It is not that Radharani is separate from Krsna. Radharani is also Krsna, for there is no differnce between the energy and the energetic. Without energy, there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the enengetic, there is no energy.
Similarly, without Radha there is no meaning to Krsna, and without Krsna, there is no meaning to Radha. Because of this, the Vaisnava philosophy first of all pays obeisances to and worships the internal pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His potency are always referred to as Radha-Krsna. Similarly, those who worship the name of Narayana first of all utter the name of Laksmi, as Laksmi-Narayana.
Similarly, those who worship Lord Rama first of all utter the name of Sita. In any case-Sita-Rama, Radha-Krsna, Laksmi-Narayana-the potency always comes first.
Radha and Krsna are one, and when Krsna desires to enjoy pleasure, He manifests Himself as Radharani. The spiritual exchange of love between Radha and Krsna is the actual display of the internal pleasure potency of Krsna. Although we speak of "when" Krsna desires, just when He did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in conditional life we take it that everything has a beginning; however in the absolute or spiritual life there is neither beginning nor end.
Yet in order to understand that Radha and Krsna are one and that they also become divided, the question "When?"automatically comes to mind. When Krsna desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He manifested Himself through the agency of Radha, He united with Radharani, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya.
Why did Krsna assume the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu? It is explained that Krsna desired to know the glory of Radha's love. "Why is She so much in love with Me?" Krsna asked. "What is My special qualification that attracts Her so? And what is the actual way in which She loves Me?" It seems strange that Krsna, as the Supreme, should be attracted by anyone's love. We search after the love of a woman or a man because we are imperfect and lack something. The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman, but this is not the case with Krsna, who is full in Himself. Thus Krsna expressed surprise: "Why am I attracted to Radharani? And when Radharani feels My love, what is She actually feeling?"
In order to taste the essence of that loving affair, Krsna appeared just as the moon appears on the horizon of the sea. Just as the moon was produced by the churning of the sea, by the churning of spiritual love affairs the moon of Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Indeed, Caitanya's complexion was golden, just like the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the meaning behind the appearance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The full significance of His appearance will be explained in later chapters.
The manifestations of the Supreme are also explained in Caitanya-caritamrta. After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, Krsnadasa Kaviraja next offers them to Nityananda. He explains that Nityananda is a manifestation of Sankarsana, who the origin of the Maha-Visnu. Krsna's first manifestation is as Balarama and then Sankarsana, and after Sankarsana He is manifest as Pradyumna.
In this way so many expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, Lord Sri Krsna is the origin, as confirmed in Brahma-samhita. He is like the original candle from which many thousands and millions of candles are lit. Although any number of candles can be lighted, the original candle still retains its identity as the origin.
In this way Krsna expands, Himself into so many lights, and all these expansions are called visnu-tattva. Visnu is a large light, and we are small lights, and all are expansions of Krsna.
When it is necessary to create the material universe, Visnu expands Himself as the Maha-Visnu. This Maha-Visnu lies down on the Casual Ocean and breathes all the universes from His nostrils. Thus from the Maha-Visnu and Casual Ocean all the universes spring, and all thses universes float in the Casual Ocean. In this regard there is the story of Vamana, who, when He took three steps, stuck His foot through the covering of the universe. Water from the Casual Ocean flowed through the hole which His foot made, and it is said that that flow of water become the River Ganges. Therefore the Ganges is accepted as the most scared water of Visnu and is worshiped by all Hindus from the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.
That Maha-Visnu who lies on the Casual Ocean is actually an expansion of Balarama, who is Krsna's first expansion, and in the Vrndavana pastimes, is the brother of Krsna. In the maha-mantra Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram, Hare Hare, the word Rama refers to Balarama. Since Nityananda is an expansion of Balarama, Rama also refers to Lord Nityananda. Thus Hare Krsna, Hare Rama addresses not only Krsna and Balarama but Lord Caitanya and Nityananda as well.
The subject matter of Caitanya-caritamrta primarily deals with what is beyond this material creation. The cosmic material expansion is called maya because it has no eternal existence. Because it is sometimes manifested and sometimes not manifested, it is regarded as illusory. But beyond this temporary manifestation there is a higher nature, as indicated in Bhagavad-gita:
paras tasmat tu bhavo nyo
vyakto vyaktat sanatanah
yah sa sarvesu bhutesu
nasyatsu na vinasyati
"Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is."(Bg.8.20)
That supreme nature is beyond the manifested (vyaktah) and unmanifested (avyaktah). This superior nature which is beyond both creation and annihilation is the living force which is manifest in the bodies of all living entities. The body itself is composed of inferior nature, matter, but it is the superior nature that is moving the body. The symptom of that superior nature is consciousness. Thus in the spiritual world, where everything is composed of the superior nature, everything is conscious. In the material world inanimate objects are not conscious, but in the spiritual world this is not so. There a table is conscious, the land is conscius, the trees are conscious-everything is conscious.
It is not possible to imagine how far this material manifestation extends. In the material world everything is calculated by imagination or by some imperfect method, but Vedic literatures give information of what lies beyond the material universe. Those who believe in experimental knowledge may doubt the Vedic conclusions, for they cannot even calculate how far this universe is extended, nor can they reach far into the universe itself. It is not possible to obtain information of anything beyond this material nature by experimental means. It is useless to argue or speculate about what is conceivable.
It is useless to argue or speculate about what is inconceivable. Knowledge of the superior nature must simply be accepted without argument. How is it possible to argue about something to which we have no access? The method for understanding transcendental subject matter is given by Lord Krsna Himself in Bhagavad-gita, where Krsna tells Arjuna at the beginning of the Fourth Chapter:
imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave bravit
"I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instraucted it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku." (Bg. 4.1)
This is the method of parampara, or disciplic succession. Similarly, in Srimad-Bhagavatam Krsna imparted knowledge into the heart of Brahma, the first vreated creature within the universe. Brahma imparted those lessons to his disciple, Narada, and Narada imparted that knowledge to his disciple, Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva imparted it to Madhvacarya Puri, to Isvara Puri and from him to Caitanya Mahaprabhu.