Worship of Radha and her Stotra
Parvatl said – Inspite of the king possessing you as well as Krsna’s mantra, how did he receive the mantra of Radha? What is the procedure for it? What is its dhyanam, stotra and kavacal These may be told to me. What type of mantra was suggested by him to the king? You kindly enlighten me on the procedure for the adoration.
Mahesvara said – О Brahmana, whom shall I adore and by serving whom shall I achieve the Goloka?
When the king so asked the Brahmana, he told him like this : By serving the lord one achieves Goloka in many future births. Therefore, one should also adore Radha who happens to be the great goddess of Krsna’s life, because she is the best of all merciful and by whose grace you will achieve the great stage.
Thus speaking, the Brahmana enlightened him on the six-letter mantra of Radha which reads like this : Aum Radhayai Swaha Besides that, he also
enlightened him on the method of pranayama, purification of the body, application of mantra (mantranyasa), karanyasa, ahganyasa and the dhyanam which is difficult to acquire. The stotra and kavaca were also explained by the Brahmana to the king. Thereafter the king recited the mantra with dhyanam according to the provision of the Samaveda and provided all the welfare and the method by which lord Krsna had adored Radha in the earlier times which is like this. One should offer white campaka flowers to Radha who has the complexion of these flowers and bears the lustre of crores of moons; her face resembles the full moon of the winter season. Her eyes resemble the lotus flower of the winter season. She has a developed navel region, beautiful and developed breasts and lips resembling the ripe fruit of wood-apple; she is the best of all, having teeth like lines of jewels and wears a smile on her face. She is compassionate towards her devotees and is clad in the garments purified by fire. She wears garlands of gems and armlets studded with gems. She has all the ornaments including anklets and wristlets studded with gems besides a pair of kundalas in the ears. Her cheeks emit the lustre of Surya and she is adorned with invaluable garlands of gems. She wears a kirlta-mukuta which remains dazzling with the gems-studded in it. She wears the finger rings studded with gems besides other dmaments.
She wears a garland of jasmine flowers and wears a beautiful hair-do on the head. She happens to be the great goddess of beauty and walks like an intoxicated elephant. The loveable cowherdesses swing the white fly-whisks over her. Besides a spot of kasturl there is another small spot of sandal-paste on her forehead.
She applies vermilion on the head at the parting of the hair which looks fine. She is adored daily by lord Krsna with great devotion. She possesses the fortune of lord Krsna and is his beloved. She is the best of the goddesses and is dearer to him than his life. She is beyond gunas and is the best of all besides being the mother of Mahavisnu. She is the bestower of all treasures, devotion of lord Krsna, peaceful in appearance, is Mulaprakrti, is IsVari, VaisnavT, Visnumaya, the beloved of lord Krsna and is seated on the beautiful gem-studded lion-throne in the Rasamandala and resides always with lord Krsna as the goddess of dance. I adore the goddess Radha.
Thus performing dhyanam for Radha, one should offer flowers on her head and again recite her dhyanam offering the flowers. After performing dhydnam she should be adored in sixteen ways, offering a seat, cloth, padya, arghya, fragrance, paste, essence, lamp, the best of flowers, water for bathing, gem-studded ornaments, various types of eatables, a fragrant betel, water, madhuparka and a bed studded with gems. All these items were presented by the king with devotion to Radha. О Durga, now I am going to tell you the commonly believed mantra of the goddess which you please listen to.
О Radha, I am offering you the lion-throne which was built by Visvakanna with the best of gems; you kindly accept it.
О goddess, I am offering you the purified garments which are studded with gems, are very costly, fine, pure like the fire and are spotless. You kindly accept them.
О Radha, I offer you water for washing your feet which is contained in the vase of gems and the water from all the sacred places has been contained in it. I offer it to you for washing your feet; you kindly accept it.
O Radha, I offer you the water poured with Dilrva-grass, flowers and sandal-paste with the conch which opens from the right side, as arghya. You kindly accept it.
О Radha, you kindly accept this fragrance which is made of scented material.
О goddess, you kindly accept this paste of Srlkhanda which contains kastUrl, saffron and other thick elements besides fragrance; you kindly accept it.
О goddess, I offer to you this essence made of the gum of trees and other articles, purified by the fire flames. You kindly accept them.
О great goddess, I offer you the lamp of gems which removes the danger of darkness and is made of invaluable gems.
О great goddess, I am offering you the beautiful fragrant Pcirijala flower soaked with sandal-paste which are quite good-looking and graceful; kindly accept them.
