Discussions after discussions…the highest, the best,…bona fide, un-bona fide, etc…

It seems to be an endless lila in this material world..

In regards to the highest sweetness:

Right now the talk of the days is “kanta-bhava versus manjari-bhava”.
“Kanta bhava” now seems to be the topmost secret of madhurya rasa and only a few can realize this truth.

In fact someone commented that manjari bhava sadhana is only for “child-like” beginners [and mostly for men who fight with the problem of identifying with a female spiritual body in order to “enjoy” with Krishna] and kanta bhava sadhana is for the adult-like experts who reached “puberty” to fully “enjoy” with Krishna.
This person really claims that our purva acaryas only taught manjari bhava in order to “uplift” the struggling neophytes to the mature-like kanta bhava [of course, our purva acaryas being MANJARIS themselves, duuuuuh].
Such statements are wildly far away from any shastric reference and actually too crazy to comment on…but I thought it is important to show how freaky the views on manjari bhava really are.

Kanta-bhava [nayika bhava] means love for Krishna and direct union with Him as a lover.
Manjari-bhava means love for Krishna, but more love for Radhika and all efforts are done to bring the Divine Couple together [no direct union].

The manjaris never even dream of direct union.

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.

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.”

So, of course the desire for a relationship with Krishna in direct amorous union [nayika bhava] is fully legitimate, but certainly not the essence of what our purva acaryas taught us.

ALL of our purva acaryas focused on manjari bhava sadhana and books like Sri Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali, Sri Sri Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi, Sri Sri Sankalpa Kalpadruma, Sri Sri Utkalika Vallari or Sri Sri Prema Bhakti Chandrika clearly put strong emphasis on manjari bhava, some of them consisting of PUREST manjari bhava.

Manjari bhāva sādhanā, the spiritual practice in the mood of a maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, is the unique gift of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to the fallen souls of this age of Kali (quarrel), and it has been preached and spread particularly by His dearest associates Śrī-Śrī Rūpa and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

[Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī has written in his Vraja Vilāsa Stava (38):

tāmbūlārpaṅa 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

“I take shelter of Śrī Rādhikā’s maidservants, headed by Rūpa Mañjarī, that 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 that 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 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.”

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 foot dust millions of times dearer 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?”

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) ]

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!

Śrī Rādhā has five kinds of girlfriends:

asyāḥ vṛndāvaneśvaryāḥ sakhya pañca-vidhāḥ matāḥ
sakhyaśca nitya sakhyaś ca prāṇa-sakhyaś ca kāścana
priya-sakhyaś ca parama preṣṭha sakhyaś ca viśrutāḥ
(Ujjvala Nīlamaṇi)

“Sakhīs are for instance Dhaniṣṭhā and Vindhyā, who are kṛṣṇa-snehādhikā (they love Kṛṣṇa more than Rādhā). priya-sakhīs and parama preṣṭha-sakhīs are Kuraṅgākṣī and the eight chief sakhīs, such as Lalitā and Viśākhā. They are sama snehā (having equal love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa), and the prāṇa-sakhīs and nitya-sakhīs are Kasturī, Maṇi Mañjarī and others, who are rādhā snehādhikā (they love Rādhā more than Kṛṣṇa). They are called mañjarīs.”

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.

The sweet, relishable rāgānugā bhajana of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas consists of allegiance to them.

[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.”]

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 practise, this I will attain in my spiritual body. These are the ways of the path of rāga.”
(Prema Bhakti Candrikā, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura)

After taking shelter of the lotus-feet of Śrī Guru, traditional Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava-practitioners get acquainted with their own mañjari – or siddha-body in the process called Śrī Guru-siddha pranali.

The practitioner must identify himself with this spiritual body and meditate on it –

bāhye antara ihāra dui to sādhana;
bāhya – sādhaka dehe kore śravaṇa kīrtana
mane – nija siddha deha koriyā bhāvana;
rātri-dina kore vraje kṛṣṇera sevana
(C.C.)

“There are two kinds of sādhana (devotional practise) – external and internal. Externally, within the sādhaka deha (gross physical body) one practices hearing and chanting the glories of Kṛṣṇa and internally, that is mentally, one meditates on one’s own siddha deha (spiritual body) in which one serves Kṛṣṇa in Vraja day and night.”

In the rāgānugā- practice of the most intimate feelings of the mañjarī there are two flawless ways of attaining the loving service of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

One is external, which means that in one’s material body of a devotional practitioner one hears, chants, worships the deity and offers prayers and so, in a way that is not unfavorable to one’s own devotional feelings.

The other type of practice is internal – one establishes one’s self-esteem in the spiritual body which is given by Śrī Guru and with it mentally meditates on its loving service in the time-framework of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s eternal eight-fold transcendental daily pastimes.

The main internal practice of the practitioner is, according to his qualification, to mentally serve Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with Their girlfriends and to remember Their forms, attributes and pastimes alongside. While the practitioner remembers the forms, attributes and pastimes of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and thus relishes

Their sweetness within this internal practice of recollection, he should take special care that this does not become a mechanical, duty-bound practice – he should take care that there is a gradual increase of eagerness for the attainment of the direct service of the Lord upon Whom he meditates.

A practitioner who has attained the stage of rati will spontaneously perceive his spiritual body within himself, while the practitioner who did not attain rati yet will intently perform mental service within his mentally conceived spiritual body.

As the dirt of lusty, material desire is removed from the practitioner’s heart through this external practice of hearing, chanting etc., accordingly he perceives his spiritual body either indistinctly, somewhat clearly or very clearly and accomplishes the beauty of his mental service. The careful practitioner gives up his identification with his mortal mundane body and its belongings and relationships and endeavors to firmly identify himself with his spiritual form. Such encouragements can be found also in the scriptures that were composed by the ancient seers –

ātmānaṁ cintayet tatra tāsāṁ madhye manoramāṁ
rūpa yauvana sampannāṁ kiśorīṁ pramadākṛtiṁ
sakhīnāṁ saṅginī rūpām ātmānaṁ vāsanāmayīm
ājñā sevāparāṁ tadvat ratnālaṅkāra bhūṣitām
(Sanat Kumāra Saṁhitā)

“An aspirant should think himself to be amongst them (the other gopīs), as an enchanting beautiful young adolescent female. As a female associate of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s girlfriends like Lalitā and Viśākhā, she is dedicated to the services that are ordered to her and she is decorated with jeweled ornaments (that are given to her by Śrī Rādhā as remnants).”

The purport of the word cintayet here is that one should see oneself with the form and the feelings of an eternally perfect girlfriend and really experience that. In other words, one should nourish a firm esteem of “this body with this shape and this feeling – that is me.”

This is the endeavor of the practitioner, but actually the spiritual body awakens spontaneously within the heart of such a practitioner who has a service attitude, by the grace of the Lord.

yad yad dhiyā ta urugāya vibhāvayanti tat tad vapuḥ praṇayase sad anugrahāya
(Bhag. 3.9.11)

Lord Brahmā told the Supreme Lord: “O Lord! You are very kind upon the devotees who are eager to serve You. Whatever body they meditate upon, which is favorable for their service and which they desire, He bestows upon them, so that He can accept their eternal service.”

When the practise reaches perfection the practitioner, with the aid of Yogamāyā (the divine illusion that assists the Lord in His pastimes), is blessed with attaining his desired ḷoving service of the Divine Youthful Pair Themselves in his spiritual body within the realm of Their pastimes.

Based on the introduction to Sri Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali by Sri Srimat Ananta das Babaji