FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.26.25

దేవే వర్షతి యజ్ఞవిప్లవరుషా వజ్రాశ్మవర్షానిలై:సీదత్పాలపశుస్త్రియాత్మశరణం ద‍ృష్ట్వానుకమ్ప్యుత్స్మయన్ । ఉత్పాట్యైకకరేణ శైలమబలో లీలోచ్ఛిలీన్ధ్రం యథాబిభ్రద్ గోష్ఠమపాన్మహేన్ద్రమదభిత్ ప్రీయాన్న ఇన్ద్రో గవామ్ ॥ ౨౫ ॥
deve varṣati yajña-viplava-ruṣā vajrāsma-varṣānilaiḥ
[deve varshati yajna-viplava-rushaa vajraasma-varshaanilaih]
sīdat-pāla-paśu-striy ātma-śaraṇaṁ dṛṣṭvānukampy utsmayan
[seedat-paala-pashu-striy aatma-sharanam drishtvaanukampy utsmayan]
utpāṭyaika-kareṇa śailam abalo līlocchilīndhraṁ yathā
[utpaatyaika-karena shailam abalo leelochchileendhram yathaa]
bibhrad goṣṭham apān mahendra-mada-bhit prīyān na indro gavām
[bibhrad goshtham apaan mahendra-mada-bhit preeyaan na indro gavaam]
deve — when the demigod Indra varṣati — caused rain yajña — of his sacrifice viplava — due to the disturbances ruṣā — out of anger vajra — with lightning bolts aśma - varṣa — hail anilaiḥ — and winds sīdat — suffering pāla — the cowherds paśu — animals stri — and women ātma — Himself śaraṇam — being their only shelter dṛṣṭvā — seeing anukampī — very compassionate by nature utsmayan — smiling broadly utpāṭya — picking up eka - kareṇa — in one hand śailam — the hill, Govardhana abalaḥ — a small child līlā — in play ucchilīndhram — a mushroom yathā — just as bibhrat — He held goṣṭham — the cowherd community apāt — He protected mahā - indra — of King Indra mada — of the false pride bhit — the destroyer prīyāt — may He be satisfied naḥ — with us indraḥ — the Lord gavām — of the cows .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
deve varṣati yajña-viplava-ruṣā vajrāsma-varṣānilaiḥ
deve
when the demigod Indra
varṣati
caused rain
yajña
of his sacrifice
viplava
due to the disturbances
ruṣā
out of anger
vajra
with lightning bolts
aśma - varṣa
hail
anilaiḥ
and winds
sīdat-pāla-paśu-striy ātma-śaraṇaṁ dṛṣṭvānukampy utsmayan
sīdat
suffering
pāla
the cowherds
paśu
animals
stri
and women
ātma
Himself
śaraṇam
being their only shelter
dṛṣṭvā
seeing
anukampī
very compassionate by nature
utsmayan
smiling broadly
utpāṭyaika-kareṇa śailam abalo līlocchilīndhraṁ yathā
utpāṭya
picking up
eka - kareṇa
in one hand
śailam
the hill, Govardhana
abalaḥ
a small child
līlā
in play
ucchilīndhram
a mushroom
yathā
just as
bibhrad goṣṭham apān mahendra-mada-bhit prīyān na indro gavām
bibhrat
He held
goṣṭham
the cowherd community
apāt
He protected
mahā - indra
of King Indra
mada
of the false pride
bhit
the destroyer
prīyāt
may He be satisfied
naḥ
with us
indraḥ
the Lord
gavām
of the cows .
  • śaraṇam — being their only shelter
    Śaraṇa — shelter, refuge. The Gauḻīya doctrinal core: śaraṇāgati. Kṛṣṇa here is both the one to whom Vraja surrenders and the shelter itself — śaraṇya and śaraṇa simultaneously.
  • anukampī — very compassionate by nature
    Anu (toward) + √kamp (to tremble). Kṛṣṇa trembles with His devotees' suffering. Gauḻīyas treat this as bhakta-vatsalatā — His mercy is not a policy but a nervous-system response.
  • ucchilīndhram — a mushroom
    Ucchilīndhra — a mushroom or fungus that sprouts up easily. The Bhāgavatam's chosen simile for Govardhana on Kṛṣṇa's finger — a child's casual lift. Aiśvarya entirely concealed inside mādhurya — the chapter's whole argument in one image.
  • goṣṭham — the cowherd community
    Goṣṭha — the gathering of cows and cowherds. Vraja is goṣṭha; the One who saves the goṣṭha earns the name Govinda — go (cow, sense, earth) + vinda (finder, master). The next chapter (26 ends here, but the trajectory points to Indra's abhiṣeka).
  • gavām — of the cows
    Genitive plural of go (cow). The verse's closing word pairs with indraḥ (the Lord) — Kṛṣṇa as go-indra, the true Indra of the cows. Bhāgavata wordplay: while Devendra's storm rages, the cows already have their indra. The title Govinda is born here, theologically.
Indra became angry when his sacrifice was disrupted, and thus he caused rain and hail to fall on Gokula, accompanied by lightning and powerful winds, all of which brought great suffering to the cowherds, animals and women there. When Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is by nature always compassionate, saw the condition of those who had only Him as their shelter, He smiled broadly and lifted Govardhana Hill with one hand, just as a small child picks up a mushroom to play with it. Holding up the hill, He protected the cowherd community. May He, Govinda, the Lord of the cows and the destroyer of Indra’s false pride, be pleased with us.

