राम

Viṣṇu-parva

Harivaṃśa · Adhyāya 59

61 versesKṛṣṇa Redirects the Worship

Synopsis

Two months of rains have passed in Vṛndāvana. Returning to the village, the brothers find the cowherds in joyful preparation for the festival of Śakra. Kṛṣṇa proposes a reorientation: the mountain Govardhana, "adorned on all sides with autumn flowers" by the cows themselves, should be circumambulated and then the cows should move on to the forest. "Cows are always worthy of worship by all, without doubt; let this be done through gentle persuasion, for your benefit and your thriving." So let my words be followed without question. The chapter closes with his instruction still hanging in the air.

First-pass synopsis; pending review by a Sanskritist.

Verse 1

तयोः प्रवृत्तयोर् एवं कृष्णस्य च बलस्य च वने विचरतोर् मासौ व्यतियातौ स्म वार्षिकौ

tayoḥ pravṛttayor evaṃ kṛṣṇasya ca balasya ca vane vicarator māsau vyatiyātau sma vārṣikau

As the two moved so, Kṛṣṇa and Bala, roaming the forest, two months of the rains passed.

Verse 2

व्रजम् आजग्मतुस् तौ तु व्रजे शुश्रुवतुस् तदा प्राप्तं शक्रमहं वीरौ गोपांश् चोत्सवलालसान्

vrajam ājagmatus tau tu vraje śuśruvatus tadā prāptaṃ śakramahaṃ vīrau gopāṃś cotsavalālasān

Verse 3

कौतूहलाद् इदं वाक्यं कृष्णः प्रोवाच तत्र वै को ऽयं शक्रमहो नाम येन वो हर्ष आगतः

kautūhalād idaṃ vākyaṃ kṛṣṇaḥ provāca tatra vai ko 'yaṃ śakramaho nāma yena vo harṣa āgataḥ

Verse 4

तत्र वृद्धतमस् त्व् एको गोपो वाक्यम् उवाच ह श्रूयतां तात शक्रस्य यदर्थं मह इष्यते

tatra vṛddhatamas tv eko gopo vākyam uvāca ha śrūyatāṃ tāta śakrasya yadarthaṃ maha iṣyate

Verse 5

देवानाम् ईश्वरः शक्रो मेघानां चारिसूदन तस्य चायं क्रतुः कृष्ण लोकपालस्य शाश्वतः

devānām īśvaraḥ śakro meghānāṃ cārisūdana tasya cāyaṃ kratuḥ kṛṣṇa lokapālasya śāśvataḥ

Verse 6

तेन संचोदिता मेघास् तस्यायुधविभूषिताः तस्यैवाज्ञाकराः सस्यं जनयन्ति नवाम्बुभिः

tena saṃcoditā meghās tasyāyudhavibhūṣitāḥ tasyaivājñākarāḥ sasyaṃ janayanti navāmbubhiḥ

Verse 7

मेघस्य पयसो दाता पुरुहूतः पुरंदरः संप्रहृष्टः स भगवान् प्रीणयत्य् अखिलं जगत्

meghasya payaso dātā puruhūtaḥ puraṃdaraḥ saṃprahṛṣṭaḥ sa bhagavān prīṇayaty akhilaṃ jagat

Verse 8

तेन संपादितं सस्यं वयम् अन्ये च मानवाः वर्तयामोपभुज्जानास् तर्पयामश् च देवताः

tena saṃpāditaṃ sasyaṃ vayam anye ca mānavāḥ vartayāmopabhujjānās tarpayāmaś ca devatāḥ

Verse 9

देवो वर्षति लोकेषु ततः सस्यं प्रवर्तते पृथिव्यां तर्पितायां च सामृतं लक्ष्यते जगत्

devo varṣati lokeṣu tataḥ sasyaṃ pravartate pṛthivyāṃ tarpitāyāṃ ca sāmṛtaṃ lakṣyate jagat

Verse 10

क्षीरवत्य इमा गावो वत्सवत्यश् च निर्वृताः तेन संवर्धिता गावस् तृणैः पुष्टाः सपुंगवाः

kṣīravatya imā gāvo vatsavatyaś ca nirvṛtāḥ tena saṃvardhitā gāvas tṛṇaiḥ puṣṭāḥ sapuṃgavāḥ

Verse 11

नासस्या नातृणा गावो न बुभुक्षार्दितो जनः दृश्यते यत्र दृश्यन्ते वृष्टिमन्तो बलाहकाः

nāsasyā nātṛṇā gāvo na bubhukṣārdito janaḥ dṛśyate yatra dṛśyante vṛṣṭimanto balāhakāḥ

