20211213 Qualities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 13th December 2021 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Today is the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter today is entitled:

Qualities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa
Under the section: Life’s Ultimate Goal — Love of Godhead

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.66

kṛṣṇa-nāyaka-śiromaṇi, śrī-rādhā—nāyikā-śiromaṇiḥ—

vrajendra-nandana kṛṣṇa—nāyaka-śiromaṇi
nāyikāra śiromaṇi—rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī

Translation: “Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is the supreme hero in all dealings. Similarly, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the topmost heroine in all dealings.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa is always the Supreme Hero and Śrī Rādhā is always the Supreme Heroine.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.67

pramāṇa:—
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.17)—

nāyakānāṁ śiro-ratnaṁ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
yatra nityatayā sarve virājante mahā-guṇāḥ

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, and He is the crown jewel of all heroes. In Kṛṣṇa, all transcendental good qualities are permanently situated.’

Purport: This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.17).

Jayapatākā Swami: Why Kṛṣṇa is the topmost Hero, is He is the reservoir of all good qualities similarly different devotees relate with Kṛṣṇa in different ways. Rādhārānī relates with Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Heroine.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.68

śrī-rādhikāra aṣṭaviśeṣaṇaḥ—
bṛhad-gautamīya tantra-vākya—

devī kṛṣṇa-mayī proktā/ rādhikā para-devatā
sarva-lakṣmī-mayī sarva-kāntiḥ sammohinī parā

Translation: “The transcendental goddess Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the direct counterpart of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all the attraction to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord.’

Purport: This is found in the Bṛhad-gautamīya-tantra. For an explanation, see Ādi-līlā 4.83-95.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are not to be considered as ordinary human beings. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Rādhārānī is His internal potency, the source of all the Lakṣmī, all the Queens of Dvārakā and all the Gopīs in Vṛndāvana.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.69

kṛṣṇera asaṁkhya sad-guṇa-rāśira madhye catuḥ-ṣaṣṭī pradhāna guṇaḥ—

ananta kṛṣṇera guṇa, cauṣaṭṭi—pradhāna
eka eka guṇa śuni’ juḍāya bhakta-kāṇa

Translation: “The transcendental qualities of Lord Kṛṣṇa are unlimited. Out of these, sixty-four are considered prominent. The ears of the devotees are satisfied simply by hearing all these qualities one after the other.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing the qualities of Kṛṣṇa satisfies the devotees of Kṛṣṇa

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.70

catuḥ-ṣaṣṭī guṇera tālikā; prathame pañcāśaṭī guṇa varṇanaḥ—

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.23-29)—

ayaṁ netā su-ramyāṅgaḥ sarva-sal-lakṣaṇānvitaḥ
ruciras tejasā yukto balīyān vayasānvitaḥ

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa, the supreme hero, has the most beautiful transcendental body. This body possesses all good features. It is radiant and very pleasing to the eyes. His body is powerful, strong and youthful.

Purport: This verse and the following six verses are also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.23-29).

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.71

vividhādbhuta-bhāṣā-vit satya-vākyaḥ priyaṁ-vadaḥ
vāvadūkaḥ su-pāṇḍityo buddhimān pratibhānvitaḥ

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa is the linguist of all wonderful languages. He is a truthful and very pleasing speaker. He is expert in speaking, and He is a very wise, learned scholar and a genius.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.72

vidagdhaś caturo dakṣaḥ kṛta-jñaḥ su-dṛḍha-vrataḥ
deśa-kāla-supātra-jñaḥ śāstra-cakṣuḥ śucir vaśī

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa is very expert in artistic enjoyment. He is highly cunning, expert, grateful and firmly determined in His vows. He knows how to deal according to time, person and country, and He sees through the scriptures and authoritative books. He is very clean and self-controlled.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.73

sthiro dāntaḥ kṣamā-śīlo gambhīro dhṛtimān samaḥ
vadānyo dhārmikaḥ śūraḥ karuṇo mānya-māna-kṛt

Translation: “Lord Kṛṣṇa is steady, His senses are controlled, and He is forgiving, grave and calm. He is also equal to all. Moreover, He is magnanimous, religious, chivalrous and kind. He is always respectful to respectable people.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.74

dakṣiṇo vinayī hrīmān śaraṇāgata-pālakaḥ
sukhī bhakta-suhṛt prema-vaśyaḥ sarva-śubhaṅ-karaḥ

