Gokul mein har saal Indra ke liye bhavya utsav manaaya jaata tha. Devtaon ke raja ke liye. Varsha ke swami ke liye. Daawatein pakti, ghar sajte, bhent ikatthi hoti. Lekin saat saal ke Krishna taiyaariyon ko dekh kar soch mein pad gaye. Seedha apne pitaji ke paas gaye.
'Pitaji,' unhone Nand se poocha, 'hum Indra ki pooja kyun karte hain? Yeh Govardhan parvat hai jo humaari gaayon ko ghaas deta hai. Humaare kheton ko paani deta hai. Humaare gharon ko hawa se bachaata hai. Kya humein us pahaadi ko dhanyavaad nahi dena chahiye jo roz humein paalti hai?'
Kuch buzur gwaalon ne virodh kiya. 'Sadiyon se Indra ki pooja karte aaye hain! Parampara kaise todein?' Krishna ne dheere se samjhaya — 'Parampara ka arth andha anukaran nahi hota. Indra ko humne kabhi dekha nahi. Lekin yeh parvat roz humaari aankhon ke saamne hai. Iski ghaas humaari gaayein khaati hain. Iske jharne humaari pyaas bujhaate hain. Iski chhaon mein humaare bacche khelte hain. Jo devta dikhta hai, uska sammaan pehle — yahi to dharm hai.' Nand ne bete ki baat mein satya dekha. Dheere-dheere poora gaanv sehmat ho gaya.
To us saal Gokul ne woh kiya jo pehle kabhi suna nahi gaya tha. Indra ki jagah Govardhan ki pooja hui. Swadisht bhojan paka. Deepon se parvat ki parikrama hui. Gaayon aur gareebon ko khilaaya gaya. Aur Krishna swayam — apne ek roop mein — parvat ke shikhar par baithe bhent sweekaar karte rahe. Muskuraate hue. Gaon waale jay-jaykaar karte rahe.
Swarg mein Indra gusse se jal utha. 'In gwaalon ki itni himmat?' woh dahaada. Usne pralay ke baadal bulaaye — Samvartak megh, wahi jo yug ke ant mein duniya dubote hain. Aakaash kaala pad gaya. Bijliyaan pedon ko cheer-ne lagi. Baarish shuru hui — aam baarish nahi. Sailaab. Kuch ghanton mein khet nadiyaan ban gaye. Galiyon mein paani ghutnon tak. Gaayein apne bachdon ko jeebh se sahlati, dar se kaanp-ti. Yashoda ne Krishna ko seene se laga liya. Lekin unki aankhon mein dar nahi tha.
Gaon waale Krishna ke paas daud pade. 'Humein bachao!' Nanhe Krishna shaanti se muskuraye. Govardhan tak gaye. Jhuke. Aur apne baayein haath ki chhoti ungli se — poora parvat hawa mein utha liya. Utni hi aasaani se jaise baccha phool uthaata hai. 'Neeche aa jao!' unhone pukaara. Poora Gokul — mard, auratein, bacche, gaayein, gaadiyaan — parvat ke neeche khade ho gaye. Sookhe. Surakshit. Baahar toofaan garaj raha tha.
Parvat ke neeche ajeeb shaanti thi. Gwaale has-bol rahe the. Krishna unhe kahaniyaan sunaate. Kabhi kisi bacche se kehte — 'Dekho, ungli se parvat ka bojh mehsoos karo. Halka hai na?' Sab hans padte. Balaram dhaadhas bandhaate. Saat din tak kisi ne bhookh-pyaas ki shikaayat nahi ki. Kehte hain, us saptah Gokul mein jo ekta bani, woh uske baad kabhi tooti nahi.
Saat din. Saat raatein. Krishna wahan khade rahe — parvat thaame hue. Na khaate, na sote. Apne logon ko dekh kar muskuraate hue, taaki unka hausla bana rahe. Aathve din Indra ka ghamand toot gaya. Woh swayam neeche aaya. Nanhe gwaale ke saamne haath jode. Kshama maangi. Krishna muskuraye. Parvat dheere se uski jagah wapas rakh diya.
Tab se har saal, Diwali ke agle din, Annakut manaaya jaata hai — bhojan ka parvat, kritagyata mein chadhaaya hua. Us din ki yaad mein jab ek parvat chhaata ban gaya tha.
Aaj bhi bhakt Govardhan ki 21 kilometer lambi parikrama karte hain — nange pair, 'Giriraj dharan ki jai' ke jaikaaron ke saath. Kehte hain, is parikrama mein parvat swayam bhakton ke saath chalta hai. Aur Mathura ke mandiron mein Annakut par chhappan bhog ka parvat sajaaya jaata hai.
Us prakriti ka sammaan karo jo tumhe paalti hai, doston. Wahi sabse bada dharm hai.
Aur Indra? Jab woh neeche aaya tha — devtaon ka raja, haath jode, ek saat saal ke bacche ke saamne — to uski aankhon mein aansu the. 'Maine ghamand mein andha hokar apne hi bhakton par pralay bhej di,' usne kaha. Krishna ne use uthaaya. Muskuraaye. Kshama kar diya. (Bade log maaf kar dete hain — chhote log yaad rakhte hain. Yeh baat Indra par bhi laagu hoti hai, hum par bhi.)
Us din ke baad Gokul mein koi Indra se nahi darta tha — sab Govardhan se prem karte the. Aur prem, dar se hamesha bada hota hai.
Is katha ke paatra
- Krishna
- Nanda
- Yashoda
- Indra
- Balarama
