Post by madanmohandas on Oct 20, 2019 6:09:06 GMT -6
Paraphrased from Bhag. 10, 24-27 with accresions from vishnu Purana
Govardhan Lila
The Argument
All hail, all hail! To him who held on high
The lofty Govardhan to blot the sky,
When mighty Indra, proud of his estate,
With indignation sought to devastate
Vrndavan and the cowherds and the kine,
Hari displayed his potency divine,
And plucked the mountain from its rocky base,
And thus the pride of Indra did efface.
The Narrative
Thus while almighty Hari did abide
In Vraj, with Baladeva, he espied
The eager herdsmen gather to prepare
A holy sacrifice, with pious care.
And tho’ nothing is hidden from his view,
And as the inner self of all, he knew
Precisely what it was they planned to do.
Yet he, with meek and childish innocence,
The Thousand-eyed to rouse by some pretence,
Thus questioned Nanda, and the others round,
Who were by ties of fond affection bound,
“O father! Who is it you wish to please,
By lavish preparations, such as these?
It seems you would a grand festival hold,
Thus it behooves you, to me to unfold,
For whom, by whom, it is to be performed?
Of these details I fain would be informed.”
Then Nanda condescended to explain,
That, “Mighty Indra is the god of rain,
Who in his arm the forky lightning wields,
And irrigates the toiling farmer’s fields;
‘Tis by his grace the teeming earth supplies
Life-giving grains, we therefore sacrifice.”
Then Krishna made reply unto his sire,
Intending to provoke lord Indra’s ire,
'All reap the fruits or good or bad from seeds,
'Broadcast in former lives thro' diverse deeds,
'Therefore, what can the mighty Shakra do?
'From antecedent deeds the fruits ensue.
'Impelled by Nature, and her aspects three,
'Beings are held in strict conformity.
'Dear father, and ye elders, I advise,
'That all the items brought for sacrifice
'To mighty Indra, be transferred again,
'To honour cows, the hill, and holy men.'
And by his counsel, all the items there,
To worship Govardhan they did transfer;
A grand festivity they celebrate,
And round the mountain circumambulate;
They offer giant lamps and heaps of rice ,
Worshipping Govardhan with sacrifice.
Another massive form Krishna assumes,
And all the offered food and drink consumes.
Thereafter all the cowherds homeward came,
And sang of Krishna’s beauty, deeds, and fame.
The cloud-compelling Indra was inflamed
With mighty wrath, for his rites thus profaned,
And with blind passion, in his haughty mien,
Hari as but a mortal child did ween.
“These foolish cowherd’s vanity and pride,
On his advice, my rites have nullified;
Therefore, to curb their pride and arrogance,
Who durst to gods display such insolence,
I shall destroy the cows and drench the town,
And with torrential floods the people drown!”
He bade the clouds of devastation seek
Vrndavan town, and stormy havoc wreak;
He loosed their bonds that were before confined,
And followed on Airavat from behind.
Those blustering brethren loosened from their chains,
Came rolling down to drive the heavy rains,
Now sable clouds involve the gloomy sky,
From Indra’s arm the forky flashes fly;
Descending cascades of a column’s girth,
Relentlessly poured down upon the earth;
Loud peels of thunder echo thro’ the skies,
With dire alarms the cowherds terrifies;
The cows were by the howling winds oppressed,
And lowing for their calves, were sore distressed.
The herdsmen with their wives, were shocked to see
The devastating flood, and sought to flee
For safety to some higher spot of ground,
But from the lashing hail no refuge found.
Thus sore perplexed implored for timely aid,
And fervently unto lord Krishna prayed,
“O Krishna, Krishna! Highly fortunate!
To you our lives and souls we dedicate,
It therefore does behoove you, ‘gainst all odds,
To shield us from the anger of the gods.”
Thus prayed they to Keshava for relief,
Who loves to save his devotees from grief.
Then, Krishna, cogitating in his mind,
Was well aware of what Indra designed,
Rememb’ring too the vow that he had made,
That he to the distressed would lend his aid.
Resolving thus, he straightway, with great ease,
Plucked up the mountain, covered with tall trees,
And held aloft Govardhan in his hand,
While on an eminence he took his stand,
And called aloud, “O mother, father, come!
And all ye cowherds, enter ‘neath the dome;
I do for you dear safety now provide
A shelter from the rain, so come inside;
Your dependants and property convey,
And free from care, under the mountain stay.
