Dumb question

[Sirona]

Dear friends, I have a rather dumb question concerning Lord Krishna. According to my modest knowledge Lord Krishna is superior to all dualist views. However, by readiing the list of his emanations in chapter X of the Gita I cannot find any "female goddess".

 

"... Ah! yet again recount,

Clear and complete, Thy great appearances,

The secrets of Thy Majesty and Might,

Thou High Delight of Men! Never enough

Can mine ears drink the Amrit of such words!

Krishna. Hanta! So be it! Kuru Prince! I will to thee unfold

Some portions of My Majesty, whose powers are manifold!

I am the Spirit seated deep in every creature's heart;

From Me they come; by Me they live; at My word they depart!

Vishnu of the Adityas I am, those Lords of Light;

Maritchi of the Maruts, the Kings of Storm and Blight;

By day I gleam, the golden Sun of burning cloudless Noon;

By Night, amid the asterisms I glide, the dappled Moon!

Of Vedas I am Sama-Ved, of gods in Indra's Heaven

Vasava; of the faculties to living beings given

The mind which apprehends and thinks; of Rudras Sankara;

Of Yakshas and of Rakshasas, Vittesh; and Pavaka

Of Vasus, and of mountain-peaks Meru; Vrihaspati

Know Me 'mid planetary Powers; 'mid Warriors heavenly

Skanda; of all the water-floods the Sea which drinketh each,

And Bhrigu of the holy Saints, and OM of sacred speech;

Of prayers the prayer ye whisper; of hills Himila's snow,

And Aswattha, the fig-tree, of all the trees that grow;

Of the Devarshis, Narada; and Chitrarath of them

That sing in Heaven, and Kapila of Munis, and the gem

Of flying steeds, Uchchaisravas, from Amritwave which burst;

Of elephants Airavata; of males the Best and First;

Of weapons Heav'n's hot thunderbolt; of cows white Kamadhuk,

From whose great milky udder-teats all hearts' desires are strook;

Vasuki of the serpent-tribes, round Mandara entwined;

And thousand-fanged Ananta, on whose broad coils reclined

Leans Vishnu; and of water-things Varuna; Aryam

Of Pitris, and, of those that judge, Yama the Judge I am;

Of Daityas dread Prahlada; of what metes days and years,

Time's self I am; of woodland-beasts -- buffaloes, deers, and bears --

The lordly-painted tiger; of birds the vast Garud,

The whirlwind 'mid the winds; 'mid chiefs Rama with blood imbrued,

Makar 'mid fishes of the sea, and Ganges 'mid the streams;

Yea! First, and Last, and Centre of all which is or seems

I am, Arjuna! Wisdom Supreme of what is wise,

Words on the uttering lips I am, and eyesight of the eyes.

And "A" of written characters, Dwandwa of knitted speech,

And Endless Life, and boundless Love, whose power sustaineth each;

And bitter Death which seizes all, and joyous sudden Birth,

Which brings to light all beings that are to be on earth;

And of the viewless virtues, Fame, Fortune, Song am I,

And Memory, and Patience; and Craft, and Constancy:

Of Vedic hymns the Vrihatsam, of metres Gayatri,

Of months the Margasirsha, of all the seasons three

The flower-wreathed Spring; in dicer's-play the conquering Double-Eight;

The splendour of the splendid, and the greatness of the great,

Victory I am, and Action! and the goodness of the good,

And Vasudev of Vrishni's race, and of this Pandu brood

Thyself! -- Yea, my Arjuna! thyself; for thou art Mine!

Of poets Usana, of saints Vyasa, sage divine;

The policy of conquerors, the potency of kings,

The great unbroken silence in learning's secret things;

The lore of all the learned, the seed of all which springs.

Living or lifeless, still or stirred, whatever beings be,

None of them is in all the worlds, but it exists by Me!

Nor tongue can tell, Arjuna! nor end of telling come

Of these My boundless glories, whereof I teach thee some;

For wheresoe'er is wondrous work, and majesty, and might,

From Me hath all proceeded. Receive thou this aright!

Yet how shouldst thou receive, O Prince! the vastness of this word?

I, who am all, and made it all, abide its separate Lord!"

 

Does this mean that Krishna is somewhat "incomplete"? Does it mean that I have to worship any female godess along with Him? Won't this all end up in some dualist mess and run contrary to the recommandation of having only one personal God (Ishvara)?

 

"Nay! but once more

Take My last word, My utmost meaning have!

Precious thou art to Me; right well-beloved!

Listen! tell thee for thy comfort this.

Give Me thy heart! adore Me! serve Me! cling

In faith and love and reverence to Me!

So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true,

For thou art sweet to Me!

And let go those --

Rites and writ duties! Fly to Me alone!

Make Me thy single refuge! will free

Thy soul from all its sins!" (Chapter XVIII)

[Avinash]

If you read the verse 10.34, you will find that females are mentioned. But, perhaps you are looking for well known female goddesses like Durga, Laxmi, Sarasvati etc.

 

Please note that Krsna is saying that He is the greatest in everything. He calls Himself as Kubera among yakshas. It does not mean that Krsna and Kubera are one and the same. It is just that Kubera is the greatest among yakshas, so Krsna calls Himself as Kubera among yakshas.

 

So, Krsna makes various categories. He compares Himself with the greatest in each category.

[Sirona]

Do I have to worship a female goddess along with Krishna? ( I do not want to ...)

[bhaktajoy]

Srimati Radharani

The Attractor of Krsna

To get Krsna to accept you, pray for the favor of His greatest devotee

 

A lecture given on Radharani's Appearance Day, in London, September 18, 1969

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Founder-Acarya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness

 

 

--

 

TODAY IS RADHASTAMI, the appearance day of Srimati Radharani. Fifteen days after Krsna's birth Radharani appeared. Radharani is Krsna's pleasure potency. Radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktih. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has varieties of energy, as confirmed in the Vedic literature:parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate.

