Glory of Giriraja

[Guest guest]

from Sri Garga-samhita Canto 3 chapter 10

 

Sri Narada said: This is the most ancient history of Goloka. When one hears

it, all his sins are destroyed.

One day, in order to repay the debt he owed the sages and ancestors, a

certain brahmana named Vijaya went to Mathura, the holy place that removes all

sins.

 

O king of Mithila, after performing his religious duties, he went to

Govardhana Hill and took one of the stones there.

Going in a leisurely way from forest to forest, he finally left the circle of

Vraja. At that moment he saw a horrible raksasa monster approaching.

The monster had three heads, three chests, six arms, six legs, three hands,

huge lips, and a huge nose. His hands were raised in the air.

His seven-hands-long tongue moved to and fro, the hairs of his body were like

a tangle of thorns, his eyes were red, and he had long, curved, frightening

fangs.

O king, wishing to eat him, the snorting monster approached the brahmana.

With his Govardhana-stone the brahmana struck the monster. Hit by the

Govardhana-stone, the monster gave up his body.

Suddenly he transformed into a handsome dark person with large lotus-petal

eyes, dressed in yellow garments, garlanded with forest flowers, wearing a

crown

and earrings, holding a flute and stick, glorious as another Kamadeva, and

his features like those of Lord Krsna, with folded hands he bowed before the

brahmana again and again.

The liberated soul said: O best of brahmanas, you earnestly work for the

salvation of others. O noble-hearted one, you have rescued me from a monster's

life.

Good fortune has come to me simply by the touch of this stone. No one but you

could have delivered me.

The Brahmana said: I am astonished by your words. I have no power to deliver

you. I don't know how, simply by a stone's touch, this has happened. O saintly

one, please tell me how this happened.

The liberated soul said: Glorious Govardhana Hill, the king of mountains, is

the person form of Lord Krsna. Simply by seeing it, a person attains the

supreme goal of life.

O Brahmana, the same result one attains by performing austerities for five

thousand years on Mound Kedara is attained in a single moment on Govardhana

Hill.

By staying for one month on Govardhana Hill one attains a pious result many

millions of times greater than the result of giving in charity a bhara of gold

in the Malaya Hills.

Even though he has committed hundreds of sins, a person who on Mount Mangala

gives gold in charity attains a spiritual form like Lord Visnu's.

That same result is attained simply by seeing Govardhana Hill. No other holy

place is as sacred as Govardhana Hill.

O Brahmana, simply by visiting Govardhana Hill one attains piety a hundred

thousand times greater than the piety he would attain if on the sacred

mountains

Rsabha, Kutaka, and Kolaka he had worshiped many brahmanas and given in

charity ten million cows with golden horns.

By going on pilgrimage to Govardhana Hill one attains piety ten million times

greater than the piety he would attain by going on pilgrimage to Rsyamuka or

Devagiri. There never was, nor will there ever be a holy place equal to

Govardhana Hill.

By bathing every day for ten years in Vidyadhara-kunda on Sri Saila, one

attains the result of a hundred yajnas. By once bathing in Puccha-kunda on

Govardhana Hill one attains the result of ten million yajnas. Of this there is

no

doubt.

A person who performs an asvamedha-yajna on the mountains Venkata, Varidhara,

Mahendra, or Vindhya, attains the post of King Indra. A person who performs

an asvamedha-yajna on Govardhana Hill and gives proper daksina goes beyond the

realm of Indra and attains the abode of Lord Visnu.

O best of brahmanas, bathing in sacred rivers, giving charity, performing

austerities, and performing pious deeds, all these performed during Sri

Rama-navami on Mount Citrakua, during the third day of Visakha on Prariyatra,

during

the full moon on Mount Kukura, during Dvadasi on Mount Nila, or during Saptami

at Indrakila bring a great pious result. That pious result is multiplied ten

million times by visiting Bharata-varsa. It is multiplied unlimited times by

visiting Govardhana Hill.

By giving charity, performing austerities, bathing in sacred rivers, chanting

sacred mantras, or worshiping the brahmanas and the Supreme Personality of

Godhead at the Godavari, Mount Simha, Mayapuri, Kumbhaga, Puskara,

Pusyanaksatra, Kuruksetra, Ravi-graha, Candra-graha, Kasi, Phalguna, Naimisa,

Ekadasi,

Sukara, Kartiki, Ganamuktada, Janmastami, Madhupuri, Khandava, Dvadasi,

Kartiki,

Purnima, Vatesvara-maha-vata, Makararka, Prayaga, Barhismati, Vaidhrti,

Ayodhya-sarayu-tira, Sri Rama-navami-dina, Siva-caturdasi,

Vaijanatha-subha-vana,

Darsa, Soma-vara, Ganga-sagara-sangama, Dasami, Setubandha, Sri Ranga, or

Saptami-dina, one attains a great pious result. O best of brahmanas, by

visiting

Govardhana Hill one attains a pious result ten million times greater than all

those pious deeds together.

One who, thinking of Lord Krsna, bathes in sacred Govinda-kunda, attains a

transcendental form like Lord Krsna's. O king of Mithila, of this there is no

doubt.

Neither a thousand asvamedha-yajnas nor a hundred rajasuya-yajnas are equal

to visiting Manasa-ganga on Govardhana Hill.

O brahmana, you have directly seen and touched Govardhana Hill. You have

bathed in its sacred waters. In this world no one is more fortunate than you.

If you don't believe my words, consider the story of the great sinner who,

because he was touched by a Govardhana-stone, attained a transcendental form

like Lord Krsna's.