Radhashtami Special Part 1 – Who Truly is Shri Radha?

You must all be wondering why, on the day of Radhashtami, Maharaj Ji is making you sing the kirtan 'Bhajo Giridhar Govind Gopala' instead of Radharani's sankirtan.

Radharani loves 'Bhajo Giridhar Govind Gopala' more than She loves Her own soul. When Radharani descended on earth, She would keep Her eyes closed and constantly meditate on Shri Krishna. Vrishabhanu and Kirti Maiya were very worried, wondering what kind of daughter this was who would not even open Her eyes. Then the acharyas said that if you chant Shri Krishna's name, She will open Her eyes. Such is Her love for Shri Krishna’s name.

Once, Radha said to Her sakhi, Lalita:
ekasya śrutameva lumpati matiṁ kṛṣṇeti nāmākṣaraṁ
sāndronmādaparamparāmupanayantyanyasya vaṁśīkalaḥ।
eṣa snigdhaghanadyutirmanasi me lagnaḥ paro vīkṣaṇāt
kaṣṭaṁ dhik puruṣatrayeratirabhūnyanye mṛtiṁ śreyasīm॥

A sakhi had drawn a picture of Shyamsundar and showed it to Kishori Ji. Seeing it, Kishori Ji thought, "What a beautiful boy this is!" She became completely enchanted and kept gazing at it.
After some time, Kishori Ji said to Her sakhi, "O sakhi, shall I tell you something?

Don't tell anyone, or there will be a scandal.
One day, a sakhi spoke the name of Krishna. When I heard it, it sounded so sweet to me. I thought, 'If this name is so sweet, how sweet must He be! I wish I could see Him someday!' My mind became attached to Him, and I began thinking that someday, when I see Him, I will make Him my beloved.
The next day, I heard a flute playing - I do not know from where or who was playing it. That flute was so melodious that my mind was drawn to it, thinking, 'If He plays such a sweet flute, what must He be like! I should make Him my beloved.'
Today, this picture you have shown me appears so beautiful that my heart desires to make Him my beloved.
O sakhi! I have become attached to three different boys - I should die!"
Kishori Ji is so innocent and simple-hearted.

The sakhi said, "Radhey Ju, vworry. All three are the same person."

Since Kishori Ji surrenders Herself through Krishna's name alone, I have made you sing the 'Giridhar Govind Gopala' kirtan today so that Kishori Ji will be pleased, and then whatever few words I speak will be spoken correctly.

You must be curious to know who Radha is, because you are completely mad that you want to hear about Radha tattva.
The Sanakadik once asked Brahma who Radha is.
Brahma replied:
eṣā vai sarveśvarī - She is the supreme power who rules over everyone.
mahimāsyāḥ svāyurmānenāpi kālena vaktuṁ na cotsahe।
Even if I spend my entire lifetime explaining who She is, I still cannot fully describe Her. Such is Her glory.

Brahma's lifespan is 310 trillion, 40 billion years. Even if Brahma were to continuously describe Radharani for all these years without eating, drinking, or sleeping, he still could not describe Her completely.

That is the Radha tattva. For someone to speak about it and someone to listen to it - both are mad.
But some glimpse is necessary because if there is no knowledge at all, how can the mind develop love?

Who is Shri Krishna?
yasmātparaṁ nāparamasti kiñcidyasmānnañīyo na jyāyo'sti kaścit।
There is nothing beyond Him.

mattaḥ parataraṁ kiñcit nānyadadaṁsti iti dhanaṁjaya।
This means there is only One. There is nothing beyond Me. He is parātparaḥ – the Supreme of the supreme.

So when there is nothing beyond Shri Krishna, when everything is under Him, then from where did Radha appear?

eko rudro na dvitīyāya tasthurya imāṁllokānīśata īśanībhiḥ।
The one who rules over all - ekamevādvitīyaṁ brahma, ekaṁ sat viprā bahudhā vadanti, etc.
īśāvāsyamidaṁ sarvaṁ - There is nothing beyond Bhagavan Shri Krishna. Mahavishnu is His partial expansion - the first Purusha. Then the second Purusha is Mahavishnu's partial expansion. Then the third Purusha, who sits in your heart and is all-pervading, is His partial expansion. All His incarnations are partial expansions of Shri Krishna - they are called svāṁśa.

So the question is - who is Radha?
Even in our world, She is given great importance - everyone says "Jai Radheyshyam" - no one says "Jai Shyam-Radhey." Everyone first says Radhey, then Shyam.
There must be some reason for this.

So between Radha and Krishna - who is greater, who is lesser? - this needs to be understood.

First, understand the meaning of the word Radha.

From the Gurośca halaḥ sutra, the root 'rādh' takes the suffix 'a' in the karma kārak, the object case, and the suffix 'a' in the karaṇa kārak, the instrumental case. Thus, the word Radha has two meanings:

1. When the word Radha is formed by adding the suffix 'a' to the root 'rādh' in the object case, its meaning is that Radha is ārādhya (the worshipable one). Worshipable by whom? By everyone, even by Shri Krishna. This means the one whom everyone worships.

