nitai

Gauracandra prabhu....please continue.

Another tip for when you are going to write down your dream, when you wake, do not move immediately, but just lay there for a minute thinking about your dream. Where can one read what Parashara Muni wrote Jndas Prabhu? Is it available in hindi or is in available in sanskrit only. (English would also be nice

Jaya Radha Damodara! My name is Vinod-bihari dasa, I am a 21 year old Computer Science student at the local university here in The Netherlands (Holland). I am studying for IT networking specialist. Still 1,5 year to go. I came in contact with Srila Prabhupada when I was 13 years old. I got attracted by Lord Gauranga and playing mridanga. Now I am very active in realizing a great project here. We are going to build a new temple called Ayodhya Mandir...guess Who the presiding deities will be? Our Krsna consciouss youth here is also doing very good. We are very preaching very nicely spreading Lord Caitanya's message. owh yeah...my most favorite personality is Sri Nityananda Rama Prabhu, I just love Him. I also am totally crazy about Lord Balarama. Well that's it...I think.

From Stavamala by Srila Rupa Goswami: pracinanam bhajanam atulam duskaram srnvato me nairyasena jvalati hrdayam bhakti-lesa lasasya visva-dricim aghahara tava karnya karunya-vicim asa-binduksitam idam upety antare hanta saityam pracinanam--of the great devotees in ancient times; bhajanam--devotional service; atulam--incomparable; duskaram--difficult to perform; srnvatah--hearing;me--of me; nairyasena--with despair; jvalati--burns; hrdayam--the heart; bhakti--of devotion; lesa--a small portion; alasasya--weak and indolent; visva-dricim--from Brahma down to the most insignificant creature; aghahara--killer of Aghasura; tava--of You; akarnya--hearing; karunya--of mercy; vicim--waves; asa--of hope; bindu--by a drop; uksitam--sprinkled; idam--this; upeti--attains; antare--within; hanta--indeed; saityam--coolness. I am very weak and lazy to do even the smallest devotional service and so when I hear of the peerless and difficult-to-perform services performed by the great devotees in ancient times, my heart burns with despair. O Lord, O killer of Aghasura, when I hear that Your waves of mercy splash everyone from the demigod Brahma down to the most insignificant creature, then my heart becomes sprinkled with a cooling drop of hope.

I read that book, its one of my favorites! Very nice pastimes.... i really love this book, I recommend it to everyone.

I once heard that the spiritual master suffers the sins of the disciple according to his pureness. The more pure the spiritual master the more transparant he is. Actually the spiritual master doesn't burn the sins of the disciple but passes them to Krishna. A pure devotee is 100% transparant and therefore all the sins end up by Krishna. If the spiritual master is like 50% pure, then he suffers some for the disciple.

Dear Gauracandra Prabhu, Hereby I am including a link from my homepage which isn't finished yet...but I uploaded a text file about the alvars, since it was 20 pages long, I didn't think it would be smart if I'd just copy pasted it here so here is the link. http://www.casema.net/~nitai/alvars.txt Let me know what you think!

