On the Bank of the Yamuna

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Radhastami, noon class, Siliguri
Translated from Bengali
6 September 2019

[His Divine Grace is singing 'Radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela' kirtan" and makes the following comment:]

কেবল মাধব পূজয়ে সো অজ্ঞানী ।
রাধা অনাদর করই অভিমানী ॥

kevala madhava pujaye so ajnani
radha anadara kara-i abhimani

"One who worships Krishna alone is ignorant. Who does not adore Sri Radha is an egotist."

One must be ignorant to worship only Madhav. Some only worship Gopal—they only chant, "Gopal, Gopal," but do not worship Srimati Radharani. If anyone does not have affection for Radharani, they become overwhelmed by ego. When one says, "My Gopal, I love You so much!" and disregards Radharani, then it only gets their ego to swell.

কবহি নাহি করবি তাঁকর সঙ্গ ।
চিত্তে-ইচ্ছসি যদি ব্রজরস রঙ্গ ॥

kabahi nahi karabi tankara sanga
chitte ichchhasi yadi braja-rasa-ranga

"Never keep company with those who envy Radha if within your heart you at all wish for the loving pastimes of Vraja."

If you worship only Krishna, Gopal, it will only bolster your ego, "Oh, I am worshipping Krishna! Who is Radharani? I am better than Radharani!" Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur is writing this. Very nice. Many worship Krishna and do not respect Radharani, i.e. they worship Krishna and do not respect the Guru. One gets the Lord through the Guru! Never take association of such people who do not have any regard for the Guru. We must always aspire for the devotional mood of the Vraja-basis.

[His Divine Grace then sings 'Varaja-vipine Yamuna kule' kirtan and makes the following comment:]

শতকোটি গোপী মাধব মন ।
রাখিতে নারিল করি যতন ॥

sata-koti gopi madhava mana
rakhite narila kari' yatana

"No matter how much they try, millions of gopis cannot hold the mind of Madhava."

A hundred million of gopis could not keep Krishna's mind—Krishna was performing rasa-lila with them, but His mind was elsewhere because Srimati Radhika was not there. When Radhika ran away, Krishna ran behind Her.

I have told you before—there is Vraja Krishna, Mathuresh Krishna, and Dvarakesh Krishna. Krishna performed His pastimes in these three places, but the pastimes He revealed in Vraja are not found anywhere else—not in Dvaraka, not in Mathura. Here, Krishna says, "Radha, appear before Me, save My life!" And when Radha came, He gets back His life.

This song is not in the English song-books because it is a very heavy song and it is necessary to have some adhikar, right, to sing it. What is written in this kirtan is a very high conception, that is why for it was not included in the English song-books. Only those who have the appropriate right (madhura-lila-adhikari) can sing this kirtan. In Kali-yuga, Gauranga Mahaprabhu manifests audarya-lila (pastimes of magnanimity), and Radha-Krishna's lila (Vraja-lila) is madhurya-lila (pastimes of relishing). That is why some kirtans are not sung everywhere, it is necessary to have adhikar, right, to hear or sing them. We do not sing these kirtans at any other time, but today is Srimati Radharani's appearance day, then we sing it.

বলে, 'তুঁহু বিনা, কাহার রাস ?
তুঁহু লাগি' মোর, বরজ বাস' ॥

bale, 'tunhu vina kahara rasa?
tunhu lagi' mora varaja-vasa'

"Krishna says, 'What rasa is there without You? I live in Vraja only because of You!'"

Krishna says to Radharani, "Without You, I feel no taste. I only live in Vraja because of You!" And in the end, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur says, "O Radharani, You have Your devotees, Your friends, please keep me with them. Make me a maidservant of Your friends and servants."

These are very high things...

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• These excerpts are taken from Sri Radhastami kirtans' recording:

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