राम

Viṣṇu-parva

Harivaṃśa · Adhyāya 61

64 versesGovardhana Lifted

Synopsis

Indra, enraged that the cowherds of Vṛndāvana have turned their festival toward Dāmodara and away from him, orders his cloud-legions to drown the village. The rains come like a war. In answer Kṛṣṇa lifts the mountain Govardhana on his left hand and makes of it a roof. A much-loved star-passage glosses the moment in a chain of go- words: "Viṣṇu, cowherd-lord of cowherds, Hari, standing among the cows, shielded cowherds and Gokula; the cowherd held up the mountain that held the cows." By the chapter's end the mountain has been gently set back. The sky has been answered with a shelter.

First-pass synopsis; pending review by a Sanskritist.

Verse 1

गोपाः सबालवृद्धा वै तुष्टुवुर् मुधुसूदनम् (सिच्) नृत्यं गीतं प्रकुर्वाणाः सहकृष्णा व्रजं ययुः महे प्रतिहते शक्रः सक्रोधस् त्रिदशेश्वरः संवर्तकं नाम गणं तोयदानाम् अथाब्रवीत्

gopāḥ sabālavṛddhā vai tuṣṭuvur mudhusūdanam (sic) nṛtyaṃ gītaṃ prakurvāṇāḥ sahakṛṣṇā vrajaṃ yayuḥ mahe pratihate śakraḥ sakrodhas tridaśeśvaraḥ saṃvartakaṃ nāma gaṇaṃ toyadānām athābravīt

Verse 2

भो बलाहकमातङ्गाः श्रूयतां मम भाषितम् यदि वो मत्प्रियं कार्यं राजभक्तिपुरस्कृतम्

bho balāhakamātaṅgāḥ śrūyatāṃ mama bhāṣitam yadi vo matpriyaṃ kāryaṃ rājabhaktipuraskṛtam

Verse 3

एते वृन्दावन गता दामोदरपरायणाः नन्दगोपादयो गोपा विद्विषन्ति ममोत्सवम्

ete vṛndāvana gatā dāmodaraparāyaṇāḥ nandagopādayo gopā vidviṣanti mamotsavam

Verse 4

आजीवो यः परस् तेषां गोपत्वं च यतः स्मृतम् ता गावः सप्तरात्रेण पीड्यन्तां वृष्टिमारुतैः

ājīvo yaḥ paras teṣāṃ gopatvaṃ ca yataḥ smṛtam tā gāvaḥ saptarātreṇa pīḍyantāṃ vṛṣṭimārutaiḥ

Verse 5

ऐरावतगतश् चाहम् स्वयम् एवाम्बु दारुणम् स्रक्ष्यामि वृष्टिं वातं च वज्राशनिसमप्रभम्

airāvatagataś cāham svayam evāmbu dāruṇam srakṣyāmi vṛṣṭiṃ vātaṃ ca vajrāśanisamaprabham

Verse 6

भवद्भिश् चण्डवर्षेण चरता मारुतेन च हतास् ताः सव्रजा गावस् त्यक्ष्यन्ति भुवि जीवितम्

bhavadbhiś caṇḍavarṣeṇa caratā mārutena ca hatās tāḥ savrajā gāvas tyakṣyanti bhuvi jīvitam

Verse 7

एवम् आज्ञापयाम् आस स सर्वाञ् जलदान् प्रभुः प्रत्याहते वै कृष्णेन शासने पाकशासनः

evam ājñāpayām āsa sa sarvāñ jaladān prabhuḥ pratyāhate vai kṛṣṇena śāsane pākaśāsanaḥ

Verse 8

महे प्रतिहते विष्णोः शासनात् पाकशासनः ततस् ते जलदाः कृष्णा घोरनादा भयावहाः आकाशं छादयामासुः सर्वतः पर्वतोपमाः

mahe pratihate viṣṇoḥ śāsanāt pākaśāsanaḥ tatas te jaladāḥ kṛṣṇā ghoranādā bhayāvahāḥ ākāśaṃ chādayāmāsuḥ sarvataḥ parvatopamāḥ

Verse 9

विद्युत्संपातजननाः शक्रचापविभूषिताः तिमिरावृतम् आकाशं चक्रुस् ते जलदास् तदा

vidyutsaṃpātajananāḥ śakracāpavibhūṣitāḥ timirāvṛtam ākāśaṃ cakrus te jaladās tadā

Verse 10

गजा इवान्ये संसक्ताः केचिन् मकरवर्चसः नागा इवान्ये गगने चेरुर् जलदपुंगवाः

gajā ivānye saṃsaktāḥ kecin makaravarcasaḥ nāgā ivānye gagane cerur jaladapuṃgavāḥ

Verse 11

ते ऽन्योन्यवपुषा बद्धा नागयूथायुतोपमाः दुर्दिनं विपुलं चक्रुश् छादयन्तो नभस् तलम्

te 'nyonyavapuṣā baddhā nāgayūthāyutopamāḥ durdinaṃ vipulaṃ cakruś chādayanto nabhas talam

Verse 12

नृहस्तनागहस्तानां वेणूनां चैव सर्वशः स्थूलनागोरुहस्तानां सततं सर्वतोदिशम् धाराभिस् तुल्यरूपाभिर् ववृषुस् ते बलाहकाः

nṛhastanāgahastānāṃ veṇūnāṃ caiva sarvaśaḥ sthūlanāgoruhastānāṃ satataṃ sarvatodiśam dhārābhis tulyarūpābhir vavṛṣus te balāhakāḥ

Verse 13

समुद्रं मेनिरे तं हि खम् आरूढं नृचक्षुषः दुर्विगाह्यम् अपर्यन्तम् अगाधं दुर्दिनं महत्

samudraṃ menire taṃ hi kham ārūḍhaṃ nṛcakṣuṣaḥ durvigāhyam aparyantam agādhaṃ durdinaṃ mahat

Verse 14

न संपतन्ति खगमा दुद्रुवुर् मृगजातयः पर्वताभेषु मेघेषु खे नदत्सु समन्ततः

na saṃpatanti khagamā dudruvur mṛgajātayaḥ parvatābheṣu megheṣu khe nadatsu samantataḥ

Verse 15

सुप्तसूर्येन्दुसदृशे मेघैर् नभसि दारुणैह् अतिवृष्टेन लोकस्य विरूपम् अभवद् वपुः

suptasūryendusadṛśe meghair nabhasi dāruṇaih ativṛṣṭena lokasya virūpam abhavad vapuḥ

Verse 16

मेघौघैर् निष्प्रभाकारम् अदृश्यग्रहतारकम् चन्द्रसूर्यांशुरहितं खं बभूवातिनिष्प्रभम्

meghaughair niṣprabhākāram adṛśyagrahatārakam candrasūryāṃśurahitaṃ khaṃ babhūvātiniṣprabham

Verse 17

वारिणा मेघमुक्तेन मुच्यमानेन चासकृत् मेघयुक्तेन वातेन घूर्णितम् विश्वतोमुखम् आबभौ सर्वतस् तत्र भूमिस् तोयमयी यथा

vāriṇā meghamuktena mucyamānena cāsakṛt meghayuktena vātena ghūrṇitam viśvatomukham ābabhau sarvatas tatra bhūmis toyamayī yathā

Verse 18

विनेदुर् बर्हिणस् तत्र स्तोककाल्परुताः खगाः विवृद्धिं निम्नगा याताः प्लवगाः संप्लवं गताः

vinedur barhiṇas tatra stokakālparutāḥ khagāḥ vivṛddhiṃ nimnagā yātāḥ plavagāḥ saṃplavaṃ gatāḥ

Verse 19

गर्जितेन च मेघानां पर्जन्यनिनदेन च तर्जितानीव कम्पन्ते तृणानि तरुभिः सह

garjitena ca meghānāṃ parjanyaninadena ca tarjitānīva kampante tṛṇāni tarubhiḥ saha

Verse 20

प्राप्तो ऽन्तकालो लोकानां प्राप्ता चैकार्णवा मही इति गोपगणा वाक्यं व्याहरन्ति भयार्दिताः

prāpto 'ntakālo lokānāṃ prāptā caikārṇavā mahī iti gopagaṇā vākyaṃ vyāharanti bhayārditāḥ

Verse 21

तेनोत्पाताम्बुवर्षेण गावो विप्रहता भृशम् हम्भारवैः क्रन्दमाना न चेलुः स्तम्भितोपमाः निष्कम्पसक्थिश्रवणा निष्प्रयत्नखुराननाः हृष्टलोमार्द्रतनवः क्षामकुक्षिपयोधराः

tenotpātāmbuvarṣeṇa gāvo viprahatā bhṛśam hambhāravaiḥ krandamānā na celuḥ stambhitopamāḥ niṣkampasakthiśravaṇā niṣprayatnakhurānanāḥ hṛṣṭalomārdratanavaḥ kṣāmakukṣipayodharāḥ

Verse 22

काश्चित् प्राणान् जहुः श्रान्ता निपेतुः काश्चिद् आतुराः काश्चित् सवत्साः पतिता गावः शीकरवेजिताः

kāścit prāṇān jahuḥ śrāntā nipetuḥ kāścid āturāḥ kāścit savatsāḥ patitā gāvaḥ śīkaravejitāḥ

Verse 23

काश्चिद् आक्रम्य क्रोडेन वत्सांश् तिष्ठन्ति मातरः विमुखाः श्रान्तसक्थ्यश् च निराहाराः कृशोदराः

kāścid ākramya kroḍena vatsāṃś tiṣṭhanti mātaraḥ vimukhāḥ śrāntasakthyaś ca nirāhārāḥ kṛśodarāḥ

Verse 24

पेतुर् आर्ता वेपमाना गावो वर्षपराजिताः वत्साश् चोन्मुखका बाला दामोदर मुखाः स्थिताः त्राहीति वदनैर् दीनैः कृष्णम् ऊचुर् इवार्तवत्

petur ārtā vepamānā gāvo varṣaparājitāḥ vatsāś conmukhakā bālā dāmodara mukhāḥ sthitāḥ trāhīti vadanair dīnaiḥ kṛṣṇam ūcur ivārtavat

Verse 25

गवां पश्य महाबाहो वेदनां परमातुराः गवां तत्कदनं दृष्ट्वा दुर्दिनागमजं भयम् गोपांश् चासन्नवदनान् कोपं कृष्णः समादधे

gavāṃ paśya mahābāho vedanāṃ paramāturāḥ gavāṃ tatkadanaṃ dṛṣṭvā durdināgamajaṃ bhayam gopāṃś cāsannavadanān kopaṃ kṛṣṇaḥ samādadhe

'See, great-armed one, the extremity of the cows; seeing that torment and the fear born of the coming storm, seeing the cowherds with sunken faces, Kṛṣṇa gathered his anger.'

Verse 26

गाश् चापि परमातुराः रोषताम्रेक्षणः श्रीमान् अहो धार्ष्ट्यं सुरपतेर् माम् अनादृत्य संप्रति गवां वधः कृतस् तस्य गोपानां च तथा कृतः स चिन्तयित्वा संरब्धो दृष्टो योगो गवाम् इति आत्मानम् आत्मना वाक्यम् इदम् आह प्रियंवदः

gāś cāpi paramāturāḥ roṣatāmrekṣaṇaḥ śrīmān aho dhārṣṭyaṃ surapater mām anādṛtya saṃprati gavāṃ vadhaḥ kṛtas tasya gopānāṃ ca tathā kṛtaḥ sa cintayitvā saṃrabdho dṛṣṭo yogo gavām iti ātmānam ātmanā vākyam idam āha priyaṃvadaḥ

The cows also distressed to the extreme, his eyes copper-red with anger, the splendid one thought: 'Ah, this audacity of the lord of gods — disregarding me, the killing of the cows is done, and likewise the cowherds are struck.' So thinking, tense, he saw the means for the cows — the self by the self.

Verse 27

अद्याहम् इमम् उत्पाट्य सकाननवनं गिरिम् कल्पयेयं गवां स्थानं वर्षत्राणाय दुर्धरम्

adyāham imam utpāṭya sakānanavanaṃ girim kalpayeyaṃ gavāṃ sthānaṃ varṣatrāṇāya durdharam

'This very day, uprooting this mountain with all its woods and forests, I will make it a place for the cows, hard to bear, for shelter from the rain.'

Verse 28

अयं धृतो मया शैलो भूमीगृहनिभोपमः त्रास्यन्ते सव्रजा गावो मद्वश्यश् च भविष्यति

ayaṃ dhṛto mayā śailo bhūmīgṛhanibhopamaḥ trāsyante savrajā gāvo madvaśyaś ca bhaviṣyati

'Held up by me, this mountain will stand like a house rising from the ground. The cows together with Vraja will be saved, and he will come under my sway.'

Verse 29

एवं स चिन्तयित्वा तु विष्णुः सत्यपराक्रमः इत्य् उक्त्वैकेन हस्तेन कृत्वा गोवर्धनाचलम् दधार लीलया कृष्णश् छत्राकम् इव बालकः बाह्वोर् बलं दर्शयिष्यन् समीपं तं महीधरम् दोर्भ्यां उत्पाटयामास कृष्णो गिरिर् इवापरः

evaṃ sa cintayitvā tu viṣṇuḥ satyaparākramaḥ ity uktvaikena hastena kṛtvā govardhanācalam dadhāra līlayā kṛṣṇaś chatrākam iva bālakaḥ bāhvor balaṃ darśayiṣyan samīpaṃ taṃ mahīdharam dorbhyāṃ utpāṭayāmāsa kṛṣṇo girir ivāparaḥ

So Viṣṇu of true valor thought, and having spoken, with one hand he took the mountain Govardhana; Kṛṣṇa held it in play, as a child holds a mushroom. Wishing to show the strength of his arms, he uprooted that mountain beside him, by his two arms — Kṛṣṇa, like another mountain.

Verse 30

समूलविटपस्कन्धश् चचाल स महागिरिः घणाघणकृतः शैलः सप्राण इव निःश्वसन् स धृतः संगतो मेघैर् गिरिः सव्येन पाणिना गृहभावं गतस् तत्र गृहाकारेण वर्चसा

samūlaviṭapaskandhaś cacāla sa mahāgiriḥ ghaṇāghaṇakṛtaḥ śailaḥ saprāṇa iva niḥśvasan sa dhṛtaḥ saṃgato meghair giriḥ savyena pāṇinā gṛhabhāvaṃ gatas tatra gṛhākāreṇa varcasā

That mountain, reaching to the clouds, held aloft by his left hand, took on the nature of a home, with the very form and glow of a dwelling.

HV 61.30 in the critical edition. The moment of Govardhana-dharaṇa reduced to one image: the mountain stops being a mountain and becomes a gṛha, a house for those beneath it.

