Vraja Riti Cintamani | Part 3 | Verse 57~65 | Shravana Utsav 2024 @ ISKCON Chennai by HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj on Feb 12, 2024
nama om vishnu-padaya Krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
sri-Krishna-caitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara
srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has discussed some of the places like Nandiswara and he described the elders such as Nanda and Yasoda. He also described the young cowherds who are in a Sakya relationship with Krishna. Then he mentioned the Gopis. And among the Gopis, Rādhā is the supreme Gopi.
Rādhā of course is the daughter of Vrishabhanu. She lives in a separate place, Vrishabhanu’s place. So here he gives in this verse (verse 57), Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur compares Rādhā to the center jewel of a necklace. So if we have a necklace, then in the center there is a big jewel. So the necklace is called wonderful qualities and Rādhā is the jewel among all those qualities.
She is also compared to a Ketaki flower which is golden in color because her complexion is golden. So the Gopis are like different flowers and then she is the golden flower. And she is also compared to lightning. Lightning is also golden. But lightning appears in a cloud. Usually of course the comparison is that Rādhā is like lightning and the cloud is Krishna, He is black [Laughs].
So she is also compared to moonlight. And the moon itself is bliss. And her beauty is such that it bewilders Krishna. So Krishna bewilders Lakshmi but Rādhā bewilders Krishna. So of course Krishna is most beautiful that even Laksmi who is the consort of Narayana becomes attracted to Krishna. We also say of course that Krishna is so beautiful that cupid who is most beautiful is defeated by Krishna. But Rādhārani is the most attractive of all and therefore Krishna is attracted to her.
She is also compared to a golden line. In ancient times they have a particular stone, black stone and if you have think something is gold, if you scrap the stone with that it will show a golden line. So in this case the testing stone is beauty itself. And she is the golden line in that stone which means she is the ultimate beauty.
Verse 59:
lāvaṇya-pātho-nidhi-sāra-sampat-
kalā-kalāpākara-bhūmir ekā |
guṇākhya-ratnaugha-khaniḥ prasiddhā
śrī-rādhikā śrī-vraja-candra-kāntāḥ ||59||
Translation:
She is the greatest treasure in the ocean of beauty. She is the sole source of all arts. She is famous as the source of all gem-like qualities. Śrī Rādhikā is the beloved of Kṛṣna, the moon of Vraja
So in this way through various comparisons, Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura is showing the exalted beauty and wonderful qualities of Rādhā.
Though there are many beautiful women, she surpasses them in beauty. She is also known as Shyama which means the consort of Shyama. And she is the life of all her friends.
She is also said to be the supreme Lakshmi. This is to show that she is superior even to all the other consorts of the Vishnu forms. Some of the Pancharatras describe her as Lila Shakti. And some of the Shrutis say that she is the Hladini Shakti. So in this way she is glorified by different sages and scriptures.
Of course we commonly speak of Rādhārani as the Hladini Shakti or the Bliss Shakti. Of course within her experience Rādhā exemplifies Mahābhāva. There are various levels of Prema starting from Bhava, Prema, Sneha, Pranaya, Raga, Anuraga and then Mahābhāva, more and more intense types of Prema. And only the Gopis get to experience Mahābhāva, the Queens of Dwaraka don’t even get that. But within Mahābhāva itself there are different levels and the highest levels are only experienced by Rādhā. So she is not only Hladini Shakti, she is the Svarūpa of Mahābhāva.
Of course in many places we see that the Gopis are described as being full of this Bliss. For instance in Brahma Samhita, it describes “ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis..” that the Gopis are filled with this great Bliss.
Brahma Samhita – 5.37
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Translation
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.
Bhakti itself is said to consist of this Hladini Shakti. Bhava is defined as Suta Sattva Visesatma. And that’s a combination of Samvit and Hladini Shaktis. So this manifests within the Jiva. So we get a portion of that Hladini Shakti. But actually the origin of all that Hladini Shakti is Rādhā.
