Sri Damodarastakam.

As the evenings draw in and Kartik begins, there is nothing nicer in all the world than gathering together around the altar, to offer lights to Sri Damodara. In our temple we offer little candles, but I wish we could offer ghee lamps like this one. The holder is made of clay and the wick is soaked in clarified butter, so it's both Earth friendly and an offering from the cow; Krishna especially likes that.

But it's the devotion which counts and which makes the daily Kartik ceremony so special. Singing the Damodarastaka song as we offer our lamps, surely can't help but increase our devotion to our divine Lord. When I first heard the Damodarastaka, I mostly liked the lilting three-beats-to-the-bar melody, but over the years of singing and studying the words, I've come to appreciate the deep devotion expressed in Damodarastaka and how, distracted though we may be, this song attracts our minds strongly towards Krishna, fanning our desire to serve Him more purely.

This year, Kartik came upon me unawares! I hadn't really prepared my mind; but fortunately, just singing the Damodarastakam every day, has drawn me into the Kartik mood. It's strong. There's a fine rendition of the first four verses here, by Gopal hari das: Sri Damodarastakam.