Verse 12

दुदोह सवितुर् गा वै शक्रो दिव्याः पयस्वलाः ताः क्षरन्ति नवं क्षीरं मेध्यं मेघौघधारितम्

dudoha savitur gā vai śakro divyāḥ payasvalāḥ tāḥ kṣaranti navaṃ kṣīraṃ medhyaṃ meghaughadhāritam

Verse 13

वाय्वीरितं तु मेघेषु करोति निनदं महत् जवेनावर्जितं चैव गर्जतीति जना विदुः

vāyvīritaṃ tu megheṣu karoti ninadaṃ mahat javenāvarjitaṃ caiva garjatīti janā viduḥ

Verse 14

तस्य चैवोह्यमानस्य वातयुक्तैर् बलाहकैः वज्राशनिसमाः शब्दा भवन्त्य् अगमभेदिनः

tasya caivohyamānasya vātayuktair balāhakaiḥ vajrāśanisamāḥ śabdā bhavanty agamabhedinaḥ

Verse 15

वज्राशनिसमाञ् शब्दान् गर्जन्तो गगने स्थिताः तज् जलं वज्रनिष्पेषैर् विमुञ्चति नभोगतम् बहुभिः कामगैर् मेघैः शक्रो भृत्यैर् इवेश्वरः

vajrāśanisamāñ śabdān garjanto gagane sthitāḥ taj jalaṃ vajraniṣpeṣair vimuñcati nabhogatam bahubhiḥ kāmagair meghaiḥ śakro bhṛtyair iveśvaraḥ

Verse 16

क्वचिद् दुर्दिनसंकाशैः क्वचिच् छन्नाभ्रसंस्थितैः क्वचिच् छीकरमुक्ताभं कुर्वद्भिर् गगनं घनैः

kvacid durdinasaṃkāśaiḥ kvacic channābhrasaṃsthitaiḥ kvacic chīkaramuktābhaṃ kurvadbhir gaganaṃ ghanaiḥ

Verse 17

क्वचिद्भिन्नाञ्जनाकारैः क्वचिच्छीकरवर्षिभिः मण्डयत्य् एव देवेन्द्रो विश्वम् एव नभो घनैः एवम् एतत् पयो दुग्धं गोभिः सूर्यस्य वारिदः पर्जन्यः सर्वलोकानां भवाय भुवि वर्षति

kvacidbhinnāñjanākāraiḥ kvacicchīkaravarṣibhiḥ maṇḍayaty eva devendro viśvam eva nabho ghanaiḥ evam etat payo dugdhaṃ gobhiḥ sūryasya vāridaḥ parjanyaḥ sarvalokānāṃ bhavāya bhuvi varṣati

Verse 18

यस्मात् प्रावृड् इयं कृष्ण शक्रस्य भुवि भाविनी तस्मात् प्रावृषि राजानः सर्वे शक्रं मुदा युताः महैः सुरेशम् अर्चन्ति वयम् अन्ये च मानवाः

yasmāt prāvṛḍ iyaṃ kṛṣṇa śakrasya bhuvi bhāvinī tasmāt prāvṛṣi rājānaḥ sarve śakraṃ mudā yutāḥ mahaiḥ sureśam arcanti vayam anye ca mānavāḥ

Verse 19

गोपवृद्धस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा शक्रपरिग्रहे प्रभावज्ञो ऽपि शक्रस्य वाक्यं दामोदरो ऽब्रवीत्

gopavṛddhasya vacanaṃ śrutvā śakraparigrahe prabhāvajño 'pi śakrasya vākyaṃ dāmodaro 'bravīt

Verse 20

वयं वनचरा गोप गोपा गोधनजीविनः गावो ऽस्मद्दैवतं विद्धि गिरयश् च वनानि च

vayaṃ vanacarā gopa gopā godhanajīvinaḥ gāvo 'smaddaivataṃ viddhi girayaś ca vanāni ca

Verse 21

कर्षकाणां कृषिर् वृत्तिः पण्यं विपणिजीविनाम् अस्माकं गौः परा वृत्तिर् एतत् त्रैविध्यम् उच्यते विद्यया यो यया युक्तस् तस्य सा दैवतं परम्

karṣakāṇāṃ kṛṣir vṛttiḥ paṇyaṃ vipaṇijīvinām asmākaṃ gauḥ parā vṛttir etat traividhyam ucyate vidyayā yo yayā yuktas tasya sā daivataṃ param