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa is very simple and liberal, He is humble and bashful, and He is the protector of the surrendered souls. He is very happy, and He is always the well-wisher of His devotees. He is all-auspicious, and He is submissive to love.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.75

pratāpī kīrtimān rakta-lokaḥ sādhu-samāśrayaḥ
nārī-gaṇa-manohārī sarvārādhyaḥ samṛddhimān

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa is very influential and famous, and He is the object of attachment for everyone. He is the shelter of the good and the virtuous. He is attractive to the minds of women, and He is worshiped by everyone. He is very, very rich.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.76

varīyān īśvaraś ceti guṇās tasyānukīrtitāḥ
samudrā iva pañcāśad durvigāhā harer amī

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme, and He is always glorified as the Supreme Lord and controller. Thus, all the previously mentioned transcendental qualities are in Him. The fifty qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead mentioned above are as deep as an ocean. In other words, they are difficult to fully comprehend.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these fifty qualities Kṛṣṇa has in unlimited quantity, and we can see that He is very attractive to everyone. If you offer your love to Kṛṣṇa He will reciprocate.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.77

pañcāśaṭī guṇa bindu bindu-rūpe sarvajīve vartamānaḥ—

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.30)—

jīveṣv ete vasanto ’pi bindu-bindutayā kvacit
paripūrṇatayā bhānti tatraiva puruṣottame

Translation: “These qualities are sometimes very minutely exhibited in living beings, but they are fully manifested in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’

Purport: This verse is found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.30). Living entities are parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.”

The qualities of Kṛṣṇa are present in the living entity in minute, atomic quantities. A small portion of gold is certainly gold, but it cannot be equal to a gold mine. Similarly, the living entities have all the characteristics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in minute quantity, but the living entity is never equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. God is therefore described as the Supreme Being, and the living entity is described as a jīva. God is described as the Supreme Being, the chief of all living beings, because He is supplying the necessities of all others — eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. The Māyāvādīs maintain that everyone is God, but even if this philosophy is accepted, no one can maintain that everyone is equal to the Supreme Godhead in every respect. Only unintelligent men maintain that everyone is equal to God or that everyone is God.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these fifty qualities mentioned may be manifested in minute atomic quantities in the conditioned souls, but Kṛṣṇa has each quality in unlimited quantity. Therefore He is the Supreme, since we are part of Kṛṣṇa therefore we have some of his qualities in minute quantities.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.78

ārao pāñcaṭī adhikaguṇa varṇana; rudrādi śreṣṭha-jīve ei pañca-pañcāśaṭī guṇa āṁśikabhāve o viṣṇute pūrṇa-rūpe nitya-varttamānaḥ—

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.37-38)—

atha pañca-guṇā ye syur aṁśena giriśādiṣu

Translation: “Apart from these fifty qualities, there are five other qualities found in the Supreme Personality of Godhead that are partially present in demigods like Śiva.

Purport: This verse and the following seven verses are also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.37-44).

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.79-81

sadā svarūpa-samprāptaḥ sarva-jño nitya-nūtanaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-sāndrāṅgaḥ sarva-siddhi-niṣevitaḥ

śrī-nārāyaṇe āra pāñcaṭī adhika guṇa arthāt ṣaṣṭī guṇa paripūrṇa-bhāve avasthitaḥ—

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.39-40)—

athocyante guṇāḥ pañca ye lakṣmīśādi-vartinaḥ
avicintya-mahā-śaktiḥ koṭi-brahmāṇḍa-vigrahaḥ

avatārāvalī-bījaṁ hatāri-gati-dāyakaḥ
ātmārāma-gaṇākarṣīty amī kṛṣṇe kilādbhutāḥ

Translation: “These qualities are (1) the Lord is always situated in His original position, (2) He is omniscient, (3) He is always fresh and youthful, (4) He is the concentrated form of eternity, knowledge and bliss, and (5) He is the possessor of all mystic perfection. There are another five qualities, which exist in the Vaikuṇṭha planets in Nārāyaṇa, the Lord of Lakṣmī. These qualities are also present in Kṛṣṇa, but they are not present in demigods like Lord Śiva or in other living entities. These are (1) the Lord possesses inconceivable supreme power, (2) He generates innumerable universes from His body, (3) He is the original source of all incarnations, (4) He bestows salvation upon enemies He kills, and (5) He has the ability to attract exalted persons who are satisfied in themselves. Although these qualities are present in Nārāyaṇa, the dominating Deity of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, they are even more wonderfully present in Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see that Lord Śiva has five qualities more than the living entities headed by Lord Brahmā and that Nārāyaṇa has five more qualities than Lord Śiva that adds up to sixty, but Kṛṣṇa has all these qualities but in great quantity.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.82-83

