Suggested Reading: Govardhanashtakam - Eight verses glorifying Lord Hari's greatest servant, The Govardhana Hill

Krishna and Balarama once saw that the cowherd men were preparing for a sacrifice. Being the omniscient Personality of Godhead, Krishna knew that the cowherd men were preparing for sacrifice to Indra (the chief demigod of heaven and presiding deity of rain), but as a matter of etiquette He began to inquire with great honor and submission from elder personalities like Maharaja Nanda.

Upon this inquiry, His father, Nanda Maharaja, replied, “My dear boy, this ceremonial performance is more or less traditional. 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.” After hearing this, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,  in the presence of His father and all the elder cowherd men of Vrindavana, spoke in such a way as to make the heavenly king, Indra, very angry. He suggested that they forgo the sacrifice. King Indra was certainly a devotee, not a demon, but because he was puffed up, Krishna wanted to teach him a lesson.

Maharaja Nanda and other elder members argued that without satisfying the predominating god one cannot derive any good result simply by material activities. Krishna 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. 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. What, then, has Indra to do with this affair? Even if you 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. So he 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. There are palatial buildings in the cities, but we are satisfied living in this beautiful forest of Vrindavana. Our specific relationship is with Govardhana Hill and Vrindavana forest and nothing more. I therefore request you, My dear father, to begin a sacrifice which will satisfy the local brahmanas and Govardhana Hill, and let us have nothing to do with Indra.”

The honest and simple cowherd men, headed by Nanda Maharaja, accepted Krishna’s proposal and they performed Govardhana worship and circumambulation of the hill. According to the instruction of Lord Krishna, Nanda Maharaja and the cowherd men called in learned brahmanas and began to worship Govardhana Hill by chanting Vedic hymns. The inhabitants of Vrindavana assembled together, decorated their cows and gave them grass. Keeping the cows in front, they circumambulated Govardhana Hill.

When Indra understood that the sacrifice which was to be offered by the cowherd men in Vrindavana had been stopped by Krishna, he became angry, and he vented his anger upon the inhabitants of Vrindavana, who were headed by Nanda Maharaja, although Indra knew perfectly well that Krishna was personally protecting them. Demonically, Indra thought himself to be the all-powerful supreme personality. As the director of different kinds of clouds, Indra called for the Samvartaka and ordered him to go over Vrindavana and inundate the whole area with an extensive flood.

Ordered by King Indra, all the dangerous clouds appeared above Vrindavana and began to pour water incessantly, with all their strength and power. There was constant lightning and thunder, blowing of severe wind, and incessant falling of rain. The rain seemed to fall like piercing sharp arrows. By pouring water as thick as pillars, without cessation, the clouds gradually filled all the lands in Vrindavana with water, and there was no visible distinction between higher and lower land. The situation was very dangerous, especially for the animals. The rainfall was accompanied by great winds, and every living creature in Vrindavana began to tremble from the severe cold. Unable to find any other source of deliverance, they all approached Krishna to take shelter at His lotus feet. The cows especially, being much aggrieved from the heavy rain, bowed down their heads, and taking their calves underneath their bodies, they approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead to take shelter of His lotus feet.

Krishna understood that this was a deliberate exhibition of anger by Indra, being bereft of his sacrificial honor. He therefore concluded, “This demigod who thinks himself supreme has shown his great power, but I shall answer him according to My position, and I shall teach him that he is not autonomous in managing universal affairs. I am the Supreme Lord over all, and I shall thus take away his false prestige, which has risen from his power. The demigods are My devotees, and therefore it is not possible for them to forget My supremacy, but somehow or other he has become puffed up with material power and thus is now maddened. I shall act in such a way as to relieve him of this false prestige. I shall give protection to My pure devotees in Vrindavana, who are at present completely dependent on My mercy.”

Thinking in this way, Lord Krishna immediately picked up Govardhana Hill with one hand, exactly as a child picks up a mushroom from the ground. Thus He exhibited His transcendental pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill. Lord Krishna then addressed His devotees, “My dear brothers, My dear father, My dear inhabitants of Vrindavana, you can now safely enter under the umbrella of Govardhana Hill, which I have just lifted. Do not be afraid of the hill and think that it will fall from My hand. You have been too much afflicted from the heavy rain and strong wind; therefore I have lifted this hill, which will protect you exactly like a huge umbrella. I think this is a proper arrangement to relieve you of your immediate distress. Be happy along with your animals underneath this great umbrella.” Being assured by Lord Krishna, all the inhabitants of Vrindavana entered beneath the great hill along with their property and animals, and they all appeared to be safe.

The inhabitants of Vrindavana and their animals remained there for one week without being disturbed by hunger, thirst or any other discomforts. They were simply astonished to see how Krishna was holding up the mountain with the little finger of His left hand. Seeing the extraordinary mystic power of Krishna, Indra, the King of heaven, was thunderstruck and baffled in his determination. He immediately called for all the clouds and asked them to desist.

All the men loaded their valuables on carts and slowly left with their cows and other paraphernalia. After they had cleared out everything, Lord Krishna very slowly replaced Govardhana Hill in exactly the same position it had been before. In the heavens, different demigods from different planetary systems, such as Siddhaloka, Gandharvaloka and Caranaloka, also began to show their complete satisfaction. They poured showers of flowers on the surface of the earth and sounded different conchshells. There was beating of drums, and being inspired by godly feelings, residents of Gandharvaloka began to play on their tambouras to please the Lord.

Indra, the King of heaven, became conscious of his offense before Krishna; therefore he stealthily appeared before Him and immediately fell down at the lotus feet of Krishna and offered his prayers.

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