Skip to main content

SEEKING THE GRACE OF SRI RADHA

Just like we have our mother who gives birth to our material body, to whom we owe our body, we also have our Eternal Mother to whom we owe our very soul. In different religions, She is called and addressed by different names. In Vedic culture, She is addressed as Sita, Lakshmi or Radha - the consort of our Supreme Father. She is our Mother God, our Mother Supreme. The scriptures abundantly and extensively glorify This Supreme Mother - Her love, Her compassion and Her grace for all of us. A mother is always more kind and merciful than the father similarly our Eternal Mother is more merciful than The Supreme Father. That's the reason why devotees desperately seek the grace of the Divine Mother, Srimati Radharani in their spiritual pursuits. Her grace can force Lord Krishna to shower His mercy on us even unwillingly. After all, He is an henpecked husband - completely controlled by Her love.

The heart of a mother is very big. What to speak of the heart of The Supreme Mother. Her love and Her grace encompasses everyone. If you study Ramayana scrutinizingly, you will notice that whenever Lord Rama killed any demons, Mother Sita was never present with Him. Why? Because She wouldn't have allowed Lord Rama to kill them, She just can't see the suffering of others.

There is a very hope giving and touching story from the life of Sri Radha. One-time in Vrindavan, very near to where She was sitting with Her girlfriends, there was a group of children throwing stones and setting fire around a she-jackal. The she-jackal howled in pain seeking help and mercy. It's desperate cry reached the tender heart of Sri Radha. Her heart couldn't tolerate it. She at once sent Her intimate friend Lalita to free the jackal and bring it to Her. When the jackal was brought in front of Her, She awarded the jackal liberation and made it one of Her sakhis (girlfriends) in the Spiritual world. Such is the nature of Her love and grace. It defies all logic and reason. She is the personification of compassion. She is ready to open the doors of the Spiritual world in exchange for a little devotion from our side. That's why devotees chant Her name even before chanting the names of Krishna or Rama. They know that the key to the Spiritual world rests fully in Her custody. The devotees in the holy land of Vrindavan consider Radharani to be the mistress of Vrindavan and Krishna a simple tenant in Her abode. That's precisely the reason why the names of "Sri Radha" is more famous than the names of "Sri Krishna" in Vrindavan. Radharani is the custodian and personification of Bhakti and She is eager to award it to anyone who even shows the slightest sincerity to achieve it.

I end this blog with two beautiful prayers to Sri Radha - our Eternal Mother

samsara-sagare ghore
bhitam mam sharanagatam
sarvebhyo 'pi vinirmuktam
kuru radhe surshvari

"O Radha, I have fallen into the horrible ocean of birth and death and am frightened, but I am seeking Your shelter. O queen of the demigods, please free me from all fears."

tvat-pada-padma-yugale
pada-padmalayarcite
dehi mahyam param bhaktim
krishnena parisevite

"O Radhika, please give me transcendental devotional service to Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Lord Brahma and Lakshmi, and which are served even by Lord Krishna."

- Achyut Gopal Das

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

STEP OUT to STEP UP

Don't live the same day over and over again and call that a life. Life is about evolving mentally, spiritually and emotionally . -   Germany Kent We all have our own comfort zones which we don't want to leave. Why? Because life is very predictable and set according to our convenience. "Why should you leave all this to embrace a life of risk, unpredictability and inconvenience", reasons the mind. This may be true but it also true that life without challenges is not life at all - it is just survival. We are born not to survive but to thrive. Thrive means growth and growth means the growth process. And the growth process is always not easy but the result is always amazing.   THE PROCESS OF GROWTH Just like a caterpillar goes through a struggle to come out of the cocoon, but that struggle, that growth, transforms it into the most beautiful butterfly similarly coming out of our cocoon of comfort may be difficult but the fruits are exceedingly wonderful. Or just li...
Post a Comment
Read more

AGENTS OF CHANGE

The first chapter of Bhagvad-Gita is entitled ' Observing the armies on the battlefield of Kurukshetra '. This chapter is all about Arjuna seeing the world through his eyes, interpreting the situation according to what he thinks is right. The result - confusion and stress. This the turning point in his life, where he surrenders to Krishna and asks Him for guidance. Lord Krishna then starts to speak the timeless wisdom of the Bhagvad-Gita only to give Arjuna the right vision. If we honestly glance into our hearts, we will come to the same conclusion that Arjuna came to - that observing life through our present perceptions has not helped us, we still feel unhappy and incomplete. We probably need a change of lenses, a vision change.  That's exactly what the Bhagvad-Gita does for us. It helps us change our vision from "What I think is correct" to " What is actually correct ", it helps us change from saying " Let my will be done " to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

BORN INTELLIGENT

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” - Albert Einstein One time a young man approached a psychologist and told him that he considers himself unintelligent and foolish. The psychologist asked him the reason for him feeling so. He replied "It's because I don't have anything to say when my colleagues in office discuss sports. I feel like a total fool in front of them." The psychologist smiled and asked him, "Do you care about sports? Is it your area of interest?" The man said, "No, not at all." That's exactly what the psychologist wanted to hear. He told him, "You see, it's not that you are not intelligent - it's only that you are not good in the knowledge of sports because it's not your area of interest. And, when you are around your colleagues who have a lot to say on sports, you feel like you are unintelligent. The only ...
Post a Comment
Read more