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Who came first: Gauranga or Radha Krishna?
Live Temple Room Satsanga: 2nd May 2005:
10.15 - 11 pm, Indian Standard Time.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Chapter 1: Mangalacarana: Prema Vivarta by Shrila
Jagadananda Pandita.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The loving affairs of Shri Shri Radha and Krishna are
transcendental manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasure-giving-potency.
Although Radha and Krishna are one in Their identity, They have separated
Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united
in the form of Shri Krishna Chaitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested
Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Shrimati Radharani, although He is
Krishna Himself."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
You see this is most unique feature of Lord Gauranga's
incarnation
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
In Lord Gauranga's form, the energetic and energy have
become one
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
I will ask you questions
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Who is the Supreme Energetic please?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The Source of All Energy
- Prahlad das says:
that is Krishna right
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, Lord Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Who is the Supreme Energy of the Lord from whom all other
Energies are emanating?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
What is the answer?
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
Radharani
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes Shrimati Radharani
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Why has the Energy separated from the Energetic?
- Prahlad das says:
for the pleasure of Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Right, for the pleasure of the Energetic Lord Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Are They separate originally?
- Matus Kmit says:
I would say no
- amit says:
no they dont swami ji i think
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Are Energetic and Energy separate originally?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
No, They are not
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
I would think they can never be separate
- Matus Kmit says:
They can't exist one without each other...
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
What is the purpose of the Energy if the Energy cannot
serve the Energetic and give Him enjoyment?
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
because energetic always creates energy
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, you are all correct, very nice
- Prahlad das says:
yes Radha is always trying to serve Krishna, and Krishna is
always trying to serve Radha i heard
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So although Radha-Krishna are one
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
They separated Themselves for the eternal enjoyment and
pastimes
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
This is also a pastime.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Because They can never be separated in truth
- Matus Kmit says:
Eternal
- Matus Kmit says:
Without no beggining and end
- Prahlad das says:
by remembering the loving ways of Radharani towards Krishna
one learns how to serve Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
But as They manifested Their eternal pastimes, Lord Krishna
who is God Himself begin to marvel at the unlimited bliss of His energy Shri
Radha
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
His Energy Shrimati Radha experienced millions of times
more bliss than the Lord would experience in the pastimes with His own Energy
Radha
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
This is power of Bhakti Or Pure Unalloyed Devotion
- Matus Kmit says:
I don't understand
- Prahlad das says:
wow the devotee feels so much pleasure in serving the Lord
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Matus, please explain
- Matus Kmit says:
I don't understand: His Energy Shrimati Radha experienced
millions of times more bliss than the Lord would experience in the pastimes
with His own Energy Radha
- Prahlad das says:
i believe that Radha experienced joy cause she was
personally serving Krishna, her joy came from loving Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, the pure devotional service to Lord Krishna is even
higher than Lord Krishna Himself
- Matus Kmit says:
Ok, now I think I'm getting it slowly...
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So while serving Him, the devotee experiences such high
levels of bliss which Lord Krishna also desires to taste.
- Ronald McCarthy says:
because we would be in our rightful place, by serving and
devotion?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
That is why we come to the net paragraph: "That
absolute principle sometimes manifests Himself as two - Shrimati Radharani and
Shri Krishna - and sometimes as one Supreme Absolute in the form of Shri
Gauranga Mahaprabhu."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Both these forms are eternal
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
We come to the next para: "The Supreme Truth is one
without a second, and there is no difference between the Lord and His absolute
potency. Yet simultaneously, there is an eternal difference between the two,
hence the entire Vedic literature emphasizes the principle that the Supreme
Lord's potencies are inconceivably one and different from the Lord
Himself."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Radha-Krishna and Gauranga's Pastimes are eternally going
on in the spiritual world.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Because God can exist in many places at the same time, not
like us.
- Matus Kmit says:
ok, I was wondering about it before...
- Matus Kmit says:
So it's upon us, which pastime we choose..to join?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
When He can take thousands of Forms in the rasa dance with
the Gopies and 7 simultaneous Forms in the Jaganntha Puri Ratha Yatra, what is
the difficulty for Him?
- Matus Kmit says:
or can we join more at the same time?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
But His two principal forms are Radha-Krishna and Gauranga
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Which are the Origin of all forms
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, Matus, a soul can choose to participate in both the
pastimes of Radha-Krishna and Gauranga simultaneously
- Prahlad das says:
isnt Krishna the originator of all forms, he says in the
Gita - all things emanate from him
- Matus Kmit says:
Great
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
but do we go there unless we die?
