Krishna And Indra
It all begins in the month of Kartik. On the first day of the Shukla Paksha, Krishna asks the Vrajwasis to worship all forms of Prakriti. Not Indra alone. This infuriates Indra. So, he orders the 12 different kinds of clouds like Avarta, Samvarta, Neelak, Pushka, Drona et al to unleash their powers to the fullest and submerge all of Vrindavan.
Vrindavan plunges into darkness in the afternoon itself. The naïve Vrajwasis are scared stiff when they see heavy rains accompanied by lightning and thunder. They do the only thing they know. They surrender to Krishna. And seek refuge in His grace. The Vrajwasis are overwhelmed with gratitude when Krishna lifts the entire mount of Goverdhan on his little finger.
Krishna gives shelter to all the creatures of Vrindavan. He plays the flute and smiles serenely when He sees that there is no trace of fear on anyone’s face. Even His dear cows were listening to the music He was creating through his flute.
Indra’s fury lasts for 7 days. But Indra is taken aback when he observes that despite the floods, not a single drop of water had accumulated under Goverdhan Parvat. All the Vrajwasis and other living beings seemed blissfully unaware of their predicament.
Indra Realizes His Folly
By now the Vrajwasis knew, through their umpteen experiences, that Krishna alone was their saviour. And also, that Goverdhan Parvat was one of the many aspects of Krishna Himself. Krishna displays his Veer Ras through this leela, at the age of 7 years.
Now, when Indra sees Krishna holding the Goverdhan Parvat aloft for 7 continuous days without showing any signs of fatigue, the truth dawns on him. He realizes that Purna Purushotham Krishna Himself was born in Nanda’s home. And He was indulging in His different leelas to recreate harmony in the cosmos.
Indra knows he has committed a sin by trying to prove his superiority to the lord of the three divine realms. He had succumbed to anger and pride. Indra can now feel the terror in his heart. So, he immediately recalls all the 12 forms of clouds from Vrindavan. Indra is certain Krishna will curse him for his arrogance. So, Indra manifests before Krishna, disarms himself, prostrates before Him and begs for forgiveness.
Krishna Becomes Govinda
Indra brings Surabhi, his divine cow, and Airavat, his celestial elephant and mount along with him. Surabhi feels overwhelmed when she sees Krishna’s love for cows. So, Surabhi addresses Krishna as Govinda, the lord of cows. And bathes Krishna and Indra with her milk. And Airavat showers Swarga’s Akash Ganga waters on both Indra and Krishna. Indra then sings a Stuti in praise of Krishna, offers his pranams to Krishna, seeks His permission and goes back to his realm, Swarga.
Even today, we will find Surabhi Kund, Airavat Kund and Govind Kund in Vraj. Krishna’s devotees believe that if we bathe in the waters of these three kunds, we will surely attain the lotus feet of Krishna.
Akshay Navami
We celebrate Akshay Navmi on the 9th day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Kartik. The Sanskrit word “Akshay” means eternal. It is believed that Akshay Navmi will remain an auspicious day for eternity because it marks the beginning of a Sat Yuga and a new cosmic cycle. According to ancient texts, Krishna sits in the midst of his four Yuthadipathis: Lalitaji, Chandravaliji, RadhaSahacharji and Yamunaji on Akshay Navmi. And Krishna asks them all to participate in His MahaRaas.
Govinda’s Abhishek and Akshay Navmi
On Akshay Navmi, we recreate the bhaav of Krishna’s Akshay leela and Gocharan leela when we do Krishna’s darshan. And we perform Govinda’s Abhishek to recreate Indra’s, Surabhi’s and Airavat’s bhaav within our souls. And to consciously keep in mind that all that happens in our lives is a part of Krishna’s eternal leelas.
And we depict Surabhi’s bhaav (of immense gratitude for Krishna’s love for cows) in our shrines by tying a Pichwai of cows behind our Nidhis swaroops. Since this is such an auspicious occasion, we adorn our Nidhi swaroops with the same Shringar as that of Annakut Utsav.
Also, we adorn our Nidhi swaroops with cow-shaped earrings (Gokarna) to depict Krishna’s love for cows. And on this day, we specifically offer a symbolic bhog made out of white pumpkin like Pheta to Krishna to depict Indra’s inflated ego.
The essence of Akshay Navmi
If Akshay Navmi is an eternally auspicious day, the message that Krishna conveys through this leela is eternal too. All too often, like Indra, we get carried away by our ego and believe we are great. This blinds us to the reality – that we all are just a speck in the vastness of this cosmos. A higher force does exist. A higher order is at work. Always.
And we are but mere instruments in Krishna’s divine leelas. If we forget this, as we usually do, Krishna will make us realize this in his own way at the right time. So, isn’t it better, that we keep a constant check on our ego by immersing ourselves in Krishna’s eternal leelas and remembering the messages that He sends our way through his leelas? That way we can celebrate Akshay Navmi every day, isn’t it?
Input and photos given by Hema Ben.
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