Radharani is the epitome of pure selfless service

[Radhashtami evening class at ISKCON, Denver, USA]

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna.
So I welcome all of you today on this specious occasion of Radharani’s appearance day. I’m very grateful to be here amongst all of you. I seek the blessings of His Holiness, Dhanavir Maharaj and the senior Vaishnavas so that I can speak for Srinidhi Radharani today.
So the Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important texts in the Vedic literature and it describes systematically who God is. It describes the activity of God, the identity of God. If you are seeing somebody from far away, we can see just the outline.
Then we go closer to that person, then we see their features. We go in closer, we interact with them, we come to know their personality. So like that, the Bhagavad Gita focusses on Krishna and it reveals how Krishna is the Supreme Lord.
And that same focus which is given in the Bhagavad Gita is taken further in the Srimad Bhagavatam where it describes not just the identity of God but also the activity of God. And while the concept of God has been talked in many of the world’s great theistic traditions, the description of God is not very vividly given. Some traditions conceive that God is a judge and then he rewards those who do good and he punishes those who do bad.
Now, one of my friends has become a judge and he’s telling me that judging is a job. He likes to do it. But if we consider that judging people for their actions is what somebody had to do for all of eternity, that would not be a very enjoyable thing to do.
So yes, that is one aspect of God. But God is much, much more. No.
God, how he interacts with us is one aspect. But God has his own self-existence independent of how he oversees the world, independent of how he administers this world. So in 1.20 the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says that beyond this world there is another world and that is the world where that is my abode, that is where he resides.
And he has his own personal life and in that life he has the full gamut of relationships which we see in this world. Of course, because we live in this world, we may use this world as a reference point. But from the point of view of foundation, this world is an emanation from God and from the spiritual world.
So whatever relationships we see here in the world, we see them in their originality and purity in the kingdom of God. So today is the appearance day of the consort of God. So Krishna is the Supreme Lord and he is with his eternal divine consort, that is Srimati Radharani.
So God is described in the Vedic literature, in the Bhakti literature especially, as not just one absolute truth. He is one absolute truth who manifests in two forms. The one absolute truth manifests as the divine couple and in their loving reciprocations is the highest epitome of pure love and actually Srimati Radharani is God himself manifesting as the supreme devotee of God.
Krishna in his own kingdom, as I said, in his spiritual world, he is not a judge over there. Judge is a function which he does, allegates to others. In his own kingdom, he delights simply in the reciprocation of love and he has many many devotees with all of whom he reciprocates in love.
Now the Bhagavad Gita describes that God is the best in everything. Whatever is most attractive in this world, that its attractiveness comes from God. So devotion is also an attractive thing and the most exalted devotee, that is Radharani, she is also a manifestation of God.
So that means on the altar we don’t just worship Krishna alone, we have Krishna and Radha. So the Bhagavad Gita describes that this material world is like a reflection of the spiritual world. So the Bhagavad Gita describes that there is a banyan tree whose roots are downwards and whose shoots are upwards.
Now this, where do we see such a banyan tree? If we were on the banks of a river and we look down in the reflection, we would see it over there. So this world which we live in is like a reflection and the kingdom of God, the spiritual world is the reality. So whatever is present in the reflection, the reality is present also in the reflection.
Although of course in the reflection things can get distorted. A stone falls in the water, then the same image is reflected, that will be distorted. So the gamut of relationships are originally in the spiritual world and they are present in this world also.
But here often they get distorted and the distortion primarily is because of self-centredness. It is because of selfishness. When there is love, we naturally put the other person before us.
So in the spiritual world where there is pure love, the devotees, for them Krishna is the first. They are constantly absorbed in loving him, serving him. But Krishna as God does not delight all of you come and bow down to me and serve me.
What Krishna delights is in reciprocating love in various ways. So in his spiritual world, there actually Krishna doesn’t always act as God. He just acts as a lovable cowherd boy and he reciprocates love with his various devotees.
