Gopalacampu 1.18

Now begins the nineteenth chapter:

The checking of the lordship among the gods of the crusher of Jambha [Indra],
and the assumption of the lordship among kine by the lifter of the king of mountains.

[1] Then, in the morning, between the two bards who shone with the brilliance of the assembly, the one named Madhukaṇṭha spoke:

[2] Thus indeed, amid such opulence on the first lunar day, the worship of Govardhana was accomplished. Let the delightful lifting of it, from the third day up to the ninth, be truly understood.

[3] Then, on the tenth day made delightful by such an occasion, upon an invitation to the assembly of the glorious king of Vraja, the people of Vraja, who were like authoritative rubies, shared a delightful feast, enjoyed mouth-perfuming spices, and conversed. [4] There, reflecting upon the lifting of the mountain, they considered all His deeds from the killing of Pūtanā up to this one, both the impossible and the possible, without distinction, as His extraordinary deeds.

[5] And further they spoke thus:

"The boy bore the mountain continuously, / enduring [its weight] without trembling, / just as the rain fell constantly outside / but not within it." (1)

[6] "Thus, such supreme majesty, causing wonder, surpasses common human ways. Even while it exists, the nature of an abundance of affection full of deep attachment seen in Him—both for people like us and for those unlike us—causes amazement. [7] And that [affection] which is seen from Him toward people like us and toward those unlike us, reveals an intense bewilderment due to its supreme peculiarity. Moreover: / Every person directs affection toward their own son according to their wish; / yet how, and why, can none of us let go of that [affection] toward His son? / And His natural affection for all of us shines forth in just the same way, O king of Vraja! / Remembering this again and again, we can find no words or reasoning at all." (2) / [8] Thus listening attentively, the glorious Nanda, filled with joy, full of love, and realizing the proper time had arrived, recited the body of Gargācārya's philosophical doctrine, and out of blameless friendship brought an end to the arising of their bright doubts, beginning with: "Let my words be heard, O cowherds, and let your fear concerning the boy depart..." [BhP 10.26.15]. And at the end he said:

"Ever since Garga instructed me / and departed, I have known: / this child carries out wonderful deeds / by that power which belongs to Nārāyaṇa." (3)

[9] When all the people, partaking of joy from understanding this through the words of the glorious King Nanda, were delighting him with talk of his son who delights all beings, then the moon of Vṛndāvana, accompanied by Rāma, suddenly arrived, being praised and celebrated by His own companions and the gods.

[10] And this assembly surrounded Him all at once like a halo, tasted His beauty like a flock of cakora birds, and made itself surge with excitement like the ocean.

[11] When all had thus quieted down and were at ease, and a few moments had passed, all the assembly members made Him, His brother, and His father accept diverse ornaments individually, along with an assortment of splendid, pleasing white and dark garments brought from their own houses, which were unblemished like the abode of Lakṣmī.

[12] Just as this was done outside by these [men], so within the inner apartments it was performed by their women toward the mother of the lifter of the mountain and the mother of Rāma; thus it was an identical festival in both places.

[13] Now, let the news of the lord of the gods in the celestial city be followed. [14] Having gone from here and considering his humiliation, Indra, his vigor failing and going to his dwelling while appearing as if wasting away, did not desire Śacī, nor did he go out to the assembly of the gods.

[15] Having heard what was thus described, Bṛhaspati rebuked Indra in secret, since he is indeed the wisest even among the gods. [16] The rebuke was as follows:

"Because you did not worship Viṣṇu, O victorious one, / you shall not prosper; / without the moon, no tree / finds the means of its sustenance." (4)

[17] "Or rather, such blindness of pride, becoming intense and overcoming even one like you who possesses a thousand eyes, is not unnatural, since you are the lord of the gods. But how has your status as lord of the immortals become like that of a dead man? For this blunder has befallen you, making you practically like a body from which life has departed.

