Wonderful Radha Kunda part three

Mahanidhi Swami

 

Puranas Glorifies Radha-kunda

Sri Hari said: “O Priyatama Radha! Dearest One! May Your Radha-kunda be even more world-renowned than than My Shyama-kunda! Here I will always bathe and play in the water, because Radha-kunda is as dear to Me as You are.

proce hariḥpriyatame tava kuṇḍam etat, mat kuṇḍato’pi mahimādhikam astu loke

atraiva me salila kelir ihaiva nityaṁ, snānaṁyathātvam asi tadvad idam saro me !”`

“Radha replied: “I will also come to bathe in Your Shyama-kunda even though You may kill hundreds of Ariṣṭa demons here. In the future, anyone who has intense devotion for Shyama-kunda, which is on the spot where You chastised Ariṣṭāsura, and who bathes or resides here is sure to become very dear to Me.’

 

“That night Ghanashyama initiated a rasa utsava at Radha-kunda enjoying the Maha-Rasa dance which brought a torential downpour of joy, rāsotsavaṁprakurute sma ca tatra rātrau, kṛṣṇāmbudaḥkṛta-mahā-rasa-harṣa-varṣaḥ(SB 10.36.16 Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti quoting Puranas)

Sri Rupa Gosvami

Paurnamasi said, O Madhava, I have a request!

If someone leaves all material activities to live in a kutira on the bank of Radha-kunda while deeply yearning to directly serve the Youthful Couple, then please make the tree of that devotee’s aspirations bear fruit very soon.

Radha-kunda-kuṭīra-vasatis tyaktānya-karmājanaḥ

sevām eva samakṣam atra yuvayor yaḥkartum utkaṇṭhate

Krishna replied: Yes, let it be so, bhagavati, tathastu! (Dan-keli kaumudi 532-533)

Sri Raghunatha Dasa Goswami

O mind, always remember Priya-saraḥ(Radha-kunda) and Girindrau (Giriraja Baba) as two places the mere sight of bestows charming love for Radha Govinda Yugala. (Manah Siksha 9)

Radha-kunda is superior [to Govardhana Hill] because of its flood of prema, Radha-kundam ihāpi gokula-pateḥpremāmṛtāplavanāt. (Mukta-carita)

With great care Srimati Radharani happily bathes everyday in Shyama-kunda, which is filled with the honey that oozes from Krishna’ lotus feet. (Visakhanandabhidha–stotra 26)

O sakhi (Rūpa Mañjari)! If the Youthful Couple, who enliven the whole world by distributing the nectar of Their mercy and anointing everyone with the fragrance of Their flower-like attributes, do not bestow Their mercy on me, then, O Sri Rupa Manjari, please arrange that I can always live at Sri Radha-kunda! (Prarthanashraya-caturdashaka 3)

udaṣcat-kāruṇyāmṛta-vitaraṇair jīvita-jagad-

yuva-dvandvaṁgandhair guṇa-sumanasaṁvāsita-janam

kṛpāṁcen mayy evaṁkirati na tadātvaṁkuru tathā

yathāme Sri-kuṇḍe sakhi sakalam aṅgaṁnivasati

 

Sri Jiva Goswamipada

The two lakes named Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda are the meeting of the lovers, Radha and Krishna. I think the sweet fragrances at those lakes are actually Radha-Krishna passionate embraces; the breezes there are Radha-Krishna’s passionate sighs and trembling, and the water seen in those lakes is Radha-Krishna’s passionate love melted into nectar!” (In Gopala Campu, One Prarthamam Puranam 13-15).

Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja

Because of its wonderful transcendental qualities, Radha-kunda is as dear to Sri Hari as Sri Radha Herself. In Radha-kunda, the beautiful Madhavendu Sri Krishna always lovingly plays with Radhika. Simply by bathing here once, one attains a love for Krishna like Radhika’s. (Govinda-līlāmṛta 7.102)

Sri-rādheva hares tadīya-sarasīpreṣṭhādbhutaiḥsvair guṇair

yasyāṁSri-yuta-mādhavendur aniśaṁpremnātayākrīḍati |

premāsmin bata rādhikeva labhate yasmin sakṛt snāna-kṛt

tat tasyāmahimātathāmadhurimākenāstu varṇyaḥkṣitau

 

Vrnda: Hari is in the forest around Radha-kunda.

