Shri Radha Rani: The Essence of Divine Love

Most people ignorantly think that Shri Radha and Shri Krishna must be like Lakshmi and Vishnu or Parvati and Shiva, but it is not so. Lakshmi and Vishnu are eternal consorts, as are Parvati and Shiva.  Shri Krishna is the absolute supreme divine power. 

For example, you have a father. But your original father’s father is the progenitor of the human race, Manu. Manu’s father was Brahma, the creator of our brahmanda. Brahma’s father was the Supreme God, Shri Krishna. There is no father of Shri Krishna; He is the Father of all.

So the one beyond whom there is nothing else is the Supreme God, Shri Krishna. He governs uncountable Brahmas, uncountable Vishnus and uncountable Shivas. The Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva that you have heard about belong to one brahmanda, just as in India each state has its own governor or chief minister. 

The one who governs all the uncountable brahmandas is Shri Krishna, just like all the states of India are governed by the Prime Minister. There is no post or position beyond this. So there are uncountable brahmandas and each and every brahmanda has one Brahma, one Vishnu and one Shiva.

संख्याचेत् रजसामस्ति न विश्वानां कदाचन।

ब्रह्माविष्णुशिवादीनां तथा संख्या न विद्यते ॥

(Padma Purana)

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are all subservient to Shri Krishna. They are uncountable. Everything that relates to Shri Krishna is absolutely unlimited. He has uncountable names, uncountable forms, uncountable qualities, uncountable pastimes, uncountable abodes and uncountable souls related to Him – they are all unlimited. His powers are also unlimited.

श्रीकृष्णेर अनन्त शक्ति ताते तिन प्रधान।

Gauranga Mahaprabhu has said that out of uncountable divine powers, three are foremost: sat, chit, ananda. A name of God is “sat-chit-ananda”. 

These are three powers. The relationship they have to each other is that sat is included in chit, and sat and chit are included in ananda. This is why God is referred to as sat-chit-ananda, as chid-ananda (which includes sat), and simply as ananda (which includes sat and chit).

आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात् ।

(Vedas)

आनन्दमयोऽभ्यासात् ॥

(Brahma Sutra)

Ananda, the foremost power of these three, also has an essence. This is called the power of hladini. This is the greatest power of God. All of God’s powers are governed by this power. What does this power do?

कर्तुमकर्तुमन्यथाकर्तुं समर्थः । 

With this power (hladini) God does whatever He wishes, or He doesn’t act at all or He does the complete opposite of both of these. What does it mean to perform the opposite of both of these? 

For example, you have eyes. What do they do? They only see. They can’t hear or smell. They perform one kind of action. But God’s eyes can see, smell, taste, touch, think, decide and be all-knowing. This is the miracle of hladini power. Even with no senses He is all-seeing and hears everything. He knows which soul has called to Him from which brahmanda.

One aspect of God resides within every soul, observing all our negative thoughts, yet He remains ever blissful and unaffected by them. Consider a typical family with around ten members—parents, a spouse, and a few children. Even within such a small circle, individuals often experience trouble and distress from their interactions. 

We often feel sadness when someone says something hurtful or when our children make numerous demands. The dynamics within a small family of ten can be quite challenging. Now, imagine God, who oversees an infinite number of souls, each of whom is wayward and has forgotten Him, failing to recognize Him as their true Father. 

God notes all this as He resides in our hearts. Even so, He doesn’t feel troubled by this. He smiles and simply notes our thoughts. This is all possible through God’s hladini Power. Hladini also has an essence. It is called divine love (divya prema). This also has various classes. 

These are called prema bhakti, sneha bhakti, maan bhakti, pranaya bhakti, rag bhakti, anurag bhakti, bhava bhakti, and mahabhava bhakti, the final class. Mahabhava bhakti also has two classes, rudha-mahabhava and adhirudha – mahabhava, which is the highest class. Adhirudha – mahabhava also has two classes, madan and modan. 

This state of madan is reserved for Shri Radha alone. Even Shri Krishna cannot reach there. Only Shri Radha experiences that supreme level of bliss. Therefore, Shri Krishna loves to be in the service of the embodiment of madanakhya – mahabhava, Shri Radha and that is why He lovingly presses Her lotus feet and serves Her. 

The Saint, Raskhan had a big doubt, “People say that Shri Krishna is a servant of Shri Radha.” He thought, “For Hindus the wife serves the husband, and here the situation is reversed. He is pressing Her lotus feet? No one has ever seen this! Why is it like this with Shri Radha Krishna?” He thought that Shri Radha was merely Shri Krishna’s wife. So when Raskhan became God-realised, Shri Krishna appeared to Raskhan in this form. 

देख्यो दुर्यो कुंज कुटीर में। बैठ्यो पलोटत राधिका पायन।

He was softly pressing Shri Radha’s lotus feet. Then He bestowed this divine knowledge on Raskhan and made him understand that He ever remains in the service of Shri Radha, while He Himself is served by Lakshmi, His eternal consort or wife. 

So Shri Radha is the Soul of Shri Krishna. Just as our body is the servant of our own soul, and our soul is a servant of Shri Krishna, so Shri Krishna is a servant of Shri Radha. She is indeed that great a Divine power!  

Every pore of Shri Krishna’s divine body resounds with “Radhe Radhe”. Her name is this important. We should understand this significance when we utter or chant Radhe’s name. 

Imagine you find a ring and someone asks, “Where did you find that?” You reply, “I came across it on the road. Why do you ask?” The person then reveals, “It’s worth a million dollars!” Shocked, you respond, “I thought it was worth only $10 or $20!” The joy and amazement you would feel upon realising that the ring has made you a millionaire would be immense. With this newfound understanding of its true value, you would take great care of it.

Similarly, when we come to understand the true greatness of Shri Radha, and then say or sing Her name with that awareness, our love for Her will naturally grow and deepen. 

It is important to always remember who Shri Krishna and Shri Radha are, who you are and what is the nature of this world. 

Understanding the underlying philosophy related to all of these is absolutely crucial. Such knowledge helps us to detach ourselves from the world and become attached to God.

*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.