“rädhe jaya jaya mädhava-dayite
gokula-taruëé-maëòala-mahite”
SVA.4
This is a beautiful prayer which is an offering of love by Srila Rupa Goswami. Srila Rupa Goswami is the proper authority by which we can understand in truth to divinity of the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. This is a very high and deep subject matter. In fact it is the supreme realization of the Absolute Truth. Therefore in the pastimes of Radha and Krishna the transcendental nature of divine appearance in this world can not be understood by our own minds or senses. They can only be approached when one receives Their divine mercy. Without receiving the mercy of the Lord anyone whoever they may be has entrance into the divine understanding of the Lord’s supreme abode and how to achieve mercy of the Lord. To follow the instructions and to render service to the great devotees of the Lord.
“çuçrüñoù çraddadhänasya
väsudeva-kathä-ruciù
syän mahat-sevayä vipräù
puëya-tértha-niñevaëät”
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.16
By hearing from the great souls and rendering service from them then the Supreme Lord within the heart become pleased and reveals all knowledge to us.
We are hearing tonight from Srila Rupa Goswami, who is the top most authority of Srimati Radharani. Because he has descended from Goloka Vrindavan, he is none other than Rupa Manjari. Rupa Manjari is the intimate loving associate of Lalita and Visakha and he is directly assisting them in their service to Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. Along with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Rupa Manjari came in the form of Rupa Goswami to reveal the essential truth of Vrindavan to the world. It is described in the Brahmasutra “paräsya çaktir vividhaiva çrüyate” that the Supreme One, the Absolute Truth has multifarious energies and these various energies are spreading and expanding in all directions. And these energies are non different from the very energetic source. Just as the sunshine is non-different from the sun rays, nor is it different from the sun planet. So similarly the Lord expands himself for various purposes. But His supreme energy is defined in the Vedas as Hladini Shakti, His pleasure potency:that energy by which He finds satisfaction ‘anandamaya bhyasat’.
It is described that every living being is pleasure seeking from Lord Brahma down to the insignificant ant. Everyone is looking for pleasure. Why is it that we all have one thing in common? Whether we are Indian, American, Pakisthani, Iraqi, Irani, Russian, or whether we are black, white, red, or yellow, whether we are old or young, rich or poor or wealthy, whether we are educated or uneducated, whether we are human or camel, cow or an ass or an insect, every living creature has one thing in common that everyone is looking for satisfaction. Why we all looking for satisfaction? “mamaiväàço jéva-loke jéva-bhütaù sanätanaù” we are looking for satisfaction because we are all part and parcel of the Supreme Lord who is looking for unlimited satisfaction eternally. Because He is always looking for bliss therefore we are always looking for bliss. But it is described in Bhagavad-Gita
“brahma-bhütaù prasannätmä
na çocati na käìkñati
samaù sarveñu bhüteñu
mad-bhaktià labhate paräm”
Bhagavad-Gita 18.54
That when one attains the liberated platform, he hankers for nothing nor laments for anything in this material world but he finds supreme bliss “prasannätmä” in rendering service to Me. The name Rama means that He is the reservoir of all pleasures. The name Krishna means that He is all attractive. That means all the happiness, all the pleasure, all the bliss that we are looking for can only be found to our full satisfaction in Krishna. He is Govinda because He gives supreme pleasure to the senses to the mind as well as to the land and to the cows. But the same Krishna who everyone is seeking for the supreme bliss of life, where is He looking for His bliss? Where is He looking for ananda?
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna has expanded Himself into two, into Radha and Krishna. Srimati Radharani is the supreme of all the Lord’s potencies because She is the pleasure potency and all of His pleasure, all of His bliss is derived from Her love and Her love alone. Sometimes Lord Krishna is known as Madanmohan. Because we are all attracted to the flickering pleasures of this world, they will ultimately culminate in misery. But Krishna can attract our minds away from all the pleasures of this world. He can attract even the mind of Cupid. But Srimati Radharani is that divine personality known as Madanmohanmohini, who attracts even the attracter of Cupid. Therefore the devotees of Vrindavan they have this great conviction that the Supreme is Srimati Radharani. Sri Radha and Sri Krishna are non-different but of the two Radharani is the Supreme. Why? Because she always keeps Krishna under control by her love. Krishna is the Supreme Beloved and Srimati Radharani is the supreme lover and the beloved is always conquered by the love of the lover.
