CC Madhya 17.194, 18 – Lord Chaitanya in the Forest of Vrindavan

Giriraj Swami: Reading from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā, Chapter Seventeen, “The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana.”

TEXT 194

pathe gābhī-ghaṭā care prabhure dekhiyā
prabhuke beḍaya āsi’ huṅkāra kariyā

TRANSLATION

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through Vṛndāvana, herds of grazing cows saw Him pass and, immediately surrounding Him, began to moo very loudly.

TEXT 195

Seeing the herds approach Him, the Lord was stunned with ecstatic love. The cows then began to lick His body out of great affection.

TEXT 196

Becoming pacified, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to caress the cows, and the cows, being unable to give up His company, went with Him.

TEXT 197

It was only with great difficulty that the cowherd men were able to keep the cows back. Then when the Lord chanted, all the deer heard His sweet voice and approached Him.

TEXT 198

When the does and bucks came and saw the Lord’s face, they began to lick His body. Not being at all afraid of Him, they accompanied Him along the path.

TEXT 199

Bumblebees and birds like the parrot and cuckoo all began to sing loudly on the fifth note, and the peacocks began to dance in front of the Lord.

TEXT 200

Upon seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the trees and creepers of Vṛndāvana became jubilant. Their twigs stood up, and they began to shed tears of ecstasy in the form of honey.

TEXT 201

The tree branches and creepers, overloaded with fruits and flowers, fell down at the lotus feet of the Lord and greeted Him with various presentations as if they were friends.

TEXT 202

Thus all the moving and nonmoving living entities of Vṛndāvana became very jubilant to see the Lord. It was as if friends were made happy by seeing another friend.

TEXT 203

Seeing their affection, the Lord was moved by ecstatic love. He began to sport with them exactly as a friend sports with his friends. Thus He voluntarily came under the control of His friends.

TEXT 204

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to embrace each and every tree and creeper, and they began to offer their fruits and flowers as if in meditation.

TEXT 205

The Lord’s body was restless, and tears, trembling and jubilation were manifest. He said very loudly, “Chant ‘Kṛṣṇa!’ Chant ‘Kṛṣṇa!’ ”

TEXT 206

All moving and nonmoving creatures then began to vibrate the transcendental sound of Hare Kṛṣṇa, as if they were echoing the deep sound of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 207

The Lord then clasped the necks of the deer and began to cry. There was jubilation manifest in the bodies of the deer, and tears were in their eyes.

TEXT 208

When a male and female parrot appeared on the branches of a tree, the Lord saw them and wanted to hear them speak.

TEXT 209

Both parrots flew onto the hand of the Lord and began to chant the transcendental qualities of Kṛṣṇa, and the Lord listened to them.

TEXT 210

The male parrot sang, “The glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beneficial to everyone in the universe. His beauty is victorious over the gopīs of Vṛndāvana, and it subdues their patience. His pastimes astound the goddess of fortune, and His bodily strength turns Govardhana Hill into a small toy like a ball. His spotless qualities are unlimited, and His behavior satisfies everyone. Lord Kṛṣṇa is attractive to everyone. Oh, may our Lord maintain the whole universe!”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This verse is found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (13.29).

COMMENT

So the male and female parrots in Vrindavan are followers of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani, respectively. The male parrots, called śukaḥ, glorify Krishna and try to establish His superiority over Radharani and the gopis, and the female parrots, called sauris or śārikās, glorify Radharani and try to establish Her superiority over Krishna.

TEXT 211

śuka-mukhe śuni’ tabe kṛṣṇera varṇana
śārikā paḍaye tabe rādhikā-varṇana

TRANSLATION

After hearing this description of Lord Kṛṣṇa from the male parrot, the female parrot began to recite a description of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

TEXT 212

śrī-rādhikāyāḥ priyatā su-rūpatā
su-śīlatā nartana-gāna-cāturī
guṇāli-sampat kavitā ca rājate
jagan-mano-mohana-citta-mohinī

TRANSLATION

The female parrot said, “Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s affection, Her exquisite beauty and good behavior, Her artistic dancing and chanting and Her poetic compositions are all so attractive that they attract the mind of Kṛṣṇa, who attracts the mind of everyone in the universe.”

