Why is Radha celebrated as the embodiment of pure, selfless love?
Have you ever loved someone so deeply that their happiness became your only desire? A love that asks for nothing, only gives.
Such love is rare, pure, and untouched by worldly desires. Even Kṛṣṇa, the all-attractive, becomes attracted to such love. That love shines from Śrī Rādhā, the embodiment of pure,selfless love. Radha’s heart beats only for Krishna. Her joy exists only in Krishna’s happiness.
As followers of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, we know that Radha and Krishna are never separated. They are one. When we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the word Hare calls Radha Herself. She is the life and soul of Krishna’s pastimes.
The Nature of Radha’s Pure Love
The Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.165) beautifully distinguishes between worldly love and divine love:
ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali ‘kāma’
kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare ‘prema’ nāma
Worldly love says, “I love you because you make me happy.”
Rādhā’s love says, “I love You, Kṛṣṇa, even if You never look at Me again. Still, You are My Lord.”
Radha’s love is :
Ahaitukī (Causeless):- She does not love Kṛṣṇa because of His beauty, power, or position. Her love arises spontaneously, by nature.
Apratihatā (Uninterrupted):- No separation, obstacle, or apparent neglect can diminish Her affection.
Radha, the Topmost Gopi
The gopīs of Vṛndāvana embody this highest form of devotion, binding Kṛṣṇa not with conditions but with the ropes of selfless affection. And among all the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the topmost, the crest jewel of devotion. In the Radhika-ashtakam, this mood is beautifully described:
nitya-navya-rūpa-keli-kṛ ṣṇ a-bhāva-sampadā
kṛṣṇa-rāga-bandha-gopa-yauvateṣ u kampadā
“She possesses the opulences of eternal youthful beauty, eternal pastimes, and eternal love for Krsna. Her ecstatic feelings of love for Krsna cause the gopis, who are also in love with Krsna, to tremble.”
This verse captures the essence of Radha’s supreme attraction for Kṛṣṇa and Her leadership among the gopīs, highlighting Her unmatched intensity of love.
The role of Chaitnya Mahaprabhu
There is a sweet secret in the appearance of Lord Chaitanya. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, yet He longed to taste the love of Rādhārāṇī. He wished to know the sweetness of Her heart and the joy She feels when She loves Him. To experience this, Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. He accepted Her golden complexion and Her loving mood. As Gaurāṅga, He became a devotee, showing by His own life how to serve, chant, weep, and love.
In Him, Kṛṣṇa revealed Himself with the heart of Rādhā. When Mahāprabhu sang the holy names, His heart overflowed with devotion. When He danced, the world forgot sorrow. When He wept, all who saw Him caught the fire of divine love. Through Him we receive the combined mercy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and through Him the doorway to pure, selfless love is opened for everyone.
A Pastime of Rādhārāṇī’s Pure, Selfless Love
Srila Jīva Gosvāmī quoted that true love (prema) is tested and fully revealed in separation (viraha).
One golden afternoon in Vṛndāvana, Rādhārāṇī sat with Her sakhīs beneath a flowering kadamba tree. Though the breeze carried the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute from afar, He did not come to Her. Separation burned in Her heart, yet She did not curse Her fate. Instead, Her lips only spoke of His beauty, His kindness, and the joy He gave to every tree, river, and cow. As Her tears fell, they watered the dust of Vṛndāvana. When Lalitā-sakhī asked, “Rādhe, why do You think only of His happiness, even when He does not come to You?” Rādhā replied with a soft smile, “If My joy causes Him pain, I reject it. If My sorrow gives Him delight, I will embrace that sorrow forever. My only wealth is His pleasure.”
Conclusion
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the Queen of Vṛndāvana is the eternal inspiration for all devotees. Her love is ahaitukī, uninterrupted, and fully dedicated to Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure.
By meditating on Rādhārāṇī’s pure love and serving Kṛṣṇa under Her guidance, all devotees can awaken the highest prema. Let us pray daily as Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī prays:
Mahyam ātma-pāda-padma-dāsya-dāstu Rādhikā.
May Śrī Rādhikā bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet
For the second year in a row ISKCON Gurugram organized a Rath Yatra Marathon. A total of 13 Rath Yatras were organized across the city in a span of 11 days, 26th June to 6th July.
The celebrations held in various housing societies, sectors and parts were an opportunity used by devotees to share Krishna Consciousness with thousands of people. As per the Temple President, of ISKCON Gurugram, Rambhadra Das, a total of 50,000 plates of prasadam was distributed and about 5,000 of Srila Prabhupad books. Also, the festival offered service engagements to thousands in the form offering Arti to Their Lordship, decorating venue, performing cultural events like dance
and dramas in Glorifcation of Jagannath.
Also, almost every day of the marathon there was an online class on glories and pastimes of Lord Jagannath by Rambhadra Das. This set the proper mood and consciousness of the participants to be able to engage in the festivities with not just body, but mind and spirit as well.
The culture of Jagannath Rath Yatra, though incredibly popular in Odisha and parts of Bengal is relatively less popular in North India. Though, the festival is celebrated in isolation amongst the Odiya communities residing in Delhi-NCR. ISKCON Rath Yatra marathon worked towards introducing the culture and mercy of Jagannath to residents of Gurugram. Being inspired from the descriptions of even King of Puri cleaning the path of Rath Yatra by a golden broom, participants in Rath Yatra were seen offering the same seva forgetting their social and economic stata. Other services like pulling the Rath of Lord, or dancing, performing kirtan or drama before Them, as well as honoring Their prasadam were done in same spirit.
One may wonder how could a temple organize an event of this scale and extended duration with all the everyday services and limited human resources. The answer to this lies in De-Centralization, something that ISKCON Gurugram Management led by Rambhadra Das, strongly believes in. There are already several extension centres and Bhakti Vriksha ( a small community of ISKCON followers living in proximity) in the city. The onus of organizing the festival was with each community leader, who further distributed it to the members of their community. A devotees at each venue was heading either of the services like : prasadam, deity care, security, permissions, coordination with temple, invitation, housekeeping, cultural programs, sound system etc.
The temple only had to provide the Rath Cart, and Deities with pujaris to take care of them. This way not only the festival got expanded but so many devotees got engagement that led to their deeper connection with the Lord.