Verse 31

भूमेर् उत्पाट्यमानस्य तस्य शैलस्य सानुषु शिलाः प्रशिथिलाश् चेलुर् निष्पेतुश् च सपादपाः

bhūmer utpāṭyamānasya tasya śailasya sānuṣu śilāḥ praśithilāś celur niṣpetuś ca sapādapāḥ

Of that mountain being uprooted from the earth, on its slopes, loosened stones rolled, and trees fell with them.

Verse 32

रक्षिष्यन् गोधनं विष्णुर् गोपानां गोपतिर् हरिः गोमध्यस्थितगोविन्दो गोपान् रक्षन् सगोकुलान् दधार गोधनं विष्णुर् गोधरं च विलम्बयन् गोपान् विस्मापयन् गोपो गोमार्गे संस्थितो हरिः आद्यं वपुश् च गृह्णानो लोकानाम् ईश्वरेश्वरः व्यर्थं चकार गोविन्दो गोधरस्य समीहितम् गोवर्धनस्यास्य गिरेः खे खणायितविग्रहः शिखरैर् घूणमानैश् च सीदमानैश् च सर्वतः विधृतैश् चोच्छ्रितैः शृङ्गैर् अगमः खगमो ऽभवत्

rakṣiṣyan godhanaṃ viṣṇur gopānāṃ gopatir hariḥ gomadhyasthitagovindo gopān rakṣan sagokulān dadhāra godhanaṃ viṣṇur godharaṃ ca vilambayan gopān vismāpayan gopo gomārge saṃsthito hariḥ ādyaṃ vapuś ca gṛhṇāno lokānām īśvareśvaraḥ vyarthaṃ cakāra govindo godharasya samīhitam govardhanasyāsya gireḥ khe khaṇāyitavigrahaḥ śikharair ghūṇamānaiś ca sīdamānaiś ca sarvataḥ vidhṛtaiś cocchritaiḥ śṛṅgair agamaḥ khagamo 'bhavat

To protect the cattle-wealth, Viṣṇu, the cowherd-lord of cowherds, Hari, stood in the midst of the cows; Govinda protected the cowherds with their whole Gokula. Viṣṇu held up the cattle-wealth and held up the Govardhana as he bore it aloft. The cowherd, astonishing the cowherds, stood upon the cow-path, Hari. Taking on his ancient form too, the Lord of the lords of worlds...

Verse 33

चलत्प्रस्रवणैः पार्श्वैर् मेघौघैर् एकतां गतैः भिद्यमानाश्मनिचयश् चचाल धरणीधरः

calatprasravaṇaiḥ pārśvair meghaughair ekatāṃ gataiḥ bhidyamānāśmanicayaś cacāla dharaṇīdharaḥ

Verse 34

न मेघानां प्रवृष्टानां न शैलस्याश्मवर्षिणः वायोश् च घूर्णमानस्य विद्युतां भ्रमताम् अपि विष्णुतेजोभिभूतानाम् अदृश्यन्त वपूंषि च विविदुस् ते जना रूपं वायोस् तस्य च गर्जतः

na meghānāṃ pravṛṣṭānāṃ na śailasyāśmavarṣiṇaḥ vāyoś ca ghūrṇamānasya vidyutāṃ bhramatām api viṣṇutejobhibhūtānām adṛśyanta vapūṃṣi ca vividus te janā rūpaṃ vāyos tasya ca garjataḥ

Not the raining clouds, not the stone-raining mountain, not the whirling wind, not the flashing lightning — by Viṣṇu's radiance their forms were overwhelmed and made invisible; people knew only the form of the wind and its roaring.

Verse 35

मेघैः शिखरसंधानैर् जलप्रस्रवणान्वितैः मिश्रीकृत इवाभाति गिरिर् उद्दामबर्हिणः

meghaiḥ śikharasaṃdhānair jalaprasravaṇānvitaiḥ miśrīkṛta ivābhāti girir uddāmabarhiṇaḥ

Verse 36

आप्लुतो ऽयं गिरिः पक्षैर् इति विद्याधरोरगाः गन्धर्वऋषयश् चैव वाचो मुञ्चन्ति सुस्वराः

āpluto 'yaṃ giriḥ pakṣair iti vidyādharoragāḥ gandharvaṛṣayaś caiva vāco muñcanti susvarāḥ

Verse 37

स कृष्णतलविन्यस्तो मुक्तमूलः क्षितेस् तलात् रीतीर् निर्वर्तयामास काञ्चनाञ् जनराजतीः

sa kṛṣṇatalavinyasto muktamūlaḥ kṣites talāt rītīr nirvartayāmāsa kāñcanāñ janarājatīḥ

Verse 38

कानिचिच् छादितानीव संकीर्णार्धानि कानिचित् गिरेर् मेघं प्रविष्टानि तस्य शृङ्गाणि चाभवन्

kānicic chāditānīva saṃkīrṇārdhāni kānicit girer meghaṃ praviṣṭāni tasya śṛṅgāṇi cābhavan

