The following is an excerpt from a lecture on The Nectar of Devotion delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda in Vṛndāvana, India, on October 26, 1972 (Vedabase.com)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa is described as akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu. So there are different rasas, five primary rasas. Rasa means the mellow, or the taste, which we enjoy in every activity. That is called rasa. Everything is done with some taste. Whatever you do, you must enjoy some taste out of it. So there are twelve rasas, out of which five rasas are primary and seven rasas are secondary. They are described here.

The following is an excerpt from The Nectar of Devotion by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)

 

The following is an excerpt from Follow the Angels, The Path of Dedication by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja (Rupanugabhajanashram.com)

 

The following is an excerpt from Their Lasting Relation, A Historical Account by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja (Purebhakti.com)

 

Unnatojjvala-rasa is of two kinds: the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and gopīs like Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citra, etc., and also the mood of the pālyadāsīs, the maidservants of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Her pālyadāsīs do not want to serve Kṛṣṇa if He is without Rādhikā. If Kṛṣṇa, alone, is calling them, they will not go to Him; and they do not want to personally taste Him in any way. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come to distribute the mood of these maidservants, like Rūpa Mañjarī and Lavanga Mañjarī, in their service to Śrīmatī Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīmatī Rādhika’s mood cannot be given; it is Hers exclusively. As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa fully tasted Her three moods:

śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā-
svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ
saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhāvataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt
tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ

Desiring to understand the glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī, as the moon appeared from the ocean. [Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 1.6)]

The pleasure that Śrīmatī Rādhika experiences in serving and seeing Kṛṣṇa cannot be given to anyone, but the mood of the maidservant gopīs can be given. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore come only to give this. Prior to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s appearance, Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Śrī Madhvācārya and so many other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas had already appeared. Incarnations like Lord Rāma and Lord Nṛsiṁha had also descended. All of Them gave a very special contribution to the world, but none of them gave this prema, called bhakti-rasa, which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave through Śrīla-Rūpa Gosvāmī.

śrī-caitanya-mano-‘bhīṣṭaṁ
sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ
dadāti sva-padāntikam

When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfil the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?

All the ācāryas in the Gauḍīya sampradāya – beginning from Mādhavendra Purīpāda and Īśvara Purīpāda, down to Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara, and from them down to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja and Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja – have not come only to establish vaidhī-bhakti. Rather, they have preached about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s descending to distribute that prema, that vraja-bhakti, vraja-rasa. If they were preaching only vaidhī-bhakti, they would have been representing the Śrī-sampradāya, Madva-sampradāya, Viṣṇusvāmī-sampradāya, Nimbāditya, or any other sampradāya.

Śrīman Mahāprabhu also established the yuga-dharma through nāma-saṅkīrtana. He did this through the medium of Mahā-Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Nṛsiṁhadeva, and the other avatāras, who were all contained within Himself – within His own body. Because all the avatāras were within Him, no other incarnation was required to perform the function of establishing the yuga-dharma and giving mercy to Jagāi and Mādhāi. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did all this Himself.

He fulfilled the wish of Advaita Ācārya that He appear very soon. He preached and gave kṛṣṇa-prema through the chanting of the holy name. He tasted the moods of Śrīmatī Rādhika, and He fulfilled all His other purposes. Among all His purposes however, two were prominent, as described in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta – to give kṛṣṇa-prema and to taste the moods of Śrīmatī Rādhika.

prema-rasa-niryāsa karite āsvādana
rāga-mārga bhakti loke karite pracāraṇa

rasika-śekhara kṛṣṇa parama-karuṇa
ei dui hetu haite icchāra udgama

The Lord’s desire to appear was born from two reasons: the Lord wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all. [Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.15–16)]

Kṛṣṇa is rasika-śekhara. Do you know the meaning of rasika-śekhara ? He is the taster, the enjoyer, of all rasas. He is the ocean of prema-rasa. Lord Rāma has some rasa, but He is not an unlimited ocean of rasa. Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva has one rasa. When He appeared, He was raudra, angry, and the entire world was fearful. But Kṛṣṇa is rasika-śekhara, an endless ocean of rasa, and there is no limit to the depth of that ocean.

In a general sense, all scriptures glorify Kṛṣṇa in this way. However, according to Gauḍīya siddhānta (the disciplic succession coming from Lord Caitanya), Śrīmatī Rādhikā is a greater ocean of rasa than Kṛṣṇa. If He were to dive into that ocean, He Himself would not be able to fathom its depth.

Actually, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was only presented for the purpose of glorifying Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the gopīs. So many Purāṇas and other literatures were previously written to glorify Kṛṣṇa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, glorifying Kṛṣṇa is not the supreme objective; rather it is to glorify the prema of the vraja-bhaktas.