 

The Supreme Lord has nothing to do personally. Na tasya karyam. Here in the material world we find that a very big man-political head or business head - has nothing to do personally, because he has many assistants. Similarly, does the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full with six opulences, have to do anything personally? No. He has many assistants.

 

In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, sarvatah panipadam tat: "The Lord has His hands and legs everywhere." You'll find that Krsna has nothing to do. He's simply enjoying with the gopis (cowherd girls) and Radharani. He's not killing the demons. The Krsna who kills the demons is Vasudeva Krsna; He's not the original Krsna. Krsna expands Himself. The first expansion is Baladeva. From Baladeva come Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and Vasudeva. So in His Vasudeva feature Krsna acts in Mathura and Dvaraka. But Krsna in His original feature remains in Vrndavana.

 

One of the greatest fiction writers in Bengal, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, mistakenly thought that Krsna of Vrndavana, Krsna of Dvaraka, and Krsna of Mathura are different persons. Krsna is the same, but He can expand Himself in millions and trillions of forms. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam. Although He has unlimited forms - ananta rupam - He's advaita: There is no distinciton between Krsna and His other forms.

 

When Krsna wants to enjoy, what kind of enjoyment will He have? That has been discussed by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Krsna is Param Brahman, the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth has three features: Brahman, Pramatma, and Bhagavan. Jnanis, those who try to understand the Absolute Truth by mental speculation, by dint of their own knowledge, realize the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman. And yogis, those who try to understand the Absolute Truth by meditation, realize the Absolute Truth as Paramatma.

 

Paramatma is the feature of the Supreme that is situated in everyone's heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. And that Paramatma feature is an expansion of Bhagavan, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita (10.42),

 

atha va bahunaitena

kim jnatena tavarjuna

vistabyaham idam krtsnam

ekamsena sthito jagat

 

Arjuna was trying to understand Krsna's potencies, so Krsna explained in the tenth chapter, "Among seasons I am spring, among rivers I am the Ganges, among beasts I am the lion, among men I am the king...." And Krsna concluded, "How far shall I go on? Just try to understand that because of My entering the universe by only one plenary portion, the whole cosmic manifestation exists."

 

The material world exists on one plenary portion of Krsna. And Krsna Himself enters within the universe: andantara-stha-paramana-cayantarastham. Without His entering, the universe cannot exist, just as without the soul's entering within the body, the body cannot exist. As soon as the spirit soul leaves the body, the body is useless. The body may be that of a prime minister, but as soon as the soul leaves the body, the body is not worth even a farthing. Similarly, because Krsna enters within the universe, the universe has value. Otherwise it is simply a lump of matter. So when Krsna wants to enjoy, what kind of enjoyment will He have? That has been discussed by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Krsna is the Supreme Great. God is great, everyone knows. So when the Great wants to enjoy, what quality of enjoyment will He have? That is to be understood.

 

Therefore Svarupa Damodara Gosvami has written, radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtih. The loving affairs of Radha and Krsna are not ordinary, material loving affairs, although they appear like that. Avajananti mam mudha: rascals and fools misunderstand Krsna to be an ordinary man. They do not know Krsna's transcendental nature. They try to imitate Krsna's rasa-lila, His dancing with the gopis. There are many such rascals.

 

To understand Krsna is very difficult:

 

manusyanam sahasresu

kascid yatati siddhaye

yatatam api siddhanam

kascin mam vetti tattvatah

 

Out of millions of persons, one may try ot make his life perfect. Nearly everyone is working like an animal, and for an animal there's no question of perfection. The animal propensities are eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. And unfortunately most human beings are engaged like animals. They have no other business. They are like hogs, who spend the whole day and night working - "Where is stool? Where is stool?" And as soon as the hogs get some stool to eat, they get fat. Then, "Where is sex? Where is sex?" The hog does not consider whether the mate is even his mother or sister. That is the hog's life. Human life is not meant for hog civilization. But modern civilization is a hog civilization, although it seems polished because the hogs wear shirts and coats. The Krsna consciousness movement, in contrast, is for understanding Krsna. That requires a little labor, austerity, penance. Tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca. One has to undergo tapasya and brahmacarya - austerity and celibacy. Brahmacarya means stopping sex life or controlling sex life. Without becoming brahmacari, without controlling the impulse for sex, one cannot understand spiritual life. Formerly in Vedic civilization boys were trained from the very beginning to become brahmacari. It was not like the modern day, when boys and girls ten or twelve years old are enjoying together. Such enjoyment spoils the brain; the finer brain tissues are lost, so that one cannot understand higher things.

 

These are the processes of self-realization: samena (by control of the mind), damena (by control of the senses), tyagena (by giving in charity), saucena (by cleanliness). But in this age these processes are very difficult to undergo. Practically it is impossible. Therefore Lord Caitanya, Krsna Himself, has made Himself easily available by one process:

 

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

This age, Kali-yuga, is considered the most fallen age. We think we are making much advancement, but it is the most fallen age, because people are becoming like animals. As animals have no other interest than four bodily necessities - eating, sleeping, mating, nad defending - so in this age people are interested in four principles of bodily want. They have no information of the soul, nor are they prepared to realize what the soul is. That is the defect of this age.

 

But the human form of life is especially meant for realizing oneself: "What am I?" That is the mission of human life. Athato brahma-jijnasa: This life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan.

