears from the womb of Devaki, but spends the childhood years in Gokula and Vrindavana, under the care of the mother named Yashoda.

“To that end we have the name Damodara, which is especially remembered during the Kartik month in the calendar. This falls somewhere in October/November, but the dates vary because of the alignment with the lunar cycles. Damodara has an accompanying vision. That vision is like the end to a story. A short story, at that, but a blissful one, nonetheless. At least if you were polling the followers, the supporters, the people who worship this same Krishna, they would count Damodara-lila among their favorites.

“My issue is that when does the volume become too much to handle? Why do we need so many names? Why do we need to celebrate Damodara, for instance? Doesn’t Krishna already have enough names? This one is a little strange to pronounce. The meaning is peculiar, as well. The literal translation is one who is bound by the belly. Don’t we typically associate such images with torture? Punishment. Something negative. Why the stark contrast? What exactly is so special about this name?”

ततश् च दामोदरतां स ययौ दामबन्धनात्

tataś ca dāmodaratāṃ sa yayau dāmabandhanāt

“It is thus that He became known as Damodara, for being bound by a rope.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.20)

One angle to consider is the association. Vishnu has the associated image of lying down in the spiritual world. He is eternally in Vaikuntha, always at rest. He has not a care in the world. He is the source of the many worlds, after all. It is through His breathing. Something we consider involuntary takes care of the expansive universes, which each have their three time periods: beginning, middle, and end. Vishnu is at the core of everything, but He is still somewhat aloof. He is not bothered by the ups and downs. He is not affected.

न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति
न मे कर्म-फले स्पृहा
इति मां यो ऽभिजानाति
कर्मभिर् न स बध्यते

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti
na me karma-phale spṛhā
iti māṁ yo ‘bhijānāti
karmabhir na sa badhyate

“There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.14)

We think of Krishna delivering Bhagavad-gita. We might remember Him playing with cows. He once lifted Govardhana Hill to provide protection when it was desperately needed. The situation was dire. The unexpected flooding in Vrindavana was an emergency requiring first-responders. We might also remember Krishna as the king of Dvaraka, living with His many queens.

With the name Damodara, there is basically only one association. There is one person who gave Krishna that name. There is one person who was responsible for binding Krishna. There was one person offering the punishment. There was one person who was so faithful to her role of kutumbini that she incorporated everything about her life into service to the one who is completely satisfied in Himself, atmarama.

Yashoda is responsible for the name Damodara. Not a scholar of high repute. Not a brahmana engaged in study of the Vedas or conducting rituals for the upliftment of society. Not a leader of men, protecting against injury. Not a builder of elaborate palaces or a land baron accumulating wealth through rent payments from tenants.

A simple, loving, and innocent mother gave Krishna the name Damodara. There is no ambiguity. The cheating spiritualists would have a difficult time making an abstract out of this situation. They could not claim, with a straight face anyways, that the living beings are all the same and therefore you and I can take credit for that pastime in Gokula.

It was one person. It was one mother. It was Yashoda’s decision to chase Krishna with a whipping stick after He broke a pot of butter in anger. It was Yashoda’s decision to find ropes that were long enough to bind Krishna. It was Yashoda who left the scene with taunting words, asking the naughty Krishna if He could try to move now. It is Yashoda that we celebrate through the name of Damodara. That is the kindness of the Supreme Lord towards His devotees.