“My dear father, I am very respectfully and humbly inquiring. What is this arrangement? Why you are busy in making some sacrificial ceremony, what is the reason, and what is the result? For whose benefit is it and by what means will it be accomplished?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.24.3)

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कथ्यतां मे पित: कोऽयं सम्भ्रमो व उपागत:
किं फलं कस्य वोद्देश: केन वा साध्यते मख:

kathyatāṁ me pitaḥ ko ’yaṁ
sambhramo va upāgataḥ
kiṁ phalaṁ kasya voddeśaḥ
kena vā sādhyate makhaḥ

1. Lifter of a mountain

In the Vaishnava tradition of spirituality, since the Almighty is known to be without limits, ananta, there are so many names to describe Him. A person may object to assigning any single form of address to someone so great. They may disagree with the tendency towards variety, for introducing added confusion in an area which is already nearly impossible to understand.

The distinction exists because of a loving sentiment. There is a connection. Yoga is uniting the individual consciousness with the Supreme Consciousness. In the state of illusion, I am disconnected. This is from my perspective, only. I feel alone, though I am never truly separated. It is something like experiencing a dream, hallucination, or impaired memory caused by some injury.

When there is the connection, the return to the constitutional state, travelling back to Godhead through the mechanism of a shift in consciousness, there is so much bliss in the association of the Divine that the expression of love cannot be limited.

For this reason, the single Ishvara goes by many names, which include Giridhari. The literal translation to this name refers to a lifter of a mountain. In His avatara of Shri Krishna, God lifts the mountain known as Govardhana. This is a specific area of land which can still be found today. It is not a fictitious area, and neither is the incident a figment of the imagination or some story from mythology.

“The Lord is also known as Giridhari or Girivara-dhari. Because Krishna, for the sake of His devotees, lifted Govardhana Hill, the devotees appreciate the Lord’s inconceivable strength; but nondevotees, in spite of directly perceiving the Lord’s inconceivable strength and power, regard the Lord’s activities as fictitious. This is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee. Nondevotees cannot give any nomenclature for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet the Lord is known as Shyamasundara and Giridhari.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.2.36 Purport)

2. Holder of a mountain

Krishna is Giridhari for lifting the mountain, but He is also the holder of the same. This is not some competition to determine the world’s strongest man. If there were such a contest, the same lifter of the mountain would win. This was evident in the previous avatara of Shri Rama lifting the bow of Mahadeva to win the hand in marriage of Sita Devi.

Krishna holds up Govardhana Hill for seven straight days. The hill rests upon the pinky finger of His left hand. The symbolism to this amazing feat is evident. This massive collection of earth, a hill which takes a significant amount of time to simply cross in full view, by foot, rests on the weakest finger in the typically non-dominant hand. This is one indication of the limitless strength belonging to the one who is known as Bhagavan.

3. Protector of the people

Krishna is Giridhari for a purpose. He lifts and holds Govardhana Hill to accomplish something important. The people of the area, Gokula-Vrindavana, are in trouble. They are set to be washed away by a devastating flood.

The rain was not necessarily in the forecast. It is not like the people intentionally walked into danger, inviting a calamitous situation. The rain was sudden and unexpected. The people had nowhere else to turn. There was only Krishna.

A person may say that they don’t believe in invisible figures living beyond the clouds. They do not operate off the omens of astrology, four-leaf clovers, or any other kind of superstition. They apply human effort alone and then accept the results wherever they may fall.

Except in a situation like the rain devastating the Govardhana Hill area there is literally nothing else which can be done. There is no human effort that will save the people. There is no other way except the shelter of Krishna, if He can save them.

4. Director of worship

Krishna as Giridhari gives a visual to the principle of full surrender. There is both a before and an after. The before is the suggestion to give up allegiance to every other kind of ritual and religious process. Put the satisfaction of Krishna first. This will carry the greatest reward moving forward. The phalam applies to both the tangible results and also the impact upon the consciousness.

The promise is that everything will be accounted for. Govardhana Puja happened because Krishna suggested it. The people faced danger, as a result. They were put into trouble, but Krishna protected them. This means that the promise is true; there is insurance and assurance when turning away from other ritualistic ceremonies in favor of satisfying the Supreme Lord, Yajneshvara.

5. Expert at asking questions

Working in reverse chronological order, the birth of the first Govardhana Puja was literally a series of questions. Krishna asked His father, Nanda Maharaja, after noticing preparations for an upcoming sacrifice.

Krishna asked through the visual of an innocent child inquiring from a father, but there was an underlying motive. It was as if Krishna knew what the responses would be. He knew how to properly articulate the necessary arguments that would persuade Nanda and the community towards worshiping a hill instead of pleasing Indra, the king of heaven.

In Closing:

What hoping to do,
Why so engaged are you?

Perhaps something better in its place,
Let’s try the Govardhana space.

Wise this option to choose,
Nothing at all to lose.

No room for hesitation or delay,
Pleased when adopting this way.

Categories: kim phalam, the five

Tags: giridhari, god, govardhana, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion