Rādhe Rādhe Rādhe Shyām meaning

Rādhe Rādhe Rādhe Shyām

Rādha rests her head upon the shoulders of her beloved Krishna.

Rādhe Rādhe Rādhe Shyām
Govinda Rādhe je srī Rādhe
Govinda Rādhe Rādhe Shyām
Gopāla Rādhe Rādhe

The Song.

Krishna Das offers an excellent song for this mantra, on his double album ‘Heart Full of Soul’, 2008. The melody is catchy, and I find it comes to my mind more than other melodies of this album.

You can listen to this song and then buy it as a download as single, or buy the complete double album, on
https://krishnadas.bandcamp.com/album/heart-full-of-soul

Krishna Das has not sold CD copies of this album for at least 5 years, so we are now limited only to downloads to our computer, from which we can transfer to USB memory stick or mobile phone.

The Mantra Discussed.

This simple yet powerful mantra includes four related Names for Deity that are used in the Krishna school. Shyām, Govinda and Gopāla are all related Names for Krishna, each with different meanings. Each Name points towards a different aspect of Deity and Presence. Of all the Gopi maidens who tended the cows, Rādha was the one closest to Krishna.

These four Names are connected in the traditional storey telling, where Krishna was the personification of Deity. Krishna was Deity manifest in human form as Avatar. In religious artwork, Krishna is traditionally painted with blue skin. This identifies His Divine nature in the imagery. Shyām simply means ‘blue’, or ‘the One with blue skin.’

Yet Krishna’s blue colour is only skin deep. When we become closer to Deity in our daily lives, then we experience the actual Qualities of Presence, the spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṅga. So the Name for Krishna eventually changes from Shyām to Gopāla at the end of this mantra.

The Name Rādha means the one close to Deity. This gives us the following interpretation –

Rādha can mean the spiritual practitioner, or
Rādha can mean us, when we are both practised and practising the spiritual Path.

However, the word that is repeated nine times is Rādhe, which is the locative form of the noun Rādha. This means that we are located in Rādha, we are in the experience of Being spiritual practitioners.

In Kirtan, the Goal of our spiritual practice is best understood to be Presence, or the Presence of Deity. This gives another interpretation –

Shyām, Govinda and Gopāla can all mean the Goal of spiritual practice.

But these three Names for the Goal have different significance. Krishna’s blue colour is only skin deep. So this blue colour of Krishna is the first and immediate impression we get of him. This gives a more specific interpretation –

Shyām can mean the superficial appearance of the Goal of practice, our first understanding of our purpose in spiritual practice.

Now we can put together an interpretation of the first line of our mantra –

1) Rādhe Rādhe Rādhe Shyām

The threefold repetition of Rādhe focusses our attention on ourselves, in our spiritual practice. The next word in the line is Shyām, which shifts our attention from ourselves to our Goal in practice. The combo Rādhe Shyām suggests that we are actually heading towards our Goal, on a moment-to-moment basis in daily life. Where our understanding of the Goal is not yet mature, but at least we can see it and move towards it.

To achieve this, we need to find our feet, and find some benefit from our spiritual practice. For this will encourage us to persist and continue our efforts. This leads us to the next line, for the closest English word to -vinda in both sound and meaning is ‘find.’ Where the root word go can mean ‘nurturing’, both physical and spiritual nurturing. This gives us another interpretation –

Govinda can mean ‘finding nurturing on the spiritual Path’.

2) Govinda Rādhe je srī Rādhe

In line 2 Rādhe is combined with Govinda, instead of Shyām. In the second line, we have made some progress. We are no longer aiming at the superficial aspects of Presence. We are actually finding some real benefit and nurturing in our spiritual practice.

This is easier said than done. All too often, the troubles of daily life enmesh us in the defilements, and we are struggling to find real contentment, appreciation and good will in daily busy-ness. So line 2 includes two important words : je srī. In this, the dictionary word jaya is pronounced je, where jaya = je can mean ‘success.’ srī can mean ‘radiance,’ being radiant with enjoyment, appreciation, good will, contentment, competence, and other spiritual Qualities. The line ends with the Name Rādhe. This gives the following interpretation –

je srī Rādhe can mean wishing ourselves success in finding some nurturing and benefit from our spiritual practice.

3) Govinda Rādhe Rādhe Shyām

Again, Rādhe is repeated, focussing attention on our practice. But this time we begin the line with Govinda, which suggests that we have actually found some benefit and nurturing in our practice. This might be due to special circumstances, such as a special event or visiting a special place, or things being unusually propitious and favourable. But the line still ends with Shyām, which suggests we are still seeing only the superficial aspects of Presence.

4) Gopāla Rādhe Rādhe

Now the Name for Presence is Gopāla, where the suffix -pāla can mean ‘practising, developing’. This suggests that now our practice is already bearing fruit. Now we are having real success in developing the spiritual Qualities, and our practice is being powered by a lot of contentment, appreciation, good will, clarity and determination. Now the repetitions of Rādhe, which focus our attention on our own spiritual practice, are united with the fruits and benefits of spiritual practice. The superficiality of Shyām has now been dropped, and we can clearly see our Goal from our own experience.

Perhaps to emphasis this progress through the mantra, Krishna Das lifts the melody, and lines 3 and 4 are at a higher pitch than lines 1 and 2. Then as the song progresses, he lifts all the melody to a higher pitch, and his supporting instrumentalists become more vigorous and faster.

Rādhe Rādhe Rādhe Shyām ​

Rādhe Rādhe Rādhe Shyām