It would be an understatement to say that Lord Krishna had an eventful life as the eight avatar of Lord Vishnu in the Dwapar Yug. And all these events had some profound message hidden in them. One such important incident that is one of the highlights of his life is the one where he lifts the Govardhan mountain on his little finger. Lord Indra forms the background of this incident.
This story takes place when Krishna was neither a kid, nor an adult. He was enjoying the playful stage of his life with his family, friends and fellow villagers of Vrindavan. One day, he saw that his foster father Nand and other villagers getting ready to perform the annual Indra Puja. The puja takes place each year to please Lord Indra, the God of rain. The purpose is to offer sacrifices in the holy fire, so that Indra blesses the farmers of the village with enough rain for them to be able to grow crops.
Krishna, however, doesn’t find it right to worship Indra to facilitate rain. He believes that it is the duty and job of Indra to provide rain and one need not worship or urge him spiritually to provide rain. He puts forth his belief in front of Nand and other villagers and instead suggests that they should worship the Govardhan mountain. Krishna points out that the Govardhan has been a source of food and other natural benefits, not just for the villagers but also their cattle despite being just a mountain.
Photo source: Rangaswamy Sundar Raj on Quora
Nand finds logic in Krishna’s argument but he is hesitant to displease Indra, who is known for his anger. After a lot of discussions and debates, Krishna finally convinces Nand and other elders of Vrindavan to stop the annual puja for Lord Indra.
When Indra gets to know that the villagers won’t be performing his puja from now onwards at the behest of Krishna, he gets furious. Acting upon his ego, he unleashes torrential rains on Vrindavan in order to teach the villagers a lesson. Initially, the heavy rain appears pleasant but it soon starts raining cats and dogs and doesn’t subside even after days. Now, the villagers realize that the rains are nothing but Indra’s wrath in response to their decision of not performing a puja for him.
Although the villagers are frightened, Krishna is calm. He goes away towards the Govardhan hill and gently lifts it with his tiny left hand finger. The villagers are awestruck by Krishna’s powers. They soon realize that the reason behind Krishna’s act is to protect them from rains. They all, including their cattle, rush beneath the mountain as Krishna calmly continues holding it on his little finger.
This continues for seven long days but Krishna shows no sign of tiredness. Finally, Indra realizes his mistake and lets go of his ego. He stops the rain and admits his folly. The rain stops and the villagers of Vrindavan get back to their normal lives.
There are various lessons to be learnt in this incident. The most basic one is that one must surrender to God for protection without hesitancy or fear. The villagers never doubted Krishna’s ability of keeping the mountain lifted on his little finger and took refuge under it. One also gets to know that one shouldn’t be egoistic in front of the lord. If Krishna can crush the mountain-sized ego of someone as powerful as Indra, who are we?
Also read: Why Krishna killed Shishupala with his Sudarshan Chakra?
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