PURPORT

This verse is also found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (13.30).

COMMENT

So, Krishna is all-attractive; the very name Krishna means “all-attractive” and Krishna attracts the mind of everyone in the universe. But Srimati Radharani’s power of attraction is so strong that she can attract Krishna, who attracts everyone. Yesterday we discussed that Madana-mohana; that Madana is Cupid, or the demigod of lust, and everyone in the material universe is under the spell of the influence of Cupid, or lust. Everyone is enchanted by sex attraction, but Krishna is so attractive that He attracts even Cupid. He enchants even Cupid, although Cupid enchants everyone in the universe. But Srimati Radharani, She attracts even Krishna, and therefore, although Krishna is known as Madana-mohana, the enchanter of Cupid, Srimati Radharani is known as Madana-mohana-mohini, the enchanter of the enchanter of Cupid, or in other words, the enchanter Krishna. So here, the śārikā, or the female parrot, glorifies Srimati Radharani in the same way that, although Krishna attracts the mind of everyone in the universe, Srimati Radharani attracts the mind of Krishna.

TEXT 213

punaḥ śuka kahe, — kṛṣṇa ‘madana-mohana’
tabe āra śloka śuka karila paṭhana

TRANSLATION

Thereafter the male parrot said, “Kṛṣṇa is the enchanter of the mind of Cupid.” He then began to recite another verse.

TEXT 214

vaṁśī-dhārī jagan-nārī-
citta-hārī sa śārike
vihārī gopa-nārībhir
jīyān madana-mohanaḥ

TRANSLATION

The male parrot then said, “My dear śārī [female parrot], Śrī Kṛṣṇa carries a flute and enchants the hearts of all women throughout the universe. He is specifically the enjoyer of the beautiful gopīs, and He is the enchanter of Cupid also. Let Him be glorified!”

PURPORT

This verse is also found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (13.31).

TEXT 215

punaḥ śārī kahe śuke kari’ parihāsa
tāhā śuni’ prabhura haila vismaya-premollāsa

TRANSLATION

Then the female parrot began to speak jokingly to the male parrot, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was struck with wonderful ecstatic love to hear her speak.

TEXT 216

rādhā-saṅge yadā bhāti
tadā ‘madana-mohanaḥ’
anyathā viśva-moho ‘pi
svayaṁ ‘madana-mohitaḥ’

TRANSLATION

The female parrot said, “When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is with Rādhārāṇī, He is the enchanter of Cupid; otherwise, when He is alone, He Himself is enchanted by erotic feelings even though He enchants the whole universe.”

PURPORT

This is another verse from the Govinda-līlāmṛta (13.32).

COMMENT

So, after the male parrot said that Krishna is attractive even to Cupid, the female parrot replied that yes, Krishna is attractive as long as He is with Srimati Radharani, but when He is not with Srimati Radharani, He Himself is attracted by Her.

TEXT 217

śuka-śārī uḍi’ punaḥ gela vṛkṣa-ḍāle
mayūrera nṛtya prabhu dekhe kutūhale

TRANSLATION

Both parrots then flew onto a tree branch, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to watch the dancing of the peacocks with curiosity.

TEXT 218

mayūrera kaṇṭha dekhi’ prabhura kṛṣṇa-smṛti haila
premāveśe mahāprabhu bhūmite paḍila

TRANSLATION

When the Lord saw the bluish necks of the peacocks, His remembrance of Kṛṣṇa immediately awakened, and He fell to the ground in ecstatic love.

TEXT 219

prabhure mūrcchita dekhi’ sei ta brāhmaṇa
bhaṭṭācārya-saṅge kare prabhura santarpaṇa

TRANSLATION

When the brāhmaṇa saw that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was unconscious, he and Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya took care of Him.

TEXT 220

They hastily sprinkled water over the Lord’s body. Then they took up His outer cloth and began to fan Him with it.

TEXT 221

They then began to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa into the Lord’s ear. When the Lord regained consciousness, He began rolling on the ground.

TEXT 222

When the Lord rolled on the ground, sharp thorns injured His body. Taking Him on his lap, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya pacified Him.

TEXT 223

The mind of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wandered in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. He immediately stood up and said, “Chant! Chant!” Then He Himself began to dance.

TEXT 224

Being thus ordered by the Lord, both Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya and the brāhmaṇa began to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Then the Lord, dancing and dancing, proceeded along the path.

TEXT 225

The brāhmaṇa was astounded to see the symptoms of ecstatic love exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He then became anxious to give the Lord protection.

TEXT 226

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mind was absorbed in ecstatic love at Jagannātha Purī, but when He passed along the road on the way to Vṛndāvana, that love increased a hundred times.

TEXT 227

The Lord’s ecstatic love increased a thousand times when He visited Mathurā, but it increased a hundred thousand times when He wandered in the forests of Vṛndāvana.

TEXT 228–229

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was elsewhere, the very name of Vṛndāvana was sufficient to increase His ecstatic love. Now, when He was actually traveling in the Vṛndāvana forest, His mind was absorbed in great ecstatic love day and night. He ate and bathed simply out of habit.

COMMENT

So, just hearing the transcendental name of Vrindavan would increase the Lord’s ecstatic love, and now He was actually wandering in the forest of Vrindavan. Therefore, His ecstatic love heightened to the greatest extent. He was so absorbed in ecstatic love that He simply ate and bathed out of habit. He was not thinking of His body, or His eating, sleeping, or bathing, but He was simply thinking of Krishna.

TEXT 230

ei-mata prema — yāvat bhramila ‘bāra’ vana
ekatra likhiluṅ, sarvatra nā yāya varṇana

TRANSLATION

Thus I have written a description of the ecstatic love Lord Caitanya manifested in one of the places He visited while walking through the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana. To describe what He experienced everywhere would be impossible.

TEXT 231

vṛndāvane haila prabhura yateka premera vikāra
koṭi-granthe ‘ananta’ likhena tāhāra vistāra

TRANSLATION

Lord Ananta writes millions of books elaborately describing the transformations of ecstatic love experienced by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Vṛndāvana.

COMMENT

So, Ananta means without end, without limit. The glory of Krishna is unlimited, and the glorification of Krishna by Ananta is also unlimited. But although Ananta’s glorification of Krishna is unlimited, he can never reach the limit of Krishna’s glories, and therefore he goes on glorifying the qualities of Krishna that he never is able to complete. The description of Lord Krishna’s glories is sometimes interrupted by persons asking the paradoxical question, “Can God create a weight that is so heavy He cannot lift it?” They try to suggest that if He can create a weight that is so heavy that He cannot lift it, then He is not unlimited. And if He cannot create a weight that is so heavy that He cannot lift it, again He is not unlimited. So they try to juggle words. But yes, He can create a weight that is so heavy He cannot lift it, and then He can increase His strength and lift it. So, in the same way, people ask the question, “Does Krishna know the extent of His glories?” So, the answer is that yes, Krishna can know the extent of His glory, but then His glories increase, and then His awareness of His glories increase. But then again, His glories increase further. So Ananta is actually an incarnation of Krishna, but although he has unlimited mouths to glorify Krishna and unlimited time to glorify Him, he cannot reach the limit of Lord Krishna’s glories.

TEXT 232

tabu likhibāre nāre tāra eka kaṇa
uddeśa karite kari dig-daraśana

TRANSLATION

Since Lord Ananta Himself cannot describe even a fragment of these pastimes, I am simply pointing out the direction.

COMMENT

Just like one point in the direction of the moon. He cannot touch the moon; he can just point in the direction.

TEXT 233

jagat bhāsila caitanya-līlāra pāthāre
yāṅra yata śakti tata pāthāre sāṅtāre

TRANSLATION

The whole world became merged in the inundation of the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. One can swim in that water to the extent that he has the strength.