Verse 22

सैव पूज्यार्चनीया च सैव तस्योपकारिणी यो ऽन्यस्य फलम् अश्नानः करोत्य् अन्यस्य सत्क्रियाम् द्वाव् अनर्थौ स लभते प्रेत्य चेह च मानवः

saiva pūjyārcanīyā ca saiva tasyopakāriṇī yo 'nyasya phalam aśnānaḥ karoty anyasya satkriyām dvāv anarthau sa labhate pretya ceha ca mānavaḥ

Verse 23

कृष्यन्ताः प्रथिताः सीमाः सीमान्तं श्रूयते वनम् वनान्ता गिरयः सर्वे सा चास्माकं गतिर् ध्रुवा

kṛṣyantāḥ prathitāḥ sīmāḥ sīmāntaṃ śrūyate vanam vanāntā girayaḥ sarve sā cāsmākaṃ gatir dhruvā

Verse 24

श्रूयन्ते गिरयश् चापि वने ऽस्मिन् कामरूपिणः प्रविश्य तास् तास् तनवो रमन्ते स्वेषु सानुषु

śrūyante girayaś cāpi vane 'smin kāmarūpiṇaḥ praviśya tās tās tanavo ramante sveṣu sānuṣu

Verse 25

भूत्वा केसरिणः सिंहा व्याघ्राश् च नखिनां वराः वनानि स्वानि रक्षन्ति त्रासयन्तो द्रुमच्छिदः

bhūtvā kesariṇaḥ siṃhā vyāghrāś ca nakhināṃ varāḥ vanāni svāni rakṣanti trāsayanto drumacchidaḥ

Verse 26

यदा चैषां विकुर्वन्ति ते वनालयजीविनः घ्नन्ति तान् एव दुर्वृत्तान् पौरुषादेन कर्मणा

yadā caiṣāṃ vikurvanti te vanālayajīvinaḥ ghnanti tān eva durvṛttān pauruṣādena karmaṇā

Verse 27

मन्त्रयज्ञपरा विप्राः सीतायज्ञाश् च कर्षकाः गिरियज्ञा वयं गोपा इज्यो ऽस्माभिर् गिरिर् वने

mantrayajñaparā viprāḥ sītāyajñāś ca karṣakāḥ giriyajñā vayaṃ gopā ijyo 'smābhir girir vane

Verse 28

तन् मह्यं रोचते गोपा गिरियज्ञं वयं वने कुर्मः कृत्वा सुखं स्थानं पादपे वाथ वा गिरौ

tan mahyaṃ rocate gopā giriyajñaṃ vayaṃ vane kurmaḥ kṛtvā sukhaṃ sthānaṃ pādape vātha vā girau

Verse 29

तत्र हत्वा पशून् मेध्यान् वितत्यायतने कृते सर्वघोषस्य संदोहः क्रियतां किं विचार्यते

tatra hatvā paśūn medhyān vitatyāyatane kṛte sarvaghoṣasya saṃdohaḥ kriyatāṃ kiṃ vicāryate

Verse 30

तं शरत्कुसुमापीडाः परिवार्य प्रदक्षिणम् गावो गिरिवरं सर्वास् ततो यान्तु वनं पुनः

taṃ śaratkusumāpīḍāḥ parivārya pradakṣiṇam gāvo girivaraṃ sarvās tato yāntu vanaṃ punaḥ

Let the cows, crowned with autumn flowers, circle the mountain clockwise, and then let them go back to the forest.

Verse 31

प्राप्ता किलेयं हि गवां स्वादुवीर्यतृणा गुणैः शरत्प्रमुदिता रम्या गतमेघजलाशया

prāptā kileyaṃ hi gavāṃ svāduvīryatṛṇā guṇaiḥ śaratpramuditā ramyā gatameghajalāśayā

Verse 32

प्रियकैः पुष्पितैर् गौरं श्यामं बाणवनैः क्वचित् कठोरतृणम् आभाति निर्मयूररुतं वनम्

priyakaiḥ puṣpitair gauraṃ śyāmaṃ bāṇavanaiḥ kvacit kaṭhoratṛṇam ābhāti nirmayūrarutaṃ vanam

Verse 33

विमला विजला व्योम्नि विबलाका विविद्युतः विवर्तन्ते जलधरा विमदा इव कुञ्जराः

vimalā vijalā vyomni vibalākā vividyutaḥ vivartante jaladharā vimadā iva kuñjarāḥ