 

Jijnasu means inquiry. We inquire every morning, "What is the news today?" Immediately we pick up a newspaper - inquisitiveness is there - but we are inquiring about very base things only. We have no desire to inquire about the highest possibility, brahma-jnana, knowledge of the spirit.

 

That is the lack in modern civilization. Today people are mainly inquiring about how to earn money. That propensity is there in every age, but in this age it has become the principal factor. Everyone is engaged simply for the bodily necessities. Nidraya hriyate naktam: at night people sleep very soundly, snoring. Vyavayena ca va vayah: or they engage in sex. In this way they're wasting time. And during the daytime - diva carthehaya rajan: "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?" And kutumba-bharanena va - as soon as one gets money, one thinks how to purchase things for the family, that's all. Shopping, snoring - that is the engagement in materialistic life.

 

Out of many such foolish persons engaged in sleeping, mating, earning money, and providing the family with a nice apartment and food, one is inquisitive how to perfect the human form. This life is meant for perfection. What is perfection? Perfection means to get out of misery. Everyone is trying to get out of misery, but no one knows the ultimate goal by which to get out of it. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum. One can be out of misery when one approaches Visnu.

 

Here is the material world people are trying to go to the moon, but these foolish people do not know what they'll gain even if they go there. The moon is one of the material planets. Krsna has already said in the Bhagavad-gita, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah.... All the material planets are places of misery. The moon is very near, but even if you go to the topmost planet, which is known as Brahmaloka, you'll find mesery.

 

You can see every night what a vast number of planets there are. But you cannot go to them. You are simply trying to go to the nearest planet, and you are failing. So what is your scientific improvement?

 

But you can go. Material scientists calculate that if one were to travel forty thousand years at the speed of light, then one might approach the topmost planet in the material world. So at least in the modern scientific calculations it is impossible to go there. But one can go; there is a process. That we have tried ot explain in our small booklet Easy Journey to Other Planets. By the yogic process one can go to any planet one likes. That is a yogic perfection.

 

The living entity is called sarva-gah, "one who can go anywhere he likes." For example, Narada Muni can travel anywhere he likes, either in the spiritual world or in the material world. So you can also do that. That is possible. Within one year the yogi Durvasa Muni traveled all over the universe and went ot Visnuloka, the spiritual world, and came back. That is recorded in history.

 

So this is one of the perfections. And how can it be attained? By understanding Krsna. Yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavanti. The Mundaka Upanisad says that if you simply understand Krsna, then everything else can be understood very easily. Krsna consciousness is such a nice thing.

 

This evening we are talking about Radhastami. We are trying to understand Radharani, the chief potency of Krsna, Krsna's pleasure potency. As we learn from Vedic literature, Krsna has many varieties of potency: parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. Just as a big man with many assistants and secretaries hasn't got to do anything personally - simply by his will everything is done - so the Supreme Personality of Godhead has varieties of energy, and everything is being done so nicely.

 

The material world, where we are now living, is called bahir-anga-sakti, the external energy of Krsna. And just see how nicely everything is being done by the material energy. Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: "Under My superintendence the material energy is working." The material energy is not blind. Krsna is in the background. And apart from the material, external energy, there is another energy - the internal energy. By the internal energy the spiritual world is being manifested. Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyah. As the material world is manipulated under the external energy, the spiritual world is conducted by the internal potency. That internal potency is Radharani.

 

We should try to understand Radharani. Radharani is Krsna's pleasure potency, hladini-sakti. In the Vedanta-sutra the Absolute Truth is described as anandamaya, always in the pleasure potency.

 

When you want ananda, pleasure, you cannot have it alone. Alone you cannot enjoy. When you are in a circle of friends or family or other associates, you feel pleasure. My speaking is very pleasing when there are many persons here. I cannot be happy speaking alone; that is not ananda. Although I could speak here in the dead of night when there is no one here, that is not ananda. Ananda means there must be others.

 

Because Krsna, the Absolute Truth, is anandamaya, He has become many: eko bahu syama. We are also Krsna's parts and parcels, meant to give pleasure to Krsna. And the chief pleasure potency is Radharani.

 

radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktir asmad

ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau

caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam

radha-bhava-dyuti suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam

 

Krsna is Param Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, as you know from the Bhagavad-gita. When Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, he affirmed to Krsna: param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan: "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth."

 

So Krsna is Param Brahman, the Supreme Absolute. In the material world we see that a great saintly person gives up everything of material enjoyment simply to enjoy brahmananda, the happiness of Brahman, the Absolute. He becomes a sannyasi just to understand that he is in Brahman. So if one has to give up everything material for Brahman realization, do you think that Param Brahman, the Supreme Brahman, can enjoy anything material? No. Krsna's enjoyment is nothing material. This point should be understood.

 

In the material world we have a little information of Brahman and Paramatma, but no one knows Param Brahman, or Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is said, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. Siddhaye refers to understanding Brahman or Paramatma. But out of many persons who have realized Brahman and Paramatma, hardly one can know Krsna.

 

Without knowing Krsna, what can we understand about Krsna's pleasure potency? Without knowing a big man, how can I understand his internal affairs? Similarly, if we do not understnad Krsna, how we can understand how Krsna is enjoying? That is not possible.

 

The Gosvamis are giving us information of the pleasure potency of Krsna, Srimati Radharani. We have described the loving affairs of Radha-Krsna in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya. If you have this book, you can read about the transcendental loving affairs of Radha Krsna.

 

So today we pray to Radharani because She is the pleasure potency of Krsna. Krsna means "all-attractive," but Radharani is so great that She attracts Krsna. So what is the position of Srimati Radharani? We should try to understand this today and offer our obeisances to Radharani.

