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Radhastami is the divine appearance day of Srimati Radharani, the eternal consort of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Radhastami is a very special day for all the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, as by obtaining the mercy of Srimati Radharani one can easily achieve Krishna-prema. Radha is Krishna’s dearest servant, and is His pleasure potency.
Srimati Radharani’s glorious birth occured on the eighth day of the bright moon in the month of Bhadra. Although generally not full on that day, the moon appeared full to celebrate Radharani’s appearance in this world. Among all of Krishna’s consorts in Sri Vrindavana, Srimati Radharani is the greatest. In fact, She is the queen of Vrndavana.
The scriptures praise Her magnificence as the divine mother of the entire universe and the one who mercifully engages and escorts all the living beings in the loving dedication service to Lord Sri Krishna. When we see the image of ‘Goddess of fortune’, She always has lotus flowers in Her hand and gives blessings to all the devotees.
She is considered as the Supreme shakti of Lord Krishna. Just like the sun and sunlight can not be separated, Krishna and Radha, both are inseparable. For expanding bliss and love, they decided to get separated. When we move towards the shakti, with the aspiration to turn away from shaktimaan and to enjoy the material sources, She shows Her anger as Maa Durga with a Trident symbolizing threefold miseries (beginning from mind and body, other human beings and natural mishaps).
Whenever we approach shakti with an aspiration to serve Lord Krishna,the Shaktimaan, Srimati Radha Rani connects us with Lord Krishna.
The great Srila Prabhupada tells that one must pray by following these lines: ‘O Radha! Supreme goddess of fortune! Please accept this flower and offer it to your Krishna’. When a devotee follows this and chants the sacred ‘Hare Krishna mantra’, he/she becomes free from all the impurities of mind and reaches the divine world to connect with the perpetual service to the Divine couple.
That divine world is the real home and this earth is a temporary place where we all are living currently.
If you want to get ready to return your actual home, join ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Mandir on the auspicious occasion of Radhashtmi. On Radhashtami day, a new outfit is offered to Srimati Radharani and the temple is lavishly decorated with flowers and garlands. This is a day when one can have darshan of Srimati Radharani’s lotus feet. Srimati Radharani’s glories are narrated in the morning Bhagavatam class. A maha-abhisheka is performed at noon with a variety of ingredients and many colorful flowers. An elaborate bhoga of many varieties of food items along with many sweet dishes is cooked. After the abhisheka, bhoga is offered and maha-arati is performed. Devotees fast till noon and enjoy a transcendental feast in the afternoon.
On this most auspicious day, we pray at the lotus feet of Srimate Radharani to please bestow upon us her causeless mercy, and grant us service at her lotus feet, counting us amongst one of her own maid servants.
