Govardhan Puja

Hare Krsna!!!

Dear Parents,
Thank you for bringing the kids to Sunday School. Your enthusiasm and effort keeps us motivated and energetic to teach the class.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the mataji's who help us out during the class. Without your help, we couldn't conduct the class nicely. Our sincere thanks to all of you.

Prayers & Bhajan: Many kids led the prayer ' he krsna'. We still would like to see all the kids actively participating in the class. If the kids hear the prayer songs, bhajan, slokas in the home a few times, we hope that they would be interested in reciting in the class. Parents, please let them hear the audio links for few times (like during bed time or morning prayer time or you could sing to them when giving them a bath or feeding them or just when they are playing.)

Damodarastakam: We learnt the fouth verse of Damodarastakam. We really wish for all kids to sing this prayer to  Lord Damodar.
Lyrics for Damodarastakam: http://kksongs.org/songs/n/namamisvaram.html
Audio Link: Damodarastakam
[Note: Please let us know if there is any difficulty in accessing these links.]

Story:  We heard  the importance of worshiping Govardhan Hill.
One day, Krsna and Balarama saw that the cowherd men were preparing for a sacrifice in order to pacify Indra, the King of heaven, who is responsible for supplying water.
Krsna asked His father about this arrangement for a great sacrifice. He asked about for whom, what purpose, why and how it is performed. His father, Nanda Maharaja, remained silent, thinking that  young Krsna would not be able to understand the intricacies of performing the sacrifice.
Again when Krsna insisted to be explained about the sacrifice, Maharaja Nanda said that the ceremonial performance is more or less traditional. Because rainfall is due to the mercy of King Indra and the clouds are his representatives, and because water is so important for their living, they must show some gratitude to the controller of this rainfall, Maharaja Indra.
After hearing this, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the presence of His father and all the cowherd men of Vrndavana, spoke in such a way as to make heavenly King Indra very angry.
 Krsna's appeared especially for the annihilation of the demons and protection of the devotees. Though King Indra was certainly a devotee, not a demon, but because he was so proud of his power, Krsna wanted to teach him a lesson. He first tried to make Indra angry by stopping the Indra Puja, which was arranged by the cowherd men in Vrndavana.
 Lord Krsna explained to His father and the cowherd men that even if King Indra gives rain, he pours water on the ocean also, where there is no need of water. So he is pouring water on the ocean or on the land; it does not depend on their worshiping him. He also said that their specific relationship is with Govardhana Hill and Vrndavana forest and therefore requested everyone to begin a sacrifice that will satisfy the local brahmanas and Govardhana Hill, and not Indra.
Since Krsna asked, Nanda Maharaj said that he shall arrange for a separate sacrifice for the local brahmanas and Govardhana Hill. But now, he wanted to execute this sacrifice known as Indra-Puja.
But Krsna urged them not to delay the sacrifice for Govardhana and the local brahmanas. He asked them to use the arrangement and paraphernalia from Indra-yajna and immediately engage it to satisfy Govardhana Hill and the local brahmanas.
He instructed them to prepare very nice foodstuffs from the grains and ghee, and all kinds of milk preparations like sweet rice, sweetballs, sandesh, rashgulla and laddu and invite the learned brahmanas to chant the Vedic mantras and they be given charity like grain, money, gold, cows. The cows should be well  decorate and fed well. For all the others, sumptuous prasam should be distributed.  After giving nice grasses to the cows, the sacrifice known as Govardhan- Puja should  begin immediately.
According to the instruction of Lord Krsna, Nanda Maharaja and the cowherd men called in learned brahmanas and began to worship Govardhana Hill by chanting Vedic hymns and offering prasadam. The inhabitants of Vrndavana assembled together, decorated their cows and gave them grass. Keeping the cows in front, they began to circumambulate Govardhana Hill. The gopis also dressed themselves very luxuriantly and sat in bull-driven carts, chanting the glories of Krsna's pastimes. The brahamanas offered their blessings to the cowherd men and their wives, the gopis.
When everything was complete, Krsna assumed a great transcendental form and declared to the inhabitants of Vrndavana that He was Himself Govardhana Hill in order to convince the devotees that Govardhana Hill and Krsna Himself are identical. Then Krsna began to eat all the food offered there.
 In offering obeisances to the huge form of Krsna Himself and Govardhana Hill, Krsna declared that  Govardhana Hill has assumed this huge form to favor us by accepting all the offerings.
The identity of Krsna and Govardhana Hill are still honored.
The sacrifice known as Govardhana-puja is observed in the Krsna consciousness movement. Lord Caitanya MahaPrabhu has recommended that since Krsna is worshipable, so His land, Vrndavana and Govardhana Hill, are also worshipable. To confirm this statement, Lord Krsna said that Govardhana Puja is as good as worship of Him. From that day, the Govardhana Puja has been still going on and is known as Annakuta. In all the temples of Vrndavana or outside of Vrndavana, huge quantities of food are prepared in this ceremony and are very sumptuously distributed to the general population.
Following the inauguration of Govardhana Puja, people in Vrndavana still dress nicely and assemble near Govardhana Hill to offer worship and circumambulate the hill, leading their cows all around.

Thus, we all learned more about the importance of Govardhan Puja.
Finally, we concluded the class with coloring picture.

Looking forward to seeing all of you in the next class.

Haribol!!
Gopala Class Teachers
Radhika Mataji
Amutha