How to Attain the Devotional Spirit of Radha's Handmaid? // 08/25/26

Satsang of Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj — To listen to the complete discourse, watch the video above.

Complete Discourse

Jai Jai Shri [sound of voice] Ji - only through His boundless grace is the gathering of saints obtained. But even in a gathering of saints, the company of the rasikas is most rare. As it is said in the Bhagavad Gita, "Vasudeva sarvasah - the great soul is exceedingly rare" - one who sees the Lord everywhere, who has the vision of the Lord in all places, in the moving and the still, in woman and in man, in the sinner and in the virtuous soul - such a great soul is rare. But rarer than that is one who is absorbed solely in the servitude of the feet of Shri Ji. It is rare to find such a lover.

Our Shri Ji is the rarest essence. The Radha essence - this is the rarest essence. Even those who know the Sri Krishna essence cannot understand the Radha essence without being endowed with the handmaid sentiment of Priya Ji and without the grace of a great soul. Nikunj Vilasinī Shri Shyama - how rare She is!

Harivamsha Mahaprabhu says: the nine-fold secret Nikunj is the rarest of all. It is solitude. We have reached up to Gosh Vrindavan and Gopi Vrindavan, but the nine-fold secret Nikunj Vrindavan is beyond. Just as Brahma Ji had the vision of the Lord grazing cows and calves in Gosh Vrindavan, and just as Lord Shiva had the vision of Radha and Krishna in the rasa in Gopi Vrindavan, the nine-fold Nikunj Vrindavan is where the Beloved plays - yet it is beyond their reach. Even the sakhis have not seen Her from whom manifest the nine-fold Nikunj Vilasinī, the original Anshi, Radheshwari, Shri Priyaji.

The sakhis saw the manifest form of Shri Ji, Shri Ladli, as She appeared in Barsana. But the source from which She manifested - that original Shri Radheshwari, the nine-fold secret Nikunj Vilasinī Shri Priya - even the sakhis have not seen. The Lord Himself accompanies Her at every moment. Wherever Priyaji places Her feet, He spreads the lotus-flowers of His eyes as a carpet.

It is of that Priyaji that we speak. When the dust of flowers falls on Her feet as She walks, He sweeps it away with His yellow garment. And He places His crowned head at Her feet. It is of that Priyaji that we speak. She is our own, that is why we speak of Her.

Flowers scatter, pollen falls upon Her feet, He sweeps it with His yellow cloth. The peacock moonlight spreads, revealing Her wondrous beauty.

To decorate Her feet with henna, the Lord Sri Krishna Himself - He whom Brahma, Shiva, Narda and others worship - desires to do this and does so. Dhaidas Ji described how the Lord considers it successful only when He Himself designs and adorns it. Hit has written - these lotus feet are the rarest among all things rare. The secret of these Sri feet - only the rasa lovers know their essence.

In the manifest lila, in the lila of Radha and Krishna as we may have seen it, but Harivamsha's beloved, the nine-fold Nikunj Radheshwari, the Ruler of Vrindavan - even the sakhis have not seen Her. One verse describes it: neither the gods, nor Brahma, nor anyone else - the closest ones of God have not seen Her. Even the devas have not seen. Even Brahma and others have not seen. Our Radheshwari, the Radha essence, is a very rare principle.

Neither the gods, nor Brahma, nor anyone else - they have never seen our Shri Ji. Even Narda and Shiva cannot fathom Her - it is simply not possible. How fortunate we are that, taking refuge in Munis Shri Ji, the vision of Shri Ji is possible for us. She is our Mistress. We say with certainty that we, however we are, bow to our Beloved.

Brahma is the creator of the entire moving and still universe. Is there any place that He has not created? But this Vrindavan was not created by Brahma. Hari Ram Vyas Ji has described it - it does not rest on the hood of Shesha. It is not illuminated by the sun and moon. It is beyond the world. It is self-manifested. Vrindavan has manifested of itself.