One time Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was taking all of his devotees on the Vraja Mandal Parikrama. It was very famous. For forty days they went by foot to all of the holy places of Vrajamandal. One time, they were circumambulating the Govardhan Hill. There were very very sincere devotees, who were doing what is called the ek-sou-atha (108) dandavat parikrama. Where they offered obeisances 108 times in a single place and then take one step, offer another 108 prostrated obeisances and then another step. In this way they go around the whole 21 kms of Govardhan Hill. So one of the devotees was very impressed by this. He said to Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, “Just see the devotion of these people, how much they are just doing such tapasya to worship Govardhan Hill”. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he looked at them then he said, “Yes, yes. It is very nice”. He said, “This is not the spirit of how we do things”. He said because they are doing is they are offering all the tapasya to Krishna because He is the Supreme God. He said, “We do not approach things in this way. We perform great tapasya to Krirhsna, not because He is God but because it is He that has captured the heart of our supreme worshipable object Srimati Radharani”. These are the words of Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur.
Therefore in Vrindavan we find that almost everybody is chanting the names of Radharani. “Jai Radhe” “Jai Sri Radhe”. Because they know that Srimati Radharani is the bestower of bhakti. Krishna does not personally or directly bestow bhakti. It is Srimati Radharani that is bhaktirupa. She is the embodiment of all the devotion and when she becomes pleased with the devotee, in Her great humility, She approaches Lord Krishna and says, “Sri Shyamsundar this devotee who is the servant of My servants, he has so much devotion, he is better than Me”. and then She says, “Please accept him Sri Gopinath”. Then Sri Krishna cannot refuse the request of Srimati Radharani. Therefore the process of devotional service in Vrindavan is to be the maid servant, maid servant of the, maid servant of the Sri Radharani.
“çré-rädhikä-mädhavayor apära-
mädhurya-lélä guëa-rüpa-nämnäm
prati-kñaëäsvädana-lolupasya
vande guroù çré-caraëäravindam”
SVA. 1
The spiritual master, he is assisting Srimati Radharani and Her associates in the loving service of Lord Madhava and it is by His grace, by His mercy that we can gain entrance into their divine loving service.
Radha and Krishna they are not in anyway influenced by the modes of material nature but they are the supreme controllers of all controllers of all material and spiritual worlds. So how is that Srimati Radha Rani comes to this material world. There is a beautiful story in this regard.
It is explained that Lord Sri Krishna He comes once in every day of Lord Brahma in Dwapara Yuga that is His scheduled incarnation. Now Sri Krishna in Goloka Vrindavana, He was explaining to His intimate associates Srimati Radharani, Yamuna, the sakhis, the manjaries, Govardhan Hill that now it is time for Me to descend into the material world. So you should all come with Me because it is my pleasure when all of my associates descend along with me into the material world. They said, “No, no, we have no desire to go to the material world, you are scheduled to go to the material world. It does not say anything in the scriptures about a schedule for us”. You have said,
“pariträëäya sädhünäà
vinäçäya ca duñkåtäm
dharma-saàsthäpanärthäya
sambhavämi yuge yuge”
Bhagavad-Gita 4.8
You said, “I descend Myself when there is a decline in religion and upraise in irreligion and to establish the principles of religion and to protect the pious and to annihilate the miscreants”. Nowhere it is said that we have to go. But Krishna He cannot bear the separation of Srimati Radharani. So therefore He explained that I’ll only go so long that I can always see you. So how did She descend?
