Srimad Bhagavatham

Taking the deeds of the gopas and Indra into consideration, Krishna who was in the form of a gopabala (young cowherd) lifted the Govardhana Parvatha with his little finger even as a small child holds an umbrella.

Explanation

We find the deeds of the Lord when he lifted the Govardhana Parvatha with just his little finger. Considering that the form of the Lord was that of a small child, this becomes more amazing and magical.

At times when we listen to such magical glories of the Lord we get deluded into it. Most of the people in the world get deluded most of the time but even seekers get deluded sometimes. We should always remember that whatever be the miracles and whether it is performed by a normal magician or Ishwara yet they all are illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord. The greatest miracle in the world is the world itself. The world is a constantly changing one and it is sorrowful for everyone. We also know that the scriptures speak about the world having come from the reality of Lord. The Lord is changeless and blissful. Thus it is illogical and impossible for the changing sorrowful world to have come from the changeless blissful Lord. Yet we are left with no other option but to consider the world as having come from the Lord. Isn’t this really miraculous that the changing world has come from the changeless Lord? Add to it the scriptural statement that the world is filled in and out with the Lord. Thus not only that the world has come from the Lord but the sorrowful world is filled with the blissful Lord. Can we ask for more miraculous things? The list goes on if we analyze our very nature of saakshi atman (witness Self) and the jeeva or reflected consciousness. The very fact that the changing world has come from the changeless Lord proves the world to be a mere illusion of names and forms in the reality of Lord who alone exists.

Taking into consideration such miraculous things, the miracle that the Lord displays is nothing. Only ignorant people who are unable to think of bigger miracles consider the glories of the Lord as great miracles.

If the miracles of the Lord are not real miracles then what is their purpose to a saadhaka?
The purpose of these glories of the Lord for a seeker is to understand that the Lord is ever there to protect his devotees. Since the world has come from the Lord, therefore the world can be controlled in any and all ways by the Lord. The only thing that we need to do as seekers is surrender completely unto the Lord. Once we have pure devotion towards the Lord through total and complete surrender, the Lord will take care of all our things whether it be worldly matters or spiritual matters. As we discussed earlier that it is the duty of the Lord to protect his devotees, the Lord displays here that even if it requires miracles to save his devotees he will perform the same. We very well know that the same Lord in the Rama Avatara rarely performed miracles as that was not needed there; but he takes resort to miracles in order to protect the devotees of gopas in the Krishna Avatara.

Thus as long as we have complete surrender towards the Lord, he will take care of everything for us. We don’t need to worry about anything. We will continue with the story in the next day.

Let us all try to surrender completely unto the Lord so that we become real devotees of the Lord thereby making the Lord protect us until we realize our own very nature of Lord and be immersed in bliss.

After lifting the Govardhana Parvatha with his little finger, Krishna instructed the gopas along with the cows to take shelter under the mountain.

Explanation

Last day we discussed about the futility of activities in the world whether they are done by the various avatars or normal people. Today we will try to analyze as to how things which are impossible are possible by the avatars and Mahatmas.

Sankara defines Maya as “yukthi viheena prakaashasya samjnaa maaya” or “that which is beyond logic is termed Maya”. In Maya Panchakam he defines Maya as “that which makes the impossible possible”.

We very often go for magic shows. There have been great films which are based on magicians and their magic. We know very well that what the magicians do or accomplish is not real accomplishment. They are not doing anything yet they make it appear as if things impossible are made possible. It is said that long ago a magician came to a king’s palace and showed that the entire kingdom was being washed by water when nothing of that sort happened. All these are possible because the magician is in control of his magic. The magic world is created by the magician and hence he controls whatever happens in it. Though in reality the magician isn’t creating anything yet if we consider the dream world, it becomes clear that the dreamer really creates things in the dream world which are unreal from the waking world perspective.

Similarly the ultimate reality of Lord or Ishwara is the controller of the waking world which is his creation. Even as a magician controls his magic world, the ultimate reality of Lord controls this world. Thus anything is possible for the Lord in this world. It is using his illusory power of Maya that the Lord makes impossible things possible; things that are defied by logic possible and happening. This Maya in itself is an illusory power that causes the dual world to be perceived in the non-dual reality of Lord. It is Maya that makes nanatvam or duality as if real; it is Maya that makes the illusory names and forms to be real and different from the substratum of Lord. But not everyone can control Maya making it do things which he wants because most of the worldly people are controlled by Maya and the Lord alone is in control of Maya. It is the Lord’s Maya that deludes us into believing that we are limited and different from the Lord. But since the Lord controls Maya, he can make it do things that he wants. Thus for the welfare of his devotees, he will be able to make Maya do things which are impossible. Though it might seem highly improbable that a small child not only lifted a mountain but when the child of small height lifted the mountain, the entire village (who were more than his height) took shelter under the lifted mountain.

Though in one perspective we should remember that anything and everything is possible in the world which is an illusion created by Maya, we should also remember that ultimately what is meant to be shown through these illustrations is that the Lord will always be there to protect his devotees even as a mother always protects her children. When we know that the Lord is there to protect his devotees, we will want to be real devotees so that the Lord takes care of our good and bad thereby finally making us realize our very nature of blissful Lord.

We will continue as to what Indra did after seeing his pride destroyed by the Lord in the next day.

Let us all try to be real devotees of the Lord by remembering the Lord at all times, offering all actions unto the Lord and completely surrendering to the Lord so that the Lord protects us through all troubles and makes us realize our very nature of eternal bliss.