Shloka 4
इन्द्रक्रोधः, संवर्तक-वर्षणम्, गोवर्धनधारण-लीला
आजीवो यः परस् तेषां गोपत्वस्य च कारणम् ता गावो वृष्टिपातेन पीड्यन्तां वचनान् मम
ājīvo yaḥ paras teṣāṃ gopatvasya ca kāraṇam tā gāvo vṛṣṭipātena pīḍyantāṃ vacanān mama
He who is their highest livelihood and the very cause of their life as cowherds—by my command, let those cattle be afflicted by the pounding fall of torrential rain.
Indra (issuing a command, in the narrative recounted by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna becomes the sole refuge of the cowherds when Indra targets their livelihood (cattle and pastoral economy) through excessive rain.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of innocent dependents and reassertion that true sustenance flows from Bhagavān, not from coercive fear of devas.
Concept: Power used to punish devotion becomes adharma, especially when it targets the innocent and their means of life.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use authority with restraint; do not weaponize nature, institutions, or resources against others’ sincere religious choices.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s devotees and their welfare are under his special protection (rakṣakatva), underscoring personal theism within non-dual dependence.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
Rain functions as a symbol of cosmic governance; Indra’s order to unleash oppressive rainfall dramatizes how pride can distort the rightful administration of natural forces.
Parāśara narrates a dialogue-driven episode where divine authority is challenged by misplaced ego, setting the stage for a higher theological principle: true protection ultimately belongs to the Supreme (Vishnu/Krishna), not to subordinate gods acting from self-interest.
Even when not named in the verse, the episode frames Vishnu as the Supreme Reality whose shelter surpasses contingent powers—reinforcing Vaishnava teaching that all cosmic functions depend upon the Highest Lord.