Rādhā Upaniṣad 2

Second Lesson.

Oṃ. Being questioned, she [said]: "On the petals of a hundred-petaled lotus outside it, on the yoga-pedestals, stand the cowherd women devoted to the play of the rāsa dance. This [abode] has four gates, radiant as a hundred thousand suns. There it is filled with trees. In its first enclosure, in the west, right in front, in a golden pavilion, are the divine maidens; in the second, Sudāman and others; in the third, Kiṅkiṇī and others; in the fourth, Lavaṅga and others; in the fifth, at the base of the wish-fulfilling tree, is Uṣā together with Aniruddha; in the sixth are the gods; in the seventh, as doorkeepers, Viṣṇu of red color. Outside this is Rādhākuṇḍa. Having bathed there, one becomes a limb of Rādhā. One becomes fit to see the Lord. Having bathed where, Nārada became qualified to approach the Lord's eternal abode. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa have one seat, one intellect, one mind, one knowledge, one Self, one state, one form, one Brahman. Playing a golden flute with her, whose self is gold—"

"—encompassed by passionate love, [he sits] at the base of the wish-fulfilling tree. The Surabhi lore is like a rosary, like the Śruti, supreme, perfected, and sattvic. (Pure, sattvic, beyond the qualities, free from [transient] affection. Therefore there is no difference between the two, because they transcend time, illusion, and the qualities. That very thing is clarified: 'Now' means immediately thereafter, or in an auspicious sense. Or else, within sacred Vṛndāvana, [the syllable Oṃ] is of the nature of the Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāma Vedas. The letter 'M' is of the nature of the Ṛgveda; the letter 'U' is of the nature of the Yajurveda; Śrī Rāma, though of the nature of the Sāmaveda, is the letter 'A'; Śrī Kṛṣṇa is of the nature of the half-mora; Yaśodā is like the dot. The Supreme Brahman is Being, Consciousness, and Bliss; as though relishing the flavor of the mutual desire for bliss of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, it is called that nectar of Being, Consciousness, and Bliss. That [sacred syllable] Praṇava, which has those characteristics, is of the nature of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva; established in the power of will and knowledge; bodily, vocal, and mental in state; of the nature of sattva, rajas, and tamas; sung throughout the Kṛta, Tretā, and Dvāpara [ages]. After Dvāpara follows the Kali [age]. It is sung across these four ages. That Praṇava alone has the character of Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, and Svaḥ. Whatever else is beyond and timeless, that too is just the syllable Oṃ. 'All this is indeed Brahman; the Self is "I am He"'—thus let us meditate, let us contemplate. As [the Śruti says], 'Indeed, yonder sun warms this realm,' that abode named the White One, called Śvetadvīpa, beyond the Fourth State, is the fourth [realm] beyond Gokula, Mathurā, and Dvārakā—this divine Vṛndāvana, as was stated before, wherein all is in accord with the established tradition of spiritual treasure.)"

Thus ends the second lesson in the [work] belonging to the Atharvan, teaching the Supreme Spirit, dealing with the highest paramahaṃsas.