Verse 39

गिरिणा कम्प्यमानेन कम्पितानां तु शाखिनाम् पुष्पम् उच्चावचं भूमौ व्यशीर्यत समन्ततः

giriṇā kampyamānena kampitānāṃ tu śākhinām puṣpam uccāvacaṃ bhūmau vyaśīryata samantataḥ

Verse 40

निःसृताः पृथुमूर्धानः स्वस्तिकार्धविभूषिताः द्विजिह्वपतयः क्रुद्धाः खेचराः खे समन्ततः

niḥsṛtāḥ pṛthumūrdhānaḥ svastikārdhavibhūṣitāḥ dvijihvapatayaḥ kruddhāḥ khecarāḥ khe samantataḥ

Verse 41

आर्तिं जग्मुः खगगणा वर्षेण च भयेन च उत्पत्योत्पत्य गगनात् पुनः पेतुर् अवाङ्मुखाः

ārtiṃ jagmuḥ khagagaṇā varṣeṇa ca bhayena ca utpatyotpatya gaganāt punaḥ petur avāṅmukhāḥ

Verse 42

रेजुश् चारोषिताः सिंहाः सजला इव तोयदाः गर्गरा इव मथ्यन्तो नेदुः शार्दूलपुंगवाः

rejuś cāroṣitāḥ siṃhāḥ sajalā iva toyadāḥ gargarā iva mathyanto neduḥ śārdūlapuṃgavāḥ

Verse 43

विषमैश् च समीभूतैः समैश् चात्यन्तदुर्गमैः व्यावृत्तदेहः स गिरी रम्य एवोपलक्ष्यते

viṣamaiś ca samībhūtaiḥ samaiś cātyantadurgamaiḥ vyāvṛttadehaḥ sa girī ramya evopalakṣyate

Verse 44

अभिवृष्टस्य तैर् मेघैस् तस्य रूपं बभूव ह स्तम्भितस्येव रुद्रेण त्रिपुरस्य विहायसि

abhivṛṣṭasya tair meghais tasya rūpaṃ babhūva ha stambhitasyeva rudreṇa tripurasya vihāyasi

Verse 45

बाहुदण्डेन कृष्णस्य विधृतं सुमहत् तदा नीलाभ्रपटलच् छन्नं तद्गिरिच्छत्रम् आबभौ

bāhudaṇḍena kṛṣṇasya vidhṛtaṃ sumahat tadā nīlābhrapaṭalac channaṃ tadgiricchatram ābabhau

Verse 46

स्वप्नायमानो जलदैर् निमीलितगुहामुखः बाहूपधाने कृष्णस्य प्रसुप्त इव खे गिरिः

svapnāyamāno jaladair nimīlitaguhāmukhaḥ bāhūpadhāne kṛṣṇasya prasupta iva khe giriḥ

Verse 47

निर्विहंगरुतैर् वृक्षैर् निर्मयूररुतैर् वनैः निरालम्ब इवाभाति गिरिः स शिखरैर् वृतः

nirvihaṃgarutair vṛkṣair nirmayūrarutair vanaiḥ nirālamba ivābhāti giriḥ sa śikharair vṛtaḥ

Verse 48

पर्यस्तैर् घूर्णमानैश् च प्रचलद्भिश् च सानुभिः सज्वराणीव शैलस्य वनानि शिखराणि च

paryastair ghūrṇamānaiś ca pracaladbhiś ca sānubhiḥ sajvarāṇīva śailasya vanāni śikharāṇi ca

Verse 49

उत्तमाङ्गगतास् तस्य मेघाः पवनवाहनाः त्वर्यमाणा महेन्द्रेण तोयं मुमुचुर् अक्षयम्

uttamāṅgagatās tasya meghāḥ pavanavāhanāḥ tvaryamāṇā mahendreṇa toyaṃ mumucur akṣayam

Verse 50

स लम्बमानः कृष्णस्य भुजाग्रे सघनो गिरिः चक्रारूढ इवाभाति देशो नृपतिपीडितः

sa lambamānaḥ kṛṣṇasya bhujāgre saghano giriḥ cakrārūḍha ivābhāti deśo nṛpatipīḍitaḥ

Verse 51

स मेघनिचयस् तस्थौ गिरिं तं परिवार्य ह पुरं पुरस्कृत्य यथा स्फीतो जनपदो महान्

sa meghanicayas tasthau giriṃ taṃ parivārya ha puraṃ puraskṛtya yathā sphīto janapado mahān

Verse 52

निवेश्य तं करे शैलं तुलयित्वा च सस्मितम् प्रोवाच गोप्ता गोपानां प्रजापतिर् इव स्थितः

niveśya taṃ kare śailaṃ tulayitvā ca sasmitam provāca goptā gopānāṃ prajāpatir iva sthitaḥ

Verse 53

एतद् देवैर् असंभाव्यं दिव्येन विधिना मया कृतं गिरिगृहं गोपा निवातशरणं गवाम्

etad devair asaṃbhāvyaṃ divyena vidhinā mayā kṛtaṃ girigṛhaṃ gopā nivātaśaraṇaṃ gavām

