गोवर्धनो जयति शैलकुलाधिराजो
यो गोपिकाभिरुदितो हरिदासवर्यः ।
कृष्णेन शक्रमखभङ्गकृतार्चितो यः
सप्ताहम् अस्य करपद्मतलेऽप्यवात्सीत् ॥
govardhano jayati śaila-kulādhirājo
yo gopikābhir udito hari-dāsa-varyaḥ |
kṛṣṇena śakra-makha-bhaṅga-kṛtārcito yaḥ
saptāham asya kara-padma-tale’py avātsīt ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.7)
“Govardhana—
The emperor of mountains,
Who is said by the gopikās
To be the best of Hari’s servants,
And who was worshiped by Kṛṣṇa
After he abolished the sacrifice for Indra
And remained for a week
In the palm of his lotus hand—
Triumphs!”
Commentary
tathaiva śrī-govardhanasyāpy āha—govardhaneti | śaila-kulasya parvata-vargasya adhirāja iti himālaya-sumeru-prabhṛtibhyo’pi mahimoktiḥ | tam eva darśayati—ya iti | hari-dāseṣu śrī-kṛṣṇa-sevakeṣu madhye varyaḥ śreṣṭha iti ya udita uktaḥ, sa-prema-vividha-sevayā śrī-kṛṣṇasya prīty-utpādanāt | tathā ca śrī-daśama-skandhe—‘hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyo yad rāma-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-sparśa-pramodaḥ | mānaṁ tanoti saha-go-gaṇayos tayor yat pānīya-sūyavasa-kandara-kanda-mūlaiḥ ||’ iti |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“In the very same way, he speaks also of Śrī Govardhana: Govardhanaḥ … [i.e., he states this verse]. The emperor (adhirājaḥ) of mountains (śaila-kula)—[by mention of this] greatness even beyond that of the Himalayas, Sumeru, and others is stated. He shows that specifically: yaḥ …, that is, [Govardhana is he] who is said (uditaḥ) to be the best (śreṣṭhaḥ) among the servants of Hari, that is, the servitors of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, because of [his] begetting of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s delight (prīti) through service of various types with prema. Similarly, also, in the blessed Tenth Canto [i.e., it is said by the gopīs in SB 10.21.18], ‘Hanta! O friends! The best of Hari’s servants is this mountain who becomes delighted by the touch of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa’s feet and who performs worship of them along with their cows and companions with drinking water, edible grass, caves, bulbs, and roots.’”