ABOUT SRIMATI RADHARANI

FROM SRILA PRABHUPADA’S BOOKS:

tapta-kancana-gaurangi

radhe vrndavanesvari

vrsabhanu-sute devi

pranamami hari-priye

I offer my respects to Radharani, whose bodily complexion is like

molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrndavana. You are the daughter of

King Vrsabhanu, and You are very dear to Lord Krsna.

1) POSITION

Elevation to Krsna Consciouness: Chapter Five :Knowing Krsna’s Energies

We are Krsna’s parts and parcels and have been created to give

pleasure to Krsna. The chief pleasure potency is Radharani, and so

Radha-Krsna are always together. Whereas the material energy is

conducted by the external potency, Maya, the spiritual world is

conducted by the internal potency, Radharani. We often pray to

Radharani because She is the pleasure potency of Krsna. The very word

“Krsna” means all-attractive, but Radharani is so great that She

attracts Krsna. If Krsna is always attractive to everyone, and

Radharani is attractive to Krsna, how can we imagine the position of

Srimati Radharani? We should try humbly to understand and offer Her our

obeisances, saying, “Radharani, You are so dear to Krsna. You are the

daughter of King Vrsabhanu, and You are Krsna’s beloved. We offer our

respectful obeisances unto You. Radharani is very dear to Krsna, and if

we approach Krsna through the mercy of Radharani, we can easily attain

Him. If Radharani recommends a devotee, Krsna immediately accepts him,

however foolish he may be. Consequently in Vrndavana we find that

devotees chant Radharani’s name more often than Krsna’s. Wherever we go

in India we will find devotees calling, “Jaya Radhe.” We should be more

interested in worshiping Radharani, for however fallen we may be, if

somehow or other we can please Her, we can very easily understand

Krsna. If we try to understand Krsna by the speculative process, we

will have to spend many lifetimes of speculation; but if we take to

devotional service and just try to please Radharani, then Krsna can be

very easily realized. Radharani

is such a great devotee that She can deliver Krsna.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 3: Chapter Thirty-one, Text 38 :PURPORT

It is

explained by the Gosvamis that Radharani is the manifestation of the

pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krsna: Chapter Fifty-one :Krsna, the Ranchor

According to the authority

of Caitanya-caritamrta, the expansion of Krsna and Srimati Radharani is

simultaneous; Krsna expands Himself into various visnu-tattva forms,

and Srimati Radharani

expands Herself into various sakti-tattva forms, by Her internal

potency, as multiforms of the goddess of fortune.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 2: Chapter Four, Text 20 :PURPORT

Srimati Radharani is the principal head of all goddesses of fortune, and

therefore She is the pleasure counterpart of the Lord and is nondifferent

from Krsna.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10: Chapter Thirteen, Text 57 :PURPORT

parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate

svab haviki jnana-bala-kriya ca

Krsna’s power is variegated, and thus the same sakti, or potency,

works in variegated ways. Vividha means “varieties.” There is unity in

variety. Thus yogamaya and mahamaya are among the varied individual

parts of the same one potency, and all of these individual potencies

work in their own varied ways. The samvit, sandhini and ahladini

potencies–Krsna’s potency for existence, His potency for knowledge and

His potency for pleasure–are distinct from yogamaya. Each is an

individual potency. The ahladini potency is Radharani. As Svarupa

Damodara Gosvami has explained, radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini

saktir asmat (Cc. Adi 1.5). The ahladini-sakti is manifested as

Radharani, but Krsna and Radharani are the same, although one is potent

and the other is potency.

Elevation to Krsna Consciouness: Chapter Six :Taking to Krsna Consciousness

The whole process is to accept Krsna and His instructions and

therefore to render devotional service unto Him. It is Srimati

Radharani who is the very embodiment of perfect devotional service. In

the Brahma-samhita Radharani is described as Krsna’s expansion of His

spiritual potency. In this way, She is nondifferent from Krsna. The

gopis, who tend Radha and Krsna, are not ordinary women or girls; they

are expansions of Krsna’s pleasure potency. Radharani and the gopis

should never be accepted as ordinary women; indeed, to understand their

position we need the guidance of a spiritual master.