Therefore, even Brahma in his self-manifestation has not had the vision of the divine Vrindavan, the Nikunj grove of Priyaji. Brahma cannot even conceive of it. To conceive means to imagine - just as a village farmer cannot even conceive of buying an airplane. Similarly, Brahma Ji cannot even conceive of having the vision of Shri Ji in the nine-fold Nikunj. He cannot. There is no access.

Even Narda - it is not written anywhere in the Vanis that Narda has access in any form. In the lila of Radha and Krishna, Shiva has access - in the birth lila, in the rasa. But nowhere in the nine-fold Nikunj - you will find this written in the Vanis.

They say: She who is the Beloved of Shri Vrindavan is only accessible through Vrindavan. If Vrindavan alone were visible and the Beloved who manifested in Braj were visible to all, but we speak of that Kishori from whom manifest the Kishori - even if that Vrindavan alone were visible, the Vedas in their highest form, the Upanishads, have no knowledge of Her.

She who is the Beloved of Vrindavan, Shri Priya of Vrindavan, can be seen and served only through the bhava of Lalita and the sakhis - through the handmaid sentiment alone. No other sentiment can access Her - each sentiment is separate.

The beloved of Barsana—whatever bhava you cultivate, she will fulfill it. Some consider her as a sister. We have seen saints who regard Ladli Ji as their sister. Some consider her as a daughter. But our Shri Ji, the beloved of Harivansh, is attainable only through the bhava of Lalita and her companions, through the sakhi bhava, through the maidservant bhava. In Vrindavan, through the feminine bhava, only through the bhava of Lalita and her companions, through the sakhi bhava, and the feminine bhava can she be attained. The sakhi bhava—without the sakhi bhava, there is absolutely no possibility of seeing Nikunj Vilasini, of serving her, or of entering there. When the false masculine bhava falls away, when the masculine and feminine conceptualizations dissolve, and when the bhava of Lalita and her companions arrives—the sakhi bhava, the maidservant bhava—then the vision and service of our Shri Ji is attained.

How can I obtain such a dasyabhava of Radha and Madhav? The Mahaprabhu himself asks this question in this very shloka. The dasyabhava—the maidservant bhava of Shri Ji. How can I obtain this, which is so rare? The divine couple dwelling in Nikunj—how can I obtain this exclusive right of service to Radha and Madhav? This is the question: how can this festival of exclusive maidservant service be mine? This exclusive dasyabhava festival is a festival of Shri Ji's service bhava. A festival carries enthusiasm. Here there is the enthusiasm of bhava.

They are picking flowers, immersed in bhava for their Shri Ji. This is bhava for Shri Ji. This flower will be placed in the lotus. This flower will become an ornament at some place. This will adorn the braid. This could become a bracelet of buds. Just so, just so—this will become a garland. While selecting flowers, immersed in bhava for Shri Ji, a servant is grinding sandalwood, applying sandalwood. Fanning. Preparing the pan leaves. Preparing the offerings of food. Various types of dishes, various types of food offerings—all filled with bhava. This bhava festival, this festival—what does the word festival mean?

Enthusiasm means: when there is a festival today, one walks about delighted, blooming. This adornment, this adornment—for us, every moment is a festival. What kind of festival? The festival of the right to serve as a maidservant. The enthusiasm of having the right to serve Shri Ji. I am the maidservant of Shri Ji and always in her service.

The Mahaprabhu gives the answer in the next shloka. How will it be attained? Such is this Shri Kishori, and such is this Shri Lal—how can I exclusively obtain the right to serve these two from their morning routine to their rest, from their rest to their morning? Now he is describing the answer. The Mahaprabhu is saying that every word of this shloka is filled with our entire worship.

The Mahaprabhu has placed the entire worship in shloka form. How to attain the dasyabhava of Radha-Madhav is completely written in this shloka. O Shri Radha, giver of rasa, bestower of divine nectar—I offer myself through body, through mind, through speech, and through my very self. These are separate things. The self is separate, and body, mind, and speech are separate things. These are material, and we are consciousness-bliss. This is why the Mahaprabhu said: "O Shri Radha, my body, speech, and mind, with pure, stainless, uncorrupted bhava: I myself offer my very self, my speech, my body, my mind, with uncorrupted bhava—that is, without any desire—in your shelter."

