Mercy of Sri Radha
Krsna has this quality. That is why, He tastes the four kinds of madhuri, sweetness of Krsna—rupa-madhuri (sweetness of his form), venu-madhuri (sweetness of His flute), guna-madhuri (sweetness of His qualities), and lila-madhuri (sweetness of His pastimes). Krsna is controlled by the gopis. He is Brahma of brahma; He is sarva-karana-karanam (the cause of all causes). He is Parabrahma; He is Svayam-Bhagavan. But, He is controlled by prema. Not only Him; Vraja-prema is an embodiment of prema. And everyone in Vraja is controlled by that prema. Yogamaya Paurnamasi-devi, who lives in Nandagaon causes everyone in Vraja to be controlled by prema.
So, although Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is praying for the mercy of Srimati Radhika. Being apparently angry, Srimati Radhika ordered Her sakhis, “Don’t allow any black entities inside the kunja (grove). Even bees should not be allowed. They should not enter My kunjas. He may cheat us and try to come in the form of a woman i.e. He may come like a gopi. But, keep Him out of My groves.”
Krsna came and He wanted to enter the grove to meet Srimati Radhika. But, sakhis like Tungavidya, and Rupa-manjari were standing and watching. They wanted to make sure that no black thing could enter. They stood guard outside the grove and wanted to make sure that no animal, bird, or bee could enter. Even gopis wearing black clothes were forbidden to enter. They were told to wear yellow clothes if they still wished to enter the grove. Then what could the gopis do with their hair because the hair is black? They were told, “Your hair should be covered; otherwise you will be checked from entering. So, anything black should not come.”
Krsna was stopped there. Krsna asked, “I want to meet Srimati Radhika. I want to please Radhika. So please order Me to enter the kunja, grove.”
The attendant gopis replied, “No. We cannot allow You inside. Our Svaminijiu (Srimati Radhika) has ordered us. So we cannot let You enter in the groves.”
Krsna “gave” his Head at the lotus feet of the gopis more than a hundred times. They were the kinkaris (maidservants) of Srimati Radhika. But you should know that in Vrndavana-Vraja, there are no kinkaris or dasis. All are sakhis. There are no servants there unlike this world. All are like friends there. In Vraja, no one does any pranama to Krsna. Krsna takes the shoes of Nanda Baba on his head and runs to give them to His father. He clasps them tightly to His chest or He keeps them on His head.
He thinks, “Oh these are My father’s shoes.”
He comes to His mother and says, “Maiya (mother), I have brought Baba’s shoes.”
So, the gopis checked Him. He was weeping and praying so much. He bowed down at the lotus feet of the gopis. But, they were joking with Krsna and asking, “Will You do this again?” If the power of the gopis is so high, then what can we say about the glories of Srimati Radhika?
“O Radhike! O Svaminiji! I don’t want the mercy of Krsna. By the power of Your mercy, I don’t recognize Krsna. But I know that He is Your beloved, so I have some relation with Him. I don’t have a direct relation with Him. I only have the relation that Your beloved is Krsna and You are my Svamini. You are my Mistress.”
So, Prabhodananda Sarasvatipada is praying at the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika. He says, “O Radhike! I want to be one stick of the broom that will be used for sweeping Your groves. I know that I am not qualified to serve You as a sakhi; but by being the stick of a broom, I can serve Your groves where You serve Krsna.”
Radha and Krsna meet in these groves. We are not qualified to hear all these things; but yet, I gave an outline. What is Vraja? Who are the gopis? Who is Krsna? Krsna is an endless ocean of rasa. He is akhila-rasamrita-sindhu. We only want to play in those waves, sink, and emerge from that ocean. If we are touched by a sprinkle of that ocean’s littlest particle, then our lives will be successful. For this, you will have to follow Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha das Gosvami. ¬You will also have to go through Srimad Bhagavatam.
nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam
suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam
pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam
muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah
–Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.3
[O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.]
Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself stated and explained this sloka regarding the Srimad Bhagavatam:
aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita
srimad-bhagavatam pramanam-amalam prema pumartho mahan
sri-caitanya mahaprabhor-matam-idam tatradaro nah parah
–Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Caitanya Manjusa
[Bhagavan Vrajendra-nandana Sri Krsna and His transcendental abode Sri Vrndavana-dhama are my worshipable objects. The most excellent method of worshipping Krsna is that adopted by the gopis, the young wives of Vraja. Srimad-Bhagavatam is evidence of this. It is the flawless and most authoritative scripture, and krsna-prema is the fifth and highest achievement of human life – beyond mundane religiousity, economic development, sense gratification and impersonal liberation. This is the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We have supreme regard for this conclusion. We have no inclination or respect for any other, cheating opinions.]
