Sunday, September 16, 2007

WHO IS RADHARANI?


By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada


Sri Radha is Sri Krishna’s eternal consort and the crest jewel among his lovers. There is no one as dear to Krishna as Sri Radha.
Sri Radha is not inferior to Krishna in any way. Lord Krishna himself accepts two forms, one as the enjoyer and the other as the enjoyed.

In this way he relishes eternal pastimes. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmta (ādi 4.56) states:
rādhā-ka eka ātmā, dui deha dhari’ ye vilase rasa āsvādana kari’
Radha and Krishna are one and the same, but they have assumed two bodies. Thus they enjoy each other, tasting the mellows of love.
If Sri Radhika’s beauty were not greater than the beauty of Krishna, who is overwhelmed by his own beauty, then she would not have been able to attract that most enchanting Krishna. Thus she is known as Madan-mohan-mohini. Krishna is compared to the full moon, and Radha is like his effulgence. She is also the origin of all of Krishna’s energies.
Servants do not have sufficient words to properly describe their worshipable Lord, but the worshipable Lord can describe the truth about those servants. That is why Lord Krishna alone is capable of revealing Sri Radhika’s glories to us. Another personality who can reveal the science of Sri Radha is the spiritual master, who directly serves Krishna and the daughter of Vrishabhanu and who is an intimate devotee of Sri Gaurasundar.
Lord Krishna is the reservoir of all transcendental pleasure and the origin of all beauty and transcendental qualities. He is the shelter of all opulence, heroism, and knowledge. Only he is capable of understanding Sri Radha’s greatness. What can puny human knowledge understand about her glories, or even the knowledge of liberated souls? It is impossible to describe her greatness — she whose only shelter is Krishna and who is able to enchant the most enchanting Krishna. Because of her opulence and sweetness, the whole world is bewildered.



From Amrta Vani, collected teachings of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Compiled in Bengali by Sri Bhakti Bhagavat Mayukha Maharaja. Adapted and translated into English by Bhumipati Das and Isvara Das. Touchstone Media. Mumbai. 2004. Pages 125-126.

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