Manjari-bhava.

Wow…two single words…but what an upheaval these two simple words can create.

“Manjari-bhava? Aha. Sahajiya.”
“Manjari-bhava? Nope. You are not qualified.”
“Manjari-bhava? THAT is nowhere in any literature of the Goswamis of Vraja.”
“Manjari-bhava? Is that even bona-fide?”

Let us try to examine these two simple words and what they become if we put them together.

What is a manjari?

A mañjarī is one of Rādhā’s girlfriends, the sakhīs.

There are two kinds of madhurā rati (conjugal mellows) in Vraja:

1) sambhogecchātmikā (nāyikā bhāva, the mood of an amorous heroine) and

2) tad bhāvecchātmikā (sakhī-bhāva, the mood of an amorous accomplice).

In Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.299), Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī states: tad-bhāvecchātmikā tāsāṁ bhāva mādhurya kāmitā – “The devotional attitude of wanting to assist Śrī Rādhā and other yūtheśvarīs (gopī-groupleaders) in meeting Śrī Kṛṣṇa and enjoying amorous pastimes with Him and to relish the sweetness of these pastimes rather than to enjoy with Kṛṣṇa personally is called tad-bhāvecchātmikā or sakhī-bhāva.”

This attitude attracts the hero and heroine and awakens a causeless, completely sincere and unlimited love for the yūtheśvarī or nāyikā. Indeed, the heroine becomes dearer to such a devotee than his (her) own life-airs or even self!

There are primarily three divisions amongst Rādhā’s girlfriends. Some are equal in their affection for both Kṛṣṇa and his mistress, others lean toward Kṛṣṇa, while others are more sympathetic to Rādhā.

The sakhīs belonging to this last category are otherwise known as manjarīs. No matter how intense the feeling of friendship the manjarīs have for Rādhā, their special interest is to exclusively serve the Divine Couple. This is their life; it is as if their feelings of intimate friendship and servitude have merged. It is as though their friendship has become the manifestation of their service and their service identified with their friendship.
In his Stavāvalī, Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmin expresses this feeling of dedication to Rādhā’s service in the following famous prayer:

pādābjayos tava vinā vara-dāsyam eva
nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devi yāce |
sakhyāya te mama namo’stu namo’stu nityaṁ
dāsyāya te mama raso’stu raso’stu satyam || Vilāpa-kusumāñjalī 16.

“O Goddess! I pray for nothing from you at any time
other than single-minded service to your lotus feet.
If you should say, “Become my friend, my equal,”
then my answer is, “I offer eternal obeisances to such friendship.
I bow down to it, but in truth I pray
that my taste for being your hand-maid
should ever increase, yes, increase forever.
This is my prayer, and this is my vow.”

The above-mentioned general division of sakhī-bhāva has been further subdivided into five in the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi.

There it is said that Rādhārāṇī, queen of Vrindavan, has five kinds of sakhīs, known respectively as sakhī (friends), priya-sakhī (dear friends), parama-preṣṭha-sakhī (dearmost friends), prāṇa-sakhī (life-companions) and nitya-sakhī (constant companions). 

In this classification, sakhīs are those inclined primarily toward Kṛṣṇa; they include Dhaniṣṭhā and Vindhyā.

Priya-sakhīs and parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs are equal in their affections to both the lover and the beloved; Kuraṅgākṣī and Sumadhyamā belong to the former grouping, while Rādhā’s closest companions – Lalitā, Viśākhā, Campakalatā, Sucitrā, Indulekhā, Tuṅgavidyā, Raṅgadevī and Sudevī (often known as the eight friends, or aṣṭa-sakhī) belong to the latter. Their title of parama-preṣṭha-sakhī would indicate that they are the dearest of all to Rādhā.

The last two categories, which include the mañjarīs, are Rādhā-snehādhikā, i.e., they have stronger feelings of love for Rādhā than for Kṛṣṇa. Kastūrī and Maṇi Mañjarīs’ names are specifically mentioned in the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi as nitya-sakhīs, while Śaśimukhī, Vāsantī and Lāsikā are the names of some prāṇa-sakhīs.

