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Raval by Srila Prabhupada

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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