Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 109 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

তার ভক্ত-সঙ্গে সদা,        রসলীলা-প্রেম-কথা,

যে করে সে পায় ঘনশ্যাম ।

ইহাতে বিমুখ যেই,        তার কভু সিদ্ধি নাই,

না শুনিয়ে তার যেন নাম ॥ ১০৯ ॥

tāra bhakta-saṅge sadā,        rasa-līlā-prema-kathā,

ye kare se pāya ghanaśyāma |

ihāte bimukha yei,        tāra kabhu siddhi nāi,

nā śuniye tāra yena nāma || 109 ||

     One who, in the company of Śrī Rādhikā’s devotees, always hears, sings or discusses her nectarous pastimes and topics describing her love undoubtedly attains Ghanaśyāma Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Those who are averse to this will never attain success. We should not even hear their names.

Discussing Their Nectarous Pastimes of Love

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has proclaimed the glory of hearing and singing about Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s names, qualities and so on, taking shelter of her lotus feet and serving the dust of her lotus feet. Someone may say, “If a person does this, will he or she have no desire to worship and attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa?” In reply, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, tāra bhakta-saṅge sadā, rasa-līlā-prema-kathā, ye kare se pāya ghanaśyāma. “One who, in the association of Śrī Rādhikā’s bhaktas, always hears, sings or discusses her nectarous līlā-kathā and topics describing the greatness of her love undoubtedly attains Ghanaśyāma Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” A question may arise here. It is a scriptural rule that one attains the deity to whom worship is offered. It is not possible to attain one devatā by worshiping another. In reply it can be said that the greatness of Śrī Rādhā’s pastimes and love is that they include Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is impossible to speak of Rādhā without Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, by worshiping Śrī Rādhārāṇī through hearing and singing her stories, the worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also naturally accomplished. Not only that, but the kind of joy that Kṛṣṇa gets when Rādhā is worshiped, and the satisfaction he feels toward her devotees, he never feels toward those who worship only him. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his commentary to Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.7.11: śrī-rādhājñā-pratipālanenaiva śrī-kṛṣṇasya vaśīkaraṇāt svayam evādhikādhika-tat-saṅga-sukha-saṁsiddher iti dik. In Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam, Gopakumāra was a devotee of Vraja’s sakhya-rasa (friendship), but he obeyed Rādhā’s order instead of waiting to get the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa’s company. In this context, Śrīla Gosvāmipāda has concluded that Śrī Kṛṣṇa becomes thoroughly obedient to someone who follows Śrī Rādhā’s order. Therefore, even though not waiting for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s company, Gopakumāra attained the happiness of getting it to an even greater degree. Like this, the worship of Rādhārāṇī causes Kṛṣṇa to be more submissive than from even his own worship. Through it, the worship of Kṛṣṇa himself is accomplished.

     It is most pleasant and enjoyable, when in the company of devoted and earnest rasika-bhaktas, to hear and sing Śrī Rādhā’s delightful līlā-kathā, meaning Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s charming amorous pastimes, and Śrī Rādhā’s prema-kathā, meaning stories of separation and union with an endless variety of mohana (infatuation), modana (joy) and mādana-bhāva (intoxication), which are the ultimate expressions of mahābhāva, the transcendental essence of prema. The most intimate bhajana of the rāgānugīya-bhakta is to take up residence in Vraja and to hear and sing these confidential stories in the company of great souls who are singularly devoted to Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, who have a similar intention, are more advanced and are friendly. This is the thing most desired by rāga-bhaktas. Not to speak of the bhaktas, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself previously accepted rādhā-bhāva and incarnated in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga. He was submerged day and night in relishing prema-kathā and Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s rasa-kathā in the company of rasika-bhaktas.

caṇḍidāsa bidyāpati, rāyera nāṭaka-gīti, 

karṇāmṛta śrī-gīta-gobinda |

svarūpa-rāmānanda-sane, mahāprabhu rātri-dine,

gāya śune parama ānanda ||

     “Along with Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya, Śrīman Mahāprabhu would sing and hear Śrī-Gīta-Govinda, Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛta and the songs and dramas of Rāmānanda Rāya, Vidyāpati and Caṇḍidāsa throughout the day and night.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.77)

     Then he said, ihāte bimukha yei, tāra kabhu siddhi nāi, nā śuniye tāra yena nāma. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has determined that by taking shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet and worshiping her whole-heartedly, Ghanaśyāma Śrī Kṛṣṇa will be duly obtained. Now he says that those who are averse to taking shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet or worshiping her may continue trying to experience Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness, but they have no chance of success. The best way to experience Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the condensed form of śṛṅgāra-rasa (amorous love), is to worship Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Other than this, there is no way for someone to relish Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. We have nothing to do with those who try to relish Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurī but disregard Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Not to speak of seeing or touching, we should never even hear their names. nā śuniye tāra yena nāma. Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his Svaniyama-Daśakam, verse 6:

anādṛtyodgītām api muni-gaṇair vaiṇika-mukhaiḥ 

pravīṇāṁ gāndharvām api ca nigamais tat-priyatamām |

ya ekaṁ govindaṁ bhajati kapaṭī dāmbhikatayā

tad-abhyarṇe śīrṇe kṣaṇam api na yāmi vratam idam ||

     “They are insincere and arrogant who worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone, neglecting his beloved Śrī Rādhārāṇī, who is a skillful singer and is celebrated by the Vedas and the sages led by Nārada. I will not remain in their impure company for even a moment.”