A personal view of Radhastami festival by Matsya das
Devotees often say that Radhastami is the most important festival at New Vraja Dhama. Although the verdict shall be taken according to one’s individual preference, i humbly agree with the premise, for She is known as Vrindavanesvari and the mood on Her day at New Vraja Dhama is always additionally surcharged by some mysteriously special substance. “She is not a woman”, Jayapataka Maharaja said recently in Mayapur, “She is the pleasure potency of the Lord. If you can please Radharani, and She tells Krsna that there is this devotee who is nice, then He will be very happy to give His mercy”.
At New Vraja Dhama, Janmastami could be taken as the central annual event, Govardhan-puja can be described as the most opulent worship, Gaura Purnima can be taken as the most munificent and most merciful day, but in this community Radhastami is surely the most important festival and celebration.
And devotees from all over Europe share this conviction. My rough estimate is that there were around 700 devotees honouring Her divine appearance at New Vraja Dhama yesterday. The day began the usual way, with singing and dancing, the trademark of the Hare Krsna’s, and devotees were arriving literary in waves throughout the morning. We started with about a hundred devotees present for mangala-aratik.
Initiations took place in the morning. Some 20 devotees received either first or second from Sivarama and Candramauli Swamis. Bhagavat Asraya prabhu, Srila Prabhupada’s disciple, gave a very nice talk on the meaning and importance of taking initiation and he spiced it up with relevant Prabhupada-lila.
There was one devotee who could not make it to the farm in time to receive initiation with others. It was one of the arrangements so typical for Bhaktavatsala Syamasundara. This devotee boarded the plane in London along with her husband and two children, only to discover that all of their passports were missing by the time they approached the customs in Budapest. Sivarama Swami told her that he will initiate her over the phone if the situation does not settle. Fortunately somehow, after a night in detention, the family made their way to the farm and this devotee received her initiation later in the afternoon. Not in the tent with others, but in the temple room in front of Radhe Syama. Maharaja concluded that such was Their desire. It seemed to me that this devotee answered Krsna’s call despite all difficulties and when she arrived she could understand it was all worthwhile. Maharaja will explain this point later in the evening.
Abhisek of small Radhe Syama deities and Sri Govardhan-lala followed the initiation ceremony, and a huge feast was served after that. Then traditionally we took a little break, we saw many guests leaving in delight, devotees who drove long hours in order to come, and again traditionally the program resumed and continued until midnight, filled with evening/night bhajans in the packed temple room.
So much can be said and written about every day and even every hour at New Vraja Dhama, yet
those amazing events that happened in the evening are what i would particularly like to share with you.
At one point of the evening, Sivarama Maharaja aided by Amala Harinama prabhu and mother Jahnavi, with their fabulous devotional voices and her violine, sang an exceptionally beautiful soft tune for Their pleasure. The tune was inviting Their swing to rock and move, and if you take a closer look at the photo below you will notice Lalita and Visakha sakhis holding the transcendental reins made of flowers, connected to Radhe Syama’s swing. Sakhi’s reins were also directing the musicians, arranging the instruments and empowering the sound vibrations. There was Maharaja, as one of the sakhis, leading with his powerful voice and harmonium, prabhus Amala Harinama expertly following with his mrdanga, Braja-raja and Tribhanga with their klarinet and saxophone, mothers Tulasi singing back vocal, Jahnavi with her violine, Tulasi and Nadia with karatalas and Krsna-mayi by the flute. Jitendriya, Guna-grahi and bh. Balazs prabhus were standing by with additional instruments and their musical talents.
The whole temple room of followers was reciprocating with one voice and joint devotional activity. The scriptures compare everyone to a mustard seed, and now we have become the whole Mount Meru made of tiny mustard seeds performing for Syama’s pleasure. The swing was rocking, no doubt, and we were all in pure bliss! Although sitting and swaying sideways, everyone seemed like jumping
up and down in ecstasy. What a party, what a feast!
I’m sure that wherever you are is the best place for you and your devotional service, but still, having this silly strong neophyte conviction that New Vraja Dhama is the central point of this universe, i wish you could have all been here these days. I sincerely desire every devotee to see and be seen in front of Radhe Syama for their own benefit and Their own pleasure. This dhama is one of a kind and just by thinking of it with love and devotion one can contract eternal life of joy, what to speak of coming here in order to serve Radhe Syama. Nava Vraja Mahima is abundant with references to this.
