Excerpt from the book Śrī Guru Makes Kṛṣṇa Appear in
Your Heart by Śrīla Gaura Govinda Svāmī Mahārāja (page 184)

 

There is another point on guru-tattva. Guru is twenty-four hours a day engaged in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa. But who is the source of all varieties of loving service to Kṛṣṇa? That is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Rādhā vinā tiṅho kāro naya (Gauḍīya-bhāṣya), Kṛṣṇa only belongs to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. He does not belong to anyone else; He belongs completely to Her. So Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the source of all sorts of loving services to Kṛṣṇa. She is the original guru-tattva. Only Rādhārāṇī can give the opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa. Without Rādhārāṇī’s mercy there is no opportunity available to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is completely under Rādhā’s control. Therefore without Rādhārāṇī, no one is guru.
The original topmost post in the guru position is Rādhārāṇī. Rādhā and Her expansions, kāya-vyūha – sakhīs and mañjarīs, are guru. They are very intimate and very dear to Kṛṣṇa. They are nija-jana, Kṛṣṇa’s own associates. One who has not established his relationship with Vārṣabhānavī Rādhā, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu, how can he become guru? He may be so, but he cannot be the guru of kṛṣṇa-tattva. Anyone can be a guru of other tattvas, such as māyā-tattva, itara-tattva or any tattva, but no one can become a kṛṣṇa-tattva-vid guru unless he has established his relationship with Rādhārāṇī, because Kṛṣṇa belongs completely to Rādhārāṇī, rādhā vinā tiṅho kāro naya. This is guru-tattva.
Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-tattva, the complete tattva and Rādhārāṇī gives the sevā-adhikāra, the opportunity to serve that complete Kṛṣṇa. No one else but Rādhārāṇī and Her expansions – sakhī-mañjarīs, has the right to give that opportunity. Thus without rādhā-bhṛtya, without Her mercy and taking shelter of Her we cannot get the opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa.
Those who have accepted Kṛṣṇa as sevya-tattva, as the only one to be served, have accepted Rādhā as guru. These two words ‘sevya’ and ‘sevaka’ come up regularly; sevayā means ‘to be served’, and sevaka means ‘servitor’. It is a very deep philosophical point.
And one has to accept Rādhā as guru, otherwise how can you understand Kṛṣṇa as sevya-tattva, the only one to be served?
In all rasas – dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya – Kṛṣṇa is viṣaya and the sevakas or sevikās, those who serve Him are āśraya. There is viṣaya and āśraya. So for those who accept Kṛṣṇa as viṣaya in all rasas, Vārṣabhānavī Rādhārāṇī is their guru.
So unless one gets the mercy and the directions of Rādhārāṇī, no one can serve Kṛṣṇa. Those persons who are very lusty, who want their own pleasure and enjoyment, cannot serve Kṛṣṇa because they cannot get the mercy and the directions of Rādhārāṇī. But those who are inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, know that without Rādhārāṇī’s mercy no one can get the opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa. They know these tactics.
Even Lakṣmīdevī cannot get it. Kṛṣṇa is all-beautiful, kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya viśeṣa-śobhaṁ (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.30). His beauty far excels that of crores of cupids; such is His beauty. He is all-attractive. Lakṣmīdevī, upon seeing Him, becomes attracted, but she cannot get the opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa although she is attracted to His beauty. Why? Because she cannot obtain Rādhārāṇī’s mercy. That is the whole reason Lakṣmī serves Nārāyaṇa, who is Kṛṣṇa’s four-handed vilāsa-mūrti, pastime form. Lakṣmīs are also four-handed. But Rādhārāṇī is two-handed and Kṛṣṇa is two handed. Kṛṣṇa is mādhurya-līlā-maya-vigraha whereas Nārāyaṇa is the aiśvarya-līlā-maya-vigraha. So Rādhārāṇī is mādhurya-mayī and Lakṣmī is aiśvarya-mayī. Kṛṣṇa is rādhā-nātha [the Lord of Rādhārāṇī], so if someone is not established in a relationship with Rādhārāṇī, how can he offer service to Rādhānātha?
Rādhārāṇī and Her expansions, sakhī-mañjarīs, are all guru-vastu; they are all gurus. Nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai, that is guru-tattva, that is gurudeva. Abhinna-tattva (nondifferent) is gurudeva. Gurudeva gives you the right to serve Kṛṣṇa, and without his mercy, without guru, who will give you this right? Only one who is abhinna-tattva to Vārṣabhānavī Rādhārāṇī will give that right; that is guru-tattva.
Vede tri-tattva kaya – the Vedas mention three tattvas: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. Sambandha-tattva is the tattva based on relationship, abhidheya is bhakti, and prayojana is prema. So when we consider this prayojana-tattva then kṛṣṇa-prema comes up. Without the mercy of such a premī-bhakta, who is very dear to Rādhārāṇī, how can you get that kṛṣṇa-prema? Without that mercy how can one understand that prayojana-tattva?
How can the sādhaka, who cannot understand this guru-tattva and who cannot see the real svarūpa of guru (svarūpa-tattva), get direction on his bhajana-patha? Who will give him direction on this path of devotional service? He cannot understand sādhya-tattva, kṛṣṇa-prema, the goal.
Sādhana and sādhya are the means as well as the end; that is prema-tattva. The means is bhakti and the goal is prema, love. Kṛṣṇa can only be bound with the rope of love; He is the object of love, prīti-viṣaya. One who does not understand this, how can he do bhajana? He does not know whose bhajana he will do. He cannot do bhajana. He is completely covered over by the dense darkness of ignorance. He is groping in the dark.
So in the question of guru-tattva, where there is the relationship with Rādhā, the goal, sādhya-tattva is Rādhānātha. So one who has not established his relationship with Rādhārāṇī, or with any of Her expansions, cannot serve Rādhānātha. Who will give him that right?
Gurudeva is very dear to Rādhārāṇī. He is rādhā-prīya-sakhī, a very dear girl companion of Rādhārāṇī. So guru-sevā is also śrīmatī-sevā. Thus to serve guru means to serve Rādhārāṇī, because he is very dear to Rādhārāṇī. Service to Rādhārāṇī means service to guru and service to guru means service to Rādhārāṇī. To become the servitor of guru means to become the servitor of Rādhārāṇī and thus to become the servitor of Kṛṣṇa. This is the tattva. Only those who know this tattva and are fixed in this tattva, can render loving service to Kṛṣṇa. Unless one knows all these tattvas one cannot tread this path of devotional service, or bhajana-patha. But one who knows this guru-tattva perfectly well, knows that the guru is a dear devotee of Rādhārāṇī, priya-jana and non-different from Rādhārāṇī and Her expansions. He knows that tattva. And that gurudeva is very dear and intimate to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
Kṛṣṇa accepts Rādhārāṇī as guru. Kṛṣṇa has said;

