97 - Radha's discourse to Uddhava 

Narayana said- Finding Uddhava getting ready to depart, Radha the beloved of Hari felt panicky and with a painful heart she descended from the throne. Becoming anxious, together with the cowherdesses Radhika placed her hand over the head of Uddhava and blessed him.

Thereafter, she offered the tender Durva-grass, unbroken rice, white paddy and other things of welfare including fried paddy, fruit, betel, curd, mirror, pitcher with tender leaves, fragrance, vermilion and sandal-paste, the lamp, gem, the damsel whose husband and son was alive, the gold and silver.

O best of the Brahmanas, thereafter Radha with a painful heart, with her eyes filled with tears, lifted up Uddhava who had fallen on her feet and spoke to her the truthful and beneficial words which were filled with welfare.

Radhika said- Let your journey be quite safe and auspicious and you should meet with prosperity. You achieve the divine knowledge from the place of the lord and be in the good books of lord Krishna.

Of all the boons I bestow upon, the boon of achieving the devotion of lord Krishna and his slave hood would be the best. Of all the five types of salvation, the devotion of lord Hari happens to be the best. The Brahmanhood, the god-hood of Indra, becoming eternal, the nectar and gaining of siddhis can be achieved but the slave hood of lord Hari is inaccessible.

One takes birth in the sacred land of Bharata after performing good deeds for many births. Such a Brahmana, if achieves the devotion of the lord, his life become successful.

By reducing the earlier deeds performed during the present birth, one’s life becomes successful. Not only he alone, but the lives of thousands of ancestors, the mother, the grandmother, hundreds of ancestors, real brothers’ relatives, wife, teachers, pupils with the servants surely becomes successful. O son, the deed which is presented to lord Krishna is known to be the best deed. The deed which could please Krishna that is considered to be quite meritorious, whatever deeds are performed with devotion, for the achievement of something, it bestows welfare, becomes graceful and results in pleasure. The vrata, fasting, tapas, speaking of the truth, the devotion and the performing of puja, which is performed for the sake of Krishna, results in the achieving of the slave hood of the lord.

The giving away of the entire earth in charity, going around them. entire earth in pilgrimage, bathing in all the holy places, performing of all the vratas and tapas, performing of all the yajnas, performing of all the charities, recitation of all the Vedas and the post Vedic literature, providing protection to the terror-stricken person, imparting of the inaccessible knowledge, adoration of the guests, protection of those who takes shelter, adoration of all the gods, performing of puja and recitation of mantras, offering of food to the Brahmanas and gods with Purashcharana the adoration of the teacher and the parents and their maintenance do not weight even one-sixteenth part of the merit one achieves by attaining the slave hood of lord Krishna.

Therefore, O Uddhava, you recite the name of Krishna, who is beyond the qualities, free from desire, the supreme soul, the lord, eternal, truthful, eternal Brahman, beyond Prakruti, complete in all respect, spotless, graceful to the devotees, the witness of the deeds, uninvolved, the form of flame, the cause of all the causes, the form of everything, the lord of everything, bestower of all the fortunes, welfare and devotion, besides the slave hood to his feet. Therefore, discarding the evil arrogance and all other knowledge one should adore with devotion, the name of son of Nanda who is always blissful.

A thousand of his names have been mentioned in the Kauthumi-sakha of the Vedas. By reciting the same, all the obstructions are removed. On hearing all these words Uddhava was immensely surprised and he was filled with all the knowledge.

Thereafter Uddhava keeping a cloth round his neck, placed his head over the feet of Radhika and prostrated before her again and again.

O Narada, his entire body was feeling emotions, his eyes were filled with tears because of the devotion. With his mind filled with love and at the very thought of separation from Radha, he started crying aloud.

Then Radha also getting filled with emotions started crying together with all the cowherdesses. Thereafter, Radhika lifted up Uddhava and made him sit. But took Uddhava a deep sigh and became senseless. Finding him so fainted Radhika lifted up Uddhava whose mind was full of devoted to lord Krishna and sprinkling water on his face, he was brought back to senses. O Narada, Radhika then addressed him saying, "O son, you enjoy long life". Thus, speaking she bestowed her blessing on him.

