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Part 1: The Divine Wedding of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and the Power of Faith Rādhā Kṛṣṇu Maṅgalam Me Bhavetam Prahlād Nārad Parāśar Puṇḍarīka Vyāsām Vareeśa Śuka Śaunaka Bhīṣma Dāl Vyāna Rukmāṅgad Arjuna Vaśiṣṭha Vibhīṣaṇa Din Puṇyānī Māna Parambhāgavatan Namāmi Vaṁśa Kalpa Tarubhyaśca Kṛpā Sindhubhya eva ca Patitānāṁ Pāvanibhyo Vaiṣṇavibhyo Namo Namaḥ Yatra Yatra Raghunātha Kīrtanaṁ Tatra Tatra Kṛtaṁ Astha Kañjale Vāspavāri Paripūrṇa Locanaṁ Mārutīṁ Namat Rakṣasāntakaṁ Natvā Mahā Munīṁ Gargaṁ Devarṣi Nāradaṁ Tathā Śrī Garga Saṁhitām etāṃ kathayāmi kathaṃ śubhāṃ, Nārāyaṇaṃ namaskṛtya, Naraṃ caiva Vānarottamam, Devīṃ Sarasvatīṃ Vyāsam, tato jaya mudīrayet. By offering these prayers, the auspiciousness of the story is invoked. Bhagavān’s name is glorified through these salutations. Āvāj Kam Horī Hai Sītā Rām Vandana, Śrī Rādhe Śyām Vandana Añjanī Kenandana Kī Bāre Bāre Vandana Sītā Manandana Rādheśa Manandana Añjanī Kenandana Kī Bāre Bāre Vandana Sitārā Me Bandhnā, Śrī Rādheśya Me Bandhnā Sītārām Vibhāṇḍana Śrī Rādheśyām Vibhāṇḍana Añjanī Kenandana Kī Bare Bare Vandana Sītāurā me vandanā, Śrī Rādheśya me vandanā, Añjanī ke Nandina, kī bāre bāre vandina, Śrī Sītā tālī sevā karte hue, Śyām o Bhīm. Sītā Rām Bandhnā, Śrī Rādhē Śyām Bandhnā, Añjanī Ke Nandhnā, Kī Bare Bare Bandhnā, Sītā Rām Bandhnā. Moli Vrindāvan Bihārilāl Kī Jai, Rādhāraṇī Sarkār Kī, Śrī Garga Saṁhitā Kī Jai, Gargācārya Jī Mahārāj Kī Jai, Devarṣi Nāradjī Mahārāj Kī, Sadgurudev Bhagavān Kī Jai. Śrī Saṅghāriṇī Śakti He, Durgāyā Pārvati Kehlāte He. Ye Trigunātmikā Prakṛti, Mūla Prakṛti, In Sabke Adhiṣṭhātrī. The Supreme Power is Goddess Rādhā. Goddess Rādhā is the Supreme Power and Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme God. They both are the same thing: Power and the Power Taker. Śakti and Śaktimān are incomplete without each other; Śaktimān is incomplete without Śakti, and Śakti cannot be expressed without Śaktimān. Therefore, Gargācāryajī has presented both as one. How beautifully he has described the marriage of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And in childhood itself, this marriage is completed. There are many reasons behind this, because Gargācārya jī, indeed, wrote this scripture for the rasikas. Those who always see the Yugal Sarkār together and experience the joy are called rasikas. Those immersed in the Yugal Rasa, those who are excited to see the Līlās of the Divine Couple—the name of Bhagavān and the Līlās of Bhagavān transmit such a feeling within them that their hearts melt, become full of energy, and that melting flows out through their eyes. When they hear the name of the Lord and see His Līlās, tears come to their eyes. The same used to happen to Caitanya Mahāprabhu: when he would chant the name of the Lord, Haribol, Haribol, tears would flow from his eyes. Jagannāth Jī’s eyes would fill with water. This is rasiktā. We always wish to see the Divine Couple together, to see them engaged in divine play. This is the heart’s desire of the sakhīs. This itself is called love. For their happiness, the sakhīs are happy. Day and night, they are absorbed in pleasing their beloved. How may they be happy? How may they be gracious? Kaise Unkā Līlā Vinod Chalta Rehen. Gargācārya Jī is not only a topmost knower of Brahma, kevala Brahma-Vidāṁ variṣṭha nahīṁ hain; he is not only filled with dry Brahma-jñāna, kevala śuṣka Brahma jñāna unke bhītar nahī hai. He is also a great, heartfelt devotee—baḍe sarasvat bhakta bhī hai. What is the difference between jñāna and bhakti? Kabīr Dās Jī gives a very beautiful example in his pada: Gyan to sabun kī tarah hai, kapde ko sāf karnā hai. Hameṁ sāf karnā hai, aur hamāre pās jñāna kā sābun hai. To kyā keval sābun se vastra sāf ho saktā hai? Keval sābun vastra ko sāf nahīṁ kar saktā. Pahle use gīlā karnā paḍegā. Bhakti ke jal meṁ kapde ko bhigoā jātā hai. First, you need faith, you need love, you need devotion. When the cloth is soaked in the water of bhakti, then the soap of knowledge can be applied. Then the cloth of detachment is spread, and that cloth becomes clean. So bhakti is the water, it is the rasa. Rādhā kā sarastha honā bahut jarūrī hai. This is the text of the rasikās. Here, the Yugal always sit together. Gargācārījī is a jñānī, but he is even more a bhakta. That is why we want to see the Divine Couple together. One more point: Our Indian darśana holds that without marriage, there is no possibility of prāṇāyāma—true love is not possible before marriage. Śādī ke binā prem karnā is bāt kā adhik mahatva nahīṁ hai. In the view of the ācāryas, romantic love is not possible without the sacred bond of marriage, because the mind’s movement is very fickle. Ye man kī gati badī cañcal hai. That is why in our tradition, marriages were performed at a young age. There was no ill intent behind it, no ugly custom. Chhoṭī umr meṁ man yadi kisī ek vyakti ke sāth bandh gayā, to usmeṁ niṣṭhā utpann ho jātī hai. Then the mind does not wander. When the time comes, the mind will naturally be attracted; that is its nature. But that attraction is directed by the family, the Guru, and the home’s values. That is why marriage is the root of dharma—so that a person’s life becomes a tradition of self-control and true character. Otherwise, if the mind wanders everywhere, energy is wasted. Karnī Kīlī Vivāha Jaisī Saṅsthā Thī. By marrying in childhood, the mind becomes bound to one. When that mind later thinks, its thoughts will revolve around that one person; it will not stray elsewhere. This was a beautiful system, and society’s character remained strong because of it. Gargācārya Jī has expressed this very thing. Ācāryas always illustrate a principle