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[In Baba’s humble words…] I don’t have much expertise in explaining the deep topics of Sringara Rasa (conjugal mood of love). Since devotees have requested me to speak on the topic, I must explain it based on the words of our six Goswamis, Acharyas experts in the topic of Rasa and the scriptures. If one speaks on such topics based on his own intelligence, there is a high possibility of describing things incorrectly.
In Raya Ramanada Samvād, Raya Ramananda described Radha Tatva, Krishna Tatva and Prema Tatva. But Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked him to speak about deeper topics of Mādhurya Rasa. Raya Ramananda, who was Vishakha Sakhi in Krishna’s pastimes, was surprised and thought, ‘Is there anyone in this world who wants to know about even deeper topics beyond Radha Krishna and Prema Tatva? No ordinary human being can desire to know even higher topics than this. (All ordinary sadhaks strive to know their own eternal form and the Tatva of God. The highest Tatvas of God are Radha Tatva, Krishna Tatva and Prema Tatva which enables sadhak to attain Radha Krishna. Most sadhaks in the world are content to attain Radha Krishna and are not interested in going deeper into the pastimes of Radha Krishna.)
To know that there is something beyond just understanding the Tatvas of Radha Krishna is very rare. Most people, including Tatva Gyāni (experts in spiritual knowledge) and enlightened Rishis, cannot even understand Radha Krishna Tatva, what to say about being interested beyond it. These topics of Mādhurya Rasa Tatvas are very confidential and beyond the intelligence of even demi-gods and Munis. And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was urging him to explain such deep topics! “Alright, Prabhu, I will explain deeper topics beyond Radha Krishna Tatva but, I must say, I have never met another person in this world who is interested to know such topics,” said Raya Ramananda. “There is a poem written by me called Prema Vilasa Vivarta. How much of it you will understand and how you will react, I don’t know. But I am going to present it before you, please listen.”
“Pahilehi rāga nayana-bhaṅge bhela,
anudina bāḍhala, avadhi nā gela.
dunhu-mana manobhava peṣala jāni.
E sakhī, se-saba prema-kāhinī,
kānu-ṭhāme kahabi vichurala jāni.
Nā khoṅjaluṅ dūtī, nā khoṅjaluṅ ān,
duṅhukeri milane madhyata pāṅca-bāṇa.
Ab sohi virāga, tuṅhu bheli dūtī,
su-purukha-premaki aichana rīti.”
(Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 8.194)
Meaning: When We met for the first time, there was an initial attachment between us brought about by an exchange of glances. In this way, attachment evolved. That attachment has gradually grown day by day and there is no limit to it. It is not that He is the enjoyer, nor am I the enjoyed. It is not like that. Krishna's mind and My mind have merged together. Now, during this time of separation, it is very difficult to explain these loving affairs. My dear friend, Krishna might have forgotten all these things. However, you can understand and bring this message to Him. During our first meeting, there was no messenger between us, nor did I request anyone to see him. Indeed, Cupid's five arrows were our medium. Now, during this separation, that attraction has increased to another ecstatic state. My dear friend, ask Krishna if this is the consequence of falling in love with a cultured man.
Hearing this, Mahaprabhu covered Raya Ramananda’s mouth with His hand. What He meant was, ‘Stop! Don’t speak anymore! Don’t reveal any more details of the esoteric Sringāra Rasa pastimes in front of the people of Kaliyuga! I have heard what I wanted to hear. Don’t reveal anything more.’ What is the meaning of Raya Ramananda’s poem? Why is it so confidential?
Prema Vilasa Vivarta
Prema: The function of Krishna’s Hladini Shakti is called Prema. The condensed state of Prema is Bhāva and the condensed state of Bhāva is Mahābhāva. It is not possible to attain such a state in this material world by any ordinary Jivatma. Only if Radharani mercifully lets a sadhak experience a ray of that Prema, the sadhak is able to understand it a little. Otherwise, such Prema is beyond mundane intelligence. Usually, people compare Prema with the material attachments seen in this world. They think Radharani and Krishna’s Prema is similar to an ordinary couple’s attachment. But it is not like that at all!
The attachment between a worldly couple is related to the body and the pleasure it gets from the association of desirable objects. In truth, the conscious being (Ātmā) can never find Ānanda in material things. Prema is related to the conscious being. How can material things which are devoid of Ānanda give Ānanda to the conscious being? In worldly relationships, we become attached to each other due to the conscious being residing in the body, and not the body itself. But we mistakenly think that we love the body (or the bodily identity of the person). When a dear person dies, people cry, “Where have you gone leaving me?” If the object of love was the body, the lifeless body should still give Ānanda to the person. Then why does he cry? Because the conscious being that occupied the body was the real object of love. The truth is that the conscious being can never love the unconscious matter. This is the Truth! This is the Truth! This is the Truth! Whether you believe it or not, the Truth remains the same. If you don’t believe in the Truth, you will be stuck in the cycle of birth and death. However, if you believe in the Truth, you will find the path to free yourself from this vicious cycle.