It is described that in the previous age there were two very very great devotees. One’s name was Suchandra and one’s name was Kalavati. They were husband and wife. And they performed tapasya for ten thousand years, eating only the dry leaves that naturally fell to the ground. You see, realization of God is not cheap. Krishna says in the form of Vrishabhadeva, “tapo divyaà putrakä yena sattvaà çuddhyed yasmäd brahma-saukhyaà tv anantam” (Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.1). that by performing tapasya by accepting inconvenience, even suffering for the purpose of divine realization of devotion to God. This is the means by which we can experience the supreme bliss, the supreme happiness of Godhead. It is not that just all of a sudden Krishna will come into our life or we have a dream. Sometimes the lowest materialistic people they say, “I saw Krishna last night. He was playing His flute and Radharani was waking Her eyes at me so nicely. Oh, it was so blissful”. I meet these people all the time. They were always telling me about their wonderful romantic vision for Radha and Krishna. But nowhere that we find the great acaryas are explaing, “I have seen Krishna last night”. The great acaryas they are crying piteously, why can I not see Krishna? Where is Krishna? Where is Srimati Radharani? Where is my guru maharaja? It is the intense longing and intense crying out for Krishna, when tears are flowing from our eyes in the anguish of separation for Krishna. Those tears wash way all of our material attachments and it is from this process that Krishna can be known.
So Suchandra and Kalavati were performing great great tapasya. You know in each age there is a particular type of tapasya. In this age of Kali Yuga no one can go ten thousands years eating only dry leaves. But in Kali Yuga you can follow the four regulative principles, you could chant 16 rounds, you could chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra, you can be the humble servant of the servant of the servant of the spiritual master and that tapasya is equal to or better than eating only leaves and standing on one leg for ten thousand years. But they performed the required sacrifice for that time and Lord Brahma appeared to them. And Lord Brahma offered any benediction that they wanted. Kalavati mataji, she said, “Lord Brahmaji, I would like the supreme Lakshmi Devi to become my daughter”. And he said, “In Dwapara Yuga the supreme source of all Lakshmi devis Srimati Radharani will become your very daughter”.
So those two great souls took birth in Vrajabhumi as Vrishabhanu and Kirtida. They were living in Versana and for many many years they were trying to have a child but did not succeed. So they were thinking because the Yamuna is so auspicious and so sacred, if they were living close to Yamuna then there would be certain blessings upon them by which perhaps they would have a beautiful child. So they moved to a holy place just very close to Gokula Mahavan that place was called Muktiravali or in modern age it is called Raval. There they lived in great devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
One day Vrishabhanu, when he was in his agricultural fields, he saw a beautiful effulgent light emanating from the river Yamuna. There he saw a beautiful lotus flower and in the center of the lotus flower is a beautiful child, a devi. She was a girl and Her complexion was resplendent like molten gold. He tried with his great effort to reach that lotus flower but it was not possible. At that time Lord Brahma appeared, Lord Brahma told him of his previous birth and He said now I am handing to you this beautiful child, Srimati Radharani. Then Lord Brahma personally handed this child into the arms of Vrishbhanu, who took this child home and presented to his wife and they were over whelmed with great joy.
Sometimes Srimati Radharani appears in different ways and different incarnations. Srila Prabhupada explains that another lila, Vrishabhanu was plaughing his fields and out form the ground came this beautiful golden child, Srimati Radharani and he took Her home and presented Her to his beautiful wife Kirtida. Such joy and such satisfaction, who can understand the divine mercy that they received but they were unhappy because the child refused to open Her eyes. By no means could they get Her eyes to open. So they were thinking, perhaps She was blind. Not only She would not open her eyes but she would respond to no sound vibration. So they were thinking perhaps she is blind and deaf. Narad Muni who had witnessed the divine appearance of Sri Krishna, knew that Krishna is also appearing with His divine consort Srimati Radharani.
