SB 10.24.35
kåñëas tv anyatamaà rüpaà
gopa-viçrambhaëaà gataù
çailo 'sméti bruvan bhüri
balim ädad båhad-vapuù
SYNONYMS
kåñëaù—Lord Kåñëa; tu—and then; anyatamam—another; rüpam—transcendental form; gopa-viçrambhaëam—for generating the faith of the cowherds; gataù—assumed; çailaù—the mountain; asmi—I am, iti-these words; bruvan—saying; bhüri—abundant; balim—the offerings; ädat—He devoured; båhat-vapuù—in His huge form.
TRANSLATION
Kåñëa then assumed an unprecedented, huge form to instill faith in the cowherd men. Declaring "I am Govardhana Mountain!" He ate the abundant offerings.
PURPORT
In Chapter Twenty-four of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Çréla Prabhupäda writes, "When everything was complete, Kåñëa assumed a great transcendental form and declared to the inhabitants of Våndävana that He was Himself Govardhana Hill in order to convince the devotees that Govardhana Hill and Kåñëa are identical. Then Kåñëa began to eat all the food offered there. The identity of Kåñëa and Govardhana Hill is still honored, and great devotees take rocks from Govardhana Hill and worship them exactly as they worship ]the Deity of Kåñëa in the temples. 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."
Lord Kåñëa had induced the residents of Våndävana to assume a significant risk on His behalf. He convinced them to neglect a sacrifice to what is, after all, the powerful government of the universe and to worship a hill called Govardhana instead. The cowherd community did all this simply out of love for Kåñëa, and now to convince them that their decision was correct, Lord Kåñëa appeared in an unprecedented, huge transcendental form and demonstrated that He Himself was Govardhana Hill.

Lecture Begins
I thank you for being with us today on the eternal sacred abode of Sri Mayapur Dham. Today we are celebrating Sri Govardhan Puja.
I was asked by the management of the temple to speak something on this subject. Govardhan Puja is one of the most joyous celebrations in the lives of the vaishnavas. It is a day of chanting dancing feasting and hearing of the most merciful loving nature of the Supreme Lord for his devotees.
KRSNA THE ORIGINATOR OF ALL CHILDREN GAMES
In the previous chapter of Srimad Bhagvatam we find brahmanas, very qualified brahmanas were performing a serious elaborate yajna, for the purpose of attracting God and the demigods to fulfill their various desires in life. At that time Krsna who was a cowherd boy with his friends who was very hungry because he had just killed an asura. Everyday Krsna and the Gopas would play and their play was so full of enjoyment playing with Krsna. The games that they played were expressions of their pure spontaneous and intimate love for each other. Krsna has the power to make each and every Gopa think that he is thinking specially of them and that he is looking specially at them. And Krsna has the power to do this forever. In this world as mortal beings we can give our attention to someone and other people feel why not me. Krsna can give his full attention to everyone simultaneously. Give his full love to everyone simultaneously. And everyone is feeling that. This is the nature of Krsna’s playful games with the gopas. So intoxicating, so absolutely absorbing. Krsna’s love for his cowherd boys and the cowherd boys love for Krsna, is being expressed through play, through joking. Playing with balls, catching each other. They would invent millions of games. In one place Srila Prabhupada explains that they were playing blind man’s bluff which is very common among children even today. It is parampara! Children’s’ playing is actually parampara. Originating in Krishna, providing its all completely in absorption of the beautiful grace of Krishna. So therefore how could they ever stop playing those games. They were so immersed, don’t you wish we could chant like that. We chant japa sometimes perhaps we are thinking when will breakfast come. When especially in Srimad Bhagavatam class, when will it end so that we can eat. But the gopas hearing and chanting with  Krishna so absolutely stimulating to their hearts awakening such ecstatic love, it could not end. And meanwhile yashoda mayi cooked and other devotees mothers they all cooked nice preparations and put them in nice lunch boxes, packed them very very carefully for their children to eat in the forest. So the yoga maya potency, Krishna’s  lila shakti, so kindly would from with the hearts of the demons arrange for them to come just before lunch every day, so the game had to stop. They’d watch Krishna’s amazing feat of killing these incredible demons, giant snakes and giant cranes and all sort of exotic demons. Just like our children like watch cartoons where the hero is doing fantastic things. This is also some sort of parampara, the children watching Krishna perform His episodes of killing of all the asuaras and was so exciting Krishna would not just go and finish. Krishna would play with the demons in different ways. Sometimes it would look like he was going to lose. And then in the end He effortlessly liberated that person. Either he gave them liberation or sent them Back to godhead according to the ausras particular mentality. And by that time Krishna and the cowherd boys really had good appetites. And when they took prasad, that was another pastime of total absorption. Can u imagine? Playing all day and watching Krishna killing the demons, they were so hungry. That Prasad tasted so good! They would make circles around Krishna and as they were eating Krishna would be looking at them and each cowherd boy and there were thousands and thousands and thousands. Each one was thinking Krishna was looking only at me! And he would bite in to one preparation that Yashoda Mayi made with her love and devotion and said this is very good please try it. Some of the preparations were made by the loving hands of Srimati Radharani and there were saturated with her divine supreme love for Krishna. Radharanis love is supreme in madhurya rasa and Yashoda mayi in vatsalya rasa. This was not just food this is divine energy. Imagine that Prasad. All the ingredients were planted by the cowherd men, grown by the loving hearts of the cowherd men, harvested by the gopas and they were all doing out of love for Krishna. Prepared by Radha rani, Yasoda mayi, packed by them. Krishna wanted to share it and he would distribute it. All the ingredients were planted by the cowherd men, grown by the loving hearts of the cowherd men, harvested by gopas. They were all doing it out of love for Kåñëa. Prepared by Radharani and Yashoda Mayi, packed by them. Kåñëa wanted to share it. He would distribute it. The other Gopas they would take a bite out of some thing, they would like it so much. They would say, Kåñëa please take this. Demigods were watching. They were astounded! What is this? When we offer, we are not supposed to smell it. We are not supposed to taste it. We have to take our baths. We have to perform the mantras. Then we cook it. Then after a while we have to come before the altar and clean it. Then according to regulative principles of the Vedic scriptures we have to make the offering. And these Gopas, they are just picking up the laddu, smiling laughing, eating it, chewing it, taking it out of their mouth, and say Kåñëa this is good take this. Kåñëa is yagna bhuk. He eats it. He is very happy. Happier than even the greatest sages and Brahmans doing all of their ritualistic offering. Because, Kåñëa is bhava grahi. He is experiencing the love. We can not imitate this. This is the spirit of pure spontaneous nature of the relationships between Kåñëa and the residents of Vrindavan.

KRSNA STEALS THE GOPIS CLOTHES
So one day after seeing the gopis for a whole month doing their pujas to Godess Katyayani to get Kåñëa as their husband. He wanted to satisfy them. But in his own special way. One morning while they were taking their baths, Kåñëa stole all of their clothes and climbed the tree. The tree is still there. It is a Kadamba tree at Chir Ghat. He told the gopis if you want the clothes you have come and get them.
And the Gopis spoke, “We cannot. We have no clothes on.”
“Here they are. Come and get them.”
“But it is not proper to come out like this. It is freezing cold. Please give them. If you do not give the clothes we will report this Nanda maharaj and He will immediately report this to Kamsa.”
“I am not afraid of Kamsa. As far as my father, he is an old man. What can he do to me?”
So, that’s a different story. So eventually to please Kåñëa, they all came out. They had no choice. And while they were coming they were covering their private parts of their body. And Kåñëa said to them Oh, you have offended the demigod Varuna. You have to offer your obeisances with folded hands on top of your heads. They were simple. They did so. In this way Kåñëa in His heart and the gopis in their hearts, accepted them as their own wives and fulfilled all of their desires and gave back their clothes.