Now, how can we become desireless through our self, body, speech, and mind and become endowed with the maidservant bhava of Shri Ji? The method is given: the nectar of your remnants I will taste. Only your leftovers will I eat. Just this—O bestower of rasa, Shri Radha, only your remnants. This is in the code of conduct. This is the inherent dharma of the unique devotees. Their tradition has been that except for the remnants of Shri Ji, they have not accepted anyone else's remnants. We will accept as prasad only what is offered to Shri Ji, and nothing else. Whatever we receive, we receive it after offering it to Shri Ji.

We offer to Shri Ji, whether in manifest service, and if there is a place where manifest service is not possible, Shri Ji is even there. We do mental worship and offer to Shri Ji and then accept it. Without the remnants, we cannot obtain anything. Everything is lost by itself. What is not offered to Shri Ji, we cannot obtain. The prasad of Shri Ji is our very life. In singing the glory of our acharya, Nabha Goswami Ji said: the Mahaprabhu, who is the possessor of all supreme prasad, has considered all the remnants of Shri Ji as everything. Therefore, in this shloka, first and foremost: the nectar of your remnants, the prasad offered to you, we will receive. We are all followers of the Hita dharma, followers of the Harivansh dharma. So, without offering to Shri Ji or without the offering being made to Shri Ji, we should accept nothing. This should be our rule.

The nectar of your remnants I will taste; your deeds I will hear. We will listen only to your stories, nothing else. And the truth is this: when we have to travel on this path, why should we count the kilometers of other paths? What use are the principles of other paths to us? Why should we listen to the talk of other paths? Because we are not going that way. We have to go to the feet of Shri Ladli Ji, the queen of the groves of Vrindavan. So we will hear only your stories, your deeds. What are the stories of Shri Ji like? They have divine qualities. If you sing them, as you go on singing, you become one with Shri Ji. The singing is so divine. What divine qualities are these? By revealing divine qualities, manifesting the maidservant bhava in the heart, your feeling toward Shri Ji—this is the divine quality. We will hear only your shelter, your stories.

We will listen to your story alone, and it is rare. Through the worship of your lotus feet we will listen to discourse about you and remember. Our remembrance is of your Sri Feet, the dust of your Sri Feet - we will remember this. In remembrance of the dust of your Sri Feet, we will remember your Sri Feet in this way. In one shloka, the great Master spoke:

जागृत स्वप्न सुशुप्त स्फूरत में राधा पदा छटा
Whether waking, dreaming, or in deep sleep, the radiance of Radha's lotus feet shines forth.

Whether we are awake, in a dream, or in deep sleep, the radiance of Radha's lotus feet is such an exalted state. In wakefulness, we cannot maintain steadiness in the radiance of Radha's lotus feet. Deep sleep is not within our control, and neither are dreams.

What dreams might come? In deep sleep, can there be remembrance of Shri Ji? But through practice, through taking shelter, when bhajan is done with continuous dedication, what is the great divine effect? That in wakefulness, in dreams, in deep sleep - the radiance of Radha's lotus feet appears. Just as Sri Pujyapad Raghunath Das Goswami, resident of Radha Kund, continuously did naam jap. The effect of this was such that Dhruva Das wrote:

सोवत हो रसना रट राधा कृष्ण सुनाम
Though asleep, the tongue chants the divine name of Radha Krishna.

He sleeps, yet from his tongue flows 'Radha Krishna, Radha Krishna, Radha Krishna.' Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu, what is he saying? Even while sleeping, there is meditation on the lotus feet of Shri Ji. In dreams, the dreams of Shri Ji alone appear. When awake, only the radiance of Shri Ji fills everything.

His consciousness is filled with Shri Ji alone and nothing else. In remembrance of the dust of your lotus feet - why? Because, as the servant said, the state of our dharma is this:

श्री राधा जुग चरण निवास
Sri Radha, dwelling in your lotus feet.

Our state is in the lotus feet of Sri Kishori Ji. Our dwelling is in the lotus feet of Radha. So in our remembrance, what other place should there be?

