Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

Govardhana, India: November 3, 2002
Tridandisvami Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

[This lecture by Paramaradya Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja at Manasi Ganga commenced the Govardhana parikrama at this year's Kartika Festival in Vrndavana. Although Srila Maharaja had been ordered by his doctors to restrict his speaking and other activities, he surprised everyone by making an appearance at Manasi Ganga to initiate the parikrama. Srila Maharaja arrived there at 7:30 am and performed an elaborate bathing ceremony of the large Govardhana-sila before an enthusiastic audience of 800 devotees. He bathed the deity in pancamrta (five nectarean substances: milk, yogurt, ghee, sugar and honey) and dried Him with a new cloth. He then decorated Sri Govardhana-sila with bright red kunkuma powder, dressed him with a fresh white cotton cloth and a brown woolen chadder, and then placed a colorful garland around his body and sacred Tulasi leaves on his feet. He then offered before him some boxes of sweets and a coconut decorated with kunkuma, the Vedic swastika and rose petals. He then led a large kirtana party in circumambulating the Mandira of that Govardhana-sila, and then began his short lecture in the temple's large courtyard. In this lecture, he reveals the confidential identity of Sri Giriraja Govardhana. -ed]

We have come here to Manasi Ganga, which is like the mouth of Sri Giriraja Govardhana. His shape resembles that of a cow, or a peacock, and the lower extremity at Puchari (or Punchari) is like the raised tail of the peacock or the raised hindquarters of the cow. At this end are Radha Kunda and Syama Kunda, which are like the eyes of the peacock. Sometimes, when a peacock is dancing, it will raise its back very high and gracefully bend its long neck back towards the stomach, and that stomach is located at the town of Govardhana. The place where we are now situated, Mukharavinda (His lotus face), is on the northern bank of Manasi Ganga. In order to obtain the mercy of Giriraja Govardhana, we have performed our puja and offered mahaprasadam here, and he has accepted it.

Who is Giriraja Govardhana? I will tell you briefly who he is, and how he came to Vrndavana. Hanuman and the other monkeys were ordered by Lord Ramacandra to make a bridge to Sri Lanka. Rama sent all the monkeys to gather large stones from all over India. Hanuman jumped from there to the Himalayas, where he saw a small mountain, and that was Giriraja, the baby son of Dronacala. He took Giriraja on his back, leaped into the sky, and carried him towards the ocean. As he was passing over Vrndavana, Rama told him, "The bridge is now completed, so there is no need to bring that mountain; leave it where you are." Giriraja Maharaja knew that in Dvarapa-yuga, Krsna would come with Srimati Radhika, the gopis, and all of His potencies, and he was very happy to be left in Vrndavana. There are so many lilas, and we will explain them during class this afternoon, and as parikrama continues.

Now I want to share with you a secret about Giriraja Govardhana. Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and the gopis perform rahasya-purna, confidential sweet pastimes in the "kandare kandare" (many caves) of Govardhana. Although you cannot see them, there are beautiful caves and kunjas (groves) everywhere on Giriraja Govardhana, and Giriraja witnesses all of the sweet pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and the gopis there. Even Sankara, in his male form, cannot enter the groves and witness such confidential pastimes, so if Giriraja Govardhana is a male, he would also not be able to witness them. The kunjas of Giriraja Govardhana are the places where all the most secret lilas are enacted, so it must be that Giriraja has come from the heart of Radhika, to serve Her. His real identity must be Haridasi-varyari (the best of Hari's servants), a female. He is not actually Haridasa-varya (the best of Hari's servants), a male. He may also have the form of a gopi in the sweet pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala.

Sri Giriraja Govardhana ki jaya!

Transcriber: Vasanti dasi
Editor: Janardana dasa
Assistant editor: Syamarani dasi

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