Thereupon to embellish that best of mountains the cows, with all the bulls, in flocks, encircled it (32). Thereupon with their horns adorned with garlands and be-decked with chaplets on their heads and flowery Angadas, numberless cows delightedly began to circumambulate it quickly (33). Having their limbs pasted with pastes of diverse colors and clad in red, crimson and yellow raiments the milk-men followed those cows in order to govern them (34). In that wonderful assembly shone there the milk-men adorned with peacock-feathered Angadas, and chords well arranged for tying their hairs and with weapons in their hands. Some milk-men hastened to control the kine, some danced in joy and some rode the bulls. Thus in due order when that festivity terminated the incarnate god of the hill all on a sudden disappeared and Krishna, too, with the Gopas, returned to Vraja. Thus when the Giri-Yajna was instituted all the milk-men, boys and elderly people were filled with surprise, on witnessing that wonderful scene and began to chant the glories of Madhusudana (35–39).
| [227] | Gokula is another name of Vraja, the village of milk-men. There is still now a village of the same name about five or six miles from Mathura. It is very doubtful whether this is the site of the ancient Gokula which is described to have been situate near Govardhana mountain.
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| [228] | The deity of war and son of Siva. Derived from Kirtika the personified Pleiades: according to the legend having been fostered and brought up by the nymphs so called. He was so great an adept in the art of war that he was appointed the commander of the celestial army in the war between the gods and demons.
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| [229] | A sacrifice in honor of the mount Govardhana.
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| [230] | The word in the text is Udapana—from Uda water, and the root pa to drink. It may also mean a well. Here it means a place where water is drunk. Near a well, as is still seen in many place, there is a spacious pavement where people may sit at ease and drink.
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| [231] | Any real vessel made of wood, stone and in the shape of a boat and used for holding or pouring out water, as a bathing tub, a bathing vessel, a bucket or watering pot &c.
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CHAPTER LXXIII. INDRA SENDS DOWN PUNISHMENT.
Vaishampayana said:—While in this wise the festivity, in his honor, was suppressed, Sakra, the king of the celestials said to the clouds called Samvartaka (1):—"O ye clouds, and elephants, if you cherish any respect for your king and if you consider it as your duty to do what pleases me (listen then to my words) (2). All these inhabitants of Vrindāvana are attached to Dāmodara. Nanda and other Gopas have grown inimical towards my festival (3). Therefore within seven nights, distress, with rain and winds, the precious kine which constitute their life-long subsistence and for which they pass by the name of Gopas[232] (4). I myself, stationed on (my elephant) Airavata, shall discharge dreadful rain, winds and showers effulgent like thunder and lightning (5). With dreadful showers and winds you will kill all the kine and the inhabitants of Vraja and leave them after they all kiss the ground" (6).
On account of his festival being put down by Krishna the powerful Pākashāsana thus issued his mandate to the clouds (7). Thereupon, the dreadful dark-blue clouds, resembling a mountain in size and muttering awfully, covered the sky on all sides (8). Producing lightnings continually the clouds, adorned with the bow of Indra, enshrouded the welkin with darkness (9). Touching one another, all the clouds, some resembling the elephants, some the Makaras[233] and some the serpents, began to move about in the sky (10). Coming in contact with one another the clouds, resembling a million of elephants, covered the sky and created a very unfair day (11). Showers of equal size, some resembling the hands of men, some the trunks of elephants and some bamboos the clouds began to pour down their watery contents (12). People took that dreadful weather as a deep, unpassable and limitless ocean stationed in the sky (13). Hearing the dreadful mutterings of the mountain like clouds, the birds could not come out of their nests and the animals began to fly away on all sides (14). By the excessive showers discharged by the dreadful clouds resembling the hour of the universal dissolution the bodies of men grew discoloured (15). The planets and stars disappearing from view, the sky, shorn of the rays of the sun and the moon was divested of its lustre (16). With the continual showers of rain let off by the clouds the ground there assumed the form of a tank (17). The peacocks began to cry aloud and the other birds began to emit their feeble notes. And the rivers, increasing their size, carried away the trees grown on their banks (18). As if remonstrated with by the mutterings of clouds and the clap of thunderbolts the grass and trees began to tremble there (19). Beside themselves with fear the milk-men began to speak amongst themselves: "We think the end of the world is at hand and the earth will be converted into one sheet of water (20)." The cows were greatly distressed by that dreadful downpour of rain. And they stood motionless and began to cry aloud (21). Their body was soaked, thighs and feet were motionless, hoops and mouth inert, the hairs stood erect and their belly and udders grew lean (22). Some died out of exhaustion, some took to their heels in fear and some with their calves sank under frost (23). Some cows, of emaciated belly on account of hunger and wearied thighs, lay to sleep embracing their calves (24). The cows and calves, thus assailed by rain, fell down trembling and with poor and distressing countenance looked towards Krishna and cried "Save us! Save us! (25)"
Beholding this dreadful oppression over the cows on account of that inclemeny and the impending death of the Gopas the sweet-speeched Krishna was greatly worked up with anger. And meditating for a while he began to speak to himself (26–27):—"I knew before that this will come to pass. However to protect them against this downpour of rain I will uproot this best of mountains Govardhana containing forests and woods and convert it into an asylum for the kine (28). There is not a shadow of doubt that this mountain, a veritable planet on earth, when upheld by me, will be able to protect the kine and milk-men" (29).