Le Cow Quote Du Jour # 120

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TRANSLATION

The Supreme Lord, Krsna, desired to utilize the opulent financial strength

of Maharaja Nanda for worship of the cows, and also He wanted to give a

lesson to Indra, the King of heaven. Thus He advised His father to perform

worship of go, or the pasturing land and the cows, with the help of learned

brahmanas.

 

PURPORT

Since He is the teacher of everyone, the Lord also taught His father, Nanda

Maharaja. Nanda Maharaja was a well-to-do landholder and owner of many cows,

and, as was the custom, he used to perform yearly worship of Indra, the King

of heaven, with great opulence. This worship of demigods by the general

populace is also advised in the Vedic literature just so people can accept

the superior power of the Lord. The demigods are servants of the Lord

deputed to look after the management of various activities of universal

affairs. Therefore it is advised in the Vedic scriptures that one should

perform yajnas to appease the demigods. But one who is devoted to the

Supreme Lord has no need to appease the demigods. Worship of the demigods by

common people is an arrangement for acknowledging the supremacy of the

Supreme Lord, but it is not necessary. Such appeasement is generally

recommended for material gains only. As we have already discussed in the

Second Canto of this literature, one who admits the supremacy of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead does not need to worship the secondary demigods.

Sometimes, being worshiped and adored by less intelligent living beings, the

demigods become puffed up with power and forget the supremacy of the Lord.

This happened when Lord Krsna was present in the universe, and thus the Lord

wanted to give a lesson to the King of heaven, Indra. He therefore asked

Maharaja Nanda to stop the sacrifice offered to Indra and to use the money

properly by performing a ceremony worshiping the cows and the pasturing

ground on the hill of Govardhana. By this act Lord Krsna taught human

society, as He has instructed in the Bhagavad-gita also, that one should

worship the Supreme Lord by all acts and by all their results. That will

bring about the desired success. The vaisyas are specifically advised to

give protection to the cows and their pasturing ground or agricultural land

instead of squandering their hard-earned money. That will satisfy the Lord.

The perfection of one's occupational duty, whether in the sphere of duty to

oneself, one's community or one's nation, is judged by the degree to which

the Lord is satisfied.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 3.2.32