nAma japA by mind or by speech helps us to devote our mind, develop bhakti and lead us in the path of jnAnA says mahAperiyavA. Sri Govinda Damodara stotram authored by vilvamangalam swamy invokes this nAma japA of Govinda, Damodara, Madhava as names and forms of Sri Krishna.

Once sage markandeya wishing to see mAyA of Lord nArAyaNa which creates the Universe, meditates on it continuously. In an evening, when he went to Puṣpabhadrā river to do sandhyavandanam, waters arose all around, engulfing him with different sea creatures. Terrified, he roamed in waters for like tens of thousands of years. Suddenly he saw an Island with young, blossomed banyan tree in whose one leaf was lying a baby sucking its big toe. Sage got sucked into that baby like a fly. Inside he saw the entire Universe including sages nara-nArAyaNA. He was thrown out and he saw the child again. When he tried to near the child physically, all these visions disappeared.

mAyA cannot be ‘physically’ caught. In all Universe, it happens as a series of disturbances of equilibrium, as in a growing baby. Though immobile, baby sucks toe as a way of exploration, disturbing the equilibrium, finding new objects through ‘play’.

Lord nArAyaNA continuously disturbs ‘equilibrium’, finding new creations in the Universe as a ‘play’

When equilibrium is disturbed 3 things may happen.

  1. Move back to old state immediately (mAdhava, Stable equilibrium).

  1. Move to new stable state immediately (Govinda, Neutral equilibrium)

  1. Continue unstable state for long before stability(dAmodara, Unstable equilibrium).

Lord nArAyaNa in various forms like Hari, murAri, vAsudeva disturb equilibrium to spur creation. Forms of Govinda,madhava, dAmodara restore equilibrium. Hence their names are the amRt that help us live peacefully.

Krishna

  • gopika is a metaphor for Paramatma jIvatma relationship. Vrnda means multitude or masses. In the forest of the masses of life (vrnda-vana) there is only one Paramatma, which is Krishna. All the jIvAs are the gopis that chase Paramatma, by their devotion, though they have him in their heart.

ParamAtma manifests as ‘Sat’, the existence caused by mAyA (creation/ evolution process), as ‘Cit’ the knowledge of all beings, as ‘Ananda’, the bliss realized through love, devotion.

All jIva are gopis of ParamAmta, but those that immerse in Ananda, the bliss, through love/devotion to paramAtma are the ‘rAdhA’.

Some jIvas realize paramAtma through their existence, by going through the effects of mAyA. Some jIvas realize by their search of knowledge. Some realize through love/devotion. Not every gopi is a rAdhA.

Bhajans & devotional songs pave the path of Ananda, the bliss, by increasing the love/devotion to the paramAtma, creating rAdhAs.

For all 'gopi's, the names Govinda, mAdhava, damodara are the amRt that helps reach equilibrium . But we wrongly equate GovindA with ‘loss’.  Go-vindA (the neutral equilibrium) is the finder of new stability. When our equilibrium in health, wealth or happiness is lost, we invoke this Govinda who finds us a new stable state.

Govinda damodara madhaveti translation sung in tamil, essence in english with mahaperiyava discourse

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDF5N\_sZXhk[/embedyt]