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
i thought the spiritual place was a place to go after death
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
We go there when we achieve 100% perfection in Bhakti while
living or dying
- Prahlad das says:
i heard it is possible to enter you spiritual form when you
are in this body
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The Supreme Absolute Truth is the embodiment of
knowledge, samvit, His sandhini potency sustains His own existence of all
others, and His pastimes are carried out by His hladini potency. Thus He
manifests Himself by these three principal potencies and their innumerable
sub-potencies."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
God has got three main energies
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Samvit -> Knowledge (Chit) Potency -> Gauranga
Krishna Himself
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Sandhini -> Eternity (Sat) Potency -> Nityananda
Balarama
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Hladini -> Pleasure (Ananda) Potency -> Radha
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
These have innumerable sub potencies.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The Supreme Absolute Truth manifests Himself through
His multifarious transcendental potencies, and everything is achieved through
the interaction of these potencies. Thus, dynamic exchanges of pure emotions
are eternally exhibited in the indivisible Supreme, yet the energy and the
Energetic are always non-different."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The loving affairs of Shrimati Radharani and Shri
Krishna, are transformations of the 'hladini shakti' or the pleasure potency.
And it is this inconceivable potency which maddens Radharani and Krishna. The
hladini possesses the extraordinary capacity to make the impossible happen,
without Herself being affected; She is also responsible for creating
variagatedness in transcendence."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"Thus, Shrimati Radharani and Lord Krishna entered
into one transcendental form which presently appears as my dearmost Lord
Gauranga Mahaprabhu. And when I say 'presently' do not mistakenly judge this
according to the mundane time factor. Remember, the transcendental truth is
beyond the influence of time. Thus to say that Shrimati Radharani and Lord
Krishna appeared before Lord Chaitanya, who made His appearance recently, would
be an attempt to impose material inebrieties like time and chronological order
on Them. This misconception will totally alienate us from the eternal
Truth."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So Prahlada dasa, this answers your question
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
We can never say who came first Radha-Krishna or Gauranga.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Both are the Original and Eternal.
- Prahlad das says:
sorry i dont have an answer, i received a phone call and
couldnt pay attention
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Gauranga may have appeared before our vision only 500 years
back and Radha-Krishna appeared 5000 years back...
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
But that does not mean that Gauranga is later and
Radha-Krishna is first
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Both are Original
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Just like when the Sun rises in the morning, do we say that
the Sun was born in the morning and was not there before sunrise..
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Does the Sun take birth every morning and die every night?
- Prahlad das says:
no the sun doesnt die, it is there always, it is just in a
different place at night.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes and the when it appears in front of our vision, it
cannot be considered that it is born at that time.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
It is already there, it just appears at dawn.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Similarly Gauranga advented 500 years ago does not mean
that He was not there before that.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
He just appeared in front of us, among us to deliver us in
Kali Yuga.
- Matus Kmit says:
In the spiritual world, do Radha-Krishna & Gauranga
have Their Forms, which They manifested on earth?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, the Same, They come with Their Self-Same forms,
Associates, Names, Abode, Paraphernalia etc.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
They all descend together not Alone.
- Matus Kmit says:
Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine This, for Lord is so
big end endless...
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
They bring the spiritual world down with Then which
manifests here as the Dhama, it is replica of the spiritual world.
- Prahlad das says:
how nice, Krishna has people who descend just to play a
role in his pastimes.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
When the US President came to India, He came with His own
plane, the A1 fleet
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
with hundreds and thousands of his own ministers
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Then why can't God descend with His own Energies and
Paraphernalia
- Matus Kmit says:
This I understand.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"Do not waste valuable time uselessly trying to debate
who appeared first - Shrimati Radharani and Lord Krishna or the son of Shrimati
Sacidevi, Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Earlier I explained that everything is
perfectly adjusted on the transcendental plane. Thus, be extra cautious before
you enter into a debate about who appeared first - Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu or
Shri Krishna."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The two qualities, namely simultaneity and eternality
are characteristic of the absolute reality which finds full expression in
transcendental truth. Uninterrupted spiritual pastimes are the supreme
excellences of this transcendental truth."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The pleasure-giving hladini potency simultaneously
shelters two truths, as far as I know. One is pranaya, or loving exchange, and
the other is vikara, or the transformation of that love or the pastimes between
Shrimati Radharani and Shri Krishna. That transcendental potency has now
appeared in this material world in the form of Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu.
