Hare Kṛṣṇa,
CC Ādi 1.6
śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā-
svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ
saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt
tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ
Desiring to understand the glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī, as the moon appeared from the ocean.
Therefore, the second of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s three desires is to experience Rādhārāṇī feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love.
Kṛṣṇa ponders, “My sweetness is wonderful, infinite and full. No one in the three worlds can find its limit. Only Rādhikā, by the strength of Her love, tastes all the nectar of My sweetness. Although Rādhā’s love is pure like a mirror, its purity increases at every moment. My sweetness also has no room for expansion, yet it shines before that mirror in newer and newer beauty. There is constant competition between My sweetness and the mirror of Rādhā’s love. They both go on increasing, but neither knows defeat. My sweetness is always newer and newer. Devotees taste it according to their own respective love. If I see My sweetness in a mirror, I am tempted to taste it, but nevertheless I cannot. If I deliberate on a way to taste it, I find that I hanker for the position of Rādhikā. Who manifests an abundance of sweetness greater than Mine, which has never been experienced before and which causes wonder to all? Alas, I Myself, My mind bewildered upon seeing this beauty, impetuously desire to enjoy it like Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.” (CC Adi 4.138-146)
Philosophically what this means is that Kṛṣṇa’s attractiveness is wonderful and unlimited. No one can know the end of it. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī alone can relish such extensiveness from Her position in the āśraya category. The mirror of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s transcendental love is perfectly clear, yet it appears clearer and clearest in the transcendental method of understanding Kṛṣṇa. In the mirror of Rādhārāṇī’s heart, the transcendental features of Kṛṣṇa appear increasingly new and fresh. In other words, the attraction of Kṛṣṇa increases in proportion to the understanding of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Each tries to supersede the other. Neither wants to be defeated in increasing the intensity of love. Desiring to understand Rādhārāṇī’s attitude of increasing love, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (CC Adi 4.143 Purport)
Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami, using various references and examples, gives a description of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. Kṛṣṇa’s beauty has such natural and unprecedented power that it enchants and thrills everyone’s heart — even Kṛṣṇa Himself. Simply by hearing about His sweetness, the mind becomes restless and unsteady, and when one hears His sweet voice or flute, or sees His beautiful form, the mind is completely captivated. Even Kṛṣṇa is attracted by His own beauty, yet because He cannot fully relish it, He feels a kind of divine sorrow. Those who continually taste this sweetness never become satisfied; instead, their longing only increases more and more. In loving frustration, they even blame Lord Brahmā for not creating them with millions of eyes to properly behold Kṛṣṇa’s face — for he has given only two eyes, and those eyes blink, interrupting their vision of His incomparable beauty. (Paraphrased from CC Adi 4.147-158)
Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja quotes a few verses to glorify Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness.
CC Adi 4.152: [The gopīs said:] “O Kṛṣṇa, when You go to the forest during the day and we do not see Your sweet face, which is surrounded by beautiful curling hair, half a second becomes as long as an entire age for us. And we consider the creator, who has put eyelids on the eyes we use for seeing You, to be simply a fool.”
CC Adi 4.153: “The gopīs saw their beloved Kṛṣṇa at Kurukṣetra after a long separation. They secured and embraced Him in their hearts through their eyes, and they attained a joy so intense that not even perfect yogīs can attain it. The gopīs cursed the creator for creating eyelids that interfered with their vision.”
CC Adi 4.155: [The gopīs said:] “O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Mahārāja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vṛndāvana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision.”
CC Adi 4.156: [The women of Mathurā said:] “What austerities must the gopīs have performed? With their eyes they always drink the nectar of the form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which is the essence of loveliness and is not to be equaled or surpassed. That loveliness is the only abode of beauty, fame and opulence. It is self-perfect, ever fresh and extremely rare.”
This shows that The sweetness of Lord Kṛṣṇa is unprecedented, and its strength is also unprecedented. Simply by one’s hearing of such beauty, the mind becomes unsteady.
May the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa name, form, qualities, and pastimes capture our heart and mind!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 