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Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 8.211

Shared Pleasure Through Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī

“ ‘All the gopīs, the personal friends of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, are equal to Her. Kṛṣṇa is pleasing to the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, just as the moon is pleasing to the lotus flower. His pleasure-giving potency is known as āhlādinī, of which the active principle is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. She is compared to a creeper with newly grown flowers and leaves. When the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is sprinkled on Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, all Her friends, the gopīs, immediately appreciate the pleasure a hundred times more than if they were sprinkled themselves. Actually this is not at all wonderful.’

Śrīla Prabhupāda · Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 8.211, translation

What the purport teaches

  • The gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s personal friends, are equal to Her. Kṛṣṇa pleases the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi as the moon pleases the lotus flower.
  • Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure-giving potency is called āhlādinī, and its active principle is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. She is compared to a creeper with newly grown flowers and leaves.
  • When the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is sprinkled on Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Her friends appreciate the pleasure a hundred times more than if they were sprinkled themselves. The verse says this is not at all wonderful.

Try this today

Review the meaning of āhlādinī given here, and write down Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s relationship to this potency.

Ask yourself

What does the gopīs’ greater pleasure through Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī reveal about their friendship with Her?

Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.

The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.

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