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A RADHASHTAMI MEDITATION

Jai Sri Radhe!! Is the chant on everyone's minds and hearts now. Atleast in the minds and hearts of devotees. It's time to celebrate the most auspicious of auspicious festivals; it's time to celebrate Sri Radhashtami - the appearance day of Srimati Radharani. For devotees, Radhashtami is a more important festival than Janmashtami. Why? Because for the world Krishna is God but for devotees, Radha is God because they know that Krishna is subservient to the love of Radha. In our ISKCON circle, it is said that - Janmashtami is a public event but Radhashtami is a private event for only devotees who understand the supreme position of Srimati Radharani.

On the most auspicious occasion of Radhashtami, I would like to bring to your attention a beautiful meditation that His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami wrote many years back on this occasion called "An offering for the Divine Mother". The best prayer is to repeat the prayer of previous realized, great souls. Keeping this thought in mind, I am presenting a part of the write-up of Bhakti Tirtha Swami for your benefit. May this meditation make your Radhashtami even more better, meaningful and relishable.

AN OFFERING FOR THE DIVINE MOTHER

My dear Mother today is your appearance day. The creatures in this material universes were forced to take birth, due to their desire to enjoy material sense gratification. Their birth is a punishment, a period of confinement in material prison. Our bodies are the prison uniforms, and the cities, states, nations and planets are all places of repeated birth and death, characterized by constant harassment. You are not only a resident of the spiritual world, with a body of pure devotion to our Divine Father, but You manage to extend your protective energies as the guardian of the devotees. Dear Mother, please do not abandon us even though we hold tightly on to our prison mentalities.                                   
                                       
My dear Mother, today is Your appearance day, and we are all reminded that every true Saint attains love of the universal Father through You. You hold the key that unlocks the Bhakti stored in the heart of everyone. You ring the bell that attracts the attention of our beloved Father. No one can go to him or even attract a second of his attention, without Your blessings...oh, how we long for those blessings.

My dear Mother, today is your appearance day, and as usual Your thoughts are on others. We all want to chant Your glories, but You have defeated us terribly by putting our cases before our Beloved Father, telling Him to please bless us. Some heard You say: "Hey Govinda! These devotees are serving so nicely! Please receive them; they are better servants than I."Oh Mother how can we ever come up to a standard that really deserves Your affection and endorsements?                    
                                      
My dear Mother, today is Your appearance day. Let every atom vibrate Your name. Your servants in Vrindavan chant Your name before and after all activities. Your name is the means and the end. They know nothing but You. They speak only of You. They see all Beauty as a reflection of Your splendor. They are so intoxicated with Your pastimes that whoever associates with these great souls immediately contracts their disease. Even if this contagious fever spreads all over the entire universe, still the residents would never be able to glorify You sufficiently. What can I offer you in general, what to say of this most auspicious day of your appearance?              

How am I, so unqualified and unworthy, able to receive Your blessings? This is surely a sign of Your causeless mercy. Divine Mother, I can only get a glimpse of Your causeless mercy when I attempt to even think of offering something to You. As I am most expert at taking, on this auspicious day I run after those great true devotees of Yours, demanding one particle of dust from their lotus feet, which is sufficient to remove the tons of dust accumulated on my heart. Once this dust is completely removed, I will be able to offer You in service the only thing I seem to value. . .My life!
                                           
Although You are in need of nothing, Divine Mother, please grant me forgiveness on all sides and allow me association with your true bhaktas. Otherwise I shall remain a disgrace, passing another year with nothing of value to offer You...

Jai Sri Radhe!!

- Achyut Gopal Das

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