Krishna the Person
Who is that Girl with Krishna?
some notes on understanding Radha, the feminine aspect of the Absolute Truth
by Jayadvaita Swami
When people see a picture like the one you see here, they often ask, "Who is that girl with Krishna?" The answer is that She is Srimati Radharani, Krishna's pleasure potency. The devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement humbly try to glorify Srimati Radharani because by her mercy one can advance wonderfully in Krishna consciousness.
What is the Pleasure Potency
Everyone naturally wants to enjoy, yet no one is fully independent in finding enjoyment. To satisfy our desires, we need the association of others. We use the expression "to enjoy oneself," but we enjoy ourselves most in good company. Indeed, most people would find prolonged solitude practically unbearable.
Krishna, however, the Supreme Lord, being the source of everything, is fully independent. He is independent in His existence, His knowledge and His pleasure, for everything rests upon Him, as pearls are strung on a thread.
Krishna, therefore, needs no one. Since in one sense He is everything, no one exists outside of Him. Consequently, when Krishna wants to enjoy, He expands the potency or energy within Himself that gives him enjoyment. This potency is a person. Her name is Srimati Radharani.
Radharani is not a different person from Krishna, or, rather, she is both one with and different from Him. How could two people be one person or one person be two? A simple example will illustrate how this is so. The sun cannot exist without the sunshine, nor the sunshine without the sun. We say, "the sun is in my room"—even though the sun itself is ninety-three million miles away—because the sun appears in the form of its energy. Therefore the energy (the sunshine) and the energetic (the sun) are simultaneously one and different. Similarly, Radha and Krishna are simultaneously one and different. Krishna, the self-effulgent Lord, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Srimati Radharani is His supreme pleasure energy. Together They constitute the complete Absolute Truth.
Who Can Understand All This
One cannot understand anything about Radha and Krishna through mental speculation. Krishna and His potencies are achintya, inconceivable, and ananta, unlimited. He is the very source of the mind itself, and therefore He is beyond the mind. The limited mind cannot understand the unlimited Personality of Godhead. The Vedic literature explains this very logically: "that which is transcendental to material nature is inconceivable, whereas speculative arguments are all mundane. Since mundane arguments cannot touch transcendental subject matters, one should not try to understand transcendental subjects through mundane arguments."
When ordinary mundane intellectuals try to explain or interpret the identity or pastimes of Radha and Krishna, Krishna's unlimited nature bewilders them, and therefore they misconstrue everything. Thus they sometimes consider Radha and Krishna to be like an ordinary boy and girl of the material world. But although they often pose as scholars, they do not know what they are talking about. One should therefore strictly avoid the confused mundane ideas of such blundering intellectuals. If one wishes to understand Radha and Krishna, one must understand Them by hearing submissively from a bona fide authority
The original authority on Krishna is Krishna Himself. Everyone is first an authority regarding his own self, and this is also true regarding Krishna. Moreover, since Krishna is unlimited, no one else can understand Him fully. Krishna's disciple Arjuna confirms this as follows in Bhagavad-gita:
svayam evatmanatmanam
vettha tvam purusottama
bhuta-bhavana bhutesa
deva-deva jagat pate
"Indeed, You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!" (Bhagavad-gita, 10.15)
Although Krishna is inconceivable to mental speculation, those to whom He reveals Himself can understand Him. Krishna first gave such transcendental knowledge to Brahma, the first created living being. Brahma later transmitted this knowledge to his son Narada, who transmitted it to Vyasa, the author of Bhagavad-gita. In this way, the knowledge has descended from master to disciple, through a chain of the Bhakti tradition, even down to the present day. A spiritual master in this disciplic line is a bona fide authority regarding Krishna. He is the proper person from whom to receive transcendental knowledge.
What Gives Krishna Pleasure
According to such spiritual authorities, Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasure, and therefore He is all-attractive. Yet Krishna Himself derives pleasure from the service rendered by His devotees. Such devotional service attracts even Him. Krishna Himself, while speaking to a friend, confirms his as follows in Srimad Bhagavatam: "My dear Uddhava, you may know from Me that the attraction I feel for devotional service rendered by My devotees is not to be equaled even if one performs mystic yoga, philosophical speculation or ritualistic sacrifices, studies Vedanta, practices severe austerities or gives up everything in charity. These are, of course, very nice activities, but they are not as attractive to Me as the transcendental loving service rendered by My devotees." (Bhag. 11.12.1)
Krishna is full in six opulences: beauty, wealth, fame, strength, knowledge, and renunciation. No amount of material opulence, therefore, can attract Him. Just as one could not attract a millionaire by offering him a few dollars, one cannot attract Krishna merely by one's limited material opulence. Nevertheless, pure devotional service attracts even Krishna. This is the unique transcendental excellence of devotional service.
Srimati Radharani is the embodiment of pure devotional service. No one can be a greater devotee than She. The very name Radharani comes from the Sanskrit word aradhana, which means "worship." Her name is Radharani because She excels all in worshiping Krishna. Although Krishna is so beautiful that He can attract millions of Cupids and is therefore called Madana-mohana, "the attractor of Cupid," Radharani can attract even Krishna. She is therefore called Madana-mohana-mohini—"the attractor of the attractor of Cupid."
The same Krishna who is not attracted by any amount of material opulence finds Srimati Radharani irresistible. One time Krishna, to joke with the gopis, the cowherd girls of Vrndavana, was hiding Himself beneath a bush, but finally they spotted Him from a distance. Krishna then changed Himself into His four-armed form of Narayana. When the gopis approached and found Narayana instead of Krishna, they were not very interested in Him; only Krishna's original two-armed form attracted them. They therefore offered their respectful obeisances unto Lord Narayana and prayed that He would bestow upon them the benediction of Krishna's eternal association. Then they went on searching for Krishna. When Srimati Radharani passed by, however, Krishna tried to maintain His disguise as Narayana but was unable to do so; he kept slipping back into His original two-armed form. This illustrates the great influence of Srimati Radharani's pure transcendental love.
Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that as one surrenders unto Him, He reciprocates accordingly. Therefore the more Radharani tries to please Krishna, the more he desires to please Her, thus in turn increasing Her enthusiasm to increase His pleasure. Therefore although the Lord is unlimited, both He Himself and His pleasure potency are always increasing. The all-blissful reciprocation between the Lord and His pleasure potency is expressed in the transcendental pastimes of Radha and Krishna, which are described in detail in Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Love or Lust—What's the Difference
The reciprocation of love between Radha and Krishna is the essence of spiritual love. Because Krishna is the origin of everything, He is the origin of love also. The attraction between boys and girls in the material world is a perverted reflection of the purely spiritual relationship between Radha and Krishna. One who thinks he can be happy through material sexual enjoyment cannot understand the relationship between Radha and Krishna; and, conversely, if one hears about Radha and Krishna from a bona fide spiritual master, his material sexual desires evaporate.
In the material world, although one may profess true love, inwardly one's real desire is to enjoy his own senses. We love someone as long as he or she satisfies our senses, and when such sensual pleasure dwindles, the so-called love dwindles with it. Thus the love affair ends in separation or divorce. But pure devotees of Krishna on the spiritual platform have no desires to please themselves. They desire only to please Lord Krishna. This is true unalloyed love.
What we speak of as "love" in the material world is actually lust, or a desire to serve oneself. It has no permanent basis; today I love one girl, tomorrow another, according to my changing fancy. Indeed, although a boy and girl may change sexual partners as often as dogs and cats do, in our modern idiom we refer to their sexual intercourse as "lovemaking," as through the gross friction of two hot bodies could generate love. We speak of love so easily, but really in this material world there is no love—it is all lust. The difference between love and lust is like the difference between gold and iron. Both gold and iron are metals, but otherwise they are not at all alike.
The conditioned souls in the material world are generally misdirected and frustrated in love because they try to get pleasure by satisfying their material bodily senses. They do not know that they are different from their bodies. The body is always changing—from childhood, to youth, to old age—but the same person is always present in each body. He identifies himself as an American or Englishman, a Jew or a Christian, a boy or a girl, according to his body, but that body is not himself. Therefore no matter how diligently he tries to be happy by gratifying his bodily demands, he is never successful. Just as one cannot satisfy a bird by cleaning its cage and not feeding the bird itself, one cannot satisfy his physical senses. Besides that, the more one tries to satisfy the senses, the more they demand. Indulgence cannot satisfy the senses, any more than gasoline can extinguish a fire. Trying to smother one's anxieties with the gasoline of sense gratification will only ignite an explosion. Therefore, by trying to satisfy his material desires for sensual enjoyment the poor conditioned soul merely increases his desire, but not his satisfaction. He becomes a servant of the senses, working hard to fulfill hankerings that can never be fulfilled. To find real pleasure, one must find real love—and for this one must love Krishna. To be truly happy, one must engage in His devotional service.
Such devotional service is under the control of Srimati Radharani. She is the presiding Deity of devotional service. Because She is very merciful, devotees especially take advantage of Her merciful nature to attain the service of Krishna. Indeed, although engagement is pure devotional service is rarely achieved, one can achieve it very easily by the grace of Srimati Radharani.
Bhagavad-gita confirms that those who are truly mahatmas, great souls, take shelter of Krishna's daivi prakrti, or spiritual energy—Srimati Radharani. "Always chanting My glories," Lord Krishna declares, "endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion." (Bg. 9.14) This devotional service is not an activity of the material world; it is fully spiritual because it is directly under the control of Krishna's spiritual energy—Srimati Radharani.
To perform devotional service, one should follow in the footsteps of Srimati Radharani by performing pure devotional service to Krishna, without any concern for material profit. But one should not worship Krishna alone. Krishna is not complete without Srimati Radharani, as the sun is not complete without the sunshine. One should therefore worship both Radha and Krishna, for together They are the complete Absolute Truth.
