(7/13) Highest and Rarest

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sitalpur (Bagnan), West Bengal,
31 January 2021, part 7

We have heard about so many scriptures: Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Garuda Purana, Agni Purana, Vishnu Purana, Padma Purana, there is also a Purana about Sivji Maharaj. We have seen so many scriptures, we have heard about so many scriptures, and we have also read so many scriptures, but somebody can ask, ‘You say that Bhagavatam is the highest scripture, but why is there no mention of Srimati Radharani’s glories in it? Why is Her Name not even mentioned in it?’ Do you know that there is no mention of Srimati Radharani’s Name anywhere in Bhagavatam? Her devotion is so high that when Sukadev Goswami was speaking Bhagavatam, he became reserved and did not mention Her Name, thinking that it was not good to have this kind of topic written or spoken about in public. Although Sukadev did not mention Her Name, he did speak about the great devotion of Prahlad Maharaj.

মধুর বৃন্দা, বিপিন-মাধুরী,
প্রবেশ চাতুরী সার ।
বরজ-যুবতী, ভাবের ভকতি,
শকতি হইত কার ?

madhura vrnda, vipina-madhuri,
pravesa chaturi sara
varaja-yuvati, bhavera bhakati,
sakati haita kara?

‘Who would have had the great expertise required to enter into the sweet forests of Vrindavan? Who would have shown the power of Vraja gopis’ ecstatic devotion?’

(Sri Vasu Ghosh Thakur)

Vraja gopis’ devotion is incomparable. It is impossible to even utter anything about it. If Gauranga had not come, who would have even known about it? If we were not worshipping Gauranga, we would have known nothing about the devotion of Vraja gopis, and we would have not understood anything about the madhurya-lila of Krishna (the pastimes and glories of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna). That is why it is said: Who is capable of speaking about all this? Only He who has taken Radharani’s heart and halo has this power, nobody else. Gauranga Mahaprabhu came to this world having taken Sri Radha’s heart and halo, and He is the one who revealed the glory of Radharani in this world. There is nobody except Him who has ever done it or could have done it.

Among Vraja gopis, first there are gopis, then sakhis, and, finally, manjaris. The devotion of manjaris (Rupa Manjari, Lavanga Manjari and others) is exceptional – they are young girls, younger than nine years old, and their love for Krishna is absolutely exclusive. However, even they never cross Radharani. That is why it is said:

মধুর বৃন্দা, বিপিন-মাধুরী,
প্রবেশ চাতুরী সার ।
বরজ-যুবতী, ভাবের ভকতি,
শকতি হইত কার ?

madhura vrnda, vipina-madhuri,
pravesa chaturi sara
varaja-yuvati, bhavera bhakati,
sakati haita kara?

‘Who would have had the great expertise required to enter into the sweet forests of Vrindavan? Who would have shown the power of Vraja gopis’ ecstatic devotion?’

(Sri Vasu Ghosh Thakur)

Who has the power to speak about the devotion of Vraja gopis? Vasu Gosh Thakur’s words in this song are very nice. Vraja gopis’ devotion is extremely high. They do not know, and do not even want to know, any personal happiness. ‘Nija sukha bhuli’ sudina-hrdaya’ (নিজ সুখ ভুলি’ সুদীন-হৃদয়): they consider themselves very poor, forgetting their own happiness.

[Clamour coming from the kitchen] They are cooking and talking, and their spit is falling on what they are cooking, so all the Vaishnavs will now take their remnants! Very good… You must keep quiet when you are cooking. You can only chant ‘Krishna, Krishna’ quietly. The problem is that you cannot concentrate your minds on anything. As the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth (ati sannyasite gajan nasta [অতি সন্ন্যাসীতে গাজন নষ্ট]; lit. ‘too many sannyasis spoil the festival’)…

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Size: 57 Mb
Length: 119 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) In Search of Hidden Treasure
2) Know Your Own Identity First
3) Sambandha Jnana: Launching Pad
4) Utter Desperation
5) Path to Qualification
6) Sincere Devotion
7) Highest and Rarest
8) Rivet Yourself to Sadhu-Sanga
9) Genuine Benefit
10) Great Gift
11) Enter the Land of Faith
12) Unchaste Faith
13) A Test of Faith