Shloka 9
Govardhana-pūjā: Kṛṣṇa Redirects Indra-yajña to Worship of Govardhana, Cows, and Brāhmaṇas
तं तात वयमन्ये च वार्मुचां पतिमीश्वरम् । द्रव्यैस्तद्रेतसा सिद्धैर्यजन्ते क्रतुभिर्नरा: ॥ ९ ॥
taṁ tāta vayam anye ca vārmucāṁ patim īśvaram dravyais tad-retasā siddhair yajante kratubhir narāḥ
Wahai anakku, bukan kita sahaja; ramai orang lain juga menyembah Indra, tuan kepada awan pembawa hujan. Dengan bijirin dan persembahan yang terhasil daripada curahan hujannya sendiri, mereka melakukan yajña dan mempersembahkannya kepadanya.
Nanda Mahārāja patiently tried to explain the “facts of life” to his young son, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but in fact Nanda and all the residents of Vṛndāvana would learn an astonishing lesson, as explained in this chapter.
FAQs
In this verse, Nanda explains that people commonly worship the controller of rain-clouds through sacrificial rites, using offerings that ultimately come from the same divine potency that governs nature.
This is part of the Govardhana episode context: Krishna inquires about the planned ritual, and Nanda replies that the community performs sacrifices to the lord of the rain-clouds so that rains and prosperity will come.
It highlights gratitude and responsibility: prosperity depends on higher laws of nature and divine order, so one should act with reverence, offer back through ethical living and worship, and not take resources for granted.