is on high; enter beneath it quickly, and it will shelter you from the storm: here you will be secure and at your ease in places defended from the wind: enter without delay, and fear not that the mountain will fall." Upon this, all the people, with their herds, and their waggons and goods, and the Gopís, distressed by the rain, repaired to the shelter of the mountain, which Krishńa held steadily over their heads; and Krishńa, as he supported the mountain, was contemplated by the dwellers of Vraja with joy and wonder; and, as their eyes opened wide with astonishment and pleasure, the Gopas and Gopís sang his praise. For seven days and nights did the vast clouds sent by Indra rain upon the Gokula of Nanda to destroy its inhabitants, but they were protected by the elevation of the mountain; and the slayer of Bala, Indra, being foiled in his purpose, commanded the clouds to cease. The threats of Indra having been fruitless, and the heavens clear, all Gokula came forth from its shelter, and returned to its own abode. Then Krishńa, in the sight of the surprised inhabitants of the forests, restored the great mountain Govarddhana to its original site 1.

Footnotes

527:1 It seems not unlikely that this legend has some reference to the caves or cavern temples in various parts of India. A remarkable representation of it occurs upon the sculptured rocks of Mahabalipur. It is related much to the same purport in the Bhágavata, &c. Śiśupála, ridiculing the exploit, asserts that Govarddhana was nothing more than an ant hill.

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Hinduism

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