History of Vrindavana

Introduction   The Lord Descends   Discovery of Vrindavana by Lord Chaitanya
Srila Prabhupada        The Sacred River Yamuna    Vrindavana Parikrama    
The Six Goswamis    Who is Lord Chaitanya?    Who are Radha and Krishna?

Who are Radha and Krishna?

“Actually Radha-Krishna is the exchange of love. This is not ordinary love; Krishna has immense potencies, of which three are principal: internal, external and marginal. In the internal potency there are three divisions: samvit, hlandini and sandhini. The hlandini potency is the pleasure potency. All living entities have this pleasure-seeking potency, for all beings are trying to have pleasure. This is the very nature of the living entity. At present we are trying to enjoy our pleasure potency by means of the body in this material condition. By bodily contact we are attempting to derive pleasure from material sense objects. We should not think, however, that Krishna, who is always spiritual, tries to seek pleasure on this material plane like us. Krishna describes the material universe as a nonpermanent place full of miseries. Why, then, would He seek pleasure in the material form? He is the Supersoul, the supreme spirit, and His pleasure is beyond the material conception.

“Krishna’s embracing Radharani or His dancing with the cowherd girls in the rasa dance are generally not understood by ordinary men because they think that Krishna is like themselves and that He embraces the gopis just as an ordinary man embraces a young girl. Some people thus become interested in Krishna because they think that His religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not krishna-bhakti, love of Krishna, but prakrta-sahajiya - materialistic lust.

“In order to avoid such errors, we should understand what Radha-Krishna actually is. Radha and Krishna display their pastimes through Krishna’s internal energy. The pleasure potency of Krishna’s internal energy is a most difficult subject matter, and unless one understands what Krishna is, he cannot understand it. Krishna does not take any pleasure in this material world, but He has a pleasure potency. Because we are part and parcel of Krishna, the pleasure potency is within us also, but we are trying to exhibit that pleasure potency in matter. Krishna, however, does not make such a vain attempt. The object of Krishna’s pleasure is Radharani, and He exhibits His potency or His energy as Radharani and then engages in loving affairs with Her. In other words, Krishna does not take pleasure in this external energy but exhibits His internal energy, His pleasure potency, as Radharani. Thus Krishna manifests Himself as Radharani in order to exhibit His internal pleasure potency. Of the many extensions, expansions and incarnations of the Lord, this pleasure potency is the foremost and chief.

“It is not that Radharani is separate from Krishna. Radharani is also Krishna, for there is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Without energy, there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the energetic there is no meaning to the energy. Similarly, without Radha there is no meaning to Krishna and without Krishna there is no meaning to Radha. Because of this, the Vaisnava philosophy first of all pays obeisances to and worships the internal pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His potency are always referred to as Radha-Krishna. Similarly those who worship Narayana first utter the name of Laksmi, as Laksmi-Narayana. Similarly those who worship Lord Rama first utter the name of Sita. In any case – Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna, Laksmi-Narayana – the potency always comes first.

“Radha and Krishna are one, and when Krishna desires to enjoy pleasure, He manifests Himself as Radharani. The spiritual exchange of love between Radha and Krishna is the actual display of the internal pleasure potency of Krishna.” 

(From the Introduction to the Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)