Please forgive me for my offences which I might have committed knowingly or unknowingly for which reason I am unable to feel any spiritual ecstatic feelings on the holy advent day of Srimati Radharani, the absolute counterpart and complete internal potency, of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. I pay my innumerable prostrated obeisances again and again. There is no certainty of life. Any moment we may leave this world. If I do not get the grace of Srimati Radharani and Her dearest persons, then my spiritual life has no value.

The absolute internal potency of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna has made Her appearance here in this world on this holy day. Generally I stay in India, mostly in Kolkata Math, but continuously for two years, now I am coming to Moscow. Last year also, I had the opportunity to observe Sri Radhastami here as per your desire.

I have heard from our Guru Maharaj that our Param Gurudeva Nitya Lila Pravista Om Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, is not an ordinary human being; he is actually the dearmost associate of Srimati Radharani. All of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s associates know him as Nayanmani Manjari.

In his sermons, he said, “Srimati Radharani is, in all the pastimes of Sri Krishna, the highest amongst all devotees.” Yet, Her name is not mentioned in Srimad Bhagavat directly. Why? Our Gurumaharaj used to say one English word, ‘major-domo’, meaning chief servant who makes arrangements in service. He heard from his Gurudeva Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Srimati Radharani is the major-domo of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. All are subservient to Her. Without Her, Krishna cannot have His highest pastimes in a consort hood of love. But why is Her name not mentioned in SrimadBhagavat?

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur expressed his heart to our Gurudeva and other Guruvarga, because nobody thinks we can speak about Srimad Bhagavatam more than Sukadeva Goswami. It would be vanity and the cause of a spiritual fall if you say, “I can speak more than Sukadeva Goswami.” If that kind of vanity is there, we cannot have devotional spiritual amelioration. Why did Sukadeva Goswami not clearly speak about Srimati Radharani while he was speaking about the whole Srimad Bhagavatam to Pariksit Maharaj?

Srimati Radharani can make Krishna’s heart perturbed and make Him feel ecstatic. Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is Her object of love. The Supreme Lord Krishna is crying to get the company of Srimati Radharani. Sukadeva Goswami could have uttered the name of Radharani directly, but if he would have done the same his voice could have been choked and tears would have rolled down from his eyes, and he would not be able to complete reciting about Srimad Bhagavat to Pariksit Maharaj.

For that reason, he could not utter directly, but indirectly he has said. He thought ‘If I utter, I won’t be able to complete my reciting of Srimad Bhagavat to Pariksit Maharaj and he will not be rescued from the curse.’ Our Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur said that. But, we are uttering, “Radha! Radha!” And no tears are coming. Krishna is weeping, but we are feeling nothing.

Now, Sukadeva Goswami said indirectly, which also our Param Gurudeva pointed out:

anayārādhito nūnaṁ
bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ
yan no vihāya govindaḥ
prīto yām anayad rahaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavatam 10.30.28)

When there was raslila with all the gopis, one of the gopis (without referring to the name), when She left that raslila place then millions of gopis could not keep Krishna there. When Krishna left, all the gopis were crying. After getting the vision and contact of Radharani, He could console Himself (Krishna was consoled only after getting contact of Radharani).

Indirectly it is said, not directly. Also, Sukadeva Goswami thought, ‘If I say something more, the enslaved jivas will not be able to understand it.’

Generally, I go through the teachings of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur on Radhastami Tithi, what he delivered, what he spoke for the eternal benefit of his disciples at that time. He said something, by hearing which, we conditioned souls may get afraid of. He said, “If a jewelled necklace, a very valuable necklace of diamond or gold is given to a monkey, what will that monkey do? He will tear it”.

He is giving us this warning. We are reading Srimad Bhagavat spoken by Sukadeva Goswami. When Sukadeva Goswami could not utter, how could an enslaved jiva like me utter? He is Brahmagya Rishi, just from the womb, mahāgyani, mahāyogi, mahābhāgavat — he could not utter. We should think about this very deeply.

