The Govardhan leela
In the Dwapar Yug the people of Braj prepared every year with great fanfare for the puja of Indra Dev, so that there would be good rain. Little Krishna asked Mata Yashoda and Nand Baba what this puja was for.
Krishna said, 'Our cows graze on the Govardhan mountain, and the mountain gives us fruit, wood and water. We should worship Govardhan and our cows.' The people of Braj liked this and worshipped Govardhan.
Seeing this, Indra became very angry. He commanded the clouds, and torrential rain began to fall on Braj without stopping. Water filled everything and the frightened people went to Krishna.
Then Shri Krishna lifted the Govardhan mountain on his little finger (kanishtha) like an umbrella. All the people of Braj, the cows and calves stayed safe beneath it for seven days.
At last Indra realised his mistake. He asked Shri Krishna for forgiveness. Since then Shri Krishna is called 'Giridhari', and Govardhan Puja is celebrated the day after Diwali.
What is Annakoot
'Annakoot' means a mountain of food. On this day God is offered bhog of many vegetables, kadhi, rice, puri and sweets, just as the people of Braj offered to Govardhan.
This is OmKiran Bhakti's retelling of the traditional katha in simple English; details of the katha vary slightly from region to region.
