Sri Lalita-devi and Srimati Radharani

Svarupa-damodara is the constant companion of Mahaprabhu in Puri. He is a scholar of the highest class and also a very good singer. Without consideration of his elevated social position, he will perform the simplest service. Svarupa-damodara is there always, everywhere with Mahaprabhu. When Mahaprabhu was lost, the devotees inquired after Him the whole night and Svarupa-damodara was there with a lantern, moving along the seashore, looking for Him. In krsna-lila Svarupa-damodara is Lalita-devi.
"I offer my respects to charming and virtuous Lalita-devi. If Lalita meets any person in Vraja and perceives that they are favorable towards Srimati Radharani, she immediately requests Radharani to accept that person in Her camp. Radharani obeys Lalita and fulfills the desires of such a fortunate person." (Lalita-pranama Stotra 7)
Whoever Lalita-devi meets in Vraja-dhama, she requests them to join her own party. And when they come, “Yes, come with me.” At once she is giving admission. “Come! Join the service of Radharani.” She is canvassing to look after the interests of Radharani. Such intense attention to the service of Radharani is never found anywhere else. Lalita-devi sometimes even chastises Krsna boldly. She takes risks by reproaching Krsna, “You do not know the dignity of my Mistress.”

Sometimes Radharani feels ashamed within Her mind. She thinks, “What does He say about Me?” Lalita-devi replies, “This shame is very bad. You just sit quietly. You do not know Your own interest. I know what is Your interest, Your position. I cannot tolerate that Your dignity should be minimized in any way, ever.” That is the spirit of Lalita-devi. Rupa Gosvami has composed one stanza:
"I offer respects to charming and virtuous Lalita-devi, who worships the perspiration from Sri Sri Radha-Mukunda's feet, and who, out of great love, is very bold and agressive." (Lalita-pranama Stotra 1)
At the source of her aggression and interference in the affairs of Radha and Krsna we find a great and deep affection. This justifies all her activities as the leader accepted by the associates of Radha-Krsna. She always veers towards that Couple with such a standard. She can’t tolerate a drop of sweat on the foot of the Divine Damsel. On that level she works, as if with millions of bodies she wants to correct it, to remove that drop of sweat. She can’t tolerate any trouble, not the least trouble. Uttunga-sauhrda-visesa-bharat pragalbham – she is very aggressive and talkative, and goes forward to do anything and everything as if she is mad with leadership. But at the source is her great concern for Them. This justification is there.

Sometimes she chastises Radharani Herself, “You do not know how to behave with Krsna. I will teach You what to do. Don’t make Yourself available to Krsna so cheaply. You must be careful of Your own dignity.” Though a little younger, still Lalita takes the position as caretaker of Radharani, always first to look after the cause of Radharani, to espouse the cause of Radharani. And she is always thinking herself responsible for all the affairs concerning Them.

Sometimes she goes to chastise Krsna also, “You don’t know the dignified position, what dignified love my friend has towards You. You undermine that. I cannot allow it.
We are mad with this lust, but such madness is only perverted. In the original position it is a noble thing. It is self-forgetfulness, sacrifice, reckless sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Prime Cause, the Autocrat whose extent cannot be calculated. It is noble. Such intensity can never by calculated, it cannot come into our calculation here in this plane. Renunciation, liberation, salvation, these are only the negative aspect of lust. But the positive life, the life of sacrifice, the acme is found only there.
There are other friends of Radharani. Some are neutral towards Krsna and Radharani, some are a little partial towards Krsna, but Lalita-devi is cent-percent partial towards Radharani’s cause. This is Lalita-devi. Her birthday, the day of her appearance, is just before that of Radharani.

We are told that Radharani was found floating in a lotus. Her father, Vrsabhanu Raja, was childless. He was a gopa chief, the cowherd king, the chief cow-keeper. But he did not have any children. Then one day he found a beautiful girl in a lotus flower on the lake. He found Her and took Her home. The girl was very beautiful, perfect, but Her eyes did not open.
In vatsalya-rasa the Lord is showing autocracy, the autocratic nature of exacting affection from the environment. And autocratic nature is also there extracting the highest form of love from the consort group, in madhurya-rasa. We are to understand all these things in a scientific way.

Everything belongs to Krsna. Yasoda prepares everything for satisfying Krsna, to make Him eat, to feed Him. But He is not satisfied to take in that way. Everything belongs to Him; He is the enjoyer of everything, the Absolute. But still, aher iva gatih premnah svabhava – just as a snake naturally moves in a crooked way, so the crooked movement of the waves of love is natural. We are to approach it in this way. If we understand these relationships step by step in a scientific way, then we’ll be able to answer any questions that may generally come. “What is the ideal of God, that He is a debauchee? He is stealing! How can such things be adjusted with the ideal of the holiness of God?”

Generally people will come and attack in this way. But they forget that they cannot understand; they cannot follow that first this must be understood from the plane of sacrifice, not from the plane of enjoyment or exploitation. It is beyond renunciation and sacrifice; it is dedication. He is the owner and consumer of anything and everything. He can take it in any way. Everything is for Him. And no one has been given a position to comment on this. It is eternal and irresistible; it is the flow of the divine plane. The highest fundamental flow, the flow of the fundamental plane is of such nature. There is no question of morality, because there is not a second party present there. He is the only party. His movement is such. None may question. It is such by nature.

We have come to rebuke God, but who are we? What is our position that we have become jealous of His activities, which are advaya-jnana, Absolute? We are culprits, nirmatsaranam satam. In the beginning Veda-Vyasa says, “What I am going to say here is not meant for malicious people, for the jealous. Such foolish, jealous and malicious people have no entrance into this ¬ of Krsna, which I will describe. Only the sympathetic, the innocent, those who understand His position, what He is, only they may enter.” He cannot be questioned. If we question the Absolute movement, then He is wrong. But the absolute lila can never be wrong. It is causeless and irresistible. It is the sweetest and the purest.
We can participate if we simply remove all our selfishness, crookedness, and jealous temperament. Then we will be considered fit to connect with that most fundamental wave of Absolute sweetness. This is the background of Radha-Govinda lila. We must prepare ourselves in such a way if we wish to approach that highest plane of divinity. This is Vrndavana, the characteristic of Vrndavana. Mahaprabhu and the acaryas, Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura came with this fact to give it to the world.