Uplifting of the Govardhana
sa leelaya mErumiva dhvitheeyam
gOvarDHanam gOpakula pradheepah
navaprarooDam nihithaika hasthah
nAgO nalasthambamiva ujjahAra
aDHO mukhAvasTHitha mErukalpam
Sailam samuthkhAya SaraNyagopah
udhanchayath sathvaram oorDHva moolam
chakrE mahEndhram SamithArDha garvam
The hand of
Here we should note that
In srimadbhagavatha the lifting of the mountain is described thus. 'Ithyukthvaa ekena hasthena krthvaa govardhanAchalam dhadhAra leelayA krishnah cchathrAkamiva bAlakah'
Periazvar describing this incident by 10 verses says that the hand of
Desika further describes the hand thus: His hands red like lotus were like the base of the opened umbrella, 'abugnarakthAnguli panjaram' and the rays of the rings on His fingers forming the rods 'ratnormikArasmi SalAkamanthah,' it looked like a huge cchathra, umbrella supported by the staff of His arm.
Let us also enjoy the words of Periazvar- seppAdudaiya thirumAlavan than senthAmarai kaiviral aindhinaiyum kappAga edutthu mani nedunthoL kAmbAga kodutthu kavittha malai.' The Lord upturned the mountain 'kavitthu,' holding it with His five fingers of His lotus-like hand, with His arm as the supporting stick of the umbrella,aninedum thoL kAmbAga.'The streams of water falling around looked like the pearl strings round the umbrella,'parandhizi theLLaruvi muthuvadam.', All these show without doubt that the Lord held the mountain with His hand and not with His little finger, which must have been the modification for the sake of dramatic element. .Moreover in Bhagavatha itself
The mountain lit by the fire above(lightning) looked like the prathyasthra, counter weapon of the vajarayudha of Indra.When the mountain was uprooted the ground underneath there was no hollow ground, says Desika, but it was filled with earth by the power of the Lord and grass grew there so that the cattle were able to have their fill.
The gopas were inardvently uttering the truth by remarking that when the younger brother is able to bear the mountain,kshamADhara, the elder brother surely will lift the earth.
Here Desika gives a quaint description of the sages doing thapas in the mountain.
babhuh svaSAkhA graTHithAgra pAdhaih
thapODhanaih sAkam aDHah Sirobhih
krthAbhimukhyAh krthinO mukundhe
thapah prvrttha iva thathra vrkshAh
The trees were upside down looking at
Periazvar says, 'ilangAzikkai endhai edutttha malai,' the Lord who wears the discus was holding the mountain. he same idea is elaborated by Desika who says,
prabhootha DHArA prathipanna Saithyam
prApthAram adhri prabhuh adhbuthAnAm
sudharsanAth aDHikAm anaisheeth
pavithrathAm pANisarojayOgAth
The mountain attained more pavithratha, purity than even the sudarsana on being borne by the lotus-like hand of the Lord.the adjectives qualifying Govardhana are also applicable to Sudarsana by means of pun on the words.
1.prabhootha DHArA prathipanna saithyam
In the case of the mountain the saithya, coolness is due to prabhootha,abundanance of DHArA, flow of water. With respect to Sudarsana, the saithya,sharpness is due to prabhootha, numerous, DHArA, edges.
2.prApthAram-The mountain was with pra+ apthAram, loud noise of the waterfalls. Sudarsana has got prAptha, spokes,
3.pavithratha-purity common to both because they were held by the lotus-likehands of the Lord but the mountain had one more special merit than the Sudarsana as it protected the gopas from the vajrayudha of Indra.the word pavithra is derived as pavibhyah, vajrebhyah, from the weapons such as vajra, thrAyatha, protected.
So
The gopas enjoyed their stay in the caves of the mountain as though at a holiday resort. The gopas considered
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