Contents
Radha’s Prem -Swami Sivananda
INTRODUCTION
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Salutations to Sri Radha, the World-Mother, who took her birth at Barshana, near Vrindavan, who is an embodiment of Sri Krishna Prem! The supreme emotion, Mahabhava, is the quintessence of Prem. Radha is the personification of this Supreme Emotion. The play of Radha with Sri Krishna is extremely deep; it cannot be learnt from the Dasya, Vatsalya and other Bhavas. The Sakhis alone are qualified for it. They alone relish this Leela in full. Sakhis, or those who worship Sri Krishna in the spirit of His Sakhis, have a right to this Leela. A Sakhi does not yearn to play with Krishna all by herself. She feels a keener delight in contriving Krishna’s dalliance with Radha, Radha is indeed the Wish-yielding Creeper, Kalpalata, of the love of Krishna. The Sakhis are the leaves, flowers, and shoots of the creeper. If the nectar of dalliance with Krishna waters the creeper, the leaves, etc., take delight in it million times more than if they themselves had been watered. The Sakhis do not long for Sri Krishna’s embrace, but they exert themselves to make Sri Krishna embrace Radha. They send Krishna to her for this purpose under various pretexts. They attain thereby a bliss million times sweeter than that of selfish enjoyment. The unselfish devotion of these towards each other strengthens the deliciousness, Rasa. The sight of such unselfish, pure Prem pleases Lord Krishna. The love felt by the Gopis, is not really earthly lust. Earthly lust seeks sensual gratification for one’s own self. The Gopis abandon all idea of self and seek Krishna’s enjoyment. They did not yearn for their own pleasure. They embrace Krishna only to please Him. You cannot attain Krishna, however much you worship Him, if you only meditate on Him as a Divinity and not serve Him as a Gopi. See how Lakshmi adored Him, but could not attain Him in Vraja. Radha is Devi. She is the queen of lustrous beauties and the abode of Sri Krishna’s love-sports and worship. She beholds Lord Krishna in anything and everything she sets Her love-lit eyes upon. Lord Krishna is the supreme matchless Lover and Sri Radha is identical with Krishna. She is part and parcel of Krishna and His love-energy. Her sole object of existence and devout prayers, is to fulfil the wishes of Sri Krishna. Hence She is named Krishnamayi by the Puranas. She is full of Krishna inside and outside. Krishna is the charmer of all. Radha is Krishna’s charmer and therefore the Supreme Goddess. She is the worshipped of all the worshipped deities. She is the fosterer and mother of the worlds. She is the presiding deity of the Lakshmis of Vaikuntha or of the six divine attributes of Lord Krishna. She is the chief of Krishna’s divine energies. She is the seat of concentrated beauties or the source and centre from which the Lakshmis draw their beauties. |
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