गोवर्धन पूजा कथा और विधि

This is an old story. In the villages of Braj, a yajna for Indra was held every year once the rains had passed. The cowherds and their wives gathered milk, curd, butter, grain and sweets and offered them to Indra, god of rain, so that he would stay pleased and send the rains on time the next year too. That year as well, Nanda Baba and the elders of Braj were busy preparing the yajna. The boy Krishna watched all the bustle and asked, 'Baba, who is all this preparation for?'

Nanda Baba explained, 'Lala, this is the worship of Indra Dev. He sends the rain, the rain grows the grass, the grass feeds the cows, and the cows feed us. That is why Indra's yajna is held every year.' Krishna smiled and said, 'Baba, sending rain is Indra's job; he does us no favour by it. And our cows graze on Govardhan. Its grass, its water, its shade. The ones who feed us every day are Giriraj Govardhan and our own cows. Why should we not worship those who are right in front of us and give to us every single day?'

The elders were taken aback at first; the yajna for Indra had come down from their forefathers. But there was truth in what Krishna said, and such confidence in his voice, that they all agreed. That year all the materials of the yajna were carried to the foot of Govardhan. The people of Braj bathed the hill with water, offered flowers, and heaped up every dish they had cooked, puris, kheer, halwa, dal and rice, vegetables, curd and butter, as an offering to Giriraj. They decorated the cows, marked them with tilak and fed them fresh grass. Then everyone walked around the hill. It is said that at that moment Krishna took on a vast form and spoke from the summit of Govardhan, 'I am Giriraj,' and accepted the whole offering, so that the faith of the people of Braj would be made firm.

When Indra in heaven learned of this, he shook with rage. 'The nerve of these cowherds! At the word of a child they abandon my yajna and worship a hill of stone!' He commanded the Samvartaka clouds, the clouds of the final deluge, 'Go, drown Braj.' The sky turned black. Lightning cracked, a gale rose, and rain fell such as Braj had never seen. Water filled the houses, the Yamuna swelled over her banks, the cows bellowed and the children cried in fear.

The people of Braj came running to Krishna. 'Kanhaiya, at your word we gave up Indra, and now Indra is drowning us. Only you can save us now!' Krishna said calmly, 'Do not be afraid. You took refuge in Giriraj, and Giriraj will protect you.' He went to Govardhan, and that boy of seven uprooted the great hill and lifted it on the little finger of his left hand as easily as a child lifts an umbrella. 'Come, everyone, come underneath. Cows, calves, the old, the young, all of you!'

All of Braj came in under the hill. Above, Indra's clouds poured for seven days and seven nights; below, not one drop fell. Krishna stood smiling with the hill on his finger. The cowherd boys propped their sticks against the underside of the hill in jest: 'Kanhaiya, you must be tired, we are holding it up for you!' The gopis kept gazing at his face and forgot hunger and thirst. In seven days nobody felt hungry and nobody felt sleepy. Such was the shelter of Giridhari.

On the seventh day Indra's pride broke. He understood that the one holding up a mountain on his finger was no ordinary child: this was Narayana himself, on whose strength even Indra's throne rests. The clouds withdrew, the sky cleared, the sun came out. Krishna brought everyone out and set the hill back in its place. Then Indra climbed down from his elephant Airavata and came, head bowed, to Krishna's feet. The celestial cow Kamadhenu bathed Krishna with her milk and Indra with the water of the heavenly Ganga. Indra folded his hands: 'Lord, the pride of my office blinded me. Forgive me.' Krishna forgave him and said, 'Indra, it was to break that pride that I had this yajna stopped. Go and do your work, but never forget: the office is yours, the power is mine.' From that day Krishna was called Govinda and Giridhari.

That day the people of Braj offered the feast to Govardhan all over again, and this time larger than before. The pile of food was so high that it earned the name Annakut, the mountain of grain. Since then, every year on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali, Govardhan Puja and Annakut are celebrated. In Braj people still walk the seven-kos parikrama of Govardhan, and in home after home a Govardhan of cow dung is made and worshipped. It is said that whoever worships Giriraj and the cows on this day never lacks grain, milk or wealth in the house, and that Krishna protects them as he once protected Braj.

Things needed: fresh cow dung, flowers and leaves (marigold, tulsi, and sprigs of kareel or kusha grass), roli, akshat (unbroken rice), turmeric, mauli thread, incense, a clay lamp and ghee, puffed rice and sugar drops, a garland of cotton, milk, curd, butter and mishri, and for the Annakut as many dishes as the house can cook: kadhi and rice, puris, a mixed vegetable, kheer, halwa, dal. Keep a picture of Krishna or of Giriraj beside it all.

On the morning after Diwali, bathe and clean a patch of ground in the courtyard or near the main door. Shape Govardhan out of cow dung as a reclining figure: a long, human-like form with a head, arms, legs and a navel. Leave a hollow at the navel for a lamp. Around it make little cow-dung cows, calves, cowherds and trees. This is Braj.

Decorate Govardhan with flowers and leaves, kareel sprigs, puffed rice and sugar drops, and cotton garlands. Mark it with roli and akshat. Light a ghee lamp in the navel and burn incense. Set Krishna's picture beside it and offer him tilak and flowers too.

Place the Annakut offering before Govardhan: pile every dish you have cooked high on a thal or leaf plate, like a mountain. By tradition kadhi with rice and one mixed dish made from every vegetable in the house are always there. Temples and well-off homes prepare the chhappan bhog of fifty-six dishes; at home, whatever is cooked is the Annakut. Keep milk, curd, butter and mishri as well.

Fold your hands and meditate on Giriraj Govardhan and Govinda Krishna. Read or listen to the katha above. Chant 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya' or 'Om Govardhanadharaya Namah'. Then let the whole family walk around Govardhan seven times. The custom is to carry a lota of water and pour a thin stream as you walk, and to scatter barley or puffed rice along the way.

Cow worship: bathe the cow of the house or one nearby, rub oil and turmeric or colour on her horns, put a garland round her neck, mark her with roli and akshat, and feed her jaggery, fresh grass or roti. Walk around her and do her aarti. Honour the bullocks and calves too. If there is no cow near you, send fodder or a donation to a gaushala.

Do the aarti of Govardhan and then the aarti of Krishna. After that, everyone eats the Annakut prasad together, and it is sent to neighbours, to the needy and to the cows. On this day the Annakut prasad is never refused or returned.

Timing: this is a puja of the Pratipada tithi, which falls the day after Diwali in most years; occasionally the tithi leaves a day's gap, so check this year's date and muhurta in the panchang. The puja is commonly done in the morning window or in the evening window. Many homes make and worship Govardhan in the evening and the next morning return the dung to the field, the tulsi pot or the cowshed.

Food: there is no fast on this day; the Annakut prasad is the meal. First to Giriraj, then to the cows, then to the family. Do not waste or disrespect what is left over. This is a day for honouring grain.

The best-known image of Govardhan Puja is the Govardhan of cow dung in the courtyard. In Braj and across north India it is shaped as a reclining human-like figure, and that figure is Giriraj himself. Around it go little cow-dung cows, calves, cowherds with sticks, wells and trees: a whole small Braj. The figure is decorated with marigolds, tulsi, green kareel sprigs, puffed rice and sugar drops, and garlands of cotton, and a lamp burns in its navel. Letting the children do this decorating is the best custom of the day; they are the ones who will carry the story forward.

Annakut means a mountain of grain. In the story the people of Braj offered every dish in their homes to Giriraj, and in memory of that, on this day every grain, dal and vegetable in the house goes into the offering. Kadhi with rice, and one dish cooked from all the vegetables of the season together, are the signature of the Annakut. Temples lay out the chhappan bhog of fifty-six dishes: mathri, puri, kachori, kheer, halwa, laddoo, sweets, pickles, chutneys, milk, curd and fruit, and after darshan this prasad is shared among thousands. If a home cannot make fifty-six, five or seven dishes are a complete Annakut; the spirit is respect for food, not a count.

After the offering the family walks around Govardhan, the household form of the seven-kos parikrama of the hill in Braj. Then comes the turn of the cows: decorating them, marking them with tilak, feeding them jaggery and fresh grass is an essential part of the day, because in the story Krishna asked for the worship of the cows along with the hill. The puja is done on the Pratipada tithi, the day after Diwali, in the morning window or in the evening window as suits the household; both are traditional.

By tradition a home that performs Govardhan Puja and the Annakut never lacks grain, milk or wealth, its cattle stay safe and the family does not fear natural calamity. The message of the story is that pride, even Indra's, does not last, and that whoever takes refuge in Krishna with faith is not touched by a single drop even when the deluge falls overhead.

The festival teaches gratitude towards nature. The cow, the earth, the hill, the river and the grain feed us every day, and Krishna placed their worship above that of the gods. The day is especially meaningful for homes where food is wasted, for families whose living comes from farming or cattle, and for those whose comfort of mother, home and food is disturbed.

After the katha and the parikrama, the aarti of Giriraj, 'Shri Govardhan Maharaj', is sung, and in most homes Krishna's aarti 'Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki' follows it. After the aarti, share the Annakut prasad and do not forget to feed the cows.