Govardhana-puja

Giriraj Swami: I shall speak something about Srila Madhavendra Puri, who discovered the deity of Gopal at Govardhana hill and installed the deity, and celebrated Annakūṭa just as the vrajavāsīs celebrated Annakūṭa five thousand years ago in connection with Govardhana-puja.

pūrve śrī-mādhava-purī āilā vṛndāvana
bhramite bhramite gelā giri Govardhana

TRANSLATION

Once, Śrī Mādhavendra Purī traveled to Vṛndāvana, where he came upon the hill known as Govardhana.

TEXT 22

preme matta, — nāhi tāṅra rātri-dina-jñāna
kṣaṇe uṭhe, kṣaṇe paḍe, nāhi sthānāsthāna

TRANSLATION

Mādhavendra Purī was almost mad in his ecstasy of love of Godhead, and he did not know whether it was day or night. Sometimes he stood up, and sometimes he fell to the ground. He could not discriminate whether he was in a proper place or not.

COMMENT

So, Madhavendra Puri actually introduced in to the sampradāya, the ecstasy of the love of Godhead in separation, especially in the mood of the gopīs. So, he was in such ecstasy of love of Godhead that he was manifesting many symptoms. He did not know whether it was day or night or whether he was in a proper place or not.

śaila parikramā kari’ govinda-kuṇḍe āsi’
snāna kari, vṛkṣa-tale āche sandhyāya vasi’

TRANSLATION

After circumambulating the hill, Mādhavendra Purī went to Govinda-kuṇḍa and took his bath. He then sat beneath a tree to take his evening rest.

TEXT 24

gopāla-bālaka eka dugdha-bhāṇḍa lañā
āsi’ āge dhari’ kichu balila hāsiyā

TRANSLATION

While he was sitting beneath a tree, an unknown cowherd boy came with a pot of milk, placed it before Mādhavendra Purī and, smiling, addressed him as follows.

TEXT 25

purī, ei dugdha lañā kara tumi pāna
māgi’ kene nāhi khāo, kibā kara dhyana

TRANSLATION

“O Mādhavendra Purī, please drink the milk I have brought. Why don’t you beg some food to eat? What kind of meditation are you undergoing?”

TEXT 26

bālakera saundarye purīra ha-ila santoṣa
tāhāra madhura-vākye gela bhoka-śoṣa

TRANSLATION

When he saw the beauty of that boy, Mādhavendra Purī became very satisfied. Hearing His sweet words, he forgot all hunger and thirst.

TEXT 27

purī kahe, — ke tumi, kāhāṅ tomāra vāsa
ke-mate jānile, āmi kari upavāsa

TRANSLATION

Mādhavendra Purī said, “Who are You? Where do You reside? And how did You know that I was fasting?”

TEXT 28

bālaka kahe, — gopa āmi, ei grāme vasi
āmāra grāmete keha nā rahe upavāsī

TRANSLATION

The boy replied, “Sir, I am a cowherd boy, and I reside in this village. In My village, no one fasts.

TEXT 29

keha anna māgi’ khāya, keha dugdhāhāra
ayācaka-jane āmi diye ta’ āhāra

TRANSLATION

“In this village a person can beg food from others and thus eat. Some people drink only milk, but if a person does not ask anyone for food, I supply him all his eatables.

TEXT 30

jala nite strī-gaṇa tomāre dekhi’ gela
strī-saba dugdha diyā āmāre pāṭhāila

TRANSLATION

“The women who come here to take water saw you, and they supplied Me with this milk and sent Me to you.”

TEXT 31

go-dohana karite cāhi, śīghra āmi yāba
āra-bāra āsi āmi ei bhāṇḍa la-iba

TRANSLATION

The boy continued, “I must go very soon to milk the cows, but I shall return and take back this milk pot from you.”

