Page 4: Our Lord's Beloved Power

sri gauranumatam svarupa viditam rupagrajenadrtam

rupadyaih parivesitam raghu ganairasvaditam sevitam

jivadyair abhiraksitam suka siva brahmadi sammanitam

sri radha pada sevanamrtam aho tad datum iso bhavan

"What was sanctioned by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by His descent was intimately known only to Sri Svarupa Damodara Goswami. It was adored by Sanatana Goswami and served by Rupa Goswami and his followers. Raghunath Das Goswami tasted that wonderful thing fully and enhanced it with his own realization. And Jiva Goswami supported and protected it by quoting the scriptures from different places. The taste of that divine truth is aspired for by Brahma, Siva, and Uddhava, who respect it as the supreme goal of life.

What is this wonderful truth? Sri radha pada sevana: that the highest nectar of our life is the service of Srimati Radharani. This is most wonderful. O Bhaktivinoda Thakura, you are our master. It is within your power to allow them to bestow their grace upon us. You are in a position to bestow the highest gift ever known to the world upon us all. It is at your disposal. O Bhaktivinoda Thakura, please be kind to us and grant us your mercy."

~Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar
Dev-Goswami Maharaj

Krishna has five kinds of relationship with the devotees, and this is not found in any other manifestation of the Lord. Srimad-Bhagavatam says:

ete chamsa-kalah pumsah
krsnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokam
mrdayanti yuge yuge
(1.3.28)

isvarah paramah krsnah
sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarvva-karana-karanam
(Sri Brahma-samhita: 5.1)

Sarvva-karana-karanam means the Cause of all causes and the Creator of all creators. Transcendental or mundane, He is the Supreme Original. "Reality is for Itself and by Itself." If reality was existing for another, then that ‘other' would hold the highest position. Even Narayan cannot claim the position of Krishna. In the abode of Narayan, there are two and a half rasas existing there. In Dwaraka-lila we see that Krishna has 16,108 queens, and they are all married to Krishna; but in Vraja Dham, Krishna has no marriage relationship. There His relationships are all paramour. In this world that relationship is very bad.

To make harmony in this mundane world some laws have been introduced, 'You do not take my wife and I will not take your wife.' This is harmonious adjustment, and for that purpose many scriptural rules are also given here. But where nothing bad can exist, that plane where nothing can be touched by anything dirty, there paramour love is super beautiful. There only the consciousness of the paramour is present, and through that consciousness they are tasting paramour love. That is so beautiful, surpassing the beauty of even consorthood. We may not be able to conceive of that from this plane, but the Scripture can see, and it is existing there. And from time to time it is revealed here.

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

When Krishna mercifully wants to show His Pastimes in the mundane world, He reveals that along with all His associates and paraphernalia. When Krishna appears, then Srimati Radharani also appears as the full Power, along with all of Her associates. Perhaps you have heard how She appeared.

One day Brsabhanuraj while at the River Yamuna saw a small baby girl lying in a lotus flower. He was surprised and so he took that baby and gave Her to his wife, Mother Kirtida. When everyone heard, they were delighted that Maharaj Brsabhanu and mother Kirtida had got a daughter. Everyone believed that She was their daughter born from a lotus. That is the nature and devotional mood of the faithful plane.

Everyone worshipped Brsabhanuraj and Kirtida praising them for their beautiful daughter, but She would not open Her eyes. Anyhow within a few days Mother Yasoda heard that Raja Brsabhanu and mother Kirtida had a nice newborn girl, and so, with baby Krishna, she came to see. When Mother Yasoda took that beautiful girl on her lap, Krishna also tried to see, and when Krishna was looking into the face of Radharani, She opened Her eyes for the very first time. Everyone was stunned and thought, "Oh, this boy is very auspicious, when He touched this girl, She opened Her eyes." This was Her first darsan, the first meeting of the Power and the Powerful.

Then later Radharani was growing up in the house of Maharaj Brsabhanu, and She was very beautiful and very intelligent and qualified in so many ways. Then one day Rri Durvasa came to the house of Maharaj Brsabhanu, and Srimati Radharani cooked very nicely for him. Durvasa was so pleased with Her, that he gave Her a boon that whatever She cooked would taste of ecstasy, and whoever will eat Her cooking, they will get a long life.

Mother Yasoda heard of that boon, so every day she would call Srimati Radharani to cook something for Krishna. Even after Srimati Radharani was married to Abhimanyu, She had an open invitation, and She was so happy, and Abhimanyu was also very happy, and sometimes he is also taking that Prasadam. This is nitya-lila.

In Vraja Dham they do not like to say 'Srimati' Radharani. In Bengal they say Srimati Radharani, but in Vraja Dham they say Sri Radha. We are adding 'Srimati,' but they do not like that. They cannot say why, but they don't like it. In the Bengali poetry of Chandidas, Vidyapati and others, the word 'Srimati' is often found, and Sriman Mahaprabhu relished that.

So Sri Prabodhananda Saraswatipad has given this sloka:

yasyah kadapi vasananchala-khelanottha
dhanyatidhanya-pavanena krtarthamani
yogindra-durgama-gatir madhusudano 'pi
tasyah namo 'stu vrsabhanubhuvodise 'pi

He has expressed that when Srimati Radharani is moving, some breeze is coming from Her clothing, and then that breeze is touching Krishna. And Krishna is feeling so fortunate at feeling that breeze, it is giving Him so much joy, and that is Her qualification. Srila Prabhodananda Saraswati has given this explanation, but when he is giving his pranam, he says, tasyah namo 'stu Vrsabhanubhuvodise 'pi - "From a respectful distance I am offering my dandavat pranam. Not directly to Srimati Radharani, but to the place of Her birth, Brsabhanupur, in the direction of that most holy of holy places am I making my obeisance."

Srila Rupa Goswami's song continues, Gokula-taruni-mandala-mahite: that place, Gokula, where all the associates are very beautiful like Laksmidevi, there they are all charmed to see the exquisite beauty of Srimati Radharani who is always decorated with many beautiful garments and scented flowers.

damodara-rati-varddhana-vese
hari-niskuta-vrnda-vipinese

Her Pastimes are going on eternally with Krishna in Sri Vrndavan Dham. Vrsabhanudadhi-nava-sasi-lekhe. Dadhi means the ocean. Just as the moon is said to have appeared from the ocean, so from the ocean of Brsabhanuraj appeared Srimati Radharani.

lalita-sakhi guna-ramita-visakhe
karunam kuru mayi karuna-bharite
sanaka-sanatana-varnita-charite

All liberated devotees, the highly qualified mukta-purusa devotees such as Sanaka and Sanatan, they are always glorifying the abode of Krishna with His devotees and particularly the Supreme Servitor of Krishna, Srimati Radharani.