Of course Bhakti is wonderful in any form, because it has Hladini Shakti. And of course Krishna is always with His Shakti, especially His Hladini Shakti. And because of that Krishna is controlled by His devotees. But Rādhā is the very Svarūpa of Hladini Shakti and Mahābhāva. So then naturally she is the one who has got most control over Krishna. So everything is under Rādhā’s control.
Krishna has many Shaktis. Of course we are most interested in His internal energy – Antaranga Shakti, spiritual energy. He is also in possession of atastha Shakti – Jivas and external energy – matter. But the external energy is not present in the spiritual world. The Jivas are present in the spiritual world only if they also combine with the Hladini Shakti. .
There are many parts of this internal energy. Sometimes we call the basic energy as Sandhinī Shakti, manifesting the dhama, form, qualities, activities, etc. The Shakti which gives consciousness, awareness, relationships in the spiritual world, perceptions, etc. is the Samvit Shakti. And all the experiences of Prema and Bliss etc. are under the Hladini Shakti.
Of course these are broad categories of the Shakti, three divisions. So that energy also manifests a great variety of Shaktis. We have Yogamaya Shakti, we have Lila Shakti, we have Aishwarya Shakti. So there is a whole list of different Shaktis that are under this internal energy. And they will assist Krishna in manifesting various pastimes. So we often hear about the Lila Shakti because it is responsible for arranging all the pastimes. But sometimes Krishna wants to make things disappear or appear or whatever, so he uses Yogamaya Shakti. Sometimes He wants to show power, so He uses his Aishwarya Shakti. Sometimes He wants to destroy things, so He uses samhara Shakti [Laughs]. So at various times we have various Shaktis operating. They are called internal energies or Antaranga Shakti because they are intrinsic to Krishna Himself. And they are responsible for manifesting His form, qualities and activities.
So we can never separate Krishna from all these. Without His energies He becomes impersonal Brahman[Laughs]. Jiva Goswami states this in one of the Sandarbhas. He says that if Krishna is devoid of Shaktis, He becomes Brahman. That is why we have our ten Dasamula – ten principal philosophical points. So one of the points is that, Krishna is endowed with many Shaktis.
Because if there is no Shakti, then there is no form, qualities and activities in the spiritual world [Laughs]. So therefore these Shaktis are most important and essential to manifest everything in the spiritual world, including the bliss. And of course it is said that this combination of Hladini and Samvit, this is said to be the most important part of that internal energy which manifests Bhakti and Prema.
Verse 63:
yasyā lasan-mādana-bhāva-vaśyā
līlā rasāsvāda-viśeṣa-rasyāḥ |
kṛṣṇasya nityā vilasanty anantāḥ
sā rādhikā rājati kṛṣṇa-kāntā ||63||
Translation:
Her eternal, infinite, shining pastimes with Kṛṣṇa, most attractive with the special flavor of rasa, are subject to brilliant mādana-bhāva (in mahābhāva). Śrī Rādhikā thus shines as the lover of Kṛṣṇa.
And Rādhārani is the very Svarūpa of that Prema in the form of Mahābhāva. So she is ultimately in control of all Shaktis. Of course we say Krishna is Shaktiman, He possesses all the Shaktis, So He is in control ultimately. But we also say Krishna is controlled by His devotee, even though He is independent. And the reason why He is controlled by his devotee is because the devotee has this Shakti in Him, the internal energy in Him. So the highest form of all this internal energy is Rādhā. So Krishna is controlled by Rādhā, not surprising. But this is nothing to criticize. Krishna can’t be independent because He is under control of Rādhā. That’s not a fault. And the reason is that, the Shakti itself is part of Krishna. So ultimately He is controlled by Himself [Laughs].
Rādhā therefore has everything under control. All Krishna’s Shaktis are under her control. All his pastimes and His qualities are under Her control. All His beauty, sweetness and skill are under her control. That is because His pastimes, His qualities, His beauty, His sweetness, His skill are all manifested through His internal energy. And Rādhārani controls all that [Laughs]. So in this way Krishna is overcome by and bewildered by Rādhā.