2) QUALITIES AND FEATURES

Teachings of Lord Caitanya: Chapter Fourteen :The Ecstasy of the Lord

and His Devotees

Srimati

Radharani has twenty-five transcendental qualities, but She can control

even Krsna by them. Her transcendental qualities are as follows: (1)

She is sweetness personified; (2) She is a fresh young girl; (3) Her

eyes are always moving; (4) She is always brightly smiling; (5) She

possesses all auspicious marks on Her body; (6) She can agitate Krsna

by the flavor of Her person; (7) She is expert in the art of singing;

(8) She can speak very nicely and sweetly; (9) She is expert in

presenting feminine attractions; (10) She is modest and gentle; (11)

She is always very merciful; (12) She is transcendentally cunning; (13)

She knows how to dress nicely; (14) She is always shy; (15) She is

always respectful; (16) She is always patient; (17) She is very grave;

(18) She is enjoyed by Krsna; (19) She is always situated on the

highest devotional platform; (20) She is the abode of love of the

residents of Gokula; (21) She can give shelter to all kinds of

devotees; (22) She is always affectionate to superiors and inferiors;

(23) She is always obliged by the dealings of Her associates, (24) She

is the greatest amongst Krsna’s girl friends; (25) She always keeps

Krsna under Her control.

Thus Krsna and Radharani are both transcendentally qualified, and

both of Them attract one another. Yet in that transcendental

attraction, Radharani is greater than Krsna, for the attractiveness of

Radharani is the transcendental taste in conjugal love.

Nectar of Devotion: Chapter Forty-four :Devotional Service in

Conjugal Love

The beauty of Srimati Radharani is described as follows: “Her eyes

defeat the attractive features of the eyes of the cakori bird. When one

sees the face of Radharani, he immediately hates the beauty of the

moon. Her bodily complexion defeats the beauty of gold. Thus, let us

all look upon the transcendental beauty of Srimati Radharani.” Krsna’s

attraction for Radharani is described by Krsna Himself thus: “When I

create some joking phrases in order to enjoy the beauty of Radharani,

Radharani hears these joking words with great attention; but by Her

bodily features and counterwords She neglects Me. And I even possess

unlimited pleasure by Her neglect of Me,

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1: Chapter Sixteen, Text 26-30 :PURPORT

As far as the beauty of the Lord is concerned, He has some special

features that distinguish Him from all other living beings, and over

and above that He has some special attractive beautiful features by

which He attracts the mind of even Radharani, the supermost beautiful

creation of the Lord. He is known, therefore, as Madana-mohana, or one

who attracts the mind of even Cupid.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 3: Chapter Fifteen, Text 42 :PURPORT

The beauty of the Lord was so enchanting that it could not be

sufficiently described. The goddess of fortune is supposed to be the

most beautiful sight within the spiritual and material creations of the

Lord; she has a sense of being the most beautiful, yet her beauty was

defeated when the Lord appeared. In other words, the beauty of the

goddess of fortune is secondary in the presence of the Lord. In the

words of Vaisnava poets, it is said that the Lord’s beauty is so

enchanting that it defeats hundreds of thousands of Cupids. He is

therefore called Madana-mohana. It is also described that the Lord

sometimes becomes mad after the beauty of Radharani. Poets describe

that under those circumstances, although Lord Krsna is Madana-mohana,

He becomes Madana-daha, or enchanted by the beauty of Radharani.

Actually the Lord’s beauty is superexcellent, surpassing even the

beauty of Laksmi in Vaikuntha. The devotees of the Lord in the

Vaikuntha planets want to see the Lord as the most beautiful, but the

devotees in Gokula or Krsnaloka want to see Radharani as more beautiful

than Krsna.