TEXT 32

eta bali’ gelā bālaka nā dekhiye āra
mādhava-purīra citte ha-ila camatkāra

TRANSLATION

Saying this, the boy left the place. Indeed, He suddenly could be seen no more, and Mādhavendra Purī’s heart was filled with wonder.

TEXT 33

dugdha pāna kari’ bhāṇḍa dhuñā rākhila
bāṭa dekhe, se bālaka punaḥ nā āila

TRANSLATION

After drinking the milk, Mādhavendra Purī washed the pot and put it aside. He looked toward the path, but the boy never returned.

TEXT 34

vasi’ nāma laya purī, nidrā nāhi haya
śeṣa-rātre tandrā haila, — bāhya-vṛtti-laya

TRANSLATION

Mādhavendra Purī could not sleep. He sat and chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and at the end of the night he dozed a little, and his external activities stopped.

TEXT 35

svapne dekhe, sei bālaka sammukhe āsiñā
eka kuñje lañā gela hātete dhariñā

TRANSLATION

In a dream Mādhavendra Purī saw the very same boy. The boy came before him and, holding his hand, took him to a bush in the jungle.

TEXT 36

kuñja dekhāñā kahe, — āmi ei kuñje ra-i
śīta-vṛṣṭi-vātāgnite mahā-duḥkha pāi

TRANSLATION

The boy showed Mādhavendra Purī the bush and said, “I reside in this bush, and because of this I suffer very much from severe cold, rain showers, winds, and scorching heat.

TEXT 37

grāmera loka āni’ āmā kāḍha’ kuñja haite
parvata-upari lañā rākha bhāla-mate

TRANSLATION

“Please bring the people of the village and get them to take Me out of this bush. Then have them situate Me nicely on top of the hill.

TEXT 38

eka maṭha kari’ tāhāṅ karaha sthāpana
bahu śītala jale kara śrī-aṅga mārjana

TRANSLATION

“Please construct a temple on top of that hill,” the boy continued, “and install Me in that temple. After this, wash Me with large quantities of cold water so that My body may be cleansed.

TEXT 39

bahu-dina tomāra patha kari nirīkṣaṇa
kabe āsi’ mādhava āmā karibe sevana

TRANSLATION

“For many days I have been observing you, and I have been wondering, ‘When will Mādhavendra Purī come here to serve Me?’

TEXT 40

tomāra prema-vaśe kari’ sevā aṅgīkāra
darśana diyā nistāriba sakala saṁsāra

TRANSLATION

“I have accepted your service due to your ecstatic love for Me. Thus I shall appear, and by My audience all fallen souls will be delivered.

TEXT 41

‘śrī-gopāla’ nāma mora, — govardhana-dhārī
vajrera sthāpita, āmi ihāṅ adhikārī

TRANSLATION

“My name is Gopāla. I am the lifter of Govardhana Hill. I was installed by Vajra, and here I am the authority.

TEXT 42

śaila-upari haite āmā kuñje lukāñā
mleccha-bhaye sevaka mora gela palāñā

TRANSLATION

“When the Muslims attacked, the priest who was serving Me hid Me in this bush in the jungle. Then he ran away out of fear of the attack.

TEXT 43

sei haite rahi āmi ei kuñja-sthāne
bhāla haila āilā āmā kāḍha sāvadhāne

TRANSLATION

“Since the priest went away, I have been staying in this bush. It is very good that you have come here. Now just remove Me with care.”

TEXT 44

eta bali’ se-bālaka antardhāna kaila
jāgiyā mādhava-purī vicāra karila

TRANSLATION

After saying this, the boy disappeared. Then Mādhavendra Purī woke up and began to consider his dream.