He roams along the banks of the Ganges, constantly performing congregational
chanting of the holy name of God."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So Radha-Krishna is PRANAYA and Gauranga is VIKARA
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
loving exchanges and service?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
loving exchanges is Radha Krishna and the transformation of
the loving exchanges is Gauranga
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Now we come to the most surprising statement by Shrila
Jagadananda Pandita: "The pastimes of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu are even
more ecstatic than the pastimes of Lord Shri Krishna. In Lord Gauranga's lila
the loving exchanges reach their quintessence. When this love achieved
excessive heights, hladini, or the pleasure potency of the Lord, embraced
Krishna with feelings of great ecstasy and covered Him with the mood and luster
of Shrimati Radharani."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
This is one of the best descriptions about why Radha
Krishna became Gauranga.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So Gauranga's form is manifested when the pleasure potency
pastimes reaches the apex, that is why Gauranga's Name, Form, Pastimes, Abodes
are even more ecstatic than Radha Krishna as stated here by Shrila Jagadananda
Pandita even though They are non-different to each other.
- chandrika gauranga dasi
says:
yes but how can their be a limit to the pleasure potency?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
It is forever increasing, it has no limit but still it has
a summit.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Shrila Jagadananda Pandita continues: "Lord Krishna,
appearing in His full manifestation as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, came to His own
abode Navadvipa-dhama where He felt a much greater pleasure than in
Vraja-dhama. He appeared in Navadvipa to fulfill the specific purpose of His
incarnation and to relish His heart's desire."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Today's discussion is a little high and esoteric, but it is
required to understand the full glories of the Supreme Lord Gauranga
Mahaprabhu.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So there is no problem if you cannot understand fully immediately.
- Ronald McCarthy says:
and.....enlightening
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Gradually by chanting you will realize the truth.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
and by reading this book Prema Vivarta, Shri Navadvipa
Dhama Mahatmya, etc.
- Prahlad das says:
I heard once that Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati said one can
understand one's own rasa with Krishna by just chanting the Lords names
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The form of Lord Gauranga is the non-different,
original and most wonderful manifestation of Lord Krishna. Simultaneously the
form of Lord Krishna is the original and most unprecedented manifestation of
Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu."
- Matus Kmit says:
Does it mean, that we have eternally our fixed own rasa,
each of us?
- Prahlad das says:
Jaya Gauranga
- Matus Kmit says:
Gauraaaaanga Gauraaaaanga
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes Matus, the rasa of the soul has to be awakened by
chanting and hearing, it is already inherent in the soul.
- Prahlad das says:
is learning a lot today, thanks Swamiji.
- Matus Kmit says:
The type of it also? Paternal, conjugal, etc.?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The soul will never want to change the original rasa, as
the soul will be satisfied in that rasa only, nothing lower nothing higher.
- Matus Kmit says:
Is it fixed for us?
- Matus Kmit says:
The type of the rasa?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, the type of rasa is determined for every soul, it is
inbuilt in the soul from eternity.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The rasa is there from the beginning when the soul was
there.
- Matus Kmit says:
ok
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"The two Supreme Personalities are most nectarean
because of the pleasure potency. They are sweeter than the sweetest nectar and
more. Lord Krishna's sweet nectarean form is the form of Shri Gauranga
Mahaprabhu, and I offer my repeated obeisances at His lotus feet."
- Ronald McCarthy says:
learned a lot also.. just from the reading here...Oh, there is so much to learn and realize
- Prahlad das says:
yeah Ronald is right
- Matus Kmit says:
Jaya Gauranga Mahaprabhu
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"If you analyze the word ekatma, you might say it
means Brahman or the formless. You might also say that Brahman is the source of
the appearance of Shrimati Radharani and Shri Krishna. But this is not the
proper conclusion of the verse under discussion. The real meaning is that these
two identities have become one again in the form of Shri Gauranga
Mahaprabhu."
- Matus Kmit says:
Jaya Jaya Radha-Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Brahman is Lord Gauranga's bodily effulgence
"Shri Gauranga
Mahaprabhu must never be considered as the formless impersonal brahman. He is
the dynamic embodiment of bliss, the Supreme Personality in a pure state of
existence. Brahman is the impersonal bodily effulgence of the Lord and thus
Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the source of Brahman."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
"Therefore the word ekatma addresses only Shri
Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Erudite scholars such as Svarupa Damodara Gosvami are
truly fortunate, because they have understood this. Thus, offer your obeisances
to that Absolute Truth - ekatma. Then you shall receive service at the lotus
feet of Shrimati Radharani and Shri Krishna, and all of your desires will find
complete fulfillment."
