S'rî
S'uka said:
'Indra then who realized that the worship of his person had
been rejected, o King, got angry with the gopas lead by
Nanda who had taken to Krishna as their Lord.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: My dear King Parîkshit, when
Indra understood that his sacrifice had been put aside, he
became furious with Nanda Mahârâja and the other
cowherd men, who were accepting Krishna as their Lord.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
Clouds
carrying the name Sâmvartaka to put an end to it all were
sent forth by Indra who thereto falsely deeming himself the
supreme controller enraged spoke the words:
Angry
Indra sent forth the clouds of universal destruction, known
as Sâmvartaka. Imagining himself the supreme
controller, he spoke as follows. (Vedabase)
Text
3
'Just
see the great extend of the bewilderment of these forest
dwelling cowherds in relation to their wealth; they, having
taken shelter of a mortal like Krishna, have committed an
offense against the gods!
[Indra
said:] Just see how these cowherd men living in the
forest have become so greatly intoxicated by their
prosperity! They have surrendered to an ordinary human
being, Krishna, and thus they have offended the gods.
(Vedabase)
Text
4
Abandoning
the spiritual knowledge they try to cross over the ocean of
material existence in the name only of profit-motivated ritual
sacrifices, sacrifices that are inadequate to serve them as
boats on that ocean.
Their
taking shelter of Krishna is just like the foolish attempt
of men who abandon transcendental knowledge of the self and
instead try to cross over the great ocean of material
existence in the false boats of fruitive, ritual sacrifices.
(Vedabase)
Text
5
Taking
shelter of Krishna, this prattling, arrogant child ignorantly
thinking Himself to be the wisest, have the gopas acted
in dislike against me.
These
cowherd men have acted inimically toward me by taking
shelter of this ordinary human being, Krishna, who thinks
Himself very wise but who is simply a foolish, arrogant,
overtalkative child. (Vedabase)
Text
6
Bring
them and their animals to destruction whose hearts, barred by
Krishna, are intoxicated by their welfare and may the false
pride of they who are mad of their riches be
removed.
[To
the clouds of destruction King Indra said:] The
prosperity of these people has made them mad with pride, and
their arrogance is backed up by Krishna. Now go and remove
their pride and bring their animals to destruction.
(Vedabase)
Text
7
I also will,
riding my elephant Airâvata, follow along to Vraja
accompanied by the wind-gods, moving there with great power
with the purpose of destroying Nanda's cowherd community
[see e.g. also: 6.11
& 12].'
I
will follow you to Vraja, riding on my elephant
Airâvata and taking with me the swift and powerful
wind-gods to decimate the cowherd village of Nanda
Mahârâja. (Vedabase)
Text
8
S'rî
S'uka said: 'The clouds thus commanded by Indra did, released
from their bonds, with all their power torment Nanda's cowherd
village with great downpours of rain.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: On Indra's order the clouds of
universal destruction, released untimely from their bonds,
went to the cowherd pastures of Nanda Mahârâja.
There they began to torment the inhabitants by powerfully
pouring down torrents of rain upon them. (Vedabase)
Text
9
Illuminated
by bolts of lightening, roaring with thunder gave they,
propelled by the wind-gods, a fearsome downpour of
hailstones.
Propelled
by the fearsome wind-gods, the clouds blazed with lightning
bolts and roared with thunder as they hurled down
hailstones. (Vedabase)
Text
10
As
the rain released by the clouds incessantly poured down in vast
columns, could the high and low of the earth being submerged no
longer be seen.
As
the clouds released torrents of rain as thick as massive
columns, the earth was submerged in the flood, and high
ground could no longer be distinguished from low.
(Vedabase)
Text
11
Plagued
by the abundance of rain and excessive wind went the
gopas and gopîs shivering of the cold to
Govinda for their shelter.
The
cows and other animals, shivering from the excessive rain
and wind, and the cowherd men and ladies, pained by the
cold, all approached Lord Govinda for shelter.
(Vedabase)
Text
12
Covering
their heads and covering their children with their bodies
approached they, pained by the rains, trembling the base of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead His lotus feet:
Trembling
from the distress brought about by the severe rainfall, and
trying to cover their heads and calves with their own
bodies, the cows approached the lotus feet of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)
Text
13
'Krishna, o
Krishna, o Greatest Fortune, You are Your own master, o Lord,
please protect the cow community against Indra being angry with
us, o Protector of the Devotees [see also
10.8:
16].'
[The
cowherd men and women addressed the Lord:] Krishna,
Krishna, O most fortunate one, please deliver the cows from
the wrath of Indra! O Lord, You are so affectionate to Your
devotees. Please save us also. (Vedabase)
Text
14
Seeing them out
of their wits under the attack of the hail, the rain and the
extreme winds, considered the Supreme Lord Hari the anger of
Indra to be responsible for this:
Seeing
the inhabitants of His Gokula rendered practically
unconscious by the onslaught of hail and blasting wind, the
Supreme Lord Hari understood that this was the work of angry
Indra. (Vedabase)
Text
15
'Because I
rejected his sacrifice is Indra flooding for destruction with
these unusually fierce out-of-season rains and great winds full
of hailstones.
[S'rî
Krishna said to Himself:] Because We have stopped his
sacrifice, Indra has caused this unusually fierce,
unseasonable rain, together with terrible winds and hail.
(Vedabase)
Text
16
To counteract
that properly shall I by My yogic power arrange for the defeat
of the pride-of-wealth and the ignorance of those who are as
foolish as to consider themselves falsely the Lord of the
World.
By
My mystic power I will completely counteract this
disturbance caused by Indra. Demigods like Indra are proud
of their opulence, and out of foolishness they falsely
consider themselves the Lord of the universe. I will now
destroy such ignorance. (Vedabase)
Text
17
My
eradicating the impure of the false prestige of those who
consider themselves the Controller is certainly not intended
for those
enlightened beings who are endowed with goodness, it is
intended for their relief [see also B.G.
14:
14].
Since
the demigods are endowed with the mode of goodness, the
false pride of considering oneself the Lord should certainly
not affect them. When I break the false prestige of those
bereft of goodness, My purpose is to bring them relief.
(Vedabase)
Text
18
It
is therefore to Me to protect by My yogic power My own family,
the cowherd
community that took shelter with Me as their master; this is
the vow I have taken [see also B.G.
9: 22].'
I
must therefore protect the cowherd community by My
transcendental potency, for I am their shelter, I am their
master, and indeed they are My own family. After all, I have
taken a vow to protect My devotees. (Vedabase)
Text
19
Thus having
spoken took He, Vishnu, with one hand [His left one]
Govardhana hill and held it up as easy as a child does a
mushroom.
Having
said this, Lord Krishna, who is Vishnu Himself, picked up
Govardhana Hill with one hand and held it aloft just as
easily as a child holds up a mushroom. (Vedabase)
Text
20
The Supreme
Lord said then to the gopas: 'O mother, o father, o
residents of Vraja, please enter, if you want, with your cows
the free space below this hill.
The
Lord then addressed the cowherd community: O Mother, O
Father, O residents of Vraja, if you wish you may now come
under this hill with your cows. (Vedabase)
Text
21
You shouldn't
feel afraid that because of the wind and the rain the mountain
would fall from My hand; you suffered enough fear and to
deliver you from that have I thus provided for
you.'
You
should have no fear that this mountain will fall from My
hand. And don't be afraid of the wind and rain, for your
deliverance from these afflictions has already been
arranged. (Vedabase)
Text
22
Thus with their
minds pacified by Krishna entered they the space under the
mountain where they were safe with their cows, wagons and
everyone belonging to them.
Their
minds thus pacified by Lord Krishna, they all entered
beneath the hill, where they found ample room for themselves
and all their cows, wagons, servants and priests, and for
all other members of the community as well.
(Vedabase)
Text
23
Putting aside
the pain of hunger and thirst and all considerations of
personal happiness, upheld He before the eyes of the residents
of Vraja the mountain for seven days without moving from His
place.