Our Mahamantra has got the reference of Radharani. Actually we are worshipping Lakshmi Narayan. Radha-Krishna is the object of pure, sweet love only. We have a portrait of Radha-Krishna in the front, but actually we are worshipping Lakshmi Narayan. We are not worshipping Radha-Krishna.

Gradually when our mind will become sanctified then our object of worship will become Radha-Krishna. Our Guruvargas have said, “Your object of worship is Radha-Krishna but (before you get fully sanctified) you should worship as per rules and regulations, as per scriptural injunctions, as per the direction of the Vaishnavas.” Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur write in one of his song,

vidhi-marga-rata jane
svadhinata ratna dane
raga-marge karan pravesa

“Krishna eventually bestows the jewel of independence unto those persons who are attached to the path of rules and regulations, thereby allowing them entrance into the path of spontaneous loving service.” When your mind is sanctified you will get raga-bhakti, the spontaneous devotion. But it will not happen all of a sudden. Only then you will understand that the Supreme Lord cannot be many, the Supreme Lord is one. Even if a flower is outside the Supreme Lord, then that Complete Reality will lose His position. Nothing can be outside the purna, the Complete Reality, the Infinite. If there is then He will become finite. Infinite is one, but He has got numerous manifestations. Some of His pastimes we know from the scriptures and from the suddha-bhakta, but he has got infinite forms, infinite pastimes. He is infinite. This world, the Brahmanda is finite but the transcendental realm is infinite.

Nobody can say, “I have realized the Supreme Lord completely.” If someone says that then he does not know the Supreme Lord. As per the degree of submission to the Supreme Lord, by His grace, one can know Him but that is not the last . It is very difficult.

Our Bhaktivinoda Thakur has said, although it is very difficult to understand Srimati Radharani, our Guruvargas have installed deities in Vrindavan: Radha Govinda, Radha Madhan Mohan, Radha Gopinath, Radha Madhav, all these—our Guruvarga were knowing fully well that ordinary conditioned souls cannot understand it.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has appeared to give us the highest Divine Love which we can get by worshipping Nandanandan Sri Krishna. In this special Kali Yuga, to give it to all, the most munificent form of Godhead has manifested as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. We belong to that blessed Kali Yuga, or you may say, Iron Age. We are, in a sense, very fortunate. Not in all Kali Yugas does Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appear.

s In one day of Brahma, Nandanandan Sri Krishna, appears in the Dwapar Yuga of twenty eighth Chaturyuga of seventh Manu. One Manu’s span of life is seventy one Chaturyuga. The Supreme Lord appears with His transcendental realm, Vrindavan Dham and His personal associates. He has not given that prema (Divine Love) to anybody except His own persons. But in the Kali Yuga next to that Dwapar Yuga, Nandanandan Sri Krishna takes the mood of Srimati Radharani, outside, Gauranga having a golden complexion, inside, Krishna. By appearing as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He distributes the divine love to all. We are fortunate to hear about this. Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakur has said, which we remember in a hymn. Bhaktivinoda Thakur is the Supreme Lord’s personal associate.

rādha-bhajane yadi mati nāhi bhelā
kṛṣṇa-bhajana tava akāraṇa gelā

If you have no aptitude, no liking to worship Srimati Radharani, then your worship of Krishna is futile, it has no value. Rādha-bhajane yadi mati nāhi bhelā — you have no desire, no longing, no liking to worship Radharani, then your worship of Krishna is futile.

ātapa-rahita sūraja nāhi jāni
rādhā-virahita mādhava nāhi māni

His own person Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakur has said this. Without the quality of heat, we cannot think about the Sun. You may say, without the quality of light, we cannot think about the Sun. Just like that without Srimati Radharani, we cannot think about Krishna. Can you have any conception of the Sun without light, without the quality of heat?