Verse 54

न त्रास इह वः कार्यो मद्धस्ताद् धि निपातने वातवर्षभयेनालं तत्त्राणं विहितं हि वः क्षिप्रं विशन्तु यूथानि गवाम् इह हि शान्तये निवातेषु च देशेषु निवसन्तु यथासुखम् यथाव्रजं यथायूथं यथासारं च वै सुखम्

na trāsa iha vaḥ kāryo maddhastād dhi nipātane vātavarṣabhayenālaṃ tattrāṇaṃ vihitaṃ hi vaḥ kṣipraṃ viśantu yūthāni gavām iha hi śāntaye nivāteṣu ca deśeṣu nivasantu yathāsukham yathāvrajaṃ yathāyūthaṃ yathāsāraṃ ca vai sukham

Verse 55

विभज्यताम् अयं देशः कृतो वर्षनिवारणः शैलोत्पाटनभूर् एषा महती निर्मिता मया युथशश् च विभज्याथ वसध्वं गोपसत्तमाः पञ्चक्रोशप्रमाणेन क्रौशैकं विस्तरो महान् त्रैलोक्यम् अप्य् उत्सहते ग्रसितुं किं पुनर् व्रजम्

vibhajyatām ayaṃ deśaḥ kṛto varṣanivāraṇaḥ śailotpāṭanabhūr eṣā mahatī nirmitā mayā yuthaśaś ca vibhajyātha vasadhvaṃ gopasattamāḥ pañcakrośapramāṇena krauśaikaṃ vistaro mahān trailokyam apy utsahate grasituṃ kiṃ punar vrajam

Verse 56

ततः किलकिलाशब्दो गवां हम्भारवाश्रितः गोपानां तुमुलो जज्ञे मेघनादश् च बाह्यतः

tataḥ kilakilāśabdo gavāṃ hambhāravāśritaḥ gopānāṃ tumulo jajñe meghanādaś ca bāhyataḥ

Verse 57

प्रविशन्ति ततो गावो गोपैर् यूथप्रकल्पिताः तस्य शैलस्य विपुलं प्रदरं गह्वरोदरम्

praviśanti tato gāvo gopair yūthaprakalpitāḥ tasya śailasya vipulaṃ pradaraṃ gahvarodaram

Verse 58

कृष्णो ऽपि मूले शैलस्य शैलस्तम्भ इवोच्छ्रितः दधारैकेन हस्तेन शैलं प्रियम् इवातिथिम्

kṛṣṇo 'pi mūle śailasya śailastambha ivocchritaḥ dadhāraikena hastena śailaṃ priyam ivātithim

Verse 59

ततो व्रजस्य भाण्डानि युक्तानि शकटानि च विविशुर् वर्षभीतानि तद् गृहं गिरिनिर्मितम्

tato vrajasya bhāṇḍāni yuktāni śakaṭāni ca viviśur varṣabhītāni tad gṛhaṃ girinirmitam

Verse 60

अतिदैवं तु कृष्णस्य दृष्ट्वा तत् कर्म वज्रभृत् मिथ्याप्रतिज्ञो जलदान् वारयामास वै विभुः

atidaivaṃ tu kṛṣṇasya dṛṣṭvā tat karma vajrabhṛt mithyāpratijño jaladān vārayāmāsa vai vibhuḥ

Verse 61

सप्तरात्रे तु निर्वृत्ते धरण्यां विगतोत्सवे जगाम संवृतो मेघैर् वृत्रहा स्वर्गम् उत्तमम्

saptarātre tu nirvṛtte dharaṇyāṃ vigatotsave jagāma saṃvṛto meghair vṛtrahā svargam uttamam

Verse 62

निवृत्ते सप्तरात्रे तु तिष्ये स्कन्ने शतक्रतौ गताभ्रे विमले व्योम्नि दिवसे दीप्तभास्करे

nivṛtte saptarātre tu tiṣye skanne śatakratau gatābhre vimale vyomni divase dīptabhāskare

Verse 63

गावस् तेनैव मार्गेण परिजग्मुर् गतश्रमाः खं च स्थानं ततो घोषः प्रत्ययात् पुनर् एव सः

gāvas tenaiva mārgeṇa parijagmur gataśramāḥ khaṃ ca sthānaṃ tato ghoṣaḥ pratyayāt punar eva saḥ

Verse 64

कृष्णो ऽपि तं गिरिश्रेष्ठं स्वस्थाने स्थावरात्मवान् प्रीतो निवेशयामास ध्रुवाय वरदो विभुः

kṛṣṇo 'pi taṃ giriśreṣṭhaṃ svasthāne sthāvarātmavān prīto niveśayāmāsa dhruvāya varado vibhuḥ

Verse commentary

Govardhana Lifted

गोवर्धनधारण

Verses 27–30: the decision, the uprooting, and the great image of the mountain as a house. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

Indra has sent his cloud-legions to drown Vṛndāvana for the village's change of festival. The rain is weaponized: not water falling but sky falling. In four verses of extraordinary compression the Harivaṃśa describes Kṛṣṇa's answer. HV 61.27 gives his resolve, HV 61.28 his reason, HV 61.29 the uprooting itself, and HV 61.30 the image that has kept the episode alive for two millennia: the mountain becomes a house. The Varkari understanding that God does not remove the storm but makes a shelter of his own body is already here in the Sanskrit of this chapter, more directly than in any later retelling.