 

tapta-kanchana-gaurangi

radhe vrndavanesvari

vrsbhanu-sute devi

pranamami hari-priye

 

"Radharani, You are so dear to Krsna. So we offer our respectful obeisances unto You." Radharani is hari-priya, "very dear to Krsna." Through the mercy of Radharani we can easily approach Krsna. If Radharani recommends, "This devotee is very nice," then Krsna immediately accepts me, however great a fool I may be. Because I am recommended by Radharani, Krsna accepts me. Therefore in Vrndavana you'll find all the devotees chanting Radharani's name more than Krsna's. Wherever you'll go, you'll find the devotees greeting one another, "Jaya Radhe!" You'll find this still in Vrndavana. The devotees are glorifying Radharani. If you go by the speculative process to understand Krsna, it will take many, many lives. But if you take to devotional service and just try to please Radharani, Krsna will be gotten very easily.

 

Radharani can deliver Krsna. She is so great a devotee, the emblem of maha-bhagavata. Even Krsna cannot understand the quality of Radharani's devotion. Although Krsna says vedaham samatitani - "I know everything" - He fails to understand Radharani. Radharani is so great.

 

Krsna knows everything, but to understand Radharani, Krsna accepted the position of Radharani.

 

Krsna thought, "I am full. I am complete in every respect, but still I want to understand Radharani. Why?" This question obliged Krsna to accept the propensities of Radharani to understand Himself.

 

Such topics, of course, are part of a great transcendental science. One advanced in Krsna consciousness and well conversant with sastras, scriptures, can understand. When Krsna wanted to understand Himself, He took the tendency of Srimati Radharani. That is His appearance as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam.

 

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, but He has accepted the propensities of Radharani. As Radharani is always in feelings of separation from Krsna, so Lord Caitanya, in the position of Radharani, was feeling separation of Krsna. That is the teaching of Lord Caitanya - to feel separation, not meeting. The process of devotional service taught by Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His disciplic succession is how to feel separation from Krsna. That is Radharani's position - always feeling the separation.

 

The Gosvamis, also, when they were in Vrndavana, never said, "I have seen Krsna." Although they were the most perfect devotees, they never said, I have seen Krsna." Their prayers were like this: he radhe vrja-devike.... he nanda-suno kutah!

 

Radharani does not remain alone. She stays always with Her friends (vraja-devi) Lalita or Visakha and other damsels of Vrndavana. So the Gosvamis, in their mature stage when they were living at Vrndavana, were praying in this way: he radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah: "Radharani, where are You? Where are Your associates? Where are You, Krsna, Nanda-suno, son of Nanda Maharaja? Where are you all?" They were searching. They never said, "I have seen Krsna dancing with the gopis. Last night I saw." [Laughter.]

 

Those who speak like that are called sahajiyas. Mature devotees do not speak like that. The sahajiyas take everything very cheap - Krsna very cheap, Radharani very cheap - as if they can see Radha and Krsna every night. No. The Gosvamis do not teach us like that. They were searching after Radha-Krsna. He radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah/ sri-govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale kalindi-vane kutah: "Are you there at Govardhana Hill, or on the banks of the Yamuna?" Ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahavihvalau. Their business was to cry like this? "Where are You? Where are You, Radharani? Where are you, Lalita, Visakha, the associates of Radharani? Where are You, Krsna? Are You near Govardhana Hill, or on the bank of the Yamuna?"

 

Ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure. Throughout the whole tract of Vrndavana they were crying and searching after Radha-Krsna - khedair mahavihvalau - as if madmen.

 

Vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau. We have to follow the footprints of the Gosvamis and learn how to search out Krsna and Radharani, in Vrndavana or within our hearts. That is the process of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's bhajana, or worship: feelings of separation (vipralambha-seva).

 

Feeling separation from Krsna, Mahaprabhu would fall into the sea. He would go out of His bedroom in the dead of night. Nobody knew where He had gone. He was searching for Krsna.

 

That process of devotional service is taught by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not that we can say very easily, "I have seen Krsna and Radharani in the rasa-lila." No, not like that. Feel the separation. The more you feel separation from Krsna, the more you should understand that you are advancing. Don't try to see Krsna artificially. Be advanced in feeling separation, and then your devotion will be perfect. That is the teaching of Lord Caitanya.

 

Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih. With our material senses we cannot see Krsna or hear Krsna's name. We must engage ourselves in the service of the Lord. Where does the service begin? Jihvadau: from the tongue. Not from the legs, eyes, or ears. It begins from the tongue. How? Chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And take Krsna-prasadam. The tongue has two businesses: to articulate sound, Hare Krsna, and take prasadam. By these processes you'll realize Krsna.

 

Don't try to see Krsna. You cannot see Krsna with your material eyes, nor can you hear about Him with your material ears, nor can you touch Him. But if you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then He'll reveal Himself to you: "Here I am." That is wanted.

 

So feel separation from Krsna just as Radharani does, as Lord Caitanya teaches us, and engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. Then one day, when you are mature, you'll see Krsna face to face.

 

Thanks you very much.

 

 

[bhaktajoy]

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/prayers_to_srimati_radharani.htm

 

Prayers to the Queen of Goddesses,

 

Shrimati Radharani

 

 

Radha-Stuti

 

 

 

radha raseshvari ramya

 

rama cha paramatmanah

 

rasodbhava krishna-kanta

 

krishna-vaksha-sthala-sthita

 

 

 

"Beautiful Shrimate Radharani is the queen and the origin of the rasa dance. She is the giver of pleasure to Krishna, who is the Supersoul in the hearts of all. She is the lover of Krishna and is always situated upon the chest of the Lord."

