Kartika, in South France - The Gaudiya Math in Mirepoix

In Mirepoix, in the South of France, the devotees are affiliated with the Gaudiya Math. Instead of celebrating the pastime of Kartika during the month of Damodara, by glorifying fully the devotion of Mother Yasoda, they dedicate in their heart this millennial devotional song to Radharani. They completely change registers. In doing so, they shift from the parental rasa to the amorous rasa. In other words, the rasas are mixed." Do you understand?

Do you? The Padma Purana, from which this song originates - the Damodara ashtakam - raised no question of conjugal love of that kind. The song primarily praises the attitude and concern of a mother for her child. It specifically describes how she tries to bind Krishna’s belly to a wooden mortar and cannot succeed.

In that song, Krishna is said to be Vishnu, and His belly is equated with the universe. No one can embrace the universe rationally or materially, such as through scientific techniques. But devotion can.

Satyavrata Muni, the author of this song, glorifies this idea by using the unmotivated love between a mother and her child. This kind of example is universal, not sectarian, not illicit. Everyone can identify with it. The love of a mother for her child is pure and unmotivated, unlike the love of a woman for a man.