Radha's Prema

(A DRAMA)

Heart is the symbol of Love.

Love is Truth. Love is Power.

Love is God. To love God is to love man

and to love man is to worship God.

By

Sri Swami Sivananda

World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 1999

WWW site: http://www.SivanandaDlshq.org

Published By

THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

P.O. Shivanandanagar—249 192

Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh,

Himalayas, India.

DEDICATED TO RADHA—THE WORLD-MOTHER AND HER LORD MURLI MANOHAR

CONTENTS

Love is God

Publishers' Preface

Foreword

Introduction

Dramatis Personae

Synopsis

Scene I

Scene II

Scene III

Scene IV

Scene V

Namo Namo Kirtan

. Beloved of God! Salutations. Heartiest greetings for a spiritually Glorious, prosperous, happy New Year.

To you, who are leading the Divine Life, the New Year brings a really new year, something very different from the old year! It marks another milestone on the road to God. Feel, realise that on this New Year’s Day you have had a rebirth into the Divine.

You are the Beloved of God. For, you love God. This Love of God is the fruit of many, many lives of Tapasya that you have lived. Kindly guard it zealously through Japa, Kirtan, Swadhyaya, Dhyana, Charity, and Introspection.

The Lord is ever with you. He is everywhere. He surrounds you and fills your being. See God and God alone in all faces. Feel that He is the Indweller of all beings. Love all. Serve all. Then, He, through everyone, will make you happy.

May Lord bless you and your family with health, long life, prosperity and devotion. Thy own Self,

Swami Sivananda

This Letter was written by Sri Gurudev to Sri Swami Arpanananda ji Maharaj.

PUBLISHER’S PREFACE

This publication titled “Radha’s Prem” by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj is a dramatic presentation of the various stages and phases of Supreme Divine Love, as illustrated in the life of the exemplary symbol of devotion, Shri Radha Ji of Brindavan, in Her love for Lord Krishna. The conversational depiction of the dramatis personae is eminently suited to present a histrionic effect on the minds of the readers. The intention of the work is to highlight the Supremacy of Divine Love or devotion as a pre-eminent way to God-realisation. Usually, love, in common parlance, is construed as the medium employed by feeling by which the lover and the beloved are brought in contact with each other in an experience of communion, though normally two individuals cannot commune with each other by any amount of mutual affection on account of the fact that individualities maintain their formal self-identity and the one does not lose oneself in the other. Thus, mortal love, human affection, is an artificial mechanism which promises a union of the lover and the loved one but never does really fulfil the promise. Earthly love thus ends in sorrow, bereavement and death, since the principle of separation is permanently at the back of even the attempted union through sensory and mental acts of mutual contact. Divine Love is of a different nature altogether. Persons who are enmeshed in thinking through their physical body and the senses cannot arise to the level of a state of love which does not require an object outside itself and therefore obviates the necessity for any endeavour for external contact. Divine Love is the soul pouring itself on soul, the Infinite colliding with the Infinite in the forms of perception and objects of cognition. The life of Sri Krishna and the love of Sri Radha are a famous, lofty tradition come down to us as beckoners to a superhuman form of spiritual longing quite unknown to the mind lodged in physical matter or the bodily encasement. Through the pages of this book will be revealed eminently the forms of Godly love and its ways which are an eludingly multifarious variety. The Rasa Panchadhyayee of the Srimad Bhagavata is supposed to be the quintessential narration of the dramatic enactment through which Divine Love manifests itself in action and ecstasy. The author, a great saint and sage, caters through these pages an excellent treat for the benefit of all devotees throughout the World.

—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

Shivanandanagar,

25th February, 1987.

FOREWORD

Civilised society is afflicted with a number of diseases. Some of them are disreputable and some fashionable. Amongst the latter, scepticism and irreligion are two widely prevalent afflictions. The modern man takes pride in his fashionable maladies. In their negative aspect, the complaint remains in the form of a general disbelief. In this stage it is not so dangerous. In a more virulent stage it assumes the form of criticising and attacking religion, traditional belief, long-cherished ideas and time-honoured truths. In this form it is a serious and complicated combination of Asuric blasphemy, obstinate egoism and aggressive agnosticism. The purblind vision of the patient then perceives defects in divinity, dark carbon in the dazzling diamond and base passions in the very perfection of spiritual purity and divine love. To counteract these dire maladies, a new technique of divine ray-therapy is necessary. There is no other method. Treat him with divine rays of spiritual knowledge and let him absorb the light emanating from the Jnana Surya of the spiritual realm and the patient will be affected and the jaundiced vision of disbelief will give place to a true insight and understanding of the real nature of the divine frame, the Radha-Krishna Tattva and the glory of the divine nature, the devotee’s love and potency of the Divine Name. This brilliant little play forms such a course of spiritual treatment. This revealing light ray will surely penetrate into the diseased system of those that fail to see the glory of divine love in its proper light and open their inner vision, bestowing devotion and faith unto them. The absolute purity of the Gopi’s hearts by far surpasses the Himalayan snow. Become pure. Then you may understand just a little of the grandeur of divine love.

