“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. The local business

“You know, I thought I was being a good guy. I was the better person. What is that saying, pay it forward? I believe you could say I was returning whatever favors I had previously received. Everyone needs some assistance to kickstart their career.

“This neighbor of mine wanted to get into the same business that I am in. They said they were not looking to compete. Rather, they would accept the knowledge from me to be used in a different part of the country, to which they were moving.

“Turns out they were not being honest. I took them along to show what a typical day at work looks like. It was several days, in fact. I explained the ins and outs of the business. I showed him the seasonal nature to the demand for the product, how everything flows in waves. I gave him insight into the balance sheets. Well, they ended up using that inside information to start their own business, to compete with mine. What a terrible mistake I made!”

2. The eldest child

“I don’t know what got into them. My wife and I were both called into emergency situations at our respective offices. We had to leave the children home, alone. In our naivety, we thought that maybe this was a good opportunity for the eldest child to learn responsibility, to feel confident in knowing that others could trust them.

“Turns out the power went to their head. They started bossing the other children around. The younger kids were so happy when mom and dad returned home. They apologized for ever behaving badly. They vowed to be dutiful, loyal, and obedient children, so long as the eldest was never left in charge again.”

3. The assistant to the regional manager

“They heard a rumor that I was quitting. Since I was not in the office for a few days, they assumed that I had moved on. This person then proceeded to take over my office, change the sign on the outside door, and reach out to our respective clients with news of their supposed ascension to my position.

“I should have known all along. They were the biggest traitor. The look on their face when I returned to the office; it was priceless. What a snake. They were only pretending to respect me. They had higher ambitions the entire time. They thought they were superior to me.”

4. That life-long politician

“Okay, I messed up. I admit it. Feel free to mock, to shame, to ridicule. I deserve it. This guy turned out to be a walking disaster. That is, of course, if he can actually walk up a flight of stairs without falling. He really hates the people of this country. I never imagined he would turn out to be this evil. He cannot leave office soon enough. He is up for reelection, and I am sure he is planning to steal it again.”

5. The king of heaven

The distinction in this case is that the assignment comes from the highest authority figure. The one who is known as Purusha, but also the greatest in that category. He is therefore Mahapurusha. We are like prakriti in comparison to Him. He is the great predominating force, while we are the predominated. He is the fully energetic, while we are the energy.

How can any assignment from Him ever go wrong? How can He ever make a mistake, if He is known as Achyuta? How could the Supreme Lord, who is knowledge personified, ever commit an error in judgment of character?

The incident of the first Govardhana Puja highlights the eternal principle of free will. However closely a person is aligned with the Divine way of living, they always have a choice. Whether high or low, living in a remote cave or enjoying lavishly in the heavenly region, the way forward is always a choice. A person chooses whether to succumb to the forces of material nature or to cross beyond them.

दैवी ह्य् एषा गुण-मयी
मम माया दुरत्यया
माम् एव ये प्रपद्यन्ते
मायाम् एतां तरन्ति ते

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.14)

In the case of Indra, the king of heaven, the ego swelled to such an extreme that there was a mistaken identification applied to the son of Nanda Maharaja, who was the leader of the Gokula community. Indra became envious of Krishna, after the child induced the father to skip the Indra-yajna one year in favor of worshiping the nearby Govardhana Hill.

Krishna knew exactly what He was doing. There was a specific intent. By directing a series of questions while in the visual of an adorable child, Krishna made the people think twice about how they were proceeding. Why not worship Govardhana? What would be the harm? Would not the same fruit result?

The ordinary person can make a mistake by giving power to others, by sharing important knowledge, by revealing secrets, but there is no mistake for Krishna precisely because He has the potency to correct any errors in judgment. With the first Govardhana Puja, Krishna made sure that the innocent people were not caught up as collateral damage in the rising ego of a rivalrous king of heaven.

We can criticize Indra for what he tried to do. We can blame him for attempting to create a devastating calamity through a targeted strike of torrential rain. We can call him the worst names and vow to never speak highly of him in the future.

Nevertheless, he remains dear to Shri Krishna. If even the devas, the residents of the heavenly region, can fall victim to false ego, what does that say about the rest of us? There is always the vulnerability to falling into illusion, and our only hope is accepting the protection of the lifter of Govardhana.

In Closing:

Always the chance to lose,
So underneath Giridhari to move.

Who my faults to detect,
Against false ego can protect.

And other calamities which should arise,
Like Indra one time with surprise.

With devastating rain that way sent,
But people under lifted Govardhana went.

Categories: the five

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