Krsna Book Chapter 24 - Worshiping Govardhana Hill: Difference between revisions
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Pages in category "Krsna Book Chapter 24 - Worshiping Govardhana Hill"
The following 89 pages are in this category, out of 89 total.
A
- A father’s and mother’s taking care of their children is not the cause of their comfort. Sometimes it is found that in spite of all care by the parents, the children go bad or succumb to death. Therefore material causes are not sufficient for results
- According to the instruction of Lord Krsna, Nanda Maharaja and the cowherd men called in learned brahmanas and began to worship Govardhana Hill by chanting Vedic hymns and offering prasadam
- After hearing this (reply from Nanda Maharaja), Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the presence of His father and all the elder cowherd men of Vrndavana, spoke in such a way as to make the heavenly king, Indra, very angry
- After hearing this statement by Krsna, Nanda Maharaja replied, "My dear boy, since You are asking, I shall arrange for a separate sacrifice for the local brahmanas & Govardhana Hill. But for the present let me execute this sacrifice known as Indra-yajna"
- Although the vaisyas can take to any of these occupations (agriculture, trade, protection of cows and banking), the men of Vrndavana were engaged primarily in the protection of cows
- Another hint we get from this statement (of Krsna) is that the candalas, or the untouchables, are also not to be neglected by the higher classes and should be given necessary protection
B
- Because He is the omniscient Personality of Godhead, Krsna knew that the cowherd men were preparing for the Indra sacrifice, but as a matter of etiquette He began to inquire with great honor and submission from elder personalities like Maharaja Nanda
- But Krsna replied, "Better take the arrangement and paraphernalia you have already made for the Indra-yajna and immediately engage them to satisfy Govardhana Hill and the local brahmanas"
- But Krsna replied, "My dear father, don't delay. The sacrifice you propose for Govardhana and the local brahmanas will take much time"
E
- Each (community in human society and in the animal kingdom) is to work in cooperation for the total benefit of all society, which includes not only animate objects but also inanimate objects like hills and land
- Everyone is important, but some are directly responsible for the advancement of human society and some are only indirectly responsible. However, when Krsna consciousness is there, then everyone's total benefit is taken care of
F
- First, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, there is no need to worship the demigods for any material advancement; all results derived from worshiping the demigods are simply temporary, & only those who are less intelligent are interested in temporary results
- First-class medical treatment or the attempts of a first-class physician are not in themselves the cause for curing a patient; there must be the hand of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Following the inauguration of Govardhana-puja, people in Vrndavana still dress nicely and assemble near Govardhana Hill to offer worship and circumambulate the hill, leading their cows all around
- For example, it is sometimes found that in spite of first-class medical help and treatment by a first-class physician, a diseased person dies
- From this statement (of Krsna) we learn also that although the cats and dogs, which have now become so important, are not to be neglected, cow protection is actually more important than protection of cats and dogs
I
- In all communities in human society - including the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras, candalas, etc. - and in the animal kingdom - including the cows, dogs, goats, etc. - everyone has his part to play
- In all the temples of Vrndavana or outside of Vrndavana, huge quantities of food are prepared in this ceremony (of Govardhana-puja) and are very sumptuously distributed to the general population
- In offering obeisances to the huge form of Krsna and Govardhana Hill, Krsna declared, "Just see how Govardhana Hill has assumed this huge form and is favoring us by accepting all the offerings!"
- In order to stop all such activities (of worshiping the demigods) by His devotees, Krsna wanted to firmly establish exclusive devotional service during His presence in Vrndavana
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is clearly stated that in this instance Krsna wanted to make King Indra angry. Krsna's advent was especially meant for the annihilation of the demons and protection of the devotees
- In this statement (to Nanda Maharaja about worshiping Govardhana Hill), Lord Krsna practically described the whole economy of the vaisya community
K
- King Indra was certainly a devotee, not a demon, but because he was puffed up, Krsna wanted to teach him a lesson. He first made Indra angry by stopping the Indra-puja, which had been arranged by the cowherd men in Vrndavana
- Krsna also declared at that meeting, "In order to assure the good fortune of the cows and themselves, all people of Vrndavana near Govardhana must worship the hill, as prescribed by Me"
- Krsna also declared at that meeting, "One who neglects the worship of Govardhana-puja, as I am personally conducting it, will not be happy"
- Krsna asked His father, "I am very eager to know this procedure, so please explain to Me the purpose of this sacrifice"
- Krsna asked His father, "My dear father, what is this arrangement going on for a great sacrifice? What is the result of such a sacrifice, and for whom is it meant? How is it performed? Will you kindly let Me know?"