I shall in my left hand the mountain prop,
And be assured I will not let it drop.”
Thus each cowherder with his family,
Within the mountains rocky cavity,
With all his movables and cattle finds
A refuge from the rain and stormy winds.
Unwearied, Krishna stood for seven days,
And all were struck with wonder and amaze,
While he the mountain held up on his palm,
To keep his dear companions free from harm.
Now when the Thousand-eyed beheld the might
Of force superior to his, the sight
Impelled him from his madness to desist,
And back to their confines the clouds dismissed.
Alas! He did not Vishnu recognize,
In despite of his thousand flashing eyes;
But now his pride and vanity were gone,
His own inferiority was shown.
When Krishna saw the rain and wind abate,
And lakes and streams resume their tranquil state,
The flood waters recede from off the plain,
And Surya shed his genial rays again,
He said, to cheer the cowherds, “Father dear!
And all ye gentle cowherds gathered here!
You may now, free from apprehension, come
With all the cows, from underneath the dome;
Bhanu with his bright beams the earth has dried,
And streams into their wonted channels glide.”
The merry cowherds followed his command,
Who lifted up the mountain in his hand,
And with their eyes upon his beauty feed,
Singing with joy this miraculous deed.
In curiosity the cowherds thought,
How such a deed by a mere child was wrought?
They came to Krishna, while he sat at ease,
And questioned him in humble words like these,
“It seems to us, O Krishna, your high worth,
Is far beyond the measure of your birth;
Who are you, Gopal, Tender of the kine,
Or man, or god, or something more divine?
But tell us, if you will, who wish to know,
Why, if a god, you walk on earth below?”
Then Krishna, somewhat hurt, made this reply,
“Dear comrades, fellow cowherds, think not I
Am some high god, or ranger of the sky,
I only know myself as Nanda’s son,
My mother’s child, and your companion.”
Some of the herdsmen then to Nanda went,
Of this question to reach some settlement;
Then noble Nanda to them made reply,
And told of Garga’s secret prophesy,
That, “those who on lord Vishnu’s side remain,
Their safety and prosperity maintain,
As those who own affection for this boy,
The lawless demons never can destroy;
Bring up this child,” he said, “and hold him dear,
For he’s, in virtue, Narayana’s peer.”
The cowherds by this speech were gratified,
And each to his respective dwelling hied.
Now Aditi, great mother of the gods,
Who dwell in their bright heavenly abodes,
Compelled lord Indra, with his retinue,
To seek forgiveness, and for grace to sue.
Thus Indra, of immortal gods the king,
The cow of plenty and his host did bring;
And in his raised trunk Airavat conveyed,
The hallowed waters from the Ganga’s tide.
Then, Krishna, seated on a lion throne,
His majesty supreme Indra did own;
And bowed his shining crown at Krishna’s feet,
With prayers and praises, mercy did entreat.
Thus Indra in repentance, bowed his head,
With palms together pressed, to Krishna said,
‘You are the pure existence absolute,
‘Whom penance, peace, and glory constitute,
‘Whose self effulgent spreading radiance,
‘Dispels restive passion and ignorance;
‘This world, from your power illusory,
‘Flows in the current of the guns three,
‘Which all the world in darkness does confound,
‘But as for yourself, you are never bound.
‘That being so, Lord, there can be no place
‘In you for anger and such passions base;
‘But your chastisement should be understood,
‘As inflicted on sinners for their good.
‘Even I, in my inordinate pride,
‘Have been from such delusion purified;
‘Blinded with passion, I now see the light,
‘Having seen your irresistible might.’
Thereafter to ratify his estate,
The holy consecration celebrate,
And crowned Mukunda universal lord,
By gods, and sages, and by men adored;
They ceremoniously bathed his limbs,
While Gandharva’s applauded him with hymns;
Indra conferred his title known to fame,
Who is henceforth called by Govinda’s name.
Then Surabhi, the mother of the kine,
Bathed Krishna with her flowing milk divine.
Thus when the gods crowned Krishna as their king,
Did universal joy and rapture bring;
The earth gave forth spontaneously her grain,
Good fortune and prosperity did reign;
The mountains showed their gems, before concealed,
Unlaboured orchards fruits and flowers yield,
The trees exuded streams of honey sweet,
All animosity was obsolete;
Ferocious beasts gave up their savagery,
And all were filled with fond fraternity.
Then Govinda, who dwells in every heart,
Permission gave for Indra to depart;
Thus Indra, of the thousand flashing eyes,
With all his host returned up to the skies.