rādhikāra prema-guru, āmi-śiṣya naṭa
sadā āmā nānā nṛtye nācāya udbhaṭa

“The love of Rādhikā is My teacher, and I am Her dancing pupil. Her prema makes Me dance various novel dances.”

In our guru-paramparā Kṛṣṇa is at the top, but He has said, “Rādhikāra prema-guru, āmi-śiṣya naṭa – in loving affairs My guru is Rādhārāṇī.”
So who is at the topmost platform of guru in the paramparā? That is Rādhārāṇī. Although Kṛṣṇa occupies the topmost position, He states, “She makes Me dance according to Her tune. I’ll dance! I’ll dance! Āmi-śiṣya naṭa – I am Her disciple.” Naṭa means ‘dancer’. The guru makes the disciple dance, “Go there! Come here! Up-down, up-down!” Thus, in the guru-paramparā Rādhārāṇī holds the topmost position. This is guru-tattva. Only by serving guru you will attain vraja-sevā-adhikāra, the right to serve Kṛṣṇa, Rādhānātha in Vrajabhūmi.
And Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu is rādhā-bhāva-suvalita-tanu (Kṛṣṇa Himself assuming the part of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in order to understand Kṛṣṇa). In this regard He has said:

gaura aṅga nahe mora—rādhāṅga-sparśana
vrajendra-suta vinā teṅho nā sparśe anya-jana

“This is not the body of Gaura. This is the body of Rādhā. Only Vrajendra-suta, the son of Nanda Mahārāja can touch this body. No one else can.” Gaura Himself said this.

Thus rādha-bhāva is predominating in Him. In our guru-paramparā when Gaura comes, then Rādhā comes. That guru-paramparā in which Gaura comes is Rādhā’s paramparā. That guru-paramparā is gaura-paramparā, which means rādhā-paramparā, because Gaurasundara is in rādhā-bhāva. So those who are gaurānugas, followers of Gaura, they are rādhānugas, followers of Rādhārāṇī, because rādhā-bhāva is predominating in Gaura. This is gauḍīya-guru-dhārā (The line of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava gurus). This is guru-tattva.
There are two stages: anartha-yukta-vasta and anartha-mukta-vasta – covered over with anarthas (anartha-yukta) and completely free from anarthas (anartha-mukta-vasta). Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung: ghireche tomāre, bhāi (Gītāvalī, Bhajan-Gītā 2.2) – you are covered over with many anarthas. In that stage, how can he see guru? Although he may see guru, he cannot see the real svarūpa of guru. But the guru-darśana of one who is completely free from anarthas is different.
How does one who is covered with anarthas see guru? He sees guru as bhogya-vastu, “Oh, Gurudeva will give me all sorts of enjoyment: nice prasāda, a nice place to stay, nice vehicles, everything nice. Yes, very good. If I take shelter of guru I will get so much enjoyment.” That is bhogya-darśana, and this is the kind of darśana most of us have.
“Yes Gurudeva, I will marry a very beautiful girl.” “Yes, marry a very beautiful girl,” Gurudeva says.
Guru will make the arrangement for all these things. That stage is bhogya-darśana. But one who is in anartha-mukta-vasta, the stage in which one is completely free from anarthas, his guru-darśana is different. His darśana is sevya-darśana. Sevya-darśana means he sees that the guru is to be served and thinks, “I will give Gurudeva all pleasure through my service. I’ll never expect anything for my own pleasure.” That is his darśana. So, one should understand the difference between bhogya-darśana and sevya-darśana.

aśoka-abhoya, amṛta-ādhāra, tomāra caraṇa-dvaya
tāhāte ekhona, viṣrāma labhiyā chāḍinu bhavera bhoya

“Your two lotus feet are reservoirs of immortal nectar where one may live free from sorrow and fear. I have found peace there now and have given up fear of worldly existence.”

