Chapter Seven Śrī Girirāja-tīrtha The Holy Places of Śrī Girirāja

Śrī Bahulāśva said: How many holy places are on noble-hearted Govardhana Hill? O great yogī, you have transcendental vision. Please tell me this.

Śrī Nārada said: O king, Vṛndāvana forest and Govardhana Hill, which is the crown of Goloka, are both worshiped as the best of holy places.

Noble Govardhana Hill is dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead's parasol. It protects the cows, gopas, and gopīs. What holy place is better than Govardhana Hill?

Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of all the worlds, mocked the indra-yajna. Accompanied by His relatives, He worshiped Govardhana Hill.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, greater than the greatest, the master of Goloka, the ruler of countless universes.

O king of Mithilā, even the demigod Brahmā cannot properly glorify Govardhana Hill, where Lord Kṛṣṇa eternally plays with the gopa boys, . . .

. . . where are the Mānasa-gaṅgā, which destroys a flood of the greatest sins, pure Govinda-kuṇḍa, beautiful Candra-sarovara, . . .

. . . Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śyāma-kuṇḍa, Lalitā-kuṇḍa, Gopāla-kuṇḍa, and Kusuma-sarovara.

By the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's crown a certain stone was marked with the sign of a crown. Anyone who sees that stone becomes the crown of the Supreme Lord.

Even today on Govardhana Hill is a sacred stone marked with pictures originally drawn by Lord Kṛṣṇa, and now named Citra-śilā (the picture-stone).

When Kṛṣṇa was intently playing with the boys, He played musical rhythms on a certain stone. That stone, named vādanī-śilā (the musical stone), destroys the greatest sins.

The place where Kṛṣṇacandra played ball-games with the boys is called kanduka-kṣetra (the ballgame-field).

A person who sees the place Indra-pada on Govardhana Hill, bows down at the place Brahma-pada, or rolls about in the dust of these places, attains the abode of Lord Viṣṇu.

The place on Govardhana Hill where Lord Kṛṣṇa stole the gopas' turbans is called Auṣniṣa-tīrtha. It removes the greatest sins.

One day, hearing tinkling anklets as the gopīs walked nearby on their way to sell yogurt, Kṛṣṇa, who is more charming than Kāmadeva, stopped them on the path.

Holding a flute and a stick, and going ahead of the gopas, Kṛṣṇa confronted the gopīs on the path and demanded, "You must pay a toll to Me."

The gopīs said: You are crooked. You and Your gopa boys now block our path. You are greedy after yogurt. We will see to it that You, Your mother, and Your father are all locked up in Kaṁsa's prison.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: I will kill ferocious Kaṁsa and all his friends. That is My solemn vow. Every day I will take the cows from Mathurā to Govardhana Hill.

Śrī Nārada said: After speaking these words, Kṛṣṇa and the boys took the jars of yogurt and joyfully placed them on the ground.

bruvāmahe yaśodāyai nandāya ca kilādya vai evaṁ vadantyas tā gopyaḥ sa-smitāḥ prayayur gṛhān ahaḥ—oh; eṣa—He; param—very; dhṛṣṭaḥ—arrogant; nirbhayaḥ—fearless; nanda-nandanaḥ—Nanda's son; niraṅkusaḥ—merciless; bhāṣaṇīyaḥ—talkative; vane—in the forest; vīraḥ—a hero; pure—in the city; abalaḥ—a weakling; bruvāmahe—we will tell; yaśodāyai—Yaśodā; nandāya—Nanda; ca—and; kila—certainly; adya—now; vai—indeed; evam—thus; vadantyaḥ—speaking; tāḥ—the; gopyaḥ—gopīs; sa-smitāḥ—smiling; prayayuḥ—went; gṛhān—to their homes. Saying "Kṛṣṇa is a bold, fearless, ferocious, and talkative hero here in the secluded forest, but in the city, surrounded by many men, He is only a weakling. We will certainly tell Nanda and Yaśodā what He has done," the smiling gopīs went to their homes.

bruvāmahe yaśodāyai nandāya ca kilādya vai evaṁ vadantyas tā gopyaḥ sa-smitāḥ prayayur gṛhān ahaḥ—oh; eṣa—He; param—very; dhṛṣṭaḥ—arrogant; nirbhayaḥ—fearless; nanda-nandanaḥ—Nanda's son; niraṅkusaḥ—merciless; bhāṣaṇīyaḥ—talkative; vane—in the forest; vīraḥ—a hero; pure—in the city; abalaḥ—a weakling; bruvāmahe—we will tell; yaśodāyai—Yaśodā; nandāya—Nanda; ca—and; kila—certainly; adya—now; vai—indeed; evam—thus; vadantyaḥ—speaking; tāḥ—the; gopyaḥ—gopīs; sa-smitāḥ—smiling; prayayuḥ—went; gṛhān—to their homes. Saying "Kṛṣṇa is a bold, fearless, ferocious, and talkative hero here in the secluded forest, but in the city, surrounded by many men, He is only a weakling. We will certainly tell Nanda and Yaśodā what He has done," the smiling gopīs went to their homes.

Then, making cups of nīpa and pālāśa leaves, Kṛṣṇa and the boys ate the yogurt and picchala.

O king of kings, that very sacred place, where the trees' leaves became cups, is called Droṇa-tīrtha.

A person who at this place gives yogurt in charity, drinks yogurt from a leaf-cup, and then bows down to offer his respectful obeisances, never falls from Goloka.

The place where Kṛṣṇa and the boys played games of closing their eyes and hiding is called Laukika-tīrtha. It destroys all sins.

Simply by seeing Kadamba-khaṇḍa-tīrtha, where Kṛṣṇa enjoyed many pastimes, a person attains a form like that of Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself.

O king of Mithilā, the place on Govardhana Hill where Rādhā was decorated during the rāsa dance is called Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍala (the decoration place).

O king, the form Lord Kṛṣṇa showed as He lifted Govardhana Hill is still present at Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍala.

girirāja-guhā-madhyāt sarveṣāṁ paśyatāṁ nṛpa svataḥ-siddhaṁ ca tad-rūpaṁ hareḥ prādurbhaviṣyati abdāḥ—years; catuḥ-sahasrāṇi—four thousand; tathā—so; ca—and; aṣṭau—eight; śatāni—hundred; ca—and; gataḥ—gone; tatra—there; kaleḥ—of Kali-yuga; ādau—at the beginning; kṣetre—in the place; śṛṅgāra-maṇḍale—Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍala; girirāja—of Govardhana Hill; guhā-madhyāt—from a cave; sarveṣām—as all; paśyatām—watch; nṛpa—O king; svataḥ-siddham—perfect; ca—and; tad-rūpam—His form; hareḥ—of Lord Hari; prādurbhaviṣyati—will be manifested. O king, 4,108 years after the beginning of Kali-yuga, as everyone watches, Lord Kṛṣṇa will emerge from a cave on Govardhana Hill and reveal His transcendental form at Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍala.

girirāja-guhā-madhyāt sarveṣāṁ paśyatāṁ nṛpa svataḥ-siddhaṁ ca tad-rūpaṁ hareḥ prādurbhaviṣyati abdāḥ—years; catuḥ-sahasrāṇi—four thousand; tathā—so; ca—and; aṣṭau—eight; śatāni—hundred; ca—and; gataḥ—gone; tatra—there; kaleḥ—of Kali-yuga; ādau—at the beginning; kṣetre—in the place; śṛṅgāra-maṇḍale—Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍala; girirāja—of Govardhana Hill; guhā-madhyāt—from a cave; sarveṣām—as all; paśyatām—watch; nṛpa—O king; svataḥ-siddham—perfect; ca—and; tad-rūpam—His form; hareḥ—of Lord Hari; prādurbhaviṣyati—will be manifested. O king, 4,108 years after the beginning of Kali-yuga, as everyone watches, Lord Kṛṣṇa will emerge from a cave on Govardhana Hill and reveal His transcendental form at Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍala.

O king, the saintly devotees will call this form of the Lord Śrīnātha. He will always enjoy pastimes on Govardhana Hill.

O king of Mithilā, the people in Kali-yuga who with their eyes see this form of the Lord will attain all spiritual success.

On the four corners of Govardhana Hill are the forms of Lord Jagannātha, Lord Raṅganātha, Lord Dvārakānātha, and Lord Badrīnātha.

Śrīnātha is in the middle of Govardhana Hill. O king, these five forms of the Lord are manifested in sacred Bhārata-varṣa.

These four Deities are four pillars in the temple of eternal religion. They are determined to protect Their devotees from all troubles. A person who sees Them attains a transcendental form like that of Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself.

An intelligent person who visits the places of these Deities but does not see the Lord there does not attain the real result of his visit.

A person who sees Lord Śrīnātha attains the result of seeing all four Deities on Govardhana Hill.

O king of Mithilā, a sinner who bows down before the footprints of Airāvata and Surabhi on Govardhana Hill goes to Vaikuṇṭha.

A person who sees the handprint and footprint of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and bows down to offer respects to them, goes to Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental abode.

O king, these are the lakes and other holy places that are the limbs of Govardhana Hill. What more do you wish to hear? .pa