 

 

 

 

 

 

krishna-pranadhidevi cha

 

maha-vishnoh prasur api

 

sarvadya vishnu-maya cha

 

satya nitya sanatani

 

 

 

"She is the presiding Deity of Krishna's very life, and She is the first of all persons, the energy of Lord Vishnu, the embodiment of truthfulness--eternal and ever-youthful."

 

 

 

 

 

 

brahma-svarupa parama

 

nirlipta nirguna para

 

vrinda vrindavane tvam cha

 

viraja-tata-vasini

 

 

 

"Her form is spiritual, therefore She is transcendental and beyond mundane qualities. She is divine energy and is unattached. O Radha, in Vrindavana You are the leader of the gopis, and You reside on the banks of the Viraja River."

 

 

 

 

 

 

goloka-vasini gopi

 

gopisha gopa-matrika

 

sananda paramananda

 

nanda-nandana-kamini

 

 

 

"She is a resident of Goloka Vrindavana and is a cowherd damsel. She is the queen of the gopis and the divine mother of the cowherd boys. She is joyful and always experiencing the highest bliss, and She incites lusty desires in the heart of the son of Nanda (Lord Krishna)."

 

 

 

 

 

 

vrishabhanu-suta shanta

 

kanta purnatama tatha

 

kamya kalavati-kanya

 

tirtha-putra sati shubha

 

 

 

"Radha is the daughter of Maharaja Vrishabhanu. She is very peaceful and lovely. She is completely contented and fulfilled, very pleasing and is the daughter of Kalavati. She is the purifier of the tirthas (holy places) and She is most auspicious and chaste to Lord Krishna."

 

 

 

 

 

 

samsara-sagare ghore

 

bhitam mam sharanagatam

 

sarvebhyo 'pi vinirmuktam

 

kuru radhe surshvari

 

 

 

"O Radha, I have fallen into the horrible ocean of birth and death and am frightened, but I am seeking Your shelter. O queen of the demigods, please free me from all fears."

 

 

 

 

tvat-pada-padma-yugale

 

pada-padmalayarcite

 

dehi mahyam param bhaktim

 

krishnena parisevite

 

 

 

"O Radhika, please give me transcendental devotional service to Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Lord Brahma and Lakshmi, and which are served even by Lord Krishna."

 

 

 

 

tapta-kanchana-gaurangi

 

radhe vrindavaneshvari

 

vrishabhanu-sute devi

 

pranamami hari-priye

 

 

 

"O Shrimati Radharani, I offer my respects to You whose bodily complexion is like molten gold. O Goddess, You are the queen of Vrindavana. You are the daughter of King Vrishabhanu, and are very dear to Lord Krishna."

 

 

 

 

mahabhava-svarupa tvam

 

krishna-priya-variyasi

 

prema-bhakti-prade devi

 

radhike tvam namamy aham

 

 

 

"O Shrimate Radharani, You are the exalted form of mahabhava, therefore You are the most dear to Krishna. O Goddess, You alone are able to bestow pure love for the Supreme Lord; therefore I offer my humble obeisances unto You."

 

 

[bhaktajoy]

Radharani

 

She is also known as Radha, Radhe and Radhika. Her complexion is like molten gold. She wears blue garments, and wears pearls and flowers. She is the most important of the gopis of Vrindavana. She is the main consort of Krishna and is often seen standing with Lord Krishna on the altar in temples.

 

The word Radha means "the greatest worshiper of Krishna." Since Radha's love is the greatest, She gives the greatest pleasure to Sri Krishna. "Jagat mohana krsna tanhara mohini, ataeva samastera para thakurani. "Krishna enchants the whole world, but Radhika enchants even Him. Therefore, Radha is the Supreme Goddess." (Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 4.95)

 

The beauty of Radharani is described as: "Her eyes defeat the attractive features of the eyes of the cakrai bird. When one sees the face of Radharani, he immediately hates the beauty of the moon. Her bodily complexion defeats the beauty of gold. Thus, let us all look upon the transcendental beauty of Radharani." (Nectar of Devotion)

 

" Radharani is the center of all Vrindavana activities. In Vrindavana, Krishna is the instrument of Radharani; therefore all the inhabitants of Vrindavana still chant 'Jaya Radhe.' From Krishna's own statement given herein, it appears that Radharani is the Queen of Vrindavana and that Krishna is simply Her decoration." (Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 11.150 purport)

 

"In Vrindavana people are accustomed to chant Radharani's name more than Krishna's name. 'Jaya Radhe.' If you want Krishna's favor, then just try to please Radharani. This is the way." (SPT 75/82)

 

 

 

 

[bhaktajoy]

The Supreme Lord is always accompanied by His ecstatic potency in the form of Srimati Radharani, who is the internal energy of Godhead. Sri Radha is the original female form, the embodiment of ecstatic love of Godhead and an ocean of mercy. Sri Krishna and Srimati Radharani are the perfect couple, free of all material inebrieties and full of knowledge, bliss and eternity. All male / female forms and relationships in this material world are a perverted reflection of the transcendental union of Godhead in the form of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.

 

In the Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja reveals how the Lord feels about Srimati Radharani. Krsna says, "Everyone says that I am complete bliss, full of all rasas. All the world derives pleasure from Me. Is there anyone who can give Me pleasure? One who has a hundred times more qualities than Me could give pleasure to My mind. One more qualified than Me is impossible to find in the material world.

 

But in Radha alone I feel the presence of one who can give Me pleasure. Although My beauty defeats the beauty of ten million Cupids, although it is unequaled and unsurpassed, and although it gives pleasure to the three worlds, seeing Radharani gives pleasure to My eyes. The vibration of My transcendental flute attracts the three worlds, but My ears are enchanted by the sweet words of Srimati Radharani. And although My touch is cooler than ten million moons, I am refreshed by the touch of Srimati Radhika. Thus although I am the source of happiness for the entire world, the beauty and attributes of Srimati Radhika are My life and soul."