KRSNA TEACHES A LESSON TO THE PROUD YAJNIC BRAHMANAS
Kåñëa is hungry. So he sent the boys, after all this pastime took a little more time,   so its past the lunch time. Kåñëa sent the boys to these brahmanas who were performing their yajnas, saying that “Kåñëa and Balaram are hungry. Now is good time to give them some food.” We are Brahmans we are performing this great yagna for the welfare of all humanity. This cowherd boys coming for some food. We don’t have time for them.
Isn’t that typical, isn’t that common for people all over the world, sometimes even  devotes we are so busy for what we think is so important in our lives that we don’t have time for Kåñëa. Have any of you had this experience? Everyone! It is human nature.
We make our priorities wrong. Ultimately everything will perish except our relationship with Kåñëa. Whatever we invest in that relationship is eternal. So Kåñëa wanted to show the world. They are worshiping all these demigods for their material benefits. That means they were so concerned with their material lives. In one sense this equates us to going to work everyday. We are doing our family responsibilities. We are very busy. Just as the brahmanas, it is our prescribed duty on the material platform.  And we become so much enraptured in it. And all the things we may lose if we don’t do it. And meanwhile Krishna is asking us, “Chant your 16 rounds, read Srimad Bhagavatam, remember Me”, He is calling us. Just as the cowherd boys came to remind us – Krishna wants something, Similarly the spiritual masters, the gurus, they are saying, “Please, Krishna wants your love. Chant the holy names, read Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrita, offer some service.” Prabhupad used to quote one news paper cartoon that he once saw, that the wife is saying, “Chant, Chant, Chant!” and the husband is saying, “Can’t, Can’t, can’t” – “I don’t have time.” That’s also kind of parampara. Because the wives here – they were always worshiping Krishna, and the husbands are thinking, “We can’t. We are just too busy. We have to do our work.” And they says it is yajna.
So the cowherd boys, they weren’t just satisfied. They came back to Krishna and told, “They didn’t even look at us. They didn’t say anything.” Krishna said, “don’t be discouraged. This is the nature of begging. Sometimes people give, sometimes people don’t give. We cannot be attached to results.” This is very relevant in our lives. Sometimes we may try to help people to become Krishna conscious in various ways. Sometimes people accept, sometimes people do not accept. Our enthusiasm is not whether people accept or not. Our enthusiasm is whether we are pleasing Krishna, and guru, and vaisnavas by our efforts. That’s our success.
One time, a devotee who was distributing Srila bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati thakur’s books. All day he went out and out and out, and just one or two people took it. and he was so discouraged. And he told to his gurudev. And his gurudev was in ecstasy. He said, “Oh! One person bought the book. This is glorious. Thank you very much.” The lord sees our intention. The cowherd boys with pure love were trying to engage people in Krishna’s service, and satisfy Krishna’s hunger.
Ultimately Krsna called the wives of the brahmanas and immediately the wives of the brahmanas like the gopis they just took the best preparations in the house and just left. And the husbands were saying “No no, you cannot leave. It is your prescribed duty to help us with this yajna.” And they did not even look back. They just left. They went to the forest and there they saw Krsna standing with his friend. His beautiful form of Shyamsunder with a bluish complexion, lotus like eyes, nose like a sesame flower., wonderful hair cascading down his shoulders, bedecked with a peacock feather, wearing a dhoti that was brilliant like lightening. Just by looking at them, just by glancing at Him they took Him within the core of their hearts and enshrined that form within them and offered their total love and surrender. And Krsna in that form enshrined within their hearts perfectly reciprocated with them and never left. Perfection of their lives. They attained the supreme perfection of their lives simply by offering some food to Krsna. Krsna accepted it all and sent them home. They didn’t want to go home, because they though they will be rejected because they renounced everything for you. Krsna said “No no, they will accept you.” And ultimately the brahmanas wives went home and they saw their wives, so effulgent in ecstatic love. They realized how foolish they were. “We could have offered this to Krsna, but we didn’t, but our wives are so great they did. To hell with all our rituals. To hell with all our learning of the scriptures. To hell with all our big statuses as brahmanas. Our simple wives, they don’t know the scriptures. They don’t do the pujas or the mudras or the yantras or the tantras. But they attained the perfection of life and we didn’t. But still they didn’t go to give anything to Krsna. Because they were afraid what Kamsa may think. The wives were not afraid of Kamsa or anything or anyone.

KRSNA FINDS HIS PEOPLE ALSO DOING YAJNA
So after this Krsna is walking around in the area and he happens to see Nanda Maharaj arranging a very gorgeous sacrifice. First the brahmanas are doing and then the cowherd boys are also doing one of those yajnas. Krsna is in the heart of his devotees. He doesn’t need somebody to tell him. He doesn’t need regular reports.

KRSNA WANTS TO TEACH INDRA A LESSON
Iswara sarva bhutanam - Krsna is in the heart of every living being. He not only hears what you say, sees what you do, feels what you feel. But he is completely conscious of your intention. Indra is a very important devotee. He is being given universal management over the heavenly planets and over rains which is necessary for the survival of all living entities within this world. So Krsna just watches over people he gives big responsibility. Although Indra is factually performing his duties very nicely. Please listen carefully. This is very crucial instructions. Indra wasn’t sleeping when he was supposed to be giving rain. He was doing everything very diligently. He was doing his work. And all the other demigods appreciated him for his loyalty, his faithfulness, his dedication to doing his service. But Krsna saw in his heart that he was very proud. All of this unbelievable wealth and opulence. Sometimes in various countries of the world, in Europe or in India we go to the palaces of previous kings. And to this day they are the most magnificent buildings in the world. If you go to Jaipur they made 5 star or 6 star or 7 star, I don’t keep track of how many stars there are, but they make the best hotels in the entire world out of old kings palaces. Because nobody could build palaces like this, because the luxury and the opulence is unbelievable. And still some of the most famous places of tourism in Europe, India and other places are the old kings palaces which are 100’s of years old. And that’s just in this world can you imagine Indra’s palace in the heavenly planet. And what type of wealth he has. The Nandana gardens. People go the Taj Mahal and start taking photos of fountains in it and the Persian gardens. But Nandana garden makes all this gardens look like sewage dumps as far as the fragrance as far as the beauty. He has everything. Apsaras are dancing for him, gandharvas are playing music for him and brahmanas are chanting mantras for him, people are fanning him, and ready to take instructions from him. Krsna knows that when you get management authority and when you get power prestige, wealth, the tendency is you become proud. The number one worst enemy for a devotee. Pride comes before a fall. From false ego all other anarthas are stimulated and arised. So Krsna understood that Indra’s spiritual advancement was being blocked by his false pride, therefore I have to save him.
Now some people learn by hearing others have to experience something. Indra hears the scriptures every day, he is a devotee. He is hearing kathas every day and all kathas are talking about how you have to give up your false pried and he is listening. And he is probably thinking that he is doing it. Thats another trick of pride, you think you are humble. But to protect a devotee, sometimes He has to crush that devotee’s pride. And its not easy. Its like a surgical operation. And sometimes Krishna  does not use anaesthesia.He wants to remove  that pride He will do a major surgery with no anaesthesia.
Yasyaham harisye dhanam… Sometimes he will take everything away or sometimes he will just crush him. Because  He loves you. Otherwise the whole purpose of what you are doing is being undermined. So Krishna is thinking in his mind “Indra’s proud, I will crush his pride.” And at the same time, Krishna wanted to satisfy all the innermost hearts of all his devotees vrindavan. And at the same time he wanted to teach the whole world that there is no need to wordhip the demigods, all you have to so is worship Me! By watering the root of the tree all the leaves and the flowers and the twings and the branches of the tree are automatically satisfied. So similarly by worshipping the supreme lord who is the source of everything...
aham sarvasa prabhavo...everything emanates from me...

