This painting is on a theme from Harivamsa. Badauni, a scholar noble in the court of Akbar, was assigned the job of translating this volume on Lord Krishna into Persian. It is interesting to note that Badauni was famous for his orthodox religious views, much unlike Abul Fazl, another famous scholar chronicler in Akbar’s court.
Observe the Mughal painting shown above. Whom did Lord Krishna protect by lifting Mount Govardhan in the scene it shows, and from what?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → To protect the villagers and their livestock from torrential rain sent by Indra
Option (1) To protect the villagers and their livestock from a threatening flood sent by God to punish them for their sins — Incorrect. The flood sent by God to punish human beings belongs to Miskin’s Noah’s Ark. Here the danger was rain sent by Indra.
Option (2) To protect the animals, carried in pairs, from torrential rain sent by Indra — Incorrect. The animals carried in pairs are those in Noah’s ark. Krishna protected the villagers and their livestock, his followers.
Option (3) To protect the villagers and their livestock from torrential rain sent by Indra — Correct. Krishna held up the mountain to protect the villagers and their livestock, his followers, from the torrential rain sent by Indra.
Option (4) To protect the animals, carried in pairs, from a threatening flood sent by God to punish them for their sins — Incorrect. Both parts come from Noah’s Ark: the animals in pairs and the flood sent by God. Neither belongs to the Govardhan story.
Note: This topic was not named in the CUET 2026 syllabus, but it was part of the NCERT chapter. In 2025 and 2026, NTA also asked questions on topics in NCERT that the CUET syllabus did not name. So our mocks have questions from every part of the NCERT chapter, to give you enough practice. Read the whole chapter, not only the sub-topics named in the syllabus.
NCERT (2026-27): “Krishna lifts Mount Govardhan Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan from a dispersed Harivamsa Purana is attributed to Miskin (1585–90). … Hari or Lord Krishna lifted the mountain, Govardhan, with all creatures dwelling therein with the intention to protect them — the villagers and their livestock, who were his followers, from torrential rain sent by another powerful God Indra. Hari uses the mountain like a huge umbrella, under which the entire village takes refuge.”
|