The prāṇa-sakhīs and nitya-sakhīs are more affectionate toward Rādhā.

What is the meaning of the word bhava?

Bhava primarily means “emotion” or “sentiment”. There are material bhavas and there are spiritual bhavas.

In the realm of transcendental emotions, there are many such spiritual bhavas. There is a permanent emotion (sthayi-bhava) and there are a lot of passing/transitory emotions (sancari-bhavas).

There is the stage called “BHAVA-BHAKTI”, described in great detail by Srila Rupa Goswami in his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu.

So, the goal of a sadhaka is to attain the stage of bhava-bhakti and then finally, prema-bhakti..

Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu states:

tatra sādhana-bhaktiḥ— kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya-bhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā |
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā ||
|| 1.2.2 ||

“Action of the senses, which produces the stage of bhava, is called sadhana-bhakti. This attained state of bhava-bhakti (sadhyata) is an eternal sthayi-bhava which is not created, but simply manifests within the soul by the spiritual energy of the Lord.”

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains:

The emotions and actions of bhava are all eternal and spiritual and not material because their appearance in the future will be accomplished by the extraordinary actions of the most excellent transformations (samvit and hladini) of the Lord’s svarupa-sakti.

After the stage of bhava-bhakti, prema-bhakti is attained.

In raganuga-bhakti, emotions and feelings play a very important role. But these emotions, these “BHAVAS”, have nothing to do with the aforementioned material bhavas.

We need to convert our material emotions into spiritual emotions. Like in the material world we admire and “follow” our role models for the chosen material bhava, in the spiritual world we have to follow our chosen role models there.

We need to hear about those role models in the spiritual world and then we will feel the need to develop that same emotions of our spiritual role models.

tat tad bhavadi madhurye srute dhir yad apekshate |
natra sastram na yuktim ca tal lobhotpatti lakshanam ||
BRS. 1.2.292

“When one hears about the sweetness of their feelings and so forth, and a desire for attaining the same awakens in the consciousness without dependence on scripture and logic, this is a symptom of the awakening of greed (lobha).”

“If one thinks: ‘Let me attain such sweet feelings also’, after hearing about feelings such as the transcendental erotic feeling towards Kṛṣṇa of His associates (the gopīs) in Vraja, then one need not wait for favorable sanctions from the revealed scriptures or logical arguments.”
(Srila Vishvanatha Cakravartipada, Raga Vartma Chandrika)

The sādhaka should hear and recite books that express the glory of gopī-bhāva or rāgānugā-bhajana, such as Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s Prārthanā and Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda’s Stavamālā, Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda’s Stavāvalī and Śrīla Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Siddha Bābā’s Prārthanāmṛta-Taraṅgiṇī. In this way, he endeavors to create a saṁskāra (impression) of mañjarī-bhāva internally. 

kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam |
tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā ||BRS 1.2.294||

“Remembering the Vṛndāvana form of Kṛṣṇa and His dear associates who have inclinations for service similar to one’s own, absorbing oneself in hearing topics related to them, one should always live in Vraja.”

tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau – “being always engaged in hearing and chanting about Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.” Because Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the stories about him are identical in nature, Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself enters the heart of the sādhaka through his ears in the form of kṛṣṇa-kathā from the mouth of a sādhu-bhakta. Then he cleanses the sādhaka’s heart and mind by driving away impurities in the form of desires and inclinations.

This has been clearly described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17:

śṛṇvatāṁ svakathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ |
hṛdy-antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām ||

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is situated in the hearts of all, is the friend of the virtuous. He drives away all inauspiciousness from those who listen to his stories, which bestow merit upon anyone who hears or recites them.”

Without practicing limbs of bhajana such as hearing and chanting within the external sādhaka body, the sādhaka cannot attain perfection in either destroying māyā, becoming free from vices in his own bhajana or in his allegiance to the people of Vraja. With hearing and chanting is meant following as much as possible the 64 items of bhajana, starting with taking shelter of a guru, that Śrīmat Rūpa Gosvāmī has mentioned in his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu grantha.
(Srila Ananta das Babaji)

So, we need to attain a certain BHAVA (“the sweetness of their feelings and so forth, and a desire for attaining the same”.