KRSNA TALKS WITH NANDA MAHARAJ
So Krishna approached Nanda maharaj.  At that  time he was only 7 years old. And he asked nanda, what all of this paraphernalia that you are arranging is. Who is it for? Why are you doing it?  Is there some tradition behind all this? Please tell me , what do you hope to gain from it? Then Krishna spoke something very important. He said that we are performing these types of rituals we should know exactly what we are doing for and why. otherwise if we just perform ritual out of tradition, without really understanding  what is its purpose, who is it for or why are we doing it, how is it working , then we are doing our ritual in ignorance and there will be very little benefit. So there must be a proper understanding so that there is proper devotion. So please explain everything to me, after all I am your son, you have nothing to hide from me. Nanda Maharaj explained that this is a tradition that our fathers and forefathers have been performing for many many generations. We are are worshipping lord Indra and the reason why, Indra is the devata who is supervising rain fall. And we are cowherd men we need rain. Otherwise crops will not grow, there will be no grass for our cows. So every year we offer this puja to Indra to satisfy him. And when he is satisfied he will bring us rain. Krishna listened and he wanted to make Indra really unhappy. So what He did, He spoke a pretty bogus philosophy. This is really an insult to Indra and he is being convinced not to be worshiped by a philosophy which does not have much substance. He said, “My dear father, please listen: What is this Indra? Every one receives the results of his or her own karma. Karma. It is the karma what determines our destiny. If we behave properly, we get good reactions and if we don’t behave properly we get bad reactions. According to our conditioned nature we will perform acts that have karmic consequences. So ultimately the real thing is our activities which creates karmic reactions. And beyond that we have to understand what is our nature, what is our conditioned nature. We have to work on that. Because after all the material world is being supervised by the three modes of material nature. The modes of goodness sustains the universe, the mode of passion creates and the mode of ignorance destroys. So rains come by the mode of passion. So if we perform our karma nicely, and our condition nature is directed in such a way that we act good then rains must come. Look its raining on the rocks. It’s raining in the ocean. They don’t do yajna to Indra. But it is just coming that is just nature. Don’t you know that demigods and god himself all they can do is provide the results of your karma. If we act are good, Indra has to give rain. He has to give rain. He has no choice. Work is worship! You are working properly. You are pious and you are doing your work in a very very good way, so Indra has to perform work. In actuality, we are cowherd men. According to nature, people are brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaisyas and sudras. Brahmanas study the Vedas and teach others the Vedas, and live very pious in the mode of goodness. Therefore they get their karma. And the demigods must supply it. And the kshatriyas – they are protecting the earth, and protecting all the citizens of the earth. And the duty of the vaisyas  is to protect the cows, to do agriculture – growing of crops, to do commerce, and to do banking and trading. And the sudras, by assisting the higher castes in a faithful and pious spirit, then the demigods and gods will give them all their good karma.
Now, we are vaisyas. We are specifically cowherd men. So, if we worship the cows properly, and worship the brahmanas who are giving us proper direction, and if we worship Govardhana hill, which is supplying such fresh grasses, waters and such pleasures to the cows. Then all the gods and the demigods will be satisfied by performing our duty properly. So, my dear father, my instruction for you today is – Take all the paraphernalia you are using for Indra puja to worship the cows, the brahmanas and the hill named Govardhan.
Now, this is a big risk. They are going to stop a tradition for generations of worshiping the powerful Indra who holds thunderbolts, to worship a hill and some cows. But Krihsna, He attracted the love of the cowherd men so much. They are not thinking Krishna is Supreme God. They are thinking He is just little boy, who cries when there is thunder, who cries when He is hungry. But they loved Him so much they they just wanted to please Him. This is Vrindavan. Krishna tells in Bhagavad Gita
sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù
Abandon all varieties of religion, and jus surrender to Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. You should not fear. Now, apparently what Krishna was doing is He is teaching this karma mimamsa philosophy which talks about the supremacy of karma and destiny. He really doesn’t talk about the Supreme God. And He is using that philosophy to convince Nanda maharaj to worship Govardhan hill, the brahmanas, and the cows. But actually what is happening, although He was not saying it is - He is inducing Nanda maharaj and the Vrajavasis to perform the ultimate regulation of all the Vedas - sarva-dharmän parityajya. They are surrendering everything; they are taking the greatest risk, just to surrender to Krishna.
What does it mean to surrender to Krishna? It doesn’t mean just to offer your obeisances in the dust and eat the dust and say, “Krishna, I am Yours.” - It means to make Krishna happy. That’s what it means to surrender to Krishna.
So, actually Krishna is teaching the Vrajavasis and teaching the world, the highest phiplosohy, the highest knowledge. He spoke karma mimamsa philosophy, but the conclusion is because, He convinced them on that basis, they ultimately surrendered to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Nanda maharaj, whatever pleases Krishna, he had to do. Krishna gave instructions - 7 years old boy, giving instructions how to do yajnas. Some of the children of Bhakti Vidyapurna maharaj’s ashram, his Gurukul, sometimes they would come home and tell their parents how they should do yajnas, how they should behave properly. Anyways! I have seen! “So, We should take all this paraphernalia for the yajnas for Govardhan puja. He already revealed this principle just earlier this day to Brahmana’s wives. Now He is doing it for His own Vrajavasi cowherd people. “Cook a wonderful feast. Bring all the grains and all the milk and all the ghee and substances, and make mountains and mountains of bhoga and then offer it to Govardhan hill. And get the freshest, nicest grasses and feed the cows. And then with all these yajnas the brahmanas could perform their sacrifices around Govardhan hill. And initiate orchestras in their best dresses and out of love and respect for Giriraj who is supplying us everything, we will circambulate, to parikrama around Sri Giriraj. So, Nandamaharaj, he announced this to all Vrajavasis, that they were all blissful. No one complained and no one questioned. Everyone wanted Krsna to be happy. That’s was the only question. How Krsna could be happy. So they cooked and cooked and cooked so many preparations. Mountains of preparations. There 900,000 cows just in Nanda Maharaj’s heard alone what to speak of all others. They took all the milk and all the milk products and used it all for this offering. We cannot imagine how many preperations were there just out of the milk. What to speak of all the grains they grew with their oxens tilling the fields and soils of Vraja Bhumi. What a beautiful offering! Then they all got dressed turbans and sarees and put on the nicest jewelleries. And they had their the cows and the bulls and oxens in the front and they were all about to follow and do the parikrama of Govardhan, and as they were making the offering of mountains and mountains and kundas of liquid preprations, Krsna assumed an unprecedented huge form to instill faith in the cowherd, declaring “I am Govardhan Mountain”, and he ate the abundant offerings. Krsna wanted to show the world that Govardhan and himself were non-different. That Giriraj is Krsna himself. Our Scriptures tell that although he is the Supreme Absolute Truth, Govinda, directly and personally, he plays the role of the devotee of Krsna. Therefore Giriraj is called haridasa varya, which means the greatest devotee.