Sun and sunlight are identical but the Sun is substance, light is a quality. Light is dependent on the Sun. Light comes from the Sun. Light and Sun, both are identical. Without a relation to the Sun, light cannot exist. Light is emanating from the diamond. A particle of the light of the diamond is not a diamond, diamond is substance. A part of the diamond is a diamond, because there is a substance in it. But the particle of a ray of the diamond is not a diamond. With your own imagination if you unite all the particles of the light but that will not become the Sun. Sun is intrinsically different. The Sun is not coming from the light, the light is coming from the Sun. All the potencies are coming from Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is not coming from the potency.

Jivas are the parts of the one kind of potency; that is called marginal potency—between the external and internal potency. They may become enveloped by the illusionary energy when they become averse to Sri Krishna, but when they come into contact with suddha-bhakta, the internal potency in concrete form, by their grace, if they submit to them, then they can enter into the transcendental realm.

An imaginary line of demarcation is there between the internal and external potency of the Lord which is called ‘tat — an imaginary demarcation between water and land in a river’. We are coming out from that marginal energy (which is between the internal and external potency of the Lord). Those who want to enjoy this world; they are enveloped by illusion and they come to this prison house. There are so many Brahmandas and so many planets. Those who have turned their face towards Krishna, they are eternally realized souls. Those who are averse, for lakhs and lakhs of births they are moving from here and there, when they come in contact with a suddha-bhakta (pure devotee) then they can understand, “Oh! Who am I? From where have I come?” suddha-bhakta means Krishna’s grace in the form of a suddha-bhakta, grace incarnate. It is said:

kevala mādhava pūjaye so agyānī
rādhā anādara kara-i abhimānī

Those who worship Krishna only, ignoring His potency, His devotee — kevala mādhava — they are like those who want to see the Sun ignoring light, can they see the Sun? Through light you can see the Sun. It is self-effulgent. Without light you cannot see the Sun. Sun’s own light, you have to accept. Those who think, “I shall go to Krishna ignoring the devotees”, they are ignorant, they do not know anything. They have got some sort of pride, vanity. Why shall I submit to the devotees? Submit to Srimati Radharani? I shall go directly to Krishna. Abhimānī — they have got pride. So, they do not want to submit to Srimati Radharani. How can we understand Madhava without His potency? They have no conception.

kabańhi nāhi karabi tāńkar sańga
citte icchasi yadi vraja-rasa-rańga

You should not associate with such people who ignore His internal potency, His grace incarnate potency, Srimati Radharani and Her extensions, all the sakhis. Never associate with them. If you ever associate with them, you will not be able to get the sweet love of Krishna, never.

kabańhi nāhi karabi tāńkar sańga
citte icchasi yadi vraja-rasa-rańga

Now you see, time is short, what can I do? We have to know about Krishna first and then we can have knowledge of Srimati Radharani. Who is Krishna? So many pieces of evidence are there for this. Our Gurudeva and Guruvarga used to deliver sermons for two and a half hours daily throughout the year. They couldn’t finish Bhagavat. A person like me who has no such knowledge or devotion, how can I speak?

We will find evidence in various scriptures, yet we cannot understand this. When we come into contact with the personal associates of Srimati Radharani and submit to them, we shall get that aptitude. We should submit to a bona fide guru, not to a professional guru, and not to all other hypocrites like me. When you submit to suddha-bhakta (pure devotee), the real self will be awakened and by his grace you will be able to understand the implications (significance) of whatever he will speak. Who is Krishna?

kṛṣṇera svarūpa-vicāra śuna, sanātana
advaya-gyāna-tattva, vraje vrajendra-nandana
(Chaitanya Charitamtra, Madhya 20.152)

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is speaking to Sanatan Goswami who was the Prime Minister in the assembly of Hussainshah Badashah, the emperor. He renounced the Prime Minister-ship and everything, and came to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has given instructions through him (making him as the medium). He is a realized soul. In Chaitanyalila, he was the Prime Minister, but actually he is the personal associate of Krishna. You have already heard who is Krishna? Chaitanya Mahaprabu is acting as a guru now, taking the form of Srimati Radharani, the greatest, highest guru, and He is giving instruction to all living beings, human beings of this world through Sanatan Goswami:

kṛṣṇera svarūpa-vicāra śuna, sanātana
advaya-gyāna-tattva, vraje vrajendra-nandana

“O Sanatan, please hear about the eternal form of Lord Krishna. He is advaya-gyāna-tattva — Absolute Knowledge. He is Absolute Infinite Knowledge, but He is also the son of Nanda Maharaj.”

