Govardhana-puja Festival This Sunday.

This festival celebrates the astonishing event of little boy Krishna holding Govardhana mountain like an umbrella, to shelter His beloved friends from devastating storms and floods.

Festivals such as this help us to explore and understand the deep mystery of Krishna's extraordinary pastimes; how God – grave and awesome, appears as an enchantingly beautiful cowherd boy, just to have fun with His friends.

Although there are many layers of meaning in Krishna's pastimes, an essential feature of this story, is the exchange of love between Krishna and His devotees. To please Him, the residents of Vrindavana willingly gave up their secure customs and traditions, risking the anger of Lord Indra; in return Krishna protected them from the resulting catastrophe.

Under the shelter of Govardhana Hill, Krishna related with each of His friends according to their individual desires; as a joking, playful friend with the cowherd boys; as a lover to the beautiful milk-maids; as a son to his parents. These intimate and exquisite loving exchanges, increased their attachment to Krishna and the devastating storms went by unnoticed.

All this, while Krishna jauntily holds Mount Govardhana aloft, on the littlest finger of the weakest arm, as if to say, “I may look like a little boy, but I am God and though you may try, you can’t mess with Me!”

Govardhana really exists in Vrindavana south of Delhi, and five-thousand years ago, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, really lifted it on the little finger of His left hand. The occasion is recorded in the sacred book “Srimad Bhagavatam" and millennia later, is celebrated world-wide, by thousands of people.

Devotees of Krishna celebrate the festival by reading and discussing the story amongst themselves and by congregating at the temple to chant, dance and offer mountains of sumptuous foodstuffs to Sri Giridhari – the lifter of Govardhana Hill. To read the story of Govardhana-puja for yourself, please see chapters 24 – 27 of Krishna Book. Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapters 24-27. Anandana-vrindavana-campu by Srila Kavi karnapura – chapter 15.