Govardhan Pooja / Bali Pratipada / Padava
After Diwali, the
first day of Shukla Paksha(forth night leading to full moon) of Kartik month(of
Hindu calendar) is celebrated as Govardhan Puja or Bali Pratipada or Padava.
Govardhan Puja is
celebrated as the day Shri Krishna defeated Indra’s ego asking people to
worship the nature.
Legend behind Govardhan
Pooja: Govardhan is a
small hillock situated at Braj near Mathura. People of Gokul used to worship
and prepare a sacrifice to please Indra Dev, as they believed that it was he
who sends rains for their welfare. It had been a ritual for many years. People
believed that if they do not perform this puja, Indra Dev would get angry and
there will be no rain which will lead to scarcity of grains and fodder.
Bhagwan Krishna
told everyone not to follow the rituals blindly. He explained them that it was
Govardhan mountain and not Indra Dev who helps bringing rain and hence they
should worship Govardhan. People got convinced and performed the Puja for
Govardhan. This made Indra Dev furious. He vented his anger upon the villagers.
He unleashed heavy rains and villagers had to face heavy floods as a result of
his anger.
Bhagwan Krishna
came forward to ensure the safety of the villagers and cattle. After performing
Puja and offering prayers to Govardhan, Shri Krishna lifted the mountain on the
little finger of His left hand so that everybody could take shelter under the
hill. He lifted the hill for seven days and seven nights. 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢. Indra accepted Him as a supreme power. Since
then, Govardhan Puja came into existence.
This day is also observed as Bali Pratipada as King Bali was defeated by Bhagwan Vishnu in His Vaman avatar on this day by sending him to Patal Lok(hell) by keeping his third step on his head.
One more significance of the day is that it is celebrated as Padva or Polyancha san(in Marathi). On this day, the farmer worships with devotion the bulls he uses to plough the field and expresses his gratitude towards them for helping him in his work. He decorates them and feeds them with sweet pancakes and prays for their good health.
