Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 58 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

सखीनां सङ्गिनीरूपामात्मानं वासनामयीम् ।

आज्ञासेवापरां तत्तद्रूपालङ्कार-भूषिताम् ॥ ५८ ॥

sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām ātmānaṁ vāsanā-mayīm |

ājñā-sevā-parāṁ tat-tad-rūpālaṅkāra-bhūṣitām || 58 ||

टीका–सखीनां श्रीललिता-श्रीरूपमञ्जर्यादीनां सङ्गिनीरूपाम् आत्मानं ध्यायेदिति शेषः । किम्भूताम्? आज्ञासेवापराम् आज्ञया तासामनुमत्या सेवापरां श्रीराधामाधवयोरिति शेषः । पुनः किम्भूताम्? तत्तद्रूपालङ्कारभूषितां सुप्रसिद्ध-श्रीकृष्णमनोहररूपेण श्रीराधिका-निर्माल्यालङ्कारेण भूषिताम्; निर्माल्यमाल्य-वसनाभरणास्तु दास्य इत्युक्तेः । पुनः किम्भूताम्? वासनामयीं चिन्तामयीम् ईक्षेत चिन्तामयमेतमीश्वरमित्यादिवत् ॥

     The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhaka shall contemplate himself as being an adolescent female companion of the sakhīs. She is devoted to serving Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava according to the sakhīs’ orders and is adorned with the flowers, garments and ornaments worn by Śrī Rādhikā.

Contemplating the Siddha-Deha

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya previously established the essential doctrines of the mañjarī-svarūpa and mañjarī-bhāva. As primary evidence of that he quotes one verse from the Śrī-Sanat-Kumāra-Saṁhitā tantra and one verse from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda’s book Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ. He first gives evidence from Śrī-Sanat-Kumāra-Saṁhitā: sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām ātmānaṁ vāsanā-mayīm, ājñā-sevā-parāṁ tat-tad-rūpālaṅkāra-bhūṣitām. “A rāgānugīya-sādhaka shall contemplate his own desired body as being in the form of an adolescent female companion of the sakhīs headed by Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā and Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. She is devoted to serving Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava according to the sakhīs’ orders and is adorned with the flowers, garments and ornaments worn by Śrī Rādhikā.” Besides meditating on Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and the other sakhīs, following the siddha-praṇālī of his guru-paramparā the sādhaka also contemplates his own guru-mañjarī as a priya-narma-sakhī devoted to the loving service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. He contemplates himself as a kiṅkarī (maidservant) devoted to the order of his guru-mañjarī. In allegiance to Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and so on, and by the order of śrī-guru-mañjarī, he contemplates his own loving service to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. Corresponding evidence of this is also found in Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s words in verse thirty of his poem Prārthanā: guru-rūpā-sakhī-bāme, tribhaṅga-bhaṅgima-ṭhāme, cāmarera bātāsa kariba ity ādi. “With my body curved in three places, I shall stand to the left of my guru-rūpā-sakhī and cool the Divine Couple with a yak-tail fan.” The person who initiates his student in śrī-kṛṣṇa-mantra and teaches him how to perform rāgānugīya-bhajana is also the student’s guru-rūpā-sakhī in vraja-līlā. Even so, in the sādhaka-deha, the student must think of Śrī Gurudeva as the direct embodiment of Śrī Bhagavān’s kindness. Externally, the sādhaka should never approach Śrī Guru in an informal or familiar way because that would be against the words of the sādhus and śāstras.

     Before the sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām verse in the Śrī-Sanat-Kumāra-Saṁhitā we find this verse: ātmānaṁ cintayet tatra tāsāṁ madhye manoramām, rūpa-yauvana-sampannāṁ kiśorīṁ pramadākṛtim. “The sādhaka shall meditate upon himself as a beautiful and charming adolescent girl living among Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s gopī lovers and their sakhīs.” In this verse, the word cintayet should be understood to mean that the sādhaka shall perceive himself as possessing a nature, form and so on similar to the nitya-siddha-sakhīs (according to the particulars of his ekādaśa-bhāva given by Śrī Gurudeva in the siddha-praṇālī). In this way, he maintains the firm self-concept that, “I am that body possessed of a certain nature and form.” If able to establish a firm self-concept in that svarūpa, the sādhaka is said to be very near to success (siddhi). Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has established this siddhānta by saying, astu tāvad bhajana-prayāsaḥ kevala tādṛśatvābhimānenāpi siddhir bhavatīti. “Not to speak of success by endeavoring in bhajana, one can attain siddhi simply by thinking of oneself as that svarūpa.”

     The rāgānugā-bhajana of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is an extraordinarily powerful spiritual psychology. Psychologists say that among the many powers that people are known to have, the power of thought that appears spontaneously in the brain is the greatest. In this world, objects rise and fall, are created and destroyed, introduced and rendered extinct. By research we can understand that at the root of them all, individually or collectively, sits the golden throne of thought. This is the fundamental reason for the customary honor given to the power of thought. The nature or characteristic of this power is that it is independent; for this reason, it is not confined to any fixed place. Its unrestricted movement extends to all places on earth and in the heavens. The fruit of this power is everlasting. Even after death, this power remains with one from whose brain it has expanded. When a pot is broken, the air within is not destroyed but rather mingles with the greater atmosphere