172 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

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. Assembled
there to act as priests for Govardhana Puja, the brahmanas 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. The identity
of Krsna and Govardhana Hill is still honored, and great devotees take
rocks from Govardhana Hill and worship them exactly as they worship the
Deity of Krsna in the temples. Devotees therefore collect small rocks or
pebbles from Govardhana Hill and worship them at home, because this
worship is as good as Deity worship. The form of Krsna who began to eat
the offermgs was separately constituted, and Krsna Himself along with
other inhabitants of Vrndavana began to offer obeisances to the Deity as
well as Govardhana Hill. In offering obeisances to the huge form of
Krsna Himself and Govardhana Hill, Krsna declared, “Just see how
Govardhana Hill has assumed this huge form and is favoring us by accepting
all the offerings.”’ Krsna also declared at that meeting, “One who neglects
the worship of Govardhana Puja, as I am personally conducting it, will not
be happy. There are many snakes on Govardhana Hill, and persons
neglecting the prescribed duty of Govardhana Puja will be bitten by these
snakes and killed. In order to assure the good fortune of the cows and
themselves, all people of Vindavana near Govardhana must worship the
hill, as prescribed by Me.”

Thus performing the Govardhana Puja sacrifice, all the inhabitants of
Vrndavana followed the instructions of Krsna, the son of Vasudeva, and
afterwards they returned to their respective homes.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-fourth Chapter of
Krsna, “Worshiping Govardhana Hill.”