- Krsna explained to His father, "The cloud is caused by the action of the mode of passion; therefore it is the mode of passion which causes the rainfall. And after the rainfall, the living entities derive the result - success in agricultural work"
- Krsna further explained to His father, "This cosmic manifestation is going on under the influence of three modes of material nature - goodness, passion and ignorance. These three modes are the causes of creation, maintenance and destruction"
- Krsna identified Himself with the vaisya community because Nanda was protecting many cows & Krsna was taking care of them. He enumerated four kinds of business engagements for the vaisya community, namely agriculture, trade, protection of cows & banking
- Krsna persisted, "A person who acts with full knowledge gets the full result; one who acts without knowledge does not get such a perfect result"
- Krsna persisted, "All persons are engaged in fruitive activities. Some know what these activities are, and they know the result, and some execute activities without knowing the purpose or the result"
- Krsna persisted, "Even for those who are not so liberal, nothing should be kept secret from the family members and friends, although secrecy may be maintained for persons who are inimical. Therefore you cannot keep any secrets from Me"
- Krsna persisted, "My dear father, for those who are liberal and saintly, there is no secrecy. They do not think anyone to be a friend, an enemy or a neutral party, because they are always open to everyone"
- Krsna persisted, "Please let Me know the purpose of the sacrifice you are going to perform. Is it according to Vedic injunction? Or is it simply a popular ceremony? Kindly let Me know in detail about the sacrifice"
- Krsna said, "After nice grasses have been given to the cows, the sacrifice known as Govardhana-puja may immediately begin. This sacrifice will very much satisfy Me"
- Krsna said, "As far as the lower animals are concerned, such as the dogs, and the lower grades of people, such as the candalas, or the fifth class of men, who are considered untouchable, they also may be given sumptuous prasadam"
- Krsna said, "He (Indra) is pouring water on the ocean or on the land; it does not depend on our worshiping him. As far as we are concerned, we do not need to go to another city or village or foreign country"
- Krsna said, "I therefore request you, My dear father (Nanda), to begin a sacrifice which will satisfy the local brahmanas and Govardhana Hill, and let us have nothing to do with Indra"
- Krsna said, "Prepare rice, dhal, then halava, pakora, puri & all kinds of milk preparations, such as sweet rice, rabri, sweetballs, sandesa, rasagulla & laddu, and invite the learned brahmanas who can chant the Vedic hymns & offer oblations to the fire"
- Krsna said, "The brahmanas should be given all kinds of grain in charity. Then decorate all the cows and feed them well. After performing this, give money in charity to the brahmanas"
- Krsna said, "There are many snakes on Govardhana Hill, and persons neglecting the prescribed duty of Govardhana-puja will be bitten by these snakes and killed"
- Krsna said, "There are palatial buildings in the cities, but we are satisfied living in this forest of Vrndavana. Our specific relationship is with Govardhana Hill and Vrndavana forest and nothing more"
- Krsna said, "What, then, has Indra to do with this affair? Even if you (Nanda) do not please Indra, what can he do? We do not derive any special benefit from Indra. Even if he is there, he pours water on the ocean also, where there is no need of water"
- Krsna spoke Karma-mimamsa philosophy, "Different grades of material happiness and distress, comforts and disadvantages of life, are different results of different kinds of activities, from either the past or present life"
- Krsna spoke Karma-mimamsa philosophy, "Every living being is born according to his past karma and leaves this life simply taking the result of his present karma"
- Krsna spoke Karma-mimamsa philosophy, "Everyone is born in different types or species of life according to his past activities, and he gets his next birth according to the activities of this life"
- Krsna spoke Karma-mimamsa philosophy, "My dear father, I don’t think you need to worship any demigod for the successful performance of your agricultural activities"
L
- Lord Krsna nullified this argument (of Nanda Maharaja), saying that the demigods give results only to persons who have executed their prescribed duties
- Lord Krsna said that Govardhana-puja is as good as worship of Him. From that day, Govardhana-puja has been going on and is known as Annakuta
- Lord Krsna said, "Actually, one cannot be happy without executing his proper prescribed duty. One who does not, therefore, properly discharge his prescribed duties is compared to an unchaste wife"
- Lord Krsna said, "All living entities achieve higher or lower bodies and create enemies, friends or neutral parties only because of their different kinds of work"
- Lord Krsna said, "My dear father, there is no need to worship the demigod Indra. Everyone has to achieve the result of his own work"
- Lord Krsna said, "One should be careful to discharge duties according to his natural instinct and not divert attention to the worship of various demigods"
- Lord Krsna said, "The demigods will be satisfied by proper execution of all duties, so there is no need to worship them. Let us, rather, perform our prescribed duties very nicely"
- Lord Krsna said, "The proper duty of the vaisya community is agriculture, trade and protection of the cows; and the proper duty of the sudras is service to the higher classes, namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas"
- Lord Krsna said, "The proper prescribed duty of the brahmanas is the study of the Vedas; the proper duty of the royal order, and the ksatriyas, is engagement in protecting the citizens"
- Lord Krsna said, "We belong to the vaisya community, and our proper duty is to farm, to trade with the agricultural produce, to protect cows or to take to banking"