Nectar of Devotion: Chapter One :Characteristics of Pure

Devotional Service

Srila Rupa Gosvami has stated that devotional service attracts

even Krsna. Krsna attracts everyone, but devotional service attracts

Krsna. The symbol of devotional service in the highest degree is

Radharani. Krsna is called Madana-mohana, which means that He is so

attractive that He can defeat the attraction of thousands of Cupids.

But Radharani

is still more attractive, for She can even attract Krsna. Therefore

devotees call Her Madana-mohana-mohani–the attractor of the attractor

of Cupid.

Krsna: Chapter Thirty-one :Songs by the Gopis

In the Brahma-samhita, it is stated,

ananda-cin-maya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih: Krsna alone is not particularly

beautiful, but when His energy–especially His pleasure energy,

represented by Radharani–expands, He looks very magnificent. The

Mayavada conception of the perfection of the Absolute Truth without

potency is due to insufficient knowledge.

Nectar of Devotion: Chapter Twenty-nine :Expressions of Love for

Krsna

“Although

the cowherd boys prepare nice flower garlands for Krsna, when [Srimati

Radharani presents

[Her] garland to Him, He becomes struck with wonder and immediately

accepts …

Nectar of Devotion: Chapter Twenty-seven :Symptoms of Ecstatic

Love

One gopi informed Krsna that when Srimati Radharani was singing

about His glories, She enchanted all of Her friends in such a way that

they became stonelike and dull. At the same time, the nearby stones

began to melt melt away in ecstatic love.

Nectar of Devotion: Chapter Eighteen :Character of One in

Ecstatic Love

In the same Krsna-karnamrta there is another statement, about the

chanting of Radharani. It is said by one of the associates of

Radharani, “O Lord Govinda, the girl who is the daughter of King

Vrsabhanu is now shedding tears, and She is anxiously chanting Your

holy name–`Krsna! Krsna!’ ”

Elevation to Krsna Consciouness: Chapter Five :Knowing Krsna’s Energies

Even Krsna cannot understand Radharani’s qualities. He fails to

understand Her because She is so great. In order to understand

Radharani, Krsna actually accepted Her position. Krsna thought,

“Although I am full and complete in every respect, I still don’t

understand Radharani. Why is that?” This obliged Krsna to accept the

propensities of Radharani, and this accounts for His manifestation as

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, but He

is Krsna accepting the propensities of Radharani. Radharani is always

feeling separation from Krsna, and similarly, in the position of

Radharani, Lord Caitanya was always feeling that separation.

Furthermore, those who follow the teachings of Lord Caitanya should

experience and relish the feelings of separation, not of meeting.

3) THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MERCY OF SRIMATI RADHARANI

Nectar of Devotion: Chapter One :Characteristics of Pure

Devotional Service

To perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps of

Radharani, and devotees in Vrndavana put themselves under the care of

Radharani in order to achieve perfection in their devotional service.

In other words, devotional service is not an activity of the material

world; it is directly under the control of Radharani. In Bhagavad-gita

it is confirmed that the mahatmas, or great souls, are under the

protection of daivi prakrti, the internal energy–Radharani. So, being

directly under the control of the internal potency of Krsna, devotional

service attracts even Krsna Himself.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 2: Chapter Three, Text 23 :PURPORT

Lord Krsna is very

easily approachable through His pure devotee. In Vrndavana all the pure

devotees pray for the mercy of Srimati Radharani, the pleasure potency

of Lord Krsna. Srimati Radharani is a tenderhearted feminine

counterpart of the supreme whole, resembling the perfectional stage of

the worldly feminine nature. Therefore, the mercy of Radharani is

available very readily to the sincere devotees, and once She recommends

such a devotee to Lord Krsna, the Lord at once accepts the devotee’s

admittance into His association.

Nectar of Devotion: Chapter Twenty-two :Qualities of Krsna

Further Explained

Actually, because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, it is very difficult to approach Him. But the devotees, taking

advantage of His compassionate nature, which is represented by

Radharani, always pray to Radharani

for Krsna’s compassion.

Elevation to Krsna Consciouness: Chapter Five :Knowing Krsna’s Energies

(Repeated quotation)