Govardhan Puja & Diwali

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Dandavats, prabhus. Jaya Prabhupada!

 

Srila Prabhupada writes about something which is very significant

for this holiday as well as for this holy month of Damodara:

 

"Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, quoting from the Vaisnava-tosani

of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, says that the incident of Krsna's breaking the

pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yasoda took place on the Dipavali

Day, or Dipa-malika. Even today in India, this festival is generally

celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kartika by fireworks and

lights, especially in Bombay. It is to be understood that among all the

cows of Nanda Maharaja, several of mother Yasoda's cows ate only grasses

so flavorful that the grasses would automatically flavor the milk. Mother

Yasoda wanted to collect the milk from these cows, make it into yogurt and

churn it into butter personally, since she thought that this child Krsna

was going to the houses of neighborhood gopas and gopis to steal butter

because He did not like the milk and yogurt ordinarily prepared.

While churning the butter, mother Yasoda was singing about the

childhood activities of Krsna. It was formerly a custom that if one wanted

to remember something constantly, he would transform it into poetry or

have this done by a professional poet. It appears that mother Yasoda did

not want to forget Krsna's activities at any time. Therefore she

poeticized all of Krsna's childhood activities, such as the killing of

Putana, Aghsura, Sakatasura and Trnavarta, and while churning the butter,

she sang about these activities in poetical form. This should be the

practice of persons eager to remain Krsna conscious twenty-four hours a

day. This incident shows how Krsna conscious mother Yasoda was. To stay in

Krsna consciousness, we should follow such persons."

 

This passage is from Srimad Bhagvaatam, 19.9.2, purport. That

which follows it (i.e., 9.3) is equally beautiful.

 

Your humble servant,

 

Mukunda Datta dasa