Actually, worshiping Radharani is better than worshiping Krishna. More precisely, one can best worship Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through Srimati Radharani, His supreme pleasure energy. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." (Bg. 9.26) But rather than offer a flower directly to Krishna, better to offer the flower to Srimati Radharani, requesting, "My dear Radharani, please recommend me to Your Krishna." Krishna is the supreme controller, yet he is controlled by the pure devotion of Srimati Radharani. Krishna is therefore also known as the "property of Radharani." If one can please Radharani, therefore, one can very easily please Lord Krishna.
Srimati Radharani has the vision of a most highly elevated devotee. Thus She sees everyone equally. If anyone approaches her to serve Krishna, even if he is the most fallen, She immediately bestows Her mercy upon him by recommending to Krishna, "Oh, Krishna, here is a devotee. He is better than Me." Because Srimati Radharani is always absorbed in thought of Krishna, She is very dear to Krishna. Therefore if one tries in this way to reach Krishna through Radharani, he will surely be successful.
How Can We Learn To Serve Radha and Krishna
To be able to serve Radha and Krishna, one must first approach a bona fide spiritual master. Krishna has two energies—material and spiritual. The spiritual energy is full of eternal bliss and knowledge, whereas the material energy causes ignorance, misery and death. Although we are all originally spiritual, unfortunately we are now engrossed in the material energy. Because of illusion, however, we do not remember our real position, nor do we know how to return to the spiritual world. Therefore Krishna personally descends to this material world to attract us by exhibiting His transcendental pastimes and by speaking the message of Bhagavad-gita for our enlightenment. But Krishna returned to His abode 5,000 years ago. Does this mean we can no longer approach Him? No. In His absence, we may approach him through His representative, the spiritual master.
The spiritual master is the mercy incarnation of God. Because Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, approaching Him is difficult. But he is also most compassionate, and out of his compassion He empowers His pure devotees to bring back home, back to Godhead, the fallen souls who have forgotten Him.
Srimati Radharani, the tenderhearted female counterpart of Lord Krishna, represents His compassionate nature. Therefore he spiritual master, who compassionately appears in the material world for the sake of the fallen souls, is considered a representative of Srimati Radharani. By the mercy of the spiritual master, one can obtain the mercy of Krishna. There is no alternative means for success. Without the mercy of the spiritual master, one cannot make any progress in devotional service. This is the opinion of all bona fide authorities on devotional life.
The spiritual master trains his disciples in such a way that they can become free from bondage to material consciousness, engage in devotional service, and thus gradually develop pure love of Godhead. The spiritual master has the responsibility of scientifically engaging each disciple in a practical manner. Among the many different paths for the attainment of spiritual realization, one needs the expert guidance of a bona fide spiritual master to understand which path to follow to make actual progress toward the supreme goal.
In our modern age, the most recommended process for perfection is to chant the Hare Krishna mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Krishna and Rama are names of the Lord, and Hare addresses Hara, the pleasure potency of the Lord—Srimati Radharani. As living spiritual souls, we are originally spiritual energy, but somehow or other we have now fallen into this material world of birth and death. But when we come under the shelter of the supreme spiritual energy, Srimati Radharani, we come to our happy, normal position.
Radharani is the potency who gives transcendental pleasure to Krishna. When the mercy of that potency is bestowed upon a living entity, he develops love of Godhead and thus attains the highest pleasure—and he can also distribute that pleasure—and he can also distribute that pleasure to others. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has introduced this process of chanting to the Western countries and is spreading it all over the world. "The chanting," he says, "is exactly like the cry of a child for its mother's presence. Mother Hara [Srimati Radharani] helps the devotee achieve the Lord Father's grace, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely."
Srimati Radharani in the Chaitanya Charitamrita and Brahma-Samhita
Brahma-Samhita
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the ecstatic potency [hladini]. Their companions are Her who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa.” B.S. 5.37
Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami
C.C. Adi 1.6
Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She relishes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the wonb of Srimati Sacideve, as the moon appears from the ocean.
The essence of the hladini potency is love of God, the essence of love of God is emotion [bhava], and the ultimate developement of emotion is mahabhava.
Sri Radha Thakurani is the embodiment of mahabhava. She is the repository of all good qualities and the crest jewel among all the lovely consorts of Lord Krsna.
Of these two gopis [Radharani and Candravali], Srimati Radharani is superior in all respects. She is the embodiment of mahabhava, and She surpasses all in good qualities. (Ujjvala-nilamani 2)
Her mind, senses and body are steeped in love for Krsna. She is Krsna’s own energy, and She helps Him in His pastimes.[Adi 4.68-71]
Lord Krsna made Srimati Radharani close Her eyes in shame before Her friends by His words relating Their amorous activities on the previous night. Then He showed the highest limit of cleverness in drawing pictures of dolphins in various playful sports on Her breasts. In this way Lord Hari made His youth successful by performing pastimes in the bushes with Sri Radha and Her friends. [B.r.s. 2.1.231] (CC Adi 4.117)
Adi 4.214-221
Among the gopis, Srimati Radhika is the foremost. She surpasses all in beauty, in good qualities, in good fortune, and above all, in love.
Just as Radha is dear to Lord Krsna, so Her bathing placed [Radha-kunda] is dear to Him. She alone is His most beloved of all gopis. (Padma Purana)
O Partha, in all the three planetary systems, this earth is especially fortunate, for on earth is the town of Vrndavana. And there the gopis are especially glorious because among them is My Srimati Radharani. (Adi Purana-Krsna to Arjuna)
All the other gopis help increase the joy of Krsna’s pastimes with Radharani. The gopis act as instruments of Their mutual enjoyment.
Radha is the beloved consort of Krsna, and She is the wealth of His life. Without Her, the gopis cannot give Him pleasure.
Lord Krsna, the enemy of Kamsa, left aside the other gopis during the rasa dance and took Srimati Radharani to His heart, for She is the helper of the Lord in realizing the essence of His desires. (Gita-Govinda 3.1 - Krsna leaves rasa lila to search for Radha)
Lord Caitanya appeared with the sentiment of Radha. He preached the dharma of this age-the chanting of the holy name and pure love of God.
In the mood of Srimati Radharani, He also fulfilled His own desires. This is the principal reason for His appearance.
C.C. Adi 4.238-272
Once Lord Krsna considered with His heart: “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 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 unequalled 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 worlds of Srimati Radharani. Although My body lends fragrance to the entire creation, the scent of Radharani’s limbs captivates My mind and heart. Although the entire creation is full of differnt tastes because of Me, I am charmed by the nectarean taste of the lips 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 Sri Radhika are My life and soul. In this way My affectionate feelings for Srimati Radharani may be understood, but on analysis I find them contradictory. My eyes are fully satisfied when I look upon Srimati Radharani but by looking upon Me, She becomes even more advanced in satisfaction. The flutelike murmur of the bamboos rubbing against one another steals Radharani’s consciousness, for She thinks it to be the sound of My flute. And She embraces a tamala tree, mistaking it for Me. ‘I have gotten the embrace of Sri Krsna,’ She thinks, ‘so now My life is fulfilled.’ Thus She remains immersed in pleasing Krsna, taking the tree in Her arms. When a favorable breeze carries to Her the fragrance of My body, She is blinded by love and tries to fly into that breeze. When She tastes the betel chewed by Me, She merges in an ocean of joy and forgets everything else. Even with hundreds of mouths I could not express the transcendental pleasure She derives from My association. Seeing the luster of Her complexion after Our pastimes together, I forget My own identity in happiness. The sage Bharata has said that the mellows of lover and beloved are equal. But he does not know the mellows of My Vrndavana. The happiness I feel when meeting Radharani is a hundred times greater than the happiness I get from meeting others.
My dear auspicious Radharani, Your body is the source of all beauty. Your red lips are softer than the sense of immortal sweetness, Your face bears the aroma of a lotus flower, Your sweet words defeat the vibrations of the cuckoo, and Your limbs are cooler than the pulp of sandalwood. All My transcendental senses are overwhelmed in ecstatic pleasure by tasting You, who are completely decorated by beautiful qualities. (spoken by Lord Krsna to Radha, Lalita-Madhava 9.9 by Rupa Goswami)
Her eyes are enchanted by the beauty of Lord Krsna, the enemy of Kamsa. Her body thrills in pleasure at His touch. Her ears are always attracted to His sweet voice, Her nostrils are enchanted by His fragrance, and Her tongue hankers for the nectar of His soft lips. She hangs down her lotuslike face, exercising self-control only by pretense, but She cannot help showing the external signs of Her spontaneous love for Lord Krsna. (Rupa Goswami thus describes the countenance of Srimati Radharani)
Considering this, I can understand that some unknown mellow in Me controls the entire existence of My captivator, Srimati Radharani. I am always eager to taste the joy that Radharani derives from Me. In spite of various efforts, I have not been able to taste it. But My desire to relish that pleasure increases as I smell its sweetness. I have appeared in the world to taste mellows. I shall taste the mellows of pure love in various ways. I shall teach devotional service, which springs from the spontaneous love of the devotees, by demonstrating it Myself with My pastimes. But these three desires have not been satisfied, for one cannot enjoy them in a contrary postition. Unless I accept the luster of the ecstatic love of Sri Radhika, these three desires cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, assuming Radharani’s sentiments and bodily complexion, I shall descend to fulfill these three desires. In this way Lord Krsna came to a decision. Simultaneously, the time came for the incarnation of the age. At that time Sri Advaita was earnestly worshiping Him. Advaita attracted Him with His loud calls. First Lord Krsna made His parents and elders appear. Then Krsna Himself, with the sentiments and complexion of Radhika, appeared in Navadvipa, like the full moon, from the womb of mother Saci, which is like an ocean of pure milk.
Lord Krsna desired to taste the limitless nectarean mellows of the love of one of His multitude of loving damsels [Sri Radha], and so He assumed the form of Lord Caitanya. He has tasted that love while hiding His own dark complexion with Her effulgent yellow color. May that Lord Caitanya confer upon us His grace. (Caitanyastaka 2.3 of Rupa Goswami) C.C. Adi 4.275
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Srimati Radharani's Appearance
Srimati Radharani is the eternal consort of Lord Krishna. Five thousand years ago, when Lord Krishna came to this planet to perform His pastimes, Srimati Radharani also appeared. This year we celebrate her appearance on September 15. This special day is known as Radhashtami. The following is adapted from a lecture by His Holiness Varshana Swami:
“On a half-moon night in the month of Bhadra, King Vrishabhanu came to the Jamuna to bathe and found himself engulfed in a golden aura, the golden aura of pure love. It was emanating from a lotus, which had a baby girl standing on its whorl. When the king returned to the palace with the baby, Queen Kirtida was delighted. She was also shocked that the girl was blind.
“Lord Krishna’s mother, Yashoda, heard that her best friend Kirtida had a baby, so she came to visit along with her husband and her son. Krishna crawled up to the cradle and pulled Himself up and looked in. At that moment, Srimati Radharani’s eyes fluttered and opened wide and blossomed like lotuses. It seems that she did not want to see anything of this world, only the form of Sri Krishna. Everyone was delighted.
“Srimati Radharani is the mother of the universe, the spiritual mother of all souls. And the concept of mother is the most sacred symbol—that of purity, selflessness, caring, sharing, nurturing, and love. That is why our sacred mantra is the holy names. It is the holy names in the vocative. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
“‘Hare’ means ‘Radhe.’ It is a plaintive, desperate cry for the mother. ‘Radhe! Please wake us up from this nightmare of mortal life! Remind us of the father we have forgotten and take us home!’”
In the Krishna consciousness movement, devotees carefully worship Srimati Radharani as the bestower of devotional service to Krishna, by attentively chanting her name in the maha-mantra, by worshiping her deity form, and by following the instructions of the most merciful Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the combined form of Radha and Krishna.
“(Therefore) Radha is parama-devata, the supreme goddess, and She is worshipable for everyone. She is the protectress of all, and She is the mother of the entire universe.” —Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi 4.89
Learn More…
- Sri Radha—the Feminine Divine
- Radha, Krishna's Female Counterpart
- Srimati Radharani's Artistic Qualities
- The Names of Srimati Radharani
- Radharani—The Feminine Side of God
- The Meeting of Radha and Krishna
- Radharani's Mood of Separation
- That Internal Potency is Radharani
- The Qualities of Srimati Radharani
- Radharani Gallery
The Names of Srimati Radharani
Sri Radha Radhika - Lord Krsna's greatest worshiper
Krsna-Vallabha - Lord Krsna's beloved
Krsna-Samyuta - Lord Krsna's constant companion
Vrndavanesvari - queen of Vrndavana
Krsna-Priya - beloved of Lord Krsna
Madana-Mohini - more charming than Kamadeva
Srimati - beautiful
Krsna-Kanta - Lord Krsna beloved
Krsnananda-Pradayini - the giver of bliss to Lord Krsna
Yasasvini yasogamya - famous
Yasodananana-Vallabha - beloved of Yasoda's son
Damodara-Priya - dear to Lord Damodara
Gopi - cowherd girl
Gopananda-Kari - giver of happiness to the gopas
Krsnanga-Vasini - Her residence is on Lord Krsna's limbs
Hrdya - She is charming
Hari-kanta Hari-Priya - Lord Hari's beloved
Pradhana-Gopika - the most important gopi
Gopa-Kanya - the daughter of a gopa
Trailokya-Sundari - the most beautiful girl in the 3 worlds
Vrndavana-Vihari - She enjoys pastimes in Vrndavana
Vikasita-Mukhambuja - Her face is a blossoming lotus
Gokulananda-Kartri Gokulananda-Dayini - She brings happiness to Gokula
Gati-Prada - She gives the goal of life
Gita-Gamya - She is approached by chanting Her holy names
Gamanagamana-Priya - She is the beloved of the omnipresent Supreme personality of Godhead
Visnu-Priya Visnu-Kanta - Lord Visnu's beloved
Visnur Anga-Nivasini - resides on Lord Visnu's limbs
Yasodananda-Patni Yasodananda-Gehini - wife of Yasoda's son
Kamari-Kanta - the beloved of lust's enemy
Kamesi - Lord Krsna's amorous queen
Kama-Lalasa-Vigraha - Lord Krsna's passionate lover
Jaya-Prada - giver of victory
Jaya - She is victory itself
Jiva - She is life
Jivananda-Pradayini - giver of happiness to the living entities
Nandanandana-PatVedatita - beyond the Vedas
Vid-Uttama - the wisest philosopher
Niti-Sastra-Priya - She is an eager student of the scriptures describing ethics
Niti-Gati - the perfect moralist
Mati - the most thoughtful philosopher
Abhistada - the fulfiller of desires
Veda-Priya - an eager student of the Vedas
Veda-Garbha - the mother of the Vedas
Veda-Marga-Pravardhini - the teacher of the Veda's path
Veda-Gamya - She is approached by Vedic study
Veda-Para - She is the supreme goal described in the Vedas
Vicitra-Kanakojjvala - splendid with wonderfull golden ornaments
Ujjvala-Prada - glorious
Nitya - eternal
Ujjvala-Gatrika - Her limbs are filled with glory
Nanda-Priya - dear to Maharaja Nanda
Nanda-Sutaradhya - worshiped by Nanda's son
Ananda-Prada - delightful
Subha - beautiful
Subhangi - with beautiful limbs
Vimalangi - with splendid limbs
Vilasini - playful
Aparajita - unconquerable
Janani - She is the mother of all
Janma-Sunya - without birth
Janma-Mrtyu-Jarapaha - the remover of birth death and old age
Gatir Gatimatam - the supreme goal of the aspiring devotees
Dhatri - the mother of all
Dhatrananda - Pradayini - the giver of bliss to the Supreme creator
Jagannatha-Priya - dear to the Lord of the universe
Saila-Vasini - She resides on a hill
Hema-Sundari - She is beautiful and golden
Kisori - She is youthful
Kamala Padma - like a lotus flower
Padma-Hasta - Her hands are lotuses
Payoda-Da - She is buxom
Payasvini Paya-Datri - She is buxom
Pavitra - pure
Sarva-Mangala - all auspicious
Maha-Jiva-Prada - the great giver of life
Krsna-Kanta - Lord Krsna's beloved
Kamala-Sundari - Beautiful as a lotus
Vicitra-Vasini Citra-Vasini - She is wonderfully fragrant
Citra-Rupini - wonderfully beautiful
Nirguna - free of the modes of material nature
Sri Kulina - born in a pious family
Niskulina - not born in any family of the material world
Nirakula - free from all distress
Gokulantara-Geha - Her home is in Gokula
Yogananda-Kari - delights Lord Krsna when She meets Him
Venu-Vadya - She plays the flute
Venu-Rati - She enjoys playing the flute
Venu-Vadhya-Parayana - fond of playing the flute
Gopalasya Priya - Lord Gopala's beloved
Saumya-Rupa - She is gentle and noble
Saumya-Kulodvaha - born in an exalted family
Moha Vimoha - charming
Amoha - free from bewilderment
Gati-Nistha Gati-Prada - She gives the goal of life
Girbana-Vandya - the demigods offer obeisances to Her
Girbana - She is divine
Girbana-gana-Sevita - served by the demigods
Lalita - playful and charming
Visoka - free from lamentation
Visakha - the star Visakha
Citra-Malini - decorated with wonderful garlands
Jitendria - She has conquered Her senses
Suddha-Sattva - situated in pure goodness
Kulina - born in a noble family
Kulina-Dipika - the lamp illuminating Her family
Dipa-Priya - fond of lamps
Dipa-Datri - the giver of the lamp
Vimala - pure
Vimalodaka - the sacred river
Kantara-Vasini - She lives in a forest
Krsna Krsncandra-Priya - Lord Krsna's beloved
Mati - She is thoughtfulness
Anuttara - unsurpassed
Duhkha-Hantri - the remover of suffering
Duhkha-Kartri - the creator of suffering
Kuladvaha - the noblest in Her family
Mati - She is thoughtfulness
Laksmi - Godess Laksmi
Dhrti - perseverence
Lajja - modesti
Kanti - beauty
Pusti - fukfillment
Smrti - memory
Ksama - patience
Ksirodasayini - She who lies down on the ocean of milk
Devi - the Goddess
Devari-Kula-Mardini - the crusher of Lord Krsna's enemies
Vaisnavi - She is Visnu's consort
Maha-Laksmi - Goddess Maha-Laksmi
Kula-Pujya - worshipped by Her family
Kula-Priya - Dear to Her family
Samhartri Sarva-Daityanam - the destroyer of all demons
Savitri - the gayatri mantra
Veda-Gamini - Follower of the vedas
Vedatita - beyond the Vedas
Niralamba - liberated
Niralamba-Gana-Priya - dear to the liberated
Niralamba-Janaih-Pujya - worshiped by the libertated
Niraloka - unseen by conditioned souls
Nirasraya - Independent
Ekanga - She has one form
Sarvaga - She is all-pervading
Sevya - the supreme object of worship
Brahma-Patni - Brahma's wife
Sarasvati - Goddess Sarasvati
Rasa-Priya - fond of the rasa dance
Rasa-Gamya - the girl Lord Krnsa approached in the rasa dance
Rasadhisthatr-Devata - the predominating Deity of the rasa dance
Rasika - She enjoys the transcendental mellows
Rasikananda - tastes the bliss of the transcendental mellows
Svayam Rasesvari - the queen of the rasa dance
Para - transcendental
Rasa-Mandala-Madhystha - the girl who stays in the middle of the rasa dance circle
Rasa-Mandala-Sobhita - the girl who beautifies the rasa dance circle
Rasa-Mandala-Sevya - She is served in the rasa dance circle
Rasa-krida - She enjoys the pastimes of the rasa dance