She appeared in this world exactly 15 days after days Lord Sri Krishna. So Narada Muni, he went to Raval and there he went to the home of King Vrishabhanu and he asked, if he could see the beautiful child. Vrishabhanu was very ashamed. He is a great saint and our child will not even open her eyes but because he was such a great devotee may be he will give her some sort of blessings by which She will get vision. So Narada muni greatest of all the rsis entered the room, he offered his prostrated obeisances with great love to this baby child. Then he got up with folded palms and began to offer prayers of love and after having the darshan, Srila Narada Muni left that place. But before leaving he told Vrishabhanu that you should hold the beautiful festival and invite all the important members Vraja dham, especially Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yashoda to this beautiful baby girl. So the festival was held and Nanda and Yashoda came and in their arms there was the little baby Sri Krishna. Srimati Radharani was on Her small swing going back and forth, Her eyes were closed, completely introverted, not responding to anyone’s existence. She never recognized anybody else’s existence in any way shape or form. At that time all the music and dancing going on, Lord Krishna crawled up that swing and He reached up and He touched Srimati Radharani. When She felt the touch of Her beloved Shyamsundar, He was looking right into Her face, She opened Her eyes and Her first sight in this world was the moon like face of Sri Vrindavan Chandra and the first sound that She heard, was the beautiful laughter of Her beloved Lord Hari. Then she began to smile and to cry but that cry was the cry of love, a cry of divine ecstasy.
For approximately three years and four months She lived in Raval and Nanda Maharaja was living in Gokula. But because many many demons were attacking Gokula, Nanda Maharja, Upananda, and other cowherd man they decided that they should move to a more safe place to Vrindavan, where the Yamuna is flowing very nicely as well and where the Govardhan Hill could give fresh grasses to the cows. So at that time Nanda Maharaja moved his cowherd community to a place in Vrindavan called Nandagaon and Vrishabhanu unable to separation from Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yashoda and Lord Sri Krishna. They moved to a neighboring forest called Varshana. And the wonderful pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna are the most delightful and wonderful subject matter.
Great saints such as Sukadeva Goswami, who was absolutely detached from all material enjoyment they found the greatest pleasure in the wonderful conjugal pastimes of Radha and Krishna. Some people sometimes challenge, why you are so attracted to Radha and Krishna? Do not you consider that Their pastimes are very lusty, dancing together, holding one another? But great souls such as Sukadeva Goswami, great souls such as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami they were the top most renunciates in the world’s history. They had absolutely not the slightest trace of desire for material enjoyment that they found the ultimate pleasure in hearing the divine lila in worshiping the beautiful qualities of Radha and Krishna.
It is explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam indirectly the gopi, who is dear most to Krishna. The name Radha is not directly found in Srimad Bhagavatam but it is very interesting to know that no gopi’s name of the younger gopis is found in the Srimad Bhagavatam. There are several explanations for this. Jiva Goswami explains that Suta Goswami was explaining to the sages of Naimisaranya, many of them were great transcendentalists in the school of Bhakti. Many of them were mystic Yogis and some were impersonalists. So therefore the confidential name of Srimati Radharani, he did not feel was appropriate to disclose it to a circle of all varieties of sadhus. This subject matter, her divine name is only to be chanted by those who are true bhaktas. Ant it is also explained that Sukadeva Goswami being a very intimate devotee of Srimati Radharani, Her very name invoked such ecstasy that he was afraid that if he would to say it even once he may fall unconscious, he may not be able to continuously recite the Srimad Bhagavatam and since he had only had a seven days time limit for Maharaja Parikshita was to die, he could not take this risk. So therefore the word Aradhana, which means the supreme worshipable one, the supreme worshiper is given. In this way Srimati Radharani’s name is spoken indirectly.
Srimati Radharani, her love for Krishna is the most sublime subject matter and the Gaudiya Vaishnavas the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they have no desire or aspiration to approach Krishna directly. They simply want to be the servant of the servant of the servant of Srimati Radharani. It is described that Lord Krishna is like the divine tree of spiritual pleasure and Srimati Radharani is like a creeper. Do you know what a creeper is? A creeper wrapped and shaped around the tree. It is a constant embrace of the tree. And She is the only creeper. And Her devotees, Her associates are like leaves and flowers that are growing from that creeper, have you seen like this. The leaves and flowers have no direct contact with the tree itself. But the leaves and the flowers are deriving the same nourishment and the same ecstasy and pleasure as the creeper because of their connection to her. So similarly the devotees of the lord they are aspiring to simply assist Radha and Krishna in their enjoyment. In the spiritual world none of the gopis of Vrindavan desire to be with Krishna. Their aspiration is simply to see Radha with Krishna, to see them enjoying, is their greatest enjoyment. When you water the root of the tree automatically the entire tree and every part is nourished. Srimati Radharani Her natural love for Her devotees is She is always trying to bring them to Krishna. In this way there is a great great exchange of love.
