Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura provides the following insight in this regard: Ordinarily a large cowherd community, which included many thousands of cows, calves, bulls and so on, could not fit under the base of a medium-sized hill like Śrī Govardhana. However, because the hill was in ecstasy, being touched by the hand of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it acquired inconceivable power and even felt the hundreds of deadly thunderbolts thrown upon its back by angry Indra to be offerings of soft, fragrant flowers. At times Śrī Govardhana was not even aware that the thunderbolts were striking. From the Hari-vaṁśa the ācārya has also quoted Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself as saying, trai-lokyam apy utsahate rakṣituṁ kiṁ punar vrajam: “Śrī Govardhana can give shelter to all the three worlds, what to speak of the simple land of Vraja.”

When Indra’s attack began and Kṛṣṇa lifted the hill, the deer, wild hogs, and other animals and birds standing on the hill’s flanks climbed up to its peaks, and even they did not experience the slightest distress.