Who Will Give Us the Right to Serve Rādhānātha?

Rädhäräëé and Her expansions, sakhémaïjarés, are all guru-vastu; they are all gurus. Nikuïja-yüno rati-keli-siddhyai, that is gurutattva, that is gurudeva. Abhinna-tattva1 is gurudeva. Gurudeva gives you the right to serve Kåñëa, and without his mercy, without guru, who will give you this right? Only one who is abhinna-tattva to Värñabhänavé Rädhäräëé will give that right; that is guru-tattva.

Vede tri-tattva kaya – the Vedas mention three tattvas: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. Sambandha-tattva is the tattva based on relationship, abhidheya is bhakti, and prayojana is prema. So when we consider this prayojana-tattva then kåñëa-prema comes up. Without the mercy of such a premibhakta, who is very dear to Rädhäräëé, how can you get that kåñëa-prema? Without that mercy how can one understand that prayojana-tattva?

How can the sädhaka, who cannot understand this guru-tattva and who cannot see the real svarüpa of guru (svarüpa-tattva), get direction on his bhajana-patha? Who will give him direction on this path of devotional service? He cannot understand sädhya-tattva, kåñëa-prema, the goal.

Sädhana and sädhya are the means as well as the end; that is prema-tattva. The means is bhakti and the goal is prema, love. Kåñëa can only be bound with the rope of love; He is the object of love, prétiviñaya. One who does not understand this, how can he do bhajana? He does not know whose bhajana he will do. He cannot do bhajana. He is completely

1. Abhinna-tattva: non-different, identical.

covered over by the dense darkness of ignorance. He is groping in the dark.

So in the question of guru-tattva, where there is the relationship with Rädhä, the goal, sädhya-tattva is Rädhänätha. So one who has not established his relationship with Rädhäräëé, or with any of Her expansions, cannot serve Rädhänätha. Who will give him that right?

Guru-Sevā Is also Śrīmatī-Sevā

Gurudeva is very dear to Rädhäräëé. He is rädhä-préya-sakhé, a very dear girl companion of Rädhäräëé. So guru-sevä is also çrématé-sevä. Thus to serve guru means to serve Rädhäräëé, because he is very dear to Rädhäräëé. Service to Rädhäräëé means service to guru and service to guru means service to Rädhäräëé. To become the servitor of guru means to become the servitor of Rädhäräëé and thus to become the servitor of Kåñëa. This is the tattva. Only those who know this tattva and are fixed in this tattva, can render loving service to Kåñëa. Unless one knows all these tattvas one cannot tread this path of devotional service, or bhajana-patha. But one who knows this guru-tattva perfectly well, knows that the guru is a dear devotee of Rädhäräëé, priya-jana and non-different from Rädhäräëé and Her expansions. He knows that tattva. And that gurudeva is very dear and intimate to Çrématé Rädhäräëé.

Rādhārāṇī Is My Guru

Kåñëa accepts Rädhäräëé as guru. Kåñëa has said;

rädhikära prema-guru, ämi-çiñya naöa sadä ämä nänä nåtye näcäya udbhaöa

“The love of Rädhikä is My teacher, and I am Her dancing pupil. Her prema makes Me dance various novel dances.” (Caitanyacaritämåta, Ädi-lélä 4.124)

In our guru-paramparä Kåñëa is at the top, but He has said, “Rädhikära prema-guru, ämi-çiñya naöa – in loving affairs My guru is Rädhäräëé.”

So who is at the topmost platform of guru in the paramparä? That is Rädhäräëé. Although Kåñëa occupies the topmost position, He states, “She makes Me dance according to Her tune. I’ll dance! I’ll dance! Ämi-çiñya naöa – I am Her disciple.” Naöa means ‘dancer’. The guru makes the disciple dance, “Go there! Come here! Up-down, up-down!” Thus, in the guru-paramparä Rädhäräëé holds the topmost position. This is guru-tattva. Only by serving guru you will attain vraja-sevä-adhikära, the right to serve Kåñëa, Rädhänätha in Vrajabhümi.

And Gauräìga Mahäprabhu is rädhä-bhävasuvalita-tanu. In this regard He has said:

gaura aìga nahe mora—rädhäìga-sparçana vrajendra-suta vinä teìho nä sparçe anya-jana (Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä 8.287)

“This is not the body of Gaura. This is the body of Rädhä. Only Vrajendra-suta, the son of Nanda Mahäräja can touch this body. No one else can.”

Gaura Himself said this. Thus rädha-bhäva is predominating in Him. In our guru-paramparä when Gaura comes, then Rädhä comes. That guru-paramparä in which Gaura comes is Rädhä’s paramparä. That guru-paramparä is gauraparamparä, which means rädhä-paramparä, because Gaurasundara is in rädhä-bhäva. So those who are gauränugas, followers of Gaura, they are rädhänugas, followers of Rädhäräëé, because rädhä-bhäva is predominating in Gaura. This is gauòéya-gurudhära2. This is guru-tattva.

— Śrīla Gour Govinda Svāmī 18 August 1993, Bhubaneswar, India.

2. The line of Gauòéya Vaiñëava gurus.