[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] govardhanoddharanam

June 13, 2006

Respected Madam,

Is there any puranic reference to holding the

govardhana giri " up-side-down " ?

Hare Krishna

Abhilash

--- sarojram18 <sarojram18 wrote:

> 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

>

June 13, 2006

Dear devotee,

The words in Bhagavatha 'cchathraakam iva ' like an umbrella must have been

taken as implying that He inverted the mountain by Desika and Azvar.Especially

the azvars were great saints who not only visualised the Lord but also talked to

Him.Periazvar was the one who was given insight by the Lord Himself to vanquish

the pundits of the court of the king of Madurai and when he was taken in

procession on an elephant the Lord Azagar Himself came to witness His devotee's

glory. Forgetting himself Periazvar sang Pallandu as a raksha for the Lord lest

evil eye may be cast on His soundarya. So whatever such saints say must be

sathyavak.Moreover in Bhagavatha itself Krishna tells 'yathopajosham visatha

girigartham sagodhanaah,' meaning , enter into these hollows or caves of the

mountain along with the cattlae 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.

Saroja Ramanuajam

Abhilash Nair <abhilash_ramachandran wrote: