Govardhana-dhāraṇa: Kṛṣṇa Lifts Govardhana and Humbles Indra
कृष्ण कृष्ण महाभाग त्वन्नाथं गोकुलं प्रभो । त्रातुमर्हसि देवान्न: कुपिताद् भक्तवत्सल ॥ १३ ॥
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-bhāga tvan-nāthaṁ gokulaṁ prabho trātum arhasi devān naḥ kupitād bhakta-vatsala
ഗോപന്മാരും ഗോപികമാരും പറഞ്ഞു— “കൃഷ്ണാ, കൃഷ്ണാ, മഹാഭാഗ്യവാനായ പ്രഭോ! ഗോകുലം നിന്റെ ആശ്രയത്തിലാണ്. കോപിച്ച ഇന്ദ്രനിൽ നിന്ന് ഞങ്ങളുടെ പശുക്കളെ രക്ഷിക്കേണമേ; ഭക്തവത്സലാ, ഞങ്ങളെയും രക്ഷിക്കൂ.”
At the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s birth, Garga Muni had predicted, anena sarva-durgāṇi yūyam añjas tariṣyathā ( Bhāg. 10.8.16 ): “By His grace you will easily cross beyond all difficulties.” The residents of Vṛndāvana were confident that in such a great emergency Lord Śrī Nārāyaṇa would empower Kṛṣṇa to protect them. They accepted Kṛṣṇa as everything, and Kṛṣṇa reciprocated their love.
This verse directly addresses Krishna as “bhaktavatsala,” showing that devotees naturally rely on Him as their sole protector, especially in danger.
After Govardhana worship, Indra became furious and sent destructive rain; seeing their helplessness, the residents of Gokula appealed to Krishna as their only refuge.
In crisis, practice wholehearted dependence on God—turning anxiety into prayer and remembering that true shelter is the Lord who protects those who take refuge in Him.