Manohara - She is beautiful
Pundarikaksa-Nilaya - Her dark eyes are lotus flowers
Pundarikaksa-Gehini - She is the wife of lotus-eyed Krsna
Pundarikaksa-Sevya - She is served by lotus eyed Krsna
Pundarikaksa-Vallabha - dear to lotus-eyed Krsna
Sarva-Jivesvari - the queen of all living entities
Sarva-Jiva-Vandya - worshiped
Parat-Para - greater than the greatest
Prakrti - the Goddess of material nature
Sambhu-Kanta, Sadasiva-Manohara - the beautiful wife of Lord Siva
Ksut - She is hunger
Pipasa - She is thirst
Daya - She is mercy
Nidra - She is sleep
Bhranti - bewilderment
Sranti - exhaustion
Ksamakula - patience
Vadhu-Rupa - She is a young girl
Gopa-Patni - a wife of a Gopa
Bharati - the Goddess of eloquence
Siddha-Yogini - perfect in the science of yoga
Satya-Rupa Nitya-Rupa Nityangi - Her form is eternal
Nitya-Gehini - She is Lord Krsna's wife eternally
Sthana-Datri - She gives Her devotees their homes
Dhatri - She is the mother
Maha-Laksmi - Goddess Maha-Laksmi
Svayam-Prabha - Self effulgent
Sindhu-Kanya - the daughter of the milk ocean
Dvaraka-Vasini - She who resides in Dvaraka
Buddhi - intelligence
Sthiti Sthana-Rupa - steadiness
Sarva-Karana-Karana - the cause of all causes
Bhakti-Priya - fond of serving Krsna
Bhakti-Gamya - approached by devotional service
Bhaktananda-Pradayini - the giver of bliss to the devotees
Bhakta-Kalpa-Drumatita - She is more than a kalpa-vrksa tree for the devotees
Atita-Guna - the possessor of the greatest transcendental virtues
Mano-'Dhisthatri-Devi - the predominating Deity of the heart
Krsna-Prema-Parayana - the girl completely in love with Lord Krsna
Niramaya - free from all disease
Saumya-Datri - the most gentle, kind and generous
Madana-Mohini - more charming tham Kamadeva
Eka Anamsa - one without a second
Siva Durga - the wife of Lord Siva
Ksema - happiness and auspiciousness personified
Durgati-Nasini - the person who destroys all calamities
Isvari - She is the supreme controller
Sarva-Vandya - worshiped by all
Gopaniya - reclusive
Subhankari - the giver of auspiciousness
Palini Sarva-Bhutanam - the protectress of all living entities
Kamanga-Harini - the wife of Lord Siva who destroyed Kamadeva's body
Sadya-Mukti-Prada - She is the person who quickly gives liberation
Devi - the Goddess
Veda-Sara - the essence of the Vedas
Parat Para - greater than the greatest
Himalaya-Suta Sarva Parvati Girija Sati - She is Goddess Parvati
Daksa-Kanya - She is Daksa's daughter
Deva-Mata - the demigod's mother
Manda-Lajja - bold
Hares-Tanuh - Lord Hari's own transcendental form
Vrndaranya-Priya - fond of Vrndavana
Vrnda - Goddess Vrnda
Vrndavana-Vilasini - The girl who enjoys pastimes in Vrndavana
Vilasini - She is playful
Vaisnavi - Lord Visnu's companion
Brahmaloka-Pratisthita - the predominating goddess of the spiritual world
Rukmini - She is Rukmini
Revati - She is Revati
Satyabhama - She is Satyabhama
Jambavati - She is Jambavati
Sulaksmana - She is Sulaksmana
Mitravinda - She is Mitravinda
Kalindi - She is Kalindi
Jahnu-Kanya - she is Jahnavi
Paripurna Purnatara - most perfect
Hainaveti - Goddess Parvati
Gati - the supreme goal of life
Apurva - She is unprecedented
Brahma-Rupa - She is spiritual
Brahmanda-Paripalini - the protectress of the universe
Brahnanda-Bhanda-Madbyastha - the goddess who enters the material universe
Brahmanda-Bhanda-Rupini - the goddess who Herself is material universe
Anda-Rupa - She is the goddess who is the material universe
Anda-Madhyastha - the goddess who has entered the material universe
Anda-Paripalini - the protectress of the material universe
Anda-bahya - the goddess who is beyond the material universe
Anda-Samhartri - the destroyer of material universe
Siva-Brahma-Hari-Priya - She who is dear to Siva, Brahma and Visnu
Maha-Visnu-Priya - She is Lord Maha-Visnu's beloved
Kalpa-Vrksa-Rupa - a Kalpa-Vrksa tree
Nirantara Sthira - eternal
Sara-Bhuta - the best
Gauri Gaurangi - fair
Sasi-Sekhara - Lord Siva's wife
Sveta-Campaka-Varnabha - She is fair as a Sveta Camapaka flower
Sasi-Koti-Sama-Prabha - splendid as millions of moons
Malati-Malya-Bhusadhya Malati-Malya-Dharini - decorated with jasmine garlands
Krsna-Stuta - She is praised by Krsna
Krsna-Kanta - loved by krsna
Vrndavana-Vilasini - She enjoys pastimes in Vrndavana
Tulasi-Adhisthatri-Devi - She is Goddess Tulasi
Samsararvana-Para-Da - She carries one to the farther shore of the ocean of birth and death
Sarada - She gives what is the best
Aharada - She gives food
Ambhoda - She gives water
Yasoda - She gives fame
Gopa-Nandini - She is a gopa's daughter
Atita-Gamana - very graceful
Gauri - fair
Paranugraha-Karini - kind to others
Karunarnava-Sampurna Karunarnava-Dharini - She is a flooding ocean of mercy
Madhavi Syama-Vallabha - She is Lord Krsna's beloved
Madhava-Manoharini - She charms Lord Krsna's heart
Andhakara-Bhaya-Dhvasta - She removes the fear of darkness
Mangalya - She is auspicious
Mangala-Prada - the giver of auspiciousness
Sri-Garbha - the mother of all beauty
Sri-Prada - the giver of beauty
Srisa - the queen of beauty
Sri-Nivasa - the abode of beauty
Acyutapriya - the beloved of the infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead
Sri-Rupa Sri-Svarupini - She is the form of beauty
Sri-Hara - the remover of beauty
Srida - the giver of beauty
Sri-Kama - the desire for beauty
Sridamesvara-Vallabha - dear to Sridama's master
Sri-Nitamba - She has beautiful hips
Sri-Ganesa - She is the beautiful queen of the gopis
Sri-Svarupasrita Srila - She is beautiful
Sruti - She is the Vedas
Sri-Kriya-Rupini - She is the activities of devotional service
Sri-Krnsa-Bhajananvita - She devotedly worships Sri Krsna
Sri Radha - She worships Lord Krsna
More about Srimati Radharani:
- Srimati Radharani's Appearance
- Sri Radha—the Feminine Divine
- Radha, Krishna's Female Counterpart
- Srimati Radharani's Artistic Qualities
- Radharani—The Feminine Side of God
- The Meeting of Radha and Krishna
- Radharani's Mood of Separation
- That Internal Potency is Radharani
- The Qualities of Srimati Radharani
- Radharani Gallery
Sri Radha—the Feminine Divine
The divine counterpart of Sri Krishna is known as Sri Radha. Together, according to the ancient Vaishnava tradition, this dual-gendered divinity is God-male and female dimensions of the Absolute Truth. Sri Radha is the complete energy, and Sri Krishna is the complete energetic source. They are nondifferent from each other, just as musk and its scent are forever merged, or as fire and heat are inseparable.
Radha and Krishna are one, yet They have assumed two separate forms to enjoy loving pastimes. Numerous theological texts explain how this is so, but most thorough are the writings of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, great masters in the Vaishnava tradition whose books have been translated and commented upon by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. To understand Sri Radha, then, English readers would do well to turn to Srila Prabhupada's books.
Sri Radha in Literature
Historically, the ancient Puranas reveal much about Sri Radha's manifest pastimes, even if the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.30.28), the cream of all such Puranic literature, mentions Her name only once-with the indirect anayaradhitah, indicating that She is "the one who worships Krishna best." Both the Padma Purana and the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, on the other hand, elaborate on Her pastimes of love with Krishna and reveal how the divine couple is the source of all that is. The Brahma-vaivarta Purana, in fact, reveals an esoteric creation story in which Radha co-creates the material world with Krishna.
Sri Radha's dominance in Vaishnava theology did not come to light until the twelfth century, when the saintly poet Jayadeva Gosvami wrote his famous Sanskrit work Gita Govinda. Krishna's spiritual love then became a celebrated theme throughout India, colorfully conveyed in festivals and the arts, with the personality of Radha sometimes eclipsing even Krishna.
It is important to point out that Jayadeva understood the spiritual nature of Radha and Krishna's love. He knew that people could easily misconstrue it as mundane, comparing his work to erotic love poetry (as many still do). Anticipating this misconception, he commenced his Gita Govinda with a section called Dasha-avatara, in which he clearly outlines Krishna's divine nature, listing and glorifying His transcendental descents as incarnations (avatara). With this as a preface, it becomes obvious that the loving affairs to follow-the affairs of this same divine Krishna, who incarnates as so many avataras-are not ordinary. Indeed, they represent the zenith of spiritual love.
This love was expressed more fully after Jayadeva's time. In the fifteenth century, two Bengali poets, Chandidasa and Vidyapati, wrote beautiful Bengali verse about the divine couple. In the sixteenth century, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu-the combined form of Radha and Krishna, in the guise of Their devotee-relished this poetry, along with Jayadeva's breakthrough Sanskrit work. He also enjoyed hearing the story of Radha and Krishna as expressed in the ancient work of Bilvamangala Thakura, Sri Krishna-karnamrita, and in a contemporary poem, Ramananda Raya's Jagannatha-vallabha-natakam.