TEXT 234

śrī-rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa
caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇadāsa

TRANSLATION

Praying at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha, always desiring their mercy, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa, narrate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, following in their footsteps.

PURPORT

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Seventeenth Chapter, describing the Lord’s traveling to Vṛndāvana.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana”

The following summary of the Eighteenth Chapter is given by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. In the village of Āriṭ-grāma, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu discovered the transcendental lakes known as Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa. He then saw the Deity Harideva at Govardhana Village. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had no desire to climb Govardhana Hill because the hill is worshiped as Kṛṣṇa. The Gopāla Deity could understand the mind of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore on the plea of being attacked by Muslims, Gopāla transferred Himself to the village of Gāṅṭhuli-grāma. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then went to Gāṅṭhuli-grāma to see Lord Gopāla. Some years later, Lord Gopāla also went to Mathurā, to the house of Viṭhṭhaleśvara, and stayed there for one month just to give an audience to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

After visiting Nandīśvara, Pāvana-sarovara, Śeṣaśāyī, Khelā-tīrtha, Bhāṇḍīravana, Bhadravana, Lohavana, and Mahāvana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Gokula and then finally returned to Mathurā. Seeing a great crowd in Mathurā, He moved His residence near Akrūra-ghāṭa, and from there He went every day to Vṛndāvana to see Kālīya-hrada, Dvādaśāditya-ghāṭa, Keśī-ghāṭa, Rāsa-sthalī, Cīra-ghāṭa, and Āmli-talā. At Kālīya Lake, many people mistook a fisherman for Kṛṣṇa. When some respectable people came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they expressed their opinion that when one takes sannyāsa, he becomes Nārāyaṇa. Their mistake was corrected by the Lord. In this way, their Kṛṣṇa consciousness was awakened, and they could understand that a sannyāsī is simply a living entity and not the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took His bath at Akrūra-ghāṭa, He submerged Himself in the water for a long time. Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya decided to take Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Prayāga after visiting the holy place known as Soro-kṣetra. While stopping near a village on the way to Prayāga, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fainted in ecstatic love. Some Pāṭhāna soldiers who were passing through saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and falsely concluded that the Lord’s associates, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya and others, had killed the Lord with a poison named dhuturā and were taking His wealth. Thus the soldiers arrested them. However, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu regained His senses, His associates were released. He talked with a person who was supposed to be a holy man in the party. From the Koran, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu established devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Thus the leader of the soldiers, named Vijulī Khān, surrendered to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he and his party became devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The same village today is known as the village of Pāṭhāna Vaiṣṇavas. After bathing in the Ganges at Soro, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived at Prayāga, at the confluence of three rivers — the Ganges, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī.

TEXT 1

vṛndāvane sthira-carān
nandayan svāvalokanaiḥ
ātmānaṁ ca tad-ālokād
gaurāṅgaḥ parito ‘bhramat

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu traveled all over Vṛndāvana and pleased all living entities, moving and nonmoving, with His glances. The Lord took much personal pleasure in seeing everyone. In this way Lord Gaurāṅga traveled in Vṛndāvana.

TEXT 2

jaya jaya gauracandra jaya nityānanda
jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Gauracandra! All glories to Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura!

TEXT 3

ei-mata mahāprabhu nācite nācite
‘āriṭ’-grāme āsi’ ‘bāhya’ haila ācambite

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced in ecstasy, but when He arrived at Āriṭ-grāma, His sense perception was awakened.

PURPORT

Āriṭ-grāma is also called Ariṣṭa-grāma. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu understood that in that village Ariṣṭāsura had been killed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. While there, He inquired about Rādhā-kuṇḍa, but no one could tell Him where it was. The brāhmaṇa accompanying Him could also not ascertain its whereabouts. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could then understand that the holy places known as Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa were at that time lost to everyone’s vision. He therefore discovered Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa, which were two reservoirs of water in two paddy fields. Although there was very little water, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was omniscient and could understand that formerly these two ponds were called Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa. In this way Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa were discovered.