In contrast to the illusory attachment of ordinary lovers, the Prema of Radharani and Krishna is divine, pure and full of Ānanda. Akhila Rasāmrita Sindhu (the personification of the aggregate ocean of nectarine Rasa) Krishna is Rasarāj. And Radharani is the personification of His Hlādini Shakti, the ocean of Ānanda and epitome of Prema, Mahābhāva. Their love is the love between Rasarāj and Mahābhāva! It is uncomparable to worldly relationships, untainted by Maya and beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. To relish such Yugal Kishore Prema, we take shelter at the lotus feet of Gurudev, tolerate all kinds of miseries and engage in severe austerities to worship Them. Only by the mercy of Radharani, a sadhak can gain some insight and experience a drop of Yugal Kishore Prema.
Vilāsa: Vilāsa means the meeting of Rasarāj Krishna and Mahābhāva Radharani in Nikunja Bhavan. The meeting of Rasarāj and Mahābhāva in the Nivrita Nikunja is beyond the comprehension of the mind and intelligence and the grasp of the scriptures and Vedas. Such is Yugal Kishore’s Prema Vilasa.
Vivarta: Vivarta means the fully matured ecstatic state of the meeting of Radharani and Krishna. In such a state, Radharani becomes completely absorbed in Krishna Chintan and surrenders all her senses to Krishna in totality only for the sake of Krishna’s pleasure. I must warn again that one must not compare this meeting of Yugal Kishore with the meeting of ordinary worldly lovers. Otherwise, he or she will commit a grave Aparadha. The meeting of worldly lovers is like hell and darkness, while the meeting of Yugal Kishore is transcendental, enlightening and Sacchidananda.
When Yugal Kishore meet in Nivrita Nikunja, They start becoming immersed in each other’s Prema. Gradually, Radharani becomes so immersed in Krishna Chintan that She forgets She is Radharani. Krishna too becomes so absorbed in Radharani’s Chintan that He forgets He is Krishna. Radharani becomes Krishnamaya (the word “-maya” means full of) while Krishna becomes Radhamaya. In other words, They start merging into each other. At the perfection, the become merged into each other. This matured state of Their meeting is Prema Vilasa Vivarta. The personification of this complete merging of Yugal Kishore is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu thought that His secret would come to light before the whole world. That is why, He covered Raya Ramananda’s mouth with His hand!
But how is such a meeting possible? We can only understand it by the logic of “branch and moon”. Suppose there is a tree and the moon is visible between two of its branches at night. A child asks his mother, “Maa, what is a moon?” The mother replies, “Do you see the bright round object between those two branches? That is the moon.” The moon is not situated between the tree branches. It is huge and far away in space. But the mother introduces the moon to her child in this way only as an indication. Similarly, the description of the ecstatic meeting of Yugal Kishore in the scriptures written by our Goswamis is only an indication. Such descriptions cannot fully describe Their meeting, which is beyond words.
In earthly pastimes, after Krishna went to Mathura, Radharani became engulfed in immense pain of separation. She asks Vrinda Devi to act as a messenger (Duti) and recount Her words to Krishna in Mathura. “Pahilehi rāga nayana-bhaṅge bhela”. Rāga means the evolution of Prema. In the scriptures of Goswamis, the word “Rāga” is described as a state of Prema where, if the devotee yearning to meet Krishna is hopeful of meeting Him, she is not affected by any amount of disasters, miseries or obstacles that come in the way of meeting Krishna. All difficulties are submerged under the ecstatic hope of a possibility of meeting Krishna. And if there is no hope of meeting Krishna, even if all the exquisite pleasurable objects available in the three worlds come to her, she feels like the whole universe is empty and dark, and remains immersed in the pain of separation. This state of Prema, called Rāga, is possible neither in this world nor in the divine abodes like Vaikuntha Dham. Only in eternal Vraja pastimes of Goloka Dham, Sneha, Māna, Pranaya, Rāga, Anurāga, Bhāva and Mahābhāva states of Prema exist.
Radharani says that the day She exchanged glances with Krishna for the first time (in earthly pastimes), She was completely absorbed in Rāga for Her dear Krishna. Then, day after day, that Rāga evolved, meaning Her love for Krishna has only increased. “Avadhi na bhelo”. It kept increasing without any limitation to infinite love. Radharani became submerged in an infinite ocean of Prema for Her beloved Krishna.
When was the first time Radharani exchanged glances with Krishna in earthly pastimes? In earthly pastimes, during the time when Kamsa was sending demons like Putana to kill children in Vraja, Vrishabhānu Baba found a beautiful baby girl on a lotus leaf in Yamuna. [There was another baby girl whom Chandrabhānu, Vrishabhānu Baba’s brother, took home. She was named Chandrāvali.] He took Her home in fear that some demon might kill this beautiful baby and adopted Her. She was named Radha.
But Radharani did not open Her eyes. Everyone thought that She was blind. Vrishabhānu Baba and Kirtidā Maiya were very sad that such a beautiful baby girl, whose beauty defeated the beauties of Devaloka and whoever saw Her became so rapt in Ānanda that all the pleasures in the three worlds seemed insignificant before the sweetness of Her beauty, but She was blind. Anyway, they sent an invitation to Nandagram for Nanda Baba and Yashoda Maiya to come and see their daughter.
