॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Friday, 21 April 2023 - X a.25- An enraged Indra terrorises Sri Krishna's people with torrential deluge and wind. Sri Krishna calmly lifts the Govardhana hill as an umbrella and protects his people for seven days, until Indra realises his mistake.
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Govardhanagiridhara - Belur
श्रीशुक उवाच
इन्द्रस्तदात्मनः पूजां विज्ञाय विहतां नृप । गोपेभ्यः कृष्णनाथेभ्यो नन्दादिभ्यश्चुकोप सः ॥
गणं सांवर्तकं नाम मेघानां चान्तकारिणाम् । इन्द्रः प्राचोदयत्क्रुद्धो वाक्यं चाहेशमान्युत ॥
अहो श्रीमदमाहात्म्यं गोपानां काननौकसाम् । कृष्णं मर्त्यमुपाश्रित्य ये चक्रुर्देवहेलनम् ॥
यथादृढैः कर्ममयैः क्रतुभिर्नामनौनिभैः । विद्यामान्वीक्षिकीं हित्वा तितीर्षन्ति भवार्णवम् ॥
वाचालं बालिशं स्तब्धमज्ञं पण्डितमानिनम् । कृष्णं मर्त्यमुपाश्रित्य गोपा मे चक्रुरप्रियम् ॥
एषां श्रियावलिप्तानां कृष्णेनाध्मायितात्मनाम् । धुनुत श्रीमदस्तम्भं पशून् नयत सङ्क्षयम् ॥
अहं चैरावतं नागमारुह्यानुव्रजे व्रजम् । मरुद्गणैर्महावीर्यैर्नन्दगोष्ठजिघांसया ॥
T: Sage Shuka narrated to Parikshit: "Lord Indra was most upset that the Yajna to propitiate him had been hijacked. He developed extreme rage towards the cowherds, Sri Krishna and Nanda. He called the cataclysmic clouds under his control, called Saamvartaka, that destroy everything like the great dissolution.
"Look at these stupid cowherds, swollen with their wealth, wandering in the forests, listening to Sri Krishna! They have offended us, the gods! They are so foolish in abandoning time-honoured rituals to propitiate us, and in taking up some rustic nature worship. It is like trying to cross the ocean of Samsara in a makeshift boat of misdirected rituals! These cowherds have dared to offend me by listening to a foolish, self-important and overtalkative boy called Krishna! Go and bring their pride down, shatter their lives, and destroy their animals! I shall follow you, Saamvartaka, on my divine Airavata elephant, and bring the deadliest winds to blow everything away."
Thus, the Saamvartaka deluge was let loose unwisely by Indra. It poured down in utter fury, and wreaked havoc among the cowherds and cows. They all were first bewildered, then terrorised, and rushed to Sri Krishna in desperation. "Oh, Krishna! We are being destroyed by this downpour and winds! Please save us! Save us!"
शिलावर्षनिपातेन हन्यमानमचेतनम् । निरीक्ष्य भगवान्मेने कुपितेन्द्रकृतं हरिः ॥
अपर्त्वत्युल्बणं वर्षमतिवातं शिलामयम् ।स्वयागे विहतेऽस्माभिरिन्द्रो नाशाय वर्षति ॥
तत्र प्रतिविधिं सम्यगात्मयोगेन साधये । लोकेशमानिनां मौढ्याद्धरिष्ये श्रीमदं तमः ॥
न हि सद्भावयुक्तानां सुराणामीशविस्मयः । मत्तोऽसतां मानभङ्गः प्रशमायोपकल्पते ॥
तस्मान्मच्छरणं गोष्ठं मन्नाथं मत्परिग्रहम् । गोपाये स्वात्मयोगेन सोऽयं मे व्रत आहितः ॥
T: Sri Krishna, who was none other than Bhagavan Sri Hari, knew at once that this rain of hailstones, these terrific winds, this torrential deluge, were all the acts of Indra. "Indra wants to destroy us because we defied the system of propitiating him. The only way to tame Indra is to employ My Yogic power. I have to break down the ego, and self-centred ignorance of Indra thinking that he is the overlord of creation. Indeed, the gods are essentially made up of Sattva Guna, and this aberration of arrogance in Indra, their king, should be broken so the gods see the light. I shall therefore protect these cowherds and their people and the cows and other helpless animals by using My Yogic power. After all, it is My proclaimed vow to protect My devotees!"
इत्युक्त्वैकेन हस्तेन कृत्वा गोवर्धनाचलम् । दधार लीलया कृष्णश्छत्राकमिव बालकः ॥
अथाह भगवान् गोपान् हेऽम्ब तात व्रजौकसः । यथोपजोषं विशत गिरिगर्तं सगोधनाः ॥
न त्रास इह वः कार्यो मद्धस्ताद्रिनिपातने । वातवर्षभयेनालं तत्त्राणं विहितं हि वः ॥
तथा निर्विविशुर्गर्तं कृष्णाश्वासितमानसाः । यथावकाशं सधनाः सव्रजाः सोपजीविनः ॥
क्षुत्तृड्व्यथां सुखापेक्षां हित्वा तैर्व्रजवासिभिः । वीक्ष्यमाणो दधावद्रिं सप्ताहं नाचलत्पदात् ॥
T: Having said this, Sri Krishna, who is Bhagavan Maha Vishnu Himself, picked up the Govardhana Hill with one hand and held it aloft just as easily as a child holds up a mushroom! The Lord then addressed the cowherd community:
"O Mother, O Father, O residents of Vraja, if you wish you may now come under this hill with your cows.You should have no fear that this mountain will fall from My hand. And don’t be afraid of the wind and rain, for I have taken care of your protection from all these difficulties."
Their minds thus pacified by Bhagavan Sri Krishna, all the cowherds entered the clear space beneath the hill, where they found ample room for themselves and all their cows, wagons, servants and priests, and for all other members of the community as well. Sri Krishna, forgetting hunger and thirst and putting aside all considerations of personal pleasure, stood there holding up the hill for seven days as the people of Vraja gazed upon Him in a daze.
कृष्णयोगानुभावं तं निशाम्येन्द्रोऽतिविस्मितः । निःस्तम्भो भ्रष्टसङ्कल्पः स्वान्मेघान् सन्न्यवारयत् ॥
खं व्यभ्रमुदितादित्यं वातवर्षं च दारुणम् । निशाम्योपरतं गोपान् गोवर्धनधरोऽब्रवीत् ॥
T: Let us pause and understand the magnitude of this event. Here was a young boy, lifting up a mountain, defying the terrorising deluge and wind of Indra! Naturally, when Indra observed this exhibition of Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s Yogic power, he became most astonished. He was at once pulled down from his platform of false pride. Seeing his intentions thwarted, he ordered his clouds and winds to cease.
Seeing that the fierce wind and rain had now ceased, the sky had become clear of rainclouds, and the sun had appeared, Sri Krishna, henceforth to be known as the lifter of the Govardhana Hill, spoke to the cowherd community as follows.
निर्यात त्यजत त्रासं गोपाः सस्त्रीधनार्भकाः । उपारतं वातवर्षं व्युदप्रायाश्च निम्नगाः ॥
ततस्ते निर्ययुर्गोपाः स्वं स्वमादाय गोधनम् । शकटोढोपकरणं स्त्रीबालस्थविराः शनैः ॥
T: Bhagavan said: "My dear cowherd folk, the wind and rain have stopped, and the rivers’ high waters have subsided. You may now safely go out with your wives, children and possessions. Give up your fear."
After collecting their respective cows and loading their paraphernalia into their wagons, the cowherd men went out. The women, children and elderly persons gradually followed them.
भगवानपि तं शैलं स्वस्थाने पूर्ववत्प्रभुः । पश्यतां सर्वभूतानां स्थापयामास लीलया ॥
तं प्रेमवेगान्निभृता व्रजौकसो यथा समीयुः परिरम्भणादिभिः ।
गोप्यश्च सस्नेहमपूजयन्मुदा दध्यक्षताद्भिर्युयुजुः सदाशिषः ॥
यशोदा रोहिणी नन्दो रामश्च बलिनां वरः । कृष्णमालिङ्ग्य युयुजुराशिषः स्नेहकातराः ॥
दिवि देवगणाः साध्याः सिद्धगन्धर्वचारणाः । तुष्टुवुर्मुमुचुस्तुष्टाः पुष्पवर्षाणि पार्थिव ॥
शङ्खदुन्दुभयो नेदुर्दिवि देवप्रणोदिताः । जगुर्गन्धर्वपतयस्तुम्बुरुप्रमुखा नृप ॥
ततोऽनुरक्तैः पशुपैः परिश्रितो राजन् स गोष्ठं सबलोऽव्रजद्धरिः ।
तथाविधान्यस्य कृतानि गोपिकाः गायन्त्य ईयुर्मुदिता हृदिस्पृशः ॥
T: While all living creatures looked on, Bhagavan put down the hill in its original place, just as it had stood before.
All the residents of Vraja were overwhelmed with ecstatic love, and they came forward and greeted Sri Krishna according to their individual relationships with him — some embracing him, others bowing down to him, and so forth. The cowherd women presented water mixed with curd and flattened rice (something offered even today in Krishna temples) as a token of honour, and they showered auspicious benedictions upon him.
Mothers Yashoda and Rohini, Nanda and Balarama (known for his muscle might), all embraced Sri Krishna. Overwhelmed with affection, they offered him their blessings.
In the heavens, all the gods, including the Siddhas, Sadhyas, Gandharvas and Charanas, sang the praises of Sri Krishna and showered down flowers in great satisfaction.
The gods in heaven resoundingly played their conch shells and kettledrums, and the best of the Gandharvas, led by Tumburu, began to sing.
Surrounded by his loving cowherd friends and Balarama, Sri Krishna then went off to the place where he had been tending his cows. The cowherd girls returned to their homes, singing joyfully about the lifting of the Govardhana Hill and other glorious deeds performed by Sri Krishna, who had so deeply touched their hearts.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