The happiness of Srimati Radharani is something that cannot be understood even by the most perfectly liberated soul because She is in the ….called mahabhava. There is no one else that can have this infinity and unlimited loving exchange with Krishna but by her divine mercy if we obediently serve Her servants, we can be the part and parcel of Her love to Krishna that is the perfection of bhakti. In fact in the divine lila of Sri Krishna, it is explained that after Lord Sri Krishna left Vrindavan the gopis were absorbed in the very very intense feelings of separation. When Krishna was dancing with the gopis and exchanging love with them in Vrindavan, their love knew no bounds. When the beloved object is absent, the love intensifies far more than his presence. Therefore loving separation is even higher than love in union.
One of our great acaryas Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, he once spoke something most controversial. He said, “I desire not to leave my body in Vrindavan”. Do you know where he left his body? In Kurukshetra. Why did he want to leave his body in Kurukshetra? He explained that the love of Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan was infinite. The love the gopis experienced, that Srimati Radharani experienced when He left Vrindavan, when He was living in Dwaraka and Mathura was far far more intense, far far more overwhelming. But then he explained, can you imagine how they felt in Kurukshetra? When you love someone and they are right next to you, your heart becomes overwhelmed or when you love someone and they are far away. You are more even deeply possessed with the thought of that love. Is that not true? Even in America it is said, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”.
In Kurukshetra lord Krishna was standing right before Srimati Radharani and the gopis. They were anxious to see Him for years and years and years. Finally after prayers and prayers and prayers and hoping and just constant tears from their eyes, finally they were face to face seeing the beautiful form of Lord Hari and yet He was a King. He had sixteen thousands and one hundred and eight queens around Him, ministers and secretaries and elephants, horses and chariots and all sources of royal paraphernalia. They could not relate to him. They wanted to see him with the peacock feather playing his flute in the fields of Vrindavan. Therefore although He was standing right in front of them, they could not reciprocate the natural love for Him. So to be in the anguish of separation, when you love understanding right in front of you, He is right there but you cannot serve Him, you cannot love Him, the way you want. It created an explosion of tumultuous separation that they never even experienced even in Vrindavan. Therefore the highest intimacy ecstasy of the love of Radha Krishna was exhibited in Kurukshetra. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakur was wishing let me leave my body in that holy place. But the summit the combination of that divine bhakti was manifested.
Of course we know that Krishna, when He saw the intensity of the love of Srimati Radharani, He was bewildered. “vedähaà samatétäni vartamänäni cärjuna”. Krishna says, “I know everything past, present, and future and there is nothing unknown to me”. But He could not understand Radharani’s love. He could not understand the ecstasy of happiness that She felt in meeting Him and separation from Him. Therefore he decided that he wanted to accept the sentiments of Srimat Radharani within His own heart. He decided to incarnate within this world with the sentiments, with the bhakti of Srimati Radharani. Just as the One became t
Two. Again the Two became One.
Lord Krishna was explaining to Srimati Radharani, “I am going to appear in the material world but I am going to be Krishna with the love of Radharani”. And Srimati Radharani, she was thinking, oh my god, I do not want to be like this because in separation from me, you will feel such ecstasy that you just crying and just start rolling on the ground and you fall to the ground again and again. Sometimes unconscious and You will hurt your body so therefore if you will come you have to allow me to cover you with my complexion, just to protect your body. That is the reason, why Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krishna Himself appears with the complexion of Srimati Radharani. It is interesting to know that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by His divine arrangement made Jagannath Puri His headquarters.