[18] And thus smṛti states: / 'Even if bathed, he is like one who bathed improperly, entirely untouchable, / who clings to a dead body and brings fear to the virtuous.' (5)

[19] Moreover, O Indra, this deed of yours was born of utter thoughtlessness. For:

"He who inverts the two—the one by whose shelter a person wishes to protect life, and the one [from whom he protects it]— / is called nothing other than mad." (6) / [20] Indra said: "This was indeed done by me thoughtlessly; therefore, let proper advice be given by you now."

[21] Bṛhaspati said: "O performer of a hundred sacrifices, in such an improper state, only Brahmā will grant patience; therefore, following him is your only refuge."

[22] Thus the slayer of Jambha, feeling grieved and having reflected, went directly to the creator, and casting off hesitation, made known his transgression.

He, however, said: "Alas! Though lord of the gods, you acted foolishly, and by you this very great offense has been committed, hard to expiate, at which virtuous people, considering it even once, repudiate you and attentively cover their ears. Nevertheless, through me, the creator afflicted by the wretched fate of wishing to create, this advice is given: Previously, out of a desire to know his greatness, boldness was committed by me; therefore, with my pride suppressed by the dread, insurmountable poison of that fault alone, I find no power to beg forgiveness for your deep offense, which is full of stubborn arrogance.

"However: / One should scratch cows, feed cows mouthfuls of grass, and circumambulate cows. / When cows are constantly pleased, Gopāla too is pleased."

"Thus, in accordance with the agreement of Gautama and others, to ask forgiveness from him who is bound by the manner of affection for the race of cows, you who are timid should take refuge in Surabhi alone, the mother of that race; otherwise, your association will be with demons (asura) rather than with sweet fragrance (surabhi)."

Then Sunāsīra [Indra], afraid of the demons, reached the world of Surabhi, repeatedly propitiated her—his mother's sister—who was disheartened on account of the report of that despicable deed of his, and brought her right into the presence of the creator.

And then the creator said this: "O Surabhi, go near the slayer of the Asuras to pacify the fear of the lord of the gods. And having gone, indeed avert from Kṛṣṇa the downfall of this one, who has truly acquired the name 'Duścyavana' ('hard to cast down' / 'fallen through evil'), whose appellation should certainly be disregarded by assemblies of poets out of fear of reciting a grievous sin. And that sovereignty over Goloka, another Vaikuṇṭha world that surpasses all others through proximity to his own opulence, should become manifest to him even in the mortal world; thus through the excess of service in his consecration, you are esteemed."

Then on the day of Hari [Ekādaśī], Surabhi followed the king of the gods, arrived at the region of Bhuvarloka above the land of Vṛndāvana, and waited for an opportune moment. And there from afar Surabhi said to the lord of the gods: / "That is not a cloud—see, it is Mount Govardhana! / This is not a new part of it—it is Kṛṣṇa! / This is not the lightning—it is the splendor of his fluttering yellow garment! / This is not a low thunder—it is playful conversation!"

"Look, look! He who is about to fly forth fully, the conqueror among winged creatures, the vehicle of Viṣṇu [Garuḍa], having mounted even above us, wishing for his shade like a mass of clouds hiding lightning, indeed spreads his shadow wherever he is! But he—"

"Placed upon a white cloth spread on a jewel-stone of Mount Govardhana, / resting his left hand on his right lotus-like foot situated on his left thigh, / holding the other on the tube of the flute of unprecedented form, casting slightly toward us / an edge of an eye accompanied by a smile—ah, I think he is raining down mercy!"

"And here, consenting indeed to our meeting, he has sent away his companions for another occasion. And it is certain that Baladeva has not come to the forest today. Therefore, going secretly with total secrecy and without haste to him whose mind is exceedingly clear, you ought to conciliate him, bowing down like a rod. For: / He who himself commits an offense and looks to a companion towards his master to wipe it away / displays the power of another, not humility at all. / When an offender himself bows down to him in secret, despairing of any companion, / that state of humility awakens pity even in an ordinary person, what to speak of a great soul?"

"And then only afterwards will I come to make a specific entreaty."

Then the chastiser of Pāka [Indra], accepting her instruction, approached the flute-player in secret and fell down like a rod directly at the sharp poles of his feet.

