Shloka 20

Śakaṭa-bhañjana, Naming by Garga, Dāmodara and Yamala-arjuna, and the Move to Vṛndāvana

Devanagari script

ततश् च दामोदरतां स ययौ दामबन्धनात्

Transliteration

tataś ca dāmodaratāṃ sa yayau dāmabandhanāt

Translation

And then, because He was bound with a rope around His waist, He came to be known by the name “Dāmodara”—the Supreme Lord accepting, through loving devotion, even the mark of bondage.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha/Temporal (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थे (indeclinable; then/thereafter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• दामोदरताम्: the state/name ‘Dāmodara’
• दामोदरताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाम + उदर + ता (प्रातिपदिक + तद्धित)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः (दाम्ना उदरं यस्य → दामोदर; तस्य भावः = दामोदरता); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (fem. acc. sg.)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (masc. nom. sg.)

• ययौ: came to / attained
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (perfect, 3rd person, singular)

• दामबन्धनात्: from the binding with a rope
• दामबन्धनात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दामन् + बन्धन (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः (दाम्नः बन्धनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन (neut. abl. sg.)

Speaker

Sage Parashara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He accepts the name Dāmodara to proclaim that the Supreme yields to loving devotion, making Himself ‘bound’ by bhakti.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Establishment of bhakti as the highest means, where the Lord becomes accessible and bestows grace beyond karma.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme Lord, though the ultimate cause, willingly bears the ‘mark of bondage’ because prema-bhakti has the power to bind Him.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Cultivate loving, personal devotion (seva, nāma-smaraṇa, humility) rather than relying solely on power, status, or ritual exactitude.

Vishishtadvaita: The transcendent Brahman (Nārāyaṇa/Kṛṣṇa) remains sovereign yet becomes immanently accessible through the devotee’s love, affirming a personal Brahman with real relations.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of the name “Damodara” in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that Krishna is called Damodara specifically because He was bound (bandhana) with a rope (dāman) around His waist—showing how divine names arise from His līlā and His responsiveness to devotion.

How does Sage Parashara explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and being ‘bound’?

By presenting the binding as the cause of the epithet “Damodara,” Parashara implies that the Supreme Lord remains sovereign yet freely accepts limitation in līlā, allowing bhakti to ‘bind’ Him without diminishing His divinity.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Vishnu, appearing as Krishna, is affirmed as the Supreme Reality whose greatness includes intimacy: He permits Himself to be approached and even ‘bound’ through loving devotion, reinforcing core Vaishnava theology.