While he was living there, he worshipped lord Jagannath. What is the significance of Lord Jagannath Murti? You see when Srimati Radharani and the gopis were in Kurukshetra, they were thinking, Krishna you are the same Krishna, I am the same Srimati Radharani. This is the same beautiful month of – but I am longing to see You again and again on the bank of the Yamuna, under the Kadamba tree in Your three fold bending form and with Your head decorated with peacock feather, playing the fifth node of Your flute. Please comeback to Vrindavan with us. What is the glory of having all the servants and all the queens and all the chariots and all the elephants in this royal procession? Cannot you feel the sweetness in your heart of Vrajadham? We desire no where else. If you invite us to Mathura, if you invite us to Dwaraka, we will be lost because we cannot recognize You as king. Our home is Vrindavan. Please come home to Vrindavan. In their hearts they created a procession, where they put Krishna and His brother and sister, Balaram Ji and Shubhadra on these beautiful beautiful Ratha Carts and the gopis personally pulled them back to Vrindavan.
The accommodation of these meditations of Srimati Radharani is the sum and substance of the great Rathayatra festival in Jagannath Puri. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would constantly be in the mood of Srimati Radharani, when she was meeting Krishna in Kururkshetra. In this way Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always immersed in the highest feelings of separation that can only experienced through the mahabhava of Sri Radhika. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by His words and by His examples, He is showing us the way by which we can gain entrance into the supreme abode of Vrindavan.
Someone was asking me that why is it that many other great Vaisnavas they do not worship Srimati Radharani. There are many holy places, in North India, in South India, where they worship Narayan, sometimes even they worship Krishna. Why do not they approach Srimati Radharani? Why do they not speak her name? The reason is this, that many of these great Vaisnava acaryas, they are teaching the love of Vaikuntha. In Vaikuntha the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshipped in awe and reverence. He is worshiped as the master of creation. Ramachandra is the lord of Vaikuntha. Narayan is the lord of Vaikuntha. Vishnu is the Lord of Vaikuntha. But in Vrindavan there is not even a trace of this awe and reverence. Krishna is worshiped in His most complete loving reciprocation with His devotees. In the Vaikuntha planet which is the spiritual world, the perfect abode of God. Krishna or Narayan is only worshiped as the master and everyone is His servant.
You never see people playing with Narayan, jumping on His back, wrestling with Him, dancing with Him. Have you seen Him? Because that is not His mood. Everyone is My servant, I am the master. But in Vrindavan it is the place for those persons who have already realized that the Lord is the supreme master and His love is excelled even that platform. ……. Mother Yashoda she is thinking, “If I do not feed my child, He will die”. In her heart she is engrossed in love as mother for a child because He is God and He is unlimited, her love for Him is unlimited. When that came and when she looked in Krishna’s mouth and saw the whole universe. She was realized, “My son is God, He is Lord Narayan, all glories to You”. Krishna was thinking what is this? You cannot be My mother, if you are saying all glories to Me. You can only be My mother, if you spank Me and chastise Me and think Me an ordinary child. So He closed His mouth, He smiled and she forgot what she saw. She became so overwhelmed with love that she could not even conceive of the remembrance of what she had just seen in His mouth.
Similarly the Gopis they were on a much higher level, than even Lakshmi devi, the goddess of fortune. It is described that Lakshmi devi was so attracted to the sweetness of Krishna’s lila with the Gopis that She told Narayana, “I know that you are non-different than Krishna but I am very much attracted to your form as Krishna. I cannot dance with you like this here in Vaikuntha. I am going to Vrindavan”. So she went to Vrindavan that place is still their today, it is called Belgaon and She performed tapasya for many many years with the hope of entering into the arena of the Rasa Dance with Sri Krishna. But then it is explained that Krishna did not reveal Himself directly but He spoke from a voice. He said, “Lakshmi devi, what do you want”? She said, “I want to dance with You, the beautiful form of Krishna playing the flute. I want to dance with you there”. But I am not Narayan. Narayan is already your husband. Yes you are Narayan. But Narayan in your form of Krishna, your pastimes are even more sweet. I want to enter into those. He said, “If you want to enter into Vraja Dham, you have to marry one of the Gopas”. She said, “What I am the chaste wife of Narayan”. He said, “There is your disqualification”.