Who can show you the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa? Who can lead you to His lotus feet? Who can give you the clue how to see or approach them? That is guru, a premikā-bhakta, a dear devotee who has established a loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Only such a guru can show you and lead you to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, because he is a very dear and intimate associate, a very dear girl companion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
Only one who understands this guru-tattva perfectly well can say, “Unless I take shelter at the lotus feet of such a guru I cannot become free from delusions, material fears and lamentation. In other words, I cannot take shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the only place where there is no fear, no lamentation, no delusion and no death.”
If we can develop simplicity in our heart, and take shelter at the lotus feet of guru and serve him without duplicity, then we will get the mercy of that guru and find a place at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise we cannot. Serve guru without duplicity, niṣkapaṭa-seva, prāṇa-dāna-sevā, with your heart and soul. He will take you to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
There are eight steps to execute and follow for those who are nāma-bhajana kāri, who have taken shelter of hari-nāma.
Have unflinching faith in the words of sādhu, śāstra, guru.
Develop greed and eagerness to get the opportunity to associate with a nāma-tattva-vit sādhu or guru.
Develop greed and eagerness to hear kṛṣṇa-kathā, harikathā from the lips of such a sādhu-vaiṣṇava. That is bhajana-kriyā. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ, hearing and chanting under the guidance of sādhu-guru.
If someone observes all this and does bhajana, devotional service, under the guidance of such a guru, then all one’s anarthas will be completely destroyed, anartha-nivṛtti. Bhajana-kriyā tato’ nartha-nivṛttiḥ.
These first four steps are in the lower sādhana-bhakti stage. This is the preliminary stage.
After anartha-nivṛtti comes niṣṭhā, the fifth stage. Niṣṭhā means there is no oscillation of the mind, one is not fickle; the mind is fixed. As long as there are anarthas the mind cannot be fixed at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa or the chanting of the holy name, nāma-bhajana. One should develop such niṣṭhā.
Then comes ruci, taste. That taste comes according to your mellow. Svārasikī-ruci, every jīva has his own mellow. The path of Gaura has four main mellows; dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. Śānta-rasa is discarded. According to one’s own mellow, one develops a taste and relishes that taste while chanting the holy name. With that taste the devotee will constantly chant because that taste is so nectarean and sweet, he relishes it and thus cannot give it up. Then you will say, “na jāni kateka madhu, śyāma-nāme āche go vadana chāḍite nāhi pāre (Caṇḍīdāsa), there is so much nectarean honey in the name of Śyāma. My tongue does not want to leave it, not even for a moment.” That stage will come, but at present that taste is not there.
Then one develops even more attachment to the holy name. One cannot leave the holy name even for a moment. And one tastes the nectarean honey coming out from the holy name. This is āsakti.
Then at last, in the eighth stage comes bhāva and the maturity of bhāva is prema.
One who is a nāma-bhajana kāri should understand these eight steps. The first four are preliminary and the other four are higher stages. Nāmera ye mukhya-phala kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana (Harināma-cintāmaṇi) – the chief result of chanting the holy name is kṛṣṇa-prema. Otherwise how can you get love?
Thus Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, who was such a premī-bhakta, dear devotee of the Lord, was day and night engaged in serving Kṛṣṇa. All his senses were engaged: the five working senses, the five knowledge-acquiring senses and the eleventh sense, the mind – sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor [SB. 9.4.18]. And Kṛṣṇa has also said, man-manā bhava [Bg. 18.65], always think of Me. 

Excerpt from the book Gaura-vāṇī Pracāriṇe
by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja (page 104)

 

 

At the time of his divine departure from this world, parama-pūjyapāda Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja ordered me, “You should serve me in my taking samādhi.” He knew the meaning and significance of entering samādhi, and what should be done at that time.
Samādhi is a Sanskrit word consisting of the two syllables: sama-dhi. Sama means ‘the same’ and dhi means ‘intelligence.’ It means that the pure devotee who is departing from the vision of this world is entering the same level, same position, and same mood as the personal associates of his worshipful deity – with equal intelligence, equal beauty and equal qualities. He is serving properly according to his own svarūpa (constitutional form). Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja’s worshipful Deity is Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and he is serving Her under the guidance of Her personal associates, the mañjarīs, headed by Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī.
He has preached about Lord Jagannātha-deva, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma and other manifestations of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, but from what I have understood from his writings, books, and personal darśanas, I am determined in the fact that his worshipful Deity is Śrīmatī Rādhikā and he sees Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Rādhikā ’s beloved.
His desire was to assist Śrīmatī Rādhikā in Her desire to serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa in many various ways. He wanted at that time to be one with the mood of Her maidservants, and in that very place where She renders Her service. And he wanted my service at that time.
Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī serves Śrīmatī Rādhikā when Rādhikā wants to meet Kṛṣṇa. For example, in the night, when it is dark, she dresses Her in black clothes and ties Her ankle-bells so they will not make any sound. She gives so much uddīpana (stimuli) to Śrīmatī Rādhikā ’s bhāva. For example, at the time of dressing Her, she may put on a necklace which has as its centrepiece the Syamantaka jewel. At that time she will say, “This jewel is the friend of Kṛṣṇa’s Kaustubha jewel.” In this way she reminds Śrīmatī Rādhikā of Her pastimes with Kṛṣṇa, and Rādhikā bestows upon her all Her mercy.
If one can serve his Gurudeva in this mood, that is, in his Gurudeva’s service to Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī or Śrī Rādhikā , this is the best service to Gurudeva.
I do not know why he gave me so much mercy that he chose me to give him some uddīpana as he entered his samādhi. I performed this service by decorating him with tilaka and writing certain sacred mantras on his chest with sandalwood paste – indicating his services to his worshipful Deity, Śrīmatī Rādhikā.
Just before his departure from this world, he requested me to sing Śrī Rūpa-Mañjarī-Pada*:

śrī-rūpa-mañjarī-pada, sei mora sampada,
sei mora bhajana-pūjana

[“The lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī are my dearmost treasure. They are the topmost object of my worship and inner devotional practices.”]

sei mora prāṇa-dhana, sei mora ābharaṇa,
sei mora jīvanera jīvana

[“Her lotus feet are my most cherished wealth, more dear than my own life. They are the exquisite ornament of my life, and indeed are the very essence of my existence.”]