Srila Rupa Goswami nicely advices us how to that:

sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi |
tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ
||BRS 1.2.295||

“Following after the inhabitants of Vraja, one should perform service in one’s physical body and in one’s siddha body, with a desire for a particular bhāva.”

tad-bhāva-lipsunā – WITH A DESIRE FOR A PARTICULAR BHAVA.

Whom to follow?

“One should follow after the dear devotees of Kṛṣṇa such as Rādhā, Lalitā, Viśākhā, Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī and those following after them—persons such as Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs (vraja-lokānuṣārataḥ).”
(tika Srila Vishvanatha Cakravartipada)

Mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā

Now that we know what a manjari is and what a spiritual bhava is, we know exactly what we can do.

We can follow the “dear devotees of Kṛṣṇa such as Rādhā, Lalitā, Viśākhā, Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī”. Clearly, it is fully legitimate to aspire to follow Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī and use her as our role model for developing manjari-bhava.

So to practice mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā is most certainly a fully authorized path in raganuga-bhakti.

Mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā means the spiritual practice in the mood of a maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

Their bodies consist of nothing but devotional service, and although they are in the class of sakhīs, they are mostly surrendered to (assisting in) the intimate nikuñja-pastimes of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava due to their fixation in a service attitude.

In rāgānugā bhajana, most Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas try to follow them.

śrī rūpa mañjarī āra,        śrī rati mañjarī sāra,
lavaṅga mañjarī mañjulālī.
śrī rasa mañjarī saṅge,        kasturikā ādi raṅge,
prema sevā kore kutūholī

    “Blissfully render loving devotional service with Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, Śrī Rati Mañjarī, Lavaṅga Mañjarī, Mañjulālī Mañjarī, Śrī Rasa Mañjarī, Kasturikā and others.”

e sabhāra anugā hoiyā,          prema sevā nibo cāiyā,
iṅgite bujhibo sab kāja.
rūpe guṇe ḍagamagi,          sadā hobo anurāgī,
vasati koribo sakhīra mājha

    “I will follow in their footsteps and render loving devotional service. Simply on their hints I will understand what is my duty. I will always be passionately absorbed in Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s forms and qualities while I reside amongst the sakhīs.”

vṛndāvane dui jana        caturdike sakhīgaṇa,
samaya bujhiyā rasa sukhe
sakhīra iṅgita hobe,        cāmara ḍhulā’bo kobe,
tāmbūla yogābo cāṅda mukhe.

    “When Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are enjoying in Vṛndāvana, surrounded by Their girlfriends, I will understand the time (for service) in rasika bliss. When will I get a hint from these girlfriends to wave a whisk-fan and place betel-leaves in Their moon-like faces?”

yugala caraṇa sevi,        nirantara ei bhāvi,
anurāgī rohibo sadāya
sādhane bhāvibo jāhā,        siddha dehe pābo tāhā,
rāga pathera ei se upāya

    “I constantly think of the service of Their lotus feet and I will always stay there in great devotional attachment. Whatever I think of during my spiritual practice, this I will attain in my spiritual body. These are the ways of the path of rāga.”
(Prema Bhakti Candrikā, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura) 

It all depends on the bhava we want to develop and then whom we want to follow.

No BHAVA is wrong. 

All is about RASA. And RASA-tattva is very very subjective, intimate and utterly personal.

If you fix your decision on “tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ”, that BHAVA is the best for you…

In the whole picture, it is not about who are the best or who are not…all aim to please the Divine Couple…and so do actually the manjaris too:

The object of the mañjarīs’ affection is the Holy Couple of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa together. Therefore, the perfection of the mañjarīs’ power of sight and the thirst of their eyes is to see that couple locked in embrace. The craving of their ears is to hear the Holy Couple’s sweet murmuring conversations and that is the fulfillment of their sense of hearing. The desire of their tongues is to relish the flavor of the condiments touched by the Holy Couple’s lips, and in that way their sense of taste attains perfection. Similarly, the sweet fragrance that arises at the Holy Couple’s loving pastimes raved for by their nostrils and its experience is the fulfillment of their sense of smell. The tactile sense finds plenitude in massaging the Holy Couple’s feet and bodies, and this is the only object of their sense of touch.

