The Story of Goloka’s birth and the birth of Shri Giriraja
Shri Bahulashva asked Shri Narada: “Govardhan Hill is dear to Lord Hari. It is the king of the mountains. No holy place in the earthly or heavenly planets is equal to it. When was Govardhan Hill born from Lord Krishna’s chest? O wise and intelligent one, please tell me that. You know what is in Lord Krishna’s heart.”
Shri Narada said: “O noble-hearted king, please hear the story of Goloka’s birth, a story that brings to human beings the four goals of life, a story filled with transcendental pastimes.”
“Shri Krishna is the Supreme Lord. He is a person. He has no beginning. He is perfect and complete. He is the master of all opulence. He is beyond the modes of nature. He is above the realm of matter. Time has no existence in the transcendental abode where the self-effulgent Supreme Personality of Godhead enjoys pastimes eternally.”
O king, illusion has no power in that realm. Neither do the mahat-tattva, nor the material modes of nature have any power there. How can they? O king, the material heart, mind, intelligence, and false-ego cannot enter there.
In His own abode the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose form is spiritual, desired to expand, and so He manifested the form of Lord Shesha, who has gigantic white coils.
The Lord’s realm, Goloka, is worshiped by all the worlds. A devotee who goes there never returns to the world of birth and death.
The Ganga, which travels through the three material worlds, was born from the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, who is the master of countless material universes and the ruler of the spiritual realm of Goloka.
The Yamuna, the best of rivers, who wore a turban and many flower ornaments, was manifested from Lord Krishna’s left shoulder.
The splendid rasa-dance circle, made of gold and jewels, and decorated with many ornaments, was manifested from Lord Krishna’s ankles.
Filled with assembly-houses, courtyards, pathways, pavilions, peacocks, bees, and cooing cuckoos, flooded with the sweetness of spring, and decorated with many lakes, a forest grove was manifested from Lord Krishna’s legs.
Vrindavana, the best of all forests, was manifested from Lord Krishna’s knees, and Lila-Sarovara lake was manifested from His thighs.
A golden place splendid with gold and jewels was manifested from His hips. Many flowering Madhavi vines were manifested from the line of hairs on His abdomen.
These vines were filled with many different birds and decorated with buzzing bees. Burdened with many flowers and fruits, they bowed down as if they were many saintly girls.
From the Lord’s lotus navel many thousands of lotus flowers were manifested. They shone very splendidly in the many lakes of Lord Krishna’s transcendental abode.
From the three folds of skin at the Lord’s waist was manifested a gentle and cooling breeze. From His collar were manifested the cities of Mathura and Dvaraka.
From Lord Krishna’s arms were manifested His eight friends headed by Sridama. From the Lord’s wrists Nanda was manifested, and from the Lord’s hands, Upananda was manifested.
From Shri Krishna’s shoulder-blades all the Vrishabhanus were manifested. From the hairs of Shri Krishna’s body, all the gopas were manifested.
From Shri Krishna’s mind were manifested the cows and bulls, the upholders of religion. From Shri Krishna’s intelligence were manifested the grass, plants, and shrubs.
From the Lord’s left shoulder was manifested a golden splendor that was His beloveds: Lila, Shri, Bhu, and Viraja.
The wise know His dearest beloved is Radha. From Radha’s arms are manifested Her friends Lalita and Vishakha.
Her gopi-assistants were manifested from the hairs of Radha’s body. In this way, Lord Krishna manifested the world of Goloka.
After thus manifesting His own abode, Lord Krishna, the perfect and complete Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of countless universes, shone with great glory in Shri Radha’s company there.
One day, in the beautiful rasa-dance circle, which was filled with the tinkling of anklets and with courtyards splendid with pearls and parasols, awnings of flowering Malati vines fragrant with nectar honey, sounds of flute and mridangam, and beautiful singing from beautiful throats, and which was beautiful with many beautiful girls, Radha cast a sidelong glance at Lord Krishna, who is more charming than many millions of Kamadevas, and who generously gives the sweetest nectar. She spoke to Him in the following words.
Shri Radha said: “O Lord of the worlds, if You are pleased with My love in this rasa-dance, then there is a desire in My heart I would like to place before You.”
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “O girl with the beautiful thighs, You may ask for whatever Your heart desires. O beloved, if I have not already given it, I will lovingly give whatever You wish.”
Shri Radha said: “In splendid Vrindavana forest, in a beautiful and secluded place by the Yamuna’s shore, please make an arena for a nectar rasa-dance. O Lord of lords, this is My desire.”
Shri Narada said: Saying, “So be it”, the Lord meditated. With His lotus eyes, he looked inside His heart.
As the gopis watched, Krishna’s love, in a form of fire and water, came from His heart as a sprout comes up from the ground.
Falling onto the ground of the rasa-dance circle, that love grew into a great mountain filled with many caves and swiftly-moving streams, beautiful with Kadamba, Bakula, and Ashoka trees and a great network of flowering vines, opulent with Mandara and Kunda flowers, and filled with graceful birds. In a single moment that mountain became eight hundred thousand miles wide and eight billion miles long. It was like another Ananta Shesha.
It was like a great palace with many golden domes.
Some called this mountain Govardhan and others called it Shatashringa (a hundred peaks). The mountain expanded as much as its heart wished.
As the mountain expanded, Goloka became filled with fear and there was a great uproar. Lord Krishna at once stood up and slapped the mountain with His hand
He said, “Why do You expand so much? You have covered the entire realm! Why do you not stop at once?” In this way, Krishna stopped the mountain from growing any further.
Gazing at this best of mountains, Lord Krishna’s beloved Radha was very pleased. O king, She enjoyed pastimes with Krishna in a secluded place on that mountain.
In this way, Govardhan Hill, which is the best of mountains, which is dear to the Lord, which is dark as a monsoon cloud, and which contains within itself all holy places, was manifested by Lord Krishna.
In Shalmali-dvipa, to the west of Bharata-Varsha, Govardhan Hill was born from the wife of Mount Drona. Pulastya Muni brought Govardhan to Bharata-Varsha. I have explained this pastime in another post Giriraja Govardhan.
Because Govardhan Hill had been so eager to expand unlimitedly, Lord Krishna arranged that the sage Pulastya curse it to decrease day by day.