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So today,
this evening, we are talking about Radhastami. We are trying to
understand the chief potency of Krishna. Radharani is the pleasure
potency of Krishna. As we understand from Vedic literature, Krishna has
many varieties of potencies. Parasya shaktir vividhaiva shruyate
[Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya-lila 13.65, purport]. Just
like the same example, as a big man has got many assistants and
secretaries so that he hasn't got to do anything personally, simply by
his will everything is done, similarly, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead has got varieties of energies, and everything is being done so
nicely. Just like this material energy. This material world, where we
are now living… This is called material energy. Bahir-anga-shakti.
The Sanskrit name is bahir-anga, external energy of Krishna. So
how nicely it is being done, everything in the material energy. That is
also explained in the Bhagavad-gita,
mayadhyakshena prakritih suyate sa-characharam: [Bhagavad-gita
9.10] "Under My superintendence the material energy is working." The
material energy is not blind. It is… On the background there is
Krishna.
Mayadhyakshena prakritih [Bhagavad-gita 9.10]. Prakriti
means this material energy. Similarly… This is external energy.
Similarly, there is another energy, which is internal energy. By the
internal energy the spiritual world is being manifested. Paras
tasmat tu bhavah anyah [Bhagavad-gita 8.20].
Another energy, para, superior, transcendental, the spiritual
world. As this material world is being manipulated under the external
energy, similarly, the spiritual world is also conducted by the
internal potency. That internal potency is Radharani.
Radharani…,
today is Radharani's appearance day. So we should try to understand
Radharani's feature. Radharani is the pleasure potency, hladini-shakti.
Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra
1.1.12). In the Vedanta-sutra the Absolute Truth is
described as anandamaya, always in pleasure potency. That anandamaya
potency… Just like ananda. When you want ananda,
pleasure, you cannot have it alone. Alone, you cannot enjoy. When you
are in the circles of friend or family or other associates, you feel
pleasure. Just like I am speaking. The speaking is very pleasing when
there are many persons here. I cannot speak alone here. That is not ananda.
I can speak here at night, dead of night, nobody here. That is not ananda.
Ananda means there must be others. So because
Krishna, the Absolute Truth, is anandamaya, therefore eko
bahu syam, He has become many. We are also Krishna's part and
parcel, to give pleasure to Krishna. And the chief pleasure potency is
Radharani.
radha-krishna-pranaya-vikritir
hladini-shaktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvo (pura) deha-bhedo-gatau tau
chaitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam chaikyam aptam
radha-bhava-(dyuti)-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam [Chaitanya-charitamrita
Adi-lila 1.5]
So Krishna
is Param Brahman, as you know from the Bhagavad-gita.
When Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, he affirmed
Krishna, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan
[Bhagavad-gita 10.12]. So Krishna is Param Brahman. So in
this material world we see that a great, saintly person, simply to
enjoy brahmananda, he gives up everything of material
enjoyment. He becomes sannyasi. Aham brahmasmi.
Just to understand that he is in Brahman realization. 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.
Krishna's enjoyment is nothing material. This point should be
understood. For Brahman realization we are giving up everything
material. And how Param Brahman can enjoy anything material? This
question has been very much nicely discussed by Jiva Gosvami.
So when
the Param Brahman… First of all, the Param Brahman information is not
there in this material world. Little Brahman information is there. Or
little Paramatma information is there. But not Param Brahman, or
Bhagavan, information. Therefore it is said, manushyanam
sahasreshu kashchid yatati siddhaye [Bhagavad-gita
7.3].
Siddhaye means to understand Brahman or Paramatma. But out of many
such persons who have realized Brahman and Paramatma, hardly a person
can know Krishna. And that… First of all… [break] …what we can
understand about Krishna's pleasure potency? If I want to know some big
man. That is one process. And without knowing that big man, how I can
understand about his internal affairs? Similarly, if we do not
understand Krishna, how we can understand how Krishna is enjoying? That
is not possible. But the Gosvamis, they're giving us information what
is the pleasure potency of Krishna. That is Srimati Radharani.
So we have
described about the Radha-Krishna loving affairs in our Teachings
of Lord Chaitanya in page 264. If you have got this book, you
can read it, how the reciprocation of loving affairs of Radha-Krishna
is there, transcendental. So our today prayer to Radharani… We pray to
Radharani because She is the pleasure potency of Krishna. Krishna means
"all-attractive." But Radharani is so great that She attracts Krishna.
Krishna is all-attractive, and She is attractive (attractor) of
Krishna. So what is the position of Srimati Radharani? We should try to
understand this day and offer our obeisances to Radharani. Radhe
vrindavaneshvari.
tapta-kanchana-gaurangi radhe
vrindavaneshvari
vrishabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye
Our business is "Radharani, You are so dear to Krishna. So we offer our
respectful obeisances unto You."
tapta-kanchana-gaurangi radhe
vrindavaneshvari
vrishabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye
[I offer my respects to Radharani, whose bodily
complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrindavana. You
are the daughter of King Vrishabhanu, and You are very dear to Lord
Krishna.]
Radharani is hari-priya, very dear to Krishna. So if we
approach Krishna through Radharani, through the mercy of Radharani,
then it becomes very easy. If Radharani recommends that "This devotee
is very nice," then Krishna immediately accepts, however fool I may be.
Because it is recommended by Radharani, Krishna accepts. Therefore in
Vrindavana you'll find all the devotees, they're chanting more
Radharani's name than Krishna's. Wherever you'll go, you'll find the
devotees are addressing, "Jaya Radhe." You'll find still in Vrindavana.
