Radha Is My Heart And I Am Her Soul…Together We Form The Cosmic Whole…

Today, on 23 September, the world does celebrate, Sri Radha Ashtami…the birth in the village of Barsana, of the truly Beloved, of the Beloved One…the birth of ‘Radha Bhav’…that feeling of superlative surrender and unparalleled dynamic devotion that lies hidden, buried deep within each one of us…waiting to rise to the fore…to find fulfilment at the Lotus Feet…The feelings that flow below are for Radha, celebrating the appearance day of  Radharani…! a poem by Ms Jullie Chaudhuri.

When Like Radha One Does Pine…Krishna Affirms – “You Are Mine…!”

‘Oh! Radharani,
I seek Your benevolence,
Your grace and mercy,
To inch closer to Krishna,
To follow the path of devotion,
Consciously,
Ably, adroitly, flawlessly,
Oh! Sweet Radhika,
You, Who are the most beloved of Krishna,
How did You master the art of devotion,
So faultlessly, immaculately, supremely…?
Enlighten me, I implore You,
I need to know…I do,
What does Krishna mean to You…?
Saints, seers, yogis,
So too, the scriptures,
Your zealous adorations extol…’

As I did thus the Aadhar,
The support of Krishna cajole,
A divinely mellow voice within me did unroll -
“I am His Heart…And Krishna…
He is my Soul…”

Oh, with extreme enchantment did my love soar,
Diving deep,
I earnestly did entreat to hear more,
About the One,
Whom my heart and soul did long for and adore…

This time I did steer my questions, 
To the Blue-Boy,
The heartbeat of Gokul and Brindavan,
To Nandanandanan - 
‘Oh! Krishna, Oh! Govinda,
Oh! Mukunda,
Just what did Sri Radha mean to You…?
Her name does suggest the quintessence of worship,
Of Aradhana -
A celestial flow,
A ceaseless dhara,
Ever pristine, selfless, supreme, unconditional,
And unsurpassably pure,
Ensuring a consistently transcendental allure…

Oh! Krishna, Oh! Kesava,
Oh! Madhusudhana,
Hey Muralidhara…
Wholesome sentiments,
Abundant and true,
Does unendingly flow from Her to You,
She is as eternal as You signify eternity,
You are the Supreme Purusha and She represents Prakriti,
You, the Ultimate Personality of Godhead,
And She is Your Shakti,
An indelible expansion of Your spectacular energy,
You, the Ocean of Bliss,
Into which merges Radha,
A steady stream of devotion that flows on ceaselessly,
Epitomising Ananya Bhakti…

Oh! Beloved Krishna,
You wanted to experience such Bhakti,
As such what it means to be a devotee,
That superlative feeling,
That matchless sentiment,
That undiluted dedication,
In all its gleaming glory,
Thus accordingly,
Your heart did transform,
Going on to assume a form,
So delightful and charming,
Engaging and enchanting,
Devotion took on an evergreen appeal,
Celestial beings did shower,
Multi-hued fragrant flowers;
Along with the sound of conches,
Innumerable temple bells did peal,
With distinctive zest and zeal,
On the 8th day of the bright half,
Of the month of Bhadra,
Across the region of Barsana,
Announcing the arrival of Radha,
Come to play Her ultra special role,
Compatible to Your Divine Advent at Mathura,
As Sri Krishna…

There are legends surrounding the emergence ,
Of Sri Radha,
While one does state,
She was found in a field by Maharaj Vrishabhanu,
The other does declare,
He discovered Her floating along the holy Yamuna,
Upon a lotus flower,
Maharaj Vrishabhanu,
Then presented the luminous baby to his wife,
Kirti Sundari…
Soon after Janamashtami,
Is celebrated Radhaashtami,
The Appearance Day of Srimati Radharani…

Every atom in the air of sacred Brindavan,
Along with all those that tread the soil of Vraj,
Sing out the glories of Radhika,
Her sacrosanct name,
Is forever placed before Yours, Oh! Madhava,
For none can equal or surpass,
Her interminably…immortally selfless adulation,
She, upon Whose name when Rishis do contemplate,
Overwhelmed with bliss,
They are rendered speechless,
Into a prolonged trance-like state,
With which nothing can ever equate,
Such is the divine energy and celestial love,
That a sole thought of Sri Radha does radiate,
Forever She seeks You,
Oh! Beloved One, both within and without,
Only with Your name does each heartbeat pulsate,
Thus to Her as ‘Krishnamayi’ many do relate…

Oh! Lord Krishna,
You and Radha are indeed One,
But to enjoy superlative devotion,
You deemed it so to become two,
Tell me do,
Grant me a clue,
What does the aradhana of Sri Radha mean to You…?
Eventually, what does the resplendent Radhika mean to You…?’

Thus so, upon the wide expanse of the inner screen,
Through the magnificent vistas of Dwapara,
My mind did scroll;
Along the narrow lanes and pathways,
Of Brindavan,
As I did reverently stroll,
Where each atom, each particle of dust,
Every drop from the holy Yamuna,
Did ‘Radhe Radhe’ ‘Radhe Radhe’ chant and extol…
In the hush of that awesome twilight,
The gentle breeze played a significant role,
Wafting a wondrous whisper,
As joyful as the gay dance around a maypole,
Magnifying the muffled murmur inspiringly out of control,
For it was from the Beloved One,
Who is undoubtedly the promised eventual goal -

“When like Radha one does pine…
I as Krishna…do affirm -
You Are Mine…You are Mine…
For
Radha is My Heart…and I…
I am Her Soul…
Together We go on to form the Cosmic Whole…”

II Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II