India has an enormous amount of festivals, and one such festival is Govardhan Pooja specially celebrated in Vrindavan (birthplace of Lord Shri Krishna). There is a famous and compelling story of how Lord Shri Krishna saved the whole village by drowning from heavy rain, as upshot aggression of Lord Indra.
Govardhan Pooja is a day celebrated all over the nation as a remark to say thank you to Lord Krishna for giving blessings and protecting our lives. Annakut is a specially cooked dish, which is a special good offering on Govardhan Pooja.
This festival also teaches us to live united with the people in our society, to be social, to help anyone who is in need, to think positively and to enjoy life with others happily. So let us discover the whole story behind the festival, and what makes it special to celebrate it.
Fighting the aggression of lord Indra :
Lord Krishna spent most of his childhood in Braj (his place of birth). One of the most popular incidents of holy book Bhagavat Purana involves Krishna lifting Govardhan hill situated in the middle of Braj.
According to Bhagvat Purana villagers used to celebrate autumn by paying respect to the Lord Indra, the god of rain and Strom. Lord Krishna did not approve this since he desired villagers to worship Govardhan hill rather than lord Indra because Govardhan hill provides them habitation, it provides food and other water resources, which are really essential for the villagers living there.
Villagers of Braj admire Lord Krishna for his maturity and immense knowledge, so all the villagers decided to worship Govardhan hill rather than lord Indra. Indra was angered upon seeing the villager’s immense devotion towards Govardhan hill and not worshiping him.
As a result of lord Indra’s aggression, the villagers faced heavy and reckless rain and Storm, which destroyed their vegetation and habitats. Consequences were so bad that the villagers become homeless and didn’t have roofs upon their heads to find shelter and to fight their hunger.
Seeing such an intense situation, lord Krishna showed his magical power to help the villagers. He lifted the Govardhan hill on his little finger to give shelter to all villagers and cattle who are homeless and devasted. After 7-8 days of heavy rain and Strom, seeing villagers unaffected by Strom, lord Indra accepted his defeat and stopped rain and Strom. This day is celebrated as a festival to pay respect to Govardhan hill.
Lots of people on this day visit Govardhan hill and pay respect to the hill by covering the distance of 21 km across the hill. This whole incident makes Govardhan hill an important and precious to humans.
Govardhan hill, Mathura
Conclusion:
By the end of the story, we conclude that we should respect our natural resources and always be humble and down to the ground. We must visit Govardhan hill to experiencing a great feeling of trust, unity, and simplicity.