thank you dear Viji! Where to find these scriptures? your servant, Nitai

Chapter 4 Bhagavad Gita As It Is. TEXT 1 sri-bhagavan uvaca imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave 'bravit WORD FOR WORD sri-bhagavan uvaca -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; imam -- this; vivasvate -- unto the sun-god; yogam -- the science of one's relationship to the Supreme; proktavan -- instructed; aham -- I; avyayam -- imperishable; vivasvan -- Vivasvan (the sun-god's name); manave -- unto the father of mankind (of the name Vaivasvata); praha -- told; manuh -- the father of mankind; iksvakave -- unto King Iksvaku; abravit -- said. TRANSLATION The Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku. PURPORT Herein we find the history of the Bhagavad-gita traced from a remote time when it was delivered to the royal order of all planets. beginning from the sun planet. The kings of all planets are especially meant for the protection of the inhabitants, and therefore the royal order should understand the science of Bhagavad-gita in order to be able to rule the citizens and protect them from material bondage to lust. Human life is meant for cultivation of spiritual knowledge, in eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the executive heads of all states and all planets are obliged to impart this lesson to the citizens by education, culture and devotion. In other words, the executive heads of all states are intended to spread the science of Krishna consciousness so that the people may take advantage of this great science and pursue a successful path, utilizing the opportunity of the human form of life. In this millennium, the sun-god is known as Vivasvan, the king of the sun, which is the origin of all planets within the solar system. In the Brahma-samhita (5.52) it is stated: yac-caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam raja samasta-sura-murtir asesa-tejah yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami "Let me worship," Lord Brahma said, "the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Krishna], who is the original person and under whose order the sun, which is the king of all planets, is assuming immense power and heat. The sun represents the eye of the Lord and traverses its orbit in obedience to His order." The sun is the king of the planets, and the sun-god (at present of the name Vivasvan) rules the sun planet, which is controlling all other planets by supplying heat and light. He is rotating under the order of Krishna, and Lord Krishna originally made Vivasvan His first disciple to understand the science of Bhagavad-gita. The Gita is not, therefore, a speculative treatise for the insignificant mundane scholar but is a standard book of knowledge coming down from time immemorial. In the Mahabharata (Santi-parva 348.51-52) we can trace out the history of the Gita as follows: treta-yugadau ca tato vivasvan manave dadau manus ca loka-bhrty-artham sutayeksvakave dadau iksvakuna ca kathito vyapya lokan avasthitah "In the beginning of the millennium known as Treta-yuga this science of the relationship with the Supreme was delivered by Vivasvan to Manu. Manu, being the father of mankind, gave it to his son Maharaja Iksvaku, the king of this earth planet and forefather of the Raghu dynasty, in which Lord Ramacandra appeared." Therefore, Bhagavad-gita existed in human society from the time of Maharaja Iksvaku. At the present moment we have just passed through five thousand years of the Kali-yuga, which lasts 432,000 years. Before this there was Dvapara-yuga (800,000 years), and before that there was Treta-yuga (1,200,000 years). Thus, some 2,005,000 years ago, Manu spoke the Bhagavad-gita to his disciple and son Maharaja Iksvaku, the king of this planet earth. The age of the current Manu is calculated to last some 305,300,000 years, of which 120,400,000 have passed. Accepting that before the birth of Manu the Gita was spoken by the Lord to His disciple the sun-god Vivasvan, a rough estimate is that the Gita was spoken at least 120,400,000 years ago; and in human society it has been extant for two million years. It was respoken by the Lord again to Arjuna about five thousand years ago. That is the rough estimate of the history of the Gita, according to the Gita itself and according to the version of the speaker, Lord Sri Krishna. It was spoken to the sun-god Vivasvan because he is also a ksatriya and is the father of all ksatriyas who are descendants of the sun-god, or the surya-vamsa ksatriyas. Because Bhagavad-gita is as good as the Vedas, being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this knowledge is apauruseya, superhuman. Since the Vedic instructions are accepted as they are, without human interpretation, the Gita must therefore be accepted without mundane interpretation. The mundane wranglers may speculate on the Gita in their own ways, but that is not Bhagavad-gita as it is. Therefore, Bhagavad-gita has to be accepted as it is, from the disciplic succession, and it is described herein that the Lord spoke to the sun-god, the sun-god spoke to his son Manu and Manu spoke to his son Iksvaku. -- TEXT 2 evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah parantapa WORD FOR WORD evam -- thus; parampara -- by disciplic succession; praptam -- received; imam -- this science; raja-rsayah -- the saintly kings; viduh -- understood; sah -- that knowledge; kalena -- in the course of time; iha -- in this world; mahata -- great; yogah -- the science of one's relationship with the Supreme; nastah -- scattered; parantapa -- O Arjuna, subduer of the enemies. TRANSLATION This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost. PURPORT It is clearly stated that the Gita was especially meant for the saintly kings because they were to execute its purpose in ruling over the citizens. Certainly Bhagavad-gita was never meant for the demonic persons, who would dissipate its value for no one's benefit and would devise all types of interpretations according to personal whims. As soon as the original purpose was scattered by the motives of the unscrupulous commentators, there arose the need to reestablish the disciplic succession. Five thousand years ago it was detected by the Lord Himself that the disciplic succession was broken, and therefore He declared that the purpose of the Gita appeared to be lost. In the same way, at the present moment also there are so many editions of the Gita (especially in English), but almost all of them are not according to authorized disciplic succession. There are innumerable interpretations rendered by different mundane scholars, but almost all of them do not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, although they make a good business on the words of Sri Krishna. This spirit is demonic, because demons do not believe in God but simply enjoy the property of the Supreme. Since there is a great need of an edition of the Gita in English, as it is received by the parampara (disciplic succession) system, an attempt is made herewith to fulfill this great want. Bhagavad-gita -- accepted as it is -- is a great boon to humanity; but if it is accepted as a treatise of philosophical speculations, it is simply a waste of time. -- TEXT 3 sa evayam maya te 'dya yogah proktah puratanah bhakto 'si me sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad uttamam WORD FOR WORD sah -- the same; eva -- certainly; ayam -- this; maya -- by Me; te -- unto you; adya -- today; yogah -- the science of yoga; proktah -- spoken; puratanah -- very old; bhaktah -- devotee; asi -- you are; me -- My; sakha -- friend; ca -- also; iti -- therefore; rahasyam -- mystery; hi -- certainly; etat -- this; uttamam -- transcendental. TRANSLATION That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science. PURPORT There are two classes of men, namely the devotee and the demon. The Lord selected Arjuna as the recipient of this great science owing to his being a devotee of the Lord, but for the demon it is not possible to understand this great mysterious science. There are a number of editions of this great book of knowledge. Some of them have commentaries by the devotees, and some of them have commentaries by the demons. Commentation by the devotees is real, whereas that of the demons is useless. Arjuna accepts Sri Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and any commentary on the Gita following in the footsteps of Arjuna is real devotional service to the cause of this great science. The demonic, however, do not accept Lord Krishna as He is. Instead they concoct something about Krishna and mislead general readers from the path of Krishna's instructions. Here is a warning about such misleading paths. One should try to follow the disciplic succession from Arjuna, and thus be benefitted by this great science of Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