Kṛṣṇa is not the object of life. Kṛṣṇa-prema is our object. Kaṁsa also had darśana of Kṛṣṇa, but he had no prema and therefore he could not satisfy or serve Kṛṣṇa. In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta it has been revealed that kṛṣṇa-prema is the supreme goal of all jīvas, and that rādhā-prema is the supermost prema. Kṛṣṇa, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, came only to taste that prema, and to give the moods of Rūpa Mañjarī, Rati Mañjarī and all the pālyadāsīs of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

The jīva cannot possess the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. He cannot digest more than the mood of pālyadāsīs – but that mood is the highest position. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, and all the Gosvāmīs were absorbed in this internal mood of a servant of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, and all the Six Gosvāmīs chanted and rolled on the ground in Vṛndāvana – sometimes in Rādhā-kuṇḍa or Śyāma-kuṇḍa, sometimes in Vṛndāvana or Bhāṇḍīravana, and sometimes in Nandagaon or Varṣāṇā. They were weeping profusely and calling out everywhere, “O Rādhikā, where are you?” With very deep feelings, they daily chanted no less than one lākha of harināma. They were absorbed in thinking of Kṛṣṇa’s names and pastimes, and they were offering hundreds of thousands of daṇḍavat praṇāmas. They prayed: “O Rādhā! O Rādhā! O Kṛṣṇa! Karuṇāsindhu! Dīna-bandhu! Jagat-pate!”

All of our ācāryas are rūpānuga Vaiṣṇavas. They have not come to preach vaidhī-bhakti. They did so, however, in order to first cut the jungles of philosophical misconceptions, then to establish the yuga-dharma, and then to give these deeper conceptions. Without having done this preliminary work, no one would be able to understand.

The following is an excerpt from an article by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, published in Rays of The Harmonist, No. 17, Kārttika, 2007 (Purebhakti.com)

The fullest expression of true love is seen in Śrīmatī Rādhikā. In comparison, Śrī Kṛṣṇa experiences only a fraction of such love. His love touches mahābhāva, but it cannot go beyond that. No matter how high His love extends, it cannot even reach the same level as Śrī Lalitā’s and Śrī Viśākhā’s love, which touch ruḍa and adhiruḍa, the highest states of mahābhāva. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has no such love. In the higher stages of prema, from anurāga and up, the moods of Śrīmatī Rādhikā are predominant, not the moods of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Our Gosvāmīs describe these exalted and complex moods, which are beyond the understanding of the general people. These topics are essential for those who wish to do bhajana but they are not suitable for anyone else.

The following is a transcription of a lecture delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Mathurā, India, on April 21, 2000

 

All those who are chanting the gopī–jana–vallabha mantra, whether male or female, want to have that special mood for Kṛṣṇa. To achieve this they will have to understand the word ‘pirīti‘ (this is the Bengali pronunciation of prīti), and try to enter the same mood as the gopīs and Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Actually, the full expression of this prema is only seen in Śrīmatī Rādhikā. It is not manifested in anyone else. After the level of anurāga, all the descriptions given by the Gosvāmīs are especially for Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Even Kṛṣṇa can only come up to the point of mahābhāva, not above that. He cannot even reach the moods of Lalitā and Viśākhā, what to speak of the moods of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. She alone has the very special mood of mādana-mādanākhya-mahābhāva. No one else has that mood which Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself wants to understand.

We must understand that this transcendental love, the higher stages of which are known as modana and madana, and which are exhibited only in Śrīmatī Rādhikā, is completely transcendental. The smallest fraction, the smallest degree, of this love, which is called śraddhā, faith, is transcendental as well. From the very beginning, if śraddhā is pāramārthika, transcendental, then it is completely spiritual. It is not mundane.

The following is an excerpt from a conversation between Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja and Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja and his associates, in Mathurā, India, on October 21, 1992 (Purebhakti.com)

A similar desire has been expressed here. The author, Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, is a bhāvuka bhakta – not siddha (in prema-bhakti), but bhāvaka (in bhāva-bhakti), and also rasika (he understands the mellows of the five rasas). He has received something in his heart from rāgātmika-jana (the associates of Kṛṣṇa in Vraja), and therefore he is bhāvuka. He is kṛṣṇa-pakṣa and kṛṣṇa-virahita, meaning that he is inclined towards Kṛṣṇa, and thus he expresses separation from Kṛṣṇa, not Rādhikā. He has written all the ślokas in Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta with some connection to Śrīmatī Rādhikā, however, because he also has some taste for Her service. Kṛṣṇa does not want to listen to any prayers that are devoid of a connection with Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the gopīs. If Kṛṣṇa hears, “I am being served by Rādhikā” or “I am serving Rādhikā,” He becomes very pleased. Therefore, from the first to the last śloka in Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, there is some connection with Rādhikā. In the first verse he has used the word jayaśrīh:

cintāmaṇir jayati somagirir gurur me
śikṣā-guruś ca bhagavān śikhi-piṣcha-mauliḥ
yat-pāda-kalpataru-pallava-śekhareṣu
līlā-svayaṁvara-rasaṁ labhate jayaśrīḥ

