Even when taking the Holy Name of Radharani, we give some pranama . “Oh, please forgive me, I am not qualified to take Your Holy Name, I am not qualified. I am trying to say so much. With my small tongue, I am taking Your Holy Name. Forgive me, forgive me, I have got the audacity of taking your Holy Name”. She is so high, so great, so noble, that we can’t consider ourselves fit to take Her Holy Name. Sukadeva Gosvami did not directly take Radharani’s Name in the whole of Bhagavatam, yet he has given what is the true perception of divine love.
Our Guru Maharaja related so many things but very rarely did he take the Name of Radharani. He had such great respect for Her. Once one big zamindar came to Guru Maharaja and opened the topic that Parvati’s beauty was higher than that of the Gopis. Prabhupada could not tolerate that idea, and he began to describe the beauty of Radharani with great enthusiasm and emotion, but another force was checking his attempt. Radharani’s beauty was being challenged by some quarter so he had to speak, but at the same time he was not prepared to describe that beauty in public – it should not be exposed to them. They are unable to appreciate even a very small portion of that. Two opposite forces from different directions were fighting in him and he fell from his chair and fainted.
Prabhupada was not ready to bear even a slight dishonor concerning Radharani. Prabhupada once ordered one gentleman to sing a song by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Ami ta svananda-sukhada-vasi. There it is mentioned :
radhikara-kunja andará kari laite cahe se radhara hari
Candravali wants to take away Radha’s Hari, thus causing the love-grove of Radhkia to be overcast with the darkness of gloom ( Saranagati 5.4.5)
“I am in the group of Radharani and I can’t tolerate the sight of the sakhis of the other camp, the camp of Candravali, Saibya, etc. because their sight excites in me the idea that they want to take Krishna from the camp of Radharani, making it dark for us.” I saw Prabhupada sitting in a canvas chair, patiently hearing Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s song. The song was sung twice. During the course of that song this statement came – radhikara-kunja andará kari – they want to snatch away Krishna making the kunja of Radharani dark. Prabhupada felt a shock. His body would jerk. I noticed it. Again when the song was repeated, whenever that point would come, he had a shock as if an arrow had hit him from the back. He could not tolerate. He was not ready to tolerate any dishonor to the camp of Radharani. It was intolerable that Radharani’s kunja was dark and Krishna was absent because He has gone to please another. It was inconceivable to Prabhupada. Although Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written this as an impartial statement, in his relative position Prabhupada could not tolerate it. Such is the sentiment of the proper devotees of Sri Radhika.
We must always keep such topics at a respectable distance over our heads – pujala raga-pasha gaurava-bhange. This is a very happy expression, very sweet and very useful also. Pujala raga-pasha gaurava-bhange – herein is the whole tenor of our Guru Maharaja and the nature of his service. It is not only for him, but he has extended this banner to all.
Excerpt from His Divine Grace Srila B.R. Sridhara Dev Maharaja’s talk, compiled in the book “Sri Rupa Gosvami’s Upadesamrta” by Gosai Publishers.