Lord
Krishna, forgetting hunger and thirst and putting aside all
considerations of personal pleasure, stood there holding up
the hill for seven days as the people of Vraja gazed upon
Him. (Vedabase)
Text
24
Seeing the
result of Krishna's mystic power was Lord Indra most amazed and
stopped he the clouds, broken in his determination and with his
false pride brought down.
When
Indra observed this exhibition of Lord Krishna's mystic
power, he became most astonished. Pulled down from his
platform of false pride, and his intentions thwarted, he
ordered his clouds to desist. (Vedabase)
Text
25
With the sky
empty of clouds, the sun risen and the fierce wind and rain
laid down, addressed the Lifter of Govardhana the
cowherds:
Seeing
that the fierce wind and rain had now ceased, the sky had
become clear of rainclouds, and the sun had risen, Lord
Krishna, the lifter of Govardhana Hill, spoke to the cowherd
community as follows. (Vedabase)
Text
26
'Please go
forth from here together with your property, women and
children; see the end of your fear, o gopas, the wind
and rains have ceased and the high water is as good as
over.'
[Lord
Krishna said:] My dear cowherd men, please go out with
your wives, children and possessions. Give up your fear. The
wind and rain have stopped, and the rivers' high waters have
subsided. (Vedabase)
Text
27
The gopas,
with each taking his own cows, then went out, with their
belongings loaded on the wagons and the women, children and old
people slowly following.
After
collecting their respective cows and loading their
paraphernalia into their wagons, the cowherd men went out.
The women, children and elderly persons gradually followed
them. (Vedabase)
Text
28
And with all of
the living beings looking on put the Supreme Lord Almighty that
hill down back where it stood before.
While
all living creatures looked on, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead put down the hill in its original place, just as it
had stood before. (Vedabase)
Text
29
The residents
of Vraja each to their own position came forward shining with
the surge of their pure love they felt for Him while the
gopîs joyfully with embraces and all of
that showed their great affection, while they with gifts of
yogurt, whole grains and water presented Him the best of their
blessings.
All
the residents of Vrindâvana were overwhelmed with
ecstatic love, and they came forward and greeted S'rî
Krishna according to their individual relationships with Him
- some embracing Him, others bowing down to Him, and so
forth. The cowherd women presented water mixed with yogurt
and unbroken barleycorns as a token of honor, and they
showered auspicious benedictions upon Him. (Vedabase)
Text
30
Yas'odâ,
Rohinî, Nanda and Balarâma, the Greatest of the
Strong, beside themselves of love embraced Krishna offering Him
all their blessings.
Mother
Yas'odâ, mother Rohinî, Nanda
Mahârâja and Balarâma, the greatest of the
strong, all embraced Krishna. Overwhelmed with affection,
they offered Him their blessings. (Vedabase)
Text
31
From
heaven recited the godly, the perfected, the saints, the
heavenly singers and venerable ones the Lord's praises,
satisfied showering a rain of flowers, o earthly
ruler.
In
the heavens, O King, all the demigods, including the
Siddhas, Sâdhyas, Gandharvas and Câranas, sang
the praises of Lord Krishna and showered down flowers in
grat satisfaction. (Vedabase)
Text
32
Resounding
conchshells and kettledrums played the demigods in heaven and
sang the Gandharvas led by their chief Tumburu, o ruler of
men.
My
dear Parîkshit, the demigods in heaven resoundingly
played their conchshells and kettledrums, and the best of
the Gandharvas, led by Tumburu, began to sing.
(Vedabase)
Text
33
O King, then,
surrounded by the loving animal tenders, went Krishna together
with Balarâma off to where they were grazing their
animals and as they went sang the gopîs about all
His likewise deeds, happy as they were with Him who had touched
their hearts.'
Surrounded
by His loving cowherd boyfriends and Lord Balarâma,
Krishna then went off to the place where He had been tending
His cows. The cowherd girls returned to their homes, singing
joyfully about the lifting of Govardhana Hill and other
glorious deeds performed by Lord Krishna, who had so deeply
touched their hearts. (Vedabase)