Sivarama Swami then brought the chanting to temporary halt and he spoke the following
(excerpted from my notes):
“When we sing the Mahamantra, we call for Krsna, but at the same time Krsna is also calling for us
in response. Krsna is calling for us in Bhagavad-gita and in Srimad Bhagavatam, and just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He would hear Krsna’s call He would run. He would run toward Krsna. That should also be the nature of our response. We should not worry what the obstacles are. In Vrindavan it can be very hot in the middle of the day while Krsna is in the forest. When He wants to call Srimati Radharani, He plays on His flute. And when She hears Krsna’s calling, She leaves everything and She goes. She is in Her husband’s house and her in-laws are on Her way, but She goes past them. She goes through the courtyard and through the village. She is running on hot sand and She doesn’t care because Krsna is calling. And Krsna tells us, when you come to Me you will
understand it was all worthwhile.”
As far as my interaction with Them goes, funny thing was that just a week or so ago i saw somewhere a small photo of Radhe Syama with Radharani sitting on a swing. All these days i kept thinking about this photo. I have never seen such a decoration before. I was delighted and amazed
with the idea and performance, so i thought to inquire from Vrajavasis about the occasion. Having
arrived here, sure enough, i asked some locals about this unique decoration. The answer surprised me and made me smile in wonder: “Actually, we do that from time to time. Search for Jhulan Yatra events, it’s a regular presentation of Their pastime.” Wow, i thought in surprise, in over two years of regularly coming here, calling myself at home at New Vraja Dhama, little do i know about Their
glories. I actually never saw Radharani sitting on Her swing!
And on this festival morning, well there was the swing! Having been caught in curious amazement once by finding out about another single tiny drop of Their blissful transcendental pastimes, i have been caught by surprise for the second time in a short while, when the curtain opened for darsan yesterday morning, and They revealed another bit of Their glories to this devotee wannabe. What a treat, i thought, what a fortune. How could i have ever deserved to see such a pastime? This is simply Their mercy coming down like a shower of rain through Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva. Because, now not only Radharani was sitting, but also Syama was clearly sitting on a swing. So wonderful.
Standing still in amazement and delight in front of the altar, side by side to other endeared devotees, smiling like a fortunate child to Radhe Syama’s play, i felt the presence of one devotee that i know and who hasn’t been at the farm for several years.
“Amazing, isn’t it”, i said.
“Yes”, he said obviously bewildered. “Amazing indeed… i can’t understand this…”
Still smiling i inquired with a quick glance at him, as if asking why does he think any one of us can
understand anything?
“Are They actually sitting? Are They really sitting? I mean,” he said, “stone cannot easily be bent…
how did… i can’t understand this…”
“Be careful”, i said with an increasing smile, “illusion is very prominent in this world, but it is our
own choice to see either Maha-maya or Yoga-maya.”
He understood and said nothing more. And i kept smiling remembering that even Lord Balaram was
placed in illusion and even Brahma was victimised by maya, so what to speak of us.
It was past ten pm at New Vraja Dhama and bhajans continued. We came to the crescendo at that point, first by the help of mothers Jahnavi, Tulasi and Co. with some tunes from ‘Like a River’ album. They were also singing one song by Rupa Goswami, which i have learned from Sivarama Swami, called Ananda-candrikakhyam-radha-dasa-nama stotra or Ten Names of Radha, The Moonlight of Bliss. Often Sivarama Swami sings this little song to his Radha Damodara deity and once he taught it to his disciples and followers.
After the all-ladies performance, Maharaja increased the tempo, but could not easily increase the temperature which was at the climax already. He must have felt the same, for he started singing songs like Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna Jaya Vrindavan, Jaya Radhe Radhe, and other songs given by the acaryas glorifying Srimati Radharani, improvising in spontaneous devotional service.
The whole temple room stood up simultaneously and started to dance wildly, smiles seen everywhere, hands if not held straight up were thrown around along with legs. It appeared as if
every devotee had hundreds of hands and hundreds of legs with which they were waving and
moving in ways that can hardly be explained. We were having jubilant transcendental fun in front of Radhe Syama. The shiny, radiant smiles reflected that pure atmosphere which made us appear just like children, qualified to enter the adolescent party of Syama’s endless night performance, under the expert guidance of Their confidential servants and the glowing holy dhama of Sri Nava Vraja. Curiously, that dancing of about four or five dozens of us the most fortunates was conducted in an organized manner, yet individual improvisations were clearly prominent in everyone. I guess the reason must be in the fact that we all answer to Krsna’s call in our own ways, but the result is one and the same for every living entity.
