'śravaṇa-madhye jīvera kon śreṣṭha śravaṇa?'
'rÄdhÄ-kṛṣṇa-prema-keli karṇa-rasÄyana'

 Å›ravaṇa-madhye - out of all topics for hearing; jÄ«vera - of the living entity; kon - what; Å›reṣṭha - most important; Å›ravaṇa - topic of hearing; rÄdhÄ-kṛṣṇa-prema-keli - the loving affairs between RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa; karṇa-rasa-ayana - most pleasing to the ear.


Text

ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu asked, “Out of all topics people listen to, which is best for all living entities?â€

Purport

RÄmÄnanda RÄya replied, “Hearing about the loving affairs between RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa is most pleasing to the ear.â€

According to ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (10.33.39):

vikrÄ«á¸itaá¹ vraja-vadhÅ«bhir idaá¹ ca viṣṇoḥ
 Å›raddhÄnvito ’nuśṛṇuyÄd atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiá¹ parÄá¹ bhagavati pratilabhya kÄmaá¹
 há¹›d-rogam ÄÅ›v apahinoty acireṇa dhÄ«raḥ

“He who faithfully hears about the dealings between Lord Kṛṣṇa and the gopÄ«s in the rÄsa dance and he who describes these activities attain to the perfectional stage of devotional service and simultaneously lose material, lusty desires.â€

A liberated person who hears about the loving affairs of RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa is not inclined to have lusty desires. One mundane rogue once said that when the Vaiṣṇavas chant the name “RÄdhÄ, RÄdhÄ,†he simply remembers a barber’s wife named RÄdhÄ. This is a practical example. Unless one is liberated, he should not try to hear about the loving affairs between RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa. If one is not liberated and listens to a relation of the rÄsa dance, he may remember his own mundane activities and illicit connections with some woman whose name may also be RÄdhÄ. In the conditioned stage one should not even try to remember such things. By practicing the regulative principles, one should rise to the platform of spontaneous attraction for Kṛṣṇa. Then and only then should one hear about rÄdhÄ-kṛṣṇa-lÄ«lÄ. Although these affairs may be very pleasing both to conditioned and to liberated souls, the conditioned soul should not try to hear them. The talks between RÄmÄnanda RÄya and ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu are conducted on the platform of liberation.