He writes that Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful. His mouth, eyes, nose, hands, and all the parts of His transcendental form are beautiful. Although Kṛṣṇa’s feet are not as beautiful as His face, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura has only described the beauty of His feet in the beginning. He writes: “His feet are like lotuses and His toes are like lotus petals, and Rādhikā offers ārati to the rays emanating from the tips of His toenails.

We Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas do not want to hear these things. For those with the same mood as Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, this śloka is very beautiful, but we would be more interested and pleased if he had written that Kṛṣṇa offers ārati to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Instead, he writes that She is offering ārati, and She is so pleased – as a girl is pleased when choosing Her husband and giving Him a garland when They first meet.

The following is an excerpt from a lecture on Real Dīkṣā, Sannyāsa and Samādhi delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Alachua, Florida, on June 17, 1999 (Purebhakti.com)

The mellow of this. But not for [distributing] this. What?

anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam

(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 1.4)

‘Śrīyam.’ What śrī? This beauty of the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. What is that? The mood of Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī, Rati-mañjarī, the mood of Rūpa Gosvāmī in his siddha-deha, in his perfected spiritual body. How she’s serving, how Rūpa Gosvāmī’s serving in his siddha-deha to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa conjugal, especially bending towards Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Kṛṣṇa may be happy or may not be happy, but Rādhikā should be happy. This is the mood of Rūpa Gosvāmī. He will clap if Śrīmatī Rādhikā will defeat Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa will be defeated. They will clap. So this is the mood of Rūpa Gosvāmī. And if Śrīmatī Rādhikā is suffering so much in separation mood, oh, he will feel separation. This is rūpanuga. All rūpanuga are rāgānugā, but all rāgānugā are not rūpanuga.

An excerpt from a glorification given by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja at the bhajana–kuṭīra of Śrīla Bhakti Hṛdaya Vana Mahārāja’s Madana-mohana Ghera in Vṛndāvana, India on July 7, 2001 (Purebhakti.com)

Bhakti manifests from Śrī Rādhā, and it is Her various bhāvas that are called bhakti. Rādhikā’s bhāvas, namely modana and madana, cannot be given to the world, and even Kṛṣṇa cannot experience these bhāvas, what to speak of others. For that reason, in order to taste them and to distribute a sprinkle of them upon the world, Kṛṣṇa came with the mood of Śrī Rādhā in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and gave mañjarī-bhāva. In this unnatojjvala-rasa, Lalitā and Viśākhā have to wait and ask for permission from Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī to enter Rādhikā’s kuñja.

The following is an excerpt from a lecture on the glories of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Vṛndāvana, India, on August 19, 2005 (Purebhakti.com)

There are three aspects or sections in prema: the object, the subject and the exchange between them. When anurāga becomes very thick, it comes to such a high stage that all the distinctions between these three diminish. Only the experience of the mellow taste of the relationship remains. This stage is so exalted that Śrīmati Rādhikā forgets that “I am Rādhikā,” and Śrī Kṛṣṇa forgets that “I am Kṛṣṇa.” At this stage, prema, that pure transcendental love, which is “the doer,” becomes prominent, and only the feeling of happiness remains. Who is the object and who is the subject, this understanding is lost in the stage of sva–samvedya–daśā. It is impossible to explain this appropriately; only Śrīmatī Rādhikā, who experiences it, can explain it.

So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to this world taking the golden beauty and intrinsic mood of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, only to sprinkle this love and affection to all, and to taste some desires. Not to give. [Not to distribute the three desires of Kṛṣṇa which Mahāprabhu came to taste.] And Caitanya Mahāprabhu very easily gave it [this love and affection] to the whole world through kīrtana, saṅkīrtana.

An excerpt from a lecture delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Murwillumbah, Australia, on April 26, 2005 (Purebhakti.com)

 

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, having taken the mood and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and he came to give unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-śrīyam. He did not come to give unnatojvala-rasa, the mood of Rādhikā, Lalitā or Viśākhā. That mood is reserved for them. Kṛṣṇa came in the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, appearing in the womb of Śacī-maiyā, to give the beauty of unnatojvala rasa. What is that beauty? It is mañjarī-bhāva (also known as bhāva-ullāsa-rati).