INTRODUCTION

Salutations to Sri Radha, the World-Mother, who took her birth at Barshana, near Vrindavan, who is an embodiment of Sri Krishna Prem! The supreme emotion, Mahabhava, is the quintessence of Prem. Radha is the personification of this Supreme Emotion. The play of Radha with Sri Krishna is extremely deep; it cannot be learnt from the Dasya, Vatsalya and other Bhavas. The Sakhis alone are qualified for it. They alone relish this Leela in full. Sakhis, or those who worship Sri Krishna in the spirit of His Sakhis, have a right to this Leela. A Sakhi does not yearn to play with Krishna all by herself. She feels a keener delight in contriving Krishna’s dalliance with Radha, Radha is indeed the Wish-yielding Creeper, Kalpalata, of the love of Krishna. The Sakhis are the leaves, flowers, and shoots of the creeper. If the nectar of dalliance with Krishna waters the creeper, the leaves, etc., take delight in it million times more than if they themselves had been watered. The Sakhis do not long for Sri Krishna’s embrace, but they exert themselves to make Sri Krishna embrace Radha. They send Krishna to her for this purpose under various pretexts. They attain thereby a bliss million times sweeter than that of selfish enjoyment. The unselfish devotion of these towards each other strengthens the deliciousness, Rasa. The sight of such unselfish, pure Prem pleases Lord Krishna. The love felt by the Gopis, is not really earthly lust. Earthly lust seeks sensual gratification for one’s own self. The Gopis abandon all idea of self and seek Krishna’s enjoyment. They did not yearn for their own pleasure. They embrace Krishna only to please Him. You cannot attain Krishna, however much you worship Him, if you only meditate on Him as a Divinity and not serve Him as a Gopi. See how Lakshmi adored Him, but could not attain Him in Vraja. Radha is Devi. She is the queen of lustrous beauties and the abode of Sri Krishna’s love-sports and worship. She beholds Lord Krishna in anything and everything she sets Her love-lit eyes upon. Lord Krishna is the supreme matchless Lover and Sri Radha is identical with Krishna. She is part and parcel of Krishna and His love-energy. Her sole object of existence and devout prayers, is to fulfil the wishes of Sri Krishna. Hence She is named Krishnamayi by the Puranas. She is full of Krishna inside and outside. Krishna is the charmer of all. Radha is Krishna’s charmer and therefore the Supreme Goddess. She is the worshipped of all the worshipped deities. She is the fosterer and mother of the worlds. She is the presiding deity of the Lakshmis of Vaikuntha or of the six divine attributes of Lord Krishna. She is the chief of Krishna’s divine energies. She is the seat of concentrated beauties or the source and centre from which the Lakshmis draw their beauties. Lord Krishna is the embodiment of bliss. He is the source and centre of real happiness. Bliss is divine elixir that bestows immortality. Sensual pleasure is a poison which causes diseases and death. Lord Krishna has a certain energy called Antaranga or Svarup Shakti. This Shakti which has the power of giving delight to Krishna and His Devotees, is called Hladini Shakti or delight-giving energy. The essence of Hladini is Prem or selfless Krishna’s Prem. This selfless love is called Ananda-Chinmaya-Rasa. The quintessence of this Rasa or Mahabhava is Radha.

