Shri RAdhA

Jai Jai Shri RAdhe
Jai Yugal Kishore

Today is RAdhAshTami and there is so much that can be said.

This day and thread will inaugurate the discussion on Radha SahasranAma - Thousand Names of Radha, which is a sublime transcendental conversation between Shiva-ParvatI where PArvati asks and Shiva answers, as always. It is from NArad PancharAtra. One of the PancharAtra texts (which was VishNu's discourse to 5 Mahajans including Shiva, in 5 nights - hence pancha rAtra).

Today however, I shall only list a few gems that devotees can cherish on their own time

1. Radhe Radhe Japo, chale ayenge Bihari -- by Pandit Mrudul KRshNa Goswami
(Chant Radha's names, and KRshNa will come to the spot. If Radha is sweetened butter, Krishna is its aroma and tase. If Radha is Ganga, KrshNa is its flow, If Radha is the Moon, Krishna is its Crescent. If Radha is a flower or sandalwood paste, Krishna is the aroma...)

Watch sweet little Radha in ...
2. Kishori kuch aisa ho jaye, ho juban pe radha radha radha naam ho jaye, ... Mai to Ayi Vrundavan Dham, KishorI tere charNan me - by Gaurav KrsihNa Goswami.
("May Radha's names stay on my lips")

KRshNa is known as RAdhA-RamaN , and Madan-Mohan. Radha is well-known as Madan-Mohan-Mohini

3. Here is a beautiful , shockingly heart-touching bhajan that Beloved Govinda Giridhari GhanashyAmSundar sings, that can bring a burst of tears ~ because whatever the Lord does is transcendental , One of a Kind as never seen before ~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ONlXYjIB6g

~*~*~*~*~
Radhe Radhe man bole
man me amrut rasa ghole

When My mind sings Your names, Radhe, nectar juice blends into It (My Mind)

teri meri preet hai anupam
jaise pani aur ho chandan

(Our Love is One of a Kind
Like water and sandalwood paste)

Jeevan me kya bAdhA hai, sang jo mere tu Radha hai
nirdhan ka tu dhan hai Radha,
Prem ki is anmol ratan ko kaun tulA me tole?

(What can be wrong in life if one has Your association, Radhe?
You are the wealth of the poor wealthless,
In what sort of weighing balance can one weigh or measure this invaluable immeasurable gem called Radha? )


My Peacock-feather whose shape is the shape of Your eyes, sways by the gentle breeze as it sees Your eyes
~*~*~*~

Atha RAdhA SahasranAma Stotram - - Shri KRshNArpaNamastu.
Let us dedicate this long-awaited thread to DevakiNandan YashodAnandan Nandanandan Shri KRshNa Govinda DAmodar Mukunda

PLEASE NOTE: This will not be a cut and paste of the stotra, rather contemplation on some details. You are welcome to participate with questions or discussions. This text has a lot of hidden knowledge we will try to uncover.

SOURCE: NArada PancharAtra,

CONTEXT: Conversation between Shiva and PArvatI
BACKGROUND: PArvatI inquires: How is it that this Devi RAdhA Who is the Mother of the Universe, from Whom the Universe arises, is a Gopi??? O LOrd, please tell me this secret of this Great Goddess, which confers pure devotion [to KRshNa] on those who hear -- mahA devyA, bhakti prasAdhanam. भक्ति-प्रसाधनम्
Shiva, pleased by this question, answers : When Shri KRshNa, the Lord of the Universe, appears in the bhU-loka (earthly realm) for Divine purpose -- avatAr-kArya, RAdhA also accompanies Him in various forms. This is how She is a Gopi (Cowherd Maiden). Now let me narrate Her thousand names -- a topic that I have never elaborated anywhere and which those who desire liberation from the world wish to hear...
So listen Dear Devi, this which destroys all sins (karma, pApam) कथां पाप-हरां शुभाम्

This knowledge is very dear to Me day and night as dear as life, please hear and chant this Sahasranama stotra , O GirijA (PArvati, daughter of the Mountain)

Thus begins the narration of RAdhA SahasranAma

TEXT 10

yasyāḥ prasādāt kṛṣṇas tu golokeśaḥ paraḥ prabhuḥ asyā nāma-sahasrasya ṛṣir nārada eva ca

यस्याः प्रसादात् कृष्णस् तु गोलोकेशः परः प्रभुः अस्या नाम-सहस्रस्य ऋषिर् नारद एव च

By Her kindness Kṛṣṇa, the master of Goloka, is the Supreme Master. Nārada is the sage of Her thousand holy names.