So the spiritual world in that sense is like a drama. But normally when we use the word drama, we cannot, it seems something artificial, something unreal. But it is actually the highest reality.
So leela is a Sanskrit word, it can be translated as pastime, it can be translated as play, it can be translated as drama. Krishna performs various leelas with his devotees and in this leela actually the whole mood is the reciprocation of love. And in this reciprocation of love, the driving force is selflessness.
The devotee puts Krishna first and Krishna puts the devotee first. Now the relationships in this world, often there is some amount of selfishness, selflessness, but there is often a lot of selfishness, self-centredness. So sometimes we may observe the relationships in the material world and observe the relationships in the spiritual world.
They may seem similar but they are categorically different. So the relationship between Krishna and Radharani is pure, is spiritual, it is transcendental. The relationship between the male females in the material world is based on bodily misidentification.
We are actually souls but we identify ourselves with our bodies. Of course these relationships can also be dharmic, they can also help us to, if done in a mood of service, rise spiritually. But they are based on a misunderstanding.
So the Bhagavatam describes that actually if we consider somebody is, the reflection is there, the reality is here. Now we are all longing for love. We long to love and to be loved.
And unfortunately in the material world, the longing for love is never fulfilled. We may get some love but it doesn’t last for long. Even in the most fulfilling relationships, if at all they happen, they don’t last forever.
So our longing for love, it points to our eternal relationship with Krishna. The soul is eternally a part of Krishna and the soul eternally loves Krishna. And presently we have forgotten Krishna.
And that’s why we are trying to find substitutes for Him. We are trying to find different objects to love and we are hoping to get the same satisfaction that we got through our relationship with Krishna. So for us to learn to love Krishna, the paradigmatic example, the perfect example for that is Srimati Radha.
She loves Krishna purely, selflessly and thus for devotees, she is the divine mediatrix. We are medium, masculine. Mediatrix is feminine.
So she is the giver of bhakti. All bhakti, all devotion that is present in anyone is actually present, is actually coming from Radha Rani. And she is the supreme embodiment of devotion.
And by her mercy, we give devotion. She is supremely attracted to the Lord. And for her, she is not attracted, she is completely absorbed in Krishna.
And when we get her mercy, we also get absorbed in Krishna. So our longing for love, how it is to be fulfilled? No, we need an eternal object of love. We ask that the souls are eternal and Krishna is the eternal object of love.
So by the mercy of Srimati Radha Rani, we learn to love Krishna. And the more we learn to love Krishna, the more we relish enduring fulfilment in our hearts. So Srimati Radha Rani, her love is characterised by pure selflessness.
So I give the example of a reflection and a reality. Now we may think that sometimes that the male-female relationship in this world is similar to Krishna-Radha’s relationship in the spiritual world, but they are categorically different. Suppose somebody is looking from a distance towards the banks of a river and then they see a mango reflected in the river, but they don’t understand that actually this is a reflection.
So then they dive into that river and they try to catch the mango and get there, it’s disappeared. What happened? Look, I can still see the mango, again go and catch it, again it’s not there. They keep trying, keep trying, they never get the mango.
And finally somebody tells them, look up, the mango is there. Oh really? I want to go there, I want to get that. So when we seek love in this world, it is like catching a mango by chasing after its reflection.
Everything in the material world is temporary. So the real mango is in the spiritual world. Pure love exists in our relationship with Krishna.
Maestro Prabhupada was here in America in the early days in 1968 when the devotees had performed on the first Ratha Yantra festivals. At that time many of the people who came for the programmes were Hippies. And Prabhupada in a lecture says that, you Hippies, you are not very much appreciated by American people, since you are considered frustrated people.
Prabhupada says, I appreciate you. He says, human life is meant to be frustrated. He says, human life is meant to be frustrated, because when we get frustrated in seeking happiness at the material level, then we start seeking happiness in the spiritual world.
