Shloka 43
शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्
शोभनं ते मतं वत्स यद् एतद् भवतोदितम् तत् करिष्यामहे सर्वं गिरियज्ञः प्रवर्त्यताम्
śobhanaṃ te mataṃ vatsa yad etad bhavatoditam tat kariṣyāmahe sarvaṃ giriyajñaḥ pravartyatām
“Excellent is your counsel, dear child—what you have proposed. We shall do all accordingly; let the sacrifice to Mount Govardhana be set in motion.”
Nanda (speaking to Krishna, as narrated by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How the Vrajavāsīs accepted Kṛṣṇa’s proposal for Govardhana worship
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: He institutes Govardhana-yajña to humble Indra’s pride and to safeguard Vraja by establishing worship rooted in immediate sustenance and devotion.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Yajña redirected from fear-driven deva-appeasement to dharmic gratitude and devotion
Concept: Good counsel (mata) aligned with dharma is to be enacted, not merely praised; yajña becomes an expression of devotion and communal responsibility.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Turn devotional insight into disciplined practice—collective worship, service, and gratitude toward sources of sustenance.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān is approached through concrete upacāras (offerings) in the world; the material realm becomes a mode (prakāra) for divine service.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Vatsalya
FAQs
It marks a deliberate shift from propitiating Indra to honoring Govardhana and the pastoral dharma of the Vraja community, establishing Krishna’s higher sovereignty over deva-centered ritual.
Through the narrative voice, Parāśara shows Nanda accepting Krishna’s instruction as “excellent counsel,” emphasizing that right practice (yajna) is ultimately aligned with the Lord’s intent and the community’s rightful duty.
Krishna functions as the Supreme Reality who reorients worship and authority—revealing that even the gods’ domains are subordinate to Vishnu’s will and the higher purpose of dharma and devotion.