What is this? Absolute Knowledge, how can He be the son of Nanda Maharaj? It’s not easy to understand. Then how we can understand Srimati Radharani? She is the foundation.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is saying Krishna is Absolute Knowledge, Absolute Existence, Absolute Bliss — advaya-gyāna-tattva vraje vrajendra-nandana — but in Vrajadham, He is the son of Nanda Maharaj. It is very perplexing, how a son of a human being can be Supreme. We think of Nanda Maharaj as an ordinary human being.

So, it is beyond our comprehension. We can’t understand. Vrajendranandan is the son of Nanda Maharaj. Even Brahma could not understand Krishna as the Supreme Lord. Brahma has created us, these fourteen worlds, but he could not understand.

When Vrajagopis, Vrajagopas, and Vrajavasis, the devotees, milk men and milk maids, they are saying to Brahma, “Krishna is the Supreme Lord.”

He said, “How? He is a cowherd boy born in a milkman’s house. I have created him (Nanda Maharaj), He is the son of Nanda Maharaj. He cannot be Supreme Lord, I don't believe it. He has no opulences. He is roaming in the forest with the other cowherd boys. They have got small, dirty loincloths and with sticks they are grazing cows and calves in the forest. He is also a cowherd boy. He has got no ornaments, no opulences, no gold, no jewels nothing. On His head He is keeping a branch of a tree and a feather of a peacock; a bird. He has got one bamboo flute. And He has become the Supreme Lord? How? How can He be Bhagavan? I don’t believe this.”

Krishna killed Aghasura, a python, a twelve miles long demon, like a mountain. All the cowherd boys, while tending the calves, they saw the demon and said, “Hey! This seems to be like a python, a serpent, but it is like a mountain and there is one good road to enter into the cave.” They thought the tongue of the snake was a very good road to enter into it. “Let us go in,” they thought.

Krishna was in the distance. He could see them entering into the great mouth of a python demon. That demon, Aghasura is the brother of Putana. Krishna killed Putana. For that reason her brother Aghasura was angry and thought, “I shall devour all the children of Vrajavasi and out of their separation grief, they will all die. I will also devour Krishna then Nanda Maharaja and all the other Vrajavasis will die.” He opened his mouth and these little boys thought this to be a mountain with a good road into the cave. From a distance, Krishna said, “Hey! Where are you going?” They could not hear Krishna shouting and they entered. That python was waiting to devour Krishna. Krishna ran and entered into it. One part of the snake’s mouth, the jaw—was on the land and the other was on the sky.

When Krishna entered, Aghasura tried to devour Him, but Krishna enhanced and extended His body. Krishna expanded Himself so much that, Aghasura got suffocated and he was unable to inhale air. Krishna became so big that by suffocation Aghasura died and his soul went out from his broken head. By seeing this, Brahma was astonished. How has this little boy killed this venomous demon? Then he came to examine Krishna. Let me see who He is, he thought.

He saw Krishna with all the other cowherd boys. They came to the bank of a lake; we say sarovar, for taking food. All the cowherd boys brought food for feeding Krishna. They kept it in the trees. In the evening, Brahma came to see what they are doing.

The cowherd boys said, "Khanaiya, this is very good." By tasting if it is sweet, not bitter or sour, they say, "Khanaiya, take this!" And Krishna is taking all the remnants of the cowherd boys. Brahma thought, He cannot be the Supreme Lord. We take remnants of the Supreme Lord, and He is taking their remnants. He rejected thinking that He cannot be the Supreme Lord.