Finis
Govardhan Lila
The Argument
All hail, all hail! To him who held on high
The lofty Govardhan to blot the sky,
When mighty Indra, proud of his estate,
With indignation sought to devastate
Vrndavan and the cowherds and the kine,
Hari displayed his potency divine,
And plucked the mountain from its rocky base,
And thus the pride of Indra did efface.
The Narrative
Thus while almighty Hari did abide
In Vraj, with Baladeva, he espied
The eager herdsmen gather to prepare
A holy sacrifice, with pious care.
And tho’ nothing is hidden from his view,
And as the inner self of all, he knew
Precisely what it was they planned to do.
Yet he, with meek and childish innocence,
The Thousand-eyed to rouse by some pretence,
Thus questioned Nanda, and the others round,
Who were by ties of fond affection bound,
“O father! Who is it you wish to please,
By lavish preparations, such as these?
It seems you would a grand festival hold,
Thus it behooves you, to me to unfold,
For whom, by whom, it is to be performed?
Of these details I fain would be informed.”
Then Nanda condescended to explain,
That, “Mighty Indra is the god of rain,
Who in his arm the forky lightning wields,
And irrigates the toiling farmer’s fields;
‘Tis by his grace the teeming earth supplies
Life-giving grains, we therefore sacrifice.”
Then Krishna made reply unto his sire,
Intending to provoke lord Indra’s ire,
'All reap the fruits or good or bad from seeds,
'Broadcast in former lives thro' diverse deeds,
'Therefore, what can the mighty Shakra do?
'From antecedent deeds the fruits ensue.
'Impelled by Nature, and her aspects three,
'Beings are held in strict conformity.
'Dear father, and ye elders, I advise,
'That all the items brought for sacrifice
'To mighty Indra, be transferred again,
'To honour cows, the hill, and holy men.'
And by his counsel, all the items there,
To worship Govardhan they did transfer;
A grand festivity they celebrate,
And round the mountain circumambulate;
They offer giant lamps and heaps of rice ,
Worshipping Govardhan with sacrifice.
Another massive form Krishna assumes,
And all the offered food and drink consumes.
Thereafter all the cowherds homeward came,
And sang of Krishna’s beauty, deeds, and fame.
The cloud-compelling Indra was inflamed
With mighty wrath, for his rites thus profaned,
And with blind passion, in his haughty mien,
Hari as but a mortal child did ween.
“These foolish cowherd’s vanity and pride,
On his advice, my rites have nullified;
Therefore, to curb their pride and arrogance,
Who durst to gods display such insolence,
I shall destroy the cows and drench the town,
And with torrential floods the people drown!”
He bade the clouds of devastation seek
Vrndavan town, and stormy havoc wreak;
He loosed their bonds that were before confined,
And followed on Airavat from behind.
Those blustering brethren loosened from their chains,
Came rolling down to drive the heavy rains,
Now sable clouds involve the gloomy sky,
From Indra’s arm the forky flashes fly;
Descending cascades of a column’s girth,
Relentlessly poured down upon the earth;
Loud peels of thunder echo thro’ the skies,
With dire alarms the cowherds terrifies;
The cows were by the howling winds oppressed,
And lowing for their calves, were sore distressed.
The herdsmen with their wives, were shocked to see
The devastating flood, and sought to flee
For safety to some higher spot of ground,
But from the lashing hail no refuge found.
Thus sore perplexed implored for timely aid,
And fervently unto lord Krishna prayed,
“O Krishna, Krishna! Highly fortunate!
To you our lives and souls we dedicate,
It therefore does behoove you, ‘gainst all odds,
To shield us from the anger of the gods.”
Thus prayed they to Keshava for relief,
Who loves to save his devotees from grief.
Then, Krishna, cogitating in his mind,
Was well aware of what Indra designed,
Rememb’ring too the vow that he had made,
That he to the distressed would lend his aid.
Resolving thus, he straightway, with great ease,
Plucked up the mountain, covered with tall trees,
And held aloft Govardhan in his hand,
While on an eminence he took his stand,
And called aloud, “O mother, father, come!
And all ye cowherds, enter ‘neath the dome;
I do for you dear safety now provide
A shelter from the rain, so come inside;
Your dependants and property convey,
And free from care, under the mountain stay.
I shall in my left hand the mountain prop,
And be assured I will not let it drop.”
