Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
We must study these relationships, mellows, from a neutral point of view. If you examine neutrally, the position of being the lover of Krishna is better than the position of a person who is in relationship with Krishna as a servant. Anyone — whether a servant, a father, or a lover of Krishna — they all consider their own relationship to be the best. But from a neutral position, the relationship with Krishna as the lover and the beloved is the best. It is the supreme relationship.
Therefore the worship of Krishna performed by the gopis is considered the supreme form of worship. Lord Chaitanya also displayed this mood. His propaganda, his understanding of Krishna, was just like the lover and the beloved. As Lord Chaitanya, he was playing the part of Radharani. Krishna wanted to understand himself. Krishna wanted to understand what is there in Radharani. Lord Chaitanya is not different from Krishna. The feature in which Krishna is trying to understand Radharani — that is Lord Chaitanya. So Radharani's position is greater than Krishna's. The relationship of lover and the beloved, as it was between Krishna and the gopis, is the highest type of relationship. There is no doubt about it. Lord Chaitanya is playing the part of Radharani. He is worshiping Krishna as Radharani worshiped Krishna. There is a verse composed by Lord Chaitanya where he says,
aslisya va pada ratam pinastu mam
adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah
"My Lord Krishna, you may trample me down by your feet, or you may embrace me as your lover, or you may make me brokenhearted without your presence. Whatever you like you can do. But still I am your eternal servitor." This was Radharani's attitude. So Lord Chaitanya is the feature of Krishna understanding Radharani. Krishna is undoubtedly great, but because he cannot repay the loving transactions of Radha, he thinks that Radharani is greater than himself.
He wanted to study what is there in Radharani. He thought, "I cannot study Radharani in my original feature as Krishna. If I take on the feature of Radharani, then I can understand her glories." These are the highest transcendental sentiments. Lord Chaitanya is Radharani's feature. caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caityam aptam —When Krishna wants to enjoy, he expands his pleasure potency, which is Radharani. Krishna becomes two — Krishna, and his pleasure potency Radharani. And when those two personalities again become one, that is Chaitanya. These things you will understand as you develop the higher stages of Krishna consciousness. But we can discuss them for now.
— From a lecture in San Francisco on 10 September 1968.
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