Sri Bhagavat Rasik says: These lotus feet of Sri Lalali - the Mahabhat who created the beloved with both her lotus feet - these are for us the celestial wish-fulfilling tree, the philosopher's stone, and the divine cow. For those with exclusive devotion - ali means the sakhi, the companion. For those whose exclusive companionship is with these two feet, for such devoted rasik - for them, these lotus feet are more than the wish-fulfilling tree, the divine cow, and the philosopher's stone. The philosopher's stone grants the wished-for things, the divine cow fulfills all desires, and the wish-fulfilling tree - whatever one wishes for, whatever one thinks of, that is obtained.

These lotus feet of Sri Lalali - the dwelling place of Radha's lotus feet. We sakhis, our abode is in the lotus feet of Shri Radha. Sri Radha, dwelling in your lotus feet. So in our remembrance, what other place should exist? Only in Radha's lotus feet, in Gori's lotus feet, in Shyama's lotus feet - Shyam's lotus feet. Besides this, our meditation should not turn to anything else. Now look here - how scattered our meditation is!

बिखर पर मन सिमटत नाही इंद्र लीन चीत
The mind scattered among pleasures gathers not, conquered by the senses.

The senses have overcome me. The mind has scattered in enjoyments. How then can there be constant remembrance of Shri Ji's lotus feet?

Therefore, the seeker remains in surrender: "Shri Ji, look after us. Shri Ji, protect us. If Shri Ji protects us, we will be protected. By my own efforts alone, nothing will succeed. The senses are very powerful. When there is contact with objects of sense, desire awakens even in a dead mind. In one whose mind has already died, when objects approach, desire stirs. Therefore, when all the siddhis came to Sri Rishabh Dev, he did not accept them. Parikshit asked: His state is such that what difficulty could he have?

Why did Sri Rishabh Dev not accept them? Then Sri Sukhadev said: Just as a clever hunter never trusts the deer he has caught - it can flee at any moment - so too, even a siddha, even a perfected person, does not trust his own mind. It can flee at any moment. We have not even attained that state called siddha avastha. This disease, this affliction, I want this, I want that - when this ceases, then speak of remembrance of the dust of your lotus feet.

At every moment, in remembrance of Shri Ji, what is the source of happiness? A being established in Brahman, one who has directly realized the lotus feet of the divine - such a one is constantly content. We should keep away from every person, every thing, every society, every satsang, every relationship and bond that fills our minds with anything other than Shri Ji. We should distance ourselves from whatever does not fill us with Shri Ji alone. We, in meditation on Shri Ji, if the body fell away even in five minutes, we would be content.

Our goal is meditation, not the body. The greatest medicine - when Sri Dhanvantari churned the entire ocean of Ayurveda, what he found was that the name of Krishna contains the power to heal illness in a way no medicine possesses. So divine medicine is being consumed, divine meditation. How will the worldly know this? So let us remember the dust of your lotus feet. Remember your lotus feet always. We must always be careful of this - that meditation on the Beloved does not cease. From that person, from that thing, from that circumstance, from that event - from whatever our meditation ceases, that is disaster.

We have seen in life - do not abandon meditation. The senses are powerful. They can place us anywhere, make us do anything. But we will not abandon meditation on you. We will remain with you. Even if you send us to hell:

यत्र यत्र जन्म कर्म नारके परमे पदे थवा राधिका निकुंज मंडली तत्र तत्र हृद में विराजता
Wherever I am born through karma, whether in hell, in the highest realm, or in Radha's nikunj mandali, there you dwell in my heart.

Only Shri Ji knows this. No one else knows. Give importance to meditation - whoever has given importance to meditation has won. Give importance to meditation always. Give importance to bhajan.

विचरण कुंजास्त वालयान
Wander in your forest bowers.

Wander in your kunje.

Vrindavan is described as twenty kos in extent. In the forty-two lilas, it is described as five yojans in extent.

पंच जोजन विस्तारा
Five yojans in extent.

One yojana is four kos, five times four is twenty. Like this is your bansivat - this is till Manasarovar, the bansivat - all of this is within Vrindavan. Dhruva Das said Vrindavan is twenty kos.