Maharaja was singing by shouting into the microphone, Varsabhanavi Devi ki jay jay jay! Yuga- dharma Isvari ki jay jay jay! Damodara-prestha ki jay jay jay! Radharani ki jay, Maharani ki jay! All the gracious moves devotees displayed were beyond imagination, and in order to lead us all there was Candramauli Swami. One moment Maharaja was in the front row and the very next he already slided toward Srila Prabhupada asana in the back. Some of his dancing moves were simply impossible. Devotees were following in this culmination of ecstatic glorification of Srimati Radharani.
Devotees can sometimes be justly compared to jubilant children. Although mature in realizations arising from the focused performance of their devotional service, devotees sometimes appear acting just like little children. I’ve found this to be one small portion of their glorious and puzzling identity.
In Sri Caitanya Bhagavata the fabulous description can be found how Lord Nityananda’s associates used to uproot huge trees out of the earth, in response to their intense devotional ecstasy. I have only heard about all that and i don’t know anything else. But i think this transcendental partying must be equal in every respect. The glories of New Vraja Dhama increase and expand day by day, festival by festival, so one day some Vedavyasa or Vrindavana dasa will surely see all this in their meditation and will describe these pastimes for the benefit of every sincere soul.
Some time later the Lord of all the assembled dancers decided to conclude this performance. I saw devotees collapsing, but still in endless bliss smiling nevertheless. Some devotees could barely walk. On the way out i met with one of those who were limping.
“You know”, he said with sincere happiness in his voice, “you must be very dear to Radhe Syama.”
How is that, i thought, replying only by raising my eyebrows. I am certainly very fortunate to have
accepted Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, by who’s causeless mercy i’m able to be here. Sri Govardhan-lal provided me with a car just recently to be able to come more often, so yes, i am fortunate. But ‘very dear’ takes much more. It takes full surrender! One first has to indebt Gaura, then indebt Radha and then indebt Syama before becoming eligible to be identified as very dear.
“Just a few days ago you asked me about Radha’s swing, and now here it is. You asked for it.”
“Ha! Yes i noticed”, i said with a big grin, “but i’m certain it is because you said that the swing is a
regular thing. So in order to keep your words true, They decided to perform this pastime”.
There is no end to the glories of Nava Vraja residents. In a genuine manner of pure humility they are always ready to glorify others and to gratefully see others as their masters. I don’t fall for their praise. I rather fall at their feet, because it is by their kind acceptance that i can too witness these
amazing treats and serve them and Radhe Syama in this focal point of our universe.
Let me reveal to you the whereabouts of the key. The key is to satisfy Vrajavasis, and one can so easily do that by accepting a service for the holy dhama. And that’s it! As Srila Prabhupada said, it’s so simple one can actually miss it.
And the cause why we can easily miss it, is laying in the same field where the key is. Because Nava Vraja Dhama is the center of the universe, one might become absorbed in what this means and what this fact has to offer. One might start enjoying facilities provided by the farm, one might become absorbed in the captivating position of being in the center of the universe.
Someone might object, why do you say New Vraja Dhama is the center of the universe? What gave me the right to declare such a thing? Well, New Vraja Dhama is the center of this universe because this universe revolves around Radhe Syama. So because They are the center, naturally the place of Their residence is also the center of the universe. But if we take it further to a more precise point, even Syama is not the center of the universe. No, i declare boldly! He says, whoever thinks being My servant, is not really My servant; but the servant of My servant truly is My servant.
Some people say that there is no God. Some say there IS God. And yet some have understood that He is not God, really. She is! And our service to Her in Her service to Him is the actual central point of this universe. This fact makes Her day so … hmm… let’s say ‘unique’.
I’ll leave you with that. Please consider coming to New Vraja Dhama as soon as possible. Listen to Krsna’s flute and answer His call. Next festival is coming up soon, the worship of Govardhan hill, hari-dasa-varya. If nothing else, you can rightly expect about 3.5 tonnes of bhoga being offered, mostly sweets, just as He likes. Isn’t that something worth seeing and participating in…
Hare Krsna from Sri Vrindavan-dhama.
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