Never Fear

This is part of my ongoing series on the Mahabharat, an epic poem of ancient India. For links to all previous Mahabharat posts go here. Or you can simply click on the Mahabharat page link above.


Also, I've done something I should have done ages ago. I created a new page to the blog called 'Mahabharat'. The page tab is above this post, just under the blog header. It contains links to all the Mahabharat posts. This way you'll be able to easily access the Mahabharat posts whenever you want.

Now, this week's post is inspired by the fact that this week is the festival of Diwali. It's known in English as the Festival of Lights. For Hindus, Diwali is our most major festival, where we cook feast after feast, put lights outside our house, and shop like crazy. Each day of the week is special for a particular reason and thus there are different celebrations for each day. At the end of the week is the Hindu New Year's Day which this year falls on Saturday, which is tomorrow.

So Happy Diwali and Happy New Year!

Today's story comes from an event in the Mahabharat that happened on New Year's Day.


Krishna grew up in the arable land of Vraj. His village was called Nandagaon, after his father Nanda who was the village chief. They herded cows over the lush land and lived in joy on the banks of the Yamuna river. But despite the idyllic scene of his childhood, the time was anything by peaceful.

Many demons, dismayed by the magnitude of his power and knowing he threatened them, attacked Krishna. Over and over, from the moment he was born, Krishna and Nandagaon were attacked by enemies. Krishna protected the people by killing the demons.

His foster parents, Nanda and Yashoda, were always amazed every time they saw their little Krishna perform these incredible feats of strength. Most of the time they put it down to some coincidence, or thought that someone had helped him and that was why he'd escaped death. They had no idea he was the Almighty. To them he was only their beloved son, the prince of their village. who brought light and love into their lives.

On New Year's Day little Krishna awoke to find massive preparations underway in his village. There were great piles of flowers that were being strung together, and a huge pit was being constructed for a holy fire. There were so many articles of worship that were being gathered together around the pit. It looked like preparations for some great festival. Krishna asked his father, who was directing the work, what was happening.

"We're getting ready to perform worship of Lord Indra," Nanda said.

"Lord Indra?"

"Yes, son. Indra is the king of the demigods and he brings the rain. We have to make sure that we thank him every year for helping us."

"But why do we have to thank him? Isn't it his duty to make the rain? After all, he is a servant of the Almighty and that is the job the Almighty gave him."

Nanda looked at Krishna with wide eyes. "Shhhh! You mustn't say things like that, Krishna. Lord Indra's wrath can be terrible."

"Are you frightened of him, Father?"

"Of course! Everyone is frightened of him. With one move he could destroy all Vraj."

Several of the village people murmured agreements as they worked near Krishna and Nanda.

Krishna looked around at them. "But surely someone with such a terrible temper is not worthy of worship. It's not good to be angry."

Nanda reached out and covered Krishna's mouth. "We have to be very careful when talking about Indra. He will punish us all."

Krishna moved his father's hand away. "But that's not right. No god should be worshipped out of fear. If Indra was truly praise-worthy then he wouldn't punish people for not worshipping him. It is the divine right of all to pray but it is not the duty of the gods to compel worship."

"Krishna, what do you propose we do?" one of the other village men asked. He was leaning on his staff. "Do we stop worshipping Indra just because you say so? This is our ancestral custom."

"But why? If Indra brings the rain then that is his duty, not his mercy. And if he is a tyrant and expects worship from us then that is not admirable. Only those who are kind and worthy deserve worship."

A crowd was growing around them as people came to hear what Krishna was saying.

"And who is worthy then, my darling?" Yashoda asked. She was walking towards them from the barn, carrying a pot of fresh milk.

"We are cowherds, Mother. Our lives are tied to the cows. They give us milk and butter that nourishes us. They plough the land that grows our grain and give rich fertiliser that keeps the land lush. So worship the cows, Mother."

Krishna continued. "And the cows cannot live without the forests, where they graze. So worship the forests of Vraj. And worship the river Yamuna who waters the trees with her nectar, keeping the forests green and bountiful. And worship Mount Govardhan, who brings rain by catching the clouds, filling all our ponds and wells and lakes. So many fruits and herbs grow from his gracious soil that are vital to our good health."

Krishna looked around at the people who were listening in silence. "Mount Govardhan does all this for us but have you ever heard him demand worship in return? Does he punish anyone for not worshipping him? Or are the cows vengeful or angry? Or Yamuna? Do the forests threaten us with violence if we don't repay them for their service? No. They are not selfish or petty. They are generous and pure hearted and they love us. That is why they take care of us."