How beautiful this sloka is! I have explained these slokas in so many places. But yet, I will touch on them. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says, “Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanaya.” Krsna has so many manifestations. Narayana is also Bhagavan. Goloka-pati Krsna is also Bhagavan. Sri Ramacandra is also Bhagavan. Dvarakadisa is also Bhagavan; Mathuresa-Krsna is also Bhagavan. But, They are not Svayam-Bhagavan. By tattva (established philosophical truth), They are the same. But by rasa-gata-bhava i.e. according to rasa, Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara, Radhika-ramana is the only Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is Svayam-Bhagavan. Srimad Bhagavatam declares this so emphatically. Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara is Svayam-Bhagavan and not Dvarakadisa or Rukmininatha. Only Radhakantha, Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara, who has a flute adorning His lips, and who stands in a very beautiful threefold bending form, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna is so kind and merciful that even Putana, who went to murder Him and take His flesh and blood, was given dhatri-uccita-gati (a position of a nursemaid) by Him.
aho baki yam stana-kala-kutam
–Srimad Bhagavatam 3.2.23
So, our highest object of love is Krsna. But which form of Krsna? We want to love Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara. He is especially Gopikantha and Radhakantha. He is Radha-ramana. This Krsna is controlled by Srimati Radhika and the gopis. Vrndavana is the same as Krsna. [Aside: These are the pastimes of Krsna and all of you are going here and there.] So, what was I saying?
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: You were saying that Vrndavana is non-different from Krsna.
Srila Gurudeva: Vrndavana is the same as Krsna. Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara is our aradhya (worshipable Lord). In the same way, Vrndavana is our aradhya i.e. Vrndavana is as worshipable as Krsna. Why? Krsna has Himself become Vrndavana. Vrndavana is non-different from Krsna because Baladeva has become the Dhama and He serves Krsna as Vrndavana. So, Vrndavana is the abode of that Krsna who is an ocean of rasa. And what is the highest form of devotional service to Krsna? It is the service rendered by the gopis. The service rendered by Hanumana, the Pandavas, Uddhava, and even by Rukmini and Satyabhama, is not the highest. What to speak of Kubja-devi?
So we should know all these things. Who is Krsna? What is Vrndavana? Prabhodananda Sarasvati has written so many slokas in glorification of Vrndavana. He has written them in his Vrndavana-mahimamrta. Regarding this, Uddhava has also spoken. The highest prema to Krsna was rendered by the gopis. And this is the goal i.e. this is what Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come to preach.
anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba sandipitah
sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah
–Vidagdha Madhava by Sri Rupa Gosvami
[May that Lord, who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi, be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what has not been given in a very long time—manjari-bhava, the service of Srimati Radhika as Her confidential maidservant.]
Who was Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Why He came? Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Lord Krsna Himself. Not just Lord Krsna—He was Vrajendra-nandana-Radha-ramana Himself. He wanted to fulfill His wishes. But, He is the object of love; He is not the container of love. Who is the container? Srimati Radhika is the container. She is the topmost abode of love. She fulfills all the desires of Krsna. She is the Supreme Personality of Power, energy. She is the topmost abode of love and affection. She can quench the thirst of Krsna. She will at once fulfill whatever Krsna wishes. Anyone cannot do like Her; anyone cannot do. Ma Yasoda cannot do; Nanda Baba cannot do; anyone cannot do. Only Srimati Radhika can fulfill all the wishes of Krsna. So, the highest upasana (the highest form of worship) is of Srimati Radhika. It cannot be given to anyone. But some sri-sobha (beauty) of that unnata-ujjvala-rasa. . . the service of Srimati Radhika is called unnata-ujjvala-rasa. By receiving a particle of the mood of service of Rupa-manjari and Rati-manjari, we can serve. Only this mood was given. We cannot take the mood of Srimati Radhika. But we can serve Srimati Radhika. So, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come i.e. Krsna has come while having the mood and golden beauty of Srimati Radhika. He has mercifully descended to this world to give a particle of unnata-ujjvala-rasa. Unnata-ujjvala-rasa is parakiya-bhava (the mood of a paramour). He has come to give a particle of this madhurya-bhava.
So, it is said in the Srimad Bhagavatam that:
vande nanda-vraja-strinam
pada-renum abhiksnasah
yasam hari-kathodgitam
punati bhuvana-trayam
–Srimad Bhagavatam 10.47.63
[I repeatedly offer my respects to the dust from the feet of the women of Nanda Maharaja’s cowherd village. When these gopis loudly chant the glories of Sri Krsna, the vibration purifies the three worlds.]