On regaining consciousness Uddhava spoke the spiritual words to Radhika as well as the cowherdesses who were crying. 

Uddhava said- Of all the continents Jambudvipa happens to be quite graceful glorious and inaccessible. The auspicious land of Bharata is located there, which is desired by all. 

There is an auspicious Vrundavana, the same Bharatavarsha has been purified with the dust of the feet of Radha, which is desired by all the gods. 

Thought the land is quite graceful in the three worlds and also auspicious but in spite of that it has become more sanctified with the dust of the feet of Radha which purify all the holy places.

In the earlier times Brahma had performed tapas at Pushkara for sixty thousand years according to the Vedas in order to have a look at the lotus-like feet of Radha. But he could not have an audience with Radhika and Krishna, even in dream. Thereafter, he heard of a divine voice from the sky saying. In the Varaha-kalpa, in the land of Bharata, in the forest of Vrundavana, you would have a glance of them in the Rasamandala. There is no doubt about it. 

On hearing this, Brahma left for his abode getting free from tapas, thereafter in due course of time he had an audience with lord Krishna and he felt delighted with the fulfilment of his desire. 

The lives of the cowherds and cowherdesses are quite graceful, because they always have a look at the lotus-like feet of Radha. 

All the ascetics, the noble people, the yogis, the sages, the siddhas and Vaishnavas, serve at the feet of Radha who is quite proud, auspicious, purifies the holy places, is spotless and difficult to access, as a result of their devotion it becomes easy for them to have a look at the lotus-like feet of Radha which is difficult for Brahma and the gods to achieve. 

Krishna the supreme soul and the lord of all had painted the nails of her feet and had adored her in Goloka on the mountain of hundred peaks with inaccessibles stotra. He also offered the tender grass, unbroken rice, fragrance, sandal - paste and bunch of Parijata flowers to her. She happens to be the friend of thirty six cowherdesses and the mistress of thirty thousand cowherdesses. She is known as Radhika who is dearer to Krishna than his life and is adored by the gods, whosoever feel envious of the same Radha or denounce her or finds faults with her, he earns hundreds of Brahmahatyds. There is no doubt about it. Because of that sin such sinners fall into the kumbhopaka hell where they are thrown in the boiling oil, in pitch darkness and they are crushed like sugar cane up to the seven generations till the time of fourteen Indras.

Thereafter they are bom on earth as the insects of refuse for a thousand divine years. Then they become the germs of the pelvic region of the loose women always consuming refuse, licking puss.

This has been ordained by Brahma in the kanvasakha. Thus speaking Uddhava again got ready to depart. At that point of time Radhika who was suffering because of the separation of Krishna spoke to Uddhava who was crying at the same time.

Radhika said- O son, you go to Mathura and apprise Krishna about the situation here and you move in such a way that I should be able to meet Govinda, my life would be unsuccessful.

In the universe the hope is always troublesome and getting detached, from getting all the pleasures of the worlds it bestows the real pleasure. Thereafter he is absorbed in meditation of lord Krishna". Thus speaking Radhika also started sobbing. Uddhava on his part bowed in reverence to the sobbing Radha and left for the place of Yashoda.

O Narada, after departure of Uddhava, Radha was fainted she was so deeply absorbed in the meditation of Krishna that she lost consciousness. O sage, the cowherdesses then finding her in such a position filled the lotus petals their own tears and placed with them on the bed, on which Radha was made to sleep, but with the very touch of her body, the bed was burnt out.

Thereafter, the cowherdesses made Radha to sleep on a bed which was covered by a bed-cover and was very soft. They then sprinkled the water mixed with sandal-paste on her but the water with sandal-paste with the touch of the body of Radha, also dried up. Without Uddhava, Radha felt a moment as long as the yugas.

She cried 0 Uddhava, "You speak to Krishna at once and send here the lord of life at once". She thus spoke filled with mental agony, loosing consciousness and a miserable condition. The cowherdesses embraced Radha in such a condition and they also started crying. Thereafter they brought her back to consciousness and consoling her.