Sri Radhastami:
Worship with Extreme Care

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vrindavan, 5 September 2011

Today is a very auspicious day in our spiritual life, a very important day. Today is Radhastami: Srimati Radharani's appearance day. Srila Gurudev and Srila Guru Maharaj always worship this day in the best proper way.

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ ভজন তব অকারণে গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

"If you do not worship Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna is useless."

'Radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur

How can we worship Srimati Radharani? We do not know the process how to worship Her. We sing, "শ্রীগুরুচরণপদ্ম কেবল ভকতিসদ্ম বন্দোঁ মুঞি সাবধান মতে, sri-guru-charana-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma, bando muni savadhana mate: we must worship the lotus feet of Sri Gurudev very carefully." If we are not careful, an offence can come, so we must be very careful when we worship Radharani's lotus feet—it is very difficult.

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj is afraid to read the chapter in Chaitanya-charitamrita about Radha-Krishna's Pastimes: antaranga-lila, prema-lila, Ramananda Ray's prema-katha. He said we must have qualification to read that chapter, and it is very difficult. We can do what Gurudev told us to do, and Gurudev told us that we can worship Lalita Devi, who controls Srimati Radhika, and also we can worship Nityananda Prabhu.

Gurudev is asraya vigraha, and Lalita Devi is Radharani's asraya vigraha. If we do not worship asraya vigraha, we cannot worship visaya vigraha.

When somebody would say, "Jaya Radhe!" Gurudev would always become angry. When Radharani's Name always comes to somebody's mouth, it is not serious because it is not so easy to take Her Name. If we always say, "Jaya Radhe!" we become sahajiya. We must be very careful.

রাধার দাসীর কৃষ্ণ সর্ব্ব বেদে বলে

radhara dasira krsna sarva-vede bole

Who does Krishna belong to? "Krishna is 'Radhara dasira': He is the property of the servants of Radharani. All Vedas state this."

রাধাপদাঙ্কিত ধাম বৃন্দাবন যার নাম
যতনে যে নাহি আরাধিল

radha-padankita dhama, vrndavana yara nama,
yatane ye nahi aradhila

"Those who have not worshipped the abode named Vrindavan, that is decorated by the lotus-like Radha..."

'Radhika charana padma' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur

But how to worship Radharani—how? Yatane ye nahi aradhila, Radha-padankita. Gurudev said, "You must walk in Radharani's place on your head, not on your legs." It is that kind of place, but how can we see it?

অন্ধীভূত চক্ষু যার বিষয ধূলিতে

andhibhuta chaksu yara visaya dhulite

"Our eyes are blind." If I take poison, how can I taste anything after that? জানিয়া শুনিয়া বিষ খাইনু, janiya suniya visa khainu ["I knew that it was poison, I had heard that it was poison, but still I drank it"]. If I take poison, and I know it is poison, I will have to die. We are in Vrindavan Dham, but we do not sing, do not practise, do not do kirtan; we are staying here but living like in an ordinary house—sleeping, eating, doing all these same things...

রাধাপদাঙ্কিত ধাম বৃন্দাবন যার নাম
যতনে যে নাহি আরাধিল

radha-padmankita dhama, vrndavana jar nama,
jatane je nahi aradhilo

But this is Goloka Vrindavan. How shall I worship this place? Srila Gurudev made this our temple here to sing kirtan, to practise, and we must do that, and worship it through that. If you follow your mind, how will you serve?

Gurudev always tells us, "Do not follow your mind. You must follow what I am saying." Something may be going on in your mind—dismiss it. If your mind and heart are full of other things, how will you follow Gurudev? You must become a proper, good receiver. Everything is in your heart, but you must make the fuse.

We take initiation from Gurudev, but what is the meaning of sisya, being a disciple? দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ, diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana: "at the time of their initiation, the devotee offers himself to the Guru." We are not in charge anymore.

Gurudev said to me, "If you serve the Vaishnavs, Radharani's servants, Lalita Devi's servants, Krishna will come to serve you." Even Radharani Herself came to cook sweet rice for Sanatan Goswami.

Sanatan Goswami wanted some sweet rice, and Rupa Goswami thought, "How shall I get sugar, rice, milk, and the other ingredients?" Suddenly, a girl came, and offered him the ingredients, "Please take this."

"Who are You?"

"I am from this village."

"But I do not know how to cook sweet rice..."

"My mother knows how to make it, and she has taught Me something. I can try to make it."

She actually cooked it—brought the pot, made the fire—did everything!

When Sanatan Goswami tasted it, he was astonished, "What a nectar! How much nectar this is!" He searched for that girl, "I want to see that girl, that girl's father," but he could not find Her. Sanatan Goswami began crying, "Rupa Goswami, you do not know... We are here to serve Her, but She Herself came to serve us!"

Then you must understand what this place is...

Gurudev got this place, here is Radha Rasa Bihari, here is Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami's place, here is Radha Damodar also.

Once, a godbrother of Srila Gurudev, a disciple of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj came to Gurudev and offered to make a puspa-samadhi of Srila Guru Maharaj in Rupa Goswami's place. Gurudev answered, "We do not want that. Here everything is mixed—all sahajiya people and anybody can give some money, and their father or mother can also be buried here. I do not want to give my Guru's puspa-samadhi there." Fortunately, he got this place, on the same land with Srila Rupa Goswami's place.

Also Srila Swami Maharaj spent here 10 years, and after translating Bhagavatam he went to the foreign land. At his old age he went to a foreign country! What sort of impression did he get? Also, before going abroad, he first went to Nabadwip: he took shelter of Srila Sridhar Maharaj and asked him for permission to go there...

That is that place. You must worship this place. If anybody sits in this place, plays kartals and chants, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna," they will go to Goloka Vrindavan—such kind of place this is!

But we are not chanting, we are not practising properly—we are thinking about our own self, we are thinking about eye exercise, ear exercise, mind exercise. We are doing all kinds of exercise, and andhibhuta chaksu yara visaya dhulite (অন্ধীভূত চক্ষু যার বিষয ধূলিতে): our eyes become blind with so much illusory dust. How then shall we see this kind of environment?

Once a sannyasi came to me and said, "Oh, Maharaj, Vrindavan is nothing. Monkeys are always disturbing and passing stool there..." I told him, "Your eyes are like that, that's why your eyes saw monkeys disturbing and passing stool, but some can see the nitya-dham, Radharani's Pastimes here..."

Radharani's birthplace is nearby, in Ramakeli, and the house of Her parents—King Vrisabhanu and Kirtida Mayi—is in Varsana. When King Vrisabhanu and Kirtida Mayi lived in Ramakeli, King Vrisabhanu went every day to the Yamuna to bathe. One day when he went to the bank of the Yamuna, he saw a big lotus with a baby inside it. Raja Vrisabhanu brought that baby home, and the feeling came to Kirtida Mayi that the baby had been born like this.

So many demigods came then disguised to their house, so many people came to see Her, but no one could recognise who She was.

Kirtida Mayi and Raja Vrisabhanu also invited Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda. At that time everyone was wondering how the girl had appeared and why, although so beautiful, She did not open Her eyes. While everyone was talking like this in a crowd, Krishna crawled away to Radharani's room, and when He saw Her face, She opened Her eyes. First She saw Her Lord. She had asked Him before, "Promise Me that when I am born I will not see anyone's face until I have seen Your face."

There is so much lila in Vrindavan Dham, Govardhan, Uddhav Kunda, Radha Kunda...

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