The Vedas pose the question:
kasmāt rādhikāṁ upāsate?
Why is Radha worshipped?
The answer is given in the Radhikopanishad - the Upanishads are the concluding portion of the Vedas; they are the most important part:
yasyā reṇuṁ pādayorviśvabhartā dharate mūrdhni। yasyā aṁke viluṇṭhan kṛṣṇadevo golokākhyaṁ naiva sasmāra dhāmapadaṁ sāṁśā kamalā śailaputrī tāṁ rādhikāṁ śaktidhātrīṁ namāmaḥ॥

This means the dust of whose feet Shri Krishna places on His head, and lying in whose lap He experiences such bliss that He forgets His own Golok, what to speak of His consort Mahalakshmi. That is, She is the worshipable deity of Shri Krishna – She is Radha.

kṛṣṇo ha vai hariḥ paramo devaḥ। ṣaḍvidhaiśvaryaparipūrṇo bhagavān gopīgopasevyo vṛndārādhito vṛndāvanādhinātheḥ।
sa eka eveśvara tasya ha vai dvetanuŕnārāyaṇo'khila brahmāṇḍādhipatirekośāḥ prakṛteprācīno nityaḥ tasya śaktayastvanekadhā।
hlādinīsañdhinī jñānecchā kriyādyāḥ। tāsvāhlādinī varīyasī paramāntaraṅgabhūtā kṛṣṇena ārādhyate iti rādhā।

The entity that Shri Krishna worships is called Radha.
Shri Krishna has many powers:

1. His most important and greatest power is Hlādini - this is Radha.
2. The second power is Sandhini - these are Shri Krishna's parents, His divine abode, etc.
3. Jnāna Shakti - these are all the souls.
4. Icchā Shakti - this is Maya.
5. Kriyā Shakti - these are His divine pastimes.

Besides these, Shri Krishna has infinite powers - śrīkṛṣṇera ananta śakti - no one can count them.
The power that rules over all these powers is Hlādini Shakti.
The essence of Hlādini Shakti is Prema Shakti (the power of Divine Love).
In Prema Shakti too, there are progressively higher levels - sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, bhāva, and then Mahābhāv bhakti. Mahābhāv bhakti is the ultimate power. These are the levels of Hlādini Shakti leading up to Mahābhāv.

Mahābhāv is also of two types - Rūḍha Mahābhāv and Adhirūḍha Mahābhāv. Of these two, Adhirūḍha Mahābhāv is superior.
Adhirūḍha Mahābhāv is also of two types - Mādan and Modan. Both of these are forms of union. And in separation, Modan also becomes Mohan Mahābhāv.

Mohan is also of two types. Citrajalpa. Citrajalpa is also of ten types - Saṁjalpa, Pratijalpa, Abhijalpa, Ujjalpa, Prajalpa, Parijalpa, etc. - this is called Divyonmāda (divine ecstasy). Mohan extends up to this level. Both Shri Krishna and Radharani experience this bliss.

But beyond this, there is one more level, which is called Mādan - this is exclusively Radharani's level. Even Shri Krishna cannot reach there.

That is, Radharani's position is Mādan and Shri Krishna's position is Mohan.
Meaning, Radharani is the worshipable deity of Shri Krishna - rādhaivarādhyate mayā - Shri Krishna Himself has said, "I worship Radha."

1. Now understand the form when the suffix 'a' is applied in karaṇa, the instrumental case:

Radha is a devotee of Shri Krishna. She is ārādhikā - meaning, the one who worships.

When Shri Krishna disappeared with Radharani during the Mahārāsa, all the Gopis became distressed and spoke to each other:
anayārādhito nūnaṁ bhagavānharirīśvaraḥ।
yannoвihāya govindaḥ prīto yāmanayad rahaḥ॥
This Gopi has performed the highest worship. Three words have been used for Shri Krishna - Hari, Bhagavan, Ishvara. Among all those who worship Shri Krishna, she is the supreme worshipper, whom Shri Krishna took away alone.
no vihāya - leaving all of us.
He did not take her away without reason - her worship must be the highest, that is why He took her.
This is Shri Krishna's ārādhikā (worshipper).

So is She ārādhya (the worshipable) or ārādhikā (the worshipper)?
Is Shri Krishna Radha's ārādhya or is Radha Shri Krishna's ārādhya? The scriptures and Vedas say both things.
Shri Maharaj Ji resolves this:
ātmānaṁ dvidhā karot ardhena strī ardhena puruṣaḥ (Veda)
God divided Himself into two. With one half He remained Himself, and with the other half He became Radha. That is, they are not two personalities at all. The question of who is greater or lesser only arises when there are two personalities.
rādhākṛṣṇayorekāsanaṁ ekā buddhiḥ ekaṁ manaḥ ekaṁ jñānaṁ eka ātmā।
ekaṁ padaṁ ekā ākṛtiḥ ato dvayorna bhedaḥ kālamāyāguṇātītvāt॥
That is, they are one soul - and they became two.

Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:

Radha Govind Geet - Shri Radha Naam Mahima - English