Yadhavabhyudhaya-chapter7-uplifting of the mountain

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Uplifting of the Govardhana

 

 

 

sa leelaya mErumiva dhvitheeyam

 

gOvarDHanam gOpakula pradheepah

 

navaprarooDam nihithaika hasthah

 

nAgO nalasthambamiva ujjahAra

 

 

 

Krishna, the light of Gokula, placed one hand on the mountain and

lifted it, which was like a second Meru, as playfully as an elephant

would lift a nala grass.

 

 

 

aDHO mukhAvasTHitha mErukalpam

 

Sailam samuthkhAya SaraNyagopah

 

udhanchayath sathvaram oorDHva moolam

 

chakrE mahEndhram SamithArDha garvam

 

 

 

Krishna who was the refuge of the gopas, swiftly uprooted the mountain

and turned it upside down like the Meru inverted, and quelled half the

arrogance of Indra by his act.

 

 

 

The hand of Krishna looked like AdhiSEsha holding the earth.The

whiteness of the sandalpaste applied by Nappinna on his arm resembled

the colour of Sesha, the fingers resembling the hoods.

 

 

 

Here we should note that Krishna not only held the mountain with his

whole hand but inverted it, for which there is evidence also in

Srimadbhagavatham.

 

 

 

 

 

In srimadbhagavatha the lifting of the mountain is described thus.

'Ithyukthvaa ekena hasthena krthvaa govardhanAchalam dhadhAra leelayA

krishnah cchathrAkamiva bAlakah' Krishna lifted the mountain by one hand

playfully like an umbrella.'

 

 

 

Periazvar describing this incident by 10 verses says that the hand of

Krishna looked like adhisesha holding the earth.'padangal palavumudai

pAmbaraiyan padarbhoomiyai thAnga kidappavan pol' as the fingers

resembled the hoods of the sesha with his hand opened wide, 'thadangai

viralaindhum malara vaitthu.'

 

 

 

Desika further describes the hand thus: His hands red like lotus were

like the base of the opened umbrella, 'abugnarakthAnguli panjaram' and

the rays of the rings on His fingers forming the rods 'ratnormikArasmi

SalAkamanthah,' it looked like a huge cchathra, umbrella supported by

the staff of His arm.

 

 

 

Let us also enjoy the words of Periazvar- seppAdudaiya thirumAlavan than

senthAmarai kaiviral aindhinaiyum kappAga edutthu mani nedunthoL kAmbAga

kodutthu kavittha malai.' The Lord upturned the mountain 'kavitthu,'

holding it with His five fingers of His lotus-like hand, with His arm

as the supporting stick of the umbrella,aninedum thoL kAmbAga.'The

streams of water falling around looked like the pearl strings round the

umbrella,'parandhizi theLLaruvi muthuvadam.', All these show without

doubt that the Lord held the mountain with His hand and not with His

little finger, which must have been the modification for the sake of

dramatic element. .Moreover in Bhagavatha itself Krishna tells

'yathopajosham visatha girigartham sagodhanaah,' meaning , enter into

these hollows or caves of the mountain along with the cattle etc. and

live there. So the beings of gokula were not standing under the mountain

but lived comfortably in the caves as in their houses.Unless the

mountain was upturned this is not possible as they could not have

climbed up the top which was under the rain. So there is ample evidence

apart from the azvar and Desika sukthis that Krishna indeed upturned the

mountain and He held it with one hand and not with little finger.

 

 

 

 

 

The mountain lit by the fire above(lightning) looked like the

prathyasthra, counter weapon of the vajarayudha of Indra.When the

mountain was uprooted the ground underneath there was no hollow ground,

says Desika, but it was filled with earth by the power of the Lord and

grass grew there so that the cattle were able to have their fill.

 

 

 

The gopas were inardvently uttering the truth by remarking that when the

younger brother is able to bear the mountain,kshamADhara, the elder

brother surely will lift the earth.

 

 

 

Here Desika gives a quaint description of the sages doing thapas in the

mountain.

 

 

 

babhuh svaSAkhA graTHithAgra pAdhaih

 

thapODhanaih sAkam aDHah Sirobhih

 

krthAbhimukhyAh krthinO mukundhe

 

thapah prvrttha iva thathra vrkshAh

 

 

 

The trees were upside down looking at Krishna and the sages who were

doing thapas on their branches were also upside down, unconscious of

that fact, engrossed in their contemplation and it looked as though the

leaves were also doing thapas.

 

 

 

Krishna showed the grass on the inverted mountain slopes and the cows

were grazing with their heads lifted.Thus life was going on as usual

under the mountain as in Gokula.

 

 

 

Periazvar says, 'ilangAzikkai endhai edutttha malai,' the Lord who wears

the discus was holding the mountain. he same idea is elaborated by

Desika who says,

 

 

 

prabhootha DHArA prathipanna Saithyam

 

prApthAram adhri prabhuh adhbuthAnAm

 

sudharsanAth aDHikAm anaisheeth

 

pavithrathAm pANisarojayOgAth

 

 

 

The mountain attained more pavithratha, purity than even the sudarsana

on being borne by the lotus-like hand of the Lord.the adjectives

qualifying Govardhana are also applicable to Sudarsana by means of pun

on the words.

 

 

 

1.prabhootha DHArA prathipanna saithyam

 

In the case of the mountain the saithya, coolness is due to

prabhootha,abundanance of DHArA, flow of water. With respect to

Sudarsana, the saithya,sharpness is due to prabhootha, numerous, DHArA,

edges.

 

2.prApthAram-The mountain was with pra+ apthAram, loud noise of the

waterfalls. Sudarsana has got prAptha, spokes, Aram.

 

3.pavithratha-purity common to both because they were held by the

lotus-likehands of the Lord but the mountain had one more special merit

than the Sudarsana as it protected the gopas from the vajrayudha of

Indra.the word pavithra is derived as pavibhyah, vajrebhyah, from the

weapons such as vajra, thrAyatha, protected.

 

 

 

So Krishna made the mountain excel even the Sudarsana.The mountains are

supposed to fear vajra of Indra because when they had wings once upon a

time Indra cut off their wings with his vajra. But on account of being

held by the hand of the Lord the mountain got the power to protect from

vajra which is the extraordinary feature that gave it superiority over

even the Sudarsana.

 

 

 

The gopas enjoyed their stay in the caves of the mountain as

though at a holiday resort. The gopas considered Krishna as a powerful

human being capable of holding the mountain without realising that the

Lord of the universe has disguised Himself as a boy, while acting like

an extraordianarily strong youth. They, being simple-minded, thought

that he is a sarvashakthimAn having seen all his childhood exploits. The

gopis on the other hand wished that the rain will never stop because

they enjoyed the company of Krishna without interruption.