with an example. Mahāprabhujī would describe one another, then attraction and love would arise in the mind toward each other. So an incident took place: one day, Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān began to cry intensely and would not be consoled. He grabbed Nand Bābā’s dhotī and said, “I want to go to the forest with you.” He was a very small Kanhaiyā. Nand Bābā said to Yaśodā Māiyā, “Ās to lālā mān hī nahīṁ rahā hai. Kuch der tak isse jaṅgal meṁ ghumākar le ātā hūṁ. Gayoṁ ko carāne jānā hī hai.” Nand Bābā, Nand Rāī, had nine Nandas and nine Upnandas under him, and many cowherds to manage the cows. Yet Nand Bābā himself would go to the cowshed, because it is the duty of a cowherd to serve the cows. If a king himself works and his conduct is good, then those under him will also work. Moreover, everything remains in his sight—he sees how the work is being done. This is the management principle: the chief officer should occasionally supervise, check. So Nand Bābā went himself to herd the cows, to see that the system was running properly, that the cows were walking well, and to observe what everyone was doing. To maintain order, Nand Bābā went personally. That day, he picked up Kānha in his lap, and his beautiful cows walked far into the forest. They were Padma Jati cows, very beautiful, with a completely white color and a pinkish shade. But suddenly, a terrible storm arose. So terrible that nothing could be seen. Nand Bābā became very distressed. A similar storm had come to Vraj before, when the demon Tṛṇāvarta had appeared. Now it seemed some new demon or calamity was about to strike Vraj. Nand Bābā was deeply troubled, and from his heart arose a prayer. Nand Bābā’s personal deity was Nārāyaṇa; he always remembered Nārāyaṇa. But at that moment, a desire awakened in him to praise the Supreme Goddess, Bhagavatī Śakti. “Some great danger has come. I always remember Nārāyaṇa, and Nārāyaṇa saves me. But now, may Bhagavatī Śakti, Bhagavatī Durgā, the Supreme Goddess protect us.” He called out to the Goddess: He Bhagavatī, He Śakti Svarūpa, He Parambhā, Hum Sab Tumhāre Bacche Hain. Kyūṅki mā meṁ sahaj karuṇā hotī hai. He Mā, Tum Karuṇā Karo, Humeṁ Bacāo. This is such a heavy storm; I cannot see anything. How will I protect my son Kṛṣṇa? Oh Mother, save me. When he called the Mother, what did Nand Bābā see? In that dense darkness, he beheld a divine light. A brilliant divine light; his eyes, which were closed, opened, and he saw a sixteen-year-old girl of golden complexion—her color like molten gold, like yellow gold. Her golden body rays spread far and wide. She wore a very beautiful blue sārī, and over it was exquisite silver work, along with many pearls and diamonds. Her divine ornaments glowed with pearls and diamonds. O Jananī, O Karuṇāmaiyambā, you are a pure, enlightened, conscious soul; please protect my little one. This small-sized power who appeared was none other than the Adhiṣṭhātrī of the Nitya Goloka, Śrī Rādhārāṇī. She told Nand Bābā, “Look, I am the Devī of this Brajmaṇḍal. This Vraj region is my dwelling place. I am its presiding Goddess. I will protect your child. Give your child to me. I will save him from all troubles. You go home without hesitation. I will protect him and then leave him safely in your hands.” Nand Bābā already had faith in the Goddess; surely Bhagavatī had come and would bring about some welfare for his boy. See, in Vraj, weddings are conducted uniquely. Normally, the father gives the daughter’s hand into the groom’s hand—this is kanyādāna. But in Vraj, the whole rite is upside down. Here, Nand Bābā placed the groom’s hand into the bride’s hand. The boon was given there. That is why our kanyās are the dāsīs of Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī is Svāminī; Kṛṣṇa is not the sole focus in Vraj—nothing else matters there except Rādhārāṇī. In Vraj, everything belongs to Rādhārāṇī. So Nand Bābā handed the child over to Rādhārāṇī and returned to his village Gokul. He narrated the whole incident to Yaśodā Māiyā: a storm came, a divine power appeared, and she said she would save their child from all calamities. Now, a mother’s heart is very tender. “Who knows who that actually was? Perhaps it was not the power of Pūtanā?” So Yaśodā Māiyā sat before Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa and began praying to Bhagavatī Mahālakṣmī: “O Mother, only you can save our Lālā. It could be Lakṣmī, or it could be a Rākṣasī—what can we say? Ever since the boy came to Gokul, so many calamities have occurred.” The greatest specialty of Nand Bābā and Yaśodā Māiyā was that they had unbreakable faith in God. Their faith never wavered. Even if a doubt arose, they took refuge in God. This was their nature. The signs of śaraṇāgati (surrender) are: first, always think positively—ānukūlata. The very first sign of śaraṇāgati is positive thinking. Second, be completely free of negativity; never be negative. The third word is rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāsaḥ—have faith that our God, our Guru, will protect us in every situation. Rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāsaḥ. What is faith? Complete devotion toward one’s Guru and Bhagavān, following whatever they say. An incident from the life of Samarth Swāmījī illustrates this. One of his disciples was named Ambadās. He was simple and innocent, but a true devotee. For that reason, Gurujī had a little more affection for him, which sometimes pained the other disciples. “He knows nothing, he is innocent, he has no knowledge, yet Gurujī loves him the most. He does not love us so much.” The Sadguru is sarvajña; he reads the minds of his disciples. This art of reading the mind is a special quality of the Guru. Jo