They are glorifying Radharani. They're more interested, worshiping
Radharani. Because however fallen I may be, if some way or other I can
please Radharani, then it is very easy for me to understand Krishna.
Otherwise,
manushyanam sahasreshu
kashchid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kashchid vetti mam tattvatah [
Bhagavad-gita 7.3]
If you go
by the speculative process to understand Krishna, it will take many,
many lives. But if you take devotional service, just try to please
Radharani, and Krishna will be gotten very easily. Because Radharani
can deliver Krishna. She is so great devotee, the emblem of maha-bhagavata.
Even Krishna cannot understand what is Radharani's quality. Even
Krishna, although He says vedaham samatitani [Bhagavad-gita
7.26], "I know everything," still, He fails to understand Radharani.
Radharani is so great. He says that… Actually, Krishna knows
everything. In order to understand Radharani, Krishna accepted the
position of Radharani. Krishna wanted to understand the potency of
Radharani. Krishna thought that "I am full. I am complete in every
respect, but still, I want to understand Radharani. Why?" This
propensity made Krishna obliged to accept the propensities of
Radharani, to understand Krishna, Himself.
These are,
of course, very transcendental… great science. One who is advanced in
Krishna consciousness and well conversant with the shastras,
they can understand. But still, we can discuss from the shastra.
When Krishna wanted to understand Himself, He took the tendency of
Srimati Radharani. And that is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna, but He has accepted the propensities
of Radharani. As Radharani is always in feelings of separation of
Krishna, similarly, in the position of Radharani, Lord Chaitanya was
feeling separation of Krishna. That is the teachings of Lord Chaitanya,
feelings of separation, not meeting. The process of devotional service
taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His disciplic succession is how to
feel separation from Krishna. That is Radharani's position, always
feeling the separation.
The
Gosvamis, they also, when they were in Vrindavana, they never said that
"I have seen Krishna." Although they were the most perfect, they never
said that "I have seen Krishna." Their prayers were like this: he
radhe! vraja-devike! he nanda-suno! kutah. He radhe, Radharani, he
radhe! vraja-devike! cha. Radharani does not remain alone. He
(She) remains always with His (Her) friends, vraja-devi, Lalita
or Vishakha and other damsels of Vrindavana. So the Gosvamis are
praying, in their mature stage, when they were living at Vrindavana,
they were praying in this way, he radhe! vraja-devike! cha
lalite! he nanda-suno! kutah: "Where, Radharani, where You are?
Where are Your associates? Where You are, Nanda-suno, the son of Nanda
Maharaja, Krishna? Where you are, all?" They were searching after. They
never said, "I have seen Krishna dancing with the gopis. Last
night I saw." (laughter) This is
sahajiya. This is not mature devotee. This is called… They are
called sahajiya. They take everything very cheap—Krishna very
cheap, Radharani very cheap—as if they can see every night. No. The
Gosvamis do not teach us like that. They're searching after. He
radhe! vraja-devike! cha lalite! he nanda-suno! kutah,
sri-govardhana-padapa-tale kalindi-vanye kutah: "Are you there
under
the Govardhana Hill or on the banks of the Yamuna?" Kalindi-vanye
kutah. Ghoshantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair maha-vihvalau.
Their business was crying like this, "Where You are? Where You are,
Radharani? Where you are, Lalita, Vishkha, the associates of Radharani?
Where You are, Krishna? Are You near Govardhana Hill or on the bank of
the Yamuna?" Ghoshantav iti sarvato vraja-pure. So
throughout the whole tract of Vrindavana they were crying and searching
after Them,
khedair maha-vihvalau, as if madman. Khedair
maha-vihvalau. Vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau.
So we
have to follow the footprints of the Gosvamis, how to search out
Krishna and Radharani, Vrindavana, or within your heart. That is the
process of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's bhajana: feeling of
separation, vipralambha, vipralambha-seva. Just like
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, feeling the separation of Krishna, He was falling
down on the sea. He was coming out of His rest room or His bedroom and
going out at dead of night. Nobody knew where He has gone. So that was
His searching. This process of devotional service is taught by
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Not that very easily, "We have seen Krishna or
seen Radharani in rasa-lila." No, not like that. Feel the
separation. The more you feel separation from Krishna, you should
understand that you are advancing. Don't try to see Krishna
artificially. Be advanced in separation feeling, and then it will be
perfect. That is the teachings of Lord Chaitanya. Because with our
material eyes we cannot see Krishna. Atah sri-krishna-namadi na
bhaved grahyam indriyaih [Chaitanya-charitamrita
Madhya-lila 17.136]. With our material senses we cannot see Krishna, we
cannot hear about Krishna's name. But sevonmukhe hi jihvadau.
When you engage yourself in the service of the Lord… Where the service
begins? Jihvadau. The service begins from the tongue. Not from
the legs, eyes, or ears. It begins from the tongue. Sevonmukhe
hi jihvadau. If you begin service through your tongue… How?
Chant Hare Krishna. Use your tongue. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
And take Krishna prasadam [food offered to Krishna]. The tongue
has got two business: to articulate sound, Hare Krishna; and take prasadam.
By this process you'll realize Krishna.
Devotee:
Haribol!
Prabhupada:
Don't try to see Krishna. You cannot see Krishna with your material
eyes. Neither you can hear about Him with your material ears. Neither
you can touch. 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 of Krishna just like Radharani, as Lord Chaitanya
teaches us, and engage your tongue in the service of the Lord; then,
one day, when you are mature, you'll see Krishna eye to eye.