From a satsang with Pt. Umadutt Maharaj, Spiritual Leader, SWAHA Bhakti Jyoti Mandali
In ancient times, Mount Govardhan was not merely a mountain but a sage of great austerity and devotion. Through deep penance and unwavering worship, he won the favour of the Divine, who granted him the wish of becoming a mountain, so that he might forever serve the Lord and his devotees.
The divine katha of Shree Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan is celebrated on the day after Divali, revealing Shree Krishna as Govardhan Giridhari, the uplifter of the mountain and eternal defender of his devotees.
Shri Krishna revealed that the Divine Brahm can assume any form. As Sri Krishna, Bhagavan encouraged the villagers to worship the divine form of Goverdhan. To strengthen their faith, Krishna manifested from the very mountain itself in another divine form, delightfully accepting their gifts of love. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna affirms this very principle: “Whoever offers to Me, with devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I accept that loving offering from the pure-hearted devotee.” The simple villagers, with hearts brimming with pure love, thus beheld the Lord in both the mountain and the child before them.
When thunder and rain then fell upon Vrindavan, the villagers turned wholly to Shree Krishna, who responded with compassion. Smiling, he lifted Mount Govardhan effortlessly upon the little finger of his left hand, sheltering all beneath its vast expanse for seven days and nights. Under his care, they remained nourished, safe and untroubled.
Like all katha, this divine leela contains many shades of meaning. Externally, Govardhan represents nature itself, the sacred earth that sustains all beings, urging us to live with gratitude and reverence toward the environment. Internally, Govardhan is the mountain of yoga that each of us must climb. To “lift the mountain” is to raise our awareness beyond the senses, to awaken the latent Kundalini Shakti within, and to ascend through the subtle energy centres along the spine until atma unites with Paramatma. The Ida, Pingala and Sushumna nadis (the channels of spiritual energy) are the inner rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati whose sacred meeting exists within each human being.
Govardhan thus stands as both a mountain and a metaphor: strength, stability, nourishment and the eternal support of divine grace. Shree Krishna’s act reassures us that in times of turmoil, the Lord himself shelters those who take refuge in him. May Shree Krishna, Govardhan Giridhari, raise the mountain of ignorance from our hearts and guide us to live in harmony with creation, with one another and with the Divine.