Verse 34

पटुना मेघवातेन वार्षिकेणावकम्पिताः पर्णोत्करघनाः सर्वे प्रसादं यान्ति पादपाः

paṭunā meghavātena vārṣikeṇāvakampitāḥ parṇotkaraghanāḥ sarve prasādaṃ yānti pādapāḥ

Verse 35

विना च मेघनादेन निर्मयूररुतं वनम् नद्यो बहुविधाकारा जलं स्वच्छं वहन्ति च सितवर्णाम्बुदोष्णीषं हंसचामरवीजितम् पूर्णचन्द्रामलच्छत्रं साभिषेकम् इवाम्बरम्

vinā ca meghanādena nirmayūrarutaṃ vanam nadyo bahuvidhākārā jalaṃ svacchaṃ vahanti ca sitavarṇāmbudoṣṇīṣaṃ haṃsacāmaravījitam pūrṇacandrāmalacchatraṃ sābhiṣekam ivāmbaram

Verse 36

हंसैर् विहसितानीव सुमुत्कुष्टानि सारसैः सर्वाणि तनुतां यान्ति जलानि जलदक्षये

haṃsair vihasitānīva sumutkuṣṭāni sārasaiḥ sarvāṇi tanutāṃ yānti jalāni jaladakṣaye

Verse 37

चक्रवाकस्तनतटाः पुलिनश्रोणिमण्डलाः हंसलक्षणहासिन्यः पतिं यान्ति समुद्रगाः

cakravākastanataṭāḥ pulinaśroṇimaṇḍalāḥ haṃsalakṣaṇahāsinyaḥ patiṃ yānti samudragāḥ

Verse 38

कुमुदोत्फुल्लम् उदकं ताराभिश् चत्रम् अम्बरम् समम् अभ्युत्स्मयन्तीव शर्वरीष्व् इतरेतरम्

kumudotphullam udakaṃ tārābhiś catram ambaram samam abhyutsmayantīva śarvarīṣv itaretaram

Verse 39

मत्तक्रौञ्चावघुष्टेषु कलमापक्वपाण्डुषु निर्विष्टरमणीयेषु वनेषु रमते मनः

mattakrauñcāvaghuṣṭeṣu kalamāpakvapāṇḍuṣu nirviṣṭaramaṇīyeṣu vaneṣu ramate manaḥ

Verse 40

पुष्करिण्यस् तडागानि वाप्यश् च विकचोत्पलाः केदाराः सरितश् चैव सरांसि च श्रियाज्वलन्

puṣkariṇyas taḍāgāni vāpyaś ca vikacotpalāḥ kedārāḥ saritaś caiva sarāṃsi ca śriyājvalan

Verse 41

पङ्कजानि च पद्मानि तथान्यानि सितानि च श्रिया ज्वलत्पङ्कजानि ताम्राणि च सितानि च उत्पलानि च नीलानि भेजिरे वारिजां श्रियम्

paṅkajāni ca padmāni tathānyāni sitāni ca śriyā jvalatpaṅkajāni tāmrāṇi ca sitāni ca utpalāni ca nīlāni bhejire vārijāṃ śriyam

Verse 42

मदं जहुः सितापाङ्गा मन्दं ववृधिरे ऽनिलाः अभवद् व्यभ्रमाकाशम् अभूच् च निभृतो र्णवः

madaṃ jahuḥ sitāpāṅgā mandaṃ vavṛdhire 'nilāḥ abhavad vyabhramākāśam abhūc ca nibhṛto rṇavaḥ

Verse 43

ऋतुपर्यायशिथिलैर् वृत्तनृत्तसमुज्झितैः मयूराङ्गरुहैर् भूमिर् बहुनेत्रेव लक्ष्यते

ṛtuparyāyaśithilair vṛttanṛttasamujjhitaiḥ mayūrāṅgaruhair bhūmir bahunetreva lakṣyate

Verse 44

स्वपङ्कमलिनैस् तीरैः काशपुष्पलताकुलैः हंससारसविन्यासैर् यमुना याति संयता

svapaṅkamalinais tīraiḥ kāśapuṣpalatākulaiḥ haṃsasārasavinyāsair yamunā yāti saṃyatā

Verse 45

कलमापक्वसस्येषु केदारेषु वनेषु च सस्यादा जलजादाश् च मत्ता विरुरुवुः खगाः

kalamāpakvasasyeṣu kedāreṣu vaneṣu ca sasyādā jalajādāś ca mattā viruruvuḥ khagāḥ