TEXT 4

āriṭe rādhā-kuṇḍa-vārtā puche loka-sthāne
keha nāhi kahe, saṅgera brāhmaṇa nā jāne

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked the local people, “Where is Rādhā-kuṇḍa?” No one could inform Him, and the brāhmaṇa accompanying Him did not know either.

COMMENT

Lord Chaitanya understood that Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda should be near the Ariṣṭa-grāma where the Aristasura was killed because the Purana tell the history of the events following Krishna’s killing of Aristasura. Lord Krishna was with the gopīs, and there are always joking pastimes between Krishna and the gopīs. The gopīs told Krishna that “You should stay far away from us because You are contaminated now; You killed the bull, You are contaminated, so don’t come near us.” So, Lord Krishna, reciprocating with the mood of the gopīs asked, “What do I have to do to purify myself of the sin of killing a bull?” The gopīs replied that. “You have to visit all the holy places and take a bath in all the holy waters.” So Lord Krishna, not wanting to be separated from His beloved devotees in Vrindavan said, “Well, why should I go to all the holy places? I can call all the holy places here.” So Lord Krishna summoned all the holy places to come before Him, and the holy places, the holy rivers, and the holy fields came in personified form before Lord Krishna and offered obeisances and prayers to Him. Then Lord Krishna created a pond, and all of the personified holy places and holy waters entered the cavity created by Krishna in the earth, in the dust of Vrindavan, and became liquid. And then Lord Krishna took bath in Syama-kunda, and after coming out of it, he asked the gopīs if they were satisfied that he had been purified.

So, the gopīs were very pleased with Krishna’s behavior, and they said, “Yes, we are satisfied.” Then Lord Krishna said, “Well, you may be satisfied with Me, but I am not satisfied with you. You all are contaminated because you took the side of a demon against Me. So you have to purify yourself from the sin of taking the side of the demon” So then Srimati Radharani said “Ok, we will make our own bathing pond and call the sacred water there and we will take bath in our own bathing pond, and we will make our pond more beautiful than Krishna’s.” So, not too far from Syama-kunda is Manasi Ganga, which is also the Ganges in Vrindavan. Because once Nanda Maharaja wanted to take baths in the Ganges. So, Lord Krishna did not want His father to have to take so much trouble, so He called the Ganges to Vrindavan, and that is Manasi Ganga which is at Govardhana. Syama-kunda was also at the end of Govardhana. So Srimati Radharani deputed Her gopīs to bring the water from the Manasi Ganga in pots and fill up Her kuṇḍa with water from Manasi Ganga. So the gopīs were laboring, but Lord Krishna, actually, in spite of all the joking words and apparent rivalry between Krishna and the gopīs, actually, Krishna’s only desire is to please the gopīs, and the gopīs’ only desire is to please Krishna.

So, although the gopīs were in the mood that we will make a better pond than Krishna’s, Krishna did not want the gopīs to have to labor so hard. So he said to Srimati Radharani that, “Why are you taking so much trouble to bring water from Manasi Ganga? You can take water from my pond.” So Srimati Radharani pleases Krishna by usually disagreeing with Him, so she said, “No, why should I take water from Your pond? I will bring my own water; I don’t need water from Your pond.” So then all the holy places and sacred waters that had filled up Syama-kunda came out again in personified form and, upon the indication of Krishna, they approached Srimati Radharani and began to offer Her prayers in glorification. And they begged her to allow them to serve her. They said that our lives will be successful if you give us the chance to serve you by filling up your kuṇḍa. So Srimati Radharani accepted the prayers of all the personified holy places of sacred waters, and then Lord Krishna made an opening in the side of Syama-kunda. And then all the liquid holy places and sacred water flowed from the Syama-kunda to Radha-kunda and filled Radha-kunda.