The following is an excerpt from the book Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī by Śrīla Gaura Govinda Svāmī Mahārāja, published by Tattva Vicara Publications (Tvpbooks.com)

 

You are the eternal servant of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa is your eternal master. Kṛṣṇa therefore descends here for krīḍārtha, to play with His dear devotees, to relish His līlā–rasa, the mellow of transcendental līlā. In addition He also gives you an opportunity to relish these pastimes. Moreover, He also comes here for sādhu-saṁrakṣaṇa, to protect His dear devotees. These are the reasons why Kṛṣṇa comes to this material world.

An excerpt from a lecture delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Govardhana, India, on November 25, 2004 (Purebhakti.com)

 

Our ācāryas like Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura and others have described many pastimes like this in order to inspire the mellows of transcendental love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in the hearts of all the living entities of this world. There are not one or two pastimes like this; there are thousands – unlimited – pastimes like this. When we come to Vraja-maṇḍala parikramā, it is essential to hear these pastimes from the lips of a realized Vaiṣṇava, so that the inspiration will come in our bhajana to attain the goal of life – loving service of the lotus feet of Śrīmatī Rādhā and Lord Kṛṣṇa.

The following is an excerpt from the book Lord Balarāma’s Inconceivable Strength by Śrīla Gaura Govinda Svāmī Mahārāja, published by Tattva Vicara Publications (Tvpbooks.com)

 

Those sādhus are My heart. I am the heart of those sādhus. They do not know anything but Me, I do not know anything but them. All premī-bhaktas, dear devotees relish the bhakti–rasa, the mellow of bhakti, as the mellow emanates from the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-mādhurya.

The following is an excerpt from the book The Asset of the Gauḍīya-Guru-Varga by Śrīla Gaura Govinda Svāmī Mahārāja, published by Tattva Vicara Publications (Tvpbooks.com)

 

Kṛṣṇa’s vraja-līlā, the eternal līlā that He manifests in Vrajabhūmi, is His antaraṅgā-līlā. Vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya padam ekaṁ na gacchati – Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vṛndāvana. He never goes out of Vṛndāvana, not even one step, padam ekaṁ na gacchati. He is always there. But sometimes His līlā is manifested and sometimes it is unmanifested. So He manifests His vraja-līlā when He is ekādaśa-vatsara, eleven years old. Kṛṣṇa relishes līlā-rasa, or the mellow of such vraja-līlā surrounded by the vrajavāsīs, the residents of Vrajabhūmi, His premī-bhaktas.

There are five rasas: śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya. Nanda-nandana Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, manifests His babyhood līlā, His childhood līlā and His boyhood līlā or adolescence, paugaṇḍa-līlā, kaiśora-līlā. That līlā-rasa is relished by the premī-bhaktas who are residents of Vrajabhūmi, vrajavāsīs. They are the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas. They relish such līlā-rasa, the mellow of that līlā. That is the speciality of the gauḍīya-guru-varga.

The following is an excerpt from Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam, Śrī Bhāgavata-rahasya, lecture series given in New Vraja (Badger), California, June, 1999, 2nd edition, by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja (Purebhakti.com)

There was yet another reason why Kṛṣṇa did not return to Vṛndāvana. Vasudeva and Devakī knew very well that a person who goes elsewhere to perform a job or duty will return to his original place when his duty is completed. Similarly, if Kṛṣṇa, who came from Vṛndāvana, were to have returned to Vṛndāvana, He would never have gone back to Mathurā and Dvārakā. But if Kṛṣṇa were to say, “I am going to Indraprastha, I am going to Mithilā, I am going here and there,” Vasudeva and Devakī would never object. They would say, “All right, You may go. Return very quickly.” But if Kṛṣṇa had requested permission from Devakī and Vasudeva to quickly go to Vṛndāvana and then return, they would have become very worried and would have wept. They would not have responded at all and would not have given permission. Why not?

Vṛndāvana is rasamayī-bhūmi (the land of eternal loving relationships). Devakī and Vasudeva knew that Kṛṣṇa would not be going there to complete any duty or job, and that if He went, He would have become totally absorbed in rasa (transcendental mellows). Kṛṣṇa is Himself rasa, and all the gopas and gopīs are also rasa. Therefore He would not return. If Kṛṣṇa were to ask, “May I go to Vṛndāvana?” then Devakī and Vasudeva would have begun to weep bitterly. Not only Devakī and Vasudeva would weep, but all of the Mathurāvāsīs would also and feel that they would die that very day. This is why He could not go to Vṛndāvana, even though He sometimes wanted to go.

The following is an excerpt from the book Relishing Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam by Śrīla Gaura Govinda Svāmī Mahārāja, published by Tattva Vicara Publications (Tvpbooks.com)

 

In this pastime there is līlānanda, the Lord relishing the mellow of His sweet līlā, and there is also the bhakta’s experiencing premānanda, getting pleasure from rendering such loving service unto Kṛṣṇa. Two types of ānanda: līlānanda and premānanda. The Lord’s līlānanda and the bhakta’s premānanda, combined together to create apūrva paramānanda — unprecedented, supreme ānanda. The Lord and the devotee, bhagavān and bhakta, both become merged, drowned, in an ocean of ānanda. No one can describe it with language, for it is indescribable. Raso vai saḥ — He is the reservoir of all rasa, mellow. He is rasa himself. He is rasika, He relishes. He is the relisher and He is also to be relished, āsvādya. He gives opportunity to His premī-bhaktas to relish such mellow.

An excerpt from a darśana with Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Alachua, Florida, on April 29, 2008, published in Walking with a Saint – Morning Walks and Conversations 2008 (Purebhakti.com)

 

Śrīpāda Āśrama Mahārāja: Kṛṣṇa is rasika-śekhara, the topmost relisher, and He is raso vai saḥ, the embodiment of rasa. I have heard it said that Rādhārāṇī does not have rasa, but She is Mahābhāva Ṭhākurāṇī. She has bhāva, but Kṛṣṇa does not have bhāva. I am wondering; is this idea okay?
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: It is correct to say that Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of rasa; but rasa cannot taste itself. It cannot know how tasteful it is. Rather, one who is drinking that rasa can taste it. Śrīmatī Rādhikā is drinking that nectar.
Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: Śyāma-rasa.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Therefore She knows the extent of the beauty, taste, and qualities of that rasa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is Rasa Himself, cannot fully taste, tell, or explain about Himself.

An excerpt from a lecture delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Odessa, Ukraine, on September 22, 2002 (Purebhakti.com)

 

Kṛṣṇa is love, and His love is Rādhikā. Without love – without Rādhikā – He cannot exist for even a second. If you want to take darśana of Kṛṣṇa, in a moment you can have darśana of Kṛṣṇa if you will follow Rādhikā and call out to Her, “O Rādhike!” Kṛṣṇa will then come at once.

The following is an excerpt from Loving Search for the Lost Servant by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja (Bvmlu.org)

 

Once, the Diwān of Bhāratpur had come on a pilgrimage with his family to the holiest of places, Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa, the holy lake of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. He and his family were circumambulating Rādhā-kuṇḍa. They would fall flat on the ground, offering obeisances lying down with their arms outstretched. Every time they bowed down in this way, they would mark the spot where their fingertips touched the earth. Then they would slowly rise, step forward to where that spot had been marked, and again fall flat, offering their obeisances with great respect and adoration. In this way they were circumambulating the entire Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Upon seeing such intense worship, Paramānanda Prabhu, an intimate disciple of our Guru Mahārāja Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, intimated to Prabhupāda that the Diwān and his family must have great respect for Rādhārāṇī to circumambulate the Rādhā-kuṇḍa in such a fashion.

At that time Prabhupāda said, “Their angle of vision towards Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Rādhārāṇī is different from ours. They recognise and revere Kṛṣṇa. And because Rādhārāṇī is Kṛṣṇa’s favourite, they also have some reverence for Rādhā-kuṇḍa. But our vision is just the opposite. Our concern is with Rādhārāṇī. And only because She wants Kṛṣṇa do we have any connection with Him.”

And so, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas know only Rādhārāṇī. They are concerned only with Her, and Her duties, Her necessities. They are ready to serve Her in all respects, and cannot contemplate any service without Her. That is the highest achievement of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, that is the special feature of Mahāprabhu’s party, and that was announced by Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī in his Vilāpa-kusumāñjali (102):

āśā-bharair amṛta-sindhu-mayaiḥ kathañcit
kālo mayātigamitaḥ kila sāmprataṁ hi
tvaṁ cet kṛpāṁ mayi vidhāsyasi naiva kiṁ me
prāṇair vrajena ca varoru bakāriṇāpi

This verse is a direct prayer to Rādhārāṇī. It expresses a particular type of hope which is so sweet and reassuring that it is compared with an unlimited ocean of nectar. He says, “There is a hope which is sustaining me and nurturing my existence. With that hope I am somehow passing my days, dragging my life through these tedious times. That nectarine ocean of hope is attracting me and keeping me alive. But my patience has reached its end. I can’t endure it any longer. I can’t wait any more.”