Sri Chaitanya's followers were quick to add their own realizations and insights based squarely on the earlier literature. Two outstanding examples are the Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi-stotram, composed by Prabhodananda Sarasvati, and Radha-Krishna-ganoddesha-dipika, by Rupa Gosvami, the latter of which is easily the most detailed exposition of Sri Radha's divine personality ever published.
Her Divine Pastimes
How does Radha's story unfold in the world of three dimensions? Though there are many versions of this story, the most gripping is found in the Padma Purana (Patala-khanda, Chapter 71): Early one morning, in the country atmosphere of Vraja (ninety miles south of present-day Delhi) some fifty centuries ago, Vrishabhanu Maharaja was taking his morning bath in the holy Yamuna River. Just then, a beautiful baby girl floated by, lying on a radiant and fully blossomed lotus. With intense glee, he embraced the divine infant and carried Her off to his queen, Kirtida Devi.
When Kirtida saw her husband with this magnificent child, she ran over and showered little Radha with unrelenting affection.
But the king and queen quickly noticed that the baby's eyes did not open. This naturally broke their hearts, and they prayed that God might bless Her with the power of sight.
Soon, Nanda Maharaja's wife, Yashoda Devi, arrived from Gokula, holding young Sri Krishna in her arms. Vrishabhanu and Kirtida, now the parents of Sri Radha, greeted her with due honor, but Yashoda could not take her eyes off the newborn baby girl resting in Kirtida Devi's arms.
Yashoda drew closer with baby Krishna, and as soon as Krishna came face to face with the baby girl, She opened Her eyes for the first time. Appropriately, Her first sight was the moonlike face of Her beloved Sri Krishna, and She paused as She gazed upon His lovely form. Krishna too was overwhelmed with love as He saw before Him His eternal consort, in the guise of a baby.
In this way, the scriptures relate how the eternal divine couple go about "meeting" each other as They appear, time and again, in the material world. As They "grow in years," They play with loving friends, swim in the Yamuna, graze their cows, and relish each other's loving embrace. Sacred texts and the realizations of the sages elaborate on the details, establishing narratives that serve as virtual magnets, attracting all who hear them back to the spiritual realm.
The Circle Dance of Love
Of all such narratives, the rasa-lila, the circular dance of love described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, is in many ways the most important.
The divine dance takes place one moonlit autumn night when the cowherd maidens (gopis) of Vrindavana, upon hearing the sound of Krishna's flute, sneak away from their families to be with Him. The rasa-lila is considered one of the highest and most esoteric of Krishna's revealed pastimes, and it should never be confused with mundane pastimes of prurient interest. Accordingly, Vaishnava commentators make one thing perfectly clear: romantic love between human beings is a diminished, compromised reflection of the soul's original, ecstatic love for Krishna, God, in the spiritual world. Studying the rasa-lila under a bona fide spiritual master allows one to realize this as a tangible truth. It also allows one to develop love for God, just as the gopis do in their dance of love.
Radha's Mercy
In short, the theology of Sri Radha is deep. The scriptures describe that one must go through many lives of pious acts, religious rituals, and yogic perfection before attaining the mercy of Sri Radha. And when one does, Krishna is not far off. In fact, it is through Sri Radha's mercy that Krishna becomes attainable.
Radha is Krishna's mercy incarnation, and through Her one can attain the culmination of the spiritual pursuit. Srila Prabhupada sums this up as follows:
"Radharani, You are so dear to Krishna. So we offer our respectful obeisances unto You." Radharani is hari-priya: "very dear to Krishna." Through the mercy of Radharani we can easily approach Krishna. If Radharani recommends, "This devotee is very nice," then Krishna immediately accepts me, however great a fool I may be. Because I am recommended by Radharani, Krishna accepts me. Therefore in Vrindavana you'll find all the devotees chanting Radharani's name more than Krishna's. Wherever you'll go, you'll find the devotees greeting one another, "Jaya Radhe!" You'll find this still in Vrindavana. The devotees are glorifying Radharani.
If you go by the speculative process to understand Krishna, it will take many, many lives. But if you take to devotional service and just try to please Radharani, Krishna will be gotten very easily. Radharani can deliver Krishna. She is so great a devotee, the emblem of maha-bhagavata. Even Krishna cannot understand the quality of Radharani's devotion. Although Krishna says vedaham samatitani-"I know everything"-He fails to understand Radharani. She is so great.
It is in pursuit of these truths that Radha and Krishna descend as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, for in that form They taste the highest mercy and bestow it on others. The chief manifestation of that mercy is the holy name in the form of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
In this mantra both Radha and Krishna are fully manifest. A prayer to Sri Radha (Hare is the vocative form of Hara, another name for Radharani), it beseeches Krishna to be engaged in devotional service, the highest form of yoga. Radha is the medium through which such service is enacted, for She is the embodiment of devotion, the essence of love for Krishna.
More:
- Srimati Radharani's Appearance
- Radha, Krishna's Female Counterpart
- Srimati Radharani's Artistic Qualities
- The Names of Srimati Radharani
- Radharani—The Feminine Side of God
- The Meeting of Radha and Krishna
- Radharani's Mood of Separation
- That Internal Potency is Radharani
- The Qualities of Srimati Radharani
- Radharani Gallery
Greater than God—an essay
Nagaraja dasa
Srila Prabhupada sometimes told stories about a king in Bengal and his court jester, Gopal Ban.
One morning, when Gopal arrived for the king's daily amusement, the king asked him, "Gopal, what's the difference between you and a jackass?"
Guessing the distance between him and the king, Gopal replied, "Sir, the difference is about three feet."
The king laughed heartily, even though the joke was on him.
Srila Prabhupada told this story to show that although God receives the highest honor and respect, He enjoys taking the role of a subordinate. He's more satisfied by intimate relationships than official ones.
In another story that illustrates the same point, Prabhupada told of a British prime minister who had once kept a guest waiting outside his office while he played "horsey" for his grandson.
Lord Chaitanya's followers combed the Vedic scriptures to draw out the most comprehensive description of God. In other places we may learn about God's omnipotence, but in the tradition of Krishna consciousness we learn about God's personality—in striking detail. It's like the difference between knowing a judge in court and knowing him at home.
God in His majesty is God at work; Krishna is God at home.
Lord Chaitanya taught us to aspire to be with Krishna in His eternal home, in the pure, relaxed atmosphere of Vrindavana. Whereas awe and reverence pervade other parts of the spiritual world, in Vrindavana love rules. Krishna's devotees there don't know, or care, that He is God. They love Him, that's all. And they're eager to serve Him.
We infinitesimal souls are all eternal servants of God. There's no escaping our role; it's our nature. We can serve God willingly, as devotees, or unwillingly, by serving His material energy, as we unwillingly grow old, get sick, die, and so on. In our rebellious spirit, the idea of servitude seems repulsive. But the pure souls in the spiritual world know service to be the source of unparalleled bliss. Why? Because, quite simply, the residents of Vrindavana serve Krishna by being His friends, His relatives, His respected elders, and so on. What could be better than that? They serve Him by their relationship with Him, because that's what He wants.
Just as we like to enjoy a variety of relationships, so does God. A husband and wife may be happy in each other's company, and may have relationships with friends, subordinates, and superiors, but still they choose to have children and so create new relationships.
Because Krishna is unlimited, He likes to enjoy an unlimited number of relationships, each unique. We each have a unique relationship with Krishna, revealed when our love for Him matures. The relationships between Krishna and His eternal associates are free of the hardships that plague the analogous relationships in the material world. In the spiritual world, all exchanges flow from pure love and are therefore perfect.
While impersonalists want to become one with God, devotees can attain the position of being greater than God. In the intimacy of pure love, they can tell God what do to, and He loves to hear it.
Krishna as King
By Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi
The Krishna deity worshiped at the Hare Krishna temple in Los Angeles, where I live, is named Dvarakadhisha, “the Lord of Dvaraka.” Dvaraka is the pristine island Lord Krishna rules in His adult years. (Although Krishna lived in Dvaraka when He was present on earth five thousand years ago, Dvaraka exists eternally in the spiritual world. Therefore, in this article I’ll sometimes use the present tense when referring to Dvaraka and Krishna’s activities there.) Generally devotees of Krishna think of Him primarily as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who speaks the Bhagavad-gita and performs wonderful spiritual pastimes in the cowherd village of Vrindavana. In that rural setting, He plays and enjoys life among many relatives and friends. Gaudiya Vaishnavas, or followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, know that Krishna as a cowherd boy exchanges the most intimate feelings with His devotees. Still, Krishna is always Krishna, and devotees love Him when He displays Himself in other ways as well. For example, He is also endearing in His role as Dvarakadhisha.
Krishna is no ordinary ruler. Kings or presidents represent what is grand and powerful in this world. Yet even the finest and most awesome personality is only a small indication of the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His very body is constituted of eternity, knowledge, and bliss.
Though Krishna as Dvarakadhisha enjoys many sporting battles, He has no one to conquer and nothing to achieve, being always complete in Himself. He always knows exactly what to do in His regal duties in relationship to His citizens, ministers, and soldiers. His brows are never furrowed with the anxiety of diplomatic responsibilities.
Though Krishna rules as an adult, He is in fact nava yauvanam, eternally youthful. According to Brihad-bhagavatamrita, by Sanatana Goswami, the king of Dvaraka has “all of the beauty of youth made even sweeter by traces of childlike innocence.”
As a ruler, Dvarakadhisha has only the best of motives. His only objective is to defeat demoniac influences and protect His surrendered, pure devotees. His authority is original and inexhaustible. To obey His authority is the primary nature of every living being.