yes, indeed Gauracandra Prabhu. I also found out some similarities, I read some articles of how the Egyptians described death. The descriptions almost exactly fits of that of when the yama dutas come and get a sinful person. It was very interesting. Also the whip that Lord Yamaraja carries was described that which catches the subtle body and drags it out of the gross body.

jayasriradhey: There are actually only TWO Sampradayas. One who believe in God and the other who do not believe in God. Nitai: In a standard Sanskrit dictionary, the word sampradaya is defined as "genuine instruction that has been received through guru parampara or disciplic succession" (guru paramparagatu sad upadesasya). The prefix sam indicates connection, while the stem is a cognate of pradhana, "source". In the fourth chapter of Bhagavadgita, Lord Krsna declares Himself to be the original source of the transcendental science of bhakti yoga, and He confirms that one is connected to this knowledge only through guru parampara. Just as a king gives protection to his citizens, these devotees, following the principles of devotional service, will give protection to all the people of the world. The people of the world are very much harassed by so-called religious-principled svamis, yogis, karmis and jnanis, but none of these can show the right way to become elevated to the spiritual platform. There are primarily four parties spreading devotional service all over the universe. These are the Ramanuja-sampradaya, the Madhva-sampradaya, the Visnusvami-sampradaya and the Nimbarka-sampradaya. The Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya in particular comes from Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. All these devotees are spreading this Krsna consciousness movement very widely and giving protection to innocent people who are being so much embarrassed by pseudo-avataras, -svamis, -yogis and others. SB 4/28/32)

The most important thing is siksa. Which you get also from a guru. So if you got it from a book, the person who wrote it is some way your siksa guru right? Anyway, sampradayas are bonafide and not sectarean since they originated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Offcourse there are socalled sects and deviations, but these are not called sampradayas, but apasampradayas. sriradhe: The first created Cosmic Lord Brahma is the foremost example of attaining God without the PHYSICAL GURU. Nitai: That is where our sampradaya started, with Lord Brahma who accepted Krishna as his spiritual master. That is why our sampradaya is called, Brahma sampradaya. Lord Brahma did not attain Krishna rightaway. He was curious who his father was and where he came from. Then he heard Omkara and started to meditate on this Om-kara. So Krishna did instruct him, by giving him Om-kara. sriradhey: Every thing else is man made to divide us,the true seekers, in the name of sampradayas. More harm is being done than good by these divisions. Nitai: No, the sampradayas are spiritually perfect. It is the people who forget the true purpose of the sampradaya, namely to attain God. There are different sampradayas since everyone has a different relationship with the Lord and different mood. The differences in pracara and upacara seen among the main Vaisnava sampradayas spring from the different moods of pure devotion exhibited by the founder acharyas of these sampradayas. Thus initiation into any one of these lines of teaching can bring one to the platform of perfect understanding of bhaktiyoga, regardless of variations in doctrine or ritual. There are four lines of disciplic succession: one from Lord Brahma, one from Lord Siva, one from Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, and one from the Kumaras. The disciplic succession from Lord Brahma is called the Brahmasampradaya, the succession from Lord Siva (Sambhu) is called the Rudra sampradaya, the one from the goddess of fortune, Laksmiji, is called the Sri sampradaya, and the one from the Kumaras is called the Kumara sampradaya. One must take shelter of one these four sampradayas in order to understand the most confidential religious system. In the Padma Purana it is said, sampradaya vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah if one does not follow the four recognized disciplic successions, his mantra or initiation is useless. In the present day there are many apasampradayas, or sampradayas which are not bona fide, which have no link to authorities like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, the Kumaras or Laksmi. People are misguided by such sampradayas. The sastras say that being initiated in such a sampradaya is a useless waste of time, for it will never enable one to understand the real religious principles. your servant, Nitai