Uddhava has prayed like so. He has said, “Vande nanda-vraja-strinam pada-renum.” Here, if you knew Sanskrit, then you could have understood something. Here, pada-renum is in the singular (eka-vacan). Lakhs and lakhs of gopis are there; innumerable gopis are there. And, the dust particles of any one gopi’s lotus feet cannot be counted. But Uddhava has said here, “I want to do vandana (offer prayers) to one particle of dust.” Where is this particle of dust situated at? This particle of dust is situated at the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika. Then why is Uddhava doing vandana (offering prayers) to a particle of little dust? This particle of dust must be from Srimati
Radhika’s lotus feet. In his prayers, Brahma has prayed:
tad bhuri-bhagyam iha janma kim apy atavyam
yad gokule ‘pi katamanghri-rajo-‘bhisekam
yaj-jivitam tu nikhilam bhagavan mukundas
tv adyapi yat-pada-rajah sruti-mrgyam eva
–Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.34
[My greatest possible good fortune would be to take any birth whatever in this forest of Gokula and have my head bathed by the dust falling from the lotus feet of any of its residents. Their entire life and soul is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, the dust of whose lotus feet is still being searched for in the Vedic mantras.]
Brahma has said, “I will be so fortunate if I can gain residence in this Vrndavana. I want to reside even in Gokula. If I am not qualified to be any person in Vrndavana; if I have not done anything for that and if I am not qualified for that, then I want to be a stone in Gokula. And if the sweepers who dispose the stool of others, will come and rub their feet on me while I am in the form of a stone, then I will consider myself very lucky and fortunate because I will have attained the dust of their lotus feet.”But Uddhava says, “I don’t want to be that. I want to be in Vraja and in Vraja; I want to obtain the foot dust of the gopis’ lotus feet. And I especially want to attain the foot dust of Srimati Radhika.
vande nanda-vraja-strinam
pada-renum abhiksnasah
I want to reside in Vraja forever; I don’t want anything else. I don’t even want the foot dust of Krsna. I want nothing else—I only want to be the dasi (maidservant) of Srimati Radhika. If She doesn’t give me Her foot dust, then I will pray to the foot dust of the dasis of Srimati Radhika.”
Such high moods are stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam. The aim and object of our life is. And for this, we will have to make a ground (platform). And that ground will come from Srimad Bhagavad Gita.
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
–Bhagavad Gita 18.66
[“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”]
We will have to surrender. We will have to fully surrender from our heart, mind, soul, and everything. But where is Krsna? Where will you find Krsna? He is very far away. So, His messenger—Gurudeva, is in front of us. We can first surrender at the lotus feet of Gurudeva. He is non-different from Baladeva Prabhu-Nityananda Prabhu. He will mercifully take us to the lotus feet of Krsna in Vrndavana-Vraja. This is the only way. So, we should remember all these instructions. We should try to develop our Krsna consciousness to attain all these moods. We will not remain in only the first class where a, b, c, d is taught. We have to go up and up. So, we will have to follow the Gita first that we are not this material body. We are the part and parcels of Krsna.
jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa
Caitanya-caritamrita Madhya 20.108
By our svarupa (constitutional nature), we are the eternal servants of Krsna. Now our svarupa has transferred. We think we are this body. But one day, the body will be old and torn and this body will be burnt to ashes or buried in the earth. Many insects will then devour our body. If the body is neither burnt nor buried, then the dogs or the jackals will come and they will very patiently feed on the body. And they will quarrel for the remains of the body that “This is mine and this is mine.”[Laughter]
So, the body ends this way. Hence, you should try to realize who you are. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said that we are the eternal servants of Krsna by our svarupa. And if the Bhagavad Gita is finished, then the post graduate book is Srimad Bhagavatam. We will be qualified to enter into the purports of Srimad Bhagavatam. Without finishing the lessons of the Bhagavad Gita, we cannot proceed.
yajnarthat karmano ‘nyatra
loko ‘yam karma-bandhanah
tad-artham karma kaunteya
mukta-sangah samacara
–Bhagavad Gita 3.9
[Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.]
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
–Bhagavad Gita 4.34
[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.]
You will have to know all these tattvas from the beginning. We are in the beginning stages of devotion; I am also in the beginning stages. I am among all of you. I know something but I have not realized. So, you are all Vaisnavas. Now the time is over. Some kirtana will be done. I wanted to tell so many things but there is no time. I cannot speak more even if there was time because I am too old. The doctors have ordered me to not speak for more than thirty minutes.