So then, Srimati Radharani and the gopīs took a bath in Radha-kunda. And in the end, Lord Krishna was satisfied that they had purified themselves of the contamination of taking sides with the demon Aristasura, being sympathetic to the demons. So then, Lord Krishna said that “I am very pleased with you and your kuṇḍa and I give you the benediction that your kuṇḍa, Radha-kunda will become even more famous than my kuṇḍa, Syama-kunda. And that Radha-kunda will be as dear to Me as you are, and whoever takes bath in Radha-kunda will also become dear to Me and develop love for Me like you.” So then, there was a great festival on the banks of Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda, and throughout the night, there was rāsa-līlā. So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu knew all these pastimes which took place after Krishna killed Aristasura. So he knew that Syama-kunda and Radha-kunda must be nearby somewhere but nobody knew where they were.

TEXT 5

tīrtha ‘lupta’ jāni’ prabhu sarvajña bhagavān
dui dhānya-kṣetre alpa-jale kailā snāna

TRANSLATION

The Lord then understood that the holy place called Rādhā-kuṇḍa was no longer visible. However, being the omniscient Supreme Personality of Godhead, He discovered Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa in two paddy fields. There was only a little water, but He took His bath there.

TEXT 6

dekhi’ saba grāmya-lokera vismaya haila mana
preme prabhu kare rādhā-kuṇḍera stavana

TRANSLATION

When the people of the village saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taking His bath in those two ponds in the middle of the paddy fields, they were very much astonished. The Lord then offered His prayers to Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

TEXT 7

saba gopī haite rādhā kṛṣṇera preyasī
taiche rādhā-kuṇḍa priya ‘priyāra sarasī’

TRANSLATION

“Of all the gopīs, Rādhārāṇī is the dearmost. Similarly, the lake known as Rādhā-kuṇḍa is very dear to the Lord because it is very dear to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

COMMENT

So Srimati Radharani is dear to Lord Krishna, and Radha-kunda is dear to Srimati Radharani, therefore Radha-kunda is dear to Lord Krishna. So this is how one can become dear to Krishna. One has to become dear to someone who is dear to Krishna. So Srila Prabhupada, the spiritual master is dear to Krishna. So if we follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and serve Srila Prabhupada mission, help him in his mission to our capacity, we can become dear to him. And if we become dear to him, then we become dear to Krishna; “yasya prasada bhagavata prasada”-By the mercy of the spiritual master, one gets the mercy of Krishna. On the other hand “yasya aprasādāt na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi.” One who loses the mercy of the spiritual master also loses the mercy of Krishna.

TEXT 8

yathā rādhā priyā viṣṇos
tasyāḥ kuṇḍaṁ priyaṁ tathā
sarva-gopīṣu saivaikā
viṣṇor atyanta-vallabhā

TRANSLATION

“ ‘Just as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is most dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, so Her lake, known as Rādhā-kuṇḍa, is also very dear to Him. Of all the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is certainly the most beloved.’

PURPORT

This is a verse from the Padma-Purāṇa.

TEXT 9

yei kuṇḍe nitya kṛṣṇa rādhikāra saṅge
jale jala-keli kare, tīre rāsa-raṅge

TRANSLATION

“In that lake, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī used to sport daily in the water and have a rāsa dance on the bank.

TEXT 10

sei kuṇḍe yei eka-bāra kare snāna
tāṅre rādhā-sama ‘prema’ kṛṣṇa kare dāna

TRANSLATION

“Indeed, Lord Kṛṣṇa gives ecstatic love like that of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to whoever bathes in that lake even once in his life.

TEXT 11

kuṇḍera ‘mādhurī’ — yena rādhāra ‘madhurimā’
kuṇḍera ‘mahimā’ — yena rādhāra ‘mahimā’

TRANSLATION

“The attraction of Rādhā-kuṇḍa is as sweet as that of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Similarly, the glories of the kuṇḍa [lake] are as great as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s.

TEXT 12

“ ‘Because of its wonderful transcendental qualities, Rādhā-kuṇḍa is as dear to Kṛṣṇa as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. It was in that lake that the all-opulent Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed His pastimes with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī with great pleasure and transcendental bliss. Whoever bathes just once in Rādhā-kuṇḍa attains Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s loving attraction for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Who within this world can describe the glories and sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa?’ ”

PURPORT

This verse is found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (7.102).