The word indra means “lord” or “king.” Thus in this verse Kṛṣṇa is pointedly called indro gavām, “the Lord of the cows.” In fact, He is the real Indra, the real ruler, of everyone, and the demigods are merely His servants, representing His supreme will. It is apparent from this and the previous verses in this chapter that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lifting of Govardhana Hill made quite an impression on the simple cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and they repeatedly remembered this feat. Certainly anyone who soberly and objectively considers the activities of young Kṛṣṇa will surrender to Him and become His eternal devotee in loving devotional service. That is the rational conclusion one should come to after reading this chapter. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Twenty-sixth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Wonderful Kṛṣṇa.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Indra became angry when his sacrifice was disrupted, and thus he caused rain and hail to fall on Gokula, accompanied by lightning and powerful winds, all of which brought great suffering to the cowherds, animals and women there. When Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is by nature always compassionate, saw the condition of those who had only Him as their shelter, He smiled broadly and lifted Govardhana Hill with one hand, just as a small child picks up a mushroom to play with it. Holding up the hill, He protected the cowherd community. May He, Govinda, the Lord of the cows and the destroyer of Indra's false pride, be pleased with us.
Commentary

"O King Pariksit! May that Krsna who lifted Govardhana and protected the inhabitants of Vraja from the disturbance caused by hunger, hail and rain arising from Indra’s wrath, who was expert in starting the worship of Govardhana and cut the pride of the devatas, be pleased with us. In the same way may he who protects you with the essence of the Vedas in the form of the Bhagavata from the lightning bolt curse arising from Srngi’s anger, who is expert at starting the sacrifice of listening to the bhagavatam and destroys the pride of the brahmanas devoid of bhakti, be pleased with us." In this way Sukadeva, by praying for Krsna’s mercy, indicates that Pariksit should apply this to himself. "When Indra, angry that his sacrifice was stopped began to pour rain, Krsna, seeing that the area containing animals, men and women which had taken shelter of him alone was afflicted with rain, hail, lightning and wind, he smiled slightly, and with little effort, lifted up Govardhana easily, like a small child lifting a mushroom, and protected Vraja. May the Indra of Gokula (gavam indra), who cuts the pride of Indra, be pleased with us-- with Pariksit, with me, and with the assembled listeners."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Concluding the chapter, Śukadeva remembers the lifting of Govardhana and all the accompanying events in great bliss. Śukadeva remembers the pretext of destroying Indra’s sacrifice in order that Kṛṣṇa protect the people of Vraja who had taken shelter of him, while meditating on him as the king of the cows, the object of his own love. Realizing the great affection they had for him as the highest human goal, understanding that such love was the highest taste, and that it was solely dependent upon his mercy, Śukadeva prays for such love. Indra, creating showers of rain, produced fear created by his revengeful mood. His anger at having his sacrifice stopped shows an even more frightful situation. The main fright is then described: the thunder, rain, hail and wind. The cowherds, animals and women were suffering (sīdat) from the thunder and storms. In that terrifying condition they surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Directly seeing their condition, he was full of compassion. Though he was overcome with compassion, he showed bravery, and was undisturbed: he smiled. He smiled scornfully at Indra. In that mood he lifted Govardhana, with his left hand only, though he was only a child. He lifted it like a mushroom, without effort. And he held it up for seven days and nights. Overcome with astonishment, joy, zeal and conviction, Śukadeva then says “He protected Vraja.” Then in joy and pride he says “Kṛṣṇa was the conqueror of Indra’s pride.” Though Kṛṣṇa was king of the cows he destroyed the pride of the king of the devatās. This is spoken in derision. The position of king of the devatās is included in his being the king of the cows, just as rivers enter the ocean. May Kṛṣṇa show such love for me (prīyāt)! On attaining such love I will attain the position of following the people of Vraja. He speaks of Kṛṣṇa in the mood of the people of Vraja: he is king of the cows or king of us people living in Gokula. This is shown to be his goal, as in the case of Brahmā’s prayers. Śruti says: jajāna eva vyavādhata sprḍhaḥ prāpaśyad vīro ‘bhipauṁsyaṁ raṇam avṛścad adrim iva avasasyadaḥ spṛdh astabhnān nākaṁ svavaśyayā pṛthum As soon as he was born Kṛṣṇa (vīraḥ) began to have enemies and undertook many battles. In the form of Govardhana he easily consumed piles of food. He stopped the attacking clouds because he held up the mountain easily. Ṛg Veda 10.113.4