dear Viji, one cannot kill the soul. I think it was just a slip of the keyboard :-) you do know this (since you are a scholar and nice devotee)...but just to make it clear for the others.

Nitai: how can it be discouraging? I mean, how do you know all these things? You read the Bhagavad Gita? Yes, did you manufacture it yourself how to attain Krishna abode? No....you got this transcendental knowledge from someone. So there is always a need of a spiritual master, this is logic. shvu: In my personal opinion, worship requires no knowledge and there is no specific way of doing it. All that is required is devotion, which cannot be given by others. It has to happen by itself. Nitai: worship does require knowledge, how little it may be. One should know how to please the Lord. Devotion is causeless, and still is awarded by the Lord Himself or His devotees. Devotion is given through the heart of the devotees. We are all 100% Krishna consciouss, but we forgot our eternal relationship with the Lord that is why that devotion or our love for Krishna has to be awakened. shvu: Devotion and worship will in no way reduce material pains Nitai: Nope they won't reduce it, since we are here in this material which is a place of suffering. What it will do, is that we will transcend it and ultimately go back to godhead.

haribol Gauracandra prabhu, You could find some information about ancient Egypt in a book called Spiritual Warrior Vol 1, written by Swami Krishnapada (H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Swami). Very good book.....I'll look it up when I get home. ys, Nitai

Dear shvu-ji, Shvu: Please provide me with any scriptural Quotes that state that it is impossible to reach Krishna's abode without a Guru. By Scriptural refernces, I mean anything that is from before Chaitanya's time. Nitai: the scriptures don't say that is it impossible to reach Krishna's abode without a spiritual master but for normal souls it is absolutely necessary to accept a spiritual master since we are conditioned souls. I have a quote from the Mandaka Upanishad (as I recall). I am at work now, but I'll post it tonight. Shvu: Also any information about Krishna starting Sampradayas as you stated earlier, would be of interest to me. Nitai: Yes, I was searching for this quotes, but I couldn't find it. I am going to ask some senior devotees. As I recall its from the Pancaratras. Srila Prabhupada referred it in one of his early Back to Godheads also. your servant, Nitai

One can kill a snake and scorpions, since they are envious creatures. This is what I understood. They will get a higher birth. If I couldn't kill the snake (I probably wouldn't since I'd be very scared) I'd certainly leave that place since this body is not mine, it belongs to Krsna also and should be utilized for His service and therefore protected. BTW Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada said that one could kill snakes and scorpions.

Shvu : The Bhagavatam talks about the various paths to God, and describes everyone of them. I can quote several verses, which decriber paths that don't require a Guru. My earlier statement was " A Guru is not an absolute necessity" and it still stands. Nitai: please quote. Accepting a spiritual master is absolutely necessary. Even in this material world we have different kind of gurus. Like the mother is often regarded as guru because she teaches you. But tonight (i have some free time now) I will provide you with quotes from various scriptures that say that without the guru one cannot reach Krsna's abode. Shvu : That is interesting, because I was not aware that Krishna started "Sampradayas". Can you give me the exact reference to the book and location where Krishna talks about Sampradayas ? Nitai: Yes I can, I'll have to look it up. But also Srila Prabhupada explained about these sampradayas. These 4 bonafide sampradayas are, Sri (Laksmi devi), Rudra (Shiva-ji), Brahma (Brahma-ji, our sampradaya) and Kumara (the four kumaras). So our sampradaya is called Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya. Shvu: After we clear this doubt, I will answer your last question too. Nitai: There is no doubt I am most certain since these words are according to guru & sastra and sadhu.

Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 34 Bhagavatam stresses so much on the acceptance of a spiritual master. There are innumerable quotes. Since I am at work here, and my memory isn't that good. I'll provide you with references if you like. All this stuff came after Chaitanya. He and his immediate followers turned it into a detailed hierarchical system, with various stages in between. Under the Vaishnava system, initiation from a Guru is compulsory. Nitai: Well there are 4 sampradayas which all come down from Krishna. It has always been like this. All the acharyas in our line where initiated. All of them. This is not fabricated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu or His followers, it already was there. I am giving references whereas you have failed to do so. Please back up your arguments. your servant,

thank you very much for that comment viji_53 Prabhu. Very nice indeed

a. That unalloyed devotees of Krsna are very dear to him (Krsna). C - Nope, Krishna says in the Gita that no one is hateful or dear to him. Everyone is the same to him. Nitai: Krishna does say this. He says that His devotees are very dear to Him. Why? Not because He is partial, no because the devotees love Him so He reciprocates. Everyone is same to Him in the sense that we are all His children. >b. That Krsna can not tolerate suffering of his close devotees. C - Nope, Krishna says in the Bhagavatam that the moment his grace falls on a person, he robs him of everything. The person is so distressed that, he has no choice but to turn to the Lord for relief. So if a person is suffering or in pain, it is to be understood as grace. Nitai: This verse describes not the suffering but what happens when a person turns to devotional service and progresses in devotional service. Krishna removes his/her material desires and attachment by taking away everything. While having a Guru is fine, it is not always necessary, as in the case of Shri Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharshi. Nitai: Accepting a guru is absolutely necessary. This is what Krishna says Himself, tad viddhi prani patena, pari prasnena sevaya, upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva darsinah. All of our acharyas accepted a spiritual master. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu also accepted a spiritual master. One cannot reach Krishna without accepting a spiritual master.

well, Prabhupada was not subject to his karma, because he was a pure devotee of Krsna. He did devotional service which is akarma, what is considered as no action. I heard a nice description of H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami, during the Sunday feast lecture at Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir he gave a example of how even though devotees have inconvenience it is still happiness for them since it is coming from the Lord and the example he gave was that when the father is playing with the child he sometimes throws the child up in the air playfully and for a moment the child undergoes some anxiety but very soon the child is back in the father's hands and soon the child and the father both are laughing. Thus, when Krishna gives us some so-called disturbance in our life it is for the pleasure of the Lord and to increase our love for Him." I completely agree with Gaurachandra Prabhu.

Dandavats dear devotees, Here is some nectar about the various forms of our eternal protecter Lord Nrsmhadeva. your insignificant servant, Vinod-bihari dasa ___________________ Vag isa yasya vadane laksmim yasya ca vaksasi yasyaste hrdaye samvit tam nrsimham aham bhaje "Lord Nrsimhadeva is always assisted by Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, and He is always embracing to His chest the goddess of fortune. The Lord is always complete in knowledge within Himself. Let us offer obeisances unto Nrsimhadeva." "I worship Lord Nrsimha, within whose mouth reside the great masters of eloquence, upon whose chest resides the goddess of fortune, and within whose heart resides the divine potency of consciousness." Prahlada hrdayahladam bhaktavidya vidaranam Sarad indu rucim vande parindra vadanam harim "Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, who is always enlightening Prahlada Maharaja within his heart and who always kills the nescience that attacks the devotees. His mercy is distributed like moonshine, and His face is like that of a lion. Let me offer my obeisances unto Him again and again." Samsara cakra krakacair vidirnam Udirna nana bhava tapa taptam kathancid apannam iha prapannam tvam uddhara sri nrhare nr lokam "O Sri Nrhari, please deliver those human beings who have suffered all kinds of torments and been ripped apart by the sharp edge of samsara's wheel, but who have now somehow found You and are surrendering themselves unto You." SIMHACALAM JIYADA NRSIMHA KSETRA (also called Sri Varaha Laksmi Nrsimha Ksetra in Skanda purana) Meaning of Jiyada sadhus, sannyasis... Forms: Nija rupa, Nitya rupa Nija rupa: Varaha Nrsimha, who performs "candana lila" (Sri Rangam sayana lila; Jagannatha Bhojana lila; Badarinath Japa lila; Tirupati Jagra lila; Mangalagiri Pana lila). Skanda purana mentions that Nrsimhadeva had manifest Himself here in a graceful form before appearing to protect Prahlada. Sthala purana (local history) of Simhacalam mentions 32 forms of Nrsimhadeva. Forms in General: Kevala Nrsimha Nrsimhadeva alone (with 2 or 4 hands) Standing. Girija Nrsimha coming out of a mountain cave. Seated. Yoga Nrsimha In yoga asana, sometimes with yoga patta around legs. Stambodbhava Nrsimha (Sthauna Nrsimha) coming out of the pillar. Yanaka Nrsimha riding on Garuda or lying on Ananta sesa Laksmi Nrsimha (peaceful or fierce. Fierce form described in Naradiya Mahapurana: five faces (each with 3 eyes), garland of entrails, yajnopavita made of a serpent. Yogananda Laksmi Nrsimha ("yoga" and "bhoga" combined; very rare) Varaha Laksmi Nrsimha rare. mouth of varaha. Laksmi on lap Prahladanugraha Murti blessing Prahlada with His hand. rare, not mentioned in agama sastras. Narasimha and Chencheta Narasimha in Hari Hara aspects Visnu/Siva aspects Tandava (Nritta Narasimha) dancing. No sanction in agama sastras.