So we have an innate longing for happiness. And we will keep looking for it one place, second place, third place. But when our longing for happiness is not fulfilled at the material level, then that is an impetus for seeking it in the spiritual level.
Of course, that is not the only impetus. We can also use our knowledge, our intelligence, and redirect our quest for happiness to the spiritual level. But the point is, the mango that is reflected in the river cannot be eaten, cannot be enjoyed.
So the pleasures that we seek in the world, they appear to be there. But when we reach them, they turn out to be disappointing. They never live up to their promise.
So they are there, but the illusion is, not that the pleasure is not there, but the illusion is, it’s very, very less. So we are meant to look up and look at the reality. That is the relationship with Krishna.
And that is why the Bhagavatam describes that when we truly understand Krishna’s pastimes, and especially Krishna’s pastimes with the gopis, then the result of that is, we will become no longer materially attached. So it’s said that when we hear about Krishna’s pastimes with Radharani, with the gopis, if we hear it faithfully, from those who have faith, from those who have devotion, then our attraction to Krishna will increase. And our attachment to worldly things, our self-centred desires, they will decrease.
Normally, if somebody goes and watches a romantic movie, their desires for romance increase, they don’t decrease. Unless, of course, it’s a tragic movie. Then people may get frustrated temporarily.
But normally, when we hear of male-female interactions, our desires for similar things will increase. But what the Bhagavatam says is that by hearing Radha Krishna’s pastimes properly, what will happen is our infatuation with worldly things will decrease. How will that happen? When we have the philosophical understanding.
We say that is the reality and this is the reflection. If we don’t know the reflect, if we don’t know the reality, then we will keep chasing after the reflection, lifetime after lifetime after lifetime. But once we understand this is the reality and this is the reflection, and our heart gets attracted towards the reality, and that doesn’t mean we reject the reflection, but rather we no longer stay infatuated with the reflection.
So, this will happen when we understand that the reality and reflection are in two different categories. If without philosophical understanding, without the tattva, there is in understanding God, understanding Krishna, there is tattva and there is leela. Tattva is philosophical understanding and leela is the pastimes.
So, without the tattva, without the philosophical understanding, if we try to understand the leela, then often we misunderstand Krishna to be an ordinary person. We misunderstand Krishna’s devotees to be ordinary people. And thus, we cannot appreciate Krishna.
So, in this context, the tattva is, that is the real mango, this is the reflection. That is the reality and this is this is a shadow, this is a reflection of that reality. With this philosophical understanding, when we approach, that the more we hear about the real mango, the more we become attracted to it, and the more we become detached from the reflected mango.
But if without the tattva, if without philosophy, we just hear Krishna’s pastimes, they’re sweet. And Krishna’s other pastimes, when Krishna performed pastimes with the, with various, he performed pastimes with mother Yashoda, he performed pastimes with his friends, and he’d steal butter, and he would do all kinds of very enjoyable pastimes. So, Krishna, he performs Baal Leela.
Baal Leela is, that’s a small child and he steals butter. So, when, when Europeans first came to India, colonisers, and they had a particular conception of God as a forbidding personality, long beard, stern, cast thunderbolts on the sinful, and then they came to India and they heard about, they saw these pictures of this sweet little boy, you know, with one hand in a butter pot, other his mouth is smeared with butter. They said, who is this? He says, this is God.
This is God. What is he doing? He’s stealing butter. They just got completely intellectually short-circuited.
It’s good to, you know, how can, what, what is, how can this boy be God and why is he stealing? And of all things you have to steal, why steal butter? So, actually, Krishna as God, he simply does whatever is required to reciprocate love with his devotees. So, Krishna, he may appear to be like a small boy, where he is hiding and he’s stealing and he’s running away after stealing, but all this is simply for the reciprocation of love. And in the spiritual world, there is the energy of Krishna called Yogamaya.
Krishna is God, but when he wants to perform pastimes, when he wants to perform Leela, he doesn’t want his devotees to be inhibited in their love. Now, if they’re talking with someone and suddenly we come to know that person is the president of America, you know, we’ll become a little fearful. If I do something wrong, this person can get me into a lot of trouble.
This person is such a big person. So, if we know the greatness of someone, you know, we’ll become respectful, but we won’t be able to deal naturally with them. So, yes, initially, we do need to know about Krishna’s greatness, so that we develop the proper submissive attitude towards him.
But Krishna’s devotees are in love and they’ve already got that attraction to Krishna. So, for them, Krishna conceals his weakness, conceals his greatness. So, Yashodamayi, the Gopiyas, they don’t consciously remember that Krishna is God.
They know it, but that is not in the forefront of their awareness. Just like in the daytime also, the stars are there in the sky, but the sun is so bright that we no longer see the stars in the sky. Like that, the stars are like the knowledge that Krishna is God, where the sun is the attraction to Krishna because it’s so attractive.
So, for the pure devotees of Krishna, their love for Krishna is so great, the light from that is like the light from the sun. And so, their knowledge that Krishna is God, it is pushed back into the background. And they just offer Krishna their love.
And Krishna, as a small child, he does whatever it takes to enhance the love of his devotees. So, therefore, the Gurujivasis, they make butter and Krishna poses, steals butter. And then, all this, he does, just like small children, you know, when they are naughty, the parents sometimes get annoyed.
But, you know, if the children suddenly become very peaceful and quiet, parents will get worried. Is this child sick or something? Why is it so silent? Isn’t it? So, children, when they are naughty, then that naughtiness also enhances the flavour of the affection, the relationship between the mother and parents and the child. So, Krishna acts as a lovable child and he does whatever it takes to enhance the love.
So, when he steals butter, he does not need butter. Everything belongs to him. So, the butter also belongs to him.
But he steals just simply to make the relationship between him and his devotees more adventurous, more exciting. And why butter of all things? Because the Gopis, the elderly Gopis, when they cook that butter, they offer, they make that butter, they offer their hearts love in it. And what Krishna is taking is actually their love.
The butter is the medium by which the love is offered. So, Krishna, when he performs pastimes like this, in these pastimes, his pastimes with the Gopas, with the Gopis, with the motherly Gopis, they are easily understandable. This is sweet.
But Krishna’s pastimes with Radharani, with the young Gopis, they can be misunderstood. That’s why our Acharyas say that we have to approach them very carefully. So, if we, as I said, if we understand this is the reality, this is the reflection, then we will be attracted towards the reality and we become detached with the reflection.
But if we don’t have philosophical understanding, then what may happen is we equate the reality and the reflection. And then hearing about Krishna Leela may also trigger our worldly desires. That’s why the proper philosophical understanding is needed.
And with this understanding, as I said, the defining characteristic of the Gopis’ love for Krishna is that they are concerned only about Krishna. And normally, people go to God because they have some problems. And they come to God, please relieve me of my problems.
You know, this thing is not working, that thing is not working, please relieve me. But the Gopis’ love for Krishna is such that they want to relieve God of his problems. So, there is the well-known story when Krishna gets a headache.
Now, of course, Krishna is God, he can never get any headache. But again, in Leela, whatever is required for enhancing the flavour of love, that is done. So, when Krishna gets a headache, Narada Muni comes to him and Narada Muni says that, oh no, what is the matter? He says, Krishna, I got a headache.
So, can I get some medicine for you? He says, this is a special kind of headache. The only medicine that will work for this is if I get the dust of the feet of my devotees and I apply it on my head. Which devotee will give the dust of their feet to apply on the Lord? Normally, we take the Lord’s dust and apply on our head.
Normally, if any object is sacred, we don’t even touch it with our feet or to speak of the Lord Himself. So, Krishna says, this is the only medicine available. So, Narada Muni starts thinking, how will I get this medicine? So, he starts going to different devotees and starts asking them, please, this is the problem, can you give me the dust? They say, what are you talking about? No, if the dust of our feet touches the Lord, we’ll go to hell.
It’s a great offence. Narada Muni goes all over the world and finally, he comes to the Gopis. He comes to the Gopis and at that time, he tells them that, the Gopis ask, how is Krishna? He says, you know, Krishna is having a headache.
Really? What can we do for you? Krishna, he needs the dust of the feet of his devotees. The Gopis immediately rush to the nearby Jamuna river. They put their feet in Jamuna and they come out and they move their feet in the dust around the bank of Jamuna.
They get a big chakra and they put a big bag of dust. They say, take this. So, Narada Muni starts thinking, maybe these Gopis are just cowards.
They don’t understand. He says, do you know that if the dust of your feet touches Krishna’s head, he says, you will go to hell. The Gopis reply, just thinking that Krishna is having a headache, that is the worst hell for us.
To relieve Krishna from a headache, even for one moment, we are ready to go to hell for him. So, this is the love of the Gopis, that they are concerned not how God solves my problems, but how I can solve God’s problems. As I said, God does not have any problems.
But the mood of love is, we want to do what we can for the Lord. And it is this mood which is embodied by all the Gopis, but most specially by Shri Nidhi Radha. In Vrindavan, it is described that Radharani, when she first appeared, today was the day when she appeared, her eyes were only for the Lord.
So, when she appeared, she didn’t open her eyes. And her parents, Rishabhanu Maharaj, Kirtida, they were worried, what has happened to this child? Why is this child not opening the eyes? Eventually, so they, Kirtida and Rishabhanu Maharaj and Nanda Maharaj, they were living in nearby villages. So, eventually Nanda Maharaj was invited, come with your family to our house.
And when they came, Krishna was just a small boy, he was just moving on his knees at that time. And just like small children, you keep them in the room, they are curious, they go here, they go there. What is here? What is there? So, Krishna saw this small crutch where this baby is there.
So, he went there and as soon as he peered over and looked at Radharani, that was the time Radharani opened her eyes. Till then, she had been born, but she never opened her eyes. He says that, my dear Lord, my mood was with my eyes, the only thing I want to see is you.
So, as a service, we may see other things, but what our heart longs to see is the Lord. That was Radharani’s devotion for Krishna. And then, as both Krishna grew up, Radharani grew up, then Radharani had a desire, she learned cooking and she wanted to cook for Krishna.
And she was wondering how she would get an opportunity to cook for Krishna. So, then her mother, she saw that she is learning cooking so nicely, she said, let me arrange for Radharani to serve Krishna. So, she sent a message to Nanda Maharaj, please come to our house for lunch.
And Nanda Maharaj, Yashodamayi, Krishna, many of Krishna’s friends, they all came together. And Vishwanu had arranged for a magnificent welcome for them. And then, Yashodamayi, she came to the inner quarters of the kitchen and she saw that Radharani had cooked so many items.
Yashodamayi turned to Kirti and she said, this Radha, for us she is Radharani, for Yashodamayi she is younger. This Radha, her body is so tender, like a flower, you know, in cooking so many items, there is so much heat, her body will get shrivelled. She says, why have you asked her to cook so much? So, Kirti da says, no, actually I did not ask her to cook anything.
She has cooked everything on her own. And there are like dozens and dozens of items. And she said, these are only the special items.
The main cooking is happening elsewhere. This is what Radharani has specially cooked. And then, so Krishna and all the Gopas came and they sat for lunch.
And then, all of Rajivasis, their goal, they all know that Radha and Krishna are a divine couple, they all want to get Radha and Krishna together. So, at that time, Yashodamayi was very pleased with Radharani and she says, you have learned to cook very nicely. She says, now you should also learn to serve nicely.
She says, so you take the food that you have cooked and serve everyone. And so Radharani came out now, she saw Krishna, she felt very shy to go towards Krishna. So, she started serving everyone else.
And Yashodamayi said, you go and serve Krishna. So, she went and Krishna was sitting on one side, Balram was sitting on other side. And Madhavangal was sitting on other side.
