Categories: Purports

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is Referred in Srimad Bhagavatam

Today when I read this verse I recalled an old memory of mine. I was in an evening class of Bhagavad Gita, during the question-answer session one person asked the speaker “Is Radharani’s name is not mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam?” by hearing this I was stuck for a moment how it is possible that the topmost devotee of Lord Krsna’s name missing in the Srimad Bhagavatam. But here in this verse, we can see her name is there but in guhya confidential form.

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is referred to in this verse as kācit, “a certain gopī.” To establish that this particular gopī is, in fact, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī quotes the following verses from the Agni Purāṇa:

gopyaḥ papracchur ūṣasi
kṛṣṇānucaram uddhavam
harī-līlā-vihārāṁś ca
tatraikāṁ rādhikāṁ vinā

rādhā tad-bhāva-saṁlīnā
vāsanāyā virāmitā
sakhībhiḥ sābhyadhāc chuddha-
vijñāna-guṇa-jṛmbhitam
ijyānte-vāsināṁ veda
caramāṁśa-vibhāvanaiḥ

“At dawn the gopīs inquired from Kṛṣṇa’s servant, Uddhava, about the Lord’s pastimes and recreation. Only Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, immersed in thought of Kṛṣṇa, withdrew Her interest in the talks. Then Rādhā, who is worshiped by the residents of Her Vṛndāvana village, spoke up in the midst of Her girlfriends. Her words were full of pure transcendental knowledge and expressed the ultimate portion of the Vedas.”

In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) Lord Kṛṣṇa states, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: “By all the Vedas, I am to be known.” To know Kṛṣṇa is to love Kṛṣṇa, and thus Rādhārāṇī, by Her own example and words, revealed Her supreme love for the Lord.

Having quoted the above verses from the Agni Purāṇa, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes the following from the Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī Upaniṣad (Pūrva-khaṇḍa 2.4): yaṁ sarve devā namanti mumukṣavo brahma-vādinaś ca. “All the demigods and all the transcendental philosophers who desire liberation bow down to the Supreme Lord.” We should follow suit.

(Srimad Bhagavatam 10.47.11 Purport)