Chapter Two Śrī Girirāja-mahotsava The Great Festival of Śrī Girirāja

Śrī Nārada said: Hearing Śrī Kṛṣṇa's words, Nanda, Sannanda, and the other rulers of Vraja were filled with wonder. Abandoning what they had done, they performed the worship of Govardhana Hill.

O king of Mithilā, taking many offerings, King Nanda, Yaśodā, their two sons Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, and Garga Muni, all eager and joyful, went to worship Govardhana Hill.

Quickly climbing on a wonderfully decorated great elephant chained with golden shackles, Nanda went, with the many cows and with the wealth of the autumn harvest, to the edge of Govardhana Hill. He looked like Indra Himself, accompanied by his beloved.

Bringing the ingredients for the performing the yajṣa, the Nandas, Upanandas, and Vṛṣabhānus, along with their wives, children, and grandchildren, went to Govardhana Hill.

Dressed in splendid garments and jewel ornaments, and eager as a cakorī bird or a bumblebee, as She rode in a palanquin with Her friends, Rādhā looked like Śacī herself.

O king, nicely decorated, gracefully moving two beautiful cāmaras, accompanied by millions of gopī friends, and their faces splendid as two moons, Rādhā's best friends, Lalitā and Viśākhā, gloriously stood by Her side.

Then Ramā, Virajā, Mādhavī, Māyā, Yamunā, and Gaṅgā, accompanied by thirty-two, eight, and sixteen groups of gopīs, arrived.

In their previous births these gopīs had been the women of Mithilā, the women of Kosala, the personified Vedas, the great sages, the women of Ayodhyā, the Yajṣa-Sītās, the women of the forest, . . .

. . . the women of Vaikuṇṭha, who have Ramā as their leader, the women of the highest Vaikuṇṭha realm, the women of various effulgent realms, the women of Dhruvaloka and Lokācala, . . .

. . . Lakṣmī's friends splendid with three transcendental virtues, the women riding in airplanes, vines and plants, jālandharīs, the daughters of the ocean, the daughters of King Barhiṣmati, the women of Sutalaloka, . . .

. . . the apsarās, and all the serpent king's daughters. Now, as girls of Vraja, nicely decorated, and their hands splendid with many offerings, they approached Govardhana Hill.

Then the gopa men, adolescents, and boys, dressed in yellow garments, wearing turbans crowned with peacock feathers, decorated with beautiful necklaces, guṣjā, and forest garlands, and holding new flutes and sticks, came.

Hearing of the Govardhana festival from my mouth, carrying the Gaṅgā in his matted locks, wearing a necklace of skulls, his body anointed with the powder of bones, decorated with a necklace and bracelets of many snakes, . . .

. . . reeling from having drunk dhattura poison, acompanied by Pārvatī and his many associates, and riding on his carrier Nandī, Lord Śiva came to the circle of Govardhana Hill.

Many thousands of rājarṣis, viprarṣis, surarṣis, siddheśas, yogeśvaras, paramahaṁsas, and brāhmaṇas came to see Govardhana Hill.

O king, its stones jewels, its many peaks golden, and its form splendid with intoxicated bees, beautiful caves,and swiftly-flowing streams, Govardhana Hill was like a great elephant.

Then, manifesting humanlike forms and bearing auspicious gifts in their hands, the mountain kings, headed by Mount Meru and Mount Himalaya, offered their respectful obeisances, bowing down to the humanlike form of Govardhana Hill.

Following Kṛṣṇa's instruction, Nanda, the king of Vraja, had many brāhmaṇas worship Govardhana Hill. Then Nanda worshiped the brāhmaṇas, fire-gods, and cows, and then gave a very opulent offering to Govardhana Hill.

Pleased by the earnestly singing Nandas, Upanandas, Vṛṣabhānus, gopas, and gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa circumambulated Govardhana Hill, the king of mountains.

As the demigods showered flowers and the Vrajavāsīs showered grains, Govardhana Hill, the great king of the kings of the kings of mountains, glistened with great glory, as if it were a great monarch in the midst of a yajṣa.