Madhavangal is a friend of Krishna. And Krishna also has a peacock, has a parrot which is on his shoulder. So, Madhavangal started eating the food.
Madhavangal is like a person who does all sort of funny things. And he gives joy to Krishna by doing funny things. So, Madhavangal started eating that food.
And he said, he said, this food, after eating it, I am in great anxiety now. Normally, if you go for a feast and somebody says eating, I am in anxiety. Everyone gets worried.
So, Radharani was hearing, Kirtan was hearing and Krishna said, what do you mean? So, he said, this food is so delicious that after eating this food, I will not be satisfied with any other food. So, that’s why I am in anxiety. So, when he heard this, Yashodamayi was very pleased.
Yes, yes, after all, this is cooked by Radharani. By Radha, she is the best cook. And then, he said, yes, actually, yes, this food is as good as the food that is cooked by the goddess of fortune.
And then, Krishna had a parrot with him. So, this parrot started saying, started quacking something. He says, what do you want to say? Krishna turned to him.
He said, this is offence, this is offence, this is offence. What happened? He said, Radharani is actually the source of the goddess of fortune. So, the goddess of fortune should be compared to Radharani.
Radharani should not be compared to the goddess of fortune. Actually, so Krishna said, very good, very good. And then, as Radharani was coming and serving, she was serving everyone other than Krishna.
Yashodamayi said, go and serve Krishna. So, she went and served Krishna. And as soon as she served Krishna, she went back and she was watching.
Krishna ate the food. But she just made a twisted face. Radharani’s heart gave out.
What happened? Krishna just pushed away the plate. And Krishna pushed away the plate. Mother Mangal said, delicious.
So, Krishna was just teasing Radharani. And then, Radharani understood this and she just, in a sweet way, she got angry. And then, Yashodamayi said, go and serve Krishna.
Yashodamayi is observing. Every day, she would cook for Krishna. And Krishna would eat with great joy.
But here, when Radharani had cooked for Krishna, Krishna was eating with even greater relish, even greater joy. And as he was eating and eating, Yashodamayi, she recognised that Krishna is enjoying this food so much. And all of them ate abundantly.
And then, after that, in the inner chambers, Yashodamayi, Kirtidhara, all of them also ate. And when they were leaving, at that time, Yashodamayi told Kirtidhara, my Krishna, he has eaten the food made by Radha so nicely. He said, after eating, what that Mother Mangal said was right.
Now, after eating Radha’s food, Krishna will not be satisfied with anyone else’s cooking. So, he says, I desire that Radha come every day to my house and he cook over there for Krishna. Radharani’s heart was dancing with joy on hearing this.
She had served once, but then Yashodamayi got the opportunity to serve again. Now, Kirtidhara said that, you know, you are our queen. Whatever you desire, we will do.
But at the same time, she was a little apprehensive. Because Radha was a young girl, Krishna was a young boy. So, he says, how is it proper for Radha to come and cook for Krishna like this? So, Yashodamayi said, don’t worry.
She doesn’t have to come in my house. Nearby my house, there is Pavan Sarovar. We will arrange a kitchen over there.
She can come and cook over there. And I can take the food and I will serve Krishna. And then, from that day onwards, every day Radharani started coming and cooking for Krishna.
So, in the spiritual world, Krishna and Radha, here, they are eternally in love with each other. And what happened is, Radharani did one service for Krishna. And the result of service is that we get more service.
Our connection with Krishna is through love which is expressed through service. When we lovingly serve Krishna, Krishna reciprocates by giving us more service. And when we get more service, we become more deeply connected with Krishna.
And the more deeply we become connected with Krishna, the more joy we experience. Because Krishna is the unlimited reservoir of all happiness. And, say, if there is an electric socket somewhere, if I put my finger in the electric socket, I will get electrified.
Electric current will go through me. So, like that, Krishna is the reservoir of all happiness. If we connect with Krishna, then we become electrified with happiness.