Thus each cowherder with his family,
Within the mountains rocky cavity,
With all his movables and cattle finds
A refuge from the rain and stormy winds.
Unwearied, Krishna stood for seven days,
And all were struck with wonder and amaze,
While he the mountain held up on his palm,
To keep his dear companions free from harm.
Now when the Thousand-eyed beheld the might
Of force superior to his, the sight
Impelled him from his madness to desist,
And back to their confines the clouds dismissed.
Alas! He did not Vishnu recognize,
In despite of his thousand flashing eyes;
But now his pride and vanity were gone,
His own inferiority was shown.
When Krishna saw the rain and wind abate,
And lakes and streams resume their tranquil state,
The flood waters recede from off the plain,
And Surya shed his genial rays again,
He said, to cheer the cowherds, “Father dear!
And all ye gentle cowherds gathered here!
You may now, free from apprehension, come
With all the cows, from underneath the dome;
Bhanu with his bright beams the earth has dried,
And streams into their wonted channels glide.”
The merry cowherds followed his command,
Who lifted up the mountain in his hand,
And with their eyes upon his beauty feed,
Singing with joy this miraculous deed.
In curiosity the cowherds thought,
How such a deed by a mere child was wrought?
They came to Krishna, while he sat at ease,
And questioned him in humble words like these,
“It seems to us, O Krishna, your high worth,
Is far beyond the measure of your birth;
Who are you, Gopal, Tender of the kine,
Or man, or god, or something more divine?
But tell us, if you will, who wish to know,
Why, if a god, you walk on earth below?”
Then Krishna, somewhat hurt, made this reply,
“Dear comrades, fellow cowherds, think not I
Am some high god, or ranger of the sky,
I only know myself as Nanda’s son,
My mother’s child, and your companion.”
Some of the herdsmen then to Nanda went,
Of this question to reach some settlement;
Then noble Nanda to them made reply,
And told of Garga’s secret prophesy,
That, “those who on lord Vishnu’s side remain,
Their safety and prosperity maintain,
As those who own affection for this boy,
The lawless demons never can destroy;
Bring up this child,” he said, “and hold him dear,
For he’s, in virtue, Narayana’s peer.”
The cowherds by this speech were gratified,
And each to his respective dwelling hied.
Now Aditi, great mother of the gods,
Who dwell in their bright heavenly abodes,
Compelled lord Indra, with his retinue,
To seek forgiveness, and for grace to sue.
Thus Indra, of immortal gods the king,
The cow of plenty and his host did bring;
And in his raised trunk Airavat conveyed,
The hallowed waters from the Ganga’s tide.
Then, Krishna, seated on a lion throne,
His majesty supreme Indra did own;
And bowed his shining crown at Krishna’s feet,
With prayers and praises, mercy did entreat.
Thus Indra in repentance, bowed his head,
With palms together pressed, to Krishna said,
‘You are the pure existence absolute,
‘Whom penance, peace, and glory constitute,
‘Whose self effulgent spreading radiance,
‘Dispels restive passion and ignorance;
‘This world, from your power illusory,
‘Flows in the current of the guns three,
‘Which all the world in darkness does confound,
‘But as for yourself, you are never bound.
‘That being so, Lord, there can be no place
‘In you for anger and such passions base;
‘But your chastisement should be understood,
‘As inflicted on sinners for their good.
‘Even I, in my inordinate pride,
‘Have been from such delusion purified;
‘Blinded with passion, I now see the light,
‘Having seen your irresistible might.’
Thereafter to ratify his estate,
The holy consecration celebrate,
And crowned Mukunda universal lord,
By gods, and sages, and by men adored;
They ceremoniously bathed his limbs,
While Gandharva’s applauded him with hymns;
Indra conferred his title known to fame,
Who is henceforth called by Govinda’s name.
Then Surabhi, the mother of the kine,
Bathed Krishna with her flowing milk divine.
Thus when the gods crowned Krishna as their king,
Did universal joy and rapture bring;
The earth gave forth spontaneously her grain,
Good fortune and prosperity did reign;
The mountains showed their gems, before concealed,
Unlaboured orchards fruits and flowers yield,
The trees exuded streams of honey sweet,
All animosity was obsolete;
Ferocious beasts gave up their savagery,
And all were filled with fond fraternity.
Then Govinda, who dwells in every heart,
Permission gave for Indra to depart;
Thus Indra, of the thousand flashing eyes,
With all his host returned up to the skies.
Finis
