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This chapter introduces some of the foundational stories related to Mount Govardhan and describes the physical features of the mountain as well as the sacred terrain that surrounds it. For instance, the story of the origin of Mount Govardhan, as told in the Garga Samhita, is a narrative widely known by worshipers of this sacred mountain and central to many theological conceptualizations of its deeper meanings. Perhaps most significant for the latter initiative is that Govardhan consists of the consolidated form of supreme love that emerged out of the bliss-filled hearts of the divine couple Radha and Krishna. There are also stories on how Mount Govardhan came to be situated in Braj. They are narrated in texts and recounted by numerous knowledgeable people residing near the sacred mountain today.

This chapter sets the stage for a potentially unique perspective on political philosophy. It requires a nonmainstream approach and readers are highly encouraged to dismiss commonly held assumptions as best as can be done. The Navajo cyclical process encourages a seemingly repetitive pattern of thought, plan, practice, and regeneration. This process has seemingly been in practice since time immemorial or at least since Navajo knowledge holders began carrying out ceremonies. Several figures illustrate the patterns of thought that, in time, begin reflecting an arrangement in the reader’s mind. This chapter introduces the Navajo mountains model as a specific philosophical thought.

Examines the pervasive influence of Buddhist esotericism. Premised on the ultimate identity of Kami and Buddhist divinities, esotericism neutralized Shinto’s claims to represent the indigenous. The Great Purification Prayer came to be used in shortened form for all manner of private devotional purposes. Warrior oaths show that the Kami were increasingly perceived as requiring people to conform to a moral code. Shugendō, the cult of sacred mountains, introduced myriad ceremonies for mountain deities, who came to be roughly classed with the Kami, contributing to the ongoing diversification of the pantheon. In the late thirteenth century, when the Mongol invasions threatened to destroy Japan entirely, typhoons called Kamikaze, “divine winds,” diverted them. The popular sense that the Kami had saved Japan greatly strengthened ideas of Japan as a divine land (shinkoku), propagated by Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1354), among others.