WHO CAME FIRST – RADHA AND KRSNA OR LORD CAITANYA?
Here in Navadwip, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself tasting the sweetness of the love of Sri Radha. He is the Supreme Absolute Truth. In both the Caitanya Bhagvat and Caitanya Mangal they pose a question. Who came first Lord Caitanya or Radha and Krsna. 
rädhä kåñëa-praëaya-vikåtir hlädiné çaktir asmäd
ekätmänäv api bhuvi purä deha-bhedaà gatau tau
That the One supreme absolute truth became two for the sake of loving relationships, for the sake of supreme pleasure. He was one again as Lord Caitanya who is Krsna with the complexion and loving sentiments of Srimati Radharani. So is the one Lord Caitanya did he come after Radha and Krsna? This is something no body could answer. Because the yugas come in cycles. It’s a circle. so in a circle which part is first, very difficult to understand. Because in one perspective Lord Caitanya is first but from another perspective Radha and Krsna are first. They are both eternally existing. Krsna appears once in a day of Brahma, that’s once in 14 manvantaras. 71 divya yugas in each manvantaras. That equals 4 billion and 320 million years. That’s a day of brahma. And like the rest of us at the end of the day he goes to sleep. He sleeps the same amount of time. so that means every 8 billion, 640 million years, Krsna appears in his original personal form. Now among the 4 yugas, Krsna is coming as the yuga avatar in every yuga and as lila avataras in each yuga. So in every kali yuga there is an avatar teaching the congregational  chanting of the holy names. But only once in a day of Brahma does Krsna come in his original transcendental form. He literally descends with his associates from Goloka Vrindavan. And Goloka Vrindavan descends in this world in the form of Gokul in this world. In the vaivasvata manu era just when Brahma is about 50 years old. And in the following that same Dvapara yuga when Krsna appears it’s the only time Sri Lord Caitanya appears in the original form to taste the sweetness of Radha’s love in the heart of Lord Caitanya to be giving the bhakti of Vraj, freely to everyone in this age through the congregational Chanting of the holy names:
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

SPECIAL GLORIES OF GOVARDHAN HILL
So in this story little talkative seven year old Krishna is telling Nanda Maharaj, just do your work and if we just do your work honestly and nicely everything will be alright.  And let us worship Govardhan hill. Now they took a big sacrifice, this is big risk. But Krishna wanted to instill faith in them, so he personally manifested in this unprecedented gigantic form of Sri Girraj. To show the world that Govardhan hill is He Himself and there is absolutely no difference. Like lord Caitanya all though Giriraj  is the  Lord, he is taking the role of the best of all the servants of the lord. Taking such a humble position. Everything on Giriraj is an offering of his love or his compassion. All the hairs on his body are the grass and they are standing straight in ecstasy. Our hairs, they are usually laying down somewhere on our body, but one of the ecstatic symptoms is when they go upward and straight like grass. But giriraj all the all the grass unlimited grass is the ecstasy of the hair standing on end! And when they eat that grass, Sri Giriraj every single blade of grass he is focusing on making it so delicious for the cows. He is Krishna, he is focusing on every single blade of grass on simultaneously and making it nice for his cows. And one of its qualities its very sweet. And so delicious its literally intoxicating to the cows. They just want to eat it and eat it and eat it, they are just crying in happiness to taste the grass of Govardhan hill. What it would be like to be one of the cows eating the grass of Govardhan, eating the emotional devotional ecstasies of Krishna in that form – unsurpassable incredible and not only is the grass each blade full of nectar taste but its very soft sugandha and sukomala - soft in the sense that its so comfortable for the cows to eat. Sometimes if grass is hard it cuts the cows mouth. But this grass feels so good, just eating it feels so nice for the cows. And also it has the quality it filled with all the best possible nutrient, both spiritually and materially. In today’s world because of the way we  farm with so many chemicals and so many unnatural devices there are very little nutrients in the food. We eat it and we eat it and we eat more and more and more, but there is very little health benefits. Because with so many chemicals and so many unnatural methods sometimes the food we eat have cancerous elements that could make us sick. But the grass on govardhan hill was filled with all the most health benefitting nutrients. Both spiritual and material. That grass is all mahaprasad, its coming directly from the body of supreme personality of Godhead and the cows are eating it. And they are so happy. It tastes so good , it feels so good, and they are becoming so energized spiritually and physically. And another quality of that grass that Govardhan provides, is it creates the best milk. Such delicious nectarine milk that so full of nutrients and so full of ecstatic bhava. Now here we have surabhi cows who are madly in love with Krishna, eating the grass from Govardhan hill and then giving milk, processing the ecstatic love of Govardhan in the form of his mahaprassd grass processing through their intimate love and devotion only for the purpose of pleasing Krishna. Can you imagine the taste of that milk? You have to go back to godhead to get some, can’t buy it in market place. This milk is love personified, its ambrosial. And of all these cows who are giving this kind of milk, Yashoda mayi selected a few of them, she would feed some of hte best grass that she personally grew. And she would give them some of the milk from the best of all the cows. These are Yashoda Mayi’s personal surabhi cows. And those cows of all the other cows give the best most ambrosial milk of all of the 900,000 cows there was only about eight of them, that were in that category. And that’s the milk that Yashoda Mayi gave to Krishna. When she was boiling that milk yesterday on Diwali.

SIGNIFICANCE OF DIWALI FROM RAMA LILA
Diwali is a very special day. It is the day that Lord Ramachandra returned after being in exile for fourteen years to Ayodhya. There are two principles in spiritual dynamics of love. Vipralambha and Sambhoga. In the Advaita vada conception of the absolute truth. They is simply a neutral state of complete peace. But in the Vaishnava state, in the Vaikunta there is complete ecstasy of ecstatic love. But in Vrindavan there is a special feature of how that love is ever increasing in intimacy through union and separation.
In Rama lila which is so special, Rama also exchanged with His devotees in the same way. When He was leaving Ayodhya, the whole of Ayodhya was in absolute devastation. How could he leave us. Impossible. They all decided, the whole kingdom decided to leave their homes and go to the forest with Rama.
They would rather leave in total poverty in the jungle with Rama than to be in the Magnificent city in all the world with beautiful homes with luxuries without him.
Luxurious! Sita got to go. Lakshmana got to go. All the others wanted to go. Except Kaikeyi. She was the only one who wanted to stay back.  The residents of Ayodhya were chastising Kaikeyi, you want to be the mother of king, with your son do it. But two of you will only be in the kingdom. We are leaving to the forest with Rama. But Rama sent them back.
Bharat tried to convince Rama to return. But Rama refused. In Chitrakut he gave his sandals on Bharat’s request. Bharat kept the sandals on the throne. . He lived in Nandigram in the forest in a thatched hut wearing tree bark, eating fruits and leaves and barley soaked in cow urine for fourteen years, crying  day and night in separation from Rama and doing all his duties on behalf of lord Rama’s sandals.
For the fourteen years, all the residents of Ayodhya were grieving and grieving and grieving. It was not that in time they got used to it. Sometimes when the loved one dies or someone leaves us, they say that time heals a broken heart. There is one song – Time has stood still. I am not going to mention who is sang that song. But it very much applies. The residents of Ayodhya, everyday was increasing their separation from Rama. And the gopis left Vrindavan, a moment seen like twelve years or more. The gopis when they opened their eyes, now they are with Krishna. They were standing in front of Krishna face to face and Krishna was smiling upon them. But somehow or other their eyes would blink, and its seen like years of separation of not seeing Krishna for that blink of their eyes, and they would chastise Lord Brahma, “Why have you constructed the human bodies so inappropriately that it has blinking of eyes. So, we have to miss Krishna for all that time.” That’s the gopis’ love. Now, all of you, I see, you are all blinking your eyes. So, every side, wherever you are looking, you are blinking your eyes. You can’t see, because you are looking this way. But I am sure, that not a single one of you, have even notieced in this entire lecture, that you blinked your eyes. Probably you have done it hundreds and hundreds of times, you don’t even know. But this is the gopis’ love for Krishna. The blinking of their eyes is the years of separation even when they are standing inches away. What to speak of when Krishna left to Mathura for hundred years?
In a similar way, this is the way all the residents of Ayodhya were thinking. And then they are getting the news that Rama was fighting an entire battle against Ravana. And He wouldn’t ask for any of the armies of Ayodhya to help Him. Because He wanted to honor His father. He was cursed to live in the jungles, so He could use no facilities of any kingdom anywhere, even Ayodhya. So, ultimately, to honor Kausalya’s mandate that He live in a forest like a forest dweller, He never entered into any kingdom or any inhabitant place the whole time. And for an army, He took monkeys. They were living in a jungle. And the residents of Ayodhya were hearing, Sita was stolen and She was living in Sri Lanka. Can you imagine how they were suffering in separation? We rarely think about them. But their lives, their souls, their hearts, their everything is for Rama. And after 14 years, and battling with so many asuras, and living in jungles, wearing tree barks, eating fruits and roots and steeping on thorns with lotus feet, and battling against the most powerful rakshas in the universe, finally Rama has returned. He sends Hanuman ahead to Nandagram, to tell Bharat, “I am coming.” And Bharat was so happy, he sent the message to all the residents of Ayodhya, and soon after, on the Pushpaka, on the vimana of Ravana himself, rama approached Nandagram. And there was Hanuman, and there was Bharat waiting in such anticipation.
Can you imagine Bharat’s ecstasy? What a festival of joy in his heart? 14 years of separation, and Rama is finally coming. When the news came to Ayodhya, they were so absolutely enraptured in bliss to welcome Rama home. Rama went on a procession into Ayodhya and all the residents lit lamps to receive him. It was the lamps of their love, the flame of their gratitude and affection. After 14 years of not seeing Rama at all, these lamps represented their love, the sambhoga love that was blazing uncontrollably in their hearts after years of vipralambha. And Lord Ramacandra, was seeing each of those flames as the personification of the pure love of his devotees and he was reciprocating with unlimited joy. That is Diwali. Welcoming the Lord back into our life, after so many countless lifetimes of separation. We are begging the lord to come back into our hearts. Here is the intention of my desire to love you and welcome you back, appear again. Actually Rama never left Ayodhya, Krsna never left Vrindavan. And he never leaves our hearts. But we cannot see him and we cannot feel him unless we love him. through that bhakti Krsna manifests.
bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti yävän yaç cäsmi tattvataù
bhaktyä tv ananyayä çakya aham evaà-vidho 'rjuna
Through love through devotion we can see Krsna in our hearts.
premäïjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
When our eyes are decorated with devotion, He reveals himself.  That is Dipavali. Dipa means lamp, vali means many. When many lamps are offered to welcome Krsna back into our hearts.