An Extraordinary Kingdom
Srila Prabhupada’s book Krishna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead describes Dvaraka as the most superb and beautiful city in the history of the world. The island of Dvaraka is decorated with 900,000 extraordinary mansions built of first-class marble, with gates and doors made of silver and jewels. The clear blue-green ocean lies on all sides. The residents of the mansions, all pure devotees of Krishna, are of very fine beauty.
Dvaraka’s innumerable gardens and parks are full of a variety of sweet, colorful flowers, and orchards abound with an array of fruit. Beautiful chirping birds, intoxicated peacocks, and ponds filled with lilies and lotuses delight the senses. The residents decorate every lane and walkway with water pots, festoons, banana trees, and fragrant flowers, just in anticipation of Krishna’s strolling there.
Srila Rupa Goswami’s Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu describes, “The servitors in the abode of Dvaraka always worship Krishna as the most respectable and revered Personality of Godhead. They are captivated by Krishna because of His superexcellent opulences.”
From Brihad-bhagavatamrita we learn that although Dvarakadhisha is truly the absolutely powerful king of kings, enjoying in all opulence, He is also humble, friendly, and full of unlimited love. His devotees, in a mood of ecstatic servitude, awe, and reverence, are absorbed in loving sentiments for their Lord.
One such devotee is Sri Rukmini, the single most exalted feminine personality, the Lord’s principal queen. She is an expansion of God’s pleasure potency, so she is God incarnate in female form, full of every feminine grace and virtue possible. She exhibits exquisite beauty specially designed to please the Lord of Dvaraka.
Sri Rukmini is always fully satisfied with Her Lord and submissive to Him. She understands His every mood and keeps within her heart the details of His childhood and youth. Although hundreds of qualified maidservants attend to His every need, She fans Him Herself, holding the snow-white chamara in her young bejeweled hand. Jealousy and anger never beset her.
An Extraordinary King
In His youth, Krishna left Vrindavana and traveled to the city of Mathura, where He assumed His leadership role in the Yadava dynasty. He fought with and killed the most feared despot of His time, Kamsa, and released His parents from Kamsa’s prison. He then built a fort on the island of Dvaraka and transferred all of the citizens of Mathura there to protect them from the attacks of Kamsa’s ruthless relatives who sought revenge.
Shortly thereafter Lord Krishna kidnapped His queen, the young princess Rukmini. Her brother had arranged a marriage for her as part of a political alliance. But she only wanted Krishna as her husband, so she requested Him, through a messenger, to come to her aid. Kidnapping a princess was common for kings in those days, but Krishna did this single-handedly against an army of angry, heroic princes. Krishna took the hand of many other superbly beautiful, opulent princesses in various daring ways. He rescued 16,000 princesses being held captive by the cruel king Bhaumasura. He married every one of them and provided each a royal palace on the island of Dvaraka. For many hopeful lifetimes of penance and austerity they had prayed for Krishna’s favor upon them.
The Nectar of Devotion states, “While Krishna was living in Dvaraka, He expanded Himself into 16,108 forms, and each and every expansion resided in a palace with a queen. Not only was Krishna happily living with His queens in those palaces, but He gave in charity from each palace an aggregate number of 13,054 cows completely decorated with nice clothing and ornaments daily. This means that 13,054 multiplied by 16,108 cows were being given in charity by Krishna every day. That was the system of Krishna’s daily affairs while He was living in Dvaraka.”
Many amazing battles took place between Krishna and a variety of rival demoniac kings. King Jarasandha, Kamsa’s father-in-law, attacked Dvaraka with numerous military phalanxes consisting of tens of thousands of chariots, horses, elephants, and soldiers. Krishna observed the immense strength of Jarasandha, which looked like an ocean about to cover a beach at any moment. He thought about the situation and His mission to rid the world of demoniac influences, so He took this opportunity to face and destroy the military phalanxes.
Subsequently Lord Balarama, Krishna’s brother, arrested Jarasandha. Krishna feigned compassion for Jarasandha and had him released, but He had a plan: Jarasandha would in the future besiege the city of Mathura seventeen times, and each time Krishna and Balarama would be able to destroy hundreds of thousands of demoniac soldiers. Jarasandha himself was eventually defeated in a fight with Krishna’s cousin Bhimasena.
The Syamantaka Jewel and Other Episodes
Because of intrigue involving a jewel known as Syamantaka, Krishna was once wrongly defamed. The Syamantaka could produce gold by its mystic power. Many people coveted the jewel, and when it went missing, some people accused Krishna of stealing it. The jewel was actually in the hands of persons who could not properly take care of it and were almost driven mad by its potency. One citizen finally surrendered both the jewel and his daughter to Krishna, having come to realize that all valuable things are the measure of Krishna’s benevolence and should be offered in His service.
One crazy rival named Paundraka was so jealous of the superexcellent qualities of Krishna that he became convinced that he himself was Krishna. He set out to defeat Dvarakadhisha by donning an extra set of arms and carrying imitation weapons only wielded by Vishnu Himself. Declaring himself to be God, he set out to kill the Lord. Eventually Krishna beheaded Paundraka, who achieved liberation for having meditated so intensely on the Personality of Godhead in his meager attempt to be Him.
Lord Dvarakadhisha’s fellow king and cousin Maharaja Yudhishthira once held a great sacrifice, which included a ceremony to honor the best person in attendance. Although Krishna was posing as an ordinary king, Yudhishthira adored Him as none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and so he selected Him to be honored and worshiped in the ceremony. But Krishna’s envious cousin Sishupala disagreed with Yudhishthira’s decision and berated Krishna, who eventually cut off Sishupala’s head with His disc and allowed Sishupala’s soul to merge into His own body.
During Dvarakadhisha’s reign, part of His mission was to enthrone His great devotee Yudhishthira, religion incarnate, as emperor of the world. The Lord of Dvaraka acted as a peace messenger on Yudhishthira’s behalf to try to prevent the war with the ill-motivated Kurus. When negotiations failed, Yudhishthira’s brother Arjuna employed the Lord as his chariot driver in the battle. At that time, Lord Krishna, His head adorned with a golden helmet, spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna to enlighten him (and us) and encourage him in the fight. The Lord was fully capable of fighting the battle and winning it at once for Arjuna. But He wanted to serve and glorify His devotee Arjuna by engaging him to fight as a matter of Krishna conscious duty.
Most Amazing Events
If Krishna’s reign as a king seems full of amazing events, just consider how amazing He seems to His reverent, respectful servants at Dvaraka. They are often surprised by His unpredictability. They remember when Sudama, Krishna’s friend from His school days, came to visit. Krishna’s guards and wives witnessed what looked like a homeless person going into the Lord’s rooms unchecked. To their wonder they saw how Krishna reacted with spontaneous love at the sight of His dear old friend.
Though Sudama was very thin and dressed in shabby cloth, Dvarakadhisha embraced him, sat him down on His own bed, and bathed his feet while Rukmini fanned him. When Sudama shyly offered Krishna his only possession, a bag of plain dried rice, Dvaraka’s queens observed with amazement the way the Lord took the rice as though it was the most irresistible gift.
More cause for surprise is found in Uddhava-sandesha, where Rupa Goswami says that Dvarakadhisha becomes emotional by remembering His family and friends in His old cowherd village home. He misses them too much. He asks Uddhava, His cousin and closest friend, to deliver a message to them from Him. Though a king with many wives and a great kingdom to govern, to Uddhava’s amazement the Lord remembers every person and detail that Uddhava will encounter when he tours the cowherd village.
Perhaps the most surprising event occurred at a great festival held at Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse, when the residents of Dvaraka met the residents of Vrindavana. The simple Vrindavana cowherds felt extremely fortunate to see Krishna again. From within their hearts they spontaneously recalled all of Krishna’s childhood pastimes. Though unhappy seeing Him dressed as a king, they could not think of going back to Vrindavana without Him, so Krishna stayed in Kurukshetra longer than He had planned. Upon seeing the simple villagers’ love for Krishna, the residents of Dvaraka felt great ecstasy. The Jagannatha Rathayatra festival commemorates this pastime. In Krishna, Srila Prabhupada writes, “The Rathayatra festival observed by Lord Chaitanya is the emotional process of taking Krishna back to Vrindavana.”
The King of Kings
Krishna is not a material person, and His actions are not the activities of this world. His unique, unrestricted pastime of rejoicing in the association of His simple cowherd family and friends is at the heart of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Lord Chaitanya teaches that above reverential worship of God is pure love in the most intimate relationships, such as friend, son, or lover. If the Lord sets aside His kingly worship in awe and reverence for the sake of Vrindavana’s sweet, familiar, and spontaneous love, it is only another example of His transcendent love as the God who is the loyal devotee of His devotees.
Krishna is the original supreme enjoyer. To meditate on Him as the king of kings is solid spiritual nourishment. It helps us understand the unlimited dimensions of pure power and pure love in their original spiritual forms. Dvarakadhisha’s pastimes give us transcendental insight into the love, potency, and compassion of the greatest spiritual hero and leader of all eternity.