And Indra bowed so that the toenails of Murāri / attained the foremost rank of gems on his crown; / and then he wept so that the water of his water-lily eyes / trembled in the melting of nectar.

Then, as Saṅkrandana [Indra] was weeping, the lotus-eyed one felt embarrassed, eagerly lifted up the tip of the crown with the tip of his hand, and said: "Lord, do not do what is unfitting in this way; you alone are exceedingly the refuge of the words of the sages."

The thunderbolt-wielder, however, with his hands clasped together in an añjali upon his head, bashfully maintained silence alone, as if himself struck by his own thunderbolt. For—

He binds another's body with his radiance, and mind with his word; / he is capable, and who indeed would not be a devotee of him who is capable?

Thus, in this way, by his radiance and mercy, various conditions came upon the lord of the gods, such that:

Elsewhere Hari acts like the moon, but towards Śakra he then acted like the sun; / Śakra too, while acting like the sun to others, was like a firefly before Hari. / When he maintained silence, then he was like one dumb; / but when he began to praise, then he attained eloquence. / In what manner Indra praised him cannot be told, / O king of Vraja, because he plainly feels shy before you.

Not considering his humiliation, but poetizing, he then straightforwardly concluded that [praise]:

"This was attempted by me, O Lord, for the destruction of the cowherd settlement by torrential rains and winds, / when my sacrifice was thwarted, being arrogant and possessing fierce rage."

And he, laughing, said:

"The destruction of your sacrifice, O Maghavan, was done by me showing favor to you."

"...so that, remembering me, you would not transgress the virtuous elders such as my father." (16) / "If a god were pleased by pride in the enjoyment of sense objects, O Indra, / then a brāhmaṇa would also shine through the arrogance of fancying himself an eater of dried meat." (17) / "I shall uproot those who take the side of your enemies, O Śakra; / why do you consider fear of me? Practice righteousness alone!" (18)

[39] Then, seeing him from afar appear as if fearless, summoning her numerous offspring with a lowing sound, Surabhi, knowing what was proper to be done, approached Kṛṣṇa with longing eyes. [40] And Kṛṣṇa, seeing her bow down, as it were, simply out of adherence to the custom of her species, immediately spoke to her with a smile, free of fluster, joining his hands in reverence: "Mother, why have you come?"

[41] Thereupon, wishing to utter blessings, yet unable to express them out of awe, Surabhi said:

"Blessed are these descendants of mine who, attaining the state of cattle, serve you; / but I have no such merit, since I have not even come within your sight. ||

Or rather— / You are the slayer of the demons, the eternal, sole protector of all the worlds; / and we too are among the worlds, so you are naturally our master. ||

[42] Therefore, I make this small petition:

"The Cow Hymn declares cows to be the abode of all the gods; / therefore, protecting divinity beginning with Brahmā, attain the status of lord of the kine! ||
How great is this lordship of yours, which protects all up to Brahmā, / whose opulence of Goloka causes even Vaikuṇṭha to pale! ||
Protection of a part is sometimes desired even from the protector of the whole, / just as illumination of its own abode is sought from the sun, the illuminator of the universe. ||
This is not our opinion alone, but Brahmā's as well, / so that a purification of mind may take place for this foolish Indra. ||
Because we are the supreme vessel of your grace, this Indra / has taken shelter of us; that serves merely as an entrance-way. ||
For he seeks through someone like me that very grace of yours, / just as a thirsty person, through a well, seeks water lying within the earth, which has the consistency of a cloud. ||
Therefore, O Lord, behold Indra, who, looking at your two feet, / intimates your consecration by the thousand streams of tears from his eyes!" ||

[43] Then, obtaining the gracious assent of the lord of Śrī Gokula, which was conveyed through a sidelong glance of contracted eyes, Surabhi—together with the divine sages, divine mothers, the lord of the gods, the hosts of gods, and the minor deities and others—swiftly took the lead in honoring the crusher of the Asuras.

[44] For, having been permitted by Brahmā, they quickly ran forward, and surrounding the lotus-eyed one in a circle, stood all around him, with even Rudra and Brahmā taking the lead among them.

