‘While Rupa Gosvami was worshiping Radha Govinda and Sanatana Gosvami was worshiping Madan Mohan one very wealthy devotee came to Vrndavana and he gave jewels, crowns and flutes to all the Gosvamis to worship their Deities. Now at that time Gopala Bhatta Gosvami had twelve salagrama-silas which he used to put in a piece of cloth and wear around his neck. He kept them with him always and he worshiped them with great love. But he now had all these nice deity paraphernalia but the salagrama is not a form where you can offer all of these nice offerings. So he prayed to the Lord that if He so desired, to please allow him to serve Him in His beautiful three-fold bending form. It was actually on Narasimha Chaturdasi that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was in this mood and he prayed to his salagrama-silas: “On this very day Lord Narasimhadeva appeared in a beautiful form so you can also do the same thing.” The next morning when he came to do his seva for the salagramas he saw that one of his sila, the Damodara-sila, had transformed to a beautiful form of Sri Krsna – only about 12 inches high, but so enchanting, standing curved in three places, tribhanga, playing His flute. When Gopala Bhatta Gosvami saw this wonderful mercy, how the Damodara-sila had manifested this beautiful form of Sri Krsna, he bowed down and began to offer wonderful prayers. When Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami and the other great Gaudiya Vaisnavas heard this news, they came to the place where Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was offering his prayers and when they saw the beautiful form of Radha Raman they were struck with wonder.

In fact, it is said that there are three prominent deities of Vrndavana: Madan Mohan, Sri Govinda and Gopinatha, and it is explained by the Gaudiya Vaisnavas that Krsna’s lotus feet are fully manifested in the most extraordinary way in Madan Mohan who is the Sambandha murti. We establish our relationship with Krsna by first approaching His feet and then the Abhidheya-murti, that is Govindaji. After establishing our relationship with the Lord then we act according to that relationship which is by rendering humble loving service and it is explained that the hands playing the flute and the chest of the Lord is perfectly manifested in its most super excellent way in the deity of Govinda. And through serving the Lord of abhidheya, gradually we become utterly purified and attain the state of prayojana bhakti. That means the ultimate goal of unalloyed love of God in the mood of the residents of Vrndavana. Lord Gopinatha is the Prayojana-murti.

When we come before the Deity, it is not proper for to look directly at the face of the Lord. We must first look below His feet, surrender ourselves and take shelter of His lotus feet. And then gradually we may go up the various limbs and then see the beautiful smiling face of the Lord. The lotus face of Krsna is perfectly and in the most super excellent way manifested in Gopinathji who is the worshipable deity of Madhu Pandit. When the Gosvamis saw Radha Raman they all acclaimed that Radha Raman had the feet of Madan Mohan, the flute playing mid section of Govinda and the face of Gopinatha. All the three murtis have appeared in one beautiful divine form!

Of the six Gosvamis’ original murtis, this Radha Ramana is the only one that never left Vrndavana.

Govindaji and others had to be taken to Rajasthan and other places when Aurangzeb and his armies came to defy the Hindus and destroy temples and murtis. But as Radha Ramana appeared in a very small size he was easily concealed and nobody ever found him. He just never wanted to leave Vrndavana. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami named him on that day Radha Ramana – one who gives the greatest pleasure to Srimati Radharani.’

Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra:

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

TRANSLATION

The word Harā is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Kṛṣṇa and Rāma are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Kṛṣṇa and Rāma mean "the supreme pleasure," and Harā is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

TRANSLATION

(from Brhan Naradiya Purana)

"Only the Holy Name, Only the Holy Name, Only the Holy Name, is the only way. There is no other way, no other way, no other way in this Age of Kali"