Radha is the embodiment of Mahabhava. The word Radha etymologically means a devotee. Radha is the chief of Krishna’s sweethearts. All the Lakshmis of Vaikuntha are Her Vilasa-Murtis. The queens of Dwaraka are Her reflections. Lalita and other Gopis of Vrindavan are Her manifold forms. She pervades the Gopis in Her subtle form in order to contribute to Krishna’s enjoyment. Radha is Krishna’s delighter, charmer and life’s all. She is the queen of all the lovely maidens of Vraja. She is the Crest-Gem of all celestial beauties. Radha and Krishna are inseparable as fire and its heat, ice and its coolness, the flowers and its fragrance. The body of Radha is made up of sweet tenderness and loveliness for Sri Krishna. The substance of her subtle form as Mahabhava is Krishna Prem. Ardent passion for Sri Krishna is her dress. Her sweet radiant smile is the camphor. All good qualities are her garlands. All the Bhavas form the ornaments, her limbs. Lord Krishna’s name, qualities form the ornaments of Her ears. Krishna’s name and qualities flow out in a stream from Her tongue. She serves Krishna with the drink of Premarasa or Shyama-rasa. The culmination of Bhakti is reached in Madhurya-Bhava. The lover and the Beloved become one through the intensity of love. Radha had this type of love. In Madhurya-bhava there is the closest relationship between the devotee and the Lord. There is no sensuality in Madhurya-Bhava. There is no tinge of carnality in it. Passionate people cannot understand this Bhava as their minds are saturated with passion and lower sexual appetite. In the secular sphere the only “love” which approaches this Bhava to an appreciable nearness is the love, a grown-up son has to his mother. Here, there is not even a semblance of the sex-element prevalent. Is there the least carnality in the love, a son has for his mother? Sufistis saints also have the Bhava of lover and the beloved (Madhurya-Bhava). Gita Govinda written by Jaya Deva is full of Madhurya-Rasa. The language of love which the mystic uses cannot be comprehended by worldly persons. Only Gopis, Radha, Mira, Tukkaram, Narada, Hafiz, can understand the language. Glory to Radha, the consort of Lord Krishna! Glory, glory to Lord Krishna, the Joy of Devaki, the goal of Yogis, the refuge of devotees, and the delight of Yasoda and Nanda. May their blessings be upon you all!

Radha’s Prem

(A One Act play in five scenes to bring out the supreme position of Bhakti in Yoga Sadhana.)

Dramatis Personae

Jnana Dev .. A Brahma-Jnani and votary of the Yoga of Synthesis.

Atmanandaji .. A Bhakti-Jnana Yogi.

Prem Das

.. A student of Bhakti Yoga.

Murkharaj .. A disbeliever in Name and Form.

Dayalchand .. A friend of Murkharaj.

A few companions of Murkharaj.

Lord Krishna.

Sri Rukmini .................

:.. Sri Krishna’s consorts.

Sri Satyabhama...........:

Sri Radha .. Sri Krishna’s Beloved. Some Ranis.

Lalita............................

:

Bishaka........................:.. Gopis

: Nirmala........................:

Nrityaranjini .. Sri Krishna’s court-dancer.

Synopsis The drama that is now presented before you purports to bring out clearly the sublimity of the Path of Devotion to the Lord and also the essential unity underlying the three main-Paths. Truth is one; sages call it variously. By whichever route you ascend, you reach the same peak. This truth is brought out in the five scenes of this drama. Jnana Dev, a votary of the Yoga of Synthesis, is the principal character. To him is allotted the task of propounding the great ideas lying hidden under the surface of apparently commonplace-acts of the Divine Avatars. The Leelas of Krishna who incarnated on this earth to bring home to humanity the greatness of Bhakti Yoga and who through his actions, taught humanity for all time the technique of devotion, are taken up by Jnana Dev and analysed. In the first two scenes, Prem Das’s doubts and difficulties regarding the Leelas are cleared. Murkharaj, a man steeped in worldliness, plays a leading role in the next two scenes. Jnana Dev, by his scholarly expositions and practical illustrations is able to convert him into a Bhakta. In the last scene Atmanandaji, another Bhakti-Yogi, joins hands with Jnana Dev and in the end Murkharaj becomes a completely changed man, as it were, and even undertakes to preach the Yoga of Synthesis to the world at large.

Scene I

The one seemingly paradoxical feature in Sri Krishna’s Avatara which has heckled the innocent and semi-wise Bhakta and which has provided formidable and poisonous ammunition to the crooked disbeliever in devotion for use against such a Bhakta, has been Sri Krishna’s Rasa Leela with the Gopis. The first scene brings out clearly the most appropriate answer to the quixotic questions of this type of perverted intellect which cannot conceive of human relationship between man and woman other than through the medium of the flesh, the nobler spiritual love which permeated—nay was part and parcel of the Gopis. The Adwaitic Bhav of Para Bhakti is vividly put before you by Sri Jnana Dev.

Scene II

This scene is illustrative of the qualities of Para Bhakti—absolute effacement of the ego and complete self-surrender. A Supreme Bhakta never for a moment stops to think about himself, but has the joy of his beloved Lord—and that alone—before him. He loses himself in the service of his Lord—an ideal Karma Yogin. There is complete oneness between him and his Lord—the peak of Adwaita. Sri Radha’s attitude towards Krishna is taken to illustrate this; and an incident in their life is narrated. To remove the jealousy which the other Ranis entertain towards Radha, Sri Krishna pretends that he has intense pain in the stomach and wants the Charanamrita of a Bhakta, the only medicine. None except Radha (who forms the ideal for a Bhakta to emulate) is willing to give this medicine to Krishna. Every one thinks of his or her own happiness, in this world or in the other; but Radha has the only aim of removing the Lord’s pain and so, unmindful of her friends’ remonstrances, gives the “medicine”! Scene III The third scene brings the Sakara and Nirakara Dhyanins nearer each other—in fact they merge into each other. The wide gulf of superstitious belief against Sakara or Nirakara Upasana is bridged. It is shown, again by means of intelligent reasoning, how one is as essential as the other in the different stages of the evolution of man and how one smoothly leads to the other.

Scene IV

Scene IV gives a convincing scientific simile to show the effect of repeating the Name. It also brings down those who live in the Fool’s Paradise, like Murkharaj, thinking they will do Kirtan and Japa when they are old and dying. By means of simple illustrations it brings home the necessity of repeating the Lord’s Name incessantly till the Goal is reached.

Scene V

Again, in the fifth scene there is a happy fusion of the different paths. Another incident in Sri Krishnavatara is taken up as a main theme. The jealous gopis steal Sri Krishna’s flute and break it. Sri Krishna explains the significance of his flute and also the philosophical truth behind it. The flute is the ideal of a Yogi. It empties itself so that it may be filled with more and more of the Lord’s Divine music, thus qualifying itself to the privilege of ever remaining nearest and dearest to Him. In Divine ecstatic music the flute and the Lord become one and all duality disappears. So, can a Yogi become a Bhakta through selfless service and then even the duality of being nearest and dearest to the Lord disappears when he attains Para Bhakti and identifies himself with the Beloved.

Radha’s Prem

ACT 1

Scene I

1. Secret of Rasa Leela

[Place:—Ashram of Swami Jnana Dev. Time—8 o’clock in the evening] (Enter Prem Das and his Party of Sankirtanists) (All Sing in Chorus) Narayanam Bhaje, Narayanam Bhaje, Narayanam Bhaje, Narayanam.

Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram; Ram Ram Ram Ram

Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram; Ram Ram Ram

Rama Krishna Hari, Rama Krishna Hari Krishna Hari Ram Ram Ram

Radha Krishna Hari, Radha Krishna Hari, Radha Krishna Hari, Shyam Shyam Shyam.

[Sri Jnana Dev gives an absorbing discourse on Skandha X (Chapter 29—33) of the Bhagavata describing the sublime Rasa Leela. At the end of the lecture, after the others have left the Ashram, Prem Das approaches Jnana Dev, prostrates before him]

Prem Das: May I crave the indulgence of Your Holiness to clear a doubt which afflicts my mind, Swamiji Maharaj?

Jnana Dev: Yes, my child. I am always at the service of sincere aspirants.

Go ahead. You need not stand on any formality with me.

Prem Das: Swamiji, the people nowadays make contemptuous references to Lord

Krishna’s Rasa Leela. Though I feel that there must be a sublime truth

behind His Leela, I am not able to offer satisfactory explanation to those

vile critics, whom I have to face very often during the course of my

Sankirtan tours. I shall be eternally grateful to you if you will kindly

throw some light on this Mystery.

Jnana Dev: What exactly is your difficulty?

Prem Das: According to the Code of Dharma, it is adultery to remain in the

company of wives of other persons, to entice them and to sport and dance

with them secretly. Is Lord Krishna to be condemned for His conduct in this

respect during Rasa Leela?

Jnana Dev: Ah! A really pardonable doubt. Just listen to this marvellous

incident I am going to narrate to you and reflect on its deep import. The

women of Vraja once asked Lord Krishna to name some Brahmin to whom they

could offer food. Lord Krishna named “Durvasa”. The Gopis asked: “How can we

approach him? There is the Yamuna which is in floods. How are we to cross

it? Name some other Mahatma, please”. The Lord said “Request Yamuna in the

name of Nitya Brahmachari Krishna to give way and it will instantly do so.

The Gopis were amused, and though sceptic, did as requested and lo! the

river at once gave way for the perplexed Gopis to cross it; Yamuna indeed

knew the real Svarupa of Krishna, the spotless divine purity that He was! He

was a Nitya Brahmacharin.

Prem Das: That is a story I have often heard. But how can that be? He spent

a whole night with the Gopis and is said to have married 16,008 wives!

Jnana Dev:—It all sounds curious to you, doesn’t it? Lord Krishna’s Rasa

Leela is a mystery of mysteries. “Go” means a Jiva or Ego. Gopala means the

protector of Jivas. “Go” means also Prithivi or this earth or in other words

the Prakriti as distinguished from the Purusha Supreme. All Jivakotis are

Prakriti-sambhava. Gopala means the Lord and the protector of the entire

Jiva-rashis. Krishna means a kishora, i.e., a person between 7 and 12 years

of age. At the centre of Vrindawan, is the octagonal Yoga-seat of Sri

Krishna. He is the Lord of it. Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are His parts. His

primal Prakriti (life element by which He upholds the whole Universe) is

Radhika. Govinda with Radha is seated on the golden throne, on the seat of

Yoga with his favourites, Chandravati, Chitrarekha, Chandra, Madana Sundari,

Sri Madhumati, Chandrarekha, Hari-priya. The latter were His chief Sakhis

(Pat Ranis).

Prem Das: You are puzzling me further. But how does all this excuse the

actions of Krishna?

Jnana Dev:—Yes, I will tell you. But it seems preposterous to me. I should

attempt to explain this transcendental mystery to you. Who can presume to

explain the Rasa Leela? What mortal mind can approach, even in its wildest

flights of imagination, the divinity, the sublimity of Rasa Leela of the

Lord? Words are of no avail. The tongue fails. The poor mind or the

intellect cannot reach the heights of Truth. No one can really explain the

Truth, this Mystery, to any one else. Nor can any one grasp this sublime

Leela from another’s lips. Haven’t you read in the Gita:

A:Á:y:üv:t: p:Sy:et: keÁ:dðn:ö A:Á:y:üv:¾det: t:T:òv: c:any:H .

A:Á:y:üv:cc:òn:m:ny:H S:àN::ðet: Â:Øtv:apy:ðn:ö v:ðd n: c:òv: keÁ:t:Î ..

2.29..

à÷caryavata pa÷yati ka÷cidenaü à÷caryavadvadati tathaiva cànyaþ |

à÷caryavaccainamanyaþ ÷çõoti ÷rutvàpyenaü veda na caiva ka÷cit ||2.29||

One sees This (the Self) as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder;

another hears of It as a wonder; yet, having heard, none understands It at

all. (2.29)

God and His Leelas are not matters for discussion. They are for direct

perception and realisation. Ah, the Bliss that you get out of this

realisation, that itself is indescribable!

Now, I was saying something about Radhika and the pat-Ranis. Next to these

in importance comes the group of Gopis. The Gopis were the medium for the

Lord to express the infinite variety of His Bliss aspect. They were, in

their previous birth, the sages of Dandaka forest, who wanted to embrace

Rama. As Rama had taken the vow of “Ekapatnee-vrata” in that Avatar, he

could not accede to their request, but promised to fulfil their desire in

His next Avatar as Krishna. The sages were born as Gopis in their next birth

for eventual merging into the Lord. They had their husbands, their parents

and sons, they had their worldly duties to perform, some of them arduous

enough to require constant attention. But the Gopis’ mind was always fixed

on the Lord. When the time came for the union with the Purusha of the Heart,

when the signal music was heard, every Gopi shook off all the bonds and

offered herself up completely to the Lord. Nothing in the world could stop

them. This is the highest form of Bhakti. They present an ideal for us to

keep always before us. How can their glory be described?

Prem Das:—Excuse me, Maharaj. I am a bit dull-headed. Were not the Gopis

guilty of deserting their husbands and Krishna of seducing them with His

music?

Jnana Dev:—No, Sri Krishna performed the Rasa Leela to destroy carnality by

means of pure love or Prema. When the Gopis approached their Lord, there was

no human passion in them, no love of human flesh, no idea of material

gratification. It was the attraction of the soul for the Oversoul. They

placed themselves entirely at the service of the Lord. They were permeated

with Madhurya Bhav. The Lord only cared for their yearning to unite with Him

and not for their external status the worldly surroundings created by their

Prarabdha Karma. The Vrindavana Leela is Nitya or constant. The Rasa Leela

is for all time for the true Bhaktas. It was meant to build up faith, to

strengthen spirituality, holiness, to improve the minds of the Gopis in

particular and humanity in general.

Prem Das:—May be. But how does it help us in our spiritual path? To a lay

mind it all looks as one of the things which happen in a man’s life which

had better be forgotten.

Jnana Dev:—No. It was not merely a historical incident, but an eternal fact.

The night is the time of rest when spiritual activity sets in. There is

complete absence of Loka Vasanas. Man gets spiritual teachings and

advancement during that period unconsciously. But it is only for a few who

have a conscious union with the Lord who manifests Himself in the heart of

man. Many will have dreamless and peaceful sleep but only few will enter the

Turiya. Purusha is one Jiva Prakritis or Para Prakritis are many. To Purusha

the Jiva must always be negative, however positive it may be towards the

forms of Apara Prakriti. The Chaitanya is the Purushottama who generates

bliss all round the Purusha. There is no sex here. Purushottama is always

the male and to Him Jiva Prakriti is always a female. In devotional practice

one should consider oneself a female, the male being the Lord of the

Universe, as reflected in the heart of the Bhakta. The Gopis were not of the

world. They had become purified by Tapas in their previous birth. In this

birth they should merge in the Lord. For the sake of the blind man who will

not learn anything from the Sastras, they took the bodies of gopis to show

man how to love the Lord.

Prem Das:—You make my head reel by your explanation!

Jnana Dev: Truth is, as I said, strange, wonderful, deep in its import.

Listen! They had every right to the union with the Lord and Sri Krishna

could not deny them his companionship. Nay, it was a great thing to the Lord

Himself, that the Jivas should return to Him with all their spiritual

experiences. The concession was natural and the joy was mutual.

Let not the dullness of perception or the mean lust of passion in man sit in

judgment over this final beatitude of human aspirations. But in the midst of

the Union itself, there is a danger, a most subtle one at that, that of the

Egoism “I am in union with the Lord”. The Gopis thought of themselves and

there was an instant break in the union. Krishna could not be seen anywhere.

They imitated His actions in the world. They followed His footsteps wherever

found. Tears rained down their cheeks. They now realised that the Lord they

wanted was not only the son of Yasoda but the Lord of the Universe and they

forgot their egoism in their wonderful realisation and lo! the Lord appeared

again. The best way to get rid of egoism is to forget it completely or to

deny its existence whole-heartedly. This time there was union but not

individual union. Hand in hand, the Gopis formed a circle with their

Lord—not the individual Lord but the Universal Lord making Himself many in

their hearts as well as outside—and went on dancing with Him. The people of

Vraja, however, never missed their wives (Gopis) from their sides, through

the Lord’s Yoga Maya! The Devas looked with wonder and envied the lot of the

Gopis. Let us catch a glimpse of that divine love and dance—that Rasa

Leela—so that men may become gods on earth. Study the Bhagawata with faith

and devotion. Though even that has its own good results by way of creating

good Samskaras, mere reading is not all. You should understand the meaning.

Meditate on the sublime ideas underlying each Leela of the Lord. The doors

of the Great Secret will slowly, one by one, open to reveal to your

powerful, concentrated gaze, the immortal Truth that is apparently closed to

human vision through man’s ignorance. Once you tear this veil, you will

realise you are the Lord Himself—the state experienced by Radha.

Prem Das: Swamiji, our doubts about Rasa Leela have been melted away by the

fiery discourse you have given. We are immensely grateful to you.

(Prostrates).

Jnana Dev: (Sings).

Love is divine, Love is Prem, Love is nectar Love purifies, Love redeems,

Love transmutes.

Cultivate pure Love in the garden of your heart. God is Love.

A life without love, faith, devotion is a dreary waste and real death.

Develop burning Vairagya, shed tears of Prem, you will meet now your

beloved.

God bless you all. It is time for your food. By the way, are you going to

stay here? (Prem Das nods assent.) Oh! That is good. Saswat Swamiji, please

attend to his comforts, give him food, and take him to the room near the

temple. Om Namo Narayanaya.

(Saswat Swamiji leads Prem Das—Exeunt).

Scene II

(Next day evening at 8 p.m. all the devotees assemble in the verandah of Sri

Jnana Dev’s cottage. The Swami has specially illumined the hermitage as it

was Radha Jayanti day. A large picture of Sri Krishna playing the flute for

Sri Radha to dance, is placed on a specially decorated altar. Puja is

performed by the Swamiji himself. Prayers are said in a melodious and

resounding chorus by the inmates led by Swamiji. All the time the Swami is

engrossed in the Divine music and Radha’s dance. Slowly he passes into a

trance. A bright smile lights up his face. The gathering looks on amazed at

the sight and in a self-forgetting mood, begins to sing Kirtans. Slowly the

Swami comes back to consciousness. Prem Das who has all the time been

watching what was going on is visibly moved.)

Jnana Dev: Sings: (all others follow in chorus)

Mana Mohan Murli Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Gokul Mathura Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Raas Rachane Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Gaiya Charane Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Makhan Chorane Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Ananda Dene Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Bansi Bajane Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Gita Jnana Sunane Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Giridhar Uthane Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

Kannaya Kahane Vale Tumko Lakhon Pranam.

On the most auspicious day of Radha Jayanti let us pray to Her to give us

all intense devotion to the Lord and lead us on to the light of Truth, Sri

Krishna. Verily the Lord is more easily moved when we approach Him through

our Divine Mother; and it is a well-known fact that women have an abundance

of sympathy and affection overflowing in their heart. Lord Narayana is more

easily propitiated through Sri Lakshmi; Siva through Parvati. Sri Krishna

through Radha. May you all attain Para Bhakti and through Her Grace reach

the sublimest heights of Vedanta where you feel your oneness with the Lord!

Prem Das: Swamiji Maharaj! Your discourse yesterday provided much food for

our thought. The more we think of the Rasa Leela the more vividly does the

Truth present itself before us. Yesterday you made a passing remark to

Radhika as the primal Prakriti of the Lord. Again you said that all the

thousands of Gopis had intense love for the Lord. Why then should there have

been partiality on the part of the Lord towards Radha? No doubt myself and

my party of Sankirtanists have always associated Radha with Sri Krishna in

our Bhajan. But I must confess that I have never bestowed any thought on the

“why” of it. Yesterday it occurred to me after listening to your most

illuminating and simple discourse on Rasa Leela that you are the fittest

soul to have this mystery revealed to our eye.

Jnana Dev: You are really a divine child to have this inquiring mind. The

general state in which we find humanity today is that some have absolute

blind faith in His Leelas and would not question; others will not

believe—the perverted intellectuals—and would go on vilifying His Leelas

without caring to enquire. Don’t you know the famous adage: For those who

believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not, no explanation

is possible! On the one hand we have to encounter overcredulousness, on the

other, disbelief, scepticism, perversion. Meditate daily on one of His

Leelas; great truths will dance before you.

Radha is the Ananda aspect of the Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. Can a piece of

sugar-candy taste its own sweetness? This Lord in His inscrutable ways

wanted to taste the Ananda of His own Svarupa. And so, He projected Radha

and Himself was born as Sri Krishna.

Now, then, listen to a small story. Once Sri Rukmini, Satyabhama and the six

other Pat Ranis referred to by me yesterday, had a discussion: “We all love

and serve our Lord with great devotion and sincerity but He does not bestow

any attention on any of us. He always repeats Radha’s name alone. We must

ascertain from our Lord why she is so dear to Him”.

(Lord Krishna comes and He is garlanded by all of them. They sing and

welcome Him.)

Radha Krishna Bhajo Kunjabihari.

Muralidhara Govardhanadhari.

Sankha-Chakra Pitambaradhari.

Karunasagara Krishna Murari.

(Repeat first line four times.)

(Sri Krishna is extremely pleased at the very mention of Radha’s name;

repeats “Radhe, Radhe’ and is immersed in the bliss of the name “Radha”. The

Ranis all stand at a respectable distance watching this. Then pent-up

emotion bursts out and tears rain down their cheeks. Sri Krishna, still lost

in his trance sits down. Rukmini gains control over herself after a little

while, signals to Nrityaranjini to dance and bring the Lord back to

consciousness.)

(Enter Nrityaranjini)

Sunaja Sunaja Sunaja Krishna

Tu Giatwala Jnana Sunaja Krishna.

Pilathe Pilathe Pilathe Krishna

O Prem bhar Pyala Pilathe Krishna.

Laghaja Laghaja Laghaja Krishna

Meri Nayyaku Para Laghaja Krishna.

Sri Krishna slowly regains consciousness.