Water—a meditation
by Urmila dasi In Hawaii, clear turquoise waves lapped at my knees while a multicolored sea turtle gently fed near my feet. It's the allure of water that draws people to that peaceful, beautiful spot, like so many places people go to relax and rejuvenate. Several months later in London, across two oceans from Hawaii, friends took me for exercise in an indoor heated pool. Although the sports club lacked beauty and the water was full of chemicals, my time in the water was still refreshing. Water is one of the categories of Krishna’s energy, as described in scripture such as Bhagavad-gita and Brahma-samhita. Krishna always exists as a transcendent person apart from His energy, while at the same time He is present in that energy. Therefore, while water is not Krishna, Krishna is water. In what ways can we appreciate Krishna in water? He is the taste or the essence of water, the quality that quenches our thirst and brings satisfaction. As I swam in the London pool, I thought of the softness or liquidity of water. One of Krishna’s qualities is His softness. His spiritual body is so soft that it changes color where it has been brushed by a leaf. His soft body is a stimulus for His devotees' love for Him. The scriptures describe that the Lord and His form are the same. So both His body and His sentiments are soft. Especially when Krishna takes the mood of His chief devotee and appears as Lord Chaitanya, His heart melts with compassion for all living beings, and He freely gives love of God without considering the merit of the candidate. His heart is, therefore, like melted butter, soft and fluid. The liquidity of water shows us this flowing and melting quality of the Lord’s love and kindness. Water is also powerful, so much so that its swift flow can provide all the electricity for a city, or one huge wave can create tremendous destruction in a moment. The power of water reminds us that one of Krishna’s opulences is unlimited strength. He creates, maintains, and destroys countless universes effortlessly. He carries planets on His head with such nonchalance that He is hardly aware of their weight. If all the potential and kinetic power of the entire world’s water were combined into one gigantic wave, it would not equal the tiniest fraction of Krishna’s strength. This dual nature of water—soft yet powerful—reminds us of how Krishna, whose eternal spiritual form is that of a delicate sixteen-year-old boy, easily fought with and killed huge, muscular demons who were tormenting innocent citizens.
Water Pastimes
Many of the Lord’s transcendental, spiritual activities relate to water. When Krishna creates the material world, He assumes an form beyond measure lying in a yogic sleeplike trance on His incarnation the serpent Shesha, who floats on the causal ocean, which is alive and spiritual. Uncountable universes, one of which we now inhabit, come out of the Lord’s body when He exhales. Then the Lord enters each universe and creates from His perspiration an ocean that fills half the universal shell. He lies down in that water, and His consort the goddess of fortune massages His feet. The Lord enjoys floating on this cosmic ocean with His consort. Because each of us is a small part of the Lord, we have His propensities to a minute degree. So the common human desire to float on a boat, raft, or other device with one's beloved comes from the Supreme, the source of everything. Another example of Krishna’s pastimes involving water occurred early in universal history. In Vedic cosmology, planets are conscious persons. The planet Earth once fell into the universal water when demonic persons disturbed her orbit by drilling for oil and upsetting her balance. Celestial beings, called devas, who control the universe in service to Krishna, wanted Earth to be rescued. Responding to their desire, the Lord came to save her. He assumed the form of a splendid, gigantic boar (Varaha), dove to the bottom of the universal ocean, picked up Earth, and gently carried her on His tusks to the water’s surface. As He did so, a great demon challenged them. Lord Varaha then carefully placed fearful Earth on the water and gave her the ability to float. A fight between the Lord and the demon ensued within the great ocean. After defeating the demon, Lord Varaha returned to the spiritual sky. Sometimes a flood devastates the universe, and Krishna assumes the form of a golden fish to play in the water. Tied to a horn on His head is a boat carrying sages, Vedic knowledge, and seeds to replenish the world after the flood. During this pastime, Krishna enjoys His play within the water as well as His loving relationship with the great sages. Krishna in His original form often sports in water with His friends and beloveds. For His water pastimes He chooses rivers such as the Ganges and Yamuna, who are also goddesses pure in love for Him. Krishna also plays in lakes and ponds filled with lotuses and swans and surrounded by jeweled pavilions. These bodies of water are persons, devotees of His, alive with love and bliss.
Watering Our Devotion
Besides meditating on how water reminds us of Krishna's qualities and pastimes, we can increase our awareness of Him when we use water in our everyday lives. For example, for basic health we need clean water for drinking and bathing, and we need it to cook and to clean our clothes and homes. We need the system Krishna has set up for supplying clean water through evaporation and rain. At the very least, we should regularly thank the Lord for these gifts, which keep our bodies alive. Beyond that, we should be thankful for water as an impetus to remember Krishna, because that remembrance will increase our service and love for Him, watering the plant of our devotion.
Krishna's Identity, Energies, Nature, Home, and More . . .
Krishna is the Supreme Person, the Godhead. Krishna is the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita, which is recognized throughout the world as one of mankind's greatest books of wisdom. In the Gita, as it is also known, Krishna says repeatedly that He is God Himself, the source of everything. Arjuna, to whom Krishna is speaking, accepts Krishna's words as true, adding that the greatest spiritual authorities of that time also confirm that Krishna is God.
Traditions that follow in the line of these authorities have carried Krishna's teachings down to the present day.
God, A Transcendental Person
The personhood of Krishna is not an idea invented by human beings naively creating a God in their own image. Nor is personhood a limiting concept when applied to God, or the Absolute Truth. As the source of everything, Krishna naturally has His own personal identity, just as each of us does. The Vedas define God as the one supreme conscious being among all other conscious beings. He is infinite, we are finite, and He maintains us all.
Naturally, the best way to understand God is to learn from Him. In the Bhagavad-gita ("The Song of God"), Lord Krishna—a real person—tells us that He is God and reveals many things about Himself.
A Complete Conception of God
Many people have a hard time conceiving that God can be an actual person. But the Vedas tell us that God's unique personal identity is His highest aspect. Here's an analogy to show how God has three main features.
Looking at a mountain from a distance, we can make out only its size and shape. This is compared to comprehending God only as Brahman, His impersonal energy, which emanates from Him just as light shines out from its source.
As we move closer, we'll start to make out more of the mountain's characteristics—the colors of its foliage, for example. This is compared to understanding that God is within our hearts as Paramatma, or the Supersoul.
Finally, when we arrive at the mountain we can explore its soil, vegetation, animals, rivers, and so on. This is compared to understanding God the person, or Bhagavan.
Bhagavan is the source of Brahman and Paramatma and is therefore, in a sense, one with them. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan are called the three phases of the Absolute Truth.
What is God Like?
As with anyone in our experience, God is unique and complex. He's the transcendental Supreme Person, so there's infinitely more to know about Him than anyone else. The Vedas, especially Srimad-Bhagavatam, supply detailed information about Him.
Everything about God is fully transcendental, or spiritual. Because God is absolute, there is no difference between Him and His name, form, activities, qualities, and so on. Contact with any of these gives the same spiritual benefit, namely purification of our consciousness.
Krishna's Form
Transcendental Form - The Vedas tell us that spirit is composed of eternity, knowledge (or consciousness), and happiness. Both God and we souls possess spiritual forms, which are free of the limitations of material form. For example, each part of a spiritual body can perform the function of any other part.
Krishna's body never changes; He is an eternal youth.
Unlike we ordinary souls, who may possess a material body, Krishna and His body are always identical.
A Description of Krishna - The Vedas describe Krishna in this way: He is a beautiful youth with a glowing complexion the color of rain clouds. He plays a flute, attracting the hearts of all. His cheeks are brilliant, His smile enchanting. He wears a peacock feather in His curly black hair and a flower garland around His neck. His beautiful garments are the color of lightning. His toenails resemble the light of the moon.
Not only do the Vedas tell us what Krishna looks like, but pure souls have received His audience and written of their encounters. And fifty centuries ago, Krishna revealed His transcendental form to residents of India when He lived there for 120 years, sometimes showing and sometimes hiding His divinity.
Krishna's Nature
Krishna is loving by nature. In our original pure state, we love Him fully. In the exchange of complete love, Krishna considers His devotees greater than Himself. In the spiritual world He always stays with His devotees, and in this world He resides in every heart as the Supersoul. He wants His children in the material world to return to Him to enjoy with Him eternally.
Krishna is completely independent, and we cannot comprehend him completely. He cannot be conquered by knowledge. But He can be conquered—and seen directly—through pure love.
God has feelings: He is satisfied when someone offers Him a nice prayer. Even though He is great, He can be moved by our love. He responds to us according to how we approach Him.
"The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them." —Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.4.68
Krishna's Qualities
Understanding that God is spiritual, people sometimes conceive of Him as having no qualities. But although Krishna has no material qualities, He is full of unlimited transcendental qualities, and those qualities attract us to Him. Thus great souls who have given up everything cannot give up attraction to Krishna, and they dedicate their lives to finding Him.
The following qualities are considered especially attractive, and Krishna possesses them in full: beauty, wealth, fame, influence, knowledge, and renunciation.
Being God, Krishna has innumerable qualities and seemingly contradictory qualities are resolved in Him.
Hearing of how Krishna shows these qualities can give us a sense of His greatness and of His power to attract all souls.
Krishna's Activities
While Krishna's expansions and incarnations perform duties in the material and spiritual worlds, He Himself simply enjoys with His most intimate devotees in His transcendental home, known as Goloka. By His desire, His associates there don't even consider Him God. They enhance His enjoyment in five loving moods: neutrality, servitude, friendship, parental affection, and conjugal love. In other words, Krishna's life is filled with unending bliss in the company of His associates.
Krishna enjoys Himself with abandon, frolicking as a youth in expansive fields and forests with His friends and cows. He dances, He plays His flute, He relishes whatever activity strikes His fancy at the moment.
To entice souls in the material world to join Him in Goloka, Krishna comes to this world periodically, as He did 5,000 years ago, and shows His confidential, intimate loving exchanges with His ever-liberated devotees.
Krishna's Relationships
Krishna savors diversity from various kinds of pure, transcendental love. As we enjoy a variety of relationships in our families and society, so does Krishna, but all of His relationships are eternal, transcendental, and completely free of material contamination.
Each of Krishna's devotees interacts with Him in one of five primary relationships. In ascending order of intimacy, these five are neutrality, servitude, friendship, parental affection, and conjugal love. Each includes the primary sentiments of the ones before it, and then adds its own flavor. Pure love of God reaches its summit in romantic exchanges with Krishna.
Each devotee eternally feels one of these main moods predominantly:
- Devotees in the mood of neutrality witness and support Krishna's pastimes by their presence as plants, animals, streams, and so on, as well as normally inanimate objects like houses—all of which are fully conscious in Goloka.