- Swami Gaurangapada
says:
So chanting the Names and offering obeisances to
"Ekaatmaa" which means Lord Gauranga is the best way to approach the
names and pastimes of Shri Shri Radha Krishna.
- Matus Kmit says:
Gauranga Gauranga
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Paramatma or Supersoul is Lord Gauranga's partial expansion
"And, if you conjure
that the word ekatma means paramatma, or the Supersoul, from which Radha and
Krishna have appeared as two separate identities, then the import of the verse
is not fully justified, and it contradicts very strongly the definition of Shri
Gauranga Mahaprabhu."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu's partial expansion of His
expansion is Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, who expands as the Paramatma or the
Supersoul in the hearts of all living entities.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu is the original Absolute Truth,
and one must understand that the Supersoul always remains His plenary
expansion.
"Shri Gauranga
Mahaprabhu is the Lord of my heart, He is the form of ekatma, the oneness of
Shrimati Radharani and Shri Krishna. I am a maidservant of the lotus feet of
Shrimati Radharani and there is no other position I desire more. I love that
form which has been adorned with the luster of Shrimati Radharani.
I offer my fallen
obeisances with undivided surrender at His lotus feet, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, son of Mother Saci, Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu."
- Swami Gaurangapada
says:
That ends the first chapter of this great book Prema
Vivarta by Shrila Jagadananda Pandita
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
And today's lesson too.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
I thank you all for your patience
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
We can have quick questions for 5 minutes.
- Swami Gaurangapada
says:
For further understanding, please read this chapter again.
- Prahlad das says:
was jagadananda Pandita the devotee who used to be a good
cook
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, Prahlada dasa, please read about his life from the url
above, he was Shrimati Satyabhama in Krishna's pastimes.
- Prahlad das says:
ok, thanks Swamiji
- Matus Kmit says:
Sometimes I wonder, if there is a need to approach
Radha-Krishna for Lord Gauranga is the most ecstatic. The same for Maha-mantra:
is there really a need for it when Nityananda-Gauranga Mantrarajas are the most
powerful and merciful for this age of kali...?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes Matus, because it is the order of Lord Gauranga to
chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and to worship Shri Shri Radha Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
We should never neglect or forsake this order also because
the order to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is non-different from Lord
Gauranga Himself.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Also if we want to enter both the pastimes of Shri Shri
Nityananda Gauranga and Shri Shri Radha Krishna, we need to worship both.
- Matus Kmit says:
Yes, I'm sorry I missed that important point right now...
- Prahlad das says:
why do we worship Gauranga when he didnt want people to
think he was Krishna, i heard that he covered his ears or something when people
said you are Krishna
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
That is a misconception Prahlada dasa, Lord Gauranga
exhibited both moods as God and as His own Devotee.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
He accepted the same worship as Krishna in Navadvipa.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
But He played a role of a devotee in Puri to teach us.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So both His moods are eternal.
- Prahlad das says:
ok i never heard that he accepted worship in Navadvipa.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, for that you have to read Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata.
- Matus Kmit says:
Mahaprakash was in Navadvipa.
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
He would eat the brahmanas offerings there would'nt He?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
If He did not want to be worshiped as God why did He show
His Mahaprakash pastimes, why did He show His six-handed, eight-handed,
universal forms to His devotees?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes, He ate the offerings which the brahmanas was offering
to Lord Gopala Krishna while saying that He is the same person.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Prahlada dasa, please read my essay which is the exact
reply to your question at: http://ngnc.gaurangapada.com/ngasgod.htm
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
I have addressed and replied to this misconception in
detail.
- Prahlad das says:
ok thanks Swamiji
- Prahlad das says:
i appreciate this
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Thank you so much Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
- Prahlad das says:
no more questions
- Prahlad das says:
thank you Swamiji for sharing with us
- Matus Kmit says:
Our obeisances Shri Swami Gaurangapada!
- Prahlad das says:
Swami Gaurangapada ki jaya!
- Matus Kmit says:
Jay
- chandrika gauranga dasi says:
Nitai Gauraangaa Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So all of you have a good day, evening, night whichever is
applicable in your time zone with the chanting of the Holy Names.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
See you tomorrow, Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!