पंच जोजन विस्तारा
Five yojans in extent.

Let us wander in your kunje. For those blessed to have unbroken dwelling in Vrindavan - what more to say? Let me wander in your lilas, in your play-land. But some say, "Let's go to that place, let's go to that shrine, let's go to that pilgrimage."

Leaving Vrindavan and giving other pilgrimages, O pure Chintamani, you are chasing a small coin. O pure Chintamani, you are leaving Vrindavan to pick up a small coin. Mahaprabhu is saying: in the groves—I will wander only in your kunjas, in the lanes of Vrindavan, in the region of Vrindavan alone, in no other place, because your kunja is a cottage, your nikunj is a garden, your nikunj is a forest. We will sing your divine qualities alone. It is the rule that Mahaprabhu is the sahachari of Shri Ji.

रसना कटो जो अन रटो निरख अन फूटो नैन श्रवण फूटो जो अन सुनो श्री राधा जस बैन
Let the tongue be severed that repeats anything else; let the eyes be blinded that look at anything else; let the ears be broken that hear anything else. Listen only to the glory of Shri Radha.

This refuge is yours alone—you should listen only to your words. The divine qualities are your divine qualities alone—only listen to them. Sing only your qualities. Let the tongue be severed, let the ears be broken, and O presider over rasa, O one who gives the taste of love, may there be meditation only on your form, nothing else. Let the entire worship be in this alone.

In one shloka, the answer was given. First I asked: how is such servitude to Shri Ji obtained? Then in the second, the answer was given: receive the nectar of your leftover grace. Sing of your beautiful deeds. Remember your feet. Remember the dust of your feet. Dwell in Vrindavan, which is your kunja realm.

And sing only your qualities. The forty-two leelas, the Shrimad Chaurasi—all of these are full of the divine pastimes of the Beloved. And meditate only on you. Now, regarding meditation: the form of Radha is such that it is beyond perception, very secret. Wherever there is some description, Dhruv Das Ji said: he who has seen cannot speak, and he who can speak has not seen.

नेत्रों ने देखा तो तेरो रूप कहत नहीं आवे
The eyes have seen, yet cannot speak your form.

How is your form to be described? Therefore, take the Radha mantra as your meditation—in this, the form will be revealed. The name is the beginning. If you meditate on the mantra of the name, the form of Shri Ji will begin to shine. How beautiful are the lotus feet, how wonderful, how beautiful the anklets are, how beautiful that auspiciousness shines. By their grace, their form will be manifest. No one has the capacity to meditate on their form. Even their Beloved's meditation—the mind of great sages cannot sustain it. Then those on whom Shri Lal Ji himself meditates—

जपत हरि विवश तब नाम प्रतिपद
One is compelled to chant, and then the name is the foundation.

विमल मनस त ध्यान ते निमिश नहीं
A pure mind does not waver from meditation for even an instant.

Not even for a moment does Shri Ji abandon the meditation of Lal Ji. And what is our capacity to meditate on Shri Ji? Harivansh Mahaprabhu gave the mantra. Harivansh Mahaprabhu gave the name—the name Radha Vallabh Lal. Heart, meditation, face, name—Harivansh Mahaprabhu gave this mantra. It has the power to bring meditation on Radha's form. Otherwise, even Brahma, Shesh, and others cannot reach the lotus feet of Shri Ji in this meditation. Even the great souls—we, with body, mind, and speech, and in our very being, take refuge in Shri Ji. Just as Mahaprabhu spoke, so we should act. Then we will obtain the bhav of servitude to Shri Ji, the bhav of sahachari. And if we are all surrendered at the feet of Shri Ji, then all of this will be obtained. But we must bring a little exclusive devotion to it. Just as—yours, yours, yours, only yours, yours.

[sound of throat clearing]

Your remnants, your stories, your words, your Vrindavan, the company of your lovers—just when we become exclusive, then this bhav will be obtained to us. Jai to Shri Radha Vallabh Lal.

This text is taken from the auto-generated captions of the video — there may be errors in the words. Please listen to the video for the authentic words.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)