In Vrindavan you have to give up your chastity. You have to be willing to do anything just to be with Me. Not only that you have to become, but also you have to take shelter of the feet of the gopis. She said, “I have to take shelter of the feet of the gopis but I am the goddess of fortune”. They are jut milking cows, how can I take shelter of their feet. So that is the only one way. So then the Lalita Vishakha some of the other sakhis came to her. What do you want Lakshmi devi, please let us serve you. She said, “Please let me go to Vrindavan”. Let us cross Yamuna and enter into this wonderful Lila of Krishna. So they went to Krishna and they all decided that in Vrindavan nobody considers Krishna as God. They simply love Him because He is the most lovable person. He is the most intimate friend. He is the most intimate child, He is the most intimate lover. He reciprocates on that level. And they were thinking because Lakshmi deeply has this feeling of awe and reverence that Narayan is my master,she will just not fit in our village atmosphere, so she waited a long time and they never came back.
Factually there is no difference between Srimati Radharani and Lakshmi. They are just the same person. Just as Krishna is the same person, Rama and Krishna is the same person as Narayan. But it is explained that Radha and Krishna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has explained it is the perfection of the sweetness of the divine love of the Lord. There was perfect and there is more perfect and there is most perfect. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was offered a beautiful prayer by Srila Rupa Goswami.
“namo mahä-vadänyäya
kåñëa-prema-pradäya te
kåñëäya kåñëa-caitanya-
nämne gaura-tviñe namaù”
Caitanya-caritamrita Madhya 19.53
That my dear Lord, you are the most munificent and merciful of all incarnations, why? Because you are giving away that which no other incarnation has given. You are giving prema Bhakti, pure love of God to everyone and anyone, who will simply accept it and how did He gives this divine love. By his own example he taught, that simply by chanting the holy names. “nitya-siddha kåñëa-prema ‘sädhya’ kabhu naya çravaëädi-çuddha-citte karaye udaya” that by chanting the holy names of the lord and serving the great devotees of the God, this love of God which is dormant in our heart is awakened. The divine entrance into the supreme abode of Vrindavan is given freely by Lord Sri Gaurasundara. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally with constantly tasting the sweetness of Hare Krishna mahamantra. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
As you know the name Hari is the name of Lord Krishna, which means he steals the heart of all living beings. He steals all inauspiciousness away from our hearts. He is the makhan chora. He is the butter thief. When through the process of chanting the holy names our heart becomes soft like butter then Krishna comes and steals it away. Rupa Goswami has said, “Beware”. Because when that butter thief steals your heart, you will have no more affection for anything of this world. If you are attached to the things of this world, do not look upon Krishna. But Srimati Radharani’s name is Hare. When we chant Hare Krishna. Hare is the name of Radha. Hare means that She steals the heart of Lord Hari that She has captured the heart of Krishna. That is the meaning of the name of Hare. So when we chant the name of Hare, Krishna is most pleased because we are chanting the name of His beloved Radharani. And when we chant the name of Krishna, Radharani is most please because see we are chanting the name of Her beloved Krishna. So therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us this Mahamantra. The supreme mantra for attracting the attention of Radha and Krishna. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
So you know all, what is Hare Krishna? But what about Hare Rama? Rama is the name of God. As I was explaining before God is one but He expands Himself according to the time and circumstance, in many personalities although He is the same person. So Rama means Balaram the name of Krishna’s elder brother in Goloka Vrindavan. Rama also means Dasarathanandana Ramachandra. Ayodhya pati Rama. Rama also means Renuka suta, Parasurama. So which Rama are we chanting, when we say Hare Rama? According to which sampradya you are following you are positioning a particular form of Rama. But the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when they chant Rama they are chanting the name of Radharamana. What does Radharamana mean? He who is always giving pleasure to Radha and He, who is always experiencing the love of Radha and pleasure of that love.
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. This is the special mantra that was specifically chosen by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is from the Kali santrana Upanishad. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. “iti ñoòaçakaà nämnäà kali-kalmaña-näçanam”. The Kali Santaranam Upanishad explains that these sixteen syllables, by our chanting them in this age of Kali yuga there was no other process that is so powerful and so effective for removing all impurities from the heart and establishing our divine loving relationship with God.