humāre Guru hote, unkī sabse special quality yahī hotī hai, art of reading of mind. Apne devotees ke man ko padh letā hai, kī yah kyā soch rahā hai. So Samarth Gurujī read his disciples’ minds and understood their thought: “Why is Gurujī’s love greater for Ambā Dās? We should be shown what Ambā Dās’s specialty is—what his quality is, what his faith is.” Once, Samarth Swāmījī was passing through a jungle with his disciples. In that jungle, there was a well of sweet water, but it was difficult to drink because a banyan tree grew over it, and many leaves would fall in, making the water dirty. Samarth Swāmījī said, “Look, this is a wonderful well of sweet water, but so much dirt falls in that it is not fit to drink. We must purify it. How? Remove the branch directly above it. Then dirt will not fall.” Now, that tree was grown in such a way that it was impossible to cut that particular branch without risk. There was no other large branch nearby to climb onto. To cut the branch, one would have to sit on it, and when cut, the branch—and the person—would fall into the well. There was no other way. Samarth Swāmījī then declared, “For the welfare of all, someone must cut this branch. Who among you is my true disciple who will do it?” Ambā Dās Jī, that same innocent devotee, said, “I will cut the branch.” He climbed up with the tools the sādhus carry—a small saw, axe, etc., for they need firewood and other things wherever they go. Ambā Dās Jī began cutting the branch. The other disciples started laughing: “What a fool! If he cuts the branch, he himself will fall.” Samarth Swāmījī said, “Look, your gurubhāīs are laughing at you. If you cut such a branch, you too will fall down.” Ambā Dās Jī replied with a smile, “Guru Jī, has anyone who follows the Guru’s word ever fallen? Jisne Gurū kī bāt ko mānā hai, svīkār kiyā hai, uskā to uddhārī hī huā hai, patan kyaise ho saktā?” He cut the branch, and along with the branch, Ambā Dās Jī fell into the deep well. All the gurubhāīs laughed: “See, he got his liberation—by falling into a well! This is the fruit of obeying the Guru’s word!” But Samarth Svāmī jī was immensely powerful. He put his hand into the well, lowered a rope, and through the rope and his own power, pulled Ambā Dās Jī out. He asked, “Did you get hurt?” Ambā Dās Jī’s state was extraordinary: his body, mind, and eyes were filled with tears of joy. His form was radiant. Gurujī inquired, and Ambā Dās Jī replied, “Hurt? What an experience I had! Jagannāthjī ne mujhe apnī godh meṁ uṭhā liyā hai, godh meṁ baiṭhā liyā hai. Śakṣāt Sītārāmjī kā darśan mujhe kueṁ meṁ ho gayā, merā to kalyāṇ ho gayā.” When he fell, he remembered the Guru-mantra, Sītā Rām, Sītā Rām, and Raghunāthjī Himself gave him darśan inside the well. He did not even feel the fall; he felt that Raghunāthjī had caught him and seated him in His lap. He sat in the lap of Sītā Rām Jī. This is the result of faith. Vācanon pur deś ne viśvās kiyā, uskā kalyāṇ jarūr hotā hai. Then Samarth Swāmījī renamed Ambā Dās Jī “Kalyāṇ Dās” and told all his disciples, “This is called Viśvās—faith.” Part 2: Faith and Devotion: The Path of Śaraṇāgati The breath may leave, but faith should never leave. This is why in the Gītā it is said, “Śraddhāvān labhate jñānaṁ tatparaḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ.” Faith is Śaṅkara, and śraddhā is Bhāvanī. Śraddhā remains with the support of faith. If there is no faith, then there is no importance of śraddhā. And if there is only faith—if there is only Śaṅkara—then he is samādhist. Faith and śraddhā are both such things through which Bhagavān experiences. So Rakṣiṣyati Niti Viśvāsah. Then, the next form of Śaraṇāgati is Gātatpa Varṇanam Tathā. Once you choose someone, you choose him. It is not like today you choose this Guru, today you choose this Bhagavān, and tomorrow you will choose another. No, Varaṇanam is done once in life; sacrifice is done once, and not more than once. Once you have done Varaṇanam, you have complete faith in him. Then how is he? We do not have the right to think about his qualities and faults. Svāmī Vivekānanda, Svāmī Vivekānanda sadā śiṣya kī talāś rehtī hai. Vivekānanda Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa ko svīkār kiyā. Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa kah rahe the, Vivekānanda pūre viśva meṁ Hindu dharma kī dhvajā ko phairā sake. Vivekānanda is deś ke sabse baṛe ādarś haiṁ, jinhonne deś meṁ, videś meṁ, antarrāṣṭrīya manch par siddha kar diyā. Among Indians there is a pride that they have filled from the womb, so to speak: “We are Hindus.” Guru Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa kī tākat ke bal par ye hai, guru ke prati samarpan, phir vichāra nahīṁ, phir purī śraddhā, purī āsthā, usmeṁ kabhī kamī nahīṁ, aur apne prem āspat ko apne bhītar chhipā kar rakhnā. Guru kī kṛpā svayaṁ hogī. Jaisā Wo Command Kar De. Guru kṛpā means that a person’s Uddhāra is certain. So first of all, Goktṛtva Varṇam. Then, Ātmanikṣet—to surrender oneself to their feet, in a way. And the last is Kṛpā, Dīnatā. There should be dainyā in front of the Guru, dainyā or dīnatā. Politeness—this is the biggest specialty. There should be humility, there should be dīnatā. Bhakti Mahārāṇī resides on the throne of Dīnatā. The dīnatā that is in front of the Guru and the Bhagavān is the same as the parākram in front of the world. There is no arrogance in front of the Guru and the Bhagavān. If we have such capabilities that we can do our kalyāṇa, can fill our life with happiness, then what is the need for us to do bhakti? What is the need for us to surrender to the Guru? We are not capable, we are weak, we are devoid of faith. That is why we have come under the shelter of the Guru. That is why we should not do