Sri Radha Rasa Sudha Nidhi

Back of the Book what good are the scriptures? Of what good are the paths described in them and followed by great saints? Of what good are they if they do not describe the nectarean glories of She who is the very form f love? Of what good are they if they don’t ascribe Her ecstasy, of love? Of what good is t opulence of Vaikuntha if Radhika does not reside there? I cherish the sweet hope that I ma, some day, attain the land of Vrnd4vana, even if it takes me ten million births.

Introduction During His South-India Yatra, Lord Caitanya once stayed at the house of Sri Prabhodhananda Sarasvati and his brothers, Sri Venkata Bhatta and Tirumalaya Bhatta, in Srirangam. Our Srila Gopala Bhatta Goswami was the son of Sri Venkata Bhatta.

Before leaving, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Gopala Bhatta to stay with his parents until they passed on. Gopala Bhatta was then a young boy and wanted to immediately follow Mahaprabhu to Vrndavana. After some years, after finishing the last rites of his parents, Gopala Bhatta came to Vrndavana with Prabhodhananda Saraswati Thakora.

Prabhodhananda Sarasvati Thakura took up the residence at Kaliyahrida near the Yamuna river and would regularly meet with the Six Go swamis. He began composing various works. Few of his famous writings are Sri Vrndavana Mahimamrta, Sri Navadvipa Sataka, Sri Radha Rasa Sudha Nidhi, etc.

In this book, Sri Radha Rasa Sudha Nidhi, he taught us how to follow the footsteps of Srimati Radharani and always remember Her.

One who remembers Srimati Radharani and follows Her footsteps will always be in Vrndavana and would always remember Krsna and His devotees. The foremost pure devotee of Sri Radha Krsna in modern times is our Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada told us that during his childhood, his father used to invite different sadhus and devotees to his house for Prasadam and would pray to them that in return they may bless his son so that he becomes a devotee of Srimati Radharani.

Srila Prabhupada came to distribute the Hare Krsna Mahamantra and Pure devotional service to the whole world. When everyone thinks of retiring in Vrndavana, at an advanced age of 69, He didn't care for his own bhajan and ill-health but went out of Vrndavana and gave Vrndavana to the whole world. Without Srila Prabhupada's teachings, we cannot understand and follow the desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore, we should sincerely pray to Srila Prabhupada, knowing ourselves to be unqualified and covered with mundane material desires. By his miraculous power and matchless purity, he has extracted us all from the clutches of Maya and gave us the highest chance available to living entities - to become the residents of Vrndavana and serve Srimati Radharani.

Srila Rupa Goswami writes about nama and vani as well as vapu and vani. Nami and vapu, the personified Lord and His transcendental form, do not directly go everywhere, but nama and vani, the Holy name and the teachings, can travel to every nook and corner of the whole creation, and can invoke vani and vapu to manifest in that place. The vapu of Srila Prabhupada is now present in the form of his deity. But his vani is present in all the corners of the world in the form of his books and his lectures. And by this, we can be connected to him even now.

Similarly, Our previous acarvas and their books are selfsame. By touching those books, reading them, respecting them, striving to follow their instructions, and even keeping them nearby us, we're directly present with them. This is the way to please our previous acaryas and also our Srila Prabhupada.

The title Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi has many meanings. The basic meaning is that Srimati Radharani is the reservoir of all rasas and she distributes them - bhakti-rasa, vraja-rasa, prema-rasa, Krsna-rasa, ananda-cinmava-rasa, and so on. She comes to bestow these rasa and therefore manifests so many pastimes. However, in Kali -yugam Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives this rasa through sankirtana movement. Nama-sankirtana bestows all the above mentioned rasa in this age. We therefore take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the combined form of Sri Radha-Krsna.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages