The Damodar Leela

Mother Yashoda tried to tie naughty Kanha to a grinding mortar, but the rope was always two fingers too short, until the Lord lovingly allowed himself to be bound.

One day Mother Yashoda was churning curd herself, lovingly singing about her child's leelas. Hungry Kanha came, caught hold of the churning rod and insisted on being fed. She took him on her lap and began to nurse him, but just then the milk on the stove began to boil over. She set him down and hurried to save the milk.

Upset at being left half-fed, Kanha broke the curd pot with a stone, took butter from inside and sat on an upturned wooden mortar, feeding the monkeys. When Yashoda returned and saw this, she picked up a stick and came toward him. Seeing her, Kanha ran away pretending to be frightened. The one whom even great yogis cannot catch in meditation was caught by Mother Yashoda running after him.

Seeing her son cry, she threw the stick away and decided to tie him to the mortar. But the rope she brought was two fingers too short. She joined another rope, and it was still two fingers short. She joined every rope in the house, yet each time the gap of two fingers remained. Yashoda was tired and covered in perspiration. Then the Lord, who is tender toward his devotees, saw his mother's effort and allowed himself to be bound. Saints say the two fingers are the devotee's sincere effort and the Lord's grace. Because a rope (dama) was tied around his belly (udara), he is called Damodar.

Bound to the mortar, Kanha crawled between two huge Arjuna trees in the courtyard, dragging it behind him. The mortar stuck, and both trees crashed down, uprooted. From them emerged two radiant beings, Nalakuvara and Manigriva, sons of Kubera. Intoxicated by wealth and pride, they had been cursed by Narada Muni to become trees, with the blessing that they would be freed by the Lord's darshan. They offered prayers to Krishna and returned to their realm.

The month of Kartik is known as Damodar month. Devotees offer lamps and recite the Damodarashtakam, remembering the child who can be bound only by the rope of love.

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, ch. 9–10

Place

Gokul

Lesson

The Lord whom no power can bind lets himself be bound by a devotee's sincere love.