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EDITORIAL January 4, 2000 VNN5215 Comment on this story The Queen Of Vrndavana BY KRSNADAS EDITORIAL, Jan 4 (VNN) — "I offer my respectful obeisances onto Srimati Radhika, whose complexion is like gold and who is the queen of Vrndavana. She is the daughter of Vrsabhanu Maharaja and is very dear to Sri Krishna." When the Supreme Lord descended more than five thousands years ago, He did so not alone, but amongst His eternal associates, foremost of which was Srimati Radharani. Srila Rupa Goswami has stated in the tenth verse of his "Sri Upadesamrta" that among all advanced devotees of the Lord, the gopis are foremost because they are always dependent upon Lord Krishna. Srila Prabhupada states in his purport to this verse that the gopis are foremost among all other devotees because they know nothing but the satisfaction of Krishna, neither do they expect anything in return for their service. Caitanya Caritamrta also states, "The desire to gratify one's own senses is kama or lust, but the desire to please the senses of Lord Krishna is prema or love." (Adi 4.165) Srila Rupa Goswami goes even further stating that among the gopis, Srimati Radharani is the dearest to Lord Krishna. Among the gopis, she is the only one who can fully satisfy Lord Krishna. In this regards, there is a verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam, the fruit of the Vedic desire tree that relates a conversation of the gopis conversing among themselves, "O my friend! Leaving us aside Krishna has gone off to a secluded place Everyone is desirous for the mercy of the Supreme Lord; yet, the Supreme Lord is always seeking Srimati Radharani who gives Him pleasure. As stated in Caitanya Caritamrta, "She possesses all the attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead" (Adi 4.83) Radha is Krishna's pleasure potency. As Krishna's pleasure potency, Srimati Radharani gives pleasure to the Lord and nourishes His devotees. (C.c. Adi 4.60) Helping Her in pleasing the transcendental senses of the All-Attractive Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, are the confidantes of Sri Radha. Without them, the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krishna would be incomplete. As in the case with fire and heat, wherein on cannot exist without the other, such is also the case with the Supreme Lord and His potency. Sri Caitanya Caritamrta states, "Radha is the full energy, and Lord Krishna is the possessor of full power. The two are not different as evinced by the revealed scripture." (Adi 4. 96) Just as Lord Krishna is the fountainhead of all other incarnations of Godhead including Lord Narayana, similarly, Radha is the original goddess of fortune, from whom all other goddesses of fortune originate. Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja states in the Caitanya Caritamrta, "The goddesses of fortune are Her (Radha's) plenary portions" (Adi 4.78) All the goddesses of fortune reside in various Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky and thereby serve the Supreme Lord in His various expansions, similarly, Sri Radha serves Lord Krishna in the supermost spiritual abode, Goloka Vrndavana, a place where spontaneous love of God prevails over awe and reverence so predominant in the other Vaikuntha planets. Love (of God) conquers all even the Supreme Lord, who is inaccessible by any other endeavors and such love (of God) is manifest fully in the person of Sri Radha. By pleasing the dearmost object to the Lord one can approach the Lord, but not otherwise. As the Lord tells His friend and devotee, Arjuna, "He who says he is My devotee is not My devotee, but He who is a devotee of My devotee I accept as My true devotee." (Agni Purana) By pleasing Radha, Krishna's compassionate side, one will receive her favor and thus she will approach Krishna in one's favor. Whomever she chooses Krishna will certainly have to accept. In the transcendental arena of Sri Vrndavana, far from the eyes of those affected with the disease of lust, the divine couple, Sri Radha and Krishna, along with their innumerable associates engage in transcendental pastimes. By taking shelter of Sri Guru, who is the representative of Srimati Radharani and following his every instructions, one can become free of the lust so predominant in the material world, and secondly, one can attain the ultimate destination, service to the Divine Couple in the transcendental abode of Sri Vrndavana. Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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