nn 1,2

1.1.2 devotional

You know what the symbolism of this relationship between Ra'dha' and Kris'n'a signifies? It is the story of love and devotion enacted between a great Sadhaka and her Lord. Do you know the meaning of Ra'dha'? Ra'dha' is the very embodiment of devotion. Kris'n'a embodied the Supreme manifestation within a human frame. He was Maha'sambhu'ti, the manifestation of Supreme Consciousness. Ra'dha was a young girl whose mind searched for love absolute. Nothing else occupied her waking moments. When she met Kris'n'a, she immediately knew that He was the very manifestation of her beloved. She immediately knew that Lord had come to her in human form to fulfill her desire to see Him with physical eyes.

So when she first met Kris'n'a, she immediately loved Him. She said "Oh Kris'n'a, You finally have come. I have been waiting and waiting to find You in physical form. Life upon life I have languored and I have searched for You. I have called to the ten directions and I have said a thousand prayers. I have done austerities and I have mortified my body. I have demanded that You come. I have pleaded for You, yet I could not find You. Life upon life I have searched the seven worlds, the high mountains and the lonely places, but I could not find You. And now, You have come, my Lord, delighting my eyes, with vision of You. Oh my Lord, now that I have seen You, I can think of nothing else but the sight of You, the sweet scent of your body, and the glow of Your skin. I can hear nothing but the echo of Your voice, soft and resonant, pure as a single note sung by the gods. Oh Kris'n'a, You have come."

Such was the greeting of Ra'dha' to Kris'n'a on the eve of their meeting. So then henceforth she could think of nothing except her Lord. She was not hungry and restless, but fulfilled in love.In her all of the qualities and characteristics of a bhakta became fully displayed. She became the very embodiment of love and devotion. So you can not say that she was deserted by Kris'n'a, for from that moment forward she beheld her Lord Kris'n'a ever with her, sporting with her, dancing with her, mingling His mind with hers in an eternal dance of Supreme love. He was never considered absent or gone from her presence. Kris'n'a's scent rafted on the breeze, His touch was the night air. He was never away from His beloved. Such was His adoration for her.

So you see, Ra'dha' and Kris'n'a, lover and beloved ever mingle together in a dance of ecstatic love beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. So in Ra'dha', love itself became personified. And Kris'n'a lived with her in her heart, in her mind, in her every experience. No distance was between them, not even the smallest separation existed. So it is inaccurate to say, that when Kris'n'a left Vrindavan, He also left Ra'dha'. It was not the case. Ever united, Ra'dha' and Kris'n'a, lover and beloved became more than individuals, but became the very symbols of the marriage of the little to the great. Before the Lord, all souls are feminine, all beings who come to this point of pure devotion, become as Ra'dha' with Kris'n'a, become gopis in love with their Lord.

In this ecstatic love, the human being transcends all temporal boundaries, all limitations of finite existence to be united in utmost love with the divine beloved. So it was with Ra'dha' and Kris'n'a, let it be with you and your Lord. Let nothing stop you from devoting yourself completely and wholeheartedly to your beloved. And surly, like Ra'dha', you will find He is ever with you, closer than you have thought possible, nearer than near, enfolding you in His arms with love so sweet, so pure, you can only accept Him, and like Ra'dha', forget all else.