What is 'Vidya Vadhu Jivanam' ? A deliberation

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 Prema, or divine love, is central to the Vaishnava tradition. The Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta (Adi-lila 4.69-70) reveals the essence of prema as rooted in hladini, Krishna's pleasure potency:

"hladinira sara ‘prema’, prema-sara ‘bhava’
bhavera parama-kastha, nama—‘maha-bhava’
mahabhava-svarupa sri-radha-thakurani
sarva-guna-khani krsna-kanta-siromani"

Here, prema is described as the essence of hladini, and its highest form, maha-bhava, is embodied by Sri Radha, the pinnacle of divine love. She is the krsna-kanta-siromani, the crest jewel among Krishna's lovers.

Connecting this to the Shikshastakam, the phrase "vidya vadhu jivanam" further elaborates on this concept. "Vidya" represents transcendental knowledge, and "vadhu" signifies both consort and essence. Therefore, "vidya vadhu jivanam" implies that the essence of spiritual knowledge is the embodiment of Sri Radha, whose love (maha-bhava) is the highest form of divine prema. "Jivanam" underscores that the holy name of Krishna is the life force of this knowledge, leading devotees to the ultimate realization of Radha's love.

In essence, the connection between the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta and Shikshastakam reveals that the ultimate goal of spiritual knowledge (vidya) is to experience and embody the essence of Sri Radha’s maha-bhava, accessed through the holy name.

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