As long as we recognize the unique gift of Sriman Mahaprabhu (radha-dasyam) as being allowed to enter Srimati Radhika´s near and dearest friends…all is perfect.

David L. Haberman writes in “Acting as a way of salvation”:

It is true that mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā is not mentioned in the Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu or any other text written by Rupa Gosvamin.

It seems probable that Sri Rupa had more definite ideas in mind concerning the raganuga-bhakti-sadhana, but he did not express them in any text that survives. Instead, he created a skeletal system with a wide range of possible transformative roles for practitioners striving to participate in the Vraja-lila. Over the course of time, this skeletal frame was fleshed out through application and experimentation. The result was a particularizing of the wide range of optional roles into the mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā .

This sadhana seems to be the logical extension of the search for a role which allowed one intimate access to witness the love-play of Radha and Krishna. Moreover, it developed a new type of role that could be multiplied indefinitely, thus creating unlimited positions in the Vraja-lila for the numerous practitioners.

Niradprasad Nath, a Bengali scholar of Narottama Dasa Thakura, convincingly argues that this sadhana is hinted at in a very seminal form in the poetic prayers of Rupa Gosvamin’s Stavamala and Raghunatha Dasa’s Stavavali (which request the chance to serve Radha).

Actually, there is an ocean of mañjarī-bhāva in the prayers and poems of our acaryas. I will add many of those wonderful prayers at the end of this essay.

Haberman continues:

After Narottama’s time, it was firmly established and became the widely accepted for of the raganuga-bhakti-sadhana. If this is true, and evidence seems to support it, raganuga-bhakti-sadhana developed into the specific form of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā in that creative period of Gaudya Vasinavism in Vraja which followed the Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu in the mid-sixteenth century and lasted until the careers of Narottama Dasa and Srinivasa Acarya were over in the mid-seventeenth century.

This move toward a narrower and more structured interpretation of the sadhana was reinforced by Visvanatha Cakravartin at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Since this time, few changes have occurred in the orthodox understanding of the raganuga-bhakti-sadhana.

The first text that mentions the manjari form is the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, a Sanskrit text written by Paramananda Kavikarnapura, the son of an elderly disciple of Caitanya. This text was written in 1576 and provides a long list of the forms of the siddha-rupas of the more important figures in the developing movement. Significantly, the siddha-rupas of the six Gosvamins are mentioned as manjaris. ….
Fifty or sixty years after Kavikarnapura wrote the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, Dhyanacandra Gosvamin, a disciple of Gopalaguru Gosvamin, wrote a work called the Gaura-govindaracana-paddhati, in which he revealed the siddha-rupas of the Vrndavana leaders of the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement in the format of a yoga-pithambuja.

Shortly after this Sanskrit text was written, Narottama Dasa wrote a Bengali work entitled the Ragamala. In this text he also reveals the siddha-rupas of the Vrndavana Gosvamins. With occasional and slight variations, this is the list one finds on the yoga-pithas of the practitioners in Vraja today. The present form of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā was firmly established by Narottama Dasa.

These lists demonstrate that either the Vrndavana Gosvamins themselves, or those who followed closely after them, thought of their siddha-rupas as manjaris and thereby planted the seed for mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā .

During the creative period that followed the writing of the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, a transformation occurred in the religio-aesthetic system of raganuga-bhakti-sadhana concomitant with the development of Manjari Sadhana.

In Rupa’s system, Krishna is the sole vishaya (religio-aesthetic object) and Radha, though supreme among the asrayas and often portrayed as an unattainable ideal, is still herself considered an ashraya (religio-aesthetic vessel).

We note, however, that the vishaya of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā is not Krishna alone, but rather Krishna and Radha.

In the poetic prayers of Narottama Dasa, for example, we find numerous requests for the chance to serve not Krishna alone, nor even Radha alone, but Radha-Krishna together.