karpān, we should not do karuṇ. These are the six main characteristics of Śaraṇāgati. And these six things were in Nanda Bābā and Yaśodā Māiyā. Nanda Bābā gave that divine power to Bāla Kṛṣṇa, so Yaśodā Māiyā started praying, “May my Bāla Kṛṣṇa be protected.” Idhar, jab Rādhā Rānī ke hāth meṁ Bālakṛṣṇa ko samarpit kiyā, to jaisī kisorī hamārī laḍlī ho gaī thī, vaise hī kisor hamāre Bālakṛṣṇa ho gaī—Naval Kisor kā rūp dhāraṇ kar liyā, jaisī 16 varṣī kī hamārī laḍlī, aur vaise hī hamāre laḍlī Sarkār, aise sundar, Śyāma Sundara rūp meṁ. Prakaṭ ho gai, kishor rūp meṁ prakaṭ ho gai, sajal megh ke samān unkā sundar Ghanśyām vapu, śir par sundar mūr mukut, kānoṁ meṁ jhil-milāte kuṇḍal, āṁkhoṁ meṁ sundar kājal kī rekh, aur sundar kastūrī kā tilak, gale meṁ sundar vaijayantī mālā, kaustubh maṇi, aur sundar uttarī pīle raṅg kā dupattā dhāraṇ kiyā huā. Hāth meṁ Muralī. Kai tāre kī hār suśobhit hai, muktā hār hai, candan hār hai, baḍiyā sundar sundar mālā pahanī hai, vakṣya sthal par Śrī vastu kā chinha hai. And in the waist, there is a beautiful kardhanī, which also has a very sweet sound. Both look so beautiful. One is wearing a white Rādhā and a blue sari, and the other one is wearing a black Kānhaīyā and a yellow Pītāmbara. The light of the blue and the yellow is shining. One is from nīlama, and the other is from pukhrāja. Both are looking so beautiful. That land of Purī and Vṛndāvan became the land of Goloka. Ye Girirāj bhī divya Girirāj the, baṛe viśāl Girirāj jis ke śikhar hīre, motiyoṁ, maṇiyoṁ se lade hue the. Sundar sundar vṛkṣ the us par, sundar sundar pakṣī guñjan kar rahe the. Divya Yamunā prakaṭ ho gaī. Bhagavān, Ved, Garbh, Brahmā Jī prakaṭ hue, donoṁ kī hāth joṛ kar stuti kī. Brahmā Jī ne kahā, maiṁ Puṣkar meṁ 60,000 varṣoṁ tak isī lie tapasyā kī, kyoṅki merī ek hī icchā thī: mere Vedon kā jñān, uskā sahī-sahī upayog ho. Ved karma-kaṇḍ ke sūcak haiṁ. And the greatest ritual of all rituals is the Vibhā Saṃskāra. In my mind, there was only one desire. While it is true that you are the eternal couple, always and forever residing together as one, I wished to marry you through the Vaidhī Kīrti ceremony. For this reason, I performed austerities for 60,000 years in Puṣkara. On that same day, O Rādhā Rānī, you had manifested and granted me the boon that in the same Dvāpara age when our incarnation would occur, you would perform our marriage. That auspicious time has now arrived, that auspicious moment has come. Near the Bhandīra tree, Brahmājī, with his own hands, made the beautiful wedding canopy. With the fire-drill, he manifested the sacred fire. Anek Sakhīyāṁ prakaṭ ho gaīṁ, Rādhā Rānī ke śarīr se anek sakhīyāṁ prakaṭ hoīṁ. Sākṣāt Yamunā Jī prakaṭ hoīṁ, Laliṭā Jī, Viśākhā Jī, Raṅgaveṇī Jī, Indumatī Jī, sabhī pradhān sakhīyāṁ Golok se prakaṭ ho gaīṁ. Balakrishna’s side saw the manifestation of his companions, Subal, Sridhama, and others. And here, all the goddesses and deities got together to see that divine wedding. Śiva jī came, Pārvatī jī came, Sāvitrī Devī herself came, Indra came, Śacī came. The entire wedding was filled with the deities, the devas, the Gandharvas, and the Kinnaras. On both sides, the Maṅgalvād also started playing. Here, Brahmājī seated Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā in the wedding hall. Kālī kī jāī, Rādhā Rānī Sarkār kī jāī. Bhagavān ne kalpavṛkṣa ke phūl cun cun kar sundar hār banāyā. That is why, because of these qualities, the living beings are unable to know their true form. Now, Bhagavān does not have this kind of quality. He does not have qualities like sattva, rajas, and tamas, because they are boundless. They are not bound to the world. So, what qualities do they have? Bhagavān is called nirguṇa because these three are not the fault of the original nature. Tamo guṇa means anger, ego, jealousy. Bhagavān does not have all these qualities. Rājoguṇa kā matlab hotā hai, cañcalatā, viṣayāvasanā, Bhagavān meṁ yah bhī nahīṁ hai. Aur sattvaguṇa kā matlab hotā hai, abhimānī, śuddham, Bhagavān meṁ yah bhī nahīṁ hai. Prakṛti ke koī guṇa Bhagavān meṁ nahīṁ hai, isliye vah nirguṇa kahe jātā hai. And how does that Bhagavān become Saguṇa? Because there are those qualities in Him that attract devotees. Bhaktōṁ par anugrah—agar yeh guṇ Bhagavān meṁ nahīṁ ho, to koī Bhagavān ko pūjegā? Aisā kaunsā dharm hai jo yeh svīkār kartā hai ki Bhagavān meṁ yeh qualities nahīṁ hai? Bhagavān dayālū hai, Bhagavān kripālū hai, Bhagavān bhaktōṁ ke adhīṁ hai, aur yeh bāyāt humne bahut bār anubhav kī hai. Jitne bhī dharm hai, vahāṁ Bhagavān dūt bhejte haiṁ, lekin yahāṁ to Bhagavān svayaṁ prakaṭ ho kar āte haiṁ, prakaṭ ho kar āte haiṁ. We come here because we love our devotees. To get the knowledge of Nārasiṁhītā, God could have ordered Kubera to come here. But he didn’t send Kubera. He came here as Samar Seth. Why did he come here? Because he loves Nārasiṁhītā. That’s why God is called Saguṇa. Because he loves his devotees, he is kind, he is kind. That’s why we should understand the difference between Nirguṇ and Saguṇ. We have a Khandela village in the Sikar district of Rajasthan. There was a royal priest there. The incident is 700 years old. Even before Mīrā, his name was Pārśurām Paṇḍit. He was very rich. Sikar was the disciple of about 50 Thākurs and Rājās of the kingdom of Sikar. He was a very rich person, and he had only one daughter, Karmetī Bāī. And Parśurām Jī was a great scholar of the Bhāgavatam. He used to tell the story of the Bhāgavatam. Since childhood, Karmetī Bāī used to listen to the story of the Bhāgavatam. What is the result of listening to the story of the Bhāgavatam? One who does not want to live in the world should never listen to the story of the Bhāgavatam. We do not say this. Rādhārāṇī Uddhav Jī herself