dear viji_53 Prabhu, >It is referred in Bhagavatam. does it say that Radharani is jivatma? I don't think so... here is some sastric reference how important Radharani is in relation to the other gopis. This is from Srila Rupa Goswami's Bhakti Rasamrtasindhu: The gopi named Radha (“She who is devotion personified”) is supreme. Though Krishna “dominates” some gopis and “owns” the hearts of others, Krishna himself, the source of all bliss, is dominated and enthralled by the blissful beauty and charms of Sri Radha. The other gopis gain their ability to similarly affect Krishna depending on how closely they are associated with Sri Radha. Most removed is Taraka, who belongs to a group of girls that are competitive towards Radha. Next is Pali, who belongs to a group who are neutral to Radha. Next is Syama, who belongs to a group who are friendly to Radha. Next is Lalita, who belongs to Radha’ s own group of intimate friends. The more removed one is from Radha, the less affect one is able to have on Krishna. >I also meant simple love for bhakti. Radharani has no love for bhakti, Her expansion is Bhakti personified (Bhaktidevi) This is the definition of bhakti also taken from Bhakti rasamrta sindhu by Srila Rupa Goswami: “Devotion” or “Bhakti” is an endeavor intended to please Krishna. When this endeavor is free from the impurities of ulterior motive and not overshadowed by other endeavors, it is “Uttama Bhakti” or “Pure Devotion.” >Krishna wanted to show to the world that if jiva is like Radha he can attain Him. We are followers of Radharani, but we do not imitate Her. We cannot imitate Her because there is no one equal to Her. > Krishna tells in Dasama skandam of Bhagavatam that He is indebted to Gopikas for ever. All Gopicas loved Krishna & attained Him. Yes, I fully agree, I never said that this was not true. > It does not mean other Gopikas love or devotion is less. No their love for Krsna is not less, but Radharani is the topmost gopi, so Her love and devotion is greater than of the other gopis. One cannot say that their love is less, and so diminishing their love, their love is inconceivable, still Radharani's love is unsurpassed and even greater, that is why Krsna was curious how deep Radharani's love was for Him. That is why he assumed Lord Gauranga's form. By the way, beautiful verses jayasriradhey-ji. Anyway, I don't want to get into an argument of who is right and soforth. But I just wanted to take away some misconceptions. If you like references, please do not hesitate to ask. When one talks according guru sadhu and sastra, then one will never go wrong. I remain, your humble servant, Vinod-bihari dasa

>Why you people separate Radha & Krishna. we don't, we worship Them both. but we cannot approach Krsna without Radharani's mercy. >The combination of Radha & Krishna also >indicates the union of Jivatma & Paramatma. I am sorry, this is speculation. Do you have any sastric reference? Radharani is not jivatma, nor does she represent the jiva. She is Krsna internal pleasure potency -> shakti tattva. >Chaitanya Maha Prabhu personifies himself >as Radha to enjoy the union with Lord >Krishna. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna with the mood of Radharani. Not to enjoy union, but separation, which is higher. Krsna wanted to know what Radharani feels for Him. >Radha is an example of simple love to >attain God. simple love? Radharani has love for Krsna which no one can surpass. She is the topmost devotee. No one has so much love for Krsna as She does. Jaya Radhe, Nitai