HV 61.27

अद्याहम् इमम् उत्पाट्य सकाननवनं गिरिम् । कल्पयेयं गवां स्थानं वर्षत्राणाय दुर्धरम् ॥

adyāham imam utpāṭya sakānanavanaṃ girim | kalpayeyaṃ gavāṃ sthānaṃ varṣatrāṇāya durdharam

This very day, uprooting this mountain with all its woods and forests, I will make it a place for the cows, hard to bear, for shelter from the rain.

The Living Words

The verb that matters is *utpāṭya*, 'uprooting.' Kṛṣṇa does not flatten the storm; he moves the earth. *Sakānana-vanaṃ girim* holds the scale: the mountain comes with its forests, its groves, its whole body. *Kalpayeyaṃ gavāṃ sthānam*, 'I will make a place for the cows': the purpose is not defense of doctrine nor punishment of Indra, it is shelter for the cattle. *Varṣa-trāṇāya durdharam*, 'for shelter from the rain, hard to bear' — the mountain itself, not the moment, is *durdhara*. A stone dangerous to bear becomes a canopy that cannot be dislodged.

The Heart of It

Note what the verse does not say. It does not say, 'I will destroy Indra.' It does not say, 'I will prove my divinity.' It says, 'I will make a place for the cows.' The whole of Kṛṣṇa's theological stance in this chapter is contained in that phrase. The god of the Harivaṃśa is first a cowherd; the cowherd becomes a mountain-lifter only because the cowherd has cows to protect. Every subsequent image of Kṛṣṇa as Giridhara ('mountain-bearer') is ultimately a derivation from this verse: the mountain lifted is not a display, it is a response to a need. The devotee who approaches Govinda is approaching a god whose first impulse has always been shelter.

HV 61.28

अयं धृतो मया शैलो भूमीगृहनिभोपमः । त्रास्यन्ते सव्रजा गावो मद्वश्यश्च भविष्यति ॥

ayaṃ dhṛto mayā śailo bhūmīgṛhanibhopamaḥ | trāsyante savrajā gāvo madvaśyaś ca bhaviṣyati

Held up by me, this mountain will stand like a house rising from the ground. The cows together with Vraja will be saved, and he (Indra) will come under my sway.

The Living Words

The pregnant compound is *bhūmī-gṛha-nibha-upamaḥ*, 'like a house rising from the ground.' *Bhūmī-gṛha* is not just any house: it is the older, earth-rooted kind, a dwelling cut into the ground or raised directly from it. The mountain is not compared to a palace or a temple but to something humble and familiar. *Trāsyante savrajā gāvaḥ*: future passive — 'they will be saved'; the action, like the shelter, is already ahead. *Mad-vaśyaḥ*, 'under my sway,' not *jita* (defeated): Indra is not to be conquered, he is to be brought into relation. The cowherd's god does not destroy the sky-god; he puts him in his place.

The Heart of It

The verse separates two outcomes: the village will be saved (*trāsyante*), and Indra will come under his sway (*mad-vaśyaḥ*). The first outcome is immediate and palpable; the second is slower, and importantly it is not a killing. What this chapter is doing to the old Vedic Indra-cult is theologically precise: it is not replacing Indra, it is putting him in subordination to a new center. For the reader, the verse models an interior posture as well. When an inward storm comes, *bhagavat-kṛpā* does not first argue with the cloud; it first shelters the one under threat. The debate with the sky-god, if it happens, happens later, and not with violence.

HV 61.29

एवं स चिन्तयित्वा तु विष्णुः सत्यपराक्रमः । इत्युक्त्वैकेन हस्तेन कृत्वा गोवर्धनाचलम् । दधार लीलया कृष्णश्छत्राकम् इव बालकः ॥

evaṃ sa cintayitvā tu viṣṇuḥ satyaparākramaḥ | ity uktvaikena hastena kṛtvā govardhanācalam | dadhāra līlayā kṛṣṇaś chatrākam iva bālakaḥ

So Viṣṇu of true valor thought, and having spoken, with one hand he took the mountain Govardhana; Kṛṣṇa held it in play, as a child holds a mushroom.

The Living Words

The verse is held together by three words. *Satya-parākramaḥ*: true in valor — not merely brave but whose strength matches its word. *Ekena hastena*: with one hand — the Sanskrit wants us to see it, not talk around it. *Līlayā*: in play, in sport, as ease, without strain. And then the simile: *chatrākam iva bālakaḥ*, 'as a child holds a mushroom.' *Chatrāka* is the mushroom-umbrella that pops up after rain; a small child holds one by the stem, the cap broad over his fist. In the verse's simile, Govardhana is the cap, Kṛṣṇa the small hand. The scale is the opposite of the expected one.