Thus we see an important innovation in the devotional theory, which no doubt place a great part in the development of the mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā :

Radha is raised from to position of a model bhakti or ashraya to the position of an appropriate object of devotion, a vishaya.”

 

Clearly we can conclude here, that to say mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā is not authorized or even not bona-fide is actually absurd. And like Haberman quotes above, “this mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā is hinted at in a very seminal form in the poetic prayers”.

I will now quote some of these most wonderful prayers and poems and I would dare to claim that mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā is MORE than “hinted at in seminal form” in these stunningly beautiful prayers.

Let us begin with Srila Raghunatha das Goswami, our prayojana-acarya:

tāmbūlārpaṇa-pāda-mardana-payo-dānābhisārādibhir
vṛndāraṇya-maheśvarīṁ priyatayā yās toṣayanti priyāḥ |
prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhī-kulād api kilāsaṅkocitā-bhūmikāḥ
kelī-bhūmiṣu rūpa-mañjarī-mukhās tā dāsikāḥ saṁśraye
(Vraja-Vilasa-Stava 38)

“I take shelter of Śrī Rādhikā’s maidservants, headed by Rūpa Mañjarī, who always engage in serving betel leaves, massaging the feet, serving water, and arranging for the Divine Couple’s secret trysts. These maidservants are even more dear to the great Queen of Vṛndāraṇya (Śrī Rādhikā) than the prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhīs (the girlfriends who are dearer to Her than life), and She is therefore not at all shy before them!”

pādābjayos tava vinā vara-dāsyam eva
nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devi yāce |
sakhyāya te mama namo’stu namo’stu nityaṁ
dāsyāya te mama raso’stu raso’stu satyam ||
(Vilāpa-kusumāñjalī 16)

“O Goddess! I shall never pray to You for anything else but the excellent service of Your lotus feet! I offer my constant obeisances to the idea of becoming Your friend, but I really relish the idea of becoming Your maidservant!”

prāṇebhyo’py adhikā priyā mura-ripor yā hanta yasyā api
svīya prāṇa parārddhato’pi dayitās tat pāda-reṇoḥ kaṇāḥ
dhanyāṁ tāṁ jagatī-traye parilasaj jaṅghāla kīrtiṁ hareḥ
preṣṭhā-varga śiro’gra bhūṣaṇa-maṇiṁ rādhāṁ kadāhaṁ bhaje
(Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s Utkaṇṭhā daśakam)

“When will I serve Śrī Rādhā, Who is dearer to Kṛṣṇa than His own life, Who considers a speck of Kṛṣṇa’s footdust millions of times more dear than Her own life,
Who is supremely fortunate, Whose fames shine in the three worlds, and Who is the crown jewel of all of Hari’s beloveds?”

In the following ten vers of his Utkaṇṭhā daśakam, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī strongly covets the worship of and the meeting with his most beloved Śrī Rādhārāṇī, hence this stotram is named utkaṇṭhā daśakam.

A strong hankering for something is called utkaṇṭhā. Just as it is a scientific fact that we get whatever we really hanker for, it is also a fact that we can not relish these things unless and until we become eager for it, even if we have already gotten it. For instance, a thirsty man who wanders through the sun-scorched desert with a parched throat considers a glass of cold, sweet water to be a great gift, but those who do not have any thirst to start with will also not feel the need to drink. Especially on the path of bhakti sādhana this thirst or eagerness is the very life-force of bhajana. In the attainment of the Lord’s grace all the endeavours of the sādhaka bhakta will become fulfilled, and this eagerness of the devotee will unleash the limitless grace of the Lord upon him. The great teachers say that just as a child is born through the meeting of man and wife, similarly the devotional service of and the direct meeting with the Lord are attained when love meets with this kind of eagerness.

The root cause of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s great longing for his beloved Śrī Rādhārānī’s personal devotional service is the wonderful attractiveness of Her sweet forms, qualities and pastimes. In all these verses he prays for Śrī Rādhārānī’s devotional service. His book Sri Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali is a huge ocean of manjari-bhava too. Each prayer there is dedicated to his beloved mistress, Radhika, and each prayer is considered a wonderful flower. Together all the verses make up a fantastic bouquet of flowers, offered at the lotus feet of Radhika.

