Appearance of Govardhan Hill – Story
While in Goloka Vrindavana, Krishna informed Srimati Radharani that She should now appear on earth as it was time for Them to perform Their different pastimes within the material world.
Srimati Radharani replied that unless Vraja Dhama, the Yamuna and Govardhan Hill were present there, She would not be very happy.
Krishna told Radharani that She need not worry, and informed Srimati Radharani that Vraja Dhama, the Yamuna and Govardhan Hill had already made Their appearance on the earth planet.
In the Satya Yuga, in the land of Salmali dvipa, the wife of the great mountain Dronacal gave birth to a son named Govardhan.
At the time of Govardhana’s birth, all the demigods appeared in the sky and showered flowers upon him. Great mountains, led by the Himalayas and Sumeru, came there to offer their respects. They performed parikrama of Govardhan and accepted him as their king.
They offered prayers praising Govardhan for having descended from Goloka
Vrindavana, describing him as the ‘crown jewel of Vraja.
Some years later, at the beginning of Satya yuga, Pulastya Muni went to Salmali dvipa. Seeing the beautiful Govardhan Hill covered with many lovely creepers, flowers, rivers, caves and chirping birds, Pulastya Muni felt that that Govardhan hill was capable of giving liberation, so he went to King Dronacal, who immediately offered his respects and inquiredfrom the sage what service he could render.
Pulastya Muni informed Dronacal that he was from Kasi and was on
pilgrimage to all the holy places. He explained that even though the sacred
river Ganges flowed through Kasi, there is no beautiful hill within the city. He asked King Dronacal to give his son, Govardhan, to him so that he could perform his tapasya while sitting on top of the hill.
Hearing Pulastya Muni’s request, Dronacal, who was not willing to part with his son, started to shed tears in thought of separation from his beloved
Govardhan.
Not wanting to see Pulastya Muni become angry and curse his father,
Govardhan asked the sage how he would carry him all the way to Kasi. The sage replied that he would carry him in his right hand. Govardhan then agreed to go with the sage on one condition: If Pulastya Muni put him down anywhere during the course of the journey, he would not be able to lift him again. Pulastya Muni agreed.
Carrying Govardhan in his right hand he left for Kasi.
Pulastya Muni passed through Vraja on his way to Kasi. On arriving in Vraja,
Govardhan decided that he should remain in Vrindavan. By his mystic power he was able to influence Pulastya Muni to attend to the call of nature.
Pulastya Muni then put Govardhan down and went off to attend to his needs. In returning, he found he was unable to lift Govardhan again despite all of his efforts.
In great anger Pulastya Muni cursed Govardhan to sink into the ground by the measurement of one mustard seed every day, Govardhana’s originally being 64 miles long, 40 miles wide, and 16 miles high when he first came to Vraja in the beginning of Satya yuga.
It’s explained that after 10,000 years of the Kali yuga, Govardhan will have completely disappeared.
After narrating this story of Giriraj Govardhan’s appearance, Upananda explained to Nanda Maharaja, that as long as Govardhan Hill and the river Yamuna remained manifest, Kali yuga would not take its full effect. He also explained that anyone who is fortunate enough to hear the description of the appearance of Govardhan Hill would be freed from all sins.
(Pandharpur – Land of Lord Vitthala – Story! READ HERE!)