Sri Radhastami
Tomorrow, our holy Math observes the festival of Sri Sri Radhastami. Sri
Radha is the only worshippable Deity of Gaudiya Vaisnavs—we say 'the only'
because if it was not for Gaudiya line, no one would have been able to get
the qualification to serve Sri Radha, nor would anyone have had any
appreciation for it. The Lord of the Gaudiyas (Gaudiyanath) has revealed to
the world the deepest secret of this service and worship:
prema namadbhutarthah sravana-patha-gatah kasya namnam mahimnah
ko vetta kasya vrndavana-vipina-maha madhurisu pravesah
ko va janati radham parama-rasa-chamatkara-madhurya-simlam
ekas chaitanya-chandrah parama-karunaya sarvam avischakara
(Sri Chaitanya-chandramrta, 10.130)
"Would anyone have heard that 'prema' (divine love of God) is the
highest destination? Would anyone have known the glory of the Holy Name?
Would anyone have had access to the kadamba forests of Vrindavan,
filled with unfathomable sweetness? Would anyone have known Sri Varsabhanavi
(Sri Radha, the highest worshippable Deity), who is the resplendent
embodiment of superb excellence of sweet ecstatic love
(madhurya-mahabhav)? Sri Chaitanya-chandra has revealed all this
manifesting His supreme magnanimous pastimes."
Once, a modern traditional guru-cum-writer Ray Gunakar Bharata Chandra, being
unable to understand the true nature of Sri Radhika, wrote about Her as being
under the influence of the Lord's external shadow potency! Although he
actually lived at Satasana Math, Sri Puri Dham (the place where Srila
Raghunath Das Goswami lived and served immersed into the service of Sri
Radha), and pretended to practise with disinterested nature, he had to
eventually give it up—he created a fictional character of Hira Malini, a
beautiful mundane enchanting courtesan, which is an imitation based on the
resemblance with the transcendental and couched this similarity in the a fine
poetic form—as a result, he actually brought about a flood of lust that
filled the moat of Bengali language and literature of the time. We do not
blame Ray Gunakar, for he is an extension of illusory environment,
maya, who is capable of producing even that which is impossible!
Maya (illusory potency of the Lord) has cast a cataract on the eyes of
nearly the entire world—all the ancient or modern writers, archaeologists, et
al.; and to this day Maya, who is the origin of Durga Devi, the mistress of
the entire creation, and the personal potency of the Lord, guards and
protects the unparalleled, highly confidential wealth of Sri Radhika.
Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad laid a special
stress on this and expressed it in very appropriate Gaudiya terms and
conclusions. Unless we serve the transcendental Govardhan, we will not be
able to realise the supremacy of Sri Radha Kunda that lies beside Govardhan
and is inundated with the nectar of divine love. 'Go' means senses or
knowledge. If you serve the external, physical Govardhan, i.e. cultivate
knowledge merely to increase or indulge your selfish material senses, then
you are actually dunking yourself into the waters of Niraya Kunda (Hell Pond)
that is created by the mahamaya, the external shadow potency of Sri
Radha; those who foster transcendental senses and cultivate transcendental
knowledge consider that service to Govardhan is to give pleasure to Krishna's
senses. When the demon Aristasur attacks Govardhan with his horns trying to
expand his own enjoyment (when mundane rationalism attacks theism and is
about to destroy the truth of five spiritual relationships with the Lord,
namely neutrality, servitude, friendship, parenthood, and consorthood), then
Krishna kills this demon and establishes the truth. When the bull-demon
Aristasur was slain, an elderly gopi named Madanika handed Sri
Radhika-sundari over to Krishna as a reward for that.
Aristasur assumes the form of a bull. 'Go' (a cow) is considered among
religious-minded people to be a symbol of dharma, religion, and it is
also known as the carrier of Lord Rudra (Siva), who is in charge of universal
annihilation. So, when the bull-demon of rationalism comes to charge the
banner of religion, Krishna destroys this promoter of rationalism.
Lord Rudra (Siva) rides a bull and carries Ganga—the water that washes the
lotus feet of Lord Vishnu, a personal expansion of Lord Krishna Himself—on
his head. This Lord Rudra, when he was defeated by Cupid, wanted to
understand the transcendental pleasure Madan Mohan (Krishna, the Enchanter of
Cupid) experiences during His rasa-lila and prayed for the mercy of
the gopis. This Lord Krishna, surrounded by dancing sadharani
and samanjasa gopis (gopis with general and appropriate
attraction) during the rasa-lila, left that place of the
rasa-lila. Being attracted only by the love of His dearmost
Ananda-vidhayini Sri Radhika, He left the place of rasa-lila and
followed behind Her. Those common gopis then spoke about Her, the main
heroine of Srimad Bhagavatam, in this way:
anayaradhito nyunam bhagavan harir-isvarah
yan no vihaya govindah prito yam anayad rahah
(Srimad Bhagavatam, 10.30.24)
"My friend! Krishna has abandoned us and took Her to a secluded place. She
must have worshipped the Supreme Lord very much." The hidden meaning of these
words is that because She is the crest jewel among all the beloved of
Krishna, Her name is Radhika.
We hear also that after Aristasur (bull-demon) was killed, two kundas
were created—Sri Syama Kunda and Sri Radha Kunda. At this Radha Kunda Sri
Krishna always enjoys the rasa-lila with Sri Radhika and Her group at
midnight. These nocturnal pastimes are far more captivating than the midday
pastimes, and the general gopis have no entrance there. Those who are
attracted by the flute of Sri Krishna but, not waiting for the guidance of
Sri Radhika, come to play with 'Dhira Samira' Krishna, have no right to enter
the rasa-lila performed at Radha Kunda—Chandravali has no right to
enter there.
The dancing and loving pastimes of Rasaraj Sri Krishna (the King of Love)
have nothing to do with the frenzied dance of Nataraj Rudra or any of the
imitative various modern and traditional indigenous dances. In fact, Gopisvar
Sadasiva learned to dance at the rasa-mandali, and based on that, his
plenary expansion Rudra manifests his Nataraj form (Lord Siva dancing at the
time of universal annihilation). We can see in Sri Brhad-bhagvatamrta
that Rudra is a servant of Sankarsan and, being always absorbed in the
chanting of the name of Rama, he creates his frantic dance that drives the
world mad. Imitating the ever increasing enjoyment of this dancing of Rudra
the world is heading towards the tryst with annihilation.
Pure devotees who are devoid of anarthas, have revealed the service
pastimes of Sri Radhika in the scriptures dealing with the transcendental
mellows of divine love, such as Karnamrta, Sri Gita Govinda, books
written by Chandidas, Vidyapati, etc., but the associate followers of Sri
Gaurasundar, the Supreme Lord adorned by the heart and halo of Sri Radhika,
can reveal a far greater super excellence of Her service than what is
described in these scriptures. That is why so many transcendental literatures
on the transcendental mellows of divine love were composed—Sri Ray Ramananda
composed his Sri Jagannath-vallabha Nataka Giti, Sri Rupa Goswami
composed Vidagdha Madhava, Dana-keli-kaumudi, Stavamala, Srila
Raghunath Das Goswami, the greatest follower of Sri Rupa Goswami, composed
Mukta-charita, Stava-vali, and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami
Prabhu, a follower of Srila Raghunath, composed Sri Govinda-lilamrta,
etc. Gaudiya Vaisnavs' reading of Gita Govinda, Karnamrta, Vidyapati,
Chandidas and the reading of non-Gaudiya Vaisnavs are worlds apart. It is
impossible to understand it through mundane examples or analogies—even if you
compare a lecture on Shakespeare and Kalidas by a hardly literate person and
a lecture on their works by an expert professor, this analogy would be still
insufficient.