О goddess, I offer you the scented water mixed with the fragrant powder of your bath which is quite pleasant and is filled with the Vishnu-oil. You kindly accept it.
О Radha, I offer to you the costly armlets made of gems besides wristlets and other ornaments which always add to your beauty; you kindly accept them.
О goddess, I offer you the fruits which have been collected according to the season and the time besides the sweet balls and other sweets as naivedya\ you kindly accept them.
O goddess, you kindly accept the betel which contains camphor and other scented material, is quite tasteful and beautiful; you kindly accept it.
О great goddess, I offer you the delicious food in the vases of gems which is quite delicious. I offer the same with great devotion and you kindly accept it.
О goddess, I offer you the bed covered with the beautiful cloth purified by fire and studded with gems and sanctified by sandal-paste; you kindly accept it.
Thus one should appropriately adore the goddess and then perform three vratas offering three handfuls of flowers. О dear one, her attendants who are lodged in the eastern and southern direction should also be adored by manes by offering five articles.
In the eastern direction dwells Malavatl, in the south eastern direction dwells Madhavl; in, the southern direction dwells Ratnamala, in the south west dwells Suslla, in the western direction resides Sas’ikala, in the Vayukona, Parijata, in the north direction Padmavatl and in the northwest Sundari should be adored.
During the performance of the vrata one should offer jasmine flowers, Malatl and lotus flowers. Then the prayer should be recited as specified in the Samaveda.
О goddess, you are the mother of the universe, the eternal illusion of lord Visnu, the great goddess of the life of lord Krsna, his beloved and image of welfare, beloved of lord Krsna, the incarnation of strength, the fortune of lord Krsna, the bestower of devotion of lord Krsna and bestower of welfare also. Therefore, O’ Radhe, I offer my salutation to you.
Today our birth has been successful and well established because I have offered my prayer to you, who have been adored by lord Krsna himself.
Radha who always resides in the heart of lord Krsna, the same is the goddess of Rama; she is known as Vrnda in Vrndavana, is known as Tulasi in Goloka as the beloved of lord Krsna. You are the image of play for Krsna in the campaka-Vana, Candravall in the Candra-vana. You are known as Satl on the mountain of a hundred peaks and Viraja on the bank of a river Viraja which destroys the pride of others. You are Padmavatl in the forest of lotus flowers, Krs na on the bank of the stream Krsna, Bhadra in Kunja-kutlra; Kamya in Kamyaka-vana, MahalaksmI in Vaikuntha, Vani of Narayana, Sindhukanya in the ocean of milk and Haripriya, LaksmI with the human beings.
You happen to be SvarglaksmI for the gods and remove all the misfortunes of the gods. You are lodged in the heart of lord Siva, has the eternal Maya named Durga. You are lodged in the heart of Brahma as Savitrl and mother of all the Vedas. By one of your rays you happen to be the spouse of Nara-Narayana.
The goddess Tulasi emerges from you as also the Ganga who purifies the universe. The cowherdesses appear from your hair-pits. RohinI happens to be a ray of yours and Rati, Kala, Satarflpa, SacI, Diti, Aditi the mother of gods and Haripriya also emerged from your rays.
O beautiful one, all the spouses of the sages emerge from your race; therefore, О goddess, bestowing the grace of lord Krsna and his devotion, you make me an attendant of the lord.
Thus offering prayers with devotion her kavaca should be recited, this kavaca bestows her devotion and slavehood. This stotra was composed in earlier times. Thus the people who perform piijd with this kavaca take to the form of lord Visnu and are freed from the cycle of birth and death, getting purified. They indeed dwell in the Goloka.
О Parvatl, on the full moon day of Kartika, one who adores Radhika yearly, surely achieves the merit of performing Rajasivya-yajna.
Enjoying all the riches in this world one is relieved of all his sins and is completely purified. Thereafter, he proceeds to the abode of lord Vishnu.
In the earlier times for the first time Radhika was adored in Vrndavana at Rasamandala by lord Krsna who also prayed to her.
Thereafter, Brahma also adored her in the same way and achieved mother of the Vedas (Savitri) by your grace.
Narayana too adored her and achieved MahalaksmI, Sarasvatl, Ganga the purifier of the universe.
