Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
For the Appearance day of Radha-kunda
[To hear the song Sri Radha-kunda-tata, which was sung during Kartik by Tamal-krsna dasa brahmacari, click here )
A small cottage in a grove on the banks of Radha-kunda, Govardhana Hill, the banks of the Yamuna...
Kusuma-sarovara, Manasa-ganga, the daughter of the Kalinda Mountain (Yamuna) with her expansive waves...
Vamsi-Vata, Gokula, Dhira-samira, the trees, creepers, and groves of Vrndavana...
...the different varieties of colorful birds, deer, the cool and fragrant breezes from the Malaya Mountains, the peacocks, bumblebees, the pastimes with the flute...
...the flute itself, the buffalo horn bugle, the footprints of the cows in the dust, the banks of blackish clouds, springtime, the moon, the conchshell and karatalas...
I know all these elements are very conducive for Sri Radha's and Krsna's loving exchanges, and thus I consider them as uddipaka, stimuli, for the bhakta's entrance into Their lila-vilasa.
I refuse to go anywhere if these uddipaka are not there, for to abandon all these is to give up life itself.
Bhaktivinoda says, "Hear me, O Kana, Your uddipaka (which stimulate remembrance of You) are my very life and soul."
After the devotees finished singing, Srila Gurudeva spoke the following:]
Srila Gurudeva speaking at Radha-kunda
Those who want to do bhajana should always remember this song – always. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is telling us:
e saba chodata kahi nahi yau
e saba chodata parana harau
["I refuse to go anywhere if these stimuli are not there; to abandon all these is to give up life itself. "(Radha-kunda-tata, verse 7)]
If this idea is present in the heart of any bhakta, then he can achieve all these things. If you cannot be at Radha-kunda, Syama-kunda, Giriraja Govardhana, at so many kunjas and kutiras at Radha-kunda, then be wherever you are and always remember them. Those who are most fortunate will be there.
We are going to all the holy places of Krsna's pastimes, but we cannot see their transcendental svarupa (form). We can only imagine what they look like according to what we have heard. The Radha-kunda that we see is not really Radha-kunda.
There are so many kunjas of Lalita and Visakha and the other gopis. There are thousands of millions of kunjas around Radha-kunda where Radha and Krsna are performing their vihara, or amorous pastimes, but we cannot see them at present. Self-realized devotees like Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami tell us about these pastime places. They see them vividly and realize them. One day, by the wish of Krsna, if you practice bhakti in the proper way, all these places will be visible to you.
