Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura 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 Sri 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 Sri Govardhana was not even aware that the thunderbolts were striking. From the Hari-vamsa the acarya has also quoted Sri Krishna Himself as saying, trai-lokyam apy utsahate rakshitum kim punar vrajam: "Sri Govardhana can give shelter to all the three worlds, what to speak of the simple land of Vraja."

When Indra's attack began and Krishna 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.