If Radha and Krishna are one then what is the point of Krishna coming as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to understand Radha’s love for him?

Transcript

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Question, if Radha and Krishna are non-different then what is the meaning of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s incarnation, when he comes, when is Krishna himself coming to experience the love of Radharani? Answer, in the spiritual realm we have to understand the difference between Tattva and Leela.
Tattva is philosophical truth and Leela is loving reciprocation. So, if we don’t understand the Tattva, we will consider the Leela to be mundane. But if we don’t understand the concept of Leela itself, then from ephigistic to Tattvic point of view, then we will not be able to, then nothing in the Leela will make sense.
So, without Tattva, Leela, Krishna’s childhood pastimes will appear just like entertainment and Krishna’s conjugal pastimes can appear sensuality. So, we need Tattva. But at the same time, just by philosophical analysis, we cannot understand loving reciprocation.
A flower can be studied by a botanist and an artist. A botanist will get a completely different picture of the flower, how many carpels, how many stamens, where is the andrushyam, where is the gynashyam and that kind of knowledge is useful. But as far as the aesthetic beauty of the flower is concerned, the botanical approach in itself cannot really help us understand that.
So, the botanist is like one who studies Tattva. It’s important, but the artist is like one who understands the Leela, relishes the Leela. So, the Bhagavatam talks about both approaches.
Dhimahi is the end of the first verse. Dhimahi means contemplate, meditate. And that is the approach of analysis.
That is the approach of the impersonalist in many ways. Devotees also do meditation, no doubt. But if that is the exclusive or excessive focus, then that passive meditation is not so conducive for active service, which is the essence of Bhakti.
So, then there is in the third verse in the Srimad Bhagavatam, first canto 1.1.3, it is said, rasika, become a connoisseur and relish pibata, drink, relish Bhagavata. So, that is from the aesthetic point of view. So, from the Tattva point of view, Radha and Krishna are non-different.
They are the same person manifested as two. Radha Krishna ekatma dui dehadhari. So, it is the same one God who has manifested in two forms.
But now after manifesting in two forms, it is not that Krishna and Radha are just like shadows in the sense that just like sometimes you may, we may create a mirror image of some object and then whatever the original object does, the other object does that. And the other object has no independent will. The other object is just, as I said, a pure mirror image.
So, Radha and Krishna are not like that. Although they are one, once they manifest in two forms, they have two entirely different personalities. And why do they have two different personalities? Anyonya vilasakori, for the purpose of performing pastimes.
So, Radharani has a female form and the appropriate female mood. Krishna has a male form and the appropriate male mood. And that’s how they reciprocate pastimes, reciprocate love and perform pastimes.
So, for the Leela point of view, it is not that Radha and Krishna are constantly aware that we are one. No, when it comes to Leela, there is a yoga maya, the divine potency of Krishna, which brings about forgetfulness or illusion, maya, which actually brings about yoga. So, the maya of this world takes us away from yoga and moves us towards bhoga, towards sense gratification.
When we forget our true spiritual identity, Krishna’s position, then we, when we turn away from Krishna and go towards sense gratification. But the maya in the spiritual world takes us towards Krishna. The yoga maya makes us forget Krishna’s position, Krishna’s divinity, Krishna’s, even his supreme identity as the supreme, so that we can love him uninhibitedly.
So, that same yoga maya applies. So, Krishna doesn’t consciously, constantly remember that he is God. The yoga maya is energy, it acts swabhavaki, it acts spontaneously, according to his will, but not necessarily consciously according to his will.
It just acts spontaneously, swabhavaki, for the sake of performing his pastimes. So, Radharani is also, everything in the spiritual world is actually arranged by yoga maya for facilitating and intensifying the pastimes of Krishna. So, within the spiritual realm, Radha and Krishna, when they are acting, it is not that they are consciously aware that I am Krishna, Radharani is thinking, and Krishna is thinking, I am Radha.
No, they function as two separate persons. And while functioning as two separate persons, they reciprocate. So, Krishna is thinking, what will please Radharani? And Radharani is thinking, what will please Krishna? And in this way, they try to express their love by pleasing each other and performing various pastimes.
So, as far as philosophical perspective is concerned, yes, they are one. But as far as acting, functioning in the spiritual world is concerned, they act as two entirely different personalities. Who? Entirely different means, it’s not that they have.
They are related, no doubt. They are most intimately related than anyone else in all of creation. But still, they are two different persons with their different forms and their different moods, which gel very beautifully, which gel perfectly.
So now, when Krishna sees how much Radharani loves him, he wonders, what is the depth of her love? What is it in me that attracts her so much? And what is the happiness that she experiences when she sees that I reciprocate with her love also? So, he wants to understand this. And when Krishna is reciprocating love with Radharani, love requires a particular mood. So, when Krishna is with Yashodamayi, you know, he is not thinking that, oh, Yashodamayi is my mother only.
Even if she ties me up, then I can easily realize myself, I am God. No, he acts like a child at that time. Yoga Maya makes Krishna act like a child.
And Krishna is not just doing a drama over there. Krishna actually feels fear. So, similarly, whatever is required for the enhancement of the past times is done in the case of Radha and Krishna’s reciprocation also.
So, Krishna, in the sense of rasa, is not aware of what Radharani is experiencing. And that’s why Krishna decides to come as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to relish these three things, to understand the depth and the glory of Radharani’s love, to understand the qualities in him, in Krishna that attract such love from Radharani and the joy that Radharani experiences when she sees that Krishna reciprocates with her love. So, from the tattva point of view, both of them are same, but from the rasa point of view, they are different.
And it is to relish the rasa of Radharani’s love for Krishna that Krishna takes on the complexion and the mood of Radharani. And Krishna descends as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Thank you.