RECIPROCATION OF GIRIRAJ
Giriraj is reciprocating with each and every cow and each and every blade of grass, giving them the highest pleasure to the Vrajabasis. Because they are supplying the milk. The love of Giriraj in the form of the grass being digested by the pure love of the Surabhi cows and the combination of the intimate exchange between the love of the Lord and his devotees is coming as milk. And the best of all the milk from the best of all the cows, Yasoda Mayi is personally offering to Krsna. On this day celebrating Rama’s victory over evil and his coming back to Vrindavan, Yasoda Mayi is cooking that milk for Krsna. And ultimately, when it boiled over, she went to save it, but it is very meaningful what Krsna did, Krsna did not care for that milk, he wanted the milk of his mother.
So we have been talking about the nature of that grass of Govardhan and the nature of the milk of the Surabhi’s cow which is given only for Krsna. And the best of that milk was boiling over, but Krsna wanted the milk of Mother Yasoda. Can you imagine the taste of the mother Yasoda’s milk. Krsna preferred the  taste of Yasoda Mayi’s milk. He did not want the other milk, he wanted Yasoda Mayi’s milk. This is vatsalya rasa. This is the pure love of Yasoda Mayi.
When we sing Damodar Astakam, this is what we are singing about, the intimacy of the love between Krsna and Yasoda. How Yasoda Mayi by her love she not only intoxicates Krsna by her milk, but she becomes completely intoxicated while giving her milk. Because she is giving her milk with such intimate love that Krsna is tasting the love. Its supreme. Its unlimited. Krsna cries for that love. The absolute truth, the all powerful, the supreme, he destroys the cosmic manifestation by his exhalation, he creates it all.
We read in various scriptures, the Vedas, the Koran, the bible and other scriptures, this is about unbelievably powerful manifestations of the lord who can destroy and protect, and here is the source of all other incarnations and He is a baby and He is crying. He is not prtending to cry, he is actually crying. Our acaryas explain, that if he were pretending to cry it would not be so sweet, he is really  crying because he is longing for the milk of his mother. He is longing to taste the sweetness of the love of yashoda. There is no love higher than this. What form of God can be so complete? Krishna is purna avatar, purna Brahman, he is complete. As far as the all mighty feature of the Lord, we see the mighty features of the Lord, tearing things apart and destroyuing civilizations and killing demons and protecting devotees that’s wonderful thats fantastic, but they are not crying like babies. That means they are incomplete. But Krishna he is doing all that stuff, we see Krishna he is killing the demons, he is protecting the devotees, he is manifesting universes, he is doing all that but he is also crying like a baby for the love of his mother. He is also being defeated by his friends. God can defeat anyone and Krishna does defeat everyone but then He is defeated. This is fullness. If he can’t be defeated that means he is not full. That means he can’t do everything, If Krishna can’t do everything he can defeat and he can be defeated. But he is not defeated because of weakness, he is defeated because being defeated by the love of his devotees is his greatest pleasure and it gives the greatest pleasure for the devotees. When the cowherd boys beat up Krishna in wrestling and he says I give up I gie up I give up, all the cowherd boys are dancing, Sridama beat up Krishna and they are going home and telling everybody and Sridama is very very happy and Krishna is more happier, since they are happy.
And its not that he is just pretending to be, he is actually in the greatest ecstasy to be conquered by the love of his devotee. To be bound by the rope of Yashoda mayi, to cry when she is telling him that I will hit you with my stick, please mother please put down the stick please, please. When Hiranyakasipu has a sword, he didn’t say please put down the sword. When Hiranyaksa had a sword, he didn’t say  please  please put down that, when ravana had his bow and arrow shooting arrows he didn’t say please don’t shoot me. He wasn’t afraid of them. When Kesi came charging at him with his gigantic mouth open to devourer him he didn’t say pleas close your mouth. He just did away with him by his supreme heroic strength. Yashoda mayi had that little tiny stick , Krishna was weeping and crying and trembling and tears were pouring out and the mascara on his eyes the black stuff it was mixing with his tears and flowing all oover his body. His lips were quivering, limbs were trembling and he said mother please put that stick somewhere else. I promise I promis I will never do it again, I am guilty, I did it, be merciful. And Yashoda mayi throws the stick. She would not hit him anyway, it was just a technique to show him, to make him afraid and how it made him afraid. This is Gopal. So Govardhan hill is supplying such nectarine tasteful milk. But then of all the milk Yashoda mayi’s milk is most supreme. But then Yashoda Mayi where does she get her milk from, its the milk of pure love, but also she is eating the grains that are growing from Govardhan hill and from Vrajbhumi. So everything is interconnected. And when mother Yashoda is milking the surabhi cows they are eating from Govardhan Hill. So even though Yashoda Mayi is giving her milk everyone in vrindavan and everything in Vrindavan is contributing to that.
This is how Govardhan is always Servants of the servants in the Srimad Bhagavatam it is a gopi and our acharyas declare the gopi to Srimati Radharani Herself. Who has declared, that Govardhan is the best of all devotees. Haridasa varya. These are the words of Srimati Radharani.
She knows that hearts of everyone. He is providing the fresh grasses. Also Govardhan is providing such nectarine lakes with water. And waterfalls and ponds.  These lakes and water falls are tears of Giriraj. Please don’t take this to be something symbolic. In the material world it is very beautiful if we use some analogies some metaphors some symbolism of nature to touch our hearts. In this case because Govardhan is Kåñëa himself, this is the reality we are speaking. In His ecstasy of love of  Serving Kåñëa and serving all of Kåñëas devotees, He is crying and those tears filled all the bodies of water. Because they are Tears of unconditional love. The water is nectar. When the cowherd boys the gopas drinking that water it is absolutely intoxicating. People like to get intoxicated in this world. Big problem .Because they are intoxication on Either natural or processed drugs, beverages, alcohol, it actually creates a change in the consciousness of dragging down to the mode of ignorance, such a state of ignorance such a state of ignorance that it changes our format of thinking and feeling. Dulls the consciousness to forget the pains and anxieties of life. Sometimes it feels so good, that people cant stop taking it and they become addicted. That addiction destroys their lives. Drug addicts, alcoholics, Their lives are in shambles. They suffer terribly and miserably. In the heavenly planets they also dring somaras which is an intoxication. It does not bring you down to mode of ignorance. It brings you up to mode of goodness. It intoxicates you in that way. Therefore it gives you long life, it gives you better intelligence, clear vision, and it really feels good. So drinking somarasa is very elevating form of intoxication. But the waters of Govardhan hill is billions and trillions of times better than somarasa in the way it makes you feel. Because it is the tears of Govardhan is the love of Govardhan. and Govardhan is Kåñëa. So drinking from ponds and the springs and waterfalls of Govardan hill is the literally drinking of the ecstatic love of Kåñëa for His devotees and Govardhan in His mood of a devotees’ love for Kåñëa. So its not going to taste like the regular water. The cows and calves will become intoxicated with love for Kåñëa. That’s the effect. Because that’s what it is. It is liquid love for Krishna. They will be intoxicated with love for Kåñëa and the gopas would become intoxicated with love of Kåñëa and because it is not only love for Krishna, its love for all Kåñëas devotees, that’s the nature of Govardhan when they drink it they are intoxicated with love not only for Kåñëa and Radharani and Balaramji but every other residents of Vrindavan, they are intoxicated with love for. Because that’s what they are drinking.
And Radharani explains that Govardhan supplies nice caves.. caves for the pleasure of Kåñëa and the gopas and the gopis. When Kåñëa and the gopas, they go in caves and Govardhan they are not ordinary cavers they are caves that Govardhan arranges with magnificent jewel beds and thrones for Kåñëa to enjoy on. And they are so cool in the summer, so warm in the winter. So nice.
Kåñëa goes and plays with the cowherd boys in those caves. And when does his vasanta rasa, his spring rasa with gopis, his sakhis, the manjaris. The decorate the caves for Radha and Kåñëa  to be in seclusion to enjoy the intimate of all pastimes of intimate love in the caves of Govardhan. can you imagine Govardhan’s feeling  when he seeing and feeling Radha and Kåñëa accepting his services. own body.  He is in ecstasy. And Because he is in ecstasy, Radha and Kåñëas ecstasy increase unlimitedly. Should I continue?
Devotees: Hari Bol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the nature of love. Radha Kåñëa, Kåñëa Balarama, daily increase their pleasure as they see Krishna. And because their enjoyment increases, Krishna’s enjoyment increases. And if you want to continue this particular explanation, this class will go on for eternity. This is the spiritual world. Why are we trying to be satisfied with this very very cheap ever changing so called thrills of this material world. They appear good for some time. But even if it is good, the mind is in anxiety for something else. And we know its going to end, and then it ends, sometimes it ends in a drastic way, and sometimes, it just ends in a sorrowful way, and it ends us just hankering and lamenting and hankering and lamenting and hankering and lamenting, and ultimately things get taken away from us, and the people we love die, and then we die, and we are getting old, will that last that long?
Caitnaya Mahaprabhu descended into this world to give us entrance into this lila of Radha and Krishna, where the love and the dynamic thrill of that love is ever increasing. And the rocks in Govardhan hill, because they are Govardhan’s offering to Krishna and all His friends, Krishna knows, in the form of Govardhan that the best way to make Krishna happy is to make His devotees happy. This is Radharani’s wisdom. She is declaring this in Srimad Bhagavatam, that Sri Giriraj is Haridasa varya – the best of all the devotees, why? Because he knows the secret of all secrets – the best way to serve and please Krishna is to serve and please Krishna’s devotes and to make them happy. And Govardhan is expert in making all the cows happy, and the calves happy and the bulls, and the oxen, and all the gopas and all the gopis, his rocks. Now, Krishna everyday, He went barefoot when He herded the cows.
On Gopastami day, when Krishna was in-charge of cows, Yasoda mayi made a very nice pair of shoes for Him. She made it with love, with her own hands – she made these shoes. Its not that she went to a shoe store and purchased. She took the finest materials grown in the Vraja bhumi and personally made this shoes for Krishna. Krishna loves His devotees so much, He said, “I am the servant of my cows. I cannot have something better than my cows. If you want Me to wear these shoes, you must make just like this, the same exact kind of shoes for everyone of the cows. There are 900,000 cows in His herd and each one has four feet. I am not a mathematician. It’s a lot of shoes – its very big order. So, He went bare foot. And the gopas, they could not do anything without Krishna, because they are all Krishna’s servants. Krihsna is the servant of the cows, gopas are the servants of Krihsna – servant of the servant of the servants. Everyone – the cows are the servants of everyone. In the spiritual world, everyone is a servant. Krishna is saying, “I am the servant of the cows.” And the cows are thinking, “I am the servant of Krishna and everyone else.” And the gopas are thinking, “I am servant of Krishna and the cows.” And everyone is in that mood.
Therefore, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, please understand – “This is not just a relative conception, this is the highest truth. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, gopé-bhartur pada-kamalayor däsa-däsa-däsa-däsänudäsa. I have no other aspiration than to be the very tiny insignificant servant of the servant of all the servants of the gopis.” And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrated that every devotee, sometimes, He would put straw between the teeth, the ultimate sign of humility in those days, and He would fall at the feet of every devotee and beg them, “Please chant the holy names and let Me serve you.” If anyone, even just some shopkeeper in the street chanted the holy names, Lord Caitanya would take straw in His mouth, fall at his feet, get up and embrace them, give them garlands, give them sandalwood pulp, and say, “I am your property.” That is His love. To be the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant is what Goloka Vrindavan is and will always be. When Lord Caitanya is saying this, he is telling us if you accept this mood of being the servant of the servant of the servant, you are in Goloka Vrindavan today. If you are feeling it in the heart and acting and speaking in this consciousness, it is guaranteed that you will be promoted to Goloka Vrindavan. And you will be a part of the reciprocation of the love between the cows and the gopis and every blade of grass.