[45] And then Surabhi said: "O moon of the family of the glorious king of Vraja! By the walking of your own lotus feet and those of your companions, the sacred places here have truly achieved their purpose. And the cows have attained blessedness by your suckling of their milk. [46] Therefore, realizing the futility of our worship of you unless with the water of that best of holy places situated in heaven, the waterfall of the Gaṅgā, and with that from the weight of my own udder, we beg permission of you to collect water. Or rather, we shall certainly carry out whatever is commanded."

[47] Kṛṣṇa said with a smile: "Do as you please."

[48] Then, at the movement of Indra's eyebrows, Airāvata in haste repeatedly brought without delay jars of treasure filled with water from the heavenly Gaṅgā with his high-raised trunk. Surabhi too filled the lake of the lord of the gods near the mountain with fragrant milk. And then—

Amidst instrumental music, song, and dance by assemblies of the minor gods, hymns and mantras by the sages, / and shouts of victory and tremendous roars from the swaying joy of Brahmā, Rudra, and the rest, / Indra, his devotion surging forth, along with the regents of the directions and their hosts, consecrated / Kṛṣṇa, by which everyone, ah, became bathed in the nectar of bliss. ||
Performing the maternal rites, Aditi, and the sisterly rites, Pārvatī, / and fetching things in the duty of a servant, Garuḍa, all went into delight on this occasion. ||

[49] Thus, when the assembly of gods bathed him with purity, then—

His fame reached the ends of the directions, and the swirl of fragrance wandered throughout the globe of the earth; / the continuous stream of auspicious sounds entered the ear-cavities of the elephants of the quarters; / although in this way delightful joy was produced for all living beings by this prime monsoon of spreading bliss, / Kaṃsa was surrounded by distress, like the frantic writhing of a host of chameleons. ||
[50] Thus, when that son of the king of Vraja was consecrated by those who had come from all directions, then indeed—

"As far as the realm of Viṣṇu shines forth, the supreme ether and beyond, even to that extent / the realm of Śrī Goloka attains renown as the seat of countless Lakṣmīs; / and even there, you shine supreme as Indra by the name of Govinda; / therefore, dear one, may you protect the world in that same way!"—thus they spoke together. ||

Together with flowers from the sky, a voice from the sky then / proclaimed, "Govinda!"; what could be more wondrous than that? ||

Indra offered a parasol, the Sun a host of manifold sweet ornaments, / Brahmā a lotus for play, and Śiva a flute crafted by himself to Mādhava; / and the host of masters of the thirty [gods] offered each their own articles—which all / had existed before and yet were newly miraculous, and then became worthy of worship in the rites of the retinue of his body. ||
[51] This being so—

Beholding Kṛṣṇa—shining on a royal throne, adorned above with a wondrous parasol, flanked by a lovely / pair of swaying cawrie whisks, resplendent in divine attire, / and surrounded by the gods—his friends stood from afar with motionless eyes, / like painted figures, for a few moments. ||

[52] Then, following the joy bestowed by Govinda, who bathed them with his lotus-like eyes out of compassion, the exalted preeminent gods such as Mahendra first blossomed with happiness. Fastening the parasol and other [gifts] to the trees, bowing again and again to his pair of feet for their own lasting welfare, declaring their own contemptibleness with a torrential flow of tears, and taking leave of him, the gods departed into the distance, having obtained the state where all blame was dispelled. Thereupon the throng of friends, attaining profound relief, approached very slowly. Having arrived:

The circle of friends gazed at Acyuta, praised him, spoke to him, touched him, and even smelled his head;
they touched the parasol and the other [paraphernalia] and questioned him again and again.
He too made up various pretexts on the spot, but they did not believe him;
rather, intensifying their mutual abundance of affection, their laughter swelled at that moment.

And then:
With the remaining ornaments positioned right there separately,
the Lord adorned them in turn;
then with the fly-whisks mounted on golden staves and other royal regalia,
they too personally attended upon him.