“At this moment if You do not show Your grace to me, I am finished. I shall lose my prospect forever. I shall have no desire to continue my life. It will all be useless. Without Your grace, I can’t stand to live another moment. And Vṛndāvana, which is even dearer to me than my life itself – I am disgusted with it. It is painful; it is always pinching me. And what to speak of anything else, I am even disgusted with Kṛṣṇa. It is shameful to utter such words, but I can have no love even for Kṛṣṇa unless and until You take me within Your confidential camp of service.” This is the prayer of Raghunātha Dāsa.

When Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda would begin to explain this verse, his figure would become transformed. He would become full of emotion; his face would become like that of a phantom.

In this verse, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, taking an extreme risk, says, “O Rādhā, if I do not get Your favour, I don’t want anything. I want You and You alone. To have an independent relationship with anyone else, eliminating You is impossible in my life. You must be first, and then others. Without You, we can never even think of a separate relationship with Kṛṣṇa.”

Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja has written that without Rādhārāṇī’s company, Kṛṣṇa is not beautiful. Everything is relative-dependent. A teacher depends on the student, and the student depends on his teacher. Although Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer, He is completely dependent on the enjoyed, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The two are correlative; one cannot be separated from the other. As the enjoyed, Rādhārāṇī is also absolutely dependent on Kṛṣṇa, the enjoyer.

Rādhārāṇī says, “My fate is lost forever because I have given Myself, I have sold Myself to many places. When I heard the flute, I dedicated Myself to the song of the flute. When I heard the name Kṛṣṇa, I dedicated Myself to that sound. And when I saw a beautiful picture of Kṛṣṇa, I wholly dedicated Myself to that picture. So in three places I have sold Myself completely, with no possibility of any happiness or peace in My life. If l had dedicated Myself to only one thing, there might have been a possibility of peace, but because I have dedicated Myself in three different places, I am hopeless.

“Seeing the picture of Kṛṣṇa, I couldn’t contain Myself. I couldn’t but give Myself to that beautiful figure, and so I dedicated Myself fully. The name of Kṛṣṇa also purchased Me fully. And the sweet sound from the flute – has also drawn Me to the extreme of dedication. So how can I hope for peace in My life? It is impossible, My friends.” Rādhārāṇī did not know it at that time, but the source of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, His name, and His beauty are one. If She could have seen how all three of these meet together, then it would have been possible for Her to have peace of mind. But it is difficult to understand this principle.

How is it that the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, the sound of His name, and a picture of His form are non-different from Kṛṣṇa Himself? Idealism. In Hegel’s words, ideal realism. The absolute idea is not to be dismissed as an abstract thing; rather, it is the basis of all existence. Reality is there, but it is ideal realism. And the foundation of the reality of Vṛndāvana is given by Nityānanda, Baladeva: nitāiyera karunā habe, vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe, dhara nitāi-caraṇa du’khāni.

After Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura describes the position of Rādhārāṇī in his Śaraṇāgati, he says, “I want to serve those who have the service of Rādhārāṇī in their heart. I want to serve the feet-dust of those whose only wealth is the service of Śrī Rādhā. I want to fall before them and take the dust of their holy feet. If you cannot fix your mind in the service of Rādhārāṇī, then all your attempts to serve Kṛṣṇa are useless. If you cannot achieve earnestness in the service of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, then all your labour for Kṛṣṇa has gone to hell.” We cannot conceive of a sun without heat, nor can we conceive of Godhead without His potency. So also, no conception of Kṛṣṇa is possible without Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. We can’t know any Mādhava without Rādhā.

She is Kṛṣṇa’s other half, in Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta’s language, the predominated moiety. Devotional service as a whole is represented by Her, because both the intensity and the comprehensiveness of Her service to Kṛṣṇa are unparalleled. There are so many examples of chaste and pious ladies in the ancient history of the Purāṇas: Śacī, the faithful wife of Indra; Sati, the wife of Lord Śiva; Lakṣmī Devī, the goddess of fortune; Satyabhāmā, Kṛṣṇa’s wife in Dvārakā; Rukmiṇī, the principle queen of Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā; and even the antagonists of Rādhārāṇī, headed by Candrāvalī. All of them represent different aspects of Rādhārāṇī. They all spring from the main potency which is known as Rādhā.

The name Rādhā comes from the word arādhanīya: One who can serve, who can worship, who can give respect, who really loves Kṛṣṇa, who can render loving service. All of these other ladies who are famous for their chastity and piety are but partial representations of Rādhārāṇī. If we note the scriptures and scrutinize the position of those virtuous ladies, we’ll find that the source of all their chastity and devotion is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. She is the fountainhead of devotion. And so Bhaktivinoda says, “I bow down and take the dust of the holy feet of those who have as their only wealth the service of Rādhārāṇī. I hanker after nothing else.” Whoever knows this and always travels on that path with a sincere heart is most fortunate.

It is the ideal that makes one great, not any material possession. One who has the highest ideal is really wealthy. The highest ideal is the most valuable thing we may possess. And less valuable things must be eliminated if we are to concentrate our efforts and save ourselves from useless endeavours. Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to show us that highest ideal – the path of divine love. And we find divine love of Godhead in its highest intensity in His life and teachings of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. The whole Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is meant to illustrate the ideal of divine love which reaches its highest expression in Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam sings very gloriously about the paramour relationship of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The Vedas and other Purāṇas are not so expressive about such confidential pastimes, yet we find a hint of the glories of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. And the Gosvāmīs have more fully expressed Rādhārāṇī’s devotion in their writings. In Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Padyāvalī, we find Her saying, “My Lord, people say that I have a bad reputation because of My connection with You. I do not feel any trouble in My heart because of this. My concern is that I could not give Myself to You completely. The people in general say that I am illicitly connected with You, but what disturbs Me is that I could not really give Myself to You. I feel that I am not fit for Your service. This is only the trouble within My heart.”

And the ecstasy of divine love increases in separation. One day, when Kṛṣṇa was playing with His cowherd boyfriends in the pasturing grounds of Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa suddenly felt extreme separation from Rādhārāṇī. He sent His best friend Subala to Rādhārāṇī, saying, “Go to My Rādhā and fetch Her. Without Her, I can’t live. Suddenly I have so much desire for Her company that I can’t stand it anymore. Somehow manage to bring Her.”

Subala said, “How is it possible to bring Her here in the jungle in broad daylight?” Kṛṣṇa told him, “Somehow manage it!”

Subala thought, “What should I do?” Subala was very intimately connected with the family of Rādhārāṇī’s husband. He went to the house of Rādhārāṇī and told Her girlfriends, “Kṛṣṇa can’t tolerate separation from Rādhārāṇī any longer. He is so eager to meet Her that He is going mad. Somehow you have to arrange for Them to meet.”

“How is it possible?” the gopīs asked. Subala explained to them that Kṛṣṇa was nearby in the jungle. They discussed between themselves what to do. Subala was a beautiful boy who resembled Rādhārāṇī. So Subala took the dress of Rādhārāṇī, and Rādhārāṇī wore Subala’s cowherd dress.

When Rādhārāṇī was discovered wearing the dress of Subala, She was challenged by Her family members: “Subala! What are you doing here?” In the dress of Subala, Rādhārāṇī said, “A calf is missing and its mother is mooing. So I have come here looking for that calf.” So a calf was given to Rādhārāṇī, and She carried that small calf on her breast into the forest. In this way, Rādhārāṇī was disguised as Subala, while Subala, who had taken the dress of Rādhārāṇī, remained behind in Her room.

Rādhārāṇī had been given a hint of where Kṛṣṇa was hiding near the forest’s edge. She went to seek Him out. At last, when Rādhārāṇī saw Kṛṣṇa, She approached Him in the garb of Subala. Kṛṣṇa was mad. He could not detect that Rādhārāṇī had come, but mistook Her for Subala. He said, “Oh, Subala, you have come back without Rādhārāṇī! Couldn’t you bring Her?”

Rādhārāṇī began cutting jokes: “No,” She said, “It was impossible for me to bring Her in the daytime.” Kṛṣṇa said, “Then what am I to do? I can’t tolerate My life any longer.”
Rādhārāṇī said, “If You say so, I can go to Candrāvalī and bring her.”
“No, no,” Kṛṣṇa said, “Curd cannot satisfy the thirst for milk. It is not possible!”
Kṛṣṇa was faint with disappointment. Then Rādhārāṇī embraced Him, saying, “My Lord, can’t You recognise Your maidservant? You failed to recognise Me!” Then Kṛṣṇa was again full of joy.

Although the pastimes of Rādhā and Govinda are mentioned in the scriptures, these are all very high things. They are not ordinarily to be expressed in words, but still sometimes we are forced to speak about them because the high ideal of divine love given by Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is the supreme goal of life. Of course, the scholarship of Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu has helped, to a certain extent, to establish the dignity of the proposal that love is above knowledge. It was admitted by everyone that Śukadeva held the highest attainment of the learned men of knowledge; he was unanimously admitted by the scholars to hold the highest position. Because of this, when Śukadeva Gosvāmī came to inaugurate the principle that divine love is above everything else, the scholars had to take notice. Caitanya Mahāprabhu demonstrated to the scholars that His intelligence and scholarship excelled over everyone else’s. So when He came with the tidings of divine love, then it was easier for ordinary men to accept it as the highest ideal and try for it.

So Vāsudeva Ghoṣa says, yadi gaura nā haite, tabe ki haita kemane dharitām de. If Mahāprabhu had not appeared in this Kali-yuga, then how could we tolerate living? How could we sustain our lives? What He has given – the very gist of life, the very taste, the charm of life – without that, we think it is impossible for anyone to live in this world. Such a thing has been invented, discovered by Gaurāṅga. If He had not come, then how could we live? It is impossible to live devoid of such a holy and gracious thing as divine love. Without Caitanya Mahāprabhu, how could we know that Rādhārānī stands supreme in the world of divine love? We have received all these things from Him, and now we think that life is worth living. Otherwise to live would be suicidal.

And serving those who can serve Rādhārāṇī is the way to approach Her vicinity. By serving the servants of the servants, we are assured of success in getting the grace of Kṛṣṇa. If somehow one can be counted in the group of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s servitors, one’s future is assured.

Within the group of Rādhārāṇī’s servitors, we aspire to be Rūpānugas, followers of Śrī Rūpa. And the followers of Śrī Rūpa will have great earnestness to look after the order of Śrī Rūpa, as he does towards Lalitā. In this way, through Rūpa Gosvāmī, our devotional service is going to the highest plane. And our highest gain is only there. Not even our connection with Rādhārāṇī or Lalitā Devī is the highest goal of life, but our highest aspiration is to serve in the Rūpānuga sampradāya; that means that our highest attainment is in Śrī Rūpa’s connection.

Rādhā-dāsyam has been said to be the highest attainment. Why? The quality and quantity of rasa that Rādhārāṇī can draw from Kṛṣṇa can never be found anywhere else. So if you are situated just behind Rādhārāṇī, you’ll be allowed to taste not only the quantity, but the highest quality of rasa.

No other person can draw such high rasa from Kṛṣṇa. The fullest, highest type of quality is drawn from Kṛṣṇa: He gives Himself fully and wholly and deeply. So if you are in Śrī Rūpa’s group, then you can have a taste of that sort of rasa.

In Rādhārāṇī’s camp, when Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā are enjoying very solitary pastimes in a secluded place, the grown-up sakhīs can’t venture to enter the room and assist Them. The young girls, the mañjarīs, are sent there. The leader of that young group can enter where both Rādhā and Govinda are very closely connected, when even the sakhīs do not venture to go for fear of causing some interruption. But Rūpa and the mañjarīs can enter there at that time due to their young age. That sort of rasa that cannot be had even through the sakhīs can be had only through the mañjarīs.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura prays to gain admission there. He has such a high quality of aspiration. He says, rūpānuga haite sei dayā. He runs to be enlisted in the group of Rūpa, who can grant us that sort of prospect. And Prabhodānanda Sarasvatī has described the prerequisite for understanding all these things:

yathā yathā gaura-padāravinde
vindeta bhaktiṁ kṛta-puṇya-rāśiḥ
tathā tathotsarpati hṛdy akasmāt
rādhā-padāmbhoja-sudhāṁbu-rāśiḥ

“As much as you surrender to the lotus feet of Śrī Gaurāṅga, you’ll find yourself safely situated in the service of Rādhā-Govinda. Don’t try to approach Rādhā-Govinda directly; if you do, there may be some difficulty. But the lotus feet of Śrī Gaurāṅga will take you there safely.”

In my Sanskrit poem dedicated to Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, I have explained all these points:

śrī-gaurānumataṁ svarūpa-viditaṁ rūpāgrajenādṛtaṁ
rūpādyaiḥ pariveśitaṁ raghu-gaṇair āsvāditaṁ sevitam
jīvādyair abhirakṣitaṁ śuka-śiva-brahmādi-saṁmānitaṁ
śrī-rādhā-pada-sevanāmṛtam aho tad dātum īśo bhavān

“What was sanctioned by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by His descent was intimately known only to Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. It was adored by Sanātana Gosvāmī and served by Rūpa Gosvāmī and his followers. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī tasted that wonderful thing fully and enhanced it with his own realization. And Jīva Gosvāmī supported and protected it by quoting the scriptures from different places. The taste of that divine truth is aspired for by Brahmā, Śiva, and Uddhava, who respect it as the supreme goal of life. What is this wonderful truth? Śrī-rādhā-pāda-sevana – that the highest nectar of our life is the service of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. This is most wonderful. O Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, you are our master. It is within your power to allow them to bestow their grace upon us. You are in a position to bestow the highest gift ever known to the world upon us all. It is at your disposal. O Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, please be kind to us and grant us your mercy.”

So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, our most benevolent Lord, has come to search for His long-lost servants and to give to them this highest ideal of divine love. Gaura-haribol!

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