Understanding the tattva of Srimati Radharani /শ্রী রাধাষ্টমী

মহাভাবস্বরূপা শ্রীরাধা–ঠাকুরাণী । সর্বগুণখনি কৃষ্ণকান্তাশিরোমণি ॥ ৬৯ ॥ mahābhāva-svarūpā śrī-rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī sarva-guṇa-khani kṛṣṇa-kāntā-śiromaṇi Synonyms mahā-bhāva — of mahābhāva; svarūpā — the form; śrī-rādhāṭhākurāṇī — Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; sarva-guṇa — of all good qualities; khani — mine; kṛṣṇa-kāntā — of the lovers of Lord Kṛṣṇa; śiromaṇi — crown jewel. Translation Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī is the embodiment of mahābhāva. She is the repository of all good qualities and the crest jewel among all the lovely consorts of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Purport The unadulterated action of the hlādinī-śakti is displayed in the dealings of the damsels of Vraja and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is the topmost participant in that transcendental group. The essence of the hlādinī-śakti is love of Godhead, the essence of love of Godhead is bhāva, or transcendental sentiment, and the highest pitch of that bhāva is called mahābhāva. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the personified embodiment of these three aspects of transcendental consciousness. She is therefore the highest principle in love of Godhead and is the supreme lovable object of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Text 70 তয়োরপ্যুভয়োর্মধ্যে রাধিকা সর্বথাধিকা । মহাভাবস্বরূপেয়ং গুণৈরতিবরীয়সী ॥ ৭০ ॥ tayor apy ubhayor madhye rādhikā sarvathādhikā mahābhāva-svarūpeyaṁ guṇair ativarīyasī Synonyms tayoḥ — of them; api — even; ubhayoḥ — of both (Candrāvalī and Rādhārāṇī); madhye — in the middle; rādhikā — Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; sarvathā — in every way; adhikā — greater; mahā-bhāva-svarūpā — the form of mahābhāva; iyam — this one; guṇaiḥ — with good qualities; ativarīyasī — the best of all. Translation “Of these two gopīs [Rādhārāṇī and Candrāvalī], Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is superior in all respects. She is the embodiment of mahābhāva, and She surpasses all in good qualities.” Purport This is a quotation from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Rādhā-prakaraṇa 3). Text 71 কৃষ্ণপ্রেম–ভাবিত যাঁর চিত্তেন্দ্রিয়–কায় । কৃষ্ণ–নিজশক্তি রাধা ক্রীড়ার সহায় ॥ ৭১ ॥ kṛṣṇa-prema-bhāvita yāṅra cittendriya-kāya kṛṣṇa-nija-śakti rādhā krīḍāra sahāya Synonyms kṛṣṇa-prema — love for Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhāvita — steeped in; yāṅra — whose; citta — mind; indriya — senses; kāya — body; kṛṣṇa — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; nija-śakti — His own energy; rādhā — Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; krīḍāra — of pastimes; sahāya — companion. Translation Her mind, senses and body are steeped in love for Kṛṣṇa. She is Kṛṣṇa’s own energy, and She helps Him in His pastimes. Purport Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is as fully spiritual as Kṛṣṇa. No one should consider Her to be material. She is definitely not like the conditioned souls, who have material bodies, gross and subtle, covered by material senses. She is all-spiritual, and both Her body and Her mind are of the same spiritual embodiment. Because Her body is spiritual, Her senses are also spiritual. Thus Her body, mind and senses fully shine in love of Kṛṣṇa. She is the personified hlādinī-śakti (the pleasure-giving energy of the Lord’s internal potency), and therefore She is the only source of enjoyment for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot enjoy anything that is internally different from Him. Therefore Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa are identical. The sandhinī portion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s internal potency has manifested the all-attractive form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the same internal potency, in the hlādinī feature, has presented Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is the attraction for the all-attractive. No one can match Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in the transcendental pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Text 72 আনন্দচিন্ময়রসপ্রতিভাবিতাভি– স্তাভির্য এব নিজরূপতয়া কলাভিঃ । গোলোক এব নিবসত্যখিলাত্মভূতো গোবিন্দমাদিপুরুষং তমহং ভজামি ॥ ৭২ ॥ ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi Synonyms ānanda — bliss; cit — and knowledge; maya — consisting of; rasa — mellows; prati — at every second; bhāvitābhiḥ — who are engrossed with; tābhiḥ — with those; yaḥ — who; eva — certainly; nija-rūpatayā — with His own form; kalābhiḥ — who are parts of portions of His pleasure potency; goloke — in Goloka Vṛndāvana; eva — certainly; nivasati — resides; akhila-ātma — as the soul of all; bhūtaḥ — who exists; govindam — Lord Govinda; ādi-puruṣam — the original personality; tam — Him; aham — I; bhajāmi — worship. Translation “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the ecstatic potency [hlādinī]. Their companions are Her confidantes, who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa.”