[53] Now, while that circle of friends shone so exceedingly:

Seeing from afar that he was attended by his group of friends,
who equalled him in virtue, beauty, and character, using the various splendours they had presented,
the host of gods considered them the fruit gathered by their play of spiritual knowledge, and also regarded that splendour
as a wealth of deeds earned through devotion to him, than which nothing else is more venerable.

[54] Thus, even though their departure had begun, it came to a standstill; seeing another manifestation of majesty arising from that consecration in him, Śiva and the others mutually gave expression to this with wonder, thus:

Worship of Kṛṣṇa was performed by the gods; the worlds attained joy, and so did the cows;
they made the earth full of milk; the rivers flowed with manifold nectars;
the trees bore honey, the mountains brought forth gems, and living beings reached freedom from enmity.
Ah, a great honouring nourishes even those who did not perform it!

Furthermore:
Indra performed a cruel deed; if, when thinking of that comes,
the mind undergoes trembling, how can that be expressed in words by the mind?
And the compassion which Kṛṣṇa showed there—ah! if by it the mind
attains melted softness of its own accord, how can that be expressed in words by the mind?

[55] Then, as the sun's orb was about to kiss the western mountain, realising that delay had occurred, the son of the king of Vraja, gathering the herd of cows without any delay and going to Vraja together with his friends, was escorted by the throngs of gods who honoured him, attending him with incomparable showers of flowers from above as they went, as follows:

His presence served by friends whose hands were praised for holding divine parasols and white fly-whisks,
celebrated in song by his companions,
sprinkled by various gods with heaps of flowers,
his splendour joined with majesty, the unconquered [Lord] reached home.

The multitude [of cowherds] headed by the king of Vraja made this one,
whose limbs were adorned with the ornaments of the gods,
both heard of and closely gazed upon,
and all around they assumed forms marked with rows of involuntary ecstatic symptoms.

[56] Having heard of this, charming-minded Rāma, filled with tenderness, walked out about a krośa to meet them. Seeing the triumph of his younger brother, his mind captivated by happiness, he embraced him, smelled his head, and sat down for a few moments, entering into conversation with skillful words. Then, with splendid ornaments that were marked with divinity even among divine things, which his younger brother had already designated and set aside for him, this elder brother adorned him with his own hand. Then, pleasing his younger brother's modesty about proceeding in such regal splendour before the elders, this elder brother led him gently along.

[57] Now on that day, King Nanda, having assigned the people connected with that task to the milking of the herd of cows, personally stationed himself happily near the cows in order to inquire into those various matters; placing Govinda, who was bowing before him along with Rāma and the circle of friends, in front of him, he took his seat at the same time together with his kinsmen.

[58] Thereupon, when Śrīdāman and the others, who had arrived, who fully adhered to the intention of the younger brother of Śrī Rāma, and who spoke the pleasing truth, had presented the divine parasol and other items of worship to the king of Vraja and his assembly, and all had been delighted, he asked directly: "Tell me the truth, what is this event that has occurred?"

[59] Śrīdāman said: "Because we stayed for a long time at a great distance to gather the cows, we did not act while having fully understood it. But these very paraphernalia declare their own proper state of affairs."

[60] Thereupon, as Śrī Govinda assumed modesty, looking at one another and saying, "Well spoken, Śrīdāman, well spoken!", all the senior cowherds became unblinking for two or three moments, like painted portraits.

[61] Madhumaṅgala, however, said with a loud laugh: "O glorious king of Vraja, listen!"

One cow spoke words; then another person with a thousand eyes bowed down; / some white elephant brought celestial waters and poured them continually; / two persons with five and four faces broke into praise; / and they and others with great festivity bathed your son, O lord of cowherds!"

[62] Then, as the king of Vraja, whose very life was Kṛṣṇa, together with his assembly, was filled with wonder upon reflecting, "It is proper for us ourselves to arrange extraordinary auspicious ceremonies here from all sides," this voice moving through the sky became manifest:

"Just as we consecrated your son, O lord of Vraja,
endowing him with the title of Govinda,
so, along with all [your people], after performing auspicious rites,
swiftly make him radiant with prince-regency!"

