93. All Important Radha

All Important Radha:

As described above, Gauranga's worshipable Lord is Jagannath, whom He sees as Vrindavan Krishna. But, understanding that, an all-important question arises where is Srimati Radharani?

According to the siddhanta of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, one cannot approach Krishna without Radharani. Dhyanachandra Goswami, the disciple of Srila Gopal Guru Goswami, has written in text 188 of his Gaura- govindarcana Smarana-paddhati

vinā rādha-prasadena

kṛṣṇa-präptir na jayate

tataḥ śri radhika kṛṣṇau

smaraniyau su-samyutau

Without the mercy of Radha, one can never attain Krishna. Therefore one must remember Them together, as They are always nicely situated by each other's side.

In the Sva-niyama Dasakam of his Stavăvali, Sri Chaitanya's intimate associate Srila Raghunath das Goswami has described the mood of the followers of Gauranga Mahaprabhu.

In text 6 he states:

anadṛtyodgitām api 

muni-ganair vainika-mukhaih

pravinám gandharvam api 

ca nigamais tat priyatamam

ya ekam govindam 

bhajati kapati dambhikataya

tad-abhyarne sirne ksanam 

api na yami vratam idam

Not for a moment shall I go near a hypocrite who worships only Lord Govinda and does not worship exalted Srimati Radharani, who is glorified by the Vedas and the great sages headed by Narada, and who is most dear to Krishna. This is my vow.

Radha is apparently not worshiped with Lord Jagannath. Yet, even if Jagannath is Krishna, without Radharani's presence, Raghunath das says that he is not interested:

sada radha-krsnocchalad-

atula-khela-sthala-yugam

vrajam santyajyaitad yuga-

virahito 'pi truțim api

punar dväravatyam yadu-

patim api praudha-vibhavaih

sphurantam tad-vacapi 

ca na hi calamiksitum api

Even though I suffer in long separation from the divine couple, I shall not, even for a moment, ever leave Vraja. Even if Krishna in Dwarka personally asks me to come, I won't go there.

gatonmādai radha sphurati 

harina slista-hrdaya

sphutam dvaravatyam 

iti yadi śṛnomi śruti-tate

tadaham tatraivoddhata-mati 

patāmi vraja-purat

samuddiya svantadhika-

gati-khagendrad api javát

Yet if I hear that Srimati Radharani has gone to Dwaraka, where Lord Hari passionately embraces Her to His chest, then with an excited heart I will leave Vraja and fly to Dwaraka faster than Garuda."

Based on these above verses, further questions arise:

Why do the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu even bother to visit Jagannath Puri, a place that has opulence like that of Dwaraka and where Radharani is not worshiped with Jagannath?

(One may say, "I go there, because in Puri, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has performed pastimes in the mood of Srimati Radharani." That is true, but the mood of Mahaprabhu in Puri is the tasting of Radha's crying in separation from Krishna. Why would we want to see Radha outside of Vraja in that condition!

Naturally, the followers of Mahaprabhu want to see Her happily by the side of Krishna in Vrindavan. But if they see Her in a crying condition then they are overwhelmed with a desire to alleviate Her suffering, putting aside any other considerations.

This point is made by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, who is said to have stated,

"Shallow thinkers appreciate Vrindavan, but a man of real bhajana, real divine aspirations, aspires to live in Kurukshetra."

He explained that after visiting many places of pilgrimage, Srila Thakur Bhaktivinoda commented that he would like to spend his last days in Kurukshetra. He said, "Kurukshetra is the real place of bhajana."

Why did Bhaktivinoda ask to go to Kurukshetra? Why not Radha Kund or somewhere in Vraja? The goal of the followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Vrindavan, not Kurukshetra.

Bhaktivinoda went there because he understood that Radha had gone to Kurukshetra at the time of the solar eclipse to be with Krishna. But in Kurukshetra, Srimati was in a difficult position. She was surrounded by Krishna's wives and all of His kingly opulence. There was no Yamuna River present, no Vamsivat, and no Govardhan Hill. Therefore, it is commented that Bhaktivinoda wanted to go to Kurukshetra because he saw that Radha's need there was the greatest, and he felt that where the need is the greatest, service is the most appreciated.")

In his purport to CC. madhya 13.120, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains how Jagannath Puri is like Kurukshetra:

After giving up the company of the gopis in Vrindavan, Sri Krishna, the son of Maharaja Nanda, engaged in His pastimes at Dwaraka. When Krishna went to Kurukshetra with His brother and sister and others from Dwaraka, He again met the inhabitants of Vrindavan. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in "rädhä-bhava-dyuti-suvalita", that is, Krishna Himself assuming the part of Srimati Radharani in order to understand Krishna. Lord Jagannath dev is Krishna, and Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Srimati Radharani. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's leading Lord Jagannath towards the Gundicha temple corresponded to Srimati Radharani's leading Krishna towards Vrindavan. Sri Kshetra, Jagannath Puri, was taken as the kingdom of Dwaraka, the place where Krishna enjoys supreme opulence. But He was being led by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Vrindavan, the simple village where all the inhabitants are filled with ecstatic love for Krishna.