by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series
Kangra School. Mid-18th century AD.
Krishna disuaded his fellow villagers from worshipping Lord Indra. Instead, He pointed to the importance of Mt. Goverdhan which gave them fuel woods, and grass, which brought the rains.
The people of Vrindavan followed his advice. While an elderly gentleman bows to the mountain, men, women and children circumbulate the mountain. A Gopa, in the extreme left side, points to a small figure of Lord Vishnu sitting on top of the mountain. Folk musicians play the horn and beat the drums in joyous mood. Krishna lovingly looks at Nanda. A Gopi turns to look both at Balaram and Krishna. There is an element of reverence, an element of suspense as it is the first time the villagers have broken the long tradition of worshipping Lord Indra. We all know the revenge Lord Indra took on Vrindavan by inflicting torrential rains, till Krishna lifted Mt. Goverdhan on his small finger and provided shelter and protection to his people.
Historians view this story as a clash between the Vedic gods and the rise of Vashnavism cult. Lord Vishnu begins to replace the Vedic Gods: Indra, Agni, Varun and Yama. But this story can also be seen as the emphasis Hinduism places on conservation of the environment. Like Taoism in China, religions in India have emphasised the place of Man in nature: we are but one small element of Nature. We must peacefully co-exist in Nature. We must protect and promote it.
But unfortunately we remember and perform the rituals; we forget the message, the meaning behind the rituals. Presently, Mt. Goverdhan is worshipped by thousands of devotees, yet the area is cleaned by none. It continues to be a highly polluted areas. We pollute the water and air, but belive in the divinity of stones and trees. Krishna could only be laughing at our ignorance of His divine message.
The people of Vrindavan followed his advice. While an elderly gentleman bows to the mountain, men, women and children circumbulate the mountain. A Gopa, in the extreme left side, points to a small figure of Lord Vishnu sitting on top of the mountain. Folk musicians play the horn and beat the drums in joyous mood. Krishna lovingly looks at Nanda. A Gopi turns to look both at Balaram and Krishna. There is an element of reverence, an element of suspense as it is the first time the villagers have broken the long tradition of worshipping Lord Indra. We all know the revenge Lord Indra took on Vrindavan by inflicting torrential rains, till Krishna lifted Mt. Goverdhan on his small finger and provided shelter and protection to his people.
Historians view this story as a clash between the Vedic gods and the rise of Vashnavism cult. Lord Vishnu begins to replace the Vedic Gods: Indra, Agni, Varun and Yama. But this story can also be seen as the emphasis Hinduism places on conservation of the environment. Like Taoism in China, religions in India have emphasised the place of Man in nature: we are but one small element of Nature. We must peacefully co-exist in Nature. We must protect and promote it.
But unfortunately we remember and perform the rituals; we forget the message, the meaning behind the rituals. Presently, Mt. Goverdhan is worshipped by thousands of devotees, yet the area is cleaned by none. It continues to be a highly polluted areas. We pollute the water and air, but belive in the divinity of stones and trees. Krishna could only be laughing at our ignorance of His divine message.
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