The Be-all and End-all - Prema Dharma

The truth revealed in the gayatri-mantra.

By Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

I think that I am able to take out from gayatri the meaning of Radha-Govinda-lila, which is srutibhir vimrgyam (SB: 10.47.61) [sought after even by the Vedas]. Veda-mata Gayatri, the mother of all revealed truth, is present within this formula of the Brahma-gayatri. If we can see the deeper meaning there, we see Radha-dasyam. The gayatri wants to teach us the service of Radharani. Gayatri means ganat trayate: by singing which we can get liberation. Liberation, to the utmost, means to Goloka; it means svarupena-vyavasthitih (SB: 2.10.6): to get back the identification of our function in Goloka, in the highest, innermost corner of our hearts. Kirtan and vamsi-dhvani [the sound of the flute], set us right and put us in the proper service. Trana, liberation, as in ganat trayate, in the fullest sense, means to come to the position where we can get the opportunity of rendering our best service to Krishna, to Radhika. And by gayatri, by chanting this formula, we can hope to have such realisation, that realised position.

I have also written a verse about this meaning of gayatri. Bhargo means the land of dedication, the svarup-sakti-nirmitta-jagat [the world constructed by Krishna’s personal energy]. Devasya means Krishnasya, lilamaya Purusasya. Deva means lilamaya, playful, and deva means sundara, beautiful. Deva means He who is playful and beautiful, who has a habit of beautiful playfulness. Bhargo means the whole territory of dedicating service, and that is the extension of Radharani, the other half, the negative half of the Absolute. The Absolute has both a positive and negative aspect [Radha and Krishna]. Gayatri points each and every one of us towards that goal, that end. Veda-mata Gayatri contains in a nutshell the whole truth of the Veda: “Go to the beautiful! Go to that love! That is the desired end, the be-all and end-all of everyone.” We can’t deny it. None can deny it. We may not have it, but still we can’t deny it. It is of such position.

Nitai came to give Gauranga, Gauranga came to give Radha-dasyam—Radha-Govinda, our Gurudev came to give them all to the world, and your Prabhupad give them to the world at large, the whole world beyond India. So, we bow down to those great personalities here.