Manifesting a gigantic form different from His own, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared from the midst of Govardhana Hill. Declaring, I am this hill," He ate the entire hill of food that was offered.

Seeing Govardhana Hill's great power and opulence, and their hearts full of joy and wonder, the gopas and gopīs asked the hill to grant them a benediction.

They said, "The gopas know that You are the Deity worshiped by the kings of mountains. Nanda's son Kṛṣṇa has shown Your true nature to us. Please grant that day after day our relatives, friends, and cows may prosper."

Manifesting a handsome divine form decorated with crown and armlets, Govardhana Hill, the king of the kings of mountains, said, "So be it," and suddenly disappeared.

dvijāś ca yogeśvara-siddha-saṅghāḥ sivādayaś cānya-janāś ca sarve natvātha sampūjya giriṁ prasannāḥ svaṁ svaṁ gṛhaṁ jagmur anicchayā ca nandopanandā—the Nandas and Upanandas; vṛṣabhānavaś—the Vṛṣabhānus; ca—and; bālaḥ—the boy; sucandraḥ—Sucandra; vṛṣabhānu-rājaḥ—King Vṛṣabhānu; śrī-nanda-rājaś—King Nanda; ca—and; hariś—Kṛṣṇa; ca—and; gopā—the gopas; gopyaś—and gopīs; ca—and; sarva—all; nija-go-dhanaiḥ—with their cows; ca—and; dvijāḥ—the brāhmaṇas; ca—and; yogeśvara-siddha-saṅghāḥ—the siddhas and the masters of yoga; sivādayaś—headed by Lord Śiva; ca—and; anya-janāḥ—other people; ca—and; sarve—all; natvā—bowing down; atha—then; sampūjya—worshiping; girim—the hill; prasannāḥ—happy; svam svam—each to their own; gṛham—hom; jagmuḥ—went; anicchayā—without any further desires; ca—and. The Nandas, Upanandas, Vṛṣabhānus, Balarāma, Sucandra, King Vṛṣabhānu, King Nanda, Kṛṣṇa, all the gopas, gopīs, and cows, the brāhmaṇas, the siddhas and yogeśvaras headed by Lord Śiva, as well as everyone else bowed down and worshiped Govardhana Hill. Then, happy at heart, and all their desires fulfilled, they returned to their own homes.

dvijāś ca yogeśvara-siddha-saṅghāḥ sivādayaś cānya-janāś ca sarve natvātha sampūjya giriṁ prasannāḥ svaṁ svaṁ gṛhaṁ jagmur anicchayā ca nandopanandā—the Nandas and Upanandas; vṛṣabhānavaś—the Vṛṣabhānus; ca—and; bālaḥ—the boy; sucandraḥ—Sucandra; vṛṣabhānu-rājaḥ—King Vṛṣabhānu; śrī-nanda-rājaś—King Nanda; ca—and; hariś—Kṛṣṇa; ca—and; gopā—the gopas; gopyaś—and gopīs; ca—and; sarva—all; nija-go-dhanaiḥ—with their cows; ca—and; dvijāḥ—the brāhmaṇas; ca—and; yogeśvara-siddha-saṅghāḥ—the siddhas and the masters of yoga; sivādayaś—headed by Lord Śiva; ca—and; anya-janāḥ—other people; ca—and; sarve—all; natvā—bowing down; atha—then; sampūjya—worshiping; girim—the hill; prasannāḥ—happy; svam svam—each to their own; gṛham—hom; jagmuḥ—went; anicchayā—without any further desires; ca—and. The Nandas, Upanandas, Vṛṣabhānus, Balarāma, Sucandra, King Vṛṣabhānu, King Nanda, Kṛṣṇa, all the gopas, gopīs, and cows, the brāhmaṇas, the siddhas and yogeśvaras headed by Lord Śiva, as well as everyone else bowed down and worshiped Govardhana Hill. Then, happy at heart, and all their desires fulfilled, they returned to their own homes.

In this way I have described to you Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra's transcendental pastime of offering a great festival to worship Govardhana Hill, the king of the kings of mountains. This wonderful and purifying narration frees the people from the greatest sins. .pa