They are addressing Krishna like this: “Oh Kanhaiya, Oh Kanhaiya... our calves have gone away to a distant place. You sit here and take food. We are going to bring them. If it is very late to return home, our parents will be angry with us. You sit here.”

They address Krishna as, “Oh Kanhaiya!”

Brahma thought, “What is this? We have to address the Supreme Lord with respect. The words they use are for inferior persons, not the Supreme Lord. (Here Gurudeva seems to be speaking Russian) He can never be the Supreme Lord. Alright, let me see what they do?”

Krishna says, “No, no, no, no.. You all take your food. I alone can bring all the calves”.

And He went to bring them. What did Brahma do? He lifted all calves and put them in the Cave of Sumeru Mountain at a great millions of miles distance. Krishna was searching, very worried and asking so many persons, “Have you seen My calves? You have not seen? How can I go back home without the calves?”

“We have not seen.”

“How can I return to the house?”

“We have not seen, we do not know.”

Then Brahma smiled and thought, “The Supreme Lord is omnipotent, omniscient. He is not omniscient because He doesn't know who lifted the calves. If He is my master, the Supreme Lord, He could bring His own calves forcibly but He is asking so many persons, He has got no power to snatch His calves from me and He looks worried, He cannot be the Supreme Lord. I reject Him as the Supreme Lord.”

When Krishna returns, He couldn’t see any cowherd boys there. Brahma lifted them and kept them in the cave of Sumeru Mountain and Krishna was searching, and asking so many people about His friends.

Now Krishna started weeping, “I have lost My calves, and have lost My dear friends. Where shall I go?”

He was going to the mountains, the bank of the Yamuna, everywhere, asking so many people. Then, Brahma smiled and thought, “You remain here. I am going back to my abode.”

When Brahma left that place, Krishna also smiled and He expanded Himself to many calves and cowherd boys. Exactly the same like them. Nothing is impossible for Him.

kartum akartum anyathā-kartuṁ samarthaḥ

“He can do, He can undo, and He can undo the doings again.”

All gopis, they could not understand that they lost their sons. They had everything the same. Same form, same jumping, everything is exactly same. They could not understand the difference. Only thing they understood was that before they got love and attachment for Krishna only and did not have much attachment for their own children. But now by touching their children, they feel like they have got the touch of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. What is this? When they embrace their sons, tears are rolling down from their eyes. They are astonished. As previously they were not having this same love and attachment for their children.

They had desired to get Krishna as their son. All the gopis used to think, “If Krishna could have been our son, we could have kissed Krishna, suckled Him, we could have served Him.” To fulfill their desire, Krishna came in person as their children but they could not understand. Baladeva could understand, “Hey! What is this? All this is done by Krishna!”

All the cows, generally they are fond of their newborn young calf, but as Krishna has come as their one-year old calf, all the cows are running towards Him, through the jungle. By going there, those calves started suckling the breasts of the cows and tears are coming out from the eyes of the cows. Krishna has fulfilled their desire. Krishna came as a calf to fulfill the desire of the cows. They are not ordinary cows; they are muni and rishis who are born as cows.

After one year, when Brahma came and saw that Krishna is doing the same pastimes with the same cowherd boys. “ Oh , He is very cunning, He must have learned that I kept them there.” He goes to Sumeru Mountain and sees all the cowherd boys are there; they are sleeping, the same figure, everything the same. “What is this? Oh, I have seen wrong.” He came to Vrindavan and saw them roaming there.

He has four faces and he is seeing all the directions simultaneously, seeing here are calves, there are also more calves. Ultimately, he thought after seeing, “Oh! I have committed a great offence! I have lifted the calves and the cowherd boys. They are the personal associates of the Supreme Lord.”

Ultimately he took absolute shelter and prayed for forgiveness. Then by His grace, he saw all Gopas (cowherd boys) and calves as Chatura-bhuja—with four arms, Sankh-chakra-gada-padma-dhari—carrying a conch shell, a disk, a club and a lotus in their arms, Kirita-kundala-dhari—wearing crown and earrings and Pita-vasan-dhari—wearing yellow garments. And when he saw this majestic aspect, he understood, “They are my object of worship”.

