Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj describes the fate of those who understand the glory of Śrī Rādhā by the grace of Śrī Gaurāṅga.
hena rādhā-paricharyā yā̐kara dhana
bhakati-vinoda tā̐ra māgaye charaṇa
Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur says, “I want the foot-dust of those who like to serve Rādhārāṇī; I want to serve those who hold in their hearts the service of Rādhārāṇī. I want to fall at the feet and get the dust of the holy feet of those whose only wealth is the service of Śrī Rādhikā.”
rādha-bhajane yadi mati nāhi bhelā
kṛṣṇa-bhajana tava akāraṇa gelā
“If you cannot give your mind to the service of Rādhārāṇī, then all your attempts towards Kṛṣṇa have gone blank; they are all useless. You must see this. If you cannot acquire earnestness to serve Śrī Rādhikā, then all your labour for Kṛṣṇa has gone to hell.
ātapa-rahita sūraya nāhi jāni
rādhā-virahita mādhava nāhi māni
“As we don’t understand the sun without its heat, its potency, so no conception of Kṛṣṇa is possible without Śrī Rādhikā.
ātapa-rahita sūraya nāhi jāni
rādhā-virahita mādhava nāhi māni
“We don’t, we can’t, know Mādhava without Rādhikā. She is the other half.” In Prabhupād’s language, the moiety. There is the predominated moiety and predominating moiety. The other half of the whole is represented by Her. Service and dedication as a whole are represented by Her, both in intensity and in comprehensiveness.
umā, ramā, satyā, śachī, chandrā, rukminī
rādha-avatāra sabe—āmnāya-vānī
There are so many examples of pious ladies in early history recorded in the Purāṇas: Umā, Ramā, Satyā, Satī, Śachī, Chandrā, Rukminī, and others. Umā means the goddess Durgā. Ramā means Lakṣmī Devī. Satyā means Kṛṣṇa’s favourite Satyabhāmā. Śachī is the faithful wife of Indra. Chandrā is the antagonist of Rādhārāṇī: Chandrāvalī. Rukminī is the principle queen of Dvārakā. They are all different parts of Rādhārāṇī. They all spring from the main potency who is known as Rādhā. ‘Rādhā’ comes from ārādhana: She who can best serve, worship, respect, and love Kṛṣṇa. All other ladies who are famous for their good actions are all partial products of Rādhārāṇī. If we scrutinise their position in scriptures, then we’ll find that Śrī Rādhikā is the source of them all. She is the main.
rādhikā-dāsī yadi haya abhimāna
niśchaya‑i mila‑i tava gokula-kāna
Your fate is assured of success in getting the grace of Kṛṣṇa if you can think of yourself as a servitor in the group of Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Your future is insured if, anyhow, you can be counted in the group of the servitors of Śrī Rādhikā.
hena rādhā-paricharyā yā̐kara dhana
bhakati-vinoda tā̐ra māgaye charaṇa
Serving those that can serve Rādhārāṇī is the way to go to Her vicinity: serving the servants, the servants of love.
hena rādhā-paricharyā yā̐kara dhana
“I bow down to the feet and take the dust of the holy feet of those whose only wealth is the service of Rādhārāṇī. I hanker after nothing else.” This is Bhakti Vinod.
One who knows this, has a sincere heart, and travels on this path is the most fortunate. The ideal makes one great, not possession of anything. One who has the highest ideal is really a rich man. Less valuable things should be eliminated, and there should be concentration in the proper place. This saves one from wild goose chasing. Mahāprabhu came to show us this path, and we can find great intensity for it if we go through His class and teachings.
The scholarship of Śukadev and that of Śrī Gaurāṅga have helped to a certain extent to establish that love is above knowledge. Śukadev is admitted on all hands to have the highest attainment amongst the learned. He is almost unanimously admitted by the scholars to hold the highest position, and he comes to inaugurate that love is above all. Mahāprabhu also showed His scholarship to the existing scholars. He excelled all in intelligence and scholarship, and then He came with the tidings of love divine. It was then easy for the ordinary man to try for it, to understand, “Yes. It is the highest.” So, Vāsudev Datta says,
yadi gaura nā hata kemane ha-ite
kemane dharitām dehe
If Mahāprabhu did not appear in this Kali-yuga, then how could we tolerate our life? How could we sustain our life? What He has given is the very gist of life, the very taste and charm of life. Without that, we think it is impossible for anyone to live in this world. Such a thing has been discovered by Gaurāṅga. If He had not come, then how could we live? It is impossible to live devoid of such a holy, gracious thing as love divine.
prema-rasa-sīmā rādhāra mahimā
jagate jānāta ke
How could we know that Rādhārāṇī stands above all in the world of love divine? All these things we have received from Him, and therefore we think that life is worth living. Otherwise, to live would be suicidal. Now, we feel this way.
In this human life, somehow, we have got some sort of connection with that. But still, we are passing our days in wild goose chasing. How much of our time we can devote to questing for such things? So many things that are not very important are encroaching on our time and energy, and we can’t concentrate wholly on this holiest prospect. We are not to be blamed less than those that have no trace of it. They have got their solace: they do not know. We are more punishable: despite knowing of it, somewhat, we are passing our days idly. What explanation do we have to give to our masters? “You knew to a certain extent, and still you wasted your energy.” What will be our explanation for this? We are more condemned.
Reference
Spoken on 10 October 1982.
Verses
The eight song of Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur’s Śrī Rādhāṣṭakam:
rādha-bhajane yadi mati nāhi bhelā
kṛṣṇa-bhajana tava akāraṇa gelā [1]
If you do not wish to serve Rādhā, then your service to Kṛṣṇa goes for nothing.
ātapa-rahita sūraya nāhi jāni
rādhā-virahita mādhava nāhi māni [2]
I do not know the sun to be devoid of sunlight. I do not know Mādhava to be separate from Rādhā.
kevala mādhava pūjaye so ajñānī
rādhā anādara kara‑i abhimānī [3]
Those who worship only Mādhava are ignorant, and those who disregard Rādhā are proud.
kabahi nāhi karabi tā̐kara saṅga
chitte ichchhasi yadi vraja-rasa-raṅga [4]
Never associate with such persons if within your heart you desire the joy of service in Vraja.
rādhikā-dāsī yadi haya abhimāna
śīghra‑i mila‑i tava gokula-kāna [5]
If you consider yourself Rādhikā’s maidservant, then you will quickly meet the darling of Gokula.
brahmā, śiva, nārada, śruti, nārāyaṇī
rādhikā-pada-raja pūjaye māni’ [6]
Brahmā, Śiva, Nārad, the sages, and Lakṣmī Devī respectfully worship the dust of Rādhikā’s feet.
umā, ramā, satyā, śachī, chandrā, rukminī
rādha-avatāra sabe—āmnāya-vānī [7]
The scriptures say that Durgā, Lakṣmī, Satyābhāmā, Śachī, Chandrāvalī, and Rukminī are all expansions of Rādhā.
hena rādhā-paricharyā yā̐kara dhana
bhakati-vinoda tā̐ra māgaye charaṇa [8]
Bhakti Vinod prays at feet those whose wealth is Rādhā’s service.