Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 27: Lord Indra and Mother Surabhi Offer Prayers

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.27.22-23

śṛī-śuka uvāca

evaḿ kṛṣṇam upāmantrya

surabhiḥ payasātmanaḥ

jalair ākāśa-gańgāyā

airāvata-karoddhṛtaiḥ

indraḥ surarṣibhiḥ sākaḿ

codito deva-mātṛbhiḥ

abhyasiñcata dāśārhaḿ

govinda iti cābhyadhāt

SYNONYMS

śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evam — thus; kṛṣṇam — Lord Kṛṣṇa; upāmantrya — requesting; surabhiḥ — mother Surabhi; payasā — with milk; ātmanaḥ — her own; jalaiḥ — with the water; ākāśa-gańgāyāḥ — of the Ganges flowing through the heavenly region (known as the Mandākinī); airāvata — of Indra's carrier, the elephant Airāvata; kara — by the trunk; uddhṛtaiḥ — carried; indraḥ — Lord Indra; sura — by the demigods; ṛṣibhiḥ — and the great sages; sākam — accompanied; coditaḥ — inspired; deva — of the demigods; mātṛbhiḥ — by the mothers (headed by Aditi); abhyasiñcatahe bathed; dāśārham — Lord Kṛṣṇa, the descendant of King Daśārha; govindaḥ itias Govinda; ca — and; abhyadhāthe named the Lord.

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Having thus appealed to Lord Kṛṣṇa, mother Surabhi performed His bathing ceremony with her own milk, and Indra, ordered by Aditi and other mothers of the demigods, anointed the Lord with heavenly Gańgā water from the trunk of Indra's elephant carrier, Airāvata. Thus, in the company of the demigods and great sages, Indra coronated Lord Kṛṣṇa, the descendant of Daśārha, and gave Him the name Govinda.

PURPORT

According to the ācāryas, because Indra was embarrassed by his blunder of attacking Vṛndāvana, he was reluctant to worship the Lord. Therefore the heavenly mothers, such as Aditi, encouraged him to go ahead and do so. Feeling authorized by the encouragement of demigods less offensive than he, Indra then bathed the Lord. Indra discovered that the beautiful cowherd boy named Kṛṣṇa is indeed the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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