 

 

 

 

[bhaktajoy]

http://krishna.org/sudarsana/archive/msg00266.html

 

It is so nice to be trying to get the mercy of Radharani. That is the mood of the

devotees in Vrndavana. Thay are always chanting, "Jaya Radhe". Everywhere you

go... It's amazing. Because Radharani is very dear to Krishna. If we can please

Radharani then Krishna is automatically pleased.

But the relationship between Srimati Radharani and Krishna is a very confidential

one. We shouldn't immediately want to jump up and understand Krishna's dealings

 

 

with the gopis and the principal gopi, Srimati Radharani, without first preparing

ourselves.

The Srimad Bhagavatam is a very scientific presentation of spiritual knowledge. As

you know when we worship Krishna in the temple we start from His lotus feet and

gradually move up to His lotus face. So the Bhagavatam is similarly described. The

first and second cantos are His two lotus feet... and finally the tenth canto

[where His pastimes, of which His pastimes with Srimati Radharani are the topmost,

are described.] The tenth canto is likened to the beautiful smiling face of

Krishna.

So we should read all the Bhagavatam. It starts where the Bhagavad-gita finishes,

after the battle of Kuruksettra, then it describes the creation, then the

activities of many of Krishna's incarnations and devotees... So all these pastimes

are just as important as Krishna's dancing with Radharani in the rasa dance. If we

don't understand the material presented in cantos 1-9 we will certainly not be

able to understand Krishna's pastimes with Radharani. It is a very sublime subject

matter. So many fools have presented Krishna's pastimes in a mundane way. People

think Krishna was a great woman-hunter and they paint horrible lusty pictures...

This is very bad. Krishna's relationship with Radharani and the gopis is

completely spiritual. It has absolutely nothing to do with the mundane sexual

relationships in this world..

>Unfortunately, it is very hard

>to find a great deal of information about Her. i know of several books

Why don't you read Srila Prabhupada's books? Everything is there. You have not

read them I can tell. Particularly Krishna Book and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. You

will not find any other books [at least in English] that describe the pastimes of

Srimati Radharani so nicely... The Goswamis of Vrndavana have written many very

elevated books about Radha and Krishna, but they are very elevated and we would

misunderstand them... But everything is in Srila Prabhupada's books. We don't need

to read anything else. We make advancement in spiritual life by serving our

spiritual master, by pleasing him... It's not like mundane education. So we read

the books but the realization comes from the service. It's not just an academic

thing. We have to engage our senses in the service of Krishna under the direction

of a bona fide spiritual master...

In the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta different relationships with Krishna are discussed

and different types of service... Of all the devotees of Krishna Radha stands

supreme and the highest ecstasy Srimati Radharani feels is when She is separated

from Krishna. This is very bewildering to Krishna... Because He can't understand

what this feeling of separation from Himself is! Because how could He be separated

from Himself? So thinking like this and desiring to taste the same ecstasy that

Radha feels in separation from Him He decides to incarnate in the mood of

Radharani. So He appears Himself as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is Krishna

Himself, but his mood is as a devotee of Krishna...

The Gaudiya Viasnavas [us] worship Krishna in this same vipralamba seva [mood of

separation]. It is simultaneously painful and ecstatic. It has been described like

drinking hot sugercane juce. In India they boil down the sugercane juce to make

sugar so while this is going on there are big pots of boiling hot sugar water...

It is very sweet to taste, but it is very hot and it burns your mouth....

Here is a little bit from the first volume of the Adi-Lila:

"Krishna appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to distribute the chanting of Hare

Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama

Hare Hare. He appeared in the mood and complexion of Sri Radha. But this

[spreading the chanting of Hare Krishna] was an external purpose. There is a

principal cause for Sri Krishna's appearance. It grows from His own engagements as

the foremost enjoyer of loving exchanges.

"The heart of Lord Caitanya is the image of Sri Radhika's emotions. Thus feelings

of pleasure and pain arise constantly therein.

"In the final portion of His pastimes, Lord Caitanya was obsessed with the madness

of separation from Lord Krishna. He acted in erroneous ways and talked

deliriously.

 

"Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited the highest stage of feelings of a devotee

in separation from the Lord. This exhibition was sublime because He was completely

perfect in the feelings of separation. Materialists, however, cannot understand

this. Sometimes materialistic scholars think He was diseased or crazy. Their

problem is they always engage in material sense gratification and can never

understand the feelings of the devotees of the Lord. Materialists are most

abominable in their ideas. They think they can enjoy directly perceivable gross

objects by their senses and that they can similarly deal with the transcendental

features of Lord Caitanya. But the Lord is understood only in pursuance of the

principles laid down by the Gosvamis, headed by Svarupa Damodara .

"Just as Radhika went mad at the site of Uddhava, so Lord Caitanya was obsessed

day and night with the madness of separation. At night He talked incoherently in

grief with His arms around Svarupa Damodara's neck. He spoke out His heart in

ecstatic inspiration. When a particular sentiment arose in His heart, Svarupa

Damodara satisfied Him by singing songs or reciting verses of a similar nature...

"[Krshna says]Whatever pleasure I get from tasting My love for Srimati Radharani ,

She tastes ten million times more than Me by Her love. Just as I am the abode of

all mutually contradictory characteristics, so Radha's love is always full of

similar contradictions. Radha's love is all-pervading, leaving no room for

expansion. But still it is expanding constantly. There is certainly nothing

greater than Her love. But Her love is devoid of pride. That is the sign of its

greatness. Nobody is purer then Her love. But its behavior is always perverse and

crooked.