- Devotees in the service mood run errands for Krishna, pack His lunch, wash His clothes, and perform other demonstrations of love for Him as the moment indicates.
- Devotees in the fraternal mood serve Krishna by being His friends. They are sometimes boastful, considering themselves equal to Krishna. In His company, they herd cows and enjoy games in the beautiful country setting.
- Devotees in the parental mood see themselves as Krishna's provider and protector. Krishna behaves with them like a dependent child. His mother cuddles Him, carefully prepares His meals, and thinks only of His protection. His father sees that He has all the comforts of a normal home.
- Devotees in the conjugal, or romantic, mood, offer service as Krishna's girlfriends, relating with Him in the intimacy of lover and beloved.
Krishna's Energies
Although Krishna is invisible to us in our present state, we can perceive His presence through His energies, which are everywhere. Although innumerable, His energies fall into three primary categories.
Internal Energy - Krishna's internal energy expands as the spiritual world in all its variety, including His ever-liberated associates there. The internal energy is eternal and full of knowledge and happiness. Presently beyond our perception, the spiritual world makes up most of reality.
External Energy - Krishna's external energy consists of all that is matter: the material world, the laws of material nature, material bodies, and so on. The external energy is temporary and full of ignorance and suffering. It is inert by nature and must be moved by spirit. The material world is a tiny fraction of God's creation.
Marginal Energy - We finite spirit souls are expansions of Krishna's marginal energy. We can choose to live in the spiritual world or the material world. Or, to put it another way, we can be deluded by matter or illuminated by spirit.
Both the external energy (matter) and the marginal energy (we souls) can become fully spiritualized by contact with the internal energy through acts of devotion to Krishna (Bhakti-yoga).
Krishna's Home
God owns everything, so in a sense His home is everywhere. But He Himself resides in the spiritual world in a place known as Goloka, the highest spiritual region. Reaching Krishna there is the highest achievement of human life.
Goloka is self-illuminated, and everyone there is liberated, shining with pure love for Krishna. Because Krishna is the center of everyone's heart, there is complete unity and peace. Goloka is built of transcendental gems that yield whatever one wants. The natural surroundings are beautiful, full of diversity and opulence. In Goloka, every word is a song, every step a dance, every moment new, fresh, and exciting.
Krishna's Names
Just as we may have different names according to our various roles—Mommy, Dr. Jones, Sweetheart, Professor, Your Honor—so does God. And since God is unlimited, He has innumerable names.
The names can be generic terms, such as "God" or "the Absolute Truth."
They can be in Sanskrit, such as Govinda, Gopala, or Shyamasundara.
They can be in other languages, such as Yahweh and Allah.
The name Krishna, which means "the all-attractive One," implies that each of us has an eternal relationship with God and we are always drawn either to Him directly or to His energies.
God and His names are identical, so by speaking them we enter His purifying company. Regularly reciting, singing, or chanting His names awakens our innate love for Him and gains us release from bondage to matter.
In contemplating the above, the reader may ask, "Where are you getting this knowledge from?" Apart from Sri Krishna's own words in His Bhagavad-gita, the ancient Vedas (scriptures) of India extensively describe God in detail, His expansions, incarnations and pastimes.
Bhagavatam, A Major Contribution to the Understanding of God
The Vedas deal with many subjects. They are the books of a highly developed civilization and cover all departments of knowledge. Among them, Srimad-Bhagavatam (also known as the Bhagavata Purana) deals exclusively with subjects about God. Srimad means "beautiful" or "opulent," and Bhagavatam means "related to God." Hence, Srimad-Bhagavatam can be translated as "The Beautiful Story of God."
Srimad-Bhagavatam describes God, our relationship with Him, and the process for realizing that relationship. Its 18,000 verses give detailed accounts of God's names, forms, nature, personality, devotees, activities, residences, and much more.
In one of the opening chapters, the narrator explains that the sage Vyasadeva, who wrote portions of the Vedic literature and compiled the rest, felt dissatisfied despite his accomplishments. Under the order of his guru, he then embarked on writing Srimad-Bhagavatam, considered the ripe fruit of the tree of the Vedas.
The Person, the Globe, or the Sunshine?
A conversation with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Allen Ginsberg: How far beyond special study centers can a Krishna consciousness movement or any religious movement grow? Because the need is for a large single, unifying religious movement in America.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. So here is Krishna—all-attractive. You now have to find out as much as possible about Him. Of course, you can say, “Why shall I accept Krishna?” You can talk like that. But your first question is about finding the right unifying agent. So I say, “Here is Krishna.” Now we can analyze. You may ask, “Why shall we accept Krishna?” Then I shall reply, “Why shall you not?”
First, what do you expect from the Supreme Being or the perfect unifying agent? Everything is there in Krishna. Wealth—Krishna. Beauty—Krishna. Wisdom—Krishna. Fame—Krishna. Renunciation—Krishna. Strength—Krishna. You’ll find everything in Krishna. Whatever you want you’ll find in Krishna. He is the unifying agent, the center. And of that I will convince you. Krishna is the unifying center, actually.
And in the Bhagavad-gita He says, mama vartmanuvartante manushyah partha sarvashah: “Everyone is trying to come to Me.” Everyone is trying to come to Krishna. Then He adds, ye yatha mam prapadyante: “But some are realizing Me not directly but indirectly, through My various energies. Still, everyone is trying to come to Me.” We are talking about Krishna as the perfect unifying agent. Insofar as His unifying power is concerned, He appeals, in His various manifestations, to all varieties of truth seekers.
Essentially, there are three varieties of truth seekers: mental speculators, meditators or yogis, and devotees. The mental speculators are trying to understand the Absolute Truth in an impersonal way, without a personal form. And the meditators or yogis are trying to find Krishna within their heart, through meditation. Finally, the devotees are trying to find the Absolute Truth through personal activity, through reciprocation of loving service.
Now, all three of these manifestations—impersonal all-pervasiveness, personal presence in the heart, and active personal reciprocation—are in Krishna. And Srimad- Bhagavatam says that it is the only business of the human being to search out this Absolute Truth. Now, in the Bhagavatam’s second chapter, the Absolute Truth is explained, analyzed. Vadanti tat tattva- vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam.
First, the Absolute Truth must be one entity. The Absolute Truth cannot be two different entities. Two different entities would mean relative truths. No, the Absolute Truth must be one. Therefore the knowledge of the Absolute Truth is one. Vadanti tat tattva- vidas. Tattva-vidas means “those in knowledge of the Absolute Truth,” and the verse goes on to say that such persons confirm that the Absolute Truth is one. But He’s realized in three phases.
Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti shabdyate. Brahman means His impersonal all-pervasiveness, through His effulgent energies; Paramatma or Supersoul means His personal presence within the heart; and Bhagavan means His overt personal presence as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, these are different stages of realization.
For instance, you go through different stages in realizing the sun. In the first stage, you experience the sun’s impersonal effulgence all over the sky. But that effulgence is not more important than the sun globe—because it is from the sun globe that the effulgence is coming. So anyone will understand, “This sunshine is not as important as the sun globe.” And if you approach the sun globe and penetrate into the sun—if you have really got the scientific power to go within the sun globe—then you’ll find there is a sun-god. That information we get from Bhagavad-gita.
Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam.
Krishna says, “I first taught this science of God realization to Vivasvan, the sun-god.” So, therefore, behind the sunshine and the sun globe there is a person. And why not a person? Our imagination is not the ultimate truth. We have to get information from Krishna, and He explains that behind these other manifestations there is a person, the sun-god. So, as far as sun realization is concerned, there is a person—he’s sitting there. Now, if we consider these different stages one passes through in realizing the sun—sunshine, sun globe, and sun-god—which is the most important? Which is the most important?
Allen Ginsberg: The person, the globe, or the sunshine?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Allen Ginsberg (laughing): I don’t know.
Srila Prabhupada: Why don’t you know? You cannot say which of these three manifestations is the most important? The sunshine, the sun globe, and within the sun globe, the sun-god. Now, which is the most important?
Allen Ginsberg: If we could apprehend it in terms of person, the person.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Allen Ginsberg: But if we could apprehend it only in terms of the globe, then the globe.
Srila Prabhupada: So that means your own realization may extend only up to the globe, but that realization is not complete.
Allen Ginsberg: Yes.
Srila Prabhupada: That realization is not complete. You have to go further. As we learn in the Upanishads, we should pray, “O Lord, please withdraw Your effulgence, so that I can see Your true face.” Sri Ishopanishad says this. You will see it in Sri Ishopanishad. The author, Srila Vyasadeva, is praying, “Please wind up this glaring effulgence of Yours, so that I can see Your real face.” So the Lord’s real face is there. And in Bhagavad- gita Krishna says, brahmano hi pratishthaham: “This impersonal Brahman effulgence is resting on My personal existence.”
And Brahma- samhita says,
yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti- kotishv ashesha-vasudhadi vibhuti- bhinnam tad brahma nishkalam anantam ashesha-bhutam govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who has great power. The impersonal Brahman is simply the glowing effulgence of His transcendental form.” And so forth. So this Brahman effulgence is nothing but the effulgence emanating from Krishna’s body.
You see, Krishna has a very powerful bodily effulgence. And within that bodily effulgence, all creation has manifested. Just as within the sun’s effulgence all these planets are moving and all this vegetation is growing—everything is existing within the sunshine—so, similarly, sarvam khalv idam brahma: Everything is existing within the brahmajyoti, Krishna’s effulgence. And in the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says, maya tatam idam sarvam jagadavyakta-murtina: “This impersonal exhibition of this whole manifestation—it is I.” Mat- sthani sarva-bhutani: “Everything existing is within Me.” But na caham teshv avasthitah: “And yet I am not directly there.”
So we have to study everything intelligently. I want some intelligent persons from America to study this great science and share it with the whole world. Then it will be nicely done.