Therefore on this most holy day of Radhasthami, we should not come here simply for our entertainment but we should come for our purification. And of course in spiritual life, if your heart is open to the mercy of the Lord that purification is the greatest Joy. We come to the temple not simply to see the deity and go away. Not to simply eat Prasad and say very nice and go away. But we come to the temple for our purification. By hearing the transcendental subject matter the Lord’ lila and philosophy, we are enriched. We should keep this divine knowledge always fresh within our heart and realization of that knowledge comes by the practice of devotional service. By becoming the servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, although He was the unified forms of Sri Radha and Krishna, He played the role of a devotee just to show us how to develop pure love for Radha and Krishna what was His example? He was always testing the sweetness of the Holy Name and He was always engaged in the humble service of His spiritual master and He was always eager to give pleasure to the Vaisnavas and that was in essence of His life and soul.
If you read the Caitanya Bhagavat or the Caitanya-Caritamrita, you will find the most beautiful pastimes of the lord. Throughout the day, He was with His devotees performing the Hari Nama Sankirtan, congregationally chanting the Holy Names. In the early morning hours even when He was living in Vrindavan under the Imlitala tree, He would sit with His japa beads for many hours and meditate on the Holy Names of the Mahamantra. He was always engrossed in the divine service of His spiritual master Srila Iswara Puri, who gave Him a life mission to spread the divine message of Holy Names every where and His greatest pleasure was in giving pleasure to the devotees of the lord. It was not very difficult, with proper association and with determination we can learn how to accept the divine mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and by His divine grace and by the divine grace of His servants the spiritual master who is coming in the line of disciplic succession from Him. By simply being the humble servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord and by chanting the holy name of the Lord, these two practices is all that is required to attain the supreme perfection of life. And it is the divine promise of the Lord.
“man-manä bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yäjé mäà namaskuru
mäm evaiñyasi yuktvaivam
pratijäne priyo ‘si me”
Bhagavad-Gita 18.65
Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer homage unto Me. In this way you will come to Me without fail. I promise you because you are my friend. This is the word of God.
How to always think of Krishna? Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taught by always chanting His holy name. “kértanéyaù sadä hariù”. Always chant the name of the lord. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. And how to become His devotee? Krishna says, “mad-bhakta-püjäbhyadhikä”. If you want to be My devotee, you have to be the devotee of My devotee. Always think of Me means by chanting My name. Become My devotee means by becoming the servant of the servant of the servant and by coming to the temple. Whatever we do we should do it as an offering to the Lord. Whether we are engaging in our family affairs, whether we are engaging in our business affairs, we should dedicate everything we do an offering love to the lord and we come to the temple and offer obeisances to the Lord. It is very simple. If we simply follow this simple formula of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu because it is His guarantee and promise that in this life you will come to Him without fail. You will gain entrance into the divine realm of Vrindavan.
So Srimati Radharani, when we come before in Her temple She is generally in one of two poses. Radhavrindavan Chandra, Srimati Radharani is putting Her right palm out to offer Her blessings to Her devotees. Here in Sri Sri Radha Gopitnath temple, Srimati Radharani with Her two hands, she is offering a garland to Krishna. But understand how merciful this pose really is. You know the significance of this pose. What she is doing? She does not come to this world to offer garland. She can offer Krishna millions of garlands in Goloka Vrindavan. She does not have to come to our temple to offer Krishna garland, does she? What she is doing? She is offering Krishna the garland that we have offered to Her. In other words, Srimati Radharani in this beautiful pose, She is offering our devotion to Krishna. Not Hers but ours. That is Her mercy.
Of course, when we offer our worship to our spiritual master, he offers that to his spiritual master. He offers it to his spiritual master. As soon as you offer anything to your guru maharaja or the great sadhu it goes to the entire disciplic succession and ultimately you have garlands on the hands of Srimati Radharani and then She takes it and gives it to Krishna on our behalf. In fact this is Her most merciful pose. She is simply giving our devotion to Krishna. If our devotion is worthless, whatever we offer to Krishna, what is the value?. But when it is handed to Him by the lotus hands of Srimati Radharani it has infinite value and it gives into ultimate pleasure of life. So Srimati Radharani, She is most merciful. She has appeared in this divine form just to bestow the blessings of bhakti upon anyone’s life, who simply opens his heart to receive it.
Thank you, very much.
Leave a Reply