As an authentic teacher of the bhajana-mārga introduced by Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has established kṛṣṇa-bhakti, kṛṣṇa-prema-tattva, bhakta-tattva and Vaiṣṇava behavior by his own example and by the publishing of many books. He installed and began the service of the vigrahas of Śrī Govinda and Śrī Dāmodara. He roamed all about the Vraja area recovering the lost holy places and served as an ideal example of vairāgya (renunciation) by eating only dry ruṭis and chickpeas, and wearing only torn cloth upon his body. In this way, he has established the most cherished object of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s heart within the world.
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has said, so’yaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti svapadāntikam. “When will Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda give me a place at his lotus feet?” In his commentary on this verse, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has written: sa svayaṁ rūpaḥ svapadāntikaṁ nija-caraṇa-nikaṭaṁ kadā bhāgyavaśena mahyaṁ dadāti. śrī-rūpasya kṛpayā nijānucaratvena tat-sevana-karma karavānīti bhāvaḥ. “When, by my good fortune, will Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda give me a place at his lotus feet? When, by the merciful order of Śrī Rūpa, shall I be engaged as his attendant in the prema-sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa?”
In vraja-līlā Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda is Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, the leader of all the other mañjarīs. She has incarnated as the beloved companion of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, and by introducing within this world his most confidential and mystical mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā, she has blessed everyone with the prema-sevā of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava within the hidden forest bowers of Vraja. Therefore, the rāga-mārga-sādhaka eager to obtain the prema-sevā of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in mañjarī-bhāva meditates upon doing sevā in allegiance to Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana and the other Gosvāmīs in his sādhaka-deha, and in his internally conceived siddha-deha, he serves as an assistant of the mañjarīs headed by Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. At the time of siddhi (devotional maturity), he will also always remain with them, and by their order, be blessed with the prema-sevā of his beloved Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In his song Prārthanā, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has brightly illuminated this subject:
শ্রীরূপের কৃপা যেন আমা প্রতি হয । সে পদ আশ্রয যাঁর সেই মহাশয ॥
প্রভু লোকনাথ কবে সঙ্গে লঞা যাবে । শ্রীরূপের পাদপদ্মে মোরে সমর্পিবে ॥
এই নব-দাসী বলি শ্রীরূপ চাহিবে । হেন শুভক্ষণ মোর কতদিনে হবে ॥
শীঘ্র আজ্ঞা করিবেন দাসী হেথা আয । সেবার সুসজ্জা কার্য করহ ত্বরায ॥
আনন্দিত হঞা হিযা তাঁর আজ্ঞা বলে । পবিত্র মনেতে কার্য করিব তৎকালে ॥
সেবার সামগ্রী রত্নথালাতে করিযা । সুবাসিত বারি স্বর্ণ-ঝারিতে পূরিযা ॥
দোঁহার সম্মুখে লযে দিব শীঘ্র গতি । নরোত্তমের দশা কি হৈবে এমতি? ॥
শ্রীরূপপশ্চাতে আমি রহিব ভীত হঞা । দোঁহে পুন কহিবেন আমা পানে চাঞা ॥
সদয হৃদয দোঁহে কহিবেন হাসি । কোথায পাইলে রূপ এই নব দাসী ॥
শ্রীরূপমঞ্জরী তবে দোঁহ-বাক্য শুনি । মঞ্জুলালী দিল মোরে এই দাসী আনি ॥
অতি নম্রচিত্ত আমি ইহারে জানিল । সেবাকার্য দিযা তবে হেথায রাখিল ॥
এই তত্ত্ব দোঁহাকার সাক্ষাতে কহিযা । নরোত্তমে সেবায দিবে নিযুক্ত করিযা ॥
“I pray for the mercy of the great soul Śrī Rūpa to obtain shelter at his feet! When shall my master Śrī Lokanātha (as Mañjulālī Mañjarī) deliver me at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa, saying, ‘This is a new dāsī’? When shall that auspicious day arrive when Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī casts her merciful glance and promptly calls, ‘Dāsī, come here. Quickly prepare all the ingredients for Yugala-Kiśora’s sevā.’ By the strength of her order, I shall at that time perform my duty with a pure and joyful heart. I shall place all the ingredients for sevā upon a jeweled platter, fill a golden pitcher with scented water and quickly bring them before Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. When shall Narottama find himself in such a condition? I shall remain timidly behind Śrī Rūpa, but when they see me, both will smile tenderly and say, ‘Rūpa, where did you get the new dāsī?’ Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī will reply, ‘Mañjulālī brought her to me. She’s very humble, so I taught her how to perform sevā and kept her here.’ After saying this in the presence of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, she will then engage me in their sevā.”
The reason Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya was able to get this loving sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava was that he had a strong desire to be near the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa. This is the most cherished object of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava community. In the beginning of this book, it has been determined that this shall be the subject matter discussed and that through Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda the people of this world may become happy. May everyone be blessed with this experience. This profound benediction completes the maṅgalācaraṇa.
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