And the way we connect with Krishna is through service. And when we serve Krishna, then He reveals Himself. By His own sweet will, He reveals Himself.
He reveals His sweetness. He conquers our heart. And thus, we become absorbed in Him.
We become filled with happiness. So, Radharani demonstrates how this service to Krishna brings about a deepened connection with Him. And we too, by learning to serve Krishna, whatever we can do, small service, big service, when we serve Krishna, then we also start experiencing a sublime joy permeating our life.
Srila Prabhupada was living in Vrindavan. He is the abode of Radharani Krishna. And Srila Prabhupada, for sharing the sweetness of Krishnamadhi, he left Vrindavan and he came to America and eventually travelled all over the world.
And when he was… His goal was that actually it is we want to share Krishna’s love, share the sweetness of Krishnamadhi to everyone. And he has given us opportunities to connect with Krishna through many, many different forms of services. And the point is that the more we connect with Krishna, through whatever service we can do, the more we will find a sublime, non-material joy streaming into our heart, permeating our being.
The connection with Krishna is actually the soul’s only possession. Whatever possessions we get in the world, they will come and they will go. But the possession of love for Krishna, that is the one possession that will always stay with us.
So the love between Radha and Krishna is sublime, it is selfless, it is purely spiritual. And none of us can ever get as much love as Radharani has for Krishna. But by Radharani’s mercy, even if we get a small glimpse of that love, then what will happen is our life will become spiritually enriched.
And as we all can relish that supreme happiness of pure love for Krishna, the love that we are always longing for, we will be able to get it if we turn towards Krishna and direct our love towards Krishna. So I’ll summarise what I spoke today, that we talked about how the Bhagavad Gita gives us the identity of God, the Bhagavatam gives us the activity of God. If we move closer and closer, so God is not just one person who is a judge.
He’s actually a person who has his own life, with a whole gamut of relationships. And actually, the relationships in the world are reflections of the relationships in the spiritual world. We all long for lasting love, but we won’t get it in this world.
What we get is like the reflected mango. The relationship of Krishna with his devotees is the real mango. And the more we philosophically understand the difference, this is the real mango, this is the reflected mango, then we lose our infatuation with the reflected mango and get the attraction towards the real mango.
So in all of Krishna Leela, Krishna is God, but he does not act as God. He acts as a simply a lovable boy. The devotees, their love for him comes out uninhibited when they’re not aware that Krishna is God.
And in such a reciprocation of love, the topmost love is that of Krishna. Normally people go to God, please relieve me from my sufferings, from my headache. But the Gopis’ mood is, we want to relieve Krishna from his headache.
And for that, even if we have to suffer, we’re ready to suffer for that. That is the selfless love. And the selfless love is developed, it is manifested through service.
So Radha Rai did one service for Krishna, and from that she got more and more service. Same way if you connect with Krishna through service, that’s also service. With the tongue we chant the holy name, that’s also service.
Whatever service we can do, through the service we connect with Krishna, Krishna relieves himself. And when we become attracted to Krishna, that is the heart’s most precious possession. That is the only possession that will truly enrich our heart.
Let’s conclude with one prayer. You can repeat after me. This is a prayer by Jeeva Goswami.
He describes the sublime loving relationship between Radha and Krishna. Jeevanena Dhane Nityam Radha Krishna Gatirmama Radha Krishna Gatirmama So I’ll tell the meaning and recite once again. Krishna Premamai Radha Radha is filled with love for Krishna.
Radha Premamai Krishna Hari, Lord Krishna, he is filled with love for Radha. Jeevanena Dhane Nityam This divine couple is my life’s eternal treasure. Radha Krishna Gatirmama and they are my ultimate destination.
Once more with me. Krishna Premamai Radha Krishna Premamai Radha Radha Premamai O Hari Radha Premamai O Hari Jeevanena Dhane Nityam Radha Krishna Gatirmama Radha Krishna Gatirmama