Greater than Krishna
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada
In the last verse of his Çikñäñöakam, Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu gives us this instruction, äçliñya vä
päda-ratäà pinañöu mäm adarçanän marmahatäà
karotu vä. Adarçanam — everyone wants
to see Krishna, but a pure devotee says, “No, if
you don’t like to see me, that’s all right. You can
break my heart. I may always pray to see you. But
if you do not come and instead break my heart,
that is also accepted by me. I shall still worship
you.” This is pure devotion. Not that, “I asked
Krishna to come before me dancing and he did
not come. So I gave up this nonsense, and now
the Krishna consciousness movement has no value
for me.” Like that.
This is Radharaëi’s attitude. When Krishna left
Vrindavan, all the gopés passed their days simply
crying for Krishna. But they never condemned
Krishna. Krishna was also thinking of them,
because the gopés are the topmost devotees.
There is no comparison to the devotion of the
gopés. Therefore Krishna was always obliged to
them. Krishna said to the gopés, “You have to
be satisfied with your own business. I cannot
return back anything for your love.” Krishna,
the Supreme, the all-powerful, was unable to
repay the debt he considered that he owed to
the gopés. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu therefore said
ramyä käcid upäsanä vraja-vadhü-vargeëa yä
kalpitä. There is no better worship than what
was conceived by the gopés. Therefore, the gopés
are the topmost devotees. And amongst the gopés,
Srimati Radharaëi is the topmost. Therefore
Srimati Radharaëi is greater than Krishna. ·
— From a lecture on Bhagavad-Gétä, London, 4 August 1973.
• Greater than Krishna
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
• Raval, The Birthplace of Radha
Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakur’s Çré Bhakti-ratnäkara
• This Daughter of Yours
Jnana Dasa
• The Glories of Radha
Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan’s Aiçvarya Kädambiné
His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Issue Two Hundred Thirty-four, Page — 2 é[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu
top left 2 Top right 2
Raval, The Birthplace of Radha
Adapted from the fifth wave of
Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakur’s
Çré Bhakti-ratnäkara
In the fifth wave of Sri Bhakti Ratnakara, Narahari
Chakravarti Thakur glorifies the birthplace of Srimati
Radharani. In this first excerpt, he quotes Raghava
Pandit’s discussion with Srinivas Acharya while
touring various places in Vraja.
ahe çréniväsa dekha e ‘rävala’-gräma
ethä våñabhänura vasati anupama
çré-rädhikä prakaöa ha-ilä eikhäne
yähära prakaöe sukha vyäpila bhuvane
O Srinivas, just see Raval, the village where Maharaja
Vrishabhanu happily resided. Sri Radhika appeared
here and by her auspicious appearance the
whole world became filled with joy. (5.1809-1810)
gändharväyä jani-maëir abhüd yatra saìkértitäyäm
änandotkaiù sura-muni-naraiù kértidä-garbha-khanyäm
gopé-gopaiù surabhi-nikaraiù samparéte ’tra mukhe
rävalyäkhye våñaravi-pure préti-püro mamästäm
[Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, in Vraja-vilasastava,
text 90, prays as follows:] Praised by jubilant
devas, rishis, and human beings, the womb of
Kirtida is like a mine from which the precious gem
Sri Radha appeared. May I be filled with love for
Raval — the place of Maharaja Vrishabhanu, which
is surrounded in all directions by surabhi cows,
cowherd boys and gopés.
Seeing Radha’s beauty on the occasion of her
appearance, her parents became agitated in love
and were unable to take their minds away from
her. Desiring auspiciousness for their daughter,
they gave various gifts in charity. Who can describe
this scene? Only fortunate souls can see.
Sri Radha would wander around with many other
girls and her mother felt joyful while watching her.
Maharaja Vrishabhanu and his associates would
sit and watch her. In this way there was no limit
to the happiness in Raval.
O Srinivas, after coming from Gokula, Gaurachandra
and his associates stayed here for
some time. He became overwhelmed with ecstatic
love when he saw Raval. What to speak
of others, even Ananta Sesh cannot adequately
describe his feelings of ecstatic love for this
place. When Lord Gaurahari was here.
People came running from all directions, chanting the
holy name of Lord Hari and exclaiming, “O
brother, see this jewel amongst the sannyäsés.”
Everyone became mad while drinking the nectar
of the Lord’s moon-like face. Greatly happy,
they spoke to one another, “I have concluded
that he is definitely Krishna. By his own will,
he is wandering throughout Vraja in this form.”
Someone else said, “By seeing this golden
complexioned form of the Lord, I am unable to
speak, although I wish to.”
After saying these things, by the mercy of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu the people became agitated
in love and tears flowed from their eyes. After
manifesting his transcendental pastimes here, the
Lord, along with the sanoòiyä brahmana, went on
to Mathura. O Srinivas, this place where Radhika
performed her enchanting childhood pastimes is
most confidential.
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