One time Srila Prabhupada told Bhakti Vivek Bharati Maharaja to speak Harikatha. Later in the afternoon, he asked a devotee what book he took with him. He answered that he has taken Srimad Bhagavatam. Prabhupad told the devotee that—“since it is our duty to preach about the excellency of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he should have taken Chaitanya Caritamrita or Chaitanya Bhagavat instead.“
Why? Because we can only get the kripa of Krsna through Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srimati Radharani. If we don’t understand the glory of Srimati Radharani, then what glory can one hear about Krsna? All glories are concentrated on the Lotus Feet of Radharani. Only in that way can we glorify Krsna. Without Radharani what can we do? Many times I have said :
yatha yatha gaura-padaravinde
vindeta bhaktim krta punya-rasih
tatha tathot-sarpati hrdya-kasmad
radha-padambhoja-sudhambu rasih
“As devotion unto the lotus feet of Sri Gaurasundara is attained by a greatly pious person, inevitably the ocean of nectar which is the service of the lotus feet of Sri Radha is accordingly born within his heart.” (Caitanya-candramrta 88)
As much as we are able to connect ourselves with gaura-lila, automatically we find that without any trouble we are already presented there in krsna-lila. We are carried to the camp of Radharani in Vrndavana. If you can understand the glories of Radharani, then you can understand the glories of Krsna.
At any moment it becomes possible for us to misunderstand Srimad Bhagavatam, especially when we read it without being under the guidance of Guru and Vaishnavas. Srila Prabhupada says even the Balya Lila of Krsna is dangerous if one perceives it with a mundane conception.
By Shri Shyam das Baba