He fell down and prayed. Krishna graced him. There are no cowherd-boys, no calves, no four armed Narayan. He gave His darshan of His Krishna form. In the left hand, yogurt and rice mixed, bamboo flute in His waist, and a cane under His left armpit. Previously, he criticized Krishna for taking food in the left hand and he thought He doesn't know Vedic instructions. How can He be Bhagavan? Now when he saw Him eating with His left hand, he thought, “Such beauty, such sweetness I have never seen in Vaikuntha-dham, Ayodhya-dham, Dwarka-dham, nowhere have I seen something so sweet.”

And he was seeing all avatars coming from Nandanandan Sri Krishna and then he started saying prayers.

naumīḍya te ’bhra-vapuṣe taḍid-ambarāya
gunjāvataṁsa-paripiccha-lasan-mukhāya
vanya-sraje kavala-vetra-viṣāṇa-veṇu-
lakṣma-śriye mṛdu-pade paśupāṅgajāya
(Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.1)

Brahma said: My dear Lord, You are the only worshipable Lord and therefore I offer my humble obeisances and prayers to please you. O son of the king of the cowherds, Your transcendental body is dark blue like a new cloud, Your garment is brilliant like lighting, and the beauty of Your face is enhanced by Your gunja earrings and the peacock feather on Your head. Wearing garlands of various forest flowers and leaves and equipped with a herding stick, a buffalo horn and a flute, You stand beautifully with a morsel of mixture of yogurt and rice in Your hand.

This is a stava, very good. It requires more than one month to read it fully. But it is not possible here.

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan
(Srimad Bhagavat 10.14.29)

Brahma says, “You are the cause of all causes, Lord of all Lords! Please excuse me. Without Your grace no one can know You in this world. If anyone endeavors to know You for thousands and thousands of years by his own effort, he cannot know. But if anybody submits himself completely to You and then by Your grace, he can know You.” Even Brahma when he couldn't know how an ordinary person can know Him without His grace.

Who is Srimati Radharani? Srimati Radharani is the complete internal potency. Krishna is serving Himself in the form of Radharani. Srimati Radharani, She is not different from Krishna. In Gita, Krishna says:

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve
hetuḥ prakṛtir ucyate
puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ
bhoktṛtve hetur ucyate
(Bhagavad Gita 13.21)

Prakrti (nature) is the cause of all material actions, whereas the living entity is the recipient of the sufferings and enjoyments of all these actions. In this material world you can find cause and effect. The suffering is felt by the conscious principle not by this body.

When the purush (conscious principle), by his own hand, is massaging his body, he gets happiness himself. This action is by his hand which is from prakriti and who is feeling the happiness? The person, purush is feeling it. Likewise, Krishna is serving Himself with His complete potency which is called Radha, Radhika, Aradhika.

Krishna is worshipping Himself in the form of Radha. At the same time He is also enjoying happiness in purush form. So Srimati Radharani is not distinct from Krishna. Krishna Himself in the form of Srimati Radharani is serving Krishna. By that service, Krishna is getting happiness. The predominating aspect of the moiety is Krishna and predominated aspect of moiety is Srimati Radharani. So, one half and another half. Our Gurudeva and Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur used to say this. You will not find any appropriate English word.

Hladini-shakti, Sandini-shakti, Samvita-shakti. Hladini Shakti — all the devotees are giving happiness to Krishna. Sandini-shakti is Baladeva, all the existence in the transcendental realm and in this realm are maintained by Him (Baladeva). And, samvita-shakti-vigraha is Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Sambandh-gyan — Krishna is my eternal master, Krishna is my friend, Krishna is my son, Krishna is my husband. This vision will be given by Krishna. With that relationship you will get love for Him. As per that relationship, the closeness, you will get that love. Gopi’s love is highest and among all the Gopis, Srimati Radharani is the highest. I had to speak very fast as the time was short.

- Moscow, 26 August (evening), 2001