The Beautiful Women of Braj

68 The Brajadevis are of various natures and forms; they are her [Radha’s] kayavyuha forms and causes of her rasa. 69 Without many consorts there is no enjoyment of rasa; therefore there are many manifestations of lila-companions. 70 There are, in Braj, many different kinds [of women], with many different kinds of bhava and rasa, and they cause Krishna to taste [rasa] in the rasa and other lilas. 71 Radha is the causer of bliss of Govinda, the enchanter of Govinda. She is the be-all and end-all of Govinda; she is the crest-jewel of all the consorts. (CC 1.4)

Although the beautiful women of Braj look different and have various temperaments, they are all aspects or manifestations of Radha. When they give pleasure to Krishna, they also receive it, and through them, Radha receives it. Divine love is unselfish. When her girlfriends give pleasure to and receive pleasure from Krishna, Radha’s pleasure increases vicariously. Similarly when her girlfriends see Radha united with Krishna, they experience it vicariously by being attunded to Radha’s emotions.

In order for Radha-Krishna to experience the full taste of their loving play, it must include the full range of temperament, beauty, etc. Novel new experiences make eternity interesting and enjoyable. Since, Radha-Krishna’s pastimes are ever expanding, they contain unlimited opportunities for novelty.

The fact that each of us is a unique individual spirit allows us to cultivate a unique individual relationship with Radha-Krishna to increase their pleasure. We need not do what others have done in the past. As Westerners, we can offer a fresh blissful experience since our looks, temperaments, and ways of expressing love are different than the Indians Radha-Krishna are used to.

Rather than attempting to become like Indians, we can use our natural Western mindsets to come up with exciting new pastimes for Radha-Krishna’s pleasure to expand unlimitedly. They’re having an ongoing party, and we’re invited. Let’s go and try to spice things up for them as only we know how. Radha is calling us.

Spread the love

Comments are closed.