The crowd was larger still, all of the villagers gazing at Krishna in wonderment that he was so passionate about this subject.

"Don't be afraid of Indra's anger," Krishna told them. "One who is worthy of worship never gets angry."

"But how do we worship the cows and Mount Govardhan?" Another lady asked. She was holding a pot of water on her head and had paused in her way across the courtyard to hear Krishna's speech.

"We already worship the cows, sister," Krishna said. "We return the love they give us by caring for them and ensuring they're always protected. The forests and Yamuna are worshipped by keeping them clean and clear of pollutants. Mount Govardhan can be worshipped through offering. If we give a little of our bounty back to him then that is a form of thanks. It will re-nourish the land that gives us so much."

The village people were nodding. But one man was not. "So what happens if we do what you say and that makes Indra angry? What will we do when he punishes us?"

"Indra has no right to punish us," Krishna said. "He is not the Almighty that he may pass judgement on anyone."

"Easy to say but what do we do when he does punish us?" The man persisted.

Krishna watched the man steadily. "Our shelter is assured, my friend. By giving up our fear we will attain salvation."

The people looked around at each other.

"It would be nice to not be afraid," one old man said.

Someone gave a nervous laugh. Then silence fell again.

"We'll do it," Nanda said. "We'll have a ceremony to give offerings to Mount Govardhan. Everyone go home and collect whatever you wish to give. We'll meet at the foothills of the mountain."

There was an air of energy as the crowd broke up and each person hurried back to their own house. Nanda spoke quietly to the priests who nodded and began to change their arrangements according to the new plan.

Yashoda put down her pot of milk and took Krishna's face in her hands. "How are you so young and yet so wise?"

Krishna grinned at her. "It is all thanks to your blessings, Mother."

The preparations were finished for the ceremony. Each person in the village, according to their own ability, gave an offering to Lord Govardhan. Some gave grains, some gave fruits, some gave milk. Some gave seeds from their own fields. The offerings were lovingly placed into Govardhan's soil.

That was when an astonishing thing happened. A face appeared in the mountainside. It was Govardhan himself! The villagers gasped in awe.

"People of Vraj," he said, the earth vibrating with the depth of his voice.

They all folded their hands in respectful prayer.

"I accept your offerings," he told them. "You have pleased me greatly. I bless you that this mountain shall always be a refuge to you."

The people broke into delighted smiles. "Thank you, Lord!" the men shouted, raising their hands and dancing with joy.

But the ladies were staring at Govardhan's face. "He looks just like Krishna!" they whispered to each other. It was true. The face in the mountainside looked like Nanda and Yashoda's son, with his big eyes and gentle smile and cloud of curly hair.

"Why does Govardhan look like Krishna?" they asked each other. Finally, someone said to Yashoda: "Why does your son look like Govardhan?"

Yashoda hadn't noticed the resemblance until that moment. Then she gasped. "I don't know!"


Krishna was an environmentalist. He advocated caring for the land and protecting the animals. This episode in his life where he taught the people to give back to the land is a very important lesson in the philosophy of the Mahabharat. Our environment is vital to not only our prosperity but our very survival. We must take care of it. And when we take care of it, it will take care of us.

Krishna explained that we should never take without giving back. For that reason Hindus worship the cow. Because she gives us milk we give her protection and love. We never kill her or harm her in any way. Similarly, other animals should be protected because they are all part of the environment and make up the delicate balance of our world.

When the ladies of Vraj looked at Govardhan they saw Krishna's face. What the Mahabharat is saying is that to care for the environment is an act of worship. It is devotion to God. All the bounty that is on this earth is granted to us by him. So by taking care of it and protecting it and giving back to it we are pleasing him.

One of the most important things to learn from this story is that Krishna told the people never to worship from fear. Fear will make you irrational. Fear is the root cause of all negative emotions, like anger and jealousy and hate. When people use fear to motivate others, it is harmful. Only by letting go of our fear do we find the path to salvation.

The Mahabharat teaches that God is not vengeful. He will not punish you if you don't worship him. Nor will he force you to worship. Instead Krishna encouraged the people to appreciate that which was kind and generous because, in truth, that was him. Whether they knew it or not, the people of Vraj worshipped Krishna when they prayed to Govardhan.

In Hindu philosophy, God does not want you to fear him but love him. Love is the greatest motivator, the highest bond. And true love is fearless.

As they go into their new year, Hindus remind themselves to be fearless.


To be continued...
Go here for the second part of this series.

Go here to view the previous Mahabharat post entitled Krishna's Flute.