Nara-Narayan: What is the proper relationship of the devotee to Rādhā, Rādhikā?
Prabhupāda: Rādhārāṇī is daivī-māyā. Just like we are, in our material conditional life, we are under the material energy. Similarly, in our liberated state we have to become under the spiritual energy. That spiritual energy is Rādhārāṇī. We are acting at the present moment under material energy, because our body is made of material energy. So when you are liberated you will develop your body of spiritual energy. That spiritual energy is Rādhārāṇī.
So you have to become under some . . . under the control of some energy. You are also energy; you are marginal energy. Marginal energy means you may be under the control of the spiritual energy or you may be under the control of material energy—your marginal position. But when you are under the control of the material energy, that is your precarious condition, struggle for existence.
And when you are under spiritual energy, that is your life of freedom. Rādhārāṇī is spiritual energy, and Durgā, or Kālī, is material energy. So those who are materialist, they worship Durgā, Kālī, the material, different forms of material energy.
And, so in both the cases . . . there is a word in Sanskrit, it is called śakta, śakta. Śakta, the word comes from śakti. Śakti means energy. So there is a division, that those who are worshiper of the Supreme as mother—just like the worshiper of Goddess Kālī—that means those who are accepting the Absolute as mother, they are called śakta. The śakta . . .
The Vaiṣṇava, they are also śakta, because they are also accepting another pure energy, personal energy, or internal energy of Kṛṣṇa. That is also śakti. And the materialist also, they are also accepting another energy. The one energy, spiritual energy, is in our normal condition, and material energy in . . . is our abnormal condition.
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness practice means you have to transfer yourself from this material energy to the . . . under the control . . . from the control of material energy, under the control of spiritual energy. That's all. That spiritual energy is Rādhārāṇī. You have to become under the control.
That, I'll give you one concrete example. Just like a person is always under the control of government as citizen. When he is outlaw, he is under the criminal law, and who is law-abiding, he is under civil law. He cannot say that, "I cannot remain within the law of the government." He has to. That is his position. Artificially he may deny, but he will be forced.
Similarly, our position is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. And as part and parcel we have to render service. If we voluntarily render service, out of love, that is spiritual energy. And we are forced to render service under pressure, that is material energy. In the material energy we are forced. Who wants to become . . . Suppose you are American. If somebody says, "Would you like to become a dog next life?" Would you like? Anybody would like? What do you think? (laughter) (laughs) But according to his work, he will be forced to accept.