Sri Radha – The Giver Of Never Enough

By Kesava Krsna Dasa - 23.2 2017

Although Sri Sri Radha and Krishna separate and unite eternally in pastimes, Sri Radha, as the Shakti energy of Krishna, follows Krishna wherever He goes, like a shadow.  Her following of Krishna takes Her to the impersonal Brahman and Krishna’s Time aspect as well.  The Garga-samhita 16.23-27 gives a description of Sri Radha’s shadow nature, in always being with Sri Krishna.

“You (Sri Krishna) are the playful king of Goloka and She is Your playful companion. When You are the king of Vaikuntha, She, the daughter of Vrsabhanu, is Goddess Lakshmi.

When in this world You are Ramachandra, She is Janaka’s daughter Sita. When You are Lord Hari, She is Kamala. When You are Yajna-avatara, She is Sri Daksina, the best of wives.

When You are Nrsimha, She is Rama. When You are Nara’s friend Narayana Rsi, She becomes Goddess Santi and follows You like a shadow.

When You are Brahman, She is Prakrti. When You are Time, the wise know She is Pradhana. When You are the Mahat-tattva, from which the universes have sprouted, Radha is the potency Maya, filled with the three modes.

When You become the four things in the heart [heart, mind, intelligence, and false ego], She becomes the power of understanding something from a hint. When You become the universal form, which includes everything, She becomes the earth”.

Now knowing that Sri Radha is practically everywhere, we are now under Her as Maya, who mercifully punishes us with the three modes of material nature.  To realise that this world is a miserable place and wanting to do something about it, is a hint from Sri Radha through Maya.  Sri Radha’s merciful helper, Sri Bhakti-devi will enter the hearts of those favoured by Bhakti-laden pure Vaisnavas.

While taking up the process of devotional service, we pray that Sri Radha can give us further understanding.  From the above description of Sri Radha being the power of understanding, we can infer that She has a role to play when – dadami buddhi yogam tam – arises, in pure Bhakti.  Krishna gives the understanding, He says, but in Bhakti, both Radha and Krishna are involved.  We pray to the Divine Couple for Their kind grace through pleasing Sri Gaura-Hari, when Sri Nityananda-Rama is pleased with us.

Is Srimati Radharani In Bhagavad-gita As It Is?

Is this a surprise?  Perhaps this is coming from some ‘rasika’ guru who wants to make Bhagavad-gita more than what we normally learn about it.  We might even think this must be from a sahajiya source.  In fact, this is coming from our own rasika acarya Srila Prabhupada.

But we will not find Srimati Radhika directly in Bhagavad-gita As It Is just as we will not find Her mentioned directly in the Srimad Bhagavatam.  There She is indirectly mentioned by the word – aradhito – in SB 10.30.28.  The same applies for Bhagavad-gita As It Is – indirectly.

One may say that devotion to Lord Krishna is under the patronage of Srimati Radharani.  This is correct, but we are referring to a specific indirect mention of Her.  It is not sahajiya melodrama or from an ‘outside’ source.  We can find the information in the Nectar Of Devotion.

In the section where the six characteristics of pure devotion are enlisted, Srila Prabhupada gives explanations on each of them.  On the characteristic of devotion or Bhakti attracting Krishna Himself, this is where we can find it.  In the first paragraph we get the famous passages where Srimati Radharani is named as Madana-Mohana-Mohini.  The second paragraph explains:

“To perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps of Radharani, and devotees in Vrindavana put themselves under the care of Radharani in order to achieve perfection in their devotional service. In other words, devotional service is not an activity of the material world; it is directly under the control of Radharani. In Bhagavad-gita it is confirmed that the mahatmas, or great souls, are under the protection of daivi prakriti, the internal energy — Radharani. So, being directly under the control of the internal potency of Krishna, devotional service attracts even Krishna Himself.”

Srila Prabhupada unambiguously says that “Radharani” is the protector of the real mahatmas who serve in devotion to the Lord.  In the purport to that BG 9.13 verse he recommends that one simply devote to Krishna Himself, and not to other expansions of Krishna, indicating a preference for devotion beyond vaidhi-bhakti.

