Govardhan Puja or Annakuta festival was celebrated in ISKCON

Govardhan Puja or Annakuta festival was celebrated in ISKCON, Hare Krishna Dham, Sector 36B, Chandigarh today with great pomp. Around 2000 people visited the temple and honoured Prasadam. A big deity of Krishna holding Govardhan hill on His small finger of left hand was formed by cow dung on the floor of temple hall. He was decorated with various ornaments, helmet, flute very nicely and He was looking very attractive. Devotees offered huge amount of colorful rice, fruits, sweet and various foodstuffs offered to the Lord Giridhari & Giriraj maharaj and then it was distributed to the public. The Lord Krishna and Govardhan hill were offered arati and then all the devotees and visitors circumambulated Lord Krishna and Govardhan hill 4 times along with sweet kirtan of Hare Krishna Mahamantra and various bhajanas. There was a discourse on the importance of Govardhan pastime by HG Nand Maharaj prabhu, Regional Secretary of ISKCON, CHANDIGARH AND PKL.

Through this pastime, Lord Krishna wanted to give us a very important lesson. His reasons for discouraging the sacrifice performed to please Indra were twofold. First, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, there is no need to worship the demigods for any material advancement; all results derived from worshiping the demigods are simply temporary, and only those who are less intelligent are interested in temporary results. Second, whatever temporary result one derives from worshiping the demigods is actually granted by the permission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Also He wanted to chastise Indra because he was puffed up of his material opulence being the king of the heavenly planet.

Krishna's invoking the anger of Indra and later on chastising him is a clear indication to His devotees that those who are engaged in Krishna consciousness have no need to worship any demigod, even if it is found that the demigod has become angry. Krishna gives His devotees all protection, and they should completely depend on His mercy.