COMMENT

So one can see the holy places according to one’s vision or realization. So the original spiritual form of Radha-kunda is extraordinarily beautiful. Radha-kunda is like the whirl of the lotus flower, and there are eight kuṇḍas around Radha-kunda that are like petals of the lotus flower. And they are the bathing places of the eight principal gopīs. And there are so many beautiful temples and other paraphernalia for the pleasure of Radha and Krishna and the gopīs at Radha-kunda. But when we go to Radha-kunda with our present eyes, we cannot see the original form of Radha-kunda. But even then, we can appreciate the beauty of Radha-kunda and appreciate the presence of Radha and Krishna at Syama-kunda and Radha-kunda.

TEXT 13

ei-mata stuti kare premāviṣṭa hañā
tīre nṛtya kare kuṇḍa-līlā saṅariyā

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus offered prayers to Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Overwhelmed by ecstatic love, He danced on the bank, remembering the pastimes Lord Kṛṣṇa performed on the bank of Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

TEXT 14

kuṇḍera mṛttikā lañā tilaka karila
bhaṭṭācārya-dvārā mṛttikā saṅge kari’ laila

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then marked His body with tilaka made from the mud of Rādhā-kuṇḍa, and with the help of Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya, He collected some of the mud and took it with Him.

TEXT 15

tabe cali’ āilā prabhu ‘sumanaḥ-sarovara’
tāhāṅ ‘govardhana’ dekhi’ ha-ilā vihvala

TRANSLATION

From Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Sumanas Lake. When He saw Govardhana Hill from there, He was overwhelmed with joy.

COMMENT

So we will end here, and devotees can continue reading the description of Lord Chaitanya’s visit to Govardhana Hill next Saturday. So, are there any questions or comments? Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:46:14]

Giriraj Swami: Why did the residents of Vrindavan. . .?

Srila Prabhupada explains that knowledge must be preached in order to remain alive. Just like knowledge of Krishna has been present in India for thousands of years, but because the people of India neglected the knowledge of Krishna, they gradually lost it. But Srila Prabhupada, as the representative of the disciplic succession with the knowledge of Krishna, he began to preach the message of Krishna; of Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Srila Prabhupada gives the example that in the scientific community, as soon as one scientist makes a discovery, he immediately broadcasts news of the discovery to other scientists in journals and books and other mediums, and thus the scientific knowledge remains alive. So in the same way, if knowledge of Krishna is broadcast, the knowledge of Krishna will be alive. But except for Srila Prabhupada and some few devotees who are assisting Srila Prabhupada, and maybe a few others, hardly anyone is preaching the message of Bhagavad-gītā. And for them, the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā is lost.

So similarly, we have received so many instructions from Srila Prabhupada, if we don’t keep talking about them, not only Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, but his past times and his qualities, they will be lost. Even now, so many new devotees have come after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance. There is so much they don’t know about the Srila Prabhupada, and if Srila Prabhupada disciples don’t tell them about Srila Prabhupada or record their experiences with Srila Prabhupada the knowledge will be lost. How will the knowledge remain? So similarly, Lord Chaitanya came to Vrindavan four thousand five hundred years after Lord Krishna’s manifest pastimes there. Four thousand five hundred years is a long time, so people, they lose interest in the topic, and the knowledge becomes lost. Now it has only been twenty years since Srila Prabhupada’s left, and already so much of his instructions are lost. How much knowledge of Srila Prabhupada’s activities are lost? I am sure things are already lost, just in twenty years. So we have to make a conscientious effort to keep the knowledge alive by speaking about it.

Any other questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:50:33]

Giriraj Swami: So Vaishnava bathes in Radha-kunda and other do not? What is my understanding of that? Bhakti Chaitanya Swami, you have been teaching in Vrindavan, you must have this question asked many times.

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: [Unintelligible: 00:51:21]

Giriraj Swami: Any other questions?

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Sri Vrindavan dhāma ki jaya!
Radha-kunda Syama-kunda ki jaya!
Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol.