Kadamba Kanana SwamiTo fully understand the intensity of the exchanges between Radha and Krishna is only possible for one whom himself is capable of deep loving experiences and prior to that everything remains philosophy. Philosophy is nice in the sense that through philosophy we can possibly logically understand things that are beyond our experience , but the full experience can not be had. Therefore it is said that we are in the present state reading something about the exchanges between Radha and Krishna to get an idea of how advanced Love of God really is – but at the same time we can not experience the intensity.
It is explained that Srimati Radharani and the other Gopis are, in the evening time, hearing the flute being played by Krishna. When Krishna plays His flute, Venu, Krishna has different flutes, Venu is a small flute with nine holes – it is said that this flute is then attracting the Gopis, the flute is calling – and they leave everything and meet Krishna in the dead of night! ...
It is described in the Bhagavatam that Krishna then says :“What are you young girls doing in the forest in the night?
Don’t you know the forest is a very dangerous place?
Shouldn’t you be at home?
What will your parents say?
What will your husbands say?
Isn’t it inappropriate for a young girl to be out in the forest in the night ?
Shouldn’t you stay home?”
So here they have given up everything. They have left home at the call of His flute, dropped their babies, left the milk on the stove which is boiling over!
Didn’t care about what anyone has said. Just left! Gave up all social restriction and are told:
“What are you doing here?!” - And they are being sent back.
So it is understandable that they were totally bewildered , totally shocked by Krishna‘s behaviour. And He kept on, no matter what they said, He persistantly said that they should go back.
Anyway they decided not to go, no way - although Krishna’s persistant refusal to accept them caused again “separation.”
So even within the exchanges of meeting there is separation. Even when Radha and Krishna meet there is separation, more subtle levels of separation which comes about in the relationship itself , so this whole element is bought in of separation again and again to churn the rasa to increase the emotional exchange that exists.Now, in one sense to bring it down to our level , I don’t want to stay on this level in the lecture on Radha and Krishna, per say, but we can also apply the dealings of Radha and Krishna to our own lives ...because we can see how we are lacking, how we are lacking in our intensity, in our intensity and in our desire to be Krishna conscious.
We don’t want to be as Krishna conscious as Srimati Radharani wants to be. She wants to be always Krishna conscious, even to the point where She doesn’t even want to sleep because in sleep one forgets, She may just one time not dream about Krishna – although that is inconceivable but the risk is there! Therefore She better not sleep!
In our case we never dream of Krishna and if by chance we do, it is something we write an article about “ My dream with Krishna!” right?!
It is posted all over the place. It’s like something to tell your grand children!:
“I had a dream, a dream of Krishna!" "Wow”
How often does it happen?
When was your last dream about Krishna?
And even if we dream of Krishna it’s not such a deep dream of Krishna, right? We dream of Krishna but we are not so involved in our dream either. We are not so emotionally involved in real life ( Maharaja says in a relaxed emotionless voice): “Oh Jaya Radha Gopinatha, Jaya!” We are not fainting! We are not about to jump on the altar to embrace Lord Jagganatha!
But Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had the same intensity of Srimati Radharani and wanted to embrace the Deities and jump on the altar. not in a premeditated way: “Ok, I’m going to jump on the altar and embrace Jagannatha to show my devotion”
No ,He became overwhelmed and something happened to Him that was stonger than Him and somehow or other an even stronger emotion hit Him of ecstasy and He fell unconscious on the ground . When He came to His senses He realised that He was being overwhelmed by emotions of intense attraction for Lord Jagganatha which was not favourable for the service of Lord Jagganatha. He realised that “I will in my ecstasy, when it comes over me, jump on the altar and knock the Deities right of the altar - therefore I will never again go near the altar!”
And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu never again went near the altar:
“And I will from now on for the rest of my life stand in the back of the temple near the Garuda stumba so this thing can not happen.”
Not thinking (Maharaja says in an eccenetric pretentious way) ” Oh I was in front of Lord Jagganatha and then my emotions came out so strong that I was overwhelmed in my emotion ...I was getting it - the higher experience! ...Wow! Let me try that again!...yes yes yes here it comes again!”
No, not indulging in this emotional experience , but rather seeing:
” Oh no, this is not favourable for the Supreme Lord, I will never go near the Supreme Lord again , from now on I will never take a close up darshan again.” Could we handle it, I don’t know. So one can understand what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went through in that remote darshan. Again even more intense experience than being close up, because again separation, feeling that distance , He was feeling that distance very much - and He was feeling the seperation of the distance so much that many tears came from His eyes. So many - that there was a gutter near by and that just filled up with tears and was just like a stream running down. I mean: inconceivable!
(Kadamba Kanana Swami 07/09/2003)