Verse 46

सिषिचुर् यानि जलदा जलेन जलदागमे तानि शष्पाण्य् अबालानि कठिनत्वं गतानि वै

siṣicur yāni jaladā jalena jaladāgame tāni śaṣpāṇy abālāni kaṭhinatvaṃ gatāni vai

Verse 47

त्यक्त्वा मेघमयं वासः शरद्गुणविदीपितः एष वीतमले व्योम्नि हृष्टो वसति चन्द्रमाः

tyaktvā meghamayaṃ vāsaḥ śaradguṇavidīpitaḥ eṣa vītamale vyomni hṛṣṭo vasati candramāḥ

Verse 48

क्षीरिण्यो द्विगुणं गावः प्रमत्ता द्विगुणं वृषाः वनानां द्विगुणा लक्ष्मीः सस्यैर् गुणवती मही

kṣīriṇyo dviguṇaṃ gāvaḥ pramattā dviguṇaṃ vṛṣāḥ vanānāṃ dviguṇā lakṣmīḥ sasyair guṇavatī mahī

Verse 49

ज्योतींषि घनमुक्तानि पद्मवन्ति जलानि च मनांसि च मनुष्याणां प्रसादम् उपयान्ति वै

jyotīṃṣi ghanamuktāni padmavanti jalāni ca manāṃsi ca manuṣyāṇāṃ prasādam upayānti vai

Verse 50

असृजत् सविता व्योम्नि निर्मुक्तजलदे भृशम् शरत्प्रज्वलितं तेजस् तीक्ष्णरश्मिर् विशोषयन्

asṛjat savitā vyomni nirmuktajalade bhṛśam śaratprajvalitaṃ tejas tīkṣṇaraśmir viśoṣayan

Verse 51

नीराजयित्वा सैन्यानि निर्यान्ति विजिगीषवः अन्योन्यराष्ट्राभिमुखाः पार्थिवाः पृथिवीक्षितः

nīrājayitvā sainyāni niryānti vijigīṣavaḥ anyonyarāṣṭrābhimukhāḥ pārthivāḥ pṛthivīkṣitaḥ

Verse 52

बन्धुजीवाभिताम्रासु बद्धपङ्कवतीषु च मनस् तिष्ठति कान्तासु चित्रासु वनराजिषु

bandhujīvābhitāmrāsu baddhapaṅkavatīṣu ca manas tiṣṭhati kāntāsu citrāsu vanarājiṣu

Verse 53

वनेषु च विराजन्ते पादपा वनशोभिनः असनाह् सप्तपर्णाश् च कोविदाराश् च पुष्पिताः

vaneṣu ca virājante pādapā vanaśobhinaḥ asanāh saptaparṇāś ca kovidārāś ca puṣpitāḥ

Verse 54

इषुसाह्वा निकुम्भाश् च प्रियकाः स्वर्णकास् तथा इक्षुसस्या निकुप्याश् च प्रियङ्गुश् च विशेषतः सृमराः पिचुकाश् चैव केतक्यश् च समन्ततः

iṣusāhvā nikumbhāś ca priyakāḥ svarṇakās tathā ikṣusasyā nikupyāś ca priyaṅguś ca viśeṣataḥ sṛmarāḥ picukāś caiva ketakyaś ca samantataḥ

Verse 55

व्रजेपु च विशेषेण गर्गरोद्गारहासिषु शरत्प्रकाशयोषेव गोष्ठेष्व् अटति रूपिणी

vrajepu ca viśeṣeṇa gargarodgārahāsiṣu śaratprakāśayoṣeva goṣṭheṣv aṭati rūpiṇī

Verse 56

नूनं त्रिदशलोकस्थं मेघकालसुखोषितम् पतत्रिकेतनं देवं बोधयन्ति दिवौकसः

nūnaṃ tridaśalokasthaṃ meghakālasukhoṣitam patatriketanaṃ devaṃ bodhayanti divaukasaḥ

Verse 57

शरद्य् एवं सुसस्यायां प्राप्तायां प्रावृषः क्षये नीलचन्द्रार्कवर्णैश् च रचितं बहुभिर् द्विजैः फलैः प्रवालैश् च घनम् इन्द्रचापघनोपमम् भवनाकारविटपं लतापरम् अमण्डितम् विशालमूलावनतं पवनाभोगमण्डितम् अर्चयाम गिरिं देवं गाश् चैव सविशेषतः

śarady evaṃ susasyāyāṃ prāptāyāṃ prāvṛṣaḥ kṣaye nīlacandrārkavarṇaiś ca racitaṃ bahubhir dvijaiḥ phalaiḥ pravālaiś ca ghanam indracāpaghanopamam bhavanākāraviṭapaṃ latāparam amaṇḍitam viśālamūlāvanataṃ pavanābhogamaṇḍitam arcayāma giriṃ devaṃ gāś caiva saviśeṣataḥ

Verse 58

सावतंसैर् विषाणैश् च बर्हापीडैश् च दंशितैः घण्टाभिश् च प्रलम्बाभिः पुष्पैः शारदिकैस् तथा

sāvataṃsair viṣāṇaiś ca barhāpīḍaiś ca daṃśitaiḥ ghaṇṭābhiś ca pralambābhiḥ puṣpaiḥ śāradikais tathā

Verse 59

शिवाय गावः पूज्यन्तां गिरियज्ञः प्रवर्तताम् पूज्यन्तां त्रिदशैः शक्रो गिरिर् अस्माभिर् इज्यताम्

śivāya gāvaḥ pūjyantāṃ giriyajñaḥ pravartatām pūjyantāṃ tridaśaiḥ śakro girir asmābhir ijyatām

Verse 60

कारिष्यामि गोयज्ञं बलाद् अपि न संशयः यदास्ति मयि वः प्रीतिर् यदि वा सुहृदो वयम्

kāriṣyāmi goyajñaṃ balād api na saṃśayaḥ yadāsti mayi vaḥ prītir yadi vā suhṛdo vayam

Verse 61

गावो हि पूज्याः सततं सर्वेषां नात्र संशयः स्यात् तु साम्ना भवेत् प्रीतिर् भवतां वैभवाय च तत एतन् मम वचः क्रियताम् अविचारितम्

gāvo hi pūjyāḥ satataṃ sarveṣāṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ syāt tu sāmnā bhavet prītir bhavatāṃ vaibhavāya ca tata etan mama vacaḥ kriyatām avicāritam

Cows are always worthy of worship by everyone — there is no doubt of it. Let this be done through gentle persuasion, for your benefit and your thriving. Therefore let my word be followed without hesitation.

Verse commentary

Kṛṣṇa Redirects the Worship

गोवर्धनपूजाप्रस्तावः

Verses 3, 10, 20, 30, 60, 61: Kṛṣṇa's innocent-sounding question about the Śakra-festival, the wealth of the cows, the pastoralist identity-statement, the mountain-procession proposal, the gentle but firm declaration that the cow-worship will happen, and the closing insistence without hesitation. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

HV 59 is the chapter that sets the Govardhana cycle in motion. Two years of the rains have passed since Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma came to Vṛndāvana; the cowherds are preparing their annual festival for Indra. Kṛṣṇa steps into this preparation with what looks like childish curiosity — 'what is this Śakra-festival?' — and steadily, patiently, across almost sixty verses, redirects the worship to the mountain. The verses below hold the chapter's argument: the cows feed the village, the mountain holds the cows, the festival belongs to what is near.

HV 59.3

कौतूहलाद् इदं वाक्यं कृष्णः प्रोवाच तत्र वै । को ऽयं शक्रमहो नाम येन वो हर्ष आगतः ॥

kautūhalād idaṃ vākyaṃ kṛṣṇaḥ provāca tatra vai | ko 'yaṃ śakramaho nāma yena vo harṣa āgataḥ

With curiosity, Kṛṣṇa spoke this word there: 'What is this Śakra-festival by which joy has come to you?'

The Living Words

*Kautūhalāt*, 'out of curiosity'. *Ko 'yaṃ śakramaho nāma*, 'what is this so-called Śakra-festival?' — the *nāma* is disarming; the child is asking what the name of the thing is. *Yena vo harṣa āgataḥ*, 'by which joy has come to you?' The question is placed on the right side: Kṛṣṇa asks about the source of the villagers' joy, not the ritual correctness.

The Heart of It

The whole chapter turns on this innocent-seeming question. Kṛṣṇa does not open with a critique of Indra-worship; he opens with a question about joy. The Harivaṃśa's narrative wisdom: the way to redirect worship is not to denounce the old but to ask where the worshipper's own joy is coming from. The Varkari saints' approach to the various rites of the tradition is continuous with this. They do not denounce; they ask. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh does not argue for the Name against other practices; it asks whether the other practices have brought you the joy they promised. The question itself starts the shift.

HV 59.10

क्षीरवत्य इमा गावो वत्सवत्यश् च निर्वृताः । तेन संवर्धिता गावस् तृणैः पुष्टाः सपुंगवाः ॥

kṣīravatya imā gāvo vatsavatyaś ca nirvṛtāḥ | tena saṃvardhitā gāvas tṛṇaiḥ puṣṭāḥ sapuṃgavāḥ

These cows are full of milk and of calves, at ease. By that — the mountain — the cows have been nourished, fed on grass, with their bulls.

The Living Words

*Kṣīravatyaḥ imā gāvo vatsavatyaḥ ca nirvṛtāḥ*, 'these cows are milk-rich, calf-rich, at ease'. *Tena saṃvardhitā gāvaḥ*, 'by that (mountain) the cows have been nourished'; *tṛṇaiḥ puṣṭāḥ sapuṃgavāḥ*, 'fed on grass, with their bulls'. The argument is pastoral: the mountain is not an abstraction but the source of the village's livelihood.

The Heart of It

The Harivaṃśa's argument is economic before it is theological. The cows flourish because of the mountain. The mountain feeds the cows; the cows feed the village; therefore the worship belongs to the mountain. No cosmic rhetoric is offered first; the claim is grounded in what the cowherds can see every morning. The Varkari saints' preference for a pastoral, local, embodied theology over abstract metaphysics is in this verse. Vitthal of Pandharpur is the god-who-stands-near the cows and crops, not the god-who-reigns-somewhere-above.

HV 59.20

वयं वनचरा गोप गोपा गोधनजीविनः । गावो ऽस्मद्दैवतं विद्धि गिरयश् च वनानि च ॥

vayaṃ vanacarā gopa gopā godhanajīvinaḥ | gāvo 'smad-daivataṃ viddhi girayaś ca vanāni ca

'We are forest-dwellers, cowherds, living on cattle-wealth. Know that cows are our deity, and the mountains, and the forests.'

The Living Words

*Vanacarāḥ*, forest-wanderers; *gopāḥ*, cowherds; *godhana-jīvinaḥ*, 'living on cattle-wealth'. *Gāvaḥ asmad-daivataṃ viddhi*, 'know that the cows are our deity'. *Girayaś ca vanāni ca*, 'and the mountains and the forests.' Kṛṣṇa is speaking the village's own identity out loud.

The Heart of It

This is one of the most radical verses in the Harivaṃśa. Kṛṣṇa declares that the cowherds' gods are the cows themselves, and the mountains, and the forests. No mediating sacrifice is required. The things they live with are already divine. The Varkari tradition's unique respect for farmer, cowherd, forest-dweller, the marginalized-by-Vedic-orthodoxy, is rooted in *gāvo 'smad-daivataṃ viddhi*. Jñāneśvar's inclusive Haripāṭh — saying the Name is the practice for everyone regardless of caste or Vedic qualification — extends the same line of argument: the thing you already have, loved rightly, is the place where God is.

HV 59.30

तं शरत्कुसुमापीडाः परिवार्य प्रदक्षिणम् । गावो गिरिवरं सर्वास् ततो यान्तु वनं पुनः ॥

taṃ śarat-kusuma-āpīḍāḥ parivārya pradakṣiṇam | gāvo girivaraṃ sarvās tato yāntu vanaṃ punaḥ

'Let all the cows, crowned with autumn flowers, circumambulate the best of mountains, and then go to the forest again.'

The Living Words

*Śarat-kusuma-āpīḍāḥ*, 'crowned with autumn flowers'. *Parivārya pradakṣiṇam*, 'surrounding (it) in pradakṣiṇā'. *Gāvo girivaraṃ sarvāḥ*, 'all the cows, the best of mountains'. *Tato yāntu vanaṃ punaḥ*, 'then let them go to the forest again'. The verse is the ritual prescription in its full form: decorate the cows, walk them clockwise around the mountain, then release them back to the forest.

The Heart of It

The rite Kṛṣṇa proposes is not elaborate. No fires, no long Vedic mantras, no special priests. The cows, the mountain, the walk around. The Harivaṃśa is slyly making its theological point: what the ordinary people have at hand is already enough for worship. The Varkari tradition's *wari* to Pandharpur — a walk around, a circumambulation of something sacred, carrying no more than a flag and the Name — has HV 59.30 as one ancient scriptural model. Pradakṣiṇā is the village-rite of last resort and first choice.

HV 59.60

कारिष्यामि गोयज्ञं बलाद् अपि न संशयः । यदास्ति मयि वः प्रीतिः यदि वा सुहृदो वयम् ॥

kāriṣyāmi goyajñaṃ balād api na saṃśayaḥ | yadāsti mayi vaḥ prītiḥ yadi vā suhṛdo vayam

'I will make this cow-sacrifice happen, even by force — there is no doubt. If you have affection for me, or if we are friends.'

