Blog

In one sense, everything there is, animate, inanimate, is a manifestation of Krishna - "mattah parataram naanyat kinchid asti dhananjaya" BG7.7, and yet there is a difference between Krishna and His emanations of various qualities "aham sarvasya prabhavo, mattah sarvam pravartate" BG 10.8.

This sounds like an apparent contradiction, however this is where the inconceivable mercy of Lord Krishna Chaitanya comes to save us. He showed us how the Lord is inconceivable, and how He is simultaneously one and different from everything and everyone else. This philosophy, is a key cornerstone of Gudiya Vaishnava theology, it is called "Achintya Bhedaabheda tattva". It is very deep and profound.

So yes, Lord Balaram is the Lord's potency and expansion, and Srimati Radharani is His pleasure potency and expansion.

In this connection, it is important to remember that Srila Prabhupada was always very grave and reserved when speaking about Radharani, because our minds are very much contaminated by all sorts of material contaminations.

For example, someone may ask what is the relation between Radharani and Yogamaya, between Balaram and Radharani, and even if the answer is authoritative, they cannot accept, arguing that both are expanded from Krishna so how it is possible and whether it is proper, etc., etc. They think of Krishna from their own little frog-in-the-well mentality of material experiences only.

So I want to very humbly with folded hands and bowed head ask you all to please carefully study Srila Prabhupada's books -