says this. The story of the Bhāgavatam is such that whoever has drunk the juice of the story of the Bhāgavatam in both his ears—he has drunk it—then he is of no use to the world. And this is the state: “Karmetī Bāī kī hoī, Bhāgavata kī kathā sunī to, Śyāmasundara meṁ prem ho gayā.” Unkī sevā pūjā meṁ lag gayā, din rāt, unkī kathā sunnā, unkā nām lenā, unkī sevā karnā. Choṭī sī umr meṁ vivāh ho gayā thā. Pahle yahī paramparā thī, bahut jaldī vivāh karate the, lekin gonā nahīṁ hotā thā. Gonā bād meṁ hotā thā. I got married at a very young age. At that time, I didn’t know much about marriage. Here, I got married, but my devotion kept on increasing. Gradually, I got older. I was about 15 or 16 years old. So, my parents thought that I should make his gonā. I should send him to my in-laws. By that time, in the mind of Karmatī Bāī, the color of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotion had increased so much, ki sarvatra śyāmasundar hī nazar āte the. Aṣṭayāma sevā, āṭho pahar Śrī Kṛṣṇa kī sevā, unheṁ sajānā, saṁvārnā, vīṇā lekar, tanpūrā lekar, unke nām kā kīrtan karnā, bas yahī jīvan thā Karmetī Bāī kā. Karmatī Bhāījī kā man pūrī tarah se Śyāmasundar ke ādhīn ho gayā thā. Idhar gaurī kī tayyārī thī, āj māyyā ne unheṁ kahā ki āj tumhārā gaurī honā hai, unkā devyā śṛṅgār kiyā gayā aur unheṁ lene ke lie dulhā parāṭ ke sāth ā bhī gayā. Mere pati to Śyāmasundar haiṁ, maiṁ to unī kī sakhī hūṁ, mujhe aur kisī ke ghar nahīṁ jānā, mujhe saṁsār meṁ nahīṁ rehnā. When such a state of love arises inside, then the person forgets all the world, honor, respect, and dignity. The state of love is such that as soon as the sun rises, the lotus blooms. At the same time, every moment is full of love. Karmetī Bāī, Rājpurohita kī iklautī betī, pitājī kā ūñcā nām, itnā vaibhava—lekin aisā Kṛṣṇa ke prati prem jagā, aisā vairāgya jagā, sansāra meṁ nahīṁ jānā. In the morning, everyone in the house came to know where Karmetī had gone. At that time, 700 years ago, if a young girl ran away from the house at the corner, what would be the condition of her father? She was the Rajpurohit’s daughter. The king was informed. Here and there, the soldiers were running. Where would she have gone? What would have happened? There were discussions all around. Here, Karmatī Bhāījī started running away from the temple. She started running away from nature. She only remembered Vṛndāvan: “I have to go to my Thākur. I have to go to Vṛndāvan.” The soldiers were following her from all sides. Look at the state of devrā vairāgya. Where should I hide? How can I escape from these soldiers? There was a dead camel’s skin. The whole part of it was eaten by the deer. There was a terrible stench; in the place of that terrible stench, Karmatī Jī hid the thirst of hunger for three days under the skin of that camel. For three days, she did not come out of the shell of that camel. The soldiers searched a lot for three days but did not find anything, so everyone believed that maybe she went somewhere, died—I don’t know what happened. Everyone was tired. After three days, Karmatī Jī thought that it was time for her to run, and she must have calmed down a little. At midnight, she took the way to Vṛndāvana. She started walking. At that time, Saurav Jī was going with her to the Gaṅgā for a bath. She walked with Saurav jī and came to Vṛndāvan. The first female devotee to come to Vṛndāvan was Karmatī Bāī. 700 years ago, there was nothing in Vṛndāvan. There was Yamunā, latāī; there was no temple, there was no place. There was no one to go to Vṛndāvana. It was a dense forest. The form of Vṛndāvan that we see today was given by Svāmī Haridās Jī, Hitharī Vaṁśu Mahāprabhu, and Harirām Vyās Jī. Before that, there was nothing in Vṛndāvan. Karmatījī reached such a dense forest. Aisā tīvra vairāgya, koī bhī nahīṁ, koī ḍar nahīṁ, kyoṅ akelepan kī anubhūti hī nahīṁ thī unheṁ. Duniyā ko lagtā thā ki Vṛndāvan ghanā jaṅgal hai, usmeṁ koī nahīṁ hai, lekin Karmetī Bāī ko nahīṁ lagtā thā, unheṁ us ghane jaṅgal meṁ latāoṁ-patāoṁ ke madhya vihar karate hue, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa nazar āte the, sakhīyāṁ nazar ātī thīṁ, nikuñj kā darśan hotā thā—main akelī kahāṁ hūṁ, dekho, merā samrā Rādhā Rānī ke sāth vihar kar rahā hai, dekho ye sakhīyāṁ. Pūrījī Siddha Pūrījī were aware that if Karmatī would have gone, then Vṛndāvan would have gone. While searching for Vṛndāvana, her father came to Mathurā. From Mathurā, he took his disciples with him and came to Vṛndāvan to search for his daughter. At that time, Karmatījī, on Brahm Kuṇḍ—where Brahmājī had prostrated to God—she used to sit alone in that place and pray. Parśurām Paṇḍit jī saw his daughter. The body was completely crushed, completely dilapidated. The body was covered with leaves, and tears were flowing from the eyes. That Karmatī was looking at the stream of Yamunā. Looking at the stream of love flowing, she met her father. Her father said, “You used to do bhajan at home. Why did you leave the house? You told me that I would not let you be a sinner. You cut my daughter’s nose. You left the daughter of Rājpurohit and the house.” Karmatī Bhāī said a very beautiful thing. She said, “What is called the nose? Devotion is a nose. Find the nose among people. Devotion alone is the true nose of a human, the true honor. It is not found even in heaven. Parśurām Paṇḍit Jī, he pitā jī, āp baṛe rājpurohit ho, paṇḍit ho, āp ne sekhno māt bhāgavat ko paṛhā hai, bhāgavat kā marma nahīṁ samjhe āp, bhāgavat kā phal kyā hai, bhāgavat kī kathā kis liye hai. Why are these stories being told? Why are these stories being heard? You have told the story of the Bhāgavatam, and people have heard it. You have come to Dakṣiṇa Bāṭorī, and you have come home. I have