COMMENT

So, Vajra was a great devotee of Lord Krishna and installed many deities in the area of Vraja because he had personally seen Lord Krishna. He knew from others about the pastimes of Lord Krishna, and therefore he installed many of the most important deities in Vrindavan. Because he had personally seen the Lord, he could see that the deities were made just accordingly. One of the deities that he installed was the deity of Gopal. When the Muhammadians were invading India and ruling India, many of the deities were taken from Vrindavan, mostly to Jaipur or Udaipur, where they were given shelter by the kings of Rajasthan. So, almost all the main deities like Madan Mohan, Govindaji, Gopinatha, Radha-Damodara, they were taken from Vrindavan. Now, in the case of Gopal, the pūjārī was concern about the safety of the deity. But he hid the deity in bushes and then he never returned and the deity remained there for many years, but he was waiting for the right person to come and take him out of the bushes, and install him, and worship him. And Sripad Madhavendra Puri was the right person.

śrī-kṛṣṇake dekhinu muñi nārinu cinite
eta bali’ premāveśe paḍilā bhūmite

TRANSLATION

Mādhavendra Purī began to lament, “I saw Lord Kṛṣṇa directly, but I could not recognize Him!” Thus he fell down on the ground in ecstatic love.

TEXT 46

kṣaṇeka rodana kari, mana kaila dhīra
ājñā-pālana lāgi’ ha-ilā susthira

TRANSLATION

Mādhavendra Purī cried for some time, but then he fixed his mind on executing the order of Gopāla. Thus he became tranquil.

COMMENT

So, Madhavendra Puri was feeling so much separation because he had the audience of Krishna, and then Krishna disappeared. So he was feeling so much separation from Krishna, but then he meditated on the instruction that Krishna had given him in the dream, and he felt tranquil. Here also, we can understand how to mitigate feelings of separation by rendering service. Of course, Madhavendra Puri had the opportunity to see the Lord directly, and therefore he didn’t really feel separation. But thinking of the instructions of the deity and how to serve him, he became tranquil.

prātaḥ-snāna kari’ purī grāma-madhye gelā
saba loka ekatra kari’ kahite lāgilā

TRANSLATION

After taking his morning bath, Mādhavendra Purī entered the village and assembled all the people. Then he spoke as follows.

TEXT 48

grāmera īśvara tomāra — govardhana-dhārī
kuñje āche, cala, tāṅre bāhira ye kari

TRANSLATION

“The proprietor of this village, Govardhana-dhārī, is lying in the bushes. Let us go there and rescue Him from that place.

TEXT 49

atyanta niviḍa kuñja, — nāri praveśite
kuṭhāri kodāli laha dvāra karate

TRANSLATION

“The bushes are very dense, and we will not be able to enter the jungle. Therefore take choppers and spades to clear the way.”

TEXT 50

śuni’ loka tāṅra saṅge calilā hariṣe
kuñja kāṭi’ dvāra kari’ karilā praveśe

TRANSLATION

After hearing this, all the people accompanied Mādhavendra Purī with great pleasure. According to his directions, they cut down bushes, cleared a path and entered the jungle.

TEXT 51

ṭhākura dekhila māṭī-tṛṇe ācchādita
dekhi’ saba loka haila ānande vismita

TRANSLATION

When they saw the Deity covered with dirt and grass, they were all struck with wonder and pleasure.

TEXT 52

āvaraṇa dūra kari’ karila vidite
mahā-bhārī ṭhākura — keha nāre cālāite

TRANSLATION

After they had cleansed the body of the Deity, some of them said, “The Deity is very heavy. No single person can move Him.”

TEXT 53

mahā-mahā-baliṣṭha loka ekatra kariñā
parvata-upari gela purī ṭhākura lañā

TRANSLATION

Since the Deity was very heavy, some of the stronger men assembled to carry Him to the top of the hill. Mādhavendra Purī also went there.

TEXT 54

pātharera siṁhāsane ṭhākura vasāila
baḍa eka pāthara pṛṣṭhe avalamba dila

TRANSLATION

A big stone was made into a throne, and the Deity was installed upon it. Another big stone was placed behind the Deity for support.

TEXT 55

grāmera brāhmaṇa saba nava ghaṭa lañā
govinda-kuṇḍera jala ānila chāniñā

TRANSLATION

All the brāhmaṇa priests of the village gathered together with nine waterpots, and water from Govinda-kuṇḍa lake was brought there and filtered.