Nanda Baba, Yashoda Maiya and Rohini Maiya, along with their little Kanhaiya and Balaram happily visited Barsana on beautifully adorned bullock carts. They brought many gifts, yoghurt, butter, sweets, clothes, ornaments, etc. Where the Lord of Lakshmi resides, can there be any lack of Lakshmi (opulences)? They brought gold ornaments, rare jewels and pearls to celebrate the appearance of Vrishabhānu Baba’s daughter. Vrishabhānu Baba and Kirtida Maiya gladly and respectfully welcomed them inside their home. They sat down together and talked with each other. Vrishabhānu Baba and Kirtida Maiya expressed joy at having such a beautiful daughter but their eyes were filled with tears on mentioning the blindness of their daughter. Then they continued talking and exchanging the news of their family, relatives and so on because they were old friends.
While they were engrossed in talking with each other, little Kanhaiya playfully wandered into the palace of Vrishabhānu Baba and reached the room where baby Radharani was lying in Her cradle. Kanhaiya went to the cradle and peered into it. When He saw Radharani, He placed His lotus hand on Her heart. Radharani immediately recognized the touch of Her lover, Rasarāj Krishna. The one for whom She was waiting, thinking, ‘I will open My eyes to behold Krishna at first. I will not see the world before I see Krishna’, and did not open Her eyes until then, had come! ‘My Prāna Nāth (Lord of My life) has come!’ She thought and immediately opened Her eyes to see Kanhaiya. “Pahilehi rāga nayana-bhaṅge bhela”.
Radharani is non-different from Krishna, an expansion of Krishna’s Swarupa Shakti. Rasarāj and Mahābhāva are inseparable like the sun and sunlight. Krishna and His Prema (the personification of Krishna Prema, Radharani) are not different. Krishna is Vishaya (the object of love) and Radharani is Āshraya (the source of love). The meeting of Vishaya and Āshraya is not like the meeting of ordinary lovers. There is no Swajātiya, Vijātiya or Swagata Bheda in Their meeting. Meaning, Radharani and Krishna are so non-different from each other that even distinctions like that between different kinds of flowers (Swajātiya), a flower and a leaf (Vijātiya), and a flower and its petals (Swagata) do not exist between Them. They are absolutely identical. Upon such a meeting, Radharani and Kanhaiya were engrossed in each other’s love.
Here, Vrishabhānu Baba and Kirtidā Maiya brought Nanda Baba and Yashodā Maiya inside the room to see their daughter. Kirtida Maiya was weeping and wiping her tears, saying, “What to do, sister? My daughter turns out to be blind. I am so unfortunate! She is such a beautiful girl but does not open her eyes. If the Creator had given her eyes, she would have been the most beautiful girl in the world.” However, on reaching the cradle, they were stunned. Kanhaiya was standing, supporting His hands on the cradle, and Radharani was looking at Him with beautiful big lotus eyes!
Those eyes were so beautiful that one could not find such eyes even in the infinite divine abodes like Vaikuntha, what to say about the material world! Who knows which Creator spent innumerable millenniums to create such beautiful eyes! One can remain immersed in beholding only those eyes! The eyes of the personification of Ānanda and Mahābhāva, and the origin of all Lakshmis in infinite Vaikuntha Dhams were indescribably beautiful. Everyone was astonished and extremely glad to see Radharani open Her eyes! They celebrated in ecstasy and Vrishabhānu Baba gave many presents heaped on bullock carts for Kanhaiya who was the cause for their daughter to open Her eyes.
In this way, Radharani first exchanged glances with Krishna. After that day, Their love only increased day by day to infinity. There is no limitation to Their love. In worldly relationships, the bond between two people reaches its highest and then, it withers. Sometimes, lovers also become enemies after quarrelling with each other. But in the case of Yugal Kishore, Their Prema continues to increase infinitely, although Radharani is already the epitome of Prema, the personification of Mahābhāva. Such is the infinite quality of divine Prema.
“Dunhu-mana manobhava peṣala jāni”, meaning, Their hearts and minds became one in such a way that - “Nā so ramaṇa, nā hāma ramaṇī” - there was no distinction between Them like man-woman, enjoyer-enjoyed, etc. (as explained before). Radharani became Krishnamaya and Krishna became Radhamaya. After such an exulted ecstatic meeting of minds and deepening of love, when Krishna went to Mathura leaving Vrajawasis, the pain of separation became equally deep as the pleasure of Their meetings. In anguish, Radharani asks Vrinda Devi to go to Mathura as a messenger and recount Their love story to Krishna who seems to have - “vichurala jāni” - forgotten Their love.
Radharani says that when They first met, She did not look for a messenger or any medium to express Her love to Krishna. The sole medium of Their love exchange was the action of Cupid, Their natural and eternal Prema for each other. But now, as They are separated, She has to send Vrinda Devi as a messenger to Krishna. In anguish, She asks Vrinda Devi to recount all this to Krishna and ask Him if this is the behaviour apt for a cultured man. “Su-purukha-premaki aichana rīti”.
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