Lifting Govardhana Hill

Click here to find recipes for Govardhana and Divali.

Lord Krishna Himself organized the first Govardhana Puja 5,000 years ago in Vrindavana, India.

Krishna asked His father, Nanda Maharaja, King of Vrindavana, to prepare offerings of rice, dhal, pakoras, and puris, as well as sweets such as laddu and rasgulla, to be offered to Govardhana, the biggest hill in the area. Krishna explained to His father that since they were members of a cowherd community, cows were their primary treasure. And since Govardhana Hill nourished the cows with grass, they should honor Govardhana.

The festival was celebrated according to the instruction of Krishna, with a fire yajna and the chanting of Vedic hymns. A great feast was prepared and offered to Govardhana hill. Then Krishna, displaying His power as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, expanded Himself to take on the form of Govardhana Hill. In other words, He showed that Govardhana is identical to Himself. Krishna immensely enjoyed the food that had been offered. The remaining prasadam was then distributed throughout the community.

Today Govardhana Puja falls within the celebration of Diwalli (or Dipavali), "the festival of lights." Diwalli is a five-day festival celebrating the return of King Rama from exile and from the wars against Ravana and his demon hordes.

You can join in the celebration of Govardhana Puja at your local Hare Krishna temple. There will singing and dancing and you will be able to benefit from the mercy of Krishna by taking prasadam. Many temples organize a big festival centered on a large Govardhana Hill made from food, which is offered to Krishna and then distributed.

The most popular ingredient to make the hill out of is halava, topped with cookies and sweets to represent rocks, shredded coconut mixed with green food coloring for grass, and broccoli for trees. You can even add little plastic cows to make it fun for everyone and pleasing to Krishna. Make sure the cows aren't made from something edible though -- you wouldn't want anyone accidentally eating them!

If you can't get to a temple, you can organize your own Govardhana Puja at home. Make an egg-free cake to form the base of the hill, or use an upturned bowl. Cover your base with a big pile of delicious halava and decorate your creation to make it look just like the best hill you can make.

Invite your family and friends to sing and dance for Krishna, and after you offer your hill to Him for His enjoyment, you can all have some Govardhana Hill prasadam and share in the celebration.

After the original festival, the demigod Indra got very upset because the people of Vrindavana had been about to prepare a yajna to satisfy him when Krishna instructed them to celebrate Govardhana Puja. Indra then directed a storm cloud named Samvartaka to produce a devastating rainstorm over the cowherd men and women and their homes and families.

Krishna revealed His awesome power again. The young cowherd boy Krishna lifted the entire Govardhana Hill above His head using only the little finger of His left hand. He held the hill over the inhabitants of Vrindavana and their cows to protect them until the storm had passed.

You can read the story of the first Govardhana Puja in Srila Prabhupada's book Krishna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, chapters 24 and 25. Get your own copy here at the Krishna.com store.

To top it all off, here are some recipes to help you celebrate Govardhana Puja and the Diwalli festival. You can make and enjoy some of the dishes that Lord Krishna Himself requested.

Recipes for Govardhana and Divali.

There are currently no posts in this category.