- Lord Krsna said, "We can actually see that one becomes busy according to the natural tendency of his work; and according to that natural tendency, all living entities - whether human beings or demigods - achieve their respective results"
M
- Maharaja Nanda and other elder members argued that without satisfying the predominating god one cannot derive any good result simply by material activities. This is actually the fact
- Maharaja Nanda finally relented. The cowherd men then inquired from Krsna how He wanted the yajna performed, and Krsna gave them the following directions. "Prepare very nice foods of all descriptions from the grain and ghee collected for the yajna"
- Maharaja Nanda replied, "Because rainfall is due to the mercy of King Indra and the clouds are his representatives, and because water is so important for our living, we must show some gratitude to the controller of this rainfall, Maharaja Indra"
- Maharaja Nanda replied, "We are arranging, therefore, to pacify King Indra, because he has very kindly sent us clouds to pour down a sufficient quantity of rain for successful agricultural activities. Water is very important"
- Maharaja Nanda replied, "We should not give up this traditional ceremonial function; if one gives it up, being influenced by lust, greed or fear, then it does not look very good for him"
- Maharaja Nanda replied, "Without rainfall we cannot farm or produce grain, and without grain we cannot live. Therefore rain is necessary for successful religious ceremonies, economic development and, ultimately, liberation"
S
- Second, whatever temporary result one derives from worshiping the demigods is actually granted by the permission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gita: mayaiva vihitan hi tan
- Sometimes the demigods become puffed up by the influence of material nature; thinking themselves all in all, they forget the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead
- Sometimes the food (from Govardhana-puja) is thrown to the crowds, and they enjoy collecting it off the ground. From this we can understand that prasadam offered to Krsna never becomes polluted or contaminated, even if it is thrown on the ground
T
- The demigods cannot give any good results to the person who has not executed the prescribed duties; therefore demigods are dependent on the execution of duties and are not absolute in awarding good results to anyone. So why should one care about them?
- The followers of the Krsna consciousness movement may therefore collect small rocks or pebbles from Govardhana Hill and worship them at home, because this worship is as good as Deity worship
- The form of Krsna who began to eat the offerings was separately constituted, and Krsna Himself, along with the other inhabitants of Vrndavana, offered obeisances to the Deity as well as Govardhana Hill
- The gopis dressed themselves very luxuriantly and sat in bull-driven carts, chanting the glories of Krsna's pastimes. The brahmanas, assembled there to act as priests for Govardhana-puja, offered their blessings to the cowherd men and their wives
- The honest and simple cowherd men, headed by Nanda Maharaja, accepted Krsna's proposal and executed in detail everything He advised. They performed Govardhana worship and circumambulation of the hill
- The inhabitants of Vrndavana assembled together, decorated their cows and gave them grass. Keeping the cows in front, they began to circumambulate Govardhana Hill
- The sacrifice known as Govardhana-puja is observed in the Krsna consciousness movement. Lord Caitanya has recommended that since Krsna is worshipable, so His land - Vrndavana and Govardhana Hill - is also worshipable
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, therefore advised the cowherd men to stop the Indra-yajna and begin the Govardhana-puja in order to chastise Indra, who was very much puffed up at being the supreme controller of the heavenly planets
- The vaisya community is specifically responsible for the economic improvement of the society by producing grain, by giving protection to the cows, by transporting food when needed, and by banking and finance
- Their (the Karma-mimamsa philosophers) opinion is that even if there is a God who gives man the result of his fruitive activities, there is no need to worship Him because unless man works He cannot bestow any good result
- Then Krsna began to eat all the food offered there. The identity of Krsna and Govardhana Hill is still honored, and great devotees take rocks from Govardhana Hill and worship them exactly as they worship the Deity of Krsna in the temples
- There must be the sanction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nanda Maharaja therefore advocated that in order to get good results for agricultural activities, they must satisfy Indra, the superintending deity of the rain supply
- They (the Karma-mimamsa philosophers) put forward the argument that if anyone works nicely, the result is sure to come
- They say that instead of worshiping a demigod or God, people should give attention to their own duties, and thus the good result will surely come
- Thus performing the Govardhana-puja sacrifice, all the inhabitants of Vrndavana followed the instructions of Krsna, the son of Vasudeva, and afterwards they returned to their respective homes
W
- Whatever benefit is supposed to be derived from the demigods is actually bestowed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without the permission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot bestow any benefit upon others
- When everything was complete, Krsna assumed a great transcendental form and declared to the inhabitants of Vrndavana that He was Himself Govardhana Hill in order to convince the devotees that Govardhana Hill and Krsna Himself are identical
- With this purpose in mind, Krsna began to talk as if He were an atheist supporting the philosophy of Karma-mimamsa. Advocates of this philosophy do not accept the supreme authority of the Personality of Godhead