The Living Words

*Kāriṣyāmi goyajñaṃ balād api*, 'I shall make the cow-sacrifice happen, even by force'; *na saṃśayaḥ*, 'without doubt'. *Yadāsti mayi vaḥ prītiḥ*, 'if you have affection for me'. *Yadi vā suhṛdo vayam*, 'or if we are friends'. The verse's register shifts from polite argument to firm insistence. Not aggression — the 'balād api' is rhetorical — but determination.

The Heart of It

The chapter's theological moment. Kṛṣṇa has asked, argued, described, proposed; now he asserts. The god does not always leave the decision to the devotee. Sometimes, lovingly, he insists. *Yadāsti mayi vaḥ prītiḥ* — 'if you love me' — is the clinching argument; the appeal is not doctrinal but personal. The Varkari tradition's sense that devotion can be gently insisted upon — that the god who loves you will not always let you stay where you are religiously — is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh does not merely describe the Name; it tells the reader *hari mukheṃ mhaṇā*, 'say Hari with the mouth', imperative mood.

HV 59.61

गावो हि पूज्याः सततं सर्वेषां नात्र संशयः । स्यात् तु साम्ना भवेत् प्रीतिर् भवतां वैभवाय च । तत एतन् मम वचः क्रियतामविचारितम् ॥

gāvo hi pūjyāḥ satataṃ sarveṣāṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ | syāt tu sāmnā bhavet prītiḥ bhavatāṃ vaibhavāya ca | tata etan mama vacaḥ kriyatām avicāritam

Cows are worthy of worship by everyone always — no doubt. But let love come through gentleness, for your own thriving. Therefore let this word of mine be done without hesitation.

The Living Words

*Gāvo hi pūjyāḥ satataṃ sarveṣāṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ*: 'cows are worthy of worship by all, always, no doubt'. *Sāmnā bhavet prītiḥ*, 'let love come through gentle persuasion'. *Bhavatāṃ vaibhavāya*, 'for your thriving'. *Kriyatām avicāritam*, 'let it be done without hesitation.' The chapter closes on the gentler register restored.

The Heart of It

After the forceful verse, this final one softens the tone. The proposal is still imperative — *kriyatām*, 'let it be done' — but the rationale returns to gentleness and the villagers' own thriving. The Harivaṃśa is careful not to leave the reader with an authoritarian god; the Kṛṣṇa of 59.60 is the same Kṛṣṇa of 59.61, but the closing posture is *sāmnā*, 'through gentle means'. The Varkari tradition's preference for *prema* over *kṣatriya-danda*, love-over-force, is in the final phrase. The Name is asserted; the assertion is not a blow; the persuasion is an affection.

Thread

The six verses trace a single rhetorical arc: the innocent question (59.3), the pastoral argument from the cows' flourishing (59.10), the radical identification of cows-mountains-forests as the village's own deities (59.20), the simple ritual prescription of pradakṣiṇā (59.30), the firm insistence out of love (59.60), the closing return to gentleness (59.61). The Harivaṃśa's model of how to change a tradition is preserved in this structure: ask, describe, identify-what-is-already-divine, propose, insist lovingly, close in gentleness.

Echo in the saints

The Varkari tradition's entire project is a version of HV 59. The saints' *bhajans* redirected the worship of a literate, Sanskrit-centered, rite-heavy Vaiṣṇavism toward what the ordinary person already had at hand — the Marathi name, the village road, the fellow-walker. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh does not abolish the Purāṇas; like Kṛṣṇa in HV 59, it asks where the worshipper's own joy is coming from, and then says: walk around what is already near. The cow-festival of the Harivaṃśa and the Pandharpur *wari* of the Warkari are two moments of the same scripture-move.

Scripture references

EchoesBhagavad Gītā 9.26

Whatever leaf, flower, fruit, or water the devotee offers, I accept — the offering is pastoral, near at hand, whatever they have.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति । तद् अहं भक्त्युपहृतम् अश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥

patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati | tad ahaṃ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

Whoever offers me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water with devotion — that offering, brought by devotion, I accept from the pure of heart.

HV 59's mountain-festival is the Gītā's patraṃ-puṣpaṃ logic at village scale. Worship what you have and where you are.

BORI critical edition, ed. P. L. Vaidya (1969). Digital text from the GRETIL Zurich constituted text. Distributed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.