Jiva Gosvami in Ujjavala Nilamani mentions that the Gopis have the highest qualities – spiritual qualities. So they have the most elevated Bhakti among all of the different associates in Vrindavan. But the highest, highest most elevated Bhakti is found in Rādhā. Because the highest form of Bhakti is that Mahābhāva.
All the Gopis of course have this Mahābhāva. So in this way they are like portions of Rādhā. But they are not a Svarūpa of Mahābhāva. That is Rādhā. And the reason is that within Mahābhāva there is something called Madana. And this is a state that nobody manifests except Rādhā [Laughs]. So the other Gopis do have Mahābhāva, but can’t be compared to Rādhā’s Mahābhāva. So Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura says that Rādhā is like the ocean and the Gopis are like the rivers, the streams and the ponds.
Because of her exalted position, we do find in the scriptures the glorification of Rādhā. In the Ujjvala Nilamani there Rupa Goswami is particular to mention that Rādhā has scriptural references. So in the Upanishads, the Shruti in Gopal Tapani Upanishad she is mentioned. In the supplement to the Rg Veda(Rk-parisista), she is mentioned. And in the Padma Purana, Narada Muni glorifies Rādhā. So in this way Rādhā does get mentioned in the scriptures even though in Bhagavatam she is not mentioned directly.
This quotation talks about just as Rādhā is dear to Vishnu so her kunda is dear to him as well. But it mentions the word Vishnu, not Krishna [Laughs ]. So people may wonder, why, why Vishnu? Sometimes even in the 10th Canto in discussing Krishna, it is used with the word Vishnu instead. Why, why are they using the word Vishnu [Laughs]. So Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura explains that Vishnu here does not mean Narayana it means Krishna.
We have two common ways of giving meanings to words. One is the commonly accepted meaning, so Vishnu means forehanded form in Vaikuntha, Krishna means playing the flute [Laughs]. But sometimes those meanings don’t make too much sense.
So then we take another meaning called the etymological meaning. So words in Sanskrit usually can be derived from roots. And then we can get those roots or verbs that have certain meanings to them. So therefore Krishna, part of the word Krishna is “Krish”, “Krish”means to pull, to attract. So then we say Krishna is one who attracts. And “Na” of course means one who is full of bliss. So of course that etymological meaning also corresponds to Krishna we know with playing the flute etc.
So the word Vishnu, we can take the root which is “Vish”, which means ultimately He pervades everywhere. So who pervades everywhere is Krishna.
How does Krishna spread out everywhere? He spreads out with His Madhurya rasa [Laughs]. And thus the word Priya is used, very dear, which means one who has got Madhurya rasa. So Rādhā is dear to Krishna who is called Vishnu because He spreads everywhere with His Madhurya rasa. And as He spreads out, He embraces Rādhā’s soul, intelligence, body, everything [Laughs]. So in this way Vishnu doesn’t mean Vishnu, but it means Krishna [Laughs]. So He spreads out to Rādhā and embraces her and He spreads out everywhere in Vrindavan.
Krishna of course is controlled by Rādhā and she is the ultimate Gopi but that does not mean that He doesn’t love the other Gopis. Why? Because He is Vishnu. He spreads everywhere [Laughs]. So though He is with Rādhā, He is also with Chandravali and all the other Gopis as well. He spreads His affection everywhere. And of course though He is with the Gopis, He is also with the Sakhas, the cowherd boys, He is also with Nanda, He spreads everywhere. But at the same time the scriptures tell us that Krishna is always with Rādhā. So this indicates that of all the Gopis, He is most attracted to her.
Krishna of course is Svayam Bhagavan. So He is full of all sweetness, pastimes, beauty, everything, He is perfect. But sweetness, pastimes, qualities and beauty of Rādhā are even greater than Krishna’s. And thus He is attracted to her. So it may look contradictory because Krishna is Svayam Bhagavan but it is also not contradictory because His Hladhini Shakti is Rādhā and this is the essence of Krishna.
And of course in the form of Madana, the highest aspect of Mahābhāva, that is the essence of Hladini Shakti, that is Rādhā. And through this Shakti Rādhā manifests the highest qualities, the highest pastimes, the highest bliss.
This is just a verse quoted in Ujjvala Nilamani to show how Rādhā controls Krishna. So Krishna speaks to Rādhā. He says, “I plucked a whole mass of flowers, uncrushed by the bees and I brought many peacock feathers which aren’t damaged. Because you told me to do this. So give up the leaves. Because at that time she is decorating herself with some leaves. A person like me should act under your control. So you just give me the order, I will do anything for you” [Laughs].
Along with Rādhā are her Sakhis. So I mentioned previously that Rādhā has a group, Chandravali has a group, they have billions of Sakhis, in a group [Laughs]. Usually of course we think of the eight principal Sakhis, they are in the highest position. So they are almost equal to Rādhā, so therefore they also are very exalted. They have great sweetness, they have great qualities and Rādhā gives them the most respect. Though she is the leader of the group, she gives respect to all of her members. She becomes joyful in their association.
There are of course many types of Sakhis. So these eight Sakhis especially are the best of all the Gopis. Sometimes they show more love for Krishna, sometimes they show more love for Rādhā. Of course in one sense we can say they have equal love for both. So when Krishna does something, Rādhā may suffer. So then the Gopis cannot tolerate Rādhā’s suffering, so they side with Rādhā. Sometimes Rādhā becomes angry with Krishna and won’t see him. So Krishna suffers and then the Gopis will side with Krishna.
These Sakis are divided into different groups within Rādhā’s group. Some show a little more affection for Krishna, they are called Sakhis. Others show a little more affection for Rādhā. Some are called Nitya Sakhis. If the Prema is more intense, they are called Prana Sakhis. Then there are those who have equal affection for Rādhā and Krishna. And there are two groups there, the Priya Sakhis and the Parama-prestha Sakhis. So the Parama-prestha Sakhis have more intense Prema than the Priya Sakhis.
So in this group of having more affection for Rādhā, this is where the Manjaris fall. And among the Prana Sakhis, these are the ones who are the Nithya Siddha prana Sakhis and the Nitya Siddhas or Sadhana Siddhas are the ones who practice and follow after the Prana Sakhis. And similarly, those who have equal affection, the highest of course are these Nithya Siddha Gopis, such as Lalita and Vishaka, Parama-prestha Sakis. And those Jivas who do Sadhana, then they can attain a position as Sadhana Siddhas, they become Priya Sakis.
In this way, there is great variety within the group. And of course these eight are the most famous, they are the Parama-prestha Sakis. And of course they are, we have Deities of them in Mayapur and also in Tirupati [Laughs]. So these are Sakhis who have the highest level of Prema for Rādhā and Krishna equally.
So in this way, there is this divisions, but we should not think that they are prejudiced against Krishna if they have more affection for Rādhā [Laughs]. So we say they have more affection for Krishna, more affection for Rādhā, etc. But this is slight degree only.
And the other point of course is, we see this gradation from Sakhis to Nitya Sakhis, Prana Sakhis, Priya Sakhis and Priya narma Sakhis also as we go through this, we can say the Prema keeps increasing – the intensity. So in this way, there is great variety within the spiritual world.
Okay any question there?
Q & A
1) Maharaj, in the forest of Vraja, there are also a lot of snakes inhabiting. So when these cowherd girls see the snake, because there is no death in the spiritual world, how do they react?
I think that’s mentioned later on, if there is generally of course in Spiritual world, there’s no dangerous creatures. Of course, when Krishna invites the Gopis to the Rasalila playing the flute, when they come, then He says, Oh, you shouldn’t come to the forest because it’s ferocious animals here in the forest and it’s unsafe. But though there may be snakes and tigers and lions and bears or whatever, we never heard anyone getting attacked by these animals. Everything is, the spiritual world is cit, everything is favorable to Krishna.
Of course, we see in the material world, when Lord Caitanya had his pastimes, he went to the Jharikhand forest, even all the animals there became friendly [Laughs]. So, in the spiritual world, of course, none of the animals, the snakes or whatever, or the bees have material bodies, no material body. We have material bodies here because we don’t like Krishna [Laughs]. Prabhupada often says, we are here because we are envious of Krishna. But you can’t go to the spiritual world with that envy. You have to be most favorable to Krishna. And thus, there are no demons in the spiritual world.
So, for pastimes in the spiritual world, we can have animals who may look ferocious or snakes who may look like for poison or whatever. Or we see the bees, generally they are buzzing, but then they may come and they may look like they are going to sting Rādhā [Laughs], so then Rādhā gets frightened. So, all of this is simply some arrangement for pastimes.
If the Gopis get afraid of a snake, it is actually not poisonous. But it may appear to be poisonous just to increase the rasa in the spiritual world. The Gopis will get a little fear and then they take shelter of Krishna.
2)Do Vraja bhasa and Bengali Bhasa exist there ? It appears Sanskrit is used in Goloka also. Also, is there any relation to the Gopis praising Krishna as expert in Kashmiri language in Nectar of devotion?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj : I don’t know about Kashmiri language, but usually we will see in the literature, like in the plays and stuff, sometimes they speak in this Vraja dialect. However, in the spiritual world, language also operates quite differently. But of course, they do use words, but they don’t have to [Laughs]. Because even without the words, you can convey your meaning. But just like they don’t need a sun and moon in the spiritual world, because everything is self effulgent, they have a sun and moon just for pastimes. So then they use certain language, this is part of their pastimes.
Just as they also accept a certain varna, so they become Vaishyas in Goloka. But they are not real Vaishyas in Rajoguna and Tamoguna. So whatever language they speak in the spiritual world, ultimately it is spiritual, it is not material. So it is not material Vraja bhasa or material Sanskrit or whatever, it is actually spiritual poetry! As the Brahma Samhita said, that every word is a sound. You don’t have to learn a new language to go there.
3)Isn’t only Rādhārani supposed to experience Mahābhāva, you mentioned Gopis also experience Mahābhāva.
Well, I also mentioned the other day that even some of the Gopas, cowherd boys can experience Mahābhāva. But it is more common with the Gopis. And it is not experienced by the queens of Dwaraka, even though they have Madhurya rasa. So it seems to manifest because of Parakiya Bhava. So or at least with that more familiar type of love in Vrindavan. And when there is a little bit of Aishwarya, as with the queens of Dwaraka, then it does not manifest. So some cowherd boys have Mahābhāva and many Gopis have Mahābhāva.
But then certain aspects of Mahābhāva we call Madana, that only Rādhā has. So one of the qualities of that, I think, is that Rādhā faints, the whole universe faints. [Laughs]
4)Maharaj, we hear about Vrindavana and following the mood of its residents. Similarly, how does one attain Navadvipa, which is non-different from Vraja? Does developing Svarūpa in one of these allow one to enter the other one also?
So one basic principle of Bhakti is that if you worship a certain form, you attain that form.
Of course, it is also a principle in the material world. So Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, you worship the Devatas as you go to the Devata. You worship Indra, you go to Indra. You worship Vayu, you go to Vayu. You worship ghosts, you go to ghosts [Laughs].
And the example is given that the little insect that gets trapped by the wasp and then in fear is thinking of the wasp and eventually it becomes a wasp [Laughs]. So intense concentration on a particular form tends to give you that attainment. You can attain that form.
So if you worship Rama, you go to Rama. If you worship Krishna, you go to Krishna. If you worship Krishna in Dwaraka, you go to Dwaraka. If you worship Vrindavan Krishna, you go to Vrindavan. So generally, they say that you should only worship one deity. And that’s what the Guru gives you. He gives you one mantra, you worship one deity. And the rule is, you can only get one Diksha Guru and get one mantra. You can’t go to another Guru and get another mantra go to another Guru and get a mantra. You can only have one Diksha Guru, so you only get one mantra.
However, with Lord Caitanya, we have two worships. Worship of Gauranga and worship of Krishna. But we also say that Gauranga actually is Krishna, so there’s no real difference except difference in color [Laughs]. And a difference in the mood. So Gauranga acts as a devotee and Krishna acts like Krishna, so a little bit of difference there.
So the mood of Krishna we say is Madhurya, very sweet. The mood of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is audarya – very merciful, generous. So Lord Caitanya has the mood of Rādhā, who likes to be very merciful to everybody. But nevertheless, in essence, Lord Caitanya is Krishna. So because the difference is very little, therefore we can worship both. But also, we should not just worship one, so we shouldn’t worship Krishna without Gauranga, we shouldn’t worship Gauranga without worshipping Krishna. But the prominence of Gauranga or Krishna may be there in one’s worship. So it is described, I think, in Brahma Samhita commentary, Jiva Goswami there, he says that outside of the main dhama of Krishna, then there’s another place called Svetadvipa. This is the place of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, right next to Goloka, because Krishna and Gauranga are so similar. So by worshipping Gauranga, of course we can achieve Rādhā and Krishna but we can also attain Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And if we have equal devotion to both, which is not impossible because they are so similar, then we can go to both places. So we see the people, the devotees in Gauranga Lila also have identities in Krishna Leela.
So certain Gopis in Krishna Lila became members of Lord Caitanya’s following. And Manjaris in Krishna Lila became Gosvamis. So devotees also can attain two forms, one in Navadvipa in the spiritual world, one in Goloka in the spiritual world.
Now normally not possible to have one form in Vaikuntha and one form in Goloka. It’s too extreme, it’s different [Laughs]. But because the forms are so similar, Krishna being non-different from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then you can have these two forms.
Just as there is meditation in Raganuga for meditation on the pastimes of Krishna and Rādhā, daily pastimes, so there is also meditation on the pastimes of Gauranga throughout the day.
5)Srimati Rādhārani is called Antaranga Sakthi or essence of all Sakthi. Can we call her also Sakthiman?
Well in one sense, Sakthi and Sakthiman are non different. And out of that we get Acintya beda abeda tattva. Krishna is non different from His Sakthis, even from His bahiranga sakthi and Jiva Sakthi. But at the same time we make a distinction, that’s why its beda abeda, there is distinction of Sakti and Sakthiman and there is no distinction it is all one. Therefore in Dasamula, the first point is, Krishna is supreme, He is the Sakthiman. So we define the Supreme Lord as the possessor of Sakthi. And then from Him emanates the Antaranga Sakthi, the Bahiranga Sakthi and the Jiva Sakthi.
So Rādhā is the Antaranga Sakthi, Hladini Sakthi. But then we don’t say that Rādhārani creates external energy or Jivas or anything like that. So in other words, she is distinct fromthe Sakthiman. So of course we say that Rādhā and Krishna are eternally separate, the Sakthi and Sakthiman. So we have Rādhā and Krishna, they are not one, they are two. Ultimately of course, we say that Sakthiman is independent, but He is always with his Sakthi. But then the Sakthiman and the Sakthi merge together in Caitanya Mahaprabhu [Laughs].
6)Maharaj, please explain Madana in layman terms.
So it was mentioned here that Rādhā is distinct because her Mahābhāva has this element and this is caused by separation. And in that separation, then she has symptoms which nobody else manifests. Not even the other Gopis. But the other Gopis will manifest other symptoms of Mahābhāva.
Just as we see that Lord Caitanya is of Krishna, but He comes with the mood of Rādhā. But then in great separation, He manifests symptoms which aren’t even mentioned in scripture. So when He perspires, blood comes out of His pores. And when He fainted, it is described how the joints, the bones, they leave / separated from the joints. So this is due to great separation that we get extreme symptoms. So Rādhā displays these extreme symptoms which even the other Gopis don’t have.
7)I have read elsewhere that Cit sakthi is composed of Sandhinī, Hladini and Samvit. Is Hladini then Cit Sakthi?
Well, they are all parts of the Cit-Shakti. So, Hladini is one of the portions we can say of the Cit-Shakti. We can say that Cit-Shakti means all the spiritual energies in the spiritual world [Laughs].
So, that one Shakti would divide up for different functions. When the Cit-Shakti manifests the spiritual Dham and all the forms and qualities, it’s called the Sandhinī-Shakti. When it manifests all the consciousness and rasas, then it’s called the Samvit-Shakti. When a manifests ability to experience bliss, it’s called the Hladini-Shakti.
8)What does it mean when we say that we have to follow in the footsteps of Gopis? One version says that we follow the six Goswamis and they are Manjaris. How to reconcile?
So, if we accept the Sampradaya of Lord Caitanya, then we will follow after the main followers, the Acharyas, like the Goswamis. So, if we want to follow cowherd boys [Laughs], then develop Sakhya rasa and then we have to follow the cowherd boys and absorb ourselves in their pastimes.
If you want to aspire to follow after the main Sakhis, like Lalita and Vishaka, you could become a Priya Sakhi, so you would have to follow those main Sakhis.
But if you want to be a Manjari, you follow after Rupa Manjari who is Prana Sakhi, then you have to follow after her and become Nitya Sakhi [Laughs]. So, according to what you want to attain, then you will follow different personalities in Vrindavan. So, within Madhurya Rasa, in general, then most of the devotees will follow after Rupa Goswami and become Manjaris.
But that’s a general principle. Some may aspire to follow after the Parama-prestha Sakhis. Others may follow after cowherd boys. So, in fact, there were a group of followers of Lord Caitanya who were in Sakhya Rasa. And one devotee called Nayanananda, he wrote a little book on Raganuga following Sakhya Rasa. So you follow after Subala and their group [Laughs].
9)Maharaj, we hear about devotees aspiring to serve Sri Rādhā and about joining her group of Sakhis. However, we seldom hear about the Sakhis under Chandravali. What or who are the devotees who aspire and join Chandravali’s group?
Because Caitanya Mahaprabhu came with the mood of Rādhā, then the followers of Lord Caitanya are going to be in Rādhā’s group [Laughs]. Now, I also mentioned that Chandravali also was very exalted. She is next after Rādhā [Laughs]. But in terms of pastimes, she is an enemy. She is competition for Rādhā. So, if you are going to follow Lord Caitanya and Rādhā, then you never mention the word “Chandravali” [Laughs].
10)Could you please explain once more in which category of Gopis do the Sadhana Siddha Gopis belong to?
So if we are doing sadhana we could follow after a Manjari and then we will become, a Nitya sakhi. Because there’s two types of people with more affection for Rādhā – Nitya Sakshis and Prana Sakhis. The Prana Sakhis are Nitya Siddhas like Rupa Manjari or Kasturi Manjari then we become Nitya Sakhis.
If we have equal affection for Rādhā and Krishna, then we would aspire to follow after the Parama-prestha sakhis like Lalita, Vishaka, Campakalata, etc. And then we would become Priya Sakhis [Laughs]. So, the Priya Sakhis have slightly less intense Prema than the Parama-prestha Sakhis. Similarly, the Nithya Sakhis, those who attain through Sadhana position, they have slightly less intense Prema than the Prana Sakhis.
Then Vishvanath Chakravarti explains that those Sakhis who have more affection for Krishna are there, but it is impossible to attain that position by Sadhana. Because the whole process of sadhana involves following after a Gopi [Laughs], a sakhi. So you will automatically have more attraction for that, so that you couldn’t have more attraction for Krishna !