The Heart of It

The simile is the verse's whole teaching. The Harivaṃśa could have said 'he held it with the strength of a lion, the might of a thousand elephants.' Instead it says, 'as a child holds a mushroom.' The choice is deliberate. What Indra intended as catastrophe, Kṛṣṇa responds to as play. The distance between the crisis and the answer, the difference in scale between the storm and the hand, is the theological point. For the devotee this carries a quiet encouragement: the weight you cannot bear is the weight he holds *līlayā*, in play. The verse does not minimize the storm; Govardhana is a mountain. It minimizes the distance between God and anything you are afraid of.

HV 61.30

स धृतः संगतो मेघैर् गिरिः सव्येन पाणिना । गृहभावं गतस् तत्र गृहाकारेण वर्चसा ॥

sa dhṛtaḥ saṃgato meghair giriḥ savyena pāṇinā | gṛhabhāvaṃ gatas tatra gṛhākāreṇa varcasā

That mountain, reaching to the clouds, held aloft by his left hand, took on the nature of a home, with the very form and glow of a dwelling.

The Living Words

*Saṃgato meghaiḥ* — reaching the clouds, joined to them. The mountain's height now becomes its comfort: by touching the cloud-ceiling it intercepts the rain before it can fall. *Savyena pāṇinā*, 'by his left hand.' The detail matters: the left is not the strong hand, it is the quieter one. *Gṛha-bhāvaṃ gataḥ* is the verse's hinge: 'reached the condition of being a home.' *Gṛha-bhāva* is not merely *gṛha*, a house; it is the *bhāva* of a home, the state-of-homeness. The mountain does not become a shelter grudgingly; it participates in being a home. And finally *gṛha-ākāreṇa varcasā*: with the form and glow of a dwelling. A lit-from-inside image. Vraja beneath it sees not rock but warmth.

The Heart of It

This is the image Jñāneśvar is answering when he writes, in Haripāṭh 1.4, *dvārakecā rāṇā pāṇḍavāṃ gharīṃ*, 'the King of Dvārakā in the Pāṇḍavas' house.' The same Kṛṣṇa, the same movement: the god moves into the ordinary home. HV 61.30 shows him making the home himself, out of a mountain. The verb is *gataḥ*, 'has gone': the mountain has moved across a category line. It was a feature of the landscape; it is now a dwelling. What has changed is not the geology; it is who the dwelling belongs to. In this chapter, the 'house' of the verse, protected by Kṛṣṇa's left hand, is Vraja. In the Haripāṭh, the house is yours. The theology is already complete here: wherever Kṛṣṇa places his hand, something stone becomes *gṛha-bhāva*.

Thread

Across these four verses the Harivaṃśa arranges a complete theology of shelter: resolve (*kalpayeyaṃ gavāṃ sthānam*), scale (*bhūmī-gṛha-nibha-upamaḥ*), ease (*līlayā*), and transformation (*gṛha-bhāvaṃ gataḥ*). Each verse is a step in a single movement. Kṛṣṇa does not end the storm; he turns the unbearable into the bearable by changing what the thing above the village is. The mountain does not grow smaller. The devotee beneath does not grow larger. Between them a hand is placed.

Echo in the saints

The Govardhana image is the most recited of all Kṛṣṇa-līlā scenes in the Varkari tradition after Pandharpur itself. Tukaram returns to it when he writes of Vitthal "standing on a brick": the god who waits with his hands on his hips, the same weight of standing-there for the sake of the devotee that the Harivaṃśa describes in a mountain. Jñāneśvar's Jñāneśvarī, commenting on the Gītā's ninth chapter on ananya-bhakti, uses the image of the devotee carried on the Lord's own body as the Lord's own burden; the Harivaṃśa's gṛha-bhāva is its oldest Sanskrit version. Eknath's domestic Bhāgavata explicitly names the Govardhana episode as the model for how God treats a household: not as a visitor, but as the one whose hand is already above the roof.

Scripture references

EchoesHaripāṭh, Abhaṅga 1, verse 4

The same theology of shelter in the household: the King of Dvārakā in the Pāṇḍavas' house.

ज्ञानदेव म्हणे व्यासाचिया खुणा । द्वारकेचा राणा पांडवां घरीं ॥

jñānadeva mhaṇe vyāsāciyā khuṇā | dvārakecā rāṇā pāṇḍavāṃ gharīṃ

Jñāneśvar says: this is Vyāsa's signature-teaching. The King of Dvārakā made his home in the Pāṇḍavas' house.

Govardhana is the earliest Sanskrit image of the movement Jñāneśvar names: God's move toward the devotee's home.

EchoesBhagavad Gītā 9.22

Protecting those who worship with single-pointed devotion.

अनन्याश् चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते । तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥

ananyāś cintayanto māṃ ye janāḥ paryupāsate | teṣāṃ nityābhiyuktānāṃ yoga-kṣemaṃ vahām y aham

For those who are devoted to no other and who worship me constantly, I carry their yoga-kṣema (acquisition and preservation).

Govardhana is yoga-kṣema made visible: the one hand that acquires the shelter, preserves those beneath it.

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