Our beloved Shree Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu ji is most known as the founder of the sacred Radha Vallabh Sampradaya. He is our Aacharya, meaning one who showed us by His lifestyle as to how life can be lived within the realm of maya and yet be free of maya and how the highest level of Consciousness can be easily achieved by aspiring souls.
By the kripa/grace of our Guru Dev Bhagwaan and beloved Shree Ji, an attempt has been made below to briefly word the glory (mahatmaya) of our Aacharya and help the reader understand why Aacharya Ji is the life (prana) of every Radha Vallabhi.
The Rasik saints of Vrindavan narrate that once during a Raas in Nivrit Nikunj with Shyamaa Shyam in the center and countless sahcharis (sakhis) of Sri Shyamaa around them, Sri Lalita and other Sakhis were ecstatic by drinking the Maha Ras (Divine Nectar) flowing in this sacred Raas. Sri Lalita, realizing that jivas (souls) outside of Nikunj dimension were not able to taste this most auspicious, all purifying ekaantic/pirvate ras of PriyaPritam, made a request to Sri Radha that She find a way to allow the suffering souls of Earth to taste this Divine Nectar and become free from all suffering. Pyaari Shree Ji, with the intention of immediately fulfilling this wish, looked at Sri Krishna. At that moment, Sri Krishna gave His Flute to Shree Ji and said that this Divine Flute is the fullest embodiment of the divine Love/Hit of Sri RadhaKrishna and this flute will take avatar on earth in the form of Aacharya Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu and allow the jivas to taste this most elusive nectar of Hit Prem that is yearned for by even Lord Brahma, Mahadev and others and get entry into the Divine Lilas of PriyaPryatam in Nikunj – a dimension unattainable even by the highest of gyana and yoga sadhanas.
To better understand the glory (mahatmaya) of Mahaprabhu, our beloved saints of Vrindavan have revealed the 4 divine forms (swaroop) of Mahaprabhu:
Hit means pure, divine Spiritual Love or Prem. When all the Hit within Sri Radha’s heart and all the Hit within Sri Krishna’s heart combines then what remains is HIT – unimaginable, divine, all sustaining PREM/LOVE.
This Hit is the substratum, the basis of everything. Beyond this Hit, there is nothing. Gyana Yogis experience this Hit as “Purna Aham” (I am That), and Bhakts experience this Hit as the ultimate Prem energy emanating due to the divine union of our beloved Sri RadhaKrishna. Rasiks know that this beautiful, combined Prem of our PriyaPritam, this Absolute Prem/Love is what, out of causeless mercy, walked the Earth as our beloved Aacharya.
Hence Absolute Love took the divine physical form of Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu to cut short our quest and learn to directly worship Prem/Absolute Love/Hit. Absolute Love walked the earth to teach the yearning, suffering souls about Love and take them back to their origin, which is Love, which is Hit.
So Hit is the original, the primordial nectar (ras), from which everything has originated. It is the Absolute.
The Absolute primordial nectar of Hit or Prem or Love energy of the Divine Couple Sri PryaPrayatam, when it takes form in the sacred dimension of Nivrit Nikunj, it appears as the beautiful Hit Sajni Ju or the Nij Sakhi/Nij Sahchari, the primary and the most important companion of Sri Radha.
Hit Sajni is not one of the 8 principal sakhis (ashta-sakhis) of Sri Radha. Instead, She is considered antarang sakhi or intimate companion whose role is to ensure happiness of our beloved PriyaPriyaman and provide seva at all times and even during the most sacred, intimate moments of the Divine Couple (Yugal Sarkaar) in Nikunj. Indeed, She is the sum total of all Love energy, all Prem, all Hit.
Taking shelter of the auspicious lotus feet of the gentle, all merciful and compassionate Sri Hit Sajni Ju, one is easily able to melt all impurities and flow into one’s deepest inner core, one’s own center, that is ever free-flowing, unrestricted Divine Prem or Hit.
May Sri Hit Sajnu Ju always keep Her blessing hand on us and lead us to the lotus feet of our beloved ShyamaShyaam
That which is Hit Prem, which is Absolute Spiritual Love Energy, which is seated in Nikunj dimension as Sri Hit Sajni Ju is also present within the lotus hands of Sri Krishna as His Flute or Vanshi. Sri Krishna’s Flute or Vanshi is the sum total of all the Love energy or Prem of Sri ShyaamaShyaam.
This is why when Sri Krishna plays his Flute or Vanshi, the beej mantra or primordial vibration that flows out of It, immediately begins to attract the hearts of the sadhakas (spiritual aspirants), purifies them and makes them attain the highest states of consciousness.
During His Braj Lila on Planet Earth in Dwapar Yuga, when Sri Krishna played His Flute, He blew only His part of the Hit into the Vanshi attracting the hearts of only those jivas/souls that had kaant bhaav towards Him (conjugal mood of accepting Sri Krishna as Husband). But the Vanshi flowing in Nikunj dimension has the combined Hit/Prem Energy of both Sri Radha and Sri Krishna. This vibration has a sweeping effect on all souls! This Vanshi dhavani (sound/vibration of the Divine Flute), sweeps every single heart – young or old, male of female, human or animal, all alike! This is the sum total of all attraction that is there in countless Universes and more.
Due to a request made by Sri Lalita sakhi and other Sakhis during a Raas in Nijunj dimension, Sri Krishna, on request from Sri Radha handed this most auspicious, sacred Vanshi to Shree Ji and said that it is the Prem of Sri RadhaKrishna that will take human form and walk the earth to allow the eligible and yearning souls to experience this Divine Nectar (Ras) in the heat of Kaliyuga.
That which is Hit Prem, Absolute Love, that which is seated as Hit Sajni in the Nikunj dimension, that whish is present in the hands of Sri Krishna as His Divine Flute, the all pervading and all attracting force of Love/Prem, this same divine sacred energy, due to causeless mercy of Sri RadhaKrishna took human form as our beloved Aacharya Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu. Born in Baad Gram within the most spiritual and pure household of Sri Vyaas Mishra Ji and Sri Tara Rani Ji, Mahaprabhu Ji walked the earth at a time when the Earth was burning most. The heat of Kaliyuga was turning jivas adharmic and taking them away from the shelter of Sat (Truth). During this time, Mahaprabhu through His Vaani (teachings), reminded the suffering souls of the Hit Prem, the Highest State of Consciousness craved for even by Lord Brahma, MahaDev and even great devotees like Sri Narad.
During the same time, at the inspiration of Shree Ji, and to assist Sri Hit Sajni Ju in Her divine endeavor, Lalita Sakhi and Vishakha sakhi (two of the 8 close associates of Sri Radha) also incarnated as saints. Sri Lalita Sakhi incarnated as Sri Hari Das and Sri Vishakha Sakhi incarnated as Sri Hari Ram. Together these three (Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu, Sri Hari Das and Sri Hari Ram) are known as “Rasik Triveni”.
By explaining the 4 Divine Swaroops of Aacharya Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu, the Rasik saints of Vrindavan helped the common spiritual aspirant understand the path of Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu Harivansh path of worship (upasana) is the path of Prem or Love or Hit (Hitopasana) or Divine Primordial Nectar/ Ras (Rasopasana).
To summarize, Shri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu is the incarnation of Shri Krishna’s eternal Vanshi (बंशी) that descended to bestow the Sahchari Bhaav (सहचरी) or Sakhi Bhaav (सखीभाव) of PriyaPriyatam. Hit (हित) symbolizes “Pure Love” which is the foundation stone for the devotional service of RadhaVallabh Sampradaya.
HARIVANSH (हरिवंश) is further simplified to mean:
H(ह) for Hari,
R(र) symbolizes Radha Rani,
V(व) denotes Vrindavan and
S(श) stands for the Sahchari.
Sahchari is the embodiment of the desire of Shri PriyaPriyatam (प्रिया लाल की इच्छा शक्ति).