"All glories to Radha's love for Krishna, the enemy of the demon Mura. Although it

is all-pervading, it tends to increase at every moment. Although it is important,

it is devoid of pride. Although it is pure it is always beset with duplicity.

"Sri Radha is the highest abode of that love, and I am its only object. I taste

the bliss to which the object of love is entitled. But the pleasure of Radha, the

abode of that love, is ten million times greater. If sometime I can be the abode

of that love, only then may I taste its joy.

"Thinking in this way Lord Krishna was curious to taste that love. His eager

desire for that love increasingly blazed in His heart. This is one desire. Now

hear another. Seeing His own beauty Lord Krishna began to consider. "My sweetness

is wonderful, infinite and full. No one in the three worlds can find its limit.

Only Radhika, by the strength of Her love, tastes all the nectar of My sweetness.

Although Radha's love is pure like a mirror, its purity increases at every moment.

My sweetness also has no room for expansion, yet it shines before that mirror in

newer and newer beauty. There is a constant competition between My sweetness and

the mirror of Radha's love. They both go on increasing, but neither knows defeat.

"My sweetness is always newer and newer. Devotees taste it according to their own

respective love. If I see My sweetness in a mirror I am tempted to taste it but

nevertheless I cannot. If I deliberate on a way to taste it, I find that I hanker

for the position of Radhika.

"The beauty of Krishna has one natural strength: it thrills the hearts of all men

and women beginning with Lord Krishna Himself. All minds are attracted to hearing

His sweet voice and flute, or by seeing His beauty. Even Lord Krishna Himself

makes efforts to taste that sweetness.

"The thirst of one who always drinks that sweetness is never satisfied. Rather,

that thirst increases constantly. Such a person, being unsatisfied, begins to

blaspheme Lord Brahma, saying that he doesn't know the art of creating well and is

simply inexperienced. He has not given millions of eyes to see the beauty of

Krishna. He has given only two eyes, and even those eyes blink. How then shall I

see the lovely face of Krishna?

"[the gopis say]O Krishna, when You go to the forest during the day and we do not

see Your sweet face, which is surrounded by beautiful curling hairs, half a second

becomes as long as an entire age for us. And we consider the creator, who has put

eyelids on the eyes we use for seeing You, to be simply a fool.

"The gopis saw their beloved Krishna at Kuruksetra after a long separation. They

secured and embraced Him in their hearts through their eyes, and they attained a

 

joy so intense that not even perfect yogis can attain it. The gopis cursed the

creator for creating eyelids that interfered with their vision.

"O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Nanda Maharaja

[Krishna and Balarama] are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the

forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their

flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vrndavana. For

those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision.

[Avinash]

I know that my answer was not complete. It was deliberate. I had not found any posts from you in the last many days. I liked it when I found a post from you. So, I did not complete my answer so that you make another post. /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif Anyway, let me complete my answer.

 

Whatever I am going to write here is based only on Gita and not any other scripture.

In Chapter 10, when Krsna says that He is Kubera among yakshas, He is not trying to say that if somebody wants to worship the greatest yaksha then he should worship Krsna. He is just saying that He is the greatest in everything. Now you may ask as to why Krsna did not mention female goddesses. This is because if He had to mention each and everything, then the no. of verses would have become very huge. He gave a few examples just to give Arjuna a feel of His greatness.

One important thing. When Krsna says that He is Kubera among yakshas, it does not mean that Kubera is as great as Krsna. Then why did He say so? To understand this, let us assume that I go to Afica. I see an animal there the kind of which I have not seen anywhere in India. I want to write a letter to my friend in India describing how the animal looks like. Unfortunately I do not have any picture of the animal. So, I have to rely on words. What will I do? I will use analogies. I might say that its skin looks like that of a panther. It does not mean that its skin looks exactly like that of a panther. It is just that out of all the animals that I and my friend have seen, panther's skin comes closest to the skin of the animal that I want to describe. Likewise, in the verses of Gita, Krsna is giving analogies. According to Gita, the only one who is equal to Krsna is Krsna Himself. There is no yaksha who is equal to Krsna. So, He chose the greatest among them, just as I would choose panther to describe how the skin of the animal looks like even though their skins are not exactly alike.

[Avinash]

As per Gita, the worship of Krsna is sufficient and recommended. Please note: I am saying "as per Gita".

[Gauracandra]

Just out of curiousity, why don't you like the idea of worshiping the Supreme Goddess? I've always thought that was one of the best and most unique features of Vaisnavism that no other major religion embraces - Judaism, Christianity (I guess with virgin Mary to some extent, though mostly Catholic), Islam, and Buddhism.

[gHari]

Sirona, you wrote "Do I have to worship a female goddess along with Krishna? ( I do not want to ...) ".

 

I really don't think any Goddess would be happy to be worshipped by someone who didn't want to worship Sri Krsna too. He is Her life. Gaudiya Vaishnavas try to serve the servants of Radharani as She serves Sri Krsna. She knows His desires even before He does, and satisfies them such that He is always content and enthralled with Her. If you reject Him, of what use are you to Her? How can you know Her desires?

 

I assume you are in a female human form now and have some issues about gender. The knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita should lift you beyond such mundane prejudices.

 

Perhaps I have misunderstood the cause of your desire to only worship a feminine Deity?

 

gHari

[Avinash]

I am not saying that I do not like the idea of worshipping Goddess. Sirona mentioned some verses from Gita in which Krsna says that He is the greatest in everything. She was thinking that since the verses did not mention any female goddess, this means that only male gods will be happy on worshipping Krsna and she has to worship some female goddess so that the female goddesses become happy. I just wanted to say that this was not what these verses mean.