This is the best saṅkīrtana of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, who can lead us to Rādhikā ’s service. While I sang this, I saw that his face was sometimes coloured with one transcendental mood and sometimes with another. I had requested my brahmacārī Śeṣāya to perform kīrtana, and I personally performed this kīrtana for him – just as I did for my Gurudeva. There were many similarities between my Guru Mahārāja, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja. I did what Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja ordered me to do for him and I feel so fortunate that he gave me this service; and I did the same for my Gurudeva at the time of his entering samādhi.
Just before his departure, Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja told me, “You should advise and help my disciples and all devotees connected with me.” I did not think I could help them at that time, for I considered them higher in rank than myself. I thought, “They have so much guru-niṣṭhā, faith in the lotus feet of their Gurudeva, and they are far more advanced than me. They know, better than I, the conclusive truths of the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness philosophy (tattva-siddhānta). How can I help them?” But my śikṣā-guru gave some inspiration in my heart.
It is sometimes thought that Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja is only in sakhya-rasa – that is, in his constitutional spiritual form he is a cowherd friend of Kṛṣṇa. When I hear this I experience pain in my heart, for the complete conception of him is that he is in mādhurya-rasa. Sakhya-rasa is included within mādhurya-rasa, so sakhya-bhava is also within him, but he is in mādhurya-rasa.**
There are two ways to see our Gurudeva, and an analogy can be given in this connection of the Himalaya Mountains. How high the Himalayas are is one thing – and how deep is another. We can somewhat see its height, but we cannot see what is hidden deep within the ground. We saw that parama-pūjyapāda Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja collected a large number of disciples throughout the world in practically no time. We saw all varieties of his height. He loved everyone, and everyone knew, “He loves me so much;” and we saw this in our Guru Mahārāja also.
How deep Śrī Guru is, however, we cannot know. Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja used to sing Śrī Gurvaṣṭakam with a profound mood and with tears in his eyes – in samādhi. He did not see who was looking at him and who was not, who was taking part and who was not. He was simply absorbed in singing and playing his karatālas.
The first to fourth verses of Śrī Gurvaṣṭakam contain very high subject matter that we can realize and see, but there are two verses that we cannot:

śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra-
mādhurya-līlā guṇa-rūpa-nāmnām
prati-kṣaṇāsvādana-lolupasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam (5)

[“At every moment Śrī Gurudeva is experiencing intense greed in his heart to taste the unlimited sweetness of the holy names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in Vṛndāvana. I offer my prayers unto the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudeva.”]

nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai
yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīyā
tatrāti-dākṣyād ati-vallabhasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam (6)

[“Śrī Gurudeva is always present with the sakhīs, planning the arrangements for the perfection of yugala-kiśora’s amorous pastimes (rati-keli) within the kuñjas of Vṛndāvana. Because he is so expert in making these tasteful arrangements for Their pleasure, he is very dear to Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. I offer prayers unto the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudeva.”]