Let us continue with Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda.

In his Śrī Vṛndāvana Mahimāmṛta (8th Śatakam) Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda has written about the sweet mood of the maidservants and how they are always present —

kṣaṇaṁ caraṇa vicchedācchrīśvaryāḥ prāṇa hāriṇīm;
padāravinda saṁlagna tayaivāhar-niśam sthitām
bahunā kiṁ sva kāntena krīḍantyāpi latā gṛhe;
paryaṅkādhiṣṭhāpitāṁ vā vastrair vācchāditāṁ kvacit
………………
rādhā padābja sevānya spṛhā kāla trayojjhitām
rādhā prīti sukhāmbhodhāv apāre buḍitāṁ sadā
rādhā padāmbujād anyat svapnānte’pi na jānatīm
rādhā sambandha saṁdhāvat prema sindhaugha mālinīm
seṣāśeṣa mahā vismāpaka kaiśora rūpiṇīm;
kṣaṇe kṣaṇe rasāsvāda prodañcat pulakāvalīm
sarvāṅga kānti saundarya apāraiḥ sarva mohinīm
rādhā karmākulatayā tatra tatra vicālinīṁ

“Since they will die if they are separated from the lotus feet of their Īśvarī Śrī Rādhārāṇī, the maidservants stay with Her lotus feet day and night. What more can I say? When Śrīmatī enjoys with Her lover in the vine cottage She will take the maidservant with Her onto the bed and sometimes even covers her with the sheets! The kinkari does not desire anything but the service of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet in all three phases of time — past, present, or future, and is always immersed in a boundless ocean of ecstatic love for Rādhā. Even in dreams she does not know anything else but the lotus feet of Rādhā. She is beautified by waves of the billowing ocean of prema for Śrī Rādhā, she has an adolescent female form that astonishes even the great gods and the entire universe, and she wears big goose-bumps due to relishing rasa on her body at every moment. Rādhā’s maidservants captivate everyone by the endless luster and beauty of their every limb and they always anxiously wander around here and there in Rādhā’s service.”

“In this way the kiṅkarīs are always with Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, enjoying their services when They meet, and in times of separation they relieve virahinī Rādhā from the pangs of separation by kṛṣṇa-kathā līlā raṅge, enjoying discussing topics of Kṛṣṇa. Then, when they view the pastimes of the Divine Pair, they keep these intimate pastimes marked on the canvases of their hearts with the pencils of prema, so that they can describe these blissful pastimes again to Śrīmatī at the time of separation. In this way they give shape to playful Śyāma in front of Śrīmatī. Also for this prasaṅga (conversational) form of devotional service the mañjarīs always stay with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Although they are always engaged in acts of service they are still known as intimate, joking girlfriends. They extend tasty jokes to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, to Śrī Rādhārāṇī and again to the Divine Pair both, to give them topmost happiness according to the time…” (51)

ananya śrī rādhā padakamala dāsyaika rasadhī
hareḥ saṅge raṅgam svapana samaye nā’pi dadhati
balāt kṛṣṇa kūrpāsakabhidi kim apy ācarati kā-
py udāśrur meveti pralapati mamātma ca hasati
(Srila Prabhodhananda Sarasvati, Vṛndāvana Mahimāmṛta 16.94)

“The maidservants, who are exclusively devoted to the service of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, which are like an ocean of nectar, do not enjoy with Śrī Hari even in their dreams. When Kṛṣṇa forcibly pulls at their bodices, they cry out: ‘No, no!’ while Rādhikā watches and laughs.”

PRE-EMINENCE OF RADHIKA

Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi 142
(Śrī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī)

RĀDHĀ NĀMA SUDHĀ-RASAṀ RASAYITUṀ JIHVĀS TU ME VIHVALĀ
PĀDAU TAT PADAKAṄKITĀSU CARATĀṀ VṚNDĀṬAVĪ VĪTHIṢU’
TAT KARMAIVA KARAḤ KAROTU HṚDAYAṀ TASYĀḤ PADAṀ DHYĀYATĀT
TAD BHĀVOTSAVATAḤ PARAṀ BHAVATU ME TAT PRĀṆANĀTHE RATIḤ

“May my tongue become overwhelmed by relishing the nectarean flavour of Rādhā’s holy name, may my feet walk over Vṛndāvana’s pathways that are marked with Her footprints, may my hands be engaged only in Her menial service, may my heart meditate on Her lotus-feet, and may I develop love for the Lord of Her life (Kṛṣṇa) through Her festival of emotions.”

Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi 259
(Śrī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī)

DHYĀYAṀS TAṀ ŚIKHI PIÑCHA MAULIM ANIŚAṀ TAN NĀMA SAṄKĪRTAYAN
NITYAṀ TAC CARAṆĀMBUJAṀ PARICARAṀS TAN MANTRA VARYAṀ JAPAN
ŚRĪ RĀDHĀ PADA DĀSYAM EVA PARAMĀBHĪṢṬAṀ HṚDĀ DHĀRAYAN
KARHI SYĀṀ TAD ANUGRAHEṆA PARAMODBHUTĀNURĀGOTSAVAḤ

“I always meditate on Kṛṣṇa, who wears a crown of peacock-feathers, I always sing His name in saṅkīrtana, I always serve His lotus-feet (the deity) and repeat His best of mantras, holding the desire for the supremely cherished service of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-feet in my heart. When will that great festival of divine love arise in my heart by His grace?”

Srila Rupa Goswami glorifies the maidservanthood too:

PRAṆIPATYA BHAVANTAM ARTHAYE
PAŚUPĀLENDRA KUMĀRA KĀKUBHIḤ
VRAJA YAUVATA MAULI MĀLIKĀ
KARUṆĀ PĀTRAM IMAM JANAṀ KURU

“O Prince of the cow herders (Kṛṣṇa)! I offer my obeisances unto You and I pitifully pray to You: Please make me the object of mercy of the crown garland of young girls of Vraja (Śrī Rādhikā)!”

BHAVATĪM ABHIVĀDYA CĀṬUBHIR
VARAM ŪRJEŚVARI VARYAM ARTHAYE
BHAVADĪYATAYĀ KṚPĀṀ YATHĀ
MAYI KURYĀD ADHIKĀṀ BAKĀNTAKAḤ

“O Ūrjeśvari (Rādhikā, the goddess of the Kārtika-month)! I pitifully pray to You for this benediction: May Bakāntaka (Kṛṣṇa, the killer of Bakāsura), be more kind to me, knowing me to be Yours!
(Utkalika Vallari 19 -20)”

karuṇāṁ muhur arthaye paraṁ tava vṛndāvana-cakravartini |
api keśi-ripor mayā bhavet sa cāṭu-prārthanā-bhājanaṁ janaḥ ||
(Rūpa Gosvāmin, Stava-mālā, Cāṭu-puṣpāṣjalī, 23)

“O Queen of Vṛndāvana! I pray always  for your mercy, again and again.
By your mercy, even the killer of Keśin will come and appeal to me in flattering words to get help from me to meet you.”

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī glorifies the beauty of the mañjarīs as follows in his ‘Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta’ (3.2):

tā vidyud udyuti jayi prapadaika rekhā
vaidagdhya eva kila mūrtibhūtas tathāpi
yūtheśvarītvam api samyag arocayitvā
dāsyāmṛtābdhim anusasnur ajasram asyāḥ

“Each line on these mañjarīs’ toes defeats the bright splendour of the lightning. They are cleverness personified and although they are qualified to be yūtheśvarīs (gopī-groupleaders) they have no taste for this at all. They are always immersed in the nectarocean of Śrī Rādhikā’s service.”

nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai
ya yalibhir yuktir apekshaniya
tatrati-dakshyad ati-vallabhasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

The spiritual master is very dear, because he is expert in assisting the gopis, who at different times make different tasteful arrangements for the perfection of Radha and Krsna’s conjugal loving affairs within the groves of Vrndavana. I offer my most humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

Srila Narottama das Thakur:

sama snehā viṣama snehā, nā koriho dui lehā
kohi mātra adhika snehā-gaṇa
nirantara thāke saṅge, kṛṣṇa kathā līlā raṅge
narma sakhī ei sab jana (51)

“Equal affection for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa or more affection for Kṛṣṇa than for Śrī Rādhā – do not become attached to that. I will just speak about preference for Śrī Rādhā! They are always in Her company, blissfully telling Her about Kṛṣṇa. They are all called narma sakhīs.”