KRSNA RECIPROCATION IS ALWAYS SPECIAL 
And Krsna seeing the peacocks are dancing only for His pleasure, he wants to reciprocate with the peacocks and he dances like a peacock. That’s really an honor.
Just like a famous American musician comes and plays Indian music, the people of India will think it is such a honor. It really wins their heart. I remember back in the 1970’s, we were wearing these robes and some Indian families in America they were really overwhelmed, especially when they saw ladies wearing saris. What an honor an American woman wearing Indian saris, how much money can we donate? They wanted to reciprocate.
So the peacocks were dancing only for the purpose of Krsna’s pleasure that they are opening their tails and their plumes and manifesting such brilliant colors and how they danced.
What was Krsna’s response. He is not saying “I am pleased.” He wants to serve them and he begins to dance only for the pleasure of the peacocks. He was dancing like the peacocks. They were thinking “Krsna is one of us.” And they began singing and dancing and dancing and dancing. And while dancing he is holding his flute in his hands. His flute who is the servant of the servant, his own diving energy, and he is pleased to see the peacocks in such ecstasy. He just couldn’t control himself and the flute started playing by himself. Beautiful sweet melodies are emanating from the flute in Krsna’s hands. Krsna is looking at the flute amazed.
And soon the other animals, the deers and everyone else from Govardhan Hill began to join the dance to the sweet sound of Krsna’s flute, which spontaneously began playing in his hand. And then the king of the peacocks took the best of his feathers and with tears of love in his eyes offered his prostrated obeisance to Krsna and said this is the only thing we have. We are just peacocks. The only thing we have of any value to give you is our peacock feather. What is a peacock feather worth in the market place. The demigods are offering Krsna the most beautiful jewels, diamonds, gold, emaralds, lapis lazuli, all these jewels that don’t even exist in this world. All the peacocks could offer was simple feather. But because it was offered with intimate spontaneous love, Krsna took that tpeacock feather and placed it on top of his head on top of his little crown and kept it there forever.
He is taking the love of the peacock and putting on top of his head. The highest place of his body. In a certain way he is taking the feet of the peacock and keeping always on his head to show his subordination to the love of his devotee. The peacock feather represents so many things but that is one of the things it represents. How Krsna is subordinate to the love of his devotee. How he keeps the offering of his love on top of his head and he is under that subordinate to that. 
 