Lord Visnu, who sleeps on the serpent bed in the ocean of milk, had adored her for achieving Sindhu-kanya. After the death of Daksa-kanya, Satl, at the command of lord Krsna, I went to Puskara-ksetra and adoring Radhika, I got you as Durga. Similarly Kas’yapa got Aditi; the moon got RohinI; Kama got Rati and Dharma got the chaste Marti. All other gods and the sages also achieved their spouses after adoring Radha and with her blessing they also achieved dharma, artha, kama and moksa. Thus I have narrated to you the method of adoration; now I narrate to you the relevant stotra.
Mahesvara said – Once the proud Radha went to the TulasI forest of lord Krsna, where she found Krsna engaged in a playful mood with TulasI. She for a moment concealed herself together with the cowherdesses and the goddesses merging in her body. This surprised Brahma, Visnu, Siva and all other gods and all of them started suffering in the absence of their spouses. Then, after deep consideration, all of them decided to take refuge with lord Krsna and praised him in various ways. Lord Krsna was pleased and getting purified after taking a bath, adored Radha offering prayers to her.
Lord Krsna said – О beautiful one, though I am your beloved and you love me also yet all your deceitful actions have been revealed to me. Infatuated with love you used to say that, “0 Krsna, you are my life and happen to be my soul always. Where have all these words gone?
Whatever I am speaking is the established truth; like Dhruva, you are the lady of my five pranas and are dearer to me than even my life. I am not in a position to protect you, thus my life is departing out of my body in your absence. Because who can remain alive without the great goddess?
О mother of the universe, therefore you are not true because the mind of the ladies is always as sharp as a blade.
You are Isvari, the mother of Mahavishnu, besides being Mulaprakrti. You have no form but you take to definite form out of your own rays.
You are the form of flame, are invisible and take to incarnation on earth for the benefit of your devotees. You take to many forms according to the convenience of the devotees. You are MahalaksmI in Vaikuntha. You are Bharat! in the sacred land of Bharata and the mother of all noble people. You are Sat! and Parvatl as well.
You are the chaste TulasI, Ganga and purifier of the universe, Savitrl in Brahmaloka and you are a part of your own ray.
In the Goloka you are the great goddess of all the cowherds and cowherdesses. In your absence, I have become helpless and sometimes I feel totally helpless.
Lord Siva possesses the strength which emanates from you and he is like a dead body without you. Brahma is known as the creator of the Vedas because of your association with him in the fonn of Sarasvatl. You are the preserver of the universe with Narayana. Lord Visnu bestows the merit of yajna by your grace.
Sesa holds you as earth over his headland Siva holds you as Ganga over his head; you are the sole energy of the universe and without you Everything looks like dead. Because of your combination with the people they are speaking and without your grace one becomes dumb.
As a potter is always ready to create vases, similarly I also indulge in creation in association with you as Prakrti.
But without you I have lost my prowess and have become motionless. Because you are all powerful you should appear before me at once.
You are the burning instinct of the fire, without you the fire is of no consequence. You are the grace of the moon, without you the moon has no beauty.
You are the form of the lustre of the sun and without you, the sun is deprived of the rays. О dear, without you, as Rati, Kamadeva cannot be associated with the beautiful damsels.” After thus offering prayer to Radhika, lord Krsna got back his spouse.
О daughter of the mountain, with her pleasure the entire universe got their spouses restored and Goloka was filled with cowherdesses.
Then offering prayer to Radha, the beloved of Hari, the king achieved Goloka. Thus whosoever will recite the stotra of Radha will achieve the devotion of lord Krsna and his association. There is no doubt about it. At the expiry of one’s wife, if one listens to the stotra for a month regularly, he soon gets a beautiful, chaste and noble wife. The unfortunate person having no wife if he listens to this stotra for a year, he also gets a beautiful, noble and chaste wife. О Parvati in the earlier times after the death of Daksa-kanya Sati, accepting the command of the lord, I also achieved you through this stotra. In earlier times Brahma also achieved Savitrl through this stotra. In earlier times the gods also got back by reciting this stotra their glory which they had lost as a curse from Durvasa.
The one desirous of having a son can get one after listening to the stotra for a year. The reciting of this mantra relieves one of the terrific ailments.
Radha should be adored on the full moon day of the month of Kartika. One achieves the merit of getting indestructible riches and the performing of Rajasuya-yajna. If a lady listens to this stotra, she is bestowed with all fortunes. The one who listens to it with devotion, is surely relieved of all bondage.
He who adores Radha with devotion and recites this stotra always, is relieved of all bondages and proceeds on to Goloka.