11)You have mentioned in one slide Rādhā as Jiva. But it is understood that Rādhā is internal potency of Krishna. How can we understand this, Maharaj?
I don’t know if they read the slide properly. Maybe Jiva mean, Jiva Gosvami. I am not sure. [Laughs]
So Jiva Sakthi is distinct from Hladini sakthi which is part of Cit Shakthi, it is quite distinct. But the Jivas by doing bhakti by doing Bhakti get up little portion of Cit sakthi, Hladini and Samvit Sakthis. So, this will distinguish the Jivas who have done Sadhana in the spiritual world from the Jivas in the material world. The Jivas in the material world don’t have any portion of Hladini and Samvit. It will only manifest through the process of Bhakti. If you do Jnana or Yoga and get liberation, no Samvit, Hladini manifests.
So, by doing Bhakti and attaining Bhava, then that Hladini and Samvit begins to manifest. And if you get Prema, then they kind of merge with the Jiva shakti and become permanent. So there is no possibility of leaving Krishna at that point.
12)Generally, Acharya’s book, they explain only dice, water pastime or boat pastime only. Apart from this, is there another pastime, if yes, in which book?
Oh, well, they also have liquor pastimes [Laughs]. And of course, they have rasa pastime, where they involve singing and dancing and so many other activities. But this also, what is described is, let’s say, Dig-darsana – a brief sketch of what happens. Krishna has infinite skill, the Gopis have infinite skill and intelligence, so they can do all sorts of activities, new activities all the time.
13)In Vrindavan, where everyone was in Madhurya rasa with Krishna, is it that there were no children?
Well, actually we see there are children because all the cowherd boys are children [Laughs]. But there is no birth. At least not birth in the normal sense of Krishna gets born and whatever, but so they may also get born in that sense, but actually there is no birth because they are eternally there in the spiritual world.
Of course, it is described in the rasa lila that some of the women left their children, they were milking, they were giving milk to the children or whatever, they left the children and went out to the rasa lila. So there is two explanations for that. One is that children doesn’t mean their children, they were children of sisters or whatever like that. And the other explanation is that some of the Gopis were not perfect, they were doing sadhana. And they got married and had children. And then later on they became siddhas. But then they changed the bodies [Laughs]. And they got pure spiritual bodies after that point.
14)Rādhārani faints due to Madana aspect which no one else has. But Rukmini out of fear of separation from Krishna fainted. How to understand?
Many devotees faint. Even the cowherd boys may faint. Mother Yasoda may faint. They all may faint. That’s not the problem. The fainting is, when Rādhā faints, the whole universe faints! That’s the difference. [Laughs]
15)What is the highest level of Sakhi that a sadhaka can attain?
Well, if you mean Sakhi like the Gopis, like Vishaka, Lalita, then you become a Priya sakhi. If you are aspiring to be a Manjari, then you will become a Nitya Sakhi.
16)Maharaj, we see that Hanuman, Prahlad Maharaj, Brihaspati, Brahma, they are also in Gaura lila. They are also in Rama lila, Narasimha lila, etc. So are they in both the abodes of Rama and Svetadvipa or Narasimha loka?
Some of them may have eternal forms. Some people like Brihaspati, for instance, they will have various forms, 14 times in a day of Brahma, we may get a Brihaspati, just like we have 14 Indras in one day of Brahma. So it could be different. Sometimes they may also take expansion forms.
17)Maharaj for many years in Iskcon chennai we worshipped Rukmini, Krishna and Sathyabhama and at inauguration we were told to worship them as Rādhā, Krishna and Chandravali. You mentioned we don’t talk about Chandravali, so how come we worship her here?
So the only reason they are here is because someone long ago donated them. That’s all. Otherwise we don’t make Krishna, Rukmini, Satyabhama, etc. deities.
Devotees: HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Ki.. Jai !! HDG AC Bhakti Vedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad Ki.. Jai !!