DEVOTIONAL SERVICE MEANS GOING INTO DETAILS
So for all the devotees at Govardhan hill, Govardhans service spontaneously, when any cow, any peacock, any bull, any gopa, any gopi, steps on a rock of Govardhan, everyone of those rocks becomes like butter and unlike butter it doesn’t become sticky. It becomes soft, so soft, so pleasurable, it is Govardhan’s ecstatic love for that devotee in his love for Krsna. Can you imagine the feeling of your bare foot on one of those rocks. Its ecstasy. It is inconceivable, indescribable. It feels so good. Somebody massages your feet, it may feel good. But Krsna himself manifesting his unlimited prema. The rocks are hard by nature, but as soon as anyone steps on it, it becomes soft like butter. Every calf, cow, gopa and gopi and everyone else when they step on the rocks they feel ecstasy. In the winter the rocks are warm and in summer the rocks become very cool. And this warm and cool is the personified prema of Giriraj. If we step on the warm and cool rock of Giriraj, we just go on. But for the animals on Govardhan, they are feeling the ecstasy. They can reciprocate. With every animal and insect of Govardhan hill, they are recognizing that this is Govardhan’s love. They are overpowered by that love and they reciprocate with the love. This is Sri Giriraj. The Supreme personality of Godhead was taking the role of taking the servant of servant and is so absolutely through to every detail of how he serves. Devotional service is very much about details. Please understand that a devotee wants to make every detail as a perfect as an offering as possible. We have with us Mother Kulangana, from London, England. She is very famous throughout England and to some degree the world, for making sweetmeats for Radha Gokulananda, Sandesh, Burfi. And for years and years she has perfected it and in each and every sweetmeat she puts beautiful, intricate artistic designs like master pieces of artwork and actually 99% except the pujari, nobody even sees it. Except Radha Gokulananda, so much effort, so much of her heart and her soul for every sweet for Krsna’s pleasure. She doesn’t care what other people think, but she is only interested in pleasing Krsna. I am sure that devotees are so eager to taste  that they don’t even care what it looks like. But those who are more sensitive and devotionally oriented are seeing what an offering, such details, lotus flowers and floral designs.
And mother Kulangana is saying, “I have no love for Krsna. I am learning from the devotees how to try to develop love for Krsna by trying to make designs on these sweets.” But factually she has taught all the devotees to make those designs and because of her nature she is engaging all these devotees in making the designs by her inspiration and her training. This is Gokul. She is doing for Gokulananda. This is the bliss of Gokul. She is teaching all the devotees how to make those designs, and she is telling she is learning from them. No pride. If only Indra could take lessons from Mother Gulangana.
So details are very important and because Giriraj is Haridas Varya, every little single details to please the devotees is there. So Krsna tells the Gopas and gopis that we should worship Govardhan Hill.
 

KRSNA MANIFESTS AS GOVARDHAN
As they were making the offering, Krsna personally manifests himself, as the gigantic form of Giriraj Govardhan hill. The Brajawasis were in absolute amazement that Giriraj is Krsna. It was a huge form and little Krsna still remained the same form. There were 2 Krsna’s one big and one small. One was Govardhan hill and the other was a little boy on the foot of Govardhan hill. And the little Krsna bows down and offers his obeisances to Giriraj. Offering obeisances not only to himself, but to the greatest of all vaishnavas. And as Krsna bows down to Giriraj, all the vrajawasis bow down to Giriraj.
Thus Krsna revealed to the whole world, the Supreme glory of Govardhan hill. Sri Giriraj Maharaj ki Jai!
Krsna said to them, “Just see how this hill has come in person and bestowed mercy upon us. This Govardhan hill assuming any form he wishes will kill any resident of the forest who neglect him. so therefore let us pay our obeisance to him for the safety of ourselves and our cows.”
Krsna is telling all the devotees to completely depend on the mercy of his devotees. Giriraj when offered all this food immediately in front of everyones eyes, expanded long arms and picked up everything and ate it. Mountains of Gulab jamuns, ladoos, and sabjis and samosas, lakes of sweet rice and condensed milk and srikand, burfis and all these things. and within moments Giriraj consumed it all and nothing was left. As the Vrajabasis were watching it and wondered. Please put yourself in the shoes of Vrajavasis for a moment.  Don’t just listen but try to live in these pastimes as you listen. When we are hearing these pastimes  we shouldn’t just listen like some kind of story or listen the way that we do in our college class rooms, trying to learn, trying to memorize.  We should actually as we are listening participate in the lila. Be a part of the lila. Be one of the members within the lila. Be there. And experience it all and experience with the others what everyone else is going through. That’s how devotees hear Hari katha. So imagine seeing this with your own eyes. A gigantic mountain coming alive as the supreme person and mountains and mountains and mountains of Prasad made enough for hundreds and thousands of people within a second with his hands he just picks that all up and eats it. Did you ever see a mountain eating anything? They are all standing dumbstuck and Giriraj is very big he had a very deep and resounding ponderous voice. He cried out ‘aniyour’. He cried very loudly ‘aniyour’. Aniyour aniyour . I am interpreting this that I should end my class because you are eager for Prasad. Giriraj wanted more. He was so hungry for more. But there was nothing left. They gave every drop of milk in all of Vrajabhumi and all their grains and all their food there was nothing left. And he kept crying out ‘aniyour’. Give me more. So Krishna inspired one Brahmin and some Gopis with the idea to offer him a Tulasi leaves. Becase there are still some Tulasi leaves. They offered him one Tulasi leaf. And then Go vardhan smiled and said now I am satisfied.
Patram pushpam phalam toyam….
Krishna tells in the Gita “offer me a little water, fruit, flower and I will be satisfied if it offered with love” Krishna is not concerned with the quantity, Krishna is not concerned with the ornamentation, Krishna is concerned with our affection. We are all part and parcel of Krishna, and ultimately that the only thing that touches our own hearts is affection. We are longing to be loved. We are all longing to love. Sometimes our mentality becomes corrupted by ego and so many other distractions and we want money, we want ornamentation, we want a healthy body, we want fame, we want prestige, we want power, we want position, we want this enjoyment or that enjoyment,  I want to go mountain climbing or I want to engage in sexual relationships, or I want to do Yoga asanas. Different people enjoy different types of sensations. I want to hear music, I want to go to this club, I want to go to this concert. But ultimately the only thing we want is affection. We need to give affection. We need to receive affection. That’s all. Simple affection.  Vrindavan is the place of simplest affection. In Vaikunta planets Krishna is offered grandeur.  But in Vrindavan, Govardan was happy with Tulasi leaf. One little Tulasi leaf offered with love and devotion.
Of course He was satisfied with all the mountains of kundas and lakes of bhoga. But he wanted to show the world, that whether you give me mountains or you give me tulsi leaf. Srila Prabhupada said Krsna does not see how much we give, but he sees how much we are keeping for yourself. How much do we want to please the Lord? He is bhava grahi, he sees the intent of our devotion. And that what he accepts in everything we offer.
After this Govardhan created another miracle. Suddenly all the mountains of Prasad, all the lakes of bhoga manifested just like before in the same places, but now as mahaprasad. And Krsna instructed the Vrajabasis, let us distribute the Prasad to everyone to the brahmanas, sudras, vaishyas, chandalas, to the animals, without discrimination. This was mass Prasad distribution. Could you imagine the taste of that Prasad? Did you ever think of it in this way. It was Prasad cooked by the love of all the vrajavasis with things that were born in the soil of Vrindavan. It was such a divine place, the Surabhi cows in their love for Krsna, throughout the day, they had vatsalya rasa, so their milk bags would always be dripping milk. So all the ground of Vraja bhumi was always muddy with the milk of the cows. So all the crops were grown not only with rain, but were also nourishes with the cows milk which was their personified love.
And it was cooked by the vrajabasis with pure love for Krsna and it was offered by Krsna himself. And then it was eaten by Krsna in the form of Giriraj. Actually not only with his glance, but in this case he ate it all, he digested it all. He enjoyed it all immensely.
 

