- by Radhika Goswami
2021.09.11 (Vrindavan Today News): For the love of Gopal Bhatt Goswami, Shri Chaitanya mahaprabhu appeared as Radharaman. ‘Gaur holo Radharaman’. Chaitanya Mahahprabhu is the joint incarnation of Radha and Krishna. The ancient Deities of Vrindavan had names like Govind, Gopinath and Madanmohan, but later when Shri Radha’s deities were installed in those temples, they became known as Radha-Govind, Radha-Gopinath, Radha-Madanmohan, and so forth. But Shri Radharaman Dev is Radha and Krishna in a single form, non -different from Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu . There is no separate Deity of Radharani with Him, however the Holy Name of Radha is worshipped at His left side, is the same manner a three dimensional deity would be.
When Jahnava Maata came to Braj, she had Shri vigrahas of Shri Radha made for all the main temples of Vrindavan. She wanted to have a deity of Shri Radharani made to accompany Radharaman ji too, but Gopal Bhatt Goswami felt that as Radharmanji already has Radharani within him, and he did not want to keep a separate deity of Radharani with him. Because then there would be two Radha and the deity would be Shri Radha-Radharaman! Nevertheless he could not deny Jahanva Thakurani’s request and a golden deity of Radharani was actually installed next to him. But strangely that Deity kept disappearing. The Goswamis would put Radharamnaji to sleep at night with Deity but in the morning she would be found in lonesome corners of random places on the temple premises.
At last Radharaman ji appeared to Gopal Bhatt Goswami and asked him to take that Deity away; that the Deity was not Radharani but His sister Yogmaya Devi. Now that Deity of Yogamaya Devi is the Goswamis’ kuldevi, Sheetala Maata , who resides in a temple in Gurugram, Delhi near sector 12. And thereafter Naam seva of Radharani at the Radharaman Temple has been performed till this day. Just as Shri Gaursundar is yugal Swaroop yet He is accompanied by Radharani in the form of Gadadhar pandit, similarly our Radharamnji is Radha and Krishna in one but still he is worshipped with Radharani at His side in the form of Her name .
