govardhanoddharanam

[Guest guest]

In srimadbhagavatha the lifting of the mountain is described thus.

'Ithyukthvaa ekena hasthenakrthvaa govardhanaachalam

dhadhaara leelayaa krishnah cchathraakamiva baalakah'

Krishna lifted the mountain by one hand playfully like an umbrella.

The same is described by Vedanta Desika beautifully thus.

'Sa leelayaa merumiva dvitheeyam govardhanam gopakula pradheepah

navaprroodam nihithaika hastho naago nalasthambham iva ujjahaara.'

The light of the Yadavas,(krishna) lifted playfully the govardhana

mountain like a second Meru ,placing it in one hand like an elephant

lifting a lotus stalk. He upturned the mountain 'adhomukhaavasthitham'

and held it with its bottom up, 'udhanchayath sathvaram oordhvampoolam.'

Periazvar describing this incident by 10 verses says that the hand

of Krishna looked likeadhisesha holding the earth.'padangal palavumudai

paambaraiyan padarbhoomiyai thaanga kidappavan pol' as the fingers

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

viraindhum malara vaitthu.'

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

were like the base of the opened umbrella, 'abugnarakthaanguli

panjaram' and the rays of the rings on His fingers forming the

rods 'ratnormikaarasmi salaakamanthah,'

it looked like a huge cchathra, umbrella supported by the staff of

His arm. Let us also enjoy the words of Periazvar-

seppaadudaiya thirumaalavan than senthaamarai kaiviral aindhinaiyum

kuppaaga edutthu mani neduntholl kaambaaga kodutthu kavittha malai.'

The Lord upturned the mountain 'kavitthu,' holding it withy His five

fingers of His lotuslike hand, with His arm as the supporting stick of

the umbrella,aninedum tholl kaambaaga.'The streams of water falling

around looked like the pearl strings round the umbrella,'parandhizi the

llaruvi muthuvadam.'

 

, Allthes show without doubt that the Lord held the mountain with His

hand and not His little finger, which must have been the modification

for the sake of dramatic element.

Saroja Ramanujam