(Exit Nrityaranjini)

Lord Krishna: My dear Ranis! Your faces indicate that you are worried over

something. I see traces of tears left on your smooth flowery cheeks. May I

know what it is that stands in the way of my enjoying the sight of the sweet

and blissful faces of all of you, my dear ones?

Rukmini: My Lord. We all serve you, sincerely and devoutly. We love you; we

adore you. Yet you always repeat Radha’s name and show great reverence to

it. This pains us greatly. Are we not superior to Radha in our devotion to

you? This thought greatly torments us.

Lord Krishna: Rukmini, you—every one of you—no doubt, serve me with all

sincerity, but as you yourself said just now, you feel you are superior to

others on account of your relationship towards me. When you nourish your ego

with such ideas, where is the necessity for me to think of any of you? But

Radha has no such thoughts of herself or her superiority to others. She is

completely merged in me; she has burnt up all her ego. Therefore, I should

bring her particularly into my sphere of protection by always remembering

her and attending to her welfare.

Rukmini: My Lord, we can’t follow you. You are rather puzzling us. What do

you mean by saying that Radha has completely merged herself in you and that

we have not? Have we not surrendered ourselves to you completely? Why, we

are even prepared to give up our life in your service!

Lord Krishna: My dear Rukmini, don’t be so impatient. Wait for some time and

you will yourself know.

(After a week Lord Krishna pretended that he had intense pain in His

stomach. All His Ranis and servants were busy procuring medicines and

administering them to the Lord. But they found that the “pain” did not

abate. Therefore they begged of Krishna to tell them what they should do.

Lord Krishna: O! The pain is unbearable. What am I to do? (Keeps silent for

a few minutes.) There is only one medicine. I can’t think of any other. It

is easy to get; but I don’t know if you will get it.

Rukmini: Why do you say so, my Lord. We are all ready to sacrifice our lives

if you should need it. Name the medicine and it shall be brought before you

have said it.

Lord Krishna: The only cure for stomach-ache is to drink a spoonful of the

“Chraranamrita” of any of my true devotees. My pain will vanish immediately

I drink it. Will any of you oblige me by giving me this medicine? You are

all my Bhaktas and you can produce this medicine in the winking of an eye. O

Rukmini! Help me, help me. I can’t bear the pain. I shall lose my life if I

am not relieved of it immediately. O! please Rukmini, get a vessel and let

me have a little “Charanamrita”.

(Rukmini is shocked to hear these words. She closes her ears with her hands,

looks greatly perturbed and worried, looks hither and thither like a mad

woman.)

Rukmini: My Lord. You are the Lord of three Worlds. I respect you more than

I respect any one else in the world. How can I commit this heinous crime of

offering you my Charanamrita? What a horrible sin would it be, that you want

me to commit? Oh, please ask anything else. My life is yours. (Falls at his

feet.)

(Krishna looks at the others.)

All: We are ready to serve our Lord in any respect; but how can we give the

Lord our Charanamrita? We will go to Naraka and suffer there for ever.

(All prostrate before the Lord.)

Lord Krishna: O! My pain is increasing every moment. O! Lord, is there not

any one here who would help me. O! Rukmini, if you are not willing, please

ask any one of my Bhaktas to give me the Charanamrita. O! won’t any one take

pity on me? ...... Ah! (Krishna swoons.)

Confused as to what they should do, they all disperse willy-nilly.

(After sometime they return one by one.)

Sri Krishna is in the meantime ministered to by one of the Ranis. He slowly

opens his eyes.

Rukmini: I tried all the Bhaktas of the palace. None is willing to give

Charanamrita for fear of falling into Naraka.

Satyabhama: I tried all the Bhaktas in the town. They have the same feeling.

Oh! Lord. Suggest some way out of this dilemma.

Lord Krishna: Send a man to Barsana and try there.

(All disperse again except an attendant. Messengers are dispatched to

Barsana. One of them returns after a couple of hours, with a cup of

Charanamrita. All are pleased, overjoyed, Rukmini and the Ranis are

astonished. The Charanamrita is offered to Krishna. He drinks and is

relieved of the “pain”. He heaves a sigh of relief.)

Lord Krishna (Smiling): Who is that Bhakta who gave me this medicine?

Kaladas: My Lord, I went to Barsana and asked everybody to give

“Charanamrita” for the Lord. They all took me for a mad man. Some of them

shed tears but they could not bring themselves up to offering Charanamrita

to the Lord for fear of falling into hell. I had not passed through two