Krishna and the Mountain Shelter

Indra called for the rain clouds. News had reached him that Nanda and the other cowherds had not brought their usual offerings to him. Following Krishna's advice, they had worshipped Govardhan Hill instead. Indra was angry.

He ordered the clouds to pour rain upon Gokula. He wanted wind and water to strike the cattle on which the settlement depended. Mounting his great elephant, he set out to give the storm more strength.

Darkness gathered above Gokula. The wind rose and the clouds thundered. Then rain fell so thickly that the line between earth and sky disappeared.

Water covered the paths. The cows shivered. Some tried to shelter their calves beside their bodies. Some calves were swept away in the rushing water. The calls of the cows searching for them were lost in the storm.

The cowherds and their families were frightened. Their wagons, belongings and animals were scattered around them. No one could see a place where everyone could be safe. Beyond the heavy curtains of rain, even familiar paths had become strange.

Krishna saw what was happening to the settlement. He understood that Indra had sent the storm in anger because his worship had been stopped. Krishna himself had urged the cowherds to honour Govardhan. Now he would not leave them and their cattle alone in danger.

He went to Govardhan. He lifted from its base the very hill whose slopes had fed their animals. Before the people's eyes, the great mountain rose above the ground. Krishna stood holding it with one hand.

He called to everyone to come beneath it quickly. There was shelter from the rain and room away from the wind. He reassured them that the mountain would not fall.

The cowherds brought their animals in. Families drew their wagons and belongings into shelter. People who had been struggling in the rain were gathered together beneath Govardhan. Above them was the hill they saw every day; now it had become their refuge.

Krishna remained steady. The people looked from his raised hand to the enormous mountain. Fear slowly gave way to wonder and joy. The cowherds and their families began to sing his praise.

Outside, the rain continued. One day passed, then another. For seven days and seven nights the clouds poured water over Gokula. The wind roared beyond the mountain, but Krishna held it in place and the people remained beneath it.

Indra saw that the storm he had sent could not reach them. At last, he ordered the clouds to stop. The rainfall softened and then ceased.

The sky cleared. From beneath the hill, the people could see the land outside again. The wall of rain was gone.

The people of Gokula left their shelter with their animals and belongings. They set off towards their homes. Before their eyes, Krishna lowered Govardhan into its old place.

The mountain rested on the earth again. Cows moved forward with their herds, and the wagons began to roll. Looking back, the people recognised the Govardhan beneath which they had spent seven nights.