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Unsatisfied with the wealth of special love, all the people of Vraja pray for more love. Identifying themselves as people of Vraja they do not utter the name of Indra out of hatred (deve). Or deve means that Indra shone with anger (divyati), desiring to conquer Kṛṣṇa. Indra created rain because he was angry (ruṣā) that his worship was replaced with Govardhana worship (yajna-vilplava). He saw the suffering cowherds, cows and women. They suffered more in that order. Kṛṣṇa was merciful in that order. He lifted the mountain by its root (utpāṭya). Abalaḥ means he was a child, or was without Balarāma, in order to glorify him alone. He did not need the help of Balarāma. Or it means he had more strength than Viṣṇu since he revealed special powers in this pastime. He lifted the mountain easily (līlā) like a mushroom. Mahendra indicates that Indra was full of pride and that he was stronger than all others. Here his name is mentioned. Or he broke the pride of Indra because of his great anger at the devotees (mahā). This indicates that he gave the greatest benefit to the greatest offender. Therefore he was merciful (anukampī). Therefore he should be pleased with us, who have taken shelter of him, though we are fallen. This verse is also meant to appease Parīkṣit who was overcome with prema and a prayer so that the people of Vraja, who were surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, could tolerate the suffering. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Twenty-sixth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Wonderful Kṛṣṇa." 10.27: Lord Indra and Mother Surabhi Offer Prayers verses: Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22-23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Chapter Summary This chapter describes how the Surabhi cow and Indra, having seen the amazing power of Lord Kṛṣṇa, performed a bathing ceremony for Him. Ashamed of having attacked Vṛndāvana with a violent storm, Indra secretly came before Lord Kṛṣṇa, offered obeisances and praised Him. Indra stated that although Śrī Kṛṣṇa is never caught in the current of material illusion, which is born of ignorance, He nevertheless accepts a humanlike body and performs various activities to establish religious principles and chastise the wicked. By this means He crushes the false prestige of those who presume themselves great controllers. Indra went on to declare that Kṛṣṇa is the father, guru and Lord of all living entities, and that in the form of time He is the agent of their punishment. Satisfied with Indra's prayers, Śrī Kṛṣṇa told him that He had stopped the indra-yajṣa so that Indra, puffed up as he was with false pride, would remember the Lord. Persons intoxicated by material opulence never see Him standing before them with the rod of punishment in His hand. Therefore if Lord Kṛṣṇa desires the actual good fortune of some person, He brings him down from his position of opulence. Lord Kṛṣṇa ordered Indra to return to his proper position in heaven and to serve there without egotism. Indra, along with the cow Surabhi, then performed a bathing ceremony for Kṛṣṇa, using the water of the heavenly Ganges and the milk of mother Surabhi. Indra and the cow took this opportunity to bestow upon the Lord the name Govinda, and the demigods showered flowers and recited various prayers.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses

After all the words, the chapter ends with a picture: a small boy, smiling, holding a mountain over a soaked, shivering village the way a child holds a mushroom over an anthill. The villagers we have just heard puzzling over Him will now stand under the umbrella He has become.

Govardhana-dhāraṇa

Stung by the cancellation of his sacrifice, Indra sent seven days of saṁvartaka clouds to drown Vraja (SB 10.25). Kṛṣṇa, seven years old, lifted Govardhana on the little finger of His left hand and held it as an umbrella for a week. The cows, calves, men, women, and even the dogs of Vraja sheltered beneath it while Indra's storm exhausted itself.

Gauḻīyas read Govardhana-līlā as the public unveiling of Garga's prophecy — Nārāyaṇa-samaḥ demonstrated in plain sight. Indra came down and prayed; Kṛṣṇa was anointed Govinda. Vraja's autpattika prema was vindicated by His autpattika protection.

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