heard the story, so what happened to my state? This ignorance has increased. The description of Kṛṣṇa in the Bhāgavatam has increased the desire to attain Him. I want to get Krishna. This is the result of the story. There should be love in Bhagavān. Krishna should settle in the heart while listening to the story. Prakaṭ ho kar mujhe Bāṅke Bihārī kā ye vigraha diyā hai. Āp is Bāṅke Bihārī ke vigraha ko le jāiye, isse Khaṇḍelā meṁ sthāpit kījai, in kī pūjā kījai. Āj bhī Karmetī Bāī ke diye hue, svayaṁ Yamunā Māiyā ke diye hue Ṭhākur Khaṇḍelā sī karme haiṁ. Baṛe pyāre Ṭhākur jī hai. Yeh hai Bhagavān ke prati prem. Yeh hai Bhagavān kā guṇa. Agar Bhagavān meṁ yeh ākṛṣaṇ kī śakti nahīṁ hotī, toh kaun Karmetī ghaṭ chhoḍtī? Kaun Mīrā dīvānī hotī, kaun Sūr śyām ke guṇ gātā? So there is no difference between the good and the bad of Bhagavān. The bad of Bhagavān means that there is no form or formlessness of Bhagavān. There is no darpa, no dambha, no ahaṅkāra, no cañcalatā, no āsakti, no bandhana, no jaḍatā. The good that binds the living beings from the world—sattva, rajas, tamas—is not in Bhagavān. Pūrījī, Siddha Pūrījī, Siddha... Rāmjī is dhārādhām ko chhoḍ kar gaye, wo tithi kisī ko nahīṁ patā. Krishna is dhārādhām ko chhoḍ kar gaye, wo tithi kisī ko nahīṁ patā. Uskā ulekh nahīṁ. Bhagavān Sāket gaye, uskā pīchay, jaise Daśarathjī gaye, to pīchay śarīr bachā, uskā antim sanskār huā. Rāmjī kā antim sanskār huā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa kā antim sanskār huā, kī unkī deh pañca tattvaon se mil kar nahīṁ banī thī. Cidānandamaya hai deh tumhārī. Prabhu, āp kī deh jo svarūp dikhātā detā hai, vo saccidānandamaya hai. Vo pañcabhūtātmaka nahīṁ hai. Usme pṛthvī kā vikāra nahīṁ, jala kā vikāra nahīṁ, agni kā vikāra nahīṁ, vāyu kā vikāra nahīṁ, ākāśa kā vikāra nahīṁ. Vo cidānandamaya hai. Part 3: The Grace of Divine Pastimes: From Kabir to Harpal and the Eternal Union of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa This is why those who undertake pilgrimage and perform saṁvaraṇa leave nothing unresolved. Their devotees, who became endowed with such divine glories, also departed in their very bodies. While absorbed in the Lord’s bhajana, their body itself becomes formless. There is direct evidence in Śrī Kabīra Dāsa Jī. Kabīra Dāsa Jī is a historical, well-established great soul. As to how Kabīra Dāsa Jī took birth, no historian has definitively established the facts, but according to the Bhaktamāla, by the grace of Śrī Rāmānandāchārya Jī, Kabīra Dāsa Jī manifested directly from flowers. In the service of Śrī Jagadguru Rāmānandāchārya Jī, there was a brāhmaṇa maiden, a child widow. Her father used to serve Rāmānandāchārya Jī. Occasionally she would go for darśana. Once, her father had to go out for essential work, so he entrusted the service of bringing flowers and such to that maiden. Rāmānandāchārya Jī never used to look at any person. The maiden placed the wood, fruits, flowers, and service items, offered praṇāma, and said, “Father did not come today, therefore mother sent me with these items of service.” Now, Rāmānandāchārya Jī, a renounced great soul—what importance does he see in any householder? Even more so, he did not keep dhyāna or śraddhā; he simply thought, “She is the daughter of a brāhmaṇa, she is bowing, so I should give a blessing.” From his mouth came the words, “May you have a son.” The poor girl began to cry: “I am a young widow, where will a son come from?” Then Rāmānandāchārya Jī said, “It came out from my mouth. If the word of an ācārya proves false, that would be a great wrong. How can it be false?” Therefore, Rāmānandāchārya Jī said, “Spread the pallu of your sari, spread your jholi,” and he placed flowers of Śāligrāma Jī, tulasī leaves, and so on into her jholi. As that girl took that jholi and went, it felt a little heavy. By the grace of the Bhagavad Gītā, those very flowers, those very tulasī leaves, transformed into a newborn child. She was very frightened: if she took that boy home, what would people say? In Kāśī, on the bank of a pond, she set down the infant and went home. That very infant was found by a julāhā couple, Nīrū and Nīmā, and they named him Kabīra. Because he had manifested from flowers, thus Kabīradāsa Jī. When he later took samādhi in Magahara, people wondered: who is Kabīradāsa Jī—Hindu or Muslim? As soon as the cloth was removed from his body, only flowers remained, for he had manifested from flowers. His body was also of the nature of Saccidānanda. His body was not made of material nature. That is why, when the shroud was removed, only flowers remained. The Lord is of the nature of Saccidānanda. Your body is of the nature of Saccidānanda. He manifests in the form of Saccidānanda. That is why Saccidānanda alone remains. That is why the Lord is called formless. Not because His form is not visible; His form is visible. In whatever form we wish to see the Lord, we can see it even today. The Bhagavad Gītā, the Bhagavad Gītā, the Bhagavad Gītā—therefore He is of the nature of Cidānandamayī. The very form of Cidānandamayī indicates His formlessness. It indicates His śakti. For the sake of the devotee, He manifests before the devotee. He comes in every form: “O my Lord! Call Him however you wish.” Indeed, for the devotees, the Lord comes to be robbed. There was a devotee in Gujarat, Harapāla Jī, a great devotee of the Lord. His wife also greatly worshiped God. Both husband and wife had a very generous nature. In their house, many saints were served. Whoever went, the saints would eat there and receive much in charity. They were constantly engaged in service, so they had no time to earn. They paid no attention to worldly life. As long as wealth remained in the house, they lavishly gave it in