To the south of Nandisvara Hill there is a beautiful mountain called
Varasanu. A king of cowherds Vrisabhanu with his virtuous spouse Kritika
lived there, on the plateau of this Varasanu Hill, and worshipped the Lord.
On the eighth day of the bright moon in the month of Bhadra, in the
naksatra called Visakha, at midday, a precious jewel daughter appeared
in the house of Raja Vrisabhanu illuminating the house, the town and all the
ten directions. Overwhelmed with joy, Goparaj Vrisabhanu, Ratnabhanu and
Subhanu, three brothers who stayed in Vrisabhanupur, began to dance. Greatly
fortunate Kritika was beside herself with joy when she saw her budding
moon-like daughter. A wave of joy engulfed Surapur and Vrajapur. This
transcendental jewel of a daughter became renowned as Vrisabhanu-nandini Sri
Radhika.
"tata arabhya nandasya vrajah sarva-samrddhiman
harer nivasatma-gunai ramakridam abhun nrpa"
"O Maharaj Pariksit, the home of Nanda Maharaj is eternally the abode of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and His transcendental qualities and is
therefore always naturally endowed with the opulence of all wealth. Yet
beginning from Lord Krishna's appearance there, it became the place for the
pastimes of the goddess of fortune."
(Srimad Bhagavatam, 10.5.18)
For as long as the son of Nanda Maharaj enjoyed His pastimes confidentially
in the abode of Lord Hari in Nanda-Gokula, all the gopis of Vraja,
headed by Sri Radha, enjoyed with Him confidentially. However, when Sri Nanda
Kumar enjoyed His pastimes openly, the crest jewel of the Vraja-gopis
Sri Radhika expanded Herself into many gopis and enjoyed Sri Krishna's
pastimes openly.
If one thinks "the flowers collected for Durga and Kali garlanded the neck of
Sri Radhika" or that "appearing in Brahma-vaivarta, Sri Radhika
entered the assembly of gods on an auspicious day in the age of Aryans
(Dvapar-yuga)," then it will not only terminate their archaeological
escapades, but will also leave them cheated in their attempts to research the
scriptures.
Durga is described in Brahma-samhita as an internal potency of
Govinda—she enchants, creates, maintains, and annihilates the entire world.
She is also described as a shadow potency of Sri Radha, who enchants the mind
of Govinda, the enchanter of the world. Unless one becomes fully initiated
into the service of the transcendental eternal Deity who is the origin of
this internal potency, no one can understand this matter easily with one's
intellect or intelligence. They are not infertile though—if the intelligence
of such writers becomes cleansed, they can understand the reality. The fact
is that if the imperfect jiva souls cannot recognise Vrisabhanu
Nandini considering Her a mere fiction, an idol of literary works, then they
bring about their own destruction submerging themselves in the filth of
amusing literatures. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu, a master of
transcendental literature and a follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu,
sang,
tasya apara-rasa-sara-vilasa-murter
ananda-kanda-paramadbhuta-saumya-laksmyah
brahmadi-durlabha-gater vrsabhanu-jayah
kainkaryam eva mama janmani janmani syat
"May I attain the service of Vrisabhanu-nandini birth after birth. She is the
personification of the essence of the transcendental mellows of divine love.
With a form of the most wonderful transcendental bliss, She is the supreme
goddess of fortune. Her lotus feet are difficult to attain even for the
demigods headed by Lord Brahma."
ha devi kaku-bharagada-gadayadya vacha
yache nipatya bhuvi dandavadudbhatartih
asya prasada-mavudhasya janasya krtva
gandharvike tava gane gananam vidhehi
"O Devi! In great distress I fall to the ground offering You obeisances and
prayers with a voice choked with emotion. O Gandharvika! Please bestow Your
mercy upon this pauper and count me amongst Your own associates."
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