The Symbolic Marriage
In the transcendental land of Vṛndāvana, the pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are eternally unfolding, beyond the limits of material vision. Among those divine sports is the mysterious “marriage” of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to Abhimanyu. In truth, there was never any mundane relationship between them. This marriage was only a symbolic arrangement of Yogamāyā, the Lord’s divine energy, meant to intensify the sweetness of the loving exchanges between the Divine Couple.
When Kṛṣṇa appears to be separated from Rādhā, that separation is not ordinary suffering. It is the highest ecstasy of love — for through longing, Their affection expands infinitely. Thus, even what appears painful in the spiritual world is a festival of bliss.
Paurnamāsī’s Gift
One day, the saintly elder of Vraja, Paurnamāsī Devī, approached young Kṛṣṇa with a smile filled with secret knowledge. She carried in her hand a golden laddu, shining like the midday sun and fragrant with ghee.
“Nanda-nandana,” she said affectionately, “I have something very wonderful for You!”
Kṛṣṇa, whose fondness for sweets is well known throughout all the worlds, eagerly reached for the laddu. His smile lit up His beautiful face as He asked, “O Paurnamāsī, where did You get such a delicious sweet?”
The Laddu Turns Bitter
Paurnamāsī gently replied, “This is from a wedding feast, my dear child. Today, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī has been married to Abhimanyu.”
Hearing these words, Kṛṣṇa froze. The laddu, once a source of delight, stopped midway to His lips. His hand trembled. His lotus eyes filled with tears. That very sweet, now bitter upon His tongue, seemed to contain both nectar and poison.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond all dualities, stood still — His heart pierced by love. Such is the mystery of divine affection: the Lord, who is the source of all joy, experiences the highest bliss in the pain of separation from His beloved devotee.
The saints of Vraja remember this scene as one of the most touching moments in the Lord’s eternal play — when sweetness and sorrow became one in Kṛṣṇa’s trembling hand.
Lessons to Be Learned
- The pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are completely transcendental; they are never mundane.
- The feeling of separation (vipralambha-bhāva) intensifies divine love and reveals its deepest sweetness.
- Yogamāyā creates apparent obstacles only to glorify the love of the Lord and His devotees.
- Even the Supreme Lord experiences the pain of love to teach the soul that the highest truth is not cold knowledge but warm devotion.
Reflections
This story teaches that devotion to Kṛṣṇa is not measured by comfort but by constancy of love. Sometimes the Lord gives us the sweet laddu of joyful remembrance; sometimes He gives the bitter taste of longing and absence. Both are necessary, for through both, love matures.
When the devotee feels Kṛṣṇa’s absence, it is like Kṛṣṇa holding the half-lifted laddu—frozen in love, unable to taste, yet unable to let go. That moment of stillness is the heart’s awakening, where material pleasure loses all flavor, and only remembrance of the Beloved remains.
Let us therefore pray to feel even a drop of that sacred longing which made the Lord of the universe tremble and weep — for such tears wash away the dust of forgetfulness and lead the soul back to His lotus feet.
Origin of the Story
Adapted from “Vraja-līlā – Part 2” by Deena Bandhu dāsa (Yāvat Part One), originally based on the commentaries of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura and other Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas.