Only one who is equal to his self-realized Guru can understand how deep he is. A kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, neophyte, and a madhyama-adhikārī, middle class devotee, cannot guess how deep are his feelings – what are the fathomless moods of Kṛṣṇa-prema and Rādhā-prema in his heart. Without being an uttama-adhikārī, a topmost pure devotee, one cannot understand.
Kaniṣṭha and madhyama-adhikārī devotees can see his height, his aiśvarya (opulence) – that he collected disciples and very quickly preached all over the world – but it is more valuable to see his depth. Ultimately, he has not collected disciples to experience his height. He did that also, but he ultimately brought us only to give us his deep thoughts. This will take time, of course; it could take many births to realize something of this. When I see him and remember his orders, I become moved – knowing that he is engaged in nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai.
This is the main reason he came – to give this service. He came to obey the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. But he had to spend a great deal of time laying the groundwork by preaching vaidhī-bhakti.
Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has said, “I came to give some valuable conceptions in rāgānuga-bhāva – but I could not do so. Most of my life was spent in sweeping and cutting jungles.” Preaching is like this – and it is also so essential. Without preaching vaidhī-bhakti, that main thing cannot be given. Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura used to say that when the māyāvāda philosophy (becoming one in all respects with an impersonal God) is present, there can be no preaching of bhakti – so we will have to cut the jungles of atheism, māyāvāda, sahajiyism and other non-Vedic philosophies. We will have to spend time defeating their arguments.
I think that I have some very little role in this – to obey his orders. If I can give rāgānuga-bhakti in the hearts of devotees, I will see that I have fulfilled the orders he has given me. This is the best service I can render to his lotus feet. When you are situated in rāgānuga-bhakti, you will be able to factually see that his relationship with Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is in gopī-bhāva. Then you can deeply think of his services to the Divine Couple in nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai.
He used to sing daily:

jaya rādhā-mādhava jaya kuñja-bihārī
gopī-jana-vallabha jaya giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yāmuna-tīra-vanacārī

[“All glories to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava! All glories to Kuñja-Bihārī, who is the gopīs dearmost beloved. He lifted Govardhana Hill and is the darling son of Yaśodā-maiyā. He wanders in the forests along the banks of the Yamunā, where He enjoys with the many different gopīs in their own groves.”]

He has so much transcendental greed to serve Kuñja-bihārī. A sakhā does not have the sentiments and thoughts of these exalted conceptions. The name gopījana-vallabha in this song is also in our gopāla-mantra. Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja desired to give the service performed by the gopīs to Gopī-jana-vallabha, but he saw that there were only a few in this world who were qualified for this – the number could be counted on one’s fingers. In order to gradually bring his audiences to a level wherein they could understand, he preached about Lord Jagannātha-deva and established deities of Śrī Sītā-Rāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma.
The gopīs have spoken about Rāma-Kṛṣṇa (Balarāma, is sometimes called Rāma) in Śrimad-Bhagavatam, but they were not actually referring to Rāma meaning Balarāma. They were indicating Ramanīyā-Kṛṣṇa; that is, Kṛṣṇa, the enjoyer of Śrī Rādhā. Their Rāma is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Qualified devotees – those who have received the mercy of their Gurudeva – will actually realize this; and others who desire to do so will realize it after some time.
If I can render this service to his lotus feet – to give an atom of the feelings of these exalted conceptions to his disciples and followers, I will render him the best service.

*He very much liked, “Hari Haraye Namaḥ Kṛṣṇa Yādava Namaḥ,” “Jaya Rādhe, Jaya Kṛṣṇa , Jaya Vṛndāvana.” and “Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī-Pada,” and used to request me to sing these kīrtanas. (UK Visit to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Room at Bhaktivedānta Manor 1996 May 17)

**To explain the topmost quality of conjugal love, Śrīla Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī gives the example of the material elements – sky, air, fire, water and earth. In the sky (space) there is the quality of sound. Similarly, in air there are the qualities of sound and touch. In fire, there are three qualities – sound, touch and form. In water there are four qualities – sound, touch, form and taste. Finally, in earth there are all five qualities – sound, touch, form, taste and also smell. Now, one can see that the quality of the sky is in all – namely in air, fire, water and earth. In earth we can find all the qualities of material nature. The same can be applied to the rasa known as mādhurya-rasa, or conjugal love. In conjugal love there are the qualities of neutrality, servitorship, fraternity and parental affection, as well as those of conjugal love itself. The conclusion is that through conjugal love the Lord is completely satisfied.
Conjugal love (mādhurya-rasa) is also known as śṛṅgāra-rasa. It is the conclusion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that in the complete combination of loving service to the Lord – namely in conjugal love – the Supreme Lord fully agrees to be under the control of the devotee. (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā, 8.88)

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