[63] Then, overwhelmed by this shower of nectar, the elders of Vraja deliberated among themselves; through the preceptor, they performed the recitation of auspicious mantras and other rites uninterruptedly alongside the auspicious triple symphony of song, dance, and music being carried out, and having fulfilled the festive occasion with the giving of manifold offerings individually, they honoured him as the king of the settlement.

Then, having arrived by hundreds, the chief matrons headed by the queen of the king of Vraja, / each holding a row of jeweled lamps, raising auspicious shouts, / performing the waving of lamps, honoring him, waving heaps of jewels [to ward off evil], / brought Govinda toward the house with great care, as if he were affection incarnate.

"Such is your son, O king of Vraja, a feast for the eyes of the bards, / who, as lord of the kine, gave joy to the cows, to the earth, and to speech! // / Furthermore, after the consecration of Kṛṣṇa, the world became blessed, / but the race of the Danavas became blind, devoid of any good fortune."

So, when the daytime narration had unfolded in this way, the nighttime story also proceeded as before. Thus Madhukaṇṭha said:

"In one case an abundant thing may nourish, in another a very small amount, / just as in the world boiled rice and sauce [nourish], and just as an elixir of rasas does."

Therefore, even though this is brief, it should be regarded as extensive. For, at that festival, their gathering took place without any gap alongside the matrons, where, even though they had gone close by, their eyes, covered by veils, became intensely yearning.

And during that great festival which resembled a wedding of his, they reflected in their minds boundlessly thus:

"Ah, which cowherd maiden in the world shines so blessed / that she will indeed attain the taking of his hand in marriage? / Alas, after creating every qualification in us, / the Creator brought it to ruin—fie on him!"

Be that as it may, even so, this is utterly unfair:

"We, alas, of noble family, possessed of beauty, of the highest virtue and character, / have our lives balancing at our throats through longing borne of love; / yet the dull flute does not possess any such qualities! / Still, fie! She enjoys union with Hari, while we do not!"

Yet this wretched thing has only the pleasure of kissing his mouth, for:

"O garland, embracing his neck, attaining luster upon his chest, / you openly hold pride at all times; / neither Śrī Hari, nor you, nor this person [here] / feels the slightest bashfulness—therefore you are blessed!"

Now, while they were speaking thus in their minds:

One maiden obtained Murāri's full glance by force of destiny; / one obtained half, falling upon the people of Vraja; one obtained a third of it; / one obtained none at all—and yet none of that maintained any equality, / for, alas, in the mind of all of them it caused equal anguish.

Then, on that very night, as the lotus-eyed one lay upon the terrace, whose heart was broken by the contact of the full arrows that were their afternoon side-glances, and who therefore suffered an unbroken wakefulness through the midnight hours, he performed exercises with the sweet note of the new flute bestowed by the destroyer of Pura, in order to reveal his distress to them and as if to cross beyond it.

Then, in the night, the kedāra rāga truly became a field (kedāra), / wherein the seed of desire sown by the gopīs sprouted.

And there: / The sound 'tū' is indeed considered around Mathurā to be the language of addressing someone as 'thou' (tvaṅkāra); / and that was mostly brought out at every step through the song of the flute. / When Kṛṣṇa sang it, making each beloved hear it simultaneously, / all of them, each thinking it addressed to herself, fell into a faint.

Moreover: / Even incidentally from the singing, / what he placed in these maidens, they did not perceive; / but she whom he pointed out abundantly—alas!— / Rādhā did not even know herself at that moment.

Thus, having made even this short time appear as if a succession of aeons, the narrator, concluding, brought the narration to an end:

"O Rādhā, this is that lover of yours whom you obtained with difficulty, / and who, due to separation from you, found happiness nowhere."

Thus, when this celebrated [narrative] was told even in brief, they all remained silent for two muhūrtas as if for a mere instant, and then returned each to their own dwellings.

Thus ends the nineteenth chapter in the venerable Gopālacampū, entitled 'The Attainment of the Status of Lord of the Kine by the Lifter of the King of Mountains, which Checked the Supremacy of the Lord of Gods, the Shatterer of Jambha.' // 19