THE GREAT NAAM SANKIRTAN IN GOVARDHAN FESTIVAL
Then he directed everything to be distributed. What a feast of ecstasy! Vrindavan is nothing but joy. Then Krsna made them all do parikrama of Giriraj. They put the cows, the bulls in the front and cowherd men were singing and dancing, there were instruments playing, shenais, bugles and horns and mrdangas and everyone was singing Krsna’s glories. Gopis were behind the older gopis were on ox carts and they were clapping their hands and they were chanting Krsna’s glories and Krsna’s holy names. And the whole of Vrindavan was on a procession around Govardhan hill everyone chanting Krsna’s names and this is naam sankirtan. What a naam sankirtan procession this was. Dancing and singing the holy names of the Lord:
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
It is this naam sankirtan that Lord Caitanya came to give to this world. Golokera prema dhana harinaam sankirtana.
This sankirtan movement has descended from Goloka Vrindavan. And we are hearing today how on this most auspicious day of Govardhan Puja all he vrajabasis along with Krsna, Balarama, Radharani, Yasoda, Nanda, Sridama, Subala, Lalita and Vishaka were performing naam sankirtan as they were circumambulating the Govardhan Hill, by chanting,
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
 

CONCLUSION
After the circumambulation, everyone with great happiness, returned to their homes. It was a festival of bliss. But the nature of this world is, what makes one person happy, makes another person miserable. A devotee is Para Dukha Dukhi, when others are happy, he or she is happy. When others suffer, he or she suffers.  Now Indra is a devotee. And He is not an ordinary devotee. He is a very very special devotee.  He is an incredibly empowered devotee.  Just like in our temples, if the devotee shows exceptional ability and sincerity and a willingness to serve, we may give that person a high position. Yes? We may make that person a department head. We may even make that person a temple president or a GBC. Who knows what we do to these devotees. But these are certain honors and usually you give a person a big post because of their sincerity to serve. And for Krishna, it’s not that there’s a shortage of people. Sometimes in some situations where there is nobody qualified… In ISKCON today we see, there are places where they put ads in Dandavats.com and Chakra.com and all these other websites saying, “We need a Temple President. If anybody in the world wants to be our Temple President, then please come, save us. Nobody wants to do it. Nobody is qualified to do it. Please come, we need a President”. Because they do not have any body.  But Krishna is not in that predicament. He has everybody. He could put anybody. There is no shortage.  He has unlimited living entities that he can put on universal management positions. And only If a person performs unbelievable pious activities, unbelievable spiritual activities, unbelievable amounts of yagya to purify himself and to please the Lord…You have to do a lot to be a demigod.  Don’t think that you will eat up little Prasad and you will become a demigod.  You have to really do a lot of service to Krishna. And you have to do tremendous amount of different type of purificatory and disciplinary actions, then yagyas and rituals and carry them out very excellently for many lifetimes, then you can become a demigod. It’s a big post, where Krishna gives you the responsibility of managing over the air and the wind. Serious responsibility… If you mess up, everyone dies. If you don’t show up for your service one day, it is not that you don’t get Mahaprasad that day, but you destroy the universe. Incharge of the sun, incharge of the moon which nourishes the vegetables, incharge of fire, which is within the body of every living being… We can’t digest our food without fire. It keeps us warm, it cooks our food. Indra is not only the demigod, who is incharge of rain, which as we explained is absolutely essential for the survival of every living entitiy in this world. Rain is so important. This year there was not enough rain in many places of India. And it is a massive problem for government. What are they going to do to compensate the shortage of rains during our monsoons, because that rain has to be supplied and stored for the whole year? Expert geologists are predicting that because of the way human beings are exploiting without proper respect the resources of mother earth… Earth is a goddess, She is an expansion of Srimati Radharani, She is an expansion of Yashoda, She is our mother. We honor what she gives us and use it for Krishna’s service and reciprocate by replenishing. We take but we have to give in return. We can’t just take and not return. You take from the government but you don’t pay your taxes, you are going to be in trouble. We are taking everything from earth; we have to give her in return, with love and devotion. And if we don’t, there is a reaction. And today because of what we are doing, the global warming, the pollution, the wastefulness...Whether people are conscious of it or not, in big ways, in small ways. Geologists say by the year 2040, there will not be a Ganges river, there will not be a Yamuna river, and there will not be a Godavari River. The glaciers which are source of these rivers are melting so fast and literally hundreds and millions of people in India, their survival is totally dependent on these rivers. Mass problem… unless we change our ways. What Prabhupada preached about simple living and high thinking is not just some theory. It is not only the ideal way of making spiritual progress, but it is also essential for our survival in this world. Geologists and even politicians are aware that as today there are wars being fought over oil, if we keep living the way we are living now, in the near future there is going to be small and full scale wars over water. Now Indra, is in charge of department for water. Not just for the earth, but for the universe. And besides that, just like you have ministers, who have their particular responsibilities. There is the minister of parliament for the particular division of Maharashtra, particular position in Bengal, but then there is the Prime Minister, he has his responsibilities for his particular place, but he is also incharge for other ministers. Indra is like the prime minister.  He is the king of all the devatas. All the other demigods who are doing their service for Krishna, Indra is like a temple president for the demigods. Such power, such management… so please never insult Indra, even though he does things that may not be exemplary. But we see, because he is such an important devotee, when he goes off, what Krishna does to correct him. That is the symptom of his greatness. In Brhad Bhagvatamrita, we read about how when Indra does yagya, Vishnu personally appears with Garuda and accepts. That is the power of Indra. Krishna, one of the reasons he performed the Govardhan Lila, is he wanted to crush Indra’s false pride, because Krishna cannot tolerate egoism in his devotee. Seeing everyone so happy in Vrindavana, Indra was furious. So angry, he could not control his anger. And we will discuss Indra’s reaction and how Krishna dealt with that in today’s evening class.
Now it begins exactly at 4:30 the drama. Last night we waited for others.  But tonight If we wait for others, there will be hardly any time for anything else. So the drama will begin exactly at 4:30. So if you want to see, then immediately after today’s drama we will continue the narration of Sri Govardhan Puja.