Sri Krishna Janmastami:
A Private Pastime

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Krishna Janmastami, morning class
3 September 2018, part 2

Gopal performed many pastimes. You all know that it is going to be Radhastami, the appearance day of Srimati Radhika, in fifteen days. There is a story about how She appeared.

Actually, She is unborn. Her father's name is Raja Vrisabhanu, and Her mother's name is Kirtida Sundari. One day, Raja Vrisabhanu went to bathe in the Yamuna. When he dipped himself into the water and offered obeisance to the sun, he suddenly saw a large lotus flower floating towards him. When the lotus flower floated up to him, he saw there was a beautiful little girl inside it. He took the girl out and brought Her to his house.

When Kirtida Mayi saw the girl, she felt as if she had just given birth from her own womb (she felt what one feels when gives birth to a child). The baby was very beautiful, but She was blind. Raja Vrisabhanu and Kirtida Mayi named the girl Radha (from 'aradhya', 'one who worships much'). Who in this world serves Krishna the most? Srimati Radharani. 'Ra-dha,' 'aradhya,' or 'aradhana' means 'one who worships much, who prays to the Lord most, who serves the Lord most'—i.e. Srimati Radharani, that is why Her name is Radha.

On the sixth day after the birth of their daughter (the sasthi day), Raja Vrisabhanu and Kirtida Mayi invited everyone, including their friends Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda Mayi, to their house to celebrate the birth of their daughter. They did not invite Krishna because He was only a baby (how will they invite Him?), and we must always remember this, this is our conception. If you invite Krishna, Krishna will not come to you, but if you invite Mother Yasoda, she will bring Him in her arms. Mother Yasoda serves Krishna, and if you invite her, she will bring Krishna—therefore, if you invite devotees, you will get the Lord. This pastime is the proof of it. We must always remember this. If we pay obeisance to the devotees, if we invite the devotees, we will get the Lord.

So, when Nanda Maharaj and Mother Yasoda came, Mother Yasoda was talking to Mother Kartida. She said, "Gosh, the Lord has given you such a beautiful girl, but He has not given Her eyes..." Radharani was at that time in the inner room of the house—there was no swinging crib yet and Her parents kept Her lying on down. As Kirtida Mayi and Mother Yasoda were busy talking, Krishna crept away to that room searching, "Where is Srimati Radhika?" When Krishna saw Her, She opened Her eyes!

In the meantime, Mother Yasoda started searching for Krishna, "Where has Gopal gone?" Nobody could find Him, and when they finally came into the inner room where Srimati Radharani was kept, they were surprised, "He has actually gone to the inner room!" Both Srimati Radhika and Sri Krishna looked at them and smiled. Mother Kirtida and others were astonished, "What is this? Radharani's eyes were closed, and now they are open!" Everybody said, "Oh, Gopal Krishna has given Her eyes!"

In this way, Krishna has performed so many other pastimes also...

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