Seminar on Lord Krishna's Vrindavana Pastimes-05

So when Krishna was about 7 years old, one day He saw that, all the Gopas, all the cowherd people of Vrindavana headed by His father Nanda Maharaja were organizing some festival. Although Krishna saw that they were organizing festival previous years also, but still out of curiosity He asked his father, ‘Father what is this going on today?’.Nanda Maharaja was so busy that he did not answer. Then Krishna told him; ‘My father, I am your son and you are My father. So it is your responsibility to educate me properly.
So I am asking you’. ‘What is the worship that you are organizing now? Who is the personality that is being worshiped and what is the purpose of this worship?’ Then also Nanda Maharaja did not reply. He thought that Krishna is just a little child and His questions should not be taken so seriously. So he was busy with his other responsibilities. But Krishna was still trying on to His father and he asked; ‘Father why don’t you tell me whether this worship that you are organizing; whether it is prescribed according to the Vedic instructions, according to the Vedic scriptures? Or just a social custom? And if it is a bona-fide worship, if it is Vedic, then please tell me who is the presiding deity of this sacrifice?’ What is the truth of this sacrifice and what is the benefit of this sacrifice?First of all you have to tell me whether it is Vedic or a social customary! Then Nanda Maharaja took Krishna seriously.Then Nanda Maharaja told Krishna that this is actually a social custom. It is a customary sacrifice. Nanda Maharaja actually told Krishna that, ‘we are organizing Indra puja or Indra yajna, a sacrifice to please Indra. Then Krishna asked whether it is Vedic or a social custom. So Nanda Maharaja said; ‘social’. Then Krishna said; ‘social activities should not be taken so seriously’. Unless and until prescribed by the Vedas it should not be taken so seriously! So Nanda Maharaja said, ‘but you see our ancestors have been performing this sacrifice according to their customs, as a hereditary customs, therefore for us it is important to perform it like that’. Then Krishna denied that. He said, ‘tell me why you
want to please Indra? What is the objective of this sacrifice?’ The Nanda Maharaja said that Indra gives us rain and we are cowherd people we depend very much on rain and therefore we have to perform this sacrifice. Krishna reasoned with His father and said, ‘you see Indra is also a demigod and demigods are also bound by karma. And what is the result, whatever reward they offer to others is also according to their karma. Demigods do not have any means or ability to do something on their own!. They are also dependent.
They can’t break the karmic principle and do something. Nanda Maharaja still insisted. ‘You see Krishna, we are cowherd people and rain is very essential for us and if we don’t have rain then we will be in trouble’. Then Krishna told Nanda Maharaja. ‘Father, you don’t actually depend on Indra for the rain because Indra offers the rain just out of nature’s arrangement. It’s not that Indra is arranging. The rains are the natural
phenomena. It is not that you are pleasing Indra, that’s why Indra is offering rain. If that was the case then why does it rain in the middle of the ocean where there is no need and no one there offers actually any worship to Indra. So Nanda Maharaja was surprised that this little child has such an understanding. So intelligent. Nanda Maharaja started to think what the boy is saying whether it really make sense. And he felt that it does make sense. Krishna also continued – my father I would suggest since we are cowherd folk we depend really upon the Govardhana. Because it is the grazing ground for our cows that it provides soft green grass for our cows. It is the fountains and rivers in the Govardhana that actually offers us all the water that we need and the cow’s need. Plus Govardhana is giving us so many necessities. So instead of worshiping Indra, let us worship Govardhana! When Krishna suggested in this way, Nanda Maharaja mainly out of his
affection accepted. Not only Nanda Maharaja, others also like, Sunanda and Upananda and other senior members of the cowherd folks of Vrindavana accepted this point. Here it is described that more than the given reasons they accepted this out of love for Krishna. When one loves somebody whatever that person says one accepts it. It is out of love and that’s why love is superior to reasons. Although Krishna gave the reasons but those reasons did not play the most important part. It was their love for Krishna they have
accepted His reasoning. So Krishna said; ‘let us arrange with the paraphernalia and foodstuff that you have got, let us arrange a worship of Govardhana.’. Krishna suggested to make a mountain of foodstuff. So the cowherds brought cart loads of food and they stacked them up in a mountain. It actually became a huge mountain. The bottom part of the mountain was maltose.