svayaṃ kṛṣṇe nārāyaṇāpekṣā ārao cāraṭī nijasva adhika guṇa arthāt sarva-śuddha catuḥ-ṣaṣṭī guṇa paripūrṇarūpe nityavarttamānaḥ—

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.41-44)—

sarvādbhuta-camatkāra- līlā-kallola-vāridhiḥ
atulya-madhura-prema- maṇḍita-priya-maṇḍalaḥ
tri-jagan-mānasākarṣi- muralī-kala-kūjitaḥ
asamānordhva-rūpa-śrī- vismāpita-carācaraḥ

“Apart from these sixty transcendental qualities, Kṛṣṇa has an additional four transcendental qualities, which are not manifested even in the personality of Nārāyaṇa. These are: (1) Kṛṣṇa is like an ocean filled with waves of pastimes that evoke wonder within everyone in the three worlds. (2) In His activities of conjugal love, He is always surrounded by His dear devotees who possess unequaled love for Him. (3) He attracts the minds of all three worlds with the melodious vibration of His flute. (4) His personal beauty and opulence are beyond compare. No one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him. Thus the Personality of Godhead astonishes all living entities, both moving and nonmoving, within the three worlds. He is so beautiful that He is called Kṛṣṇa.

Purport: Māyāvādī philosophers, who have a poor fund of knowledge, simply dismiss the subject by explaining that kṛṣṇa means “black.” Not understanding the qualities of Kṛṣṇa, these atheistic rascals do not accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although the Lord is described and accepted by great personalities, ācāryas and sages, the Māyāvādīs still do not appreciate Him. Unfortunately, at the present moment human society is so degraded that people cannot even provide themselves with life’s daily necessities, yet they are captivated by Māyāvādī philosophers and are being misled. According to the Bhagavad-gītā, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa one can get free from the cycle of birth and death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna. Unfortunately, this great science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness has been impeded by Māyāvādī philosophers, who are opposed to the personality of Kṛṣṇa. Those who are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must try to understand Kṛṣṇa from the statements given in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (The Nectar of Devotion).

So, Parāśara muni the father of Vyāsadevā, He studied the unlimited qualities of Kṛṣṇa and picked out sixty which were most prominent. He realized that the living entities up to Brahmā could have fifty of these qualities but in minute quantities, living entities up to Brahmā could have fifty of these qualities but in minute quantities, Lord Siva had five more qualities and these are also with Kṛṣṇa but Kṛṣṇa had unlimited quantities. The five more qualities of Śiva are with Nārāyaṇa but Lord Kṛṣṇa alone has four qualities which no one else has, these all are being mentioned, add up to sixty-four qualities and Kṛṣṇa has them in unlimited quantities and therefore the personality of Kṛṣṇa is attractive but the Māyāvādīs or impersonalist like to think the impersonal brahman as the Supreme and in this way, they critically offend Lord Kṛṣṇa. So Lord Caitanya warned us not to hear the words of Māyāvādīs was offensive.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.84-85

līlā premṇā priyādhikyaṁ mādhuryaṁ veṇu-rūpayoḥ
ity asādhāraṇaṁ proktaṁ govindasya catuṣṭayam
evaṁ guṇāś catur-bhedāś catuḥ-ṣaṣṭir udāhṛtāḥ

Translation: “Above Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa has four specific transcendental qualities — His wonderful pastimes, an abundance of wonderful associates who are very dear to Him [like the gopīs], His wonderful beauty and the wonderful vibration of His flute. Lord Kṛṣṇa is more exalted than ordinary living beings and demigods like Lord Śiva. He is even more exalted than His personal expansion Nārāyaṇa. In all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has sixty-four transcendental qualities in full.’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement ISKCON, we basically teach to take shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the topmost yoga system.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.86