Be A Right-winger For Now

Srimati Radhika, being a left-winger in rasa parlance, has a mood of Krishna belonging to Her, or, “Krishna, You are mine”.  Gopis on the rightwing like Candravali and Rukmini have the mood of belonging to Krishna, or, “Krishna, I am yours”.  These mine-and-yours can help us understand better how such relationships exist.  But it is not as simple as that because there are many other gopis who hold neutral stances, mixed, and all other possible shade of colours to enhance Krishna’s experience of rasa exchange.

For us, we are followers of those who follow Sri Radha.  Before we can even think about being of left wing disposition, we have to put ourselves in a “I am yours” position in worship of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.  Under Lord Chaitanya we are all right-wingers in this sense.  Our “I am yours” devotion seeks to please Lord Chaitanya and His devotees.  We remain His menial servants.  When He is pleased, the mirror of our cleansed hearts will reveal who we are in relation to the Divine Couple.  At present, our immature worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna is also an “I am yours” mind-set.  Let us pray that we can serve to please sufficiently enough to be granted further service, eternally.

The Experience Of Never Enough

What does it mean for us when the mood of the Six Goswamis is to always search for Krishna and not claiming to have realised Him?  What is the lesson for us when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu laments “durdaivim” in His Siksastaka when He chants His own holy names?  Why is it that the most elevated souls see themselves as the most fallen? 

One of the most well-known phrases in popular music of the modern era is, “I can’t get no satisfaction”.  If this is true of material life, it is also true of spiritual life in Bhakti, but with a difference.  In material life, our list will never be appeased no matter how we try to satisfy it.  In Bhakti, there is immediate and lasting satisfaction, yet that satisfaction is never enough.

The above three examples reveal to us how satisfaction in Bhakti causes one to think that one does not have a single drop of satisfaction derived from the ocean of Bhakti-rasa.  If, in our own spiritual practices we also do not feel satisfied with our present level of commitment, that is a healthy sign.  The moment we think we have done enough in any sphere of devotion unto the Lord, there is a problem somewhere.

Particular attention has to be given to our chanting of japa.  If we feel a sense of achievement after chanting sixteen rounds for the day, that is a problem.  If Srila Prabhupada said that sixteen rounds is our minimum and we are satisfied with the minimum, that is a problem.  With this minimum satisfaction we will never be able to have the “durdaivim” mood that Lord Chaitanya taught us.

When our chanting of japa is satisfied with the minimum, we will never be able to truly hanker in such a way of the Six Goswamis who always sought out Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.  We will never be able to claim to be “the most fallen” either, because our sense of satisfaction has not matured as true and deep humility.  In other words, any show of being like those great souls who feel that they never chant enough, even though they are fully satisfied, is imitation.

The time when we feel that our chanting is never enough, and that our service unto the Lord centred around the holy name is never enough, this should indicate that there might be some love there, which also can never be appeased.  This love or reciprocation with the internal aspect of the Lord has the nature of increasing all the time.

Once a fortunate soul is able to increase the quality of devotion in ever-increasing forays in the ocean of Bhakti-rasa which has no limits, one will naturally feel that one is always looking for Krishna, cannot chant His holy names properly with attraction, and because of this, will feel oneself very fallen. 

The real ‘most fallen’ are those who actually have a taste for chanting.  Such a taste will never be appeased at any time, so one’s developing of love for the Lord will also never be satisfied, ever, because the all-loving Lord has no limits.  This is the mood we aspire for.  Krishna consciousness is a satisfying way of life that can never give full satisfaction in love.

To test how much satisfaction or love we have, we simply need to look no further than our chanting of japa.  If, when we chant japa we always know we can do better, in terms of hearing, focus, commitment, and above all, attention, then it is a good sign for us.  We then need to continue this mood and eventually all other of our devotional activities will reflect the same mood.  If we continue like this, all the while begging for the mercy of Vaisanavas and Sri Nama Prabhu, we might be able to experience never ending Bhakti-rasa.

If the symptoms of ‘never enough’ are experienced, this is the mercy of Srimati Radharani flowing through our spiritual masters. Bhakti-rasa is Her domain. Unfulfilled love and happiness (hladini) is also Her way of keeping Vaisnavas motivated for increases that never fade. When our devotion is always replenishing, feelings of ‘most fallen’ and ‘durdaivim’ will be meaningful and genuine. We pray to Sri Radha to help us hanker for never enough.

Ys Kesava Krsna Dasa – GRS.