Radhika: What is Hari doing there?

Vrnda: Hari is learning dance.

Radhika: Who is teaching dance to Hari?

Vrnda: It is Your form Radha that is appearing in every tree and creeper in every direction and moving there like a skillful dancer, making Hari dance along behind. (Govinda-līlāmṛta 8.77)

kasmād vṛnde priya-sakhi hareḥpāda-mūlāt kuto ’sau

kuṇḍāraṇye kim iha kurute nṛtya-śikṣāṁguruḥkaḥ

taṁtvan-mūrtiḥprati-taru-lataṁdig-vidikṣu sphurantī

śailūṣīva bhramati parito nartayantīsva-paścāt

 

Every day without fail, Sri Raghunatha Dasa Goswami took three baths in Radha-kunda, tina sandhyāRadha-kuṇḍe apatita snāna. (Cc. 1.10.101)

Just as Srimati Radharani is most dear to Sri Krishna, Radha-kunda is also dear to Krishna. Among all the gopīs, Srimati Radharani is supermost and very dear to Sri Krishna. (Padma P/Cc. 2.8.99)

Sri Narahari Cakravarti Thakura

Only by the grace of Sri Raghunatha Dasa Goswami can one live at Radha-kunda. (Bhakti-ratnakara 5)

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti

Longing to meet, but forced to remain separate, Radha-Govinda assumed the forms of Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda. In this way, Radha-Govinda become splashed with the nectar of eternally meeting each other [at the sangam].

How did these divine kundas appear? I think that when Radha saw Krishna, Radha melted with ecstasy to assume a liquid form as the waters of Radha-kunda. In the same way, when Shyama saw Radha, Shyama also melted in ecstasy and became the waters of Shyama-kunda. (Vraja riti-cintamani 3.33-34)

Limitlessly beautiful Sri Radha-kunda is filled with Radha Govinda Yugala’s topmost love. (v. 39)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

The spiritual master has an eternal kunja on the shore of Sri Radha-kunda. There he has bound Krishna by the power of his service.” (Amrta Vani Array53)

“As the surrendered maidservants of Sri Radha, we have to constantly live on the banks of Radha-kunda.

Sri Rūpa-manjari instructed that service to Radha-kunda, the highest object of Sri Gaurahari’s internal mood, is the ultimate goal of all service.

Only the most fortunate live in the most sanctified place, Sri Radha-kunda, with pure hearts and worship Krishna twenty-four hours a day.

Sri Radha-kunda is the topmost section of Goloka, the most confidential place in the spiritual sky, and the only shelter for devotees on the platform of mādhurya-rasa.

Only by Sri Radha’s mercy can one reside eternally on the banks of Radha-kunda, the topmost place in the entire creation.

Therefore Sri Rūpa Prabhu mentions taking bath in Radha-kunda in his ultimate instruction: tat premedaṁsakṛd api saraḥsnāturāviṣkaroti, “If one simply bathes once within those holy waters, one’s pure love of Krishna is fully aroused.

The topmost principle in the spiritual kingdom is to bathe in Sri Radha-kunda.” (Lec. 16 Oct. 1932 at Radha-kunda)

The eternal land of our abode should be Radha Kunda. By the border of Radha Kunda we should have our groves. (article: “Radha Dasyam”)

Bathing Mantra

The Gaur-Govinda Archana Smarana Paddhati recommends chanting the following mantra before lovingly and respectfully bathing in the divine holy waters of Sri Radha Kunda:

rādhikā-sama-saubhāgya, sarva-tīrtha-pravandita

prasīda rādhikā-kuṅḍa, snāmi te salile śubhe

O Sri Radhika Kunda, You have obtained good fortune equaling that of Srimati Radhika Herself. And among all the holy places, you are the most praiseworthy. I am bathing in your sacred waters, so please be gracious toward me.

Radha Kunda Tilaka

Acyutananda Swami said, “Srila Prabhupada, our devotees are also wearing the Radha-kunda tilaka.”

Srila Prabhupada replied, “There is no harm.” (Folio:  760816rc.bom)

Shyama-kunda Radha Kunda ki jai!  Jai Jai Sri Radhe!