Giriraja as Hari-dasa-varya

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Giriraja Govardhana Ki Jaya!

 

 

 

VENU-GITA by H.H. Sivarama Swami

Chapter 13, Giriraja as Hari-dasa-varya Part 1

 

 

 

 

...... After Sri Radha rose from bed, Her maidservants washed Her lotus feet

and face, arranged Her clothing and hair, and nicely decorated Her once

again. Feeling the ebbing tide of Her separation from Govinda, Radha began

to think of pleasant encounters with Him and, to keep from shedding tears,

She continually chanted the following prayer:

 

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare

hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

 

Walking to the window of Her bedroom, She chanted softly, Her

camphor-scented lips moving slowly as if under a magic spell. Sri Radhika

relished every word of the mantra as if She were tasting the form of Her

beloved and repeated the names Rama, Krsna and Hari. As the influence of

the holy names became fixed in Her heart, the power of Her love surged from

Her body in the form of a golden effulgence and bathed the entire room in

its celestial splendor. By the touch of Her radiance, the bhava of the

gopis increased a hundred-fold and, as lotuses are dragged into a

whirlpool, Sri Radha's sakhis were drawn to Her by prema.

Looking over the ladscape of Vraja, Sri Radha searched for a sign of

Her

beloved. A new strategy for realizing Her enduring desire manifest in Her

mind and She said, "Like a dwarf trying to cross the great ocean without a

suitable boat, the desire to gain the association of the son of Maharaja

Nanda will remain fruitless without the shelter of great personalities. Hey

sakhi! Krsna anugraho vinam mahat anugraham nasya. Everyone knows that

without the mercy of great souls, Krsna will never bestow His grace."

Turning on Her heels, Her face beaming with hope, Her lips decorated

with

an exquisite smile, Radhika continued, "Dear friends, among hari-bhaktas

who is the greatest?"

As the gopis looked at each other, perplexed, Sri Radha answered Her

own

question. "We have received this answer form the venerable Garga Muni not

long ago. Devis, is there any doubt? Girindra eva mukhya, the king of

mountains, Giriraja, who saved us from the wrath of Indra and is the source

of Vrndavana's good fortune, is the greatest of all personalities."

Lalita-devi was overjoyed at the happy mood of her prana-sakhi and

said,

"Certainly no one is greater than Govardhana; therefore we should worship

him to fulfill our desire."

Expressing her enthusiasm with facial gestures and the movements of her

hands, Visakha-devi said, "Tatratya manasa gangayam sattva adya tad

devatasya narayanasya sri-hari-devanam darsanam kamyam. We should go there

immediately and take a bath in glorious Manasi-Ganga." Addressing each gopi

individually, she continued, "After our holy dip, we shall take darsana of

Govardhana's presiding Deity, Lord Haideva, who is very much inclined to

His devotees."

Some girls expressed their reservation with grimaces, to which Radhika

replied, "Our parents, teachers, and brahmanas go to bathe in the Ganga at

will, without reservation or fear. Why, then should we fear acrimony, even

if Sri Krsna happens to be in the vicinity? Are we slaves in our own land

merely by the superstitions of superiors?"

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura reveals the psychology of the gopis.

Their

solitary desire is to meet Krsna and thus they construe endless arguments

to justify their ambition. Seeing Govardhana Hill as an ally to their

cause, they glorify him to achieve succes in their aspirations.

One gopi said, "Perhaps providence has smiled upon the Pulindis, who

are

free to follow Krsna as He wanders here and there in Vrndavana. But even

their fotune is far distant from the exalted status of Giriraja, who is

visited daily by Vraja-vihari while He roams with His cows in the pastures

of Vraja."

With the proposal to take shelter of Sri Giriraja confirmed by Her

confidants, Sri Radha quickly turned to the window and,raising Her right

hand, pointed in the direction of Govardhana Hill. This sudden motion

frightened Her pet parrot, Subha, who spread her wings and franatically

cried out, "Hari!Hari!" Her arms outstretched like a golden vine of loving

aspirations, Her clothe billowing in the wind, Sri Radha's deep regard for

Govardhana brought him within the gopis vision and She said:

 

hantayam adrir abala hari-dasa-varyo

yad rama-krsna-carana-sparasa-pramodah

manam tanoti saha-go-ganayos tayor yat

paniya-suyavasa-kandara-kandamulaih

 

"Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O My friends,

this

hill supplies Krsna and Balarama, along with Their calves, cows and cowherd

friends, with all kinds of necessities-water for drinking, very soft grass,

caves, fruits, flowers, and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respect

to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Krsna and Balarama,

Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant." (Bhag. 10.21.18)

Pgs.410/411/413