[Avinash]

<QUOTE>Perhaps I have misunderstood the cause of your desire to only worship a feminine Deity?</QUOTE>

 

She is not saying that she wants to worship only female deity. Rather, she is saying that she wants to worship only Krsna.

 

[Guest guest]

worship ?

 

why?

 

what are you trying to gain ?

 

In bhakti yoga worship is coming in different forms.

 

they all serve the same purpose.

 

To raise the consciousness of the worshiper.

 

God is interested in rasa,not worship.

 

Worship ,be it archana(diety worship),

kirtan, or whatever, is for our benefit, not for the pleasure of God.

 

god is interested in Rasa,relationship.

 

In the highest realm the associates of God do not worship God,they interact with god as lovers and friends.

 

In this world ignorant people worship God to gain material benefit,or liberation from material suffering.

 

The process of worship is for the purification of those desires.

 

 

[Sirona]

I appreciate your comments.

[gHari]

Sirona,

 

I apologize. It seems I really misunderstood you.

 

Your single-mindedness in wanting to worship Sri Krsna is wonderful. He has separated Himself forever from His energy in the form of Sri Radha, in order to enjoy Himself. She is actually a part of Him. She is His most intimate lover, and She satisfies His every desire. But the two are inseparable; They are One.

 

In order to please Him, it is appropriate to somehow learn from Radha and Her associates how to best serve Krsna. If She is pleased with your efforts, She will confidentially recommend you to Krsna and He will bestow all auspiciousness upon you.

 

Intense love for Srimati Radharani will naturally manifest as your love for Krsna grows. He loves Her beyond words, and She loves Him even more. Their love although infinite and absolute, increases constantly. How can we not love Her for pleasing our Krsna so? It is very very natural, and will come soon for you as you learn more about Their unique relationship.

 

gHari

[Prabhupadanuga]

Very beautifully put.

 

[Sirona]

Dear friends,

 

I would like to reply to your posts.

Sorry for expressing incorrectly, but by "worshipping" I refer to a bhakti relation.

You are right that the soul is neither male nor female, but in a bhakti relation such "external things" are important. Of course the nature of the worshipper makes no difference for the Ishvara, but the nature of the Ishvara is very important to the worshipper. A relation towards a "man" is obviously different from a relation towards a "woman". As I visited some Catholic convents I noticed that monks are more likely to turn to Mary while nuns rather "fall in love" with Jesus. So if my personal Ishvara is blue-skinned, charming and "male", if I feel that my view is supported by the Gita, and if I feel happy with it - why should I take up the service to "somebody else"? It seems that it is recommended to worship Radha along with Krishna, but is it required, and why?

Catholics have their myriads of saints altogether with Virgin Mary. On the one hand they serve as wish-fulfillers. I learned that one should not ask Krishna for selfish desires. But why going around His friends and relatives to obtain His grace? I suppose that Krishna would not reject the petition of one of his friends made for somebody else just because He would not like to hurt His friends. So isn't it selfish, too, to ask for the grace of His friends?

On the other hand the God of the Bible cannot be approached directly. Hearing God's voice is tremendously scary, and if you see his face, you die. Therefore the God of the Bible needs an intermediate to communicate with people. Furthermore he is a humorless big guy, constantly irant and waiting to carry out the final judgment. Therefore a whole lot of intercessors is constantly occupied with appeasing him. If God listens to nobody, at least he will listen to his mother.

Krishna, on the other hand, seems to be well aware of His might and the fragility of people. He seems to be a humorous and friendly Person who does not intently seek to destroy people or find sadistic pleasure in it. He showed the Universal Form to Arjuna to please him only because he had demanded to see It. When Krishna noticed that Arjuna would not stand It any longer He changed back into a human-like form, calming Arjuna down. Many other people that spent their time with Krishna were not harmed, they became very happy instead.

So, if Krishna is not choleric and his presence is beneficial to all, why should one establish a relation to him via intermediate? Why should Krishna want to have an indirect relation via messenger, contrary to a direct one?

Recently I read some Tantric stuff. I had read somewhere that Chaitanya has been influenced by Tantric philosophy, and I did not know what it means. To sum it up, Tantra says that there are male and female deities, who depend on each other in order to reach wisdom and enlightenment. They cannot reach perfection and completeness on their own. As so much importance is given to Lady Radha although She is not mentioned in the Gita, I started to wonder whether a similar thing is considered to be true for Krishna.

Please do not think that I do not like Lady Radha. This would be not true. I am just seeking

 

[gHari]

Sirona, Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not influenced by the tantric arts. Actually, He was not influenced by anything. He is Sri Krsna Himself, in the mood of Sri Radha.

 

Krsna described Himself to Moses as Yahweh, "I am that I am". There are no influences on Him. He is however He choses to be - no rules, no schools, no axioms; complete independence.

[tsaneladi]

Again I am overwhelmed by the kindness and thoughtfulnes of these lengthy responses. It seems I have finally been brought to a forum where I can learn more about our beloved Krishna

[Guest guest]

Dear Sirona,

Do you know the life story of Lord Krsna?

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhaktajoy,

Radhe is not being one separate name to Radha

but one declension of Radha.

A gramtical variance as happening in Latin also when someone's name is being called out.

Like when you call out to the Christ, it is in the Latin said as Christe (kristay).

I am guest because my log in is not oprating.

Haribol.

[Guest guest]

Radha and Krishna are one and the same.

 

There is one god,with many different lilas(pastimes)and many different rasas(relationships).

 

Radha is the highest most complete expression of God as a female.

 

Krishna is the same for a male.