Say what? KrishNa is the Supreme Master by Her kindness?? What is being said here?
It means RAdhA is the Shakti that ~*~motivates~*~ KRshNa, Who is Sat-Chit-Ananda.

Every stotra (hymn) or a spiritual text such as Bhagvad GitA, has
a) A RshI
b) A devatA - Deva who presides on this Stotra and makes it potent
c) chhanda - Vaidic meter in which it is chanted (e.g. anushTup, gAyatrI etc.)
d) keelakam - a key verse, phrase or words that unlocks the flood-gate to its Divine knowledge

Here also, DevRshI NArada (the Celestial Sage) is the RshI
Shri KRshNa Himself is the presiding Deva

[to be continued tomorrow]

FOOTNOTE: Another meaning behind PArvati's words 'gopItva bhAva' (shloka 7) referring to RAdhA can be mystically mysterious secret consciousness. Gop = gopanIya = hidden, and can also mean mystical.

Namaste

Radha's names give knowledge of Radha and can be classified into several groups

1. Describing relationship with KRshNa and how deep and Divine that relation is
2. As the role in Universal creation and maintenance
3. that describe Her as a philosophical Being, living Vaidic teaching
4. that describe Her values and principles -- nItI
5. that describe the arts She excels in, extols, contains, defines, brings into existence, is a personification of -- kalA
6. the aspect of bhakti - pradAyinI -- bestower of bhakti on jIvas - by example, motivation, leadership, ideal
7. Reservoir of all mellows (bhAva)
8. How She is all other Devis (when He is ~ She is ~)

|| Shri KRshNArpaNamapstu ||
Dedicated to the One Who gave rise to a RAdhA

(This translation is not from any existing source - or it would be pointless to put it here. Only a section of the names will be selected)

* Devi - Goddess
* RAdhA - Worshipper
* parA - supreme
* proktA - famous
* chatur-varga-prasAdhini - granter of the 4 goals of life -- dharma,artha, kAma, moksha

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Om shri rAdhA rAdhikA KRshNa-vallabhA kRshNa-samyutA

* Om - Divine Cosmic Sound
* Shri - BhagvAn's wealth, oppulence, grandeur, LakshmI, auspicious abundance of good qualities
* rAdhikA - One Who worships the Supreme Bramhan
* kRshNa-vallabhA - KRshNa's Most Dear One, KRshNa's Highest lover. VallabhI = valbhI: = terrace, highest part of a shelter (KRshNa lives in her heart)
KRshNa's wife. Vallabh = Dearest husband. KRshNa's queens call Him prAN-vallabh -- dearest protector of prAN (life)
* kRshNa-samyutA- KRshNa's constant companion. sama yuta.
* kRshNa-priyA- Beloved of KRshNa * kRshNa-kAntA- Beloved Wife of KRshNa

* kRshNAnanda-pradAyinI - 1. One Who gives happiness to KRshNa by Her loving pastimes and mellows
~*~ 2. One Who gives KRshNAnanda -- Divine bliss of KRshNa to devotees ~*~

* yashasvini = 1. Successful, One Who is in possession of Success [ yash = success ] .
2. Who possesses yash = BhagvAn svayam, KRshNa (one of His 6 aishwarya - oppulences)
* yashogamyA = yash (success) gamyA (deserving of, rightful possessor of, hence bestower of)
1. yogya, being and possessing yogyatA i.e. deserving of , having the qualification, rightfully deserving glorification as successful in devotion