service to the saints. If they would not earn but only serve the saints, how long would the wealth last? One day, the wealth was exhausted. Harapāla Jī said, “The saints will not go hungry. We will feed them,” and he began to borrow. He borrowed heavily. So much debt accumulated that people stopped lending. People said, “If money goes to them, it will not return. Better not to give loans.” Now loans were forbidden, yet the coming and going of saints did not diminish. Harapāla Jī said, “Even if we have to go to hell, we will not abandon service to the saints. If people will not give loans, then we will steal.” This is the character of ādibhakti. Stealing is a sin, but everything was already given away—first he gave the property of the house, then more, and more. When people stopped giving loans, Harapāla Jī began stealing to serve the saints. He would go to people’s houses and steal, taking whatever he got. But keep one thing in mind: he stole only from the house of those who were without devotion, those who were not interested in serving the saints. If he went to someone’s house and perhaps they were taking the name of Lord Rāma, if he heard the name of God, he would not steal from that house. One day, many saints arrived at Harapāla Jī’s house. That day there was nothing in the house. It was daytime, and he thought, “Stealing is done at night. What to do during the day? We will do some hard work as laborers. If not, we will have to rob.” So he seated the saints at home, took his stick, went to the main door, and stepped out toward the city, saying, “Today we must do something. Ṭhākura will surely help.” He began remembering Dvārakādhīśa. Here, Dvārakādhīśa said, “Today I must shower grace upon my devotee. My devotee serves the saints and does my bhajana.” The Lord himself became a merchant and stood at the door, adorned with splendid ornaments set with diamonds and gems, and Rukmiṇījī also made herself ready. He made her a merchant’s wife, and both Dvārakādhīśa and Rukmiṇījī, taking many ornaments and a great deal of money with them, reached the gate of that town. Harapāla Jī was walking with his stick, chanting “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” The merchant asked, “O young man, will you guide us to that village? We have a lot of money, and we are in danger that someone will steal it. Tell us the way.” Harapāla Jī said, “I will take all the money and go to you—I will show you the right way, but first I will work as a laborer.” In those days, five hundred years ago, the merchant gave one rupee for the labor. Harapāla Jī handed that one rupee to his wife—one rupee was a lot then—and told her, “Arrange for the saints’ meal. Until I return, it seems this merchant and his wife are very wealthy. I will arrange for the service of the saints for a very long time.” Harapāla Jī went ahead. The merchant said, “Harapāla Jī, you walk ahead of us, because if any danger comes there, the first attack will be upon you. We will walk safely behind.” Actually, the Lord likes to walk behind the devotees so that He becomes purified by the dust of their footsteps. Pātakapāvana Prabhu is made holy by the foot-dust of the devotees. What a wonderful example this is! And now the Lord thought, “We will not be robbed like this—let us perform some līlā, some drama.” So Rukmiṇījī, as the merchant’s wife, began to talk: “Look, we have brought so much money with us.” They started discussing large sums. And in between, Rukmiṇījī would say, “At least do some charity, at least perform some good work.” As soon as Rukmiṇījī said such things, the merchant Dvārakādhīśa said, “Be quiet. Feeding these sādhus and saints only increases their idleness. Don’t work, don’t waste time, never spend money on them.” Rukmiṇījī said, “Build a temple for them, engage them in serving God.” The merchant retorted, “What is God? Is God wealthy? Why build a temple? Why install a stone image?” Now Harapāla Jī overheard this and thought, “This is a house of atheists. One should certainly seize the wealth of such atheists, because they themselves will never spend their money on God or on the service of saints, but their wealth will be put to proper use.” Harapāla Jī turned, brought his staff forward, and challenged, “O Merchant, O Dvārikādhīśa!” The Lord began to tremble—see what wonderful līlā the Lord performs for devotees! He said, “What are you doing? Give me all the wealth you have!” He spread out a cloth, and God placed all His possessions upon it—He had been waiting for this very offering. He removed all the jewelry He wore and all the wealth. Rukmiṇījī also took off all her ornaments and placed them in that jholi. One piece was a bit tight and would not come off. Harapāla Jī said, “With this, provision can be made for many saints. You have given away so much, but what about this one? If it doesn’t come off, I will pull it off.” As soon as he reached out his hand to pull it, Rukmiṇījī grew angry. “What kind of greedy man is he? Are there devotees like this?” But Dvārakādhīśa understood that if Mahālakṣmījī appears in her true form now, the whole līlā would be spoiled. So immediately, the merchant revealed his true form: Dvārakādhīśa gave direct darśana to Harapāla Jī. In that moment, Harapāla Jī realized, “Those whom I have robbed were not a merchant and his wife—they were Dvārakādhīśa and Rukmiṇījī themselves!” Thus, this illustrates the difference between the Lord’s goodness and His non-goodness. We were describing the inherent saṁvit-śakti. The Lord becomes good toward the world only because of His saṁvit-śakti. That saṁvit-śakti is Śrī Rādhikā Jī. She transforms even the Lord’s apparent harshness into grace and compassion, compelling Him to bestow mercy. Brahmājī, praising the Yugala Svarūpa, says: “He Rādhā Rānī, it is only because of You that we are able to behold these beautiful darśanas of the Lord. May Your divine couple remain ever unbroken.” The rasika devotees always ask for this. Whenever there is an understanding in the Rādhāvallabha tradition, the rasikas sing of the marriage of Rādhā Rānī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, yet Their union is eternal. Still, the devotees desire that They continue to enjoy divine play in this very manner, so that Their beautiful vision may ever remain ours. This praise of the divine couple’s dual form was sung by Brahmājī—the beautiful praise of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Now here, what is the Rādhā Tattva? Its analysis is also found in other Purāṇas. Who is Rādhārānī? Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the complete supreme soul, the master of Goloka. Once in Goloka, at the beginning of creation, there was nothing. It was the will of God. He thought: “I am the power of my own thought, the power of my own will, the śakti that makes Me unique, through which I move in creation—I am the reflection of that power. I myself am its reflection.” When God thought thus, a divine light emerged from God’s being, from His left side, and that divine light gradually transformed into a beautiful, charming young maiden. That divine light born from the left side of the Lord is the Lord’s saṅkalpa-śakti. She was named Rādhā. Why the name Rādhā? As soon as Rādhā Rānī manifested, she began to consider: “From whom have I appeared? Where have I come from?” She could not comprehend her own true nature through deliberation and discrimination, for Kṛṣṇa is not attainable by reason and discernment; He is attained only through love. Then that Rādhā Tattva, the blissful potency that appeared from the Lord’s left side, closed her eyes and, within herself, meditated deeply on her support, on her śaktimān. She called out to Him with loving feeling, and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave darśana, Goloka gave darśana. The moment she beheld Śrī Kṛṣṇa, that divine śakti ran and embraced the Lord—she performed dhāvana, the act of running. She embraced the Lord, and because of this, the Lord named that śakti of His “Rādhā.” She came running, she came racing, and embraced the Lord, so from the Lord’s mouth came the words, “Rādhā dhāvatī āgacchatī”—She is Rādhā because she runs and arrives. Now observe the attraction toward each other. “Milata rahata manau milahu kabahū na.” This is the nature of love: there must be ever-fresh novelty. Love never grows old; every moment appears new. That is why the union of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is ever a new union. Even while meeting, They feel as if They are meeting for the first time—such freshness, such newness, such beauty. Just as the Gāṅgā flows, in every flow, every wave, every ripple, there is novelty: though the river flows, the old water moves on, and every moment there is new water. Similarly, the union of Rādhā Jī and Kṛṣṇa Jī holds this eternal freshness. Their mutual attraction never becomes stale. Both are the Śrī of each other. That is why They are called Śrījī. Śrī means the one who is taken as an adornment, a blessing. The power that bestows blessing is named Śrī. This power gives us the blessing of the Lord. You will see our Kaniyās—they can never stand straight; they stand with garlands around Rādhā Jī’s neck. Rādhā Jī stands with her head on Kṛṣṇa’s shoulder. They are each other’s ornament. The sakhīs crafted the beautiful scene of the nikunja līlā, adorned the private bower, and after enjoying rāsa-vilāsa, the Lord said, “My Mother is grieving; We are reveling here in rāsa-vilāsa with the sakhīs, but my Mother has been praying for a long time.” So, singing and music filled the air, as it does here abundantly. For what else would happen in a wedding? The Lord remembered that Mother Yaśodā had been praying, and Rādhā Rānī said, “Very well, I will send You to Your home.” But Nanda Bābā would not know who She was. So the Lord again assumed the form of an infant, came into Rādhā Rānī’s lap, and Rādhā Rānī at that very moment went to Gokula and manifested to give darśana to Yaśodā Māiyā. Yaśodā Māiyā beheld that divine śakti—so beautiful, so effulgent. And Rādhā Rānī placed Lālā in Mother Yaśodā’s lap, saying, “Mother, this is your Lālā. No calamity will befall your Lālā. If any calamity does come, such power will arise in Him that He will be saved from all danger.” That same Rādhā Rānī then became absorbed in deep meditation and you went to the village of Rawal. In the form of a small girl, such divine play occurred: both of Them, on Their own, got married, enjoyed the bliss, and then became children again. It was very beautiful. The account of their marriage is for tomorrow. We will remember the remaining pastimes later. For now, only the discussion of the marriage took place. Because He is our Dulhā Sarkāra, isn’t He? A wedding should take place every day with Rādhā. In the Rādhāvallabha tradition, Ṭhākura Jī’s wedding takes place daily. Today, our Yugala Sarakāra’s wedding took place. Seating the divine couple in Rādhā, we will give our discourse a pause. May this beautiful, ever-new pair, this Abhīrava couple, these eternal youths, forever revel in our heart’s Rādhā-embodied Vṛndāvana. Lord, the beautiful arrangement of Your wedding was done. By the story of this wedding, may our Navalakiśora Couple be pleased. Again and again, with folded hands, we beg only this: may You continue Your rāsa-vilāsa in this very way in our heart’s Rādhā-suffused Vṛndāvana; may You ever reside upon our Rādhā-like seat; may we ever gaze upon Your divine couple.