TEXT 56

nava śata-ghaṭa jala kaila upanīta
nānā vādya-bherī bāje, strī-gaṇa gāya gīta

TRANSLATION

When the Deity was being installed, nine hundred pots of water were brought from Govinda-kuṇḍa. There were musical sounds of bugles and drums and the singing of women.

TEXT 57

keha gāya, keha nāce, mahotsava haila
dadhi, dugdha, ghṛta āila grāme yata chila

TRANSLATION

During the festival at the installation ceremony, some people sang and some danced. All the milk, yogurt, and clarified butter in the village were brought to the festival.

TEXT 58

bhoga-sāmagrī āila sandeśādi yata
nānā upahāra, tāhā kahite pāri kata

TRANSLATION

Various foods and sweetmeats, as well as other kinds of presentations, were brought there. I am unable to describe all these.

TEXT 59

tulasī ādi, puṣpa, vastra āila aneka
āpane mādhava-purī kaila abhiṣeka

TRANSLATION

The villagers brought a large quantity of tulasī leaves, flowers, and various kinds of garments. Then Śrī Mādhavendra Purī personally began the abhiṣeka [bathing ceremony].

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (sixth vilāsa, verse 30) it is stated that the Deity should be bathed in water mixed with yogurt and milk, accompanied by the sounds of conchshells, bells, and other instruments and the chanting of the mantra oṁ bhagavate vāsudevāya namaḥ, as well as the chanting of the Brahma-saṁhitā verses beginning cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam.

TEXT 60

amaṅgalā dūra kari’ karāila snāna
bahu taila diyā kaila śrī-aṅga cikkaṇa

TRANSLATION

After all inauspicious things were driven away by the chanting of the mantra, the Deity’s bathing ceremony started. First the Deity was massaged with a large quantity of oil, so that His body became very glossy.

TEXT 61

pañca-gavya, pañcāmṛte snāna karāñā
mahā-snāna karāila śata ghaṭa diñā

TRANSLATION

After the first bathing, further bathings were conducted with pañca-gavya and then with pañcāmṛta. Then the mahā-snāna was performed with ghee and water, which had been brought in one hundred pots.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The ingredients of pañca-gavya are milk, yogurt, ghee (clarified butter), cow urine and cow dung. All these items come from the cow; therefore we can just imagine how important the cow is, since its urine and stool are required for bathing the Deity. The pañcāmṛta consists of five kinds of nectar — yogurt, milk, ghee, honey, and sugar. The major portion of this preparation also comes from the cow. To make it more palatable, sugar, and honey are added.

TEXT 62

punaḥ taila diya kaila śrī-aṅga cikkaṇa
śaṅkha-gandhodake kaila snāna samādhāna

TRANSLATION

After the mahā-snāna was finished, the Deity was again massaged with scented oil and His body made glossy. Then the last bathing ceremony was performed with scented water kept within a conchshell.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

In his commentary on this occasion, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura quotes from the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. Barley powder, wheat powder, vermilion powder, urad dhal powder and another powder preparation called āvāṭā (made by mixing banana powder and ground rice) are applied to the Deity’s body with a brush made from the hair at the end of a cow’s tail. This produces a nice finish. The oil smeared over the body of the Deity should be scented. To perform the mahā-snāna, at least two and a half mānas (about twenty-four gallons) of water are needed to pour over the body of the Deity.

TEXT 63

śrī-aṅga mārjana kari’ vastra parāila
candana, tulasī, puṣpa-mālā aṅge dila

TRANSLATION

After the body of the Deity was cleansed, He was dressed very nicely with new garments. Then sandalwood pulp, tulasī garlands and other fragrant flower garlands were placed upon the body of the Deity.

TEXT 64

dhūpa, dīpa, kari’ nānā bhoga lāgāila
dadhi-dugdha-sandeśādi yata kichu āila

TRANSLATION

After the bathing ceremony was finished, incense and lamps were burned and all kinds of food offered before the Deity. These foods included yogurt, milk, and as many sweetmeats as were received.

TEXT 65

suvāsita jala nava-pātre samarpila
ācamana diyā se tāmbūla nivedila

TRANSLATION

The Deity was first offered many varieties of food, then scented drinking water in new pots, and then water for washing the mouth. Finally pan mixed with a variety of spices was offered.

TEXT 66

ārātrika kari’ kaila bahuta stavana
daṇḍavat kari’ kaila ātma-samarpaṇa

TRANSLATION

After the last offering of tāmbūla and pan, bhoga-ārātrika was performed. Finally everyone offered various prayers and then obeisances, falling flat before the Deity in full surrender.

TEXT 67

grāmera yateka taṇḍula, dāli godhūma-cūrṇa
sakala āniyā dila parvata haila pūrṇa

TRANSLATION

As soon as the people of the village had understood that the Deity was going to be installed, they had brought their entire stocks of rice, dhal, and wheat flour. They brought such large quantities that the entire surface of the top of the hill was filled.

TEXT 68

kumbhakāra ghare chila ye mṛd-bhājana
saba ānāila prāte, caḍila randhana

TRANSLATION

When the villagers brought their stock of rice, dhal, and flour, the potters of the village brought all kinds of cooking pots, and in the morning the cooking began.

TEXT 69

daśa-vipra anna rāndhi’ kare eka stūpa
janā-pāṅca rāndhe vyañjanādi nānā sūpa

TRANSLATION

Ten brāhmaṇas cooked the food grains, and five brāhmaṇas cooked both dry and liquid vegetables.

TEXT 70

vanya śāka-phala-mūle vividha vyañjana
keha baḍā-baḍi-kaḍi kare vipra-gaṇa

TRANSLATION

The vegetable preparations were made from various kinds of spinach, roots, and fruits collected from the forest, and someone made baḍā and baḍi by mashing dhal. In this way the brāhmaṇas prepared all kinds of food.

TEXT 71

janā pāṅca-sāta ruṭi kare rāśi-rāśi
anna-vyañjana saba rahe ghṛte bhāsi’

TRANSLATION

Five to seven men prepared a huge quantity of chapatis, which were completely covered with ghee [clarified butter], as were all the vegetables, rice, and dhal.

TEXT 72

nava-vastra pāti’ tāhe palāśera pāta
rāndhi’ rāndhi’ tāra upara rāśi kaila bhāta

TRANSLATION

All the cooked rice was stacked on palāśa leaves, which were on new cloths spread over the ground.

TEXT 73

tāra pāśe ruṭi-rāśira parvata ha-ila
sūpa-ādi-vyañjana-bhāṇḍa caudike dharila

TRANSLATION

Around the stack of cooked rice were stacks of chapatis, and all the vegetables and liquid vegetable preparations were placed in different pots and put around them.

TEXT 74

tāra pāśe dadhi, dugdha, māṭhā, śikhariṇī
pāyasa, mathanī, sara pāśe dhari āni’

TRANSLATION

Pots of yogurt, milk, buttermilk, and śikhariṇī, sweet rice, cream, and solid cream were placed alongside the vegetables.

PURPORT

In this kind of ceremony, which is called Annakūṭa, cooked rice is stacked like a small mountain for prasādam distribution.

TEXT 75

hena-mate anna-kūṭa karila sājana
purī-gosāñi gopālere kaila samarpaṇa

TRANSLATION

In this way the Annakūṭa ceremony was performed, and Mādhavendra Purī Gosvāmī personally offered everything to Gopāla.

TEXT 76

aneka ghaṭa bhari’ dila suvāsita jala
bahu-dinera kṣudhāya gopāla khāila sakala

TRANSLATION

Many waterpots were filled with scented water for drinking, and Lord Śrī Gopāla, who had been hungry for many days, ate everything offered to Him.

TEXT 77

yadyapi gopāla saba anna-vyañjana khāila
tāṅra hasta-sparśe punaḥ temani ha-ila

TRANSLATION

Although Śrī Gopāla ate everything offered, still, by the touch of His transcendental hand, everything remained as before.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The atheists cannot understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing in the form of the Deity, can eat all the food offered by His devotees. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.26) Kṛṣṇa says:

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.” The Lord is pūrṇa, complete, and therefore He eats everything offered by His devotees. However, by the touch of His transcendental hand, all the food remains exactly as before. It is the quality that is changed. Before the food was offered, it was something else, but after it is offered the food acquires a transcendental quality. Because the Lord is pūrṇa, He remains the same even after eating. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate. The food offered to Kṛṣṇa is qualitatively as good as Kṛṣṇa; just as Kṛṣṇa is avyaya, indestructible, the food eaten by Kṛṣṇa, being identical with Him, remains as before.

Apart from this, Kṛṣṇa can eat the food with any one of His transcendental senses. He can eat by seeing the food or by touching it. Nor should one think that it is necessary for Kṛṣṇa to eat. He does not become hungry like an ordinary human being; nonetheless, He presents Himself as being hungry, and as such, He can eat everything and anything, regardless of quantity. The philosophy underlying Kṛṣṇa’s eating is understandable by our transcendental senses. When our senses are purified by constantly being engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, we can understand Kṛṣṇa’s activities, names, forms, qualities, pastimes, and entourage.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

“No one can understand Kṛṣṇa by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234) The devotees understand Kṛṣṇa through revelation. It is not possible for a mundane scholar to understand Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes through research work on the nondevotional platform.

TEXT 78

ihā anubhava kaila mādhava gosāñi
tāṅra ṭhāñi gopālera lukāna kichu nāi

TRANSLATION

How Gopāla ate everything while the food remained the same was transcendentally perceived by Mādhavendra Purī Gosvāmī; nothing remains a secret to the devotees of the Lord.

TEXT 79

eka-dinera udyoge aiche mahotsava kaila
gopāla-prabhāve haya, anye nā jānila

TRANSLATION

The wonderful festival and installation of Śrī Gopālajī was arranged in one day. Certainly all this was accomplished by the potency of Gopāla. No one but a devotee can understand this.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has spread all over the world within a very short time (within five years), and mundane people are very much astonished at this. However, by the grace of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we understand that everything is possible by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Why does Kṛṣṇa have to take five years? In five days He can spread His name and fame all over the world like wildfire. Those who have faith in and devotion to Kṛṣṇa can understand that these things happen so wonderfully by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We are simply the instruments. In the fierce Battle of Kurukṣetra, Arjuna was victorious within eighteen days simply because Kṛṣṇa’s grace was on his side.

yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ
tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama

“Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power and morality. That is my opinion.” (Bg. 18.78)

If the preachers in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are sincere devotees of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will always be with them because He is very kind and favorable to all His devotees. Just as Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa were victorious in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will surely emerge victorious if we but remain sincere devotees of the Lord and serve the Lord according to the advice of the predecessors (the six Gosvāmīs and other devotees of the Lord). As Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has stated: tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa, janame janame haya ei abhilāṣa. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness devotees must always desire to remain in the society of devotees. Bhakta-sane vāsa: they cannot go outside the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society or movement. Within the society we must try to serve the predecessors by preaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s cult and spreading His name and fame all over the world. If we attempt this seriously within the society, it will be successfully done. There is no question of estimating how this will happen in the mundane sense. But without a doubt, it happens by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

So, just as by the potency of Gopal the deity was installed and all of the arrangements were made in one day, similarly, by potency of Gopal and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada able to spread the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world in a very short time. As stated in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nāhe tāra pravartana, that without being empowered by Krishna, no one can spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. And Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport that if the preachers in our Krishna consciousness movement are sincere devotees of Krishna, Krishna will always be with them because He is very kind and favorable to all His devotees. Just like Krishna was with Arjuna and Pandavas, yatra yogeśvara kṛṣṇaḥ, and wherever there is Krishna and Arjuna, there will always be victory, success, opulence, extraordinary power, and morality. And within eighteen days, the Pandavas able to defeat Kauravas, otherwise the Kauravas were more powerful than Pandavas. So, if the sincere preachers in the Krishna consciousness movement always stay with Krishna or keep Krishna near to them, then they will always be successful.

Anyway, we don’t really have time to read the whole story, but the conclusion is that there were sumptuous prasāda offered and distributed, and everyone was reminded of the Annakūṭa ceremony performed by Lord Krishna and the residents of Vrindavan at the time of Govardhana-puja. It is mentioned that just as all of the vrajavāsīs brought all of the food that they had to serve the deity of Gopal, similarly, five thousand years ago, all of the vrajavāsīs brought all of the food that they had and prepared to offer to Govardhana hill. It is described that there were really mountains of samosas, mountains of kachoris, and all of the big kuṇḍa like Govinda Kund Sarovar were filled with sweet rice, and the whole area of Vraja was completely piled up with food to be offered to Govardhana. Then all at once, Govardhana ate all the mountains of kachoris, all the mountains of laddus, all of the mountains of samosas, all of the kuṇḍa of sweet rice, and everything was empty. Govinda Kund was empty, Kusum Sarovar was empty, everything was completely empty, and he still wanted more. Actually, there is one place on Govardhana called Aniyor, which means “bring more.” Whatever more they could find, they brought it, and again Govardhana ate everything. Then he started to call out, “ Aniyor, Aniyor, bring more, bring more.” They had nothing left to give.

Then, they started to pray to Govardhana, saying, “We are just poor cowherd folks, poor villagers. Whatever we had, we’ve already offered you, and we don’t have anything more to offer. Please be merciful.” Then some brahmans had the idea of offering some tulasi leaves to Govardhana. Upon taking the tulasi leaves and hearing the sincere prayers of the vrajavāsīs, Govardhana was satisfied. Being satisfied with the service of the devotees, he immediately returned all the kachoris, all the samosas, all the pakoras, all the puris, all the sweet rice, all the gulābjāmun, all the rasagullā, all the laddus, and everything was returned just as it was before he ate it.

Now, it is mentioned that the Gopal deity ate everything and left it also, but only Madhavendra Puri could perceive this. Just one note about the appearance of Govardhana: of course, Vraja is eternal, and all of the residents of Vraja are also eternal, but as part of the pastimes of Krishna, they appear. So, just like Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda, they are eternal, they are always present but still they have pastime of appearance and all the pastimes of Krishna are meant to give pleasure to the devotees. Similarly, Govardhana hill also has its pastime of appearance. As there are some variations in the pastimes in different millennia, there are also some variations in the pastimes of the appearance of Govardhana hill. But in the most recent appearance, there was one sage named Pulastya who wanted to construct a beautiful ashrama in South India, but there was no beautiful scenery there, so he wanted to have one nice mountain. He went to the Himalayas and asked Himalaya, “I need one mountain in my ashrama and you have one nice son named Govardhana, so please give me Govardhana.” As soon as Himalaya heard the request of the sage, he began to cry because he was very attached to his son Govardhana and didn’t want to lose him. However, he was a sage, and he didn’t know how to refuse the other, so he only started to weep and cry.

Then Govardhana himself spoke up and said, “Father, don’t cry. I will go with this sage, but on one condition: he should not set me down. Wherever he sets me down, I will stay, and I will not move.” The father felt that Govardhana had made some solution, so he accepted the proposal, and the sage also accepted. So, Pulastya Muni lifted the Govardhana and he was carrying him to South India, but when Govardhana came to Vraja, he saw such a beautiful place. The Yamuna was flowing here, and there were many nice tamal trees and kadamba trees, and so many peacocks. Lord Krishna would appear here and have His pastimes here. So, Govardhana began to pray to the Lord to set him down right here in Vraja. As soon as he started to pray to the Lord, Pulastya Muni immediately felt the call of nature and could not continue anymore, so he sat down the Govardhana to answer the call of nature. I hope you know what I mean. After answering the call of nature, Pulastya Muni came back to pick up the Govardhana and said, “Let’s go.” But Govardhana said, “I told you in the beginning that once you put me down, I am not going anywhere. You can’t take me any further.” The sage said, “But I was just answering the call of nature. I didn’t mean to keep you here.” Govardhana replied, “No.”

Then the sage became very furious and cursed Govardhana that he would sink into the ground every day by the dimension of one mustard seed. So Govardhana stayed in Vraja and got the chance to serve the Lord in so many ways. Srimati Radharani and gopīs consider the Govardhana to be the best servant of Lord Krishna. Although He is Krishna Himself, He will see in front Radha and Krishna as separate from Him. He preferred to be in the position of a servant to Radha and Krishna. He facilitated their pastimes in many ways by providing caves where they could have pastimes and so many things. For example, one-time Srimati Radharani was in a little angry mood with Krishna. She wasn’t prepared to have pastimes with him. In Vrindavan, at least all the devotees of Vrindavan, they always want Radha and Krishna together. So, Radharani was not in the mood and was leaving Krishna in Govardhana hill. Then Govardhana hill arranged that one snake should immediately come out. Radharani became terrified and immediately rushed into the arms of Krishna, saying, “Oh Krishna, Krishna, please save me. A snake has come.” In this way, Govardhana hill makes so many arrangements to facilitate the pastimes of Radha and Krishna and is therefore considered the best servant of Lord Krishna.

We can understand that although He is Krishna Himself, He prefers to be in the position of a servant of Krishna or Radha and Krishna. For us also, it is better to approach Govardhana in the mood of a devotee, in the mood that Govardhana is a devotee because the devotees of the Lord are more merciful than the Lord Himself. Govardhana is most merciful. He is one of the most merciful personalities in Vraja, and we should take shelter of him. Tomorrow, devotees are going to circumambulate Govardhana hill, which is so auspicious. All of the previous acharyas, especially the Gosvamis, Sanatana Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, they all have circumambulated Govardhana hill. Govardhana is very merciful so he will fulfill all the desires of the devotee. Sometimes he is just following behind you with his paper and pen, writing down all of your desires. We should also desire the best things. We shouldn’t desire any heavy material thing in the category of dharma, artha, kāma, moksha. We should only desire pure devotional service to Radha and Krishna, their associate and servants.

One other time, just to give an idea, when Lord Ramachandra and the monkeys were building the bridge to Lanka to go and fight Rāvaṇa and get back Sita, the monkeys were going in all directions to bring even mountaintops. It’s mentioned that they would bring mountaintops and throw them. One time, Hanuman went very far to the north to the Himalayas, and he picked up Govardhana and was going to take Govardhana to the southern tip of India to use to cross Sri Lanka and defeat Rāvaṇa. And just as Hanuman was flying over Vraja, he got the news that the bridge was completed and the armies were invading Lanka and there was no need to bring any more mountains or boulders. So immediately, he sat down Govardhana right in Vraja so that Govardhana can serve Krishna and His devotees in their pastimes.

So, Govardhana is so merciful. Although He is Krishna Himself, He is in the mood of a devotee, and especially now in Kartik, especially at the time of Govardhana-puja, he will be in a very jolly mood because he must have eaten so many laddu, drunk so much milk, eaten so many samosas, and had so many nice devotees worshiping him and serving him and speaking about kṛṣṇa-kathā. So he will surely be in a very jolly mood and in a very merciful mood. As many of us as possible should go tomorrow and circumambulate Govardhana Hill and get his blessings. We will attend the beautiful ārati ceremony.

Bolo Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya!