Krishna ne Uthaaya Govardhan

Har varsh Vrindavan ke gwaale Indra, devtaon ke raja aur varsha ke swaami ko bhavya yagya karte the. Ve unhe doodh, anna aur ghee mein sarvottam arpit karte, apni fasalon aur charaagaahon ke liye samay par varsha ki praarthna karte. Yeh praacheen parampara thi, aur koi prashn nahi karta tha — jab tak yuva Krishna ne ek saral prashn na poochha. Unhone Nand se kaha, pitaji, hum Indra ki pooja kyon karte hain? Nand ne kaha, yeh hamaara kartavya hai. Indra varsha bhejte hain jo hamaari gaayon aur fasalon ko paalti hai. Unke bina hum bhookhe mar jaayenge. Krishna us vyakti ki muskaan muskuraaye jo gehra dekhta hai. Lekin pitaji, unhone kaha, varsha prakriti ki apni vyavastha se aati hai. Sach mein humein Govardhan parvat paalta hai. Uske van hamaari gaayon ko ghaas dete hain, uske jharne humein jal dete hain, uski jadi-bootiyaan hamaare pashuon ko changi karti hain. Kya humein us parvat ka sammaan nahi karna chahiye jo humein paalta hai, bajaay door baithe us devta ke jo hamaara bhay maangta hai? Nand chintit hue, lekin Krishna ke vachanon mein vichitra gyaan tha, aur badon ne kuchh naya aazmaane ki sahmati di. Us varsh Indra ke yagya ke bajaay unhone Govardhan parvat ki pooja ki. Unhone bhojan ke parvat pakaae, gaayon ko maalaon se sajaaya, aur geeton ke saath parvat ki parikrama ki — sab kuchh us parvat ko arpit kiya jo unhe paalta tha. Krishna swayam parvat ki aatma ka roop dharkar unke arpan sweekaar karte rahe, aur saath hi baalak ke roop mein unmein khade rahe — taaki log daata aur daan dono ka sammaan karein. Swarg mein Indra ne yeh suna aur krodh se jal uthe. Ye gwaale mera apmaan karne ki himmat karte hain? Ve garje. Main dikhaata hoon ki devtaon ke raja ko bhoolne waalon ka kya hota hai. Unhone pralay ke bhayankar meghon ko bulaaya aur Vrindavan par bhej diya. Dopahar mein aakaash raat-sa kaala ho gaya. Megh sansaar ke ant-se garje. Varsha boondon mein nahi, chaadaron mein giri, aur ole toot pade. Yamuna uphankar baadh laayi. Gaayein bhay se rambhaayin, bachche roye, aur graameen apni ekmaatra aasha Krishna ke paas daude. Daro mat, Krishna ne shaanti se kaha. Ve Govardhan parvat ke paas gaye, aur phir asambhav kar dikhaaya. Apne baayein haath ki kanishtha ungli se unhone poora parvat aise utha liya jaise bachcha khumbi uthaata hai, aur use vishaal chhatra ki tarah upar thaam liya. Unhone pukaara, parvat ke neeche aa jaao. Tum sab, apni gaayon, bachhadon aur saamaan ke saath, iske neeche sharan lo. Graameen parvat ke neeche daude, aur saat din-saat raat wahin rahe jabki upar toofaan garajta raha. Krishna bina hile, bina bhojan-neend ke khade rahe, parvat ko sthir thaame, bhaybheet logon ko saahas dene ke liye muskuraate hue. Gwaale, mitra ki baanh thaki dekhkar, sahaayata ke liye apni nanhi laathiyaan uthaaye rahe, aur Krishna unke prem par aanand se hanse. Indra ne aur bhayankar varsha barsaayi, lekin parvat na hila aur neeche ke log sookhe rahe. Ant mein Indra ka abhimaan toota. Ve samajh gaye ki yeh koi saadhaaran baalak nahi, swayam param Prabhu hain. Lajjit hokar unhone toofaan roka aur swayam shwet haathi par aakar kshama maangi. Unhone Krishna ke saamne sir jhukaaya aur aakaash-ganga ke jal se unka abhishek kiya — us samaaroh mein jise devta Govind ka rajyaabhishek kehte hain — aur unhe Govind naam diya, gaayon ke rakshak. Krishna ne komalta se parvat ko uske sthaan par rakh diya, aur graameen apne gharon ko laute, unka yash gaate hue. Us din se Govardhan parvat ki pooja Indra ke sammaan ke saath chalti rahi — Indra ne vinamrata seekh li thi. Yeh katha sikhaati hai ki humein uska sammaan karna chahiye jo sach mein humein paalta hai: dharti, pahaadiyaan, nadiyaan, gaayein, ve haath jo humein khilaate hain. Aur yeh sikhaati hai ki abhimaan — chaahe devtaon ke raja ka hi ho — nisvaarth prem se milkar jhuk jaata hai. Parvat uthaane waale baalak ne yeh apni shakti dikhaane ke liye nahi, apni praja ko sharan dene ke liye kiya — isiliye parvat unki ungli par phool-sa halka laga.

Aaj bhi Braj ke log Govardhan parvat ki parikrama teerth-roop mein karte hain — us parvat ka sammaan jo Krishna ne uthaaya tha. Parikrama — pavitra parikrama — laakhon karte hain — kai bhakti-roop mein nange pair poorna karte hain. Katha har Govardhan Pooja ko dohraayi jaati hai — Diwali ke agle din — jab bhakt gobar aur bhojan ke chhote parvat banaate hain — Krishna ki raksha ka smaran karte. Yeh sikhaati hai ki prakriti swayam divya hai aur pooja ki adhikaari hai — aur sachchi bhakti bhavya karmakaandon mein nahi — balki dharti, gaayon aur humein poshan dene waale samudaay ki dekhbhaal mein dikhti hai.