śrī-rādhīkāra kṛṣṇākarṣī paṇciśaṭī guṇa varṇanaḥ—

ananta guṇa śrī-rādhikāra, paṅciśa—pradhāna
yei guṇera ‘vaśa’ haya kṛṣṇa bhagavān

Translation: “Similarly, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī has unlimited transcendental qualities, of which twenty-five are principal. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is controlled by these transcendental qualities of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

Jayapatākā Swami: Therefore Rādhārānī is known as Madana mohana-mohīnī, Kṛṣṇa is Madana mohana, He attracts even the cupids but Rādhārānī attracts Kṛṣṇa, Madana-mohana-mohīnī.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.87-91

atha vṛndāvaneśvaryāḥ/ kīrtyante pravarā guṇāh
madhureyaṁ nava-vayāś calāpāṅgojjvala-smitā

cāru-saubhāgya-rekhāḍhyā gandhonmādita-mādhavā
saṅgīta-prasarābhijñā ramya-vāṅ narma-paṇḍitā

vinītā karuṇā-pūrṇā vidagdhā pāṭavānvitā
lajjā-śīlā su-maryādā dhairya-gāmbhīrya-śālinī

su-vilāsā mahābhāva-paramotkarṣa-tarṣiṇī
gokula-prema-vasatir jagac-chreṇī-lasad-yaśāḥ

gurv-arpita-guru-snehā sakhī-praṇayitā-vaśā
kṛṣṇa-priyāvalī-mukhyā santatāśrava-keśavā

bahunā kiṁ guṇās tasyāḥ saṅkhyātītā harer iva

Translation: “Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s twenty-five chief transcendental qualities are: (1) She is very sweet. (2) She is always freshly youthful. (3) Her eyes are restless. (4) She smiles brightly. (5) She has beautiful, auspicious lines. (6) She makes Kṛṣṇa happy with Her bodily aroma. (7) She is very expert in singing. (8) Her speech is charming. (9) She is very expert in joking and speaking pleasantly. (10) She is very humble and meek. (11) She is always full of mercy. (12) She is cunning. (13) She is expert in executing Her duties. (14) She is shy. (15) She is always respectful. (16) She is always calm. (17) She is always grave. (18) She is expert in enjoying life. (19) She is situated at the topmost level of ecstatic love. (20) She is the reservoir of loving affairs in Gokula. (21) She is the most famous of submissive devotees. (22) She is very affectionate to elderly people. (23) She is very submissive to the love of Her friends. (24) She is the chief gopī. (25) She always keeps Kṛṣṇa under Her control. In short, She possesses unlimited transcendental qualities, just as Lord Kṛṣṇa does.’

Purport: These verses are found in the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Śrī-rādhā-prakaraṇa 11-15).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rādhārānī has unlimited qualities of which these twenty-five mentioned above are prominent. With these qualities she is able to satisfy Kṛṣṇa in all respects. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if Rādhārānī tells Kṛṣṇa to bless a devotee, then Kṛṣṇa will always fulfill her desire.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.92

ālambāna dvividha— (1) ekamātra “viṣaya’ kṛṣṇa o (2) bahuvidha ‘āśraya’, tanmadhye śrī-rādhāra sarva-śreṣṭhatāḥ—

nāyaka, nāyikā,—dui rasera ‘ālambana’
sei dui śreṣṭha,—rādhā, vrajendra-nandana

Translation: The basis of all transcendental mellows is the hero and the heroine, and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, are the best.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa was desirous of experiencing special love, so being alone He could not experience that. So, He expanded Himself in various ways and His internal potency giving Him pleasure was Śrīmatī Rādhārānī, the two of Them are having unlimited, very sweet pastimes and sometimes some artists think since God is oldest, He has to be elderly but one of Kṛṣṇa's qualities is to be eternally youthful, like if you are God why should you grow old? So Kṛṣṇa He has inconceivable qualities and Rādhārānī also has inconceivable qualities to attract Kṛṣṇa. So like this the two of Them are described by Lord Caitanya to Sanātana Gosvāmī in a most exclusive way. How the Supreme Hero and Supreme Heroine are Krsna and Rādhā.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Qualities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa
Under the section: Life’s Ultimate Goal — Love of Godhead