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur:

dekhite dekhite, bhulibo ba kabe,
nija-sthula-paricoya
nayane heribo, braja-pura-sobha,
nitya cid-ananda-moya
brsabhanu-pure, janama loibo,
jabate bibaha ha’be
braja-gopi-bhava, hoibe swabhava,
ano-bhava na rohibe
nija-siddha-deho, nija-siddha-nama
nija-rupa-sva-basana
radha-krpa-bale, lobhibo ba kabe
krishna-prema-prakarana
jamuna-salila aharane giya,
bujhibo jugala-rasa
prema-mugdha ho’ye, pagalini-praya
gaibo radhara jasa

“When, in a flash, will I forget my false bodily indentity and be able to behold the exquisite beauty of the realm of Vraja, full of eternal spiritual bliss?
I shall take my birth in the town of King Vrsabhanu and be married in Yavatagram. My sole disposition and character shall be that of a cowherd girl, and I shall know no other.
When, by the power of Radha’s mercy, will I obtain my own eternal spiritual body, name, form and dress and when, by Her mercy, will I obtain initiation into divine love of Krishna?
As I go to draw water from the Yamuna, I shall cherish knowing the love that unites Radha with Krishna. I shall sing Shri Radha’s glories like a madwoman, enchanted by divine love.”

brsabhanu-suta-carana-sebane
hoibo je palya-dasi
shri-radhara sukha, satata sadhane,
rohibo ami prayasi
shri-radhara sukhe, krsnera je sukha
janibo manete ami
radha-pada chari’, shri-krishna-sangame,
kabhu na hoibo kani
sakhi-gana mama, parama-suhrit,
jugala-premera guru
tad-anuga ho’ye, sevibo radhara,
carana-kalapa-taru
radha-pakha chari, je-jana se-jana,
je bhave se bhave thake
ami to’radhika- pakha-pati sadha,
kabhu nahi heri ta’ke

“For serving the lotus feet of Shri Radha, the daughter of Vrsabhanu, I will become a maidservant of one of the gopis in Vraja. I will always strive to bring about the happiness of Shri Radha.
Within my heart I will know that Radha’s pleasure is Krishna’s source of Joy. Therefore I will never desire to abandon Her lotus feet for His solitary company.
The sakhis are my best friends and teachers concerning the love uniting Radha with Krishna. As one of their attendants, I will serve Radha’s lotus feet, which are like wish-fulfilling desire trees.
I myself am always partial to Radhika and therefore never look at those who have abandoned Radha’s entourage, whoever they may be and whatever their ways.”

 

We can clearly see that to attain manjari-bhava is certainly absolutely in perfect harmony with our acaryas.

So, we can call it radha-snehadhika, manjari-bhava or radha-dasyam…this bhava is certainly there in the writings of the acaryas…

But it all starts to fall apart when monopolies and “exclusive”rights” are hammered down…and one group has it “right” and the other has it “wrong”…

sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi |
tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ ||
(BRS 1.2.295)

“Following after the inhabitants of Vraja, one should perform service in one’s physical body and in one’s siddha body, with a desire for a particular bhāva.”

Srila Rupa Goswami very openly writes this. I love it.
Not: “…with a desire for a particular bhāva and a desire to forced-feed that bhava down the throat of everyone.”

I am sick and tired of arguing on who is superior or better or worse…

With this essay I just wanted to show that mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā is a valid path of raganuga-bhakti without discrediting all other paths.

We all want to go to Goloka Vrindavana to enhance the pastimes of Sri Sri Yugal Kishor.
THERE is no fight for rasa-dominion in the spiritual word. The Divine Couple is in the center, not our own bhava.

Let us all support each other in our chosen bhava and share the nectar of Vraja-lila.