[*NOTE: Some people translate these names as "famous" but this is indirect, as yash really means success and fame may/may not be attained through successful good karma]

* yashodA-nandana-patni/gehinI - Wife of the One who honored the giver of success and fame (YashodA) as His mother.
* Damodar-priyA/ratI - Beloved, lover of the KRshNa as the Toddler Who can only be bound to the mortar of Life by the rope of Love (dAm udar)
* gopAnanda-karI - 1. Who gives the community of cowherds (Gopa) divine happiness (KRshNa's Ananda)
2. Who is the source of the secret (gop, gopanIya) spiritual divine bliss
* trailokya-sundarI - most beautiful in the three worlds -- by appearance, deeds and at heart

* gatI-pradA = bestows spiritual goal - Devotion, bhakti, moksha, sets up the aspirant on the spiritual path, bhakti path, path of transcendence, path of moksha, path to VishNu
* geet-gamyA = geet (song, singing , glories) gamyA (yogya, qualifies for, deserving of)
So, One who is appropriately the Object of glorification through songs (Geet)


---
Other misc. names
* vRndAvaneshwarI - Chief, Controller Goddess of VrundAvan, the Divine Forest where VrundA (TulasI) grows
* madan-mohini - One Who enchants the celestial enchanter, Madan i.e. KAmdeva as well - implying: no being is left unenchanted by Her.

* jaya-pradA - bestower of success. She blesses devotees with success in devotion, in spiritual progress, helps to conquer the mind
* jayA - success personified, to be glorified, who is beyond the mind (mana), senses (indrIya), intellect (buddhI), ego (ahaMkAr) , Who has conquered all these as she is drowned in Love for KRshNa
* jIvA - giver of life - jIvan, jIv
* jIvAnanda-pradAyinI- 1. Gives Ananda - happiness, bliss not from this world to the living entities (jIva) 2. Bestows bliss of life
* shivA- 1. very pure and auspicious 2. Beloved of Shiva (we will soon see how)
* gavAdhyakshA - 1. In charge of the cows of GokuL -VRndAvan 2. In charge of the senses ( 'go' )
* gavAM-gatI - 1. Brings upliftment to the cows 2. Brings human senses to the spiritual level - gatI , liberation
* anuttamA - unsurpassed, has no superior -- because KRshNa considers Her His Own Self
* ashokA, shokarahitA, vishokA - Never laments, devoid of sorrow, regret, lamentation (She has no time for these), She is always blissfully engrossed in KAnhA (KRshNa) [a and vi are both pratyay (prefixes) for antonyms]
* shoka-nAshini- destroys the sorrow of devotees, of the world

* gAyatrI - She is the GAyatrI mantra and manifests as the Devi presiding on that mantra. She is the personification of GAyatri mantra
* veda mAtA , veda-garbhA - Mother of the Vedas i.e. GAyatrI. It is for Her and due to Her that Vedas exist. She is the source of the Veda
* vedAtIta - 1. She is beyond intellectual knowing 2. She is beyond the Veda Rchis, saMhIta, and the procedures in it

* viduttamA- 1. She is the wisest philosopher 2. supremely learned in the spiritual knowledge, 3. She knows the secret / mystery behind the universe

* nIti - shAstra-priyA- She upholds very high morals and the nItI shAstra are very dear to Her
* nIti - gatI - She is the epitome of morals , a moralist, the high point where living entities want to be

* matI - An ardent philosopher on life, Her intelligence lies in spiritual matters and philosophy, She understands the goal of life and the most important thing in life

* abhishTadA - 1. Fulfiller of devotees' desires. 2. Also, gives nIti, gatI, matI to those who turn to Her (thus polishes the devotees towards pure devotion to KRshNa)
* veda-priyA - 1. She loves everything Vaidic,
2. She is the Lover of Shri KRshNa Who is Veda Himself
3. Therefore She has the symbol of a VedI on Her foot
* veda-mArga-pravardhinI- She propounds the Vaidic path (path of Vedas) for the good of mankind and of the Universe , because by following the Vaidic path living beings bring balance in the Universe at all levels