“O Radha! O beloved of Madhava! O you who are worshiped by all the young girls of Gokula! All glories unto You! All glories unto You!” (Sri Radhika-stava, by Srila Rupa Gosvami)
Sri Janmastami is celebrated with much grandeur all over the world, because it is the birthday celebration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Can there be any festival greater than this? If this question is asked to devotees in Sri Dham Mayapur, the answer will be ‘Yes.’ Sri Krishna may be God, but there is one personality who devotees honor even more than Him.
Who is greater than God Himself? Sri Krishna, by definition, must be the greatest, but He has expanded Himself as Srimati Radharani, and although the whole world is controlled by Krishna, Krishna is controlled by Srimati Radhika.
Srila Prabhupada explains: “Krishna, everyone is trying to love Krishna, but Krishna is trying to love somebody. Now how great She is. Just try to understand. Everyone, the whole world, the whole universe, all living entities, they are trying to love Krishna, krsna-prema.… So krsna-prema is so valuable, but Krishna is after Radharani. Just see how Radharani is great. Just try to understand the greatness of Radharani. Therefore She is so great, and we have to offer our respect." (Montreal, August 30, 1968)
Pleasing Srimati Radharani is the ultimate goal, for if She is pleased, then automatically Krishna is pleased. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus it can be difficult to approach Him, but through Radharani He can easily become accessible. Srila Prabhupada explains in the Nectar of Devotion that Srimati Radharani is the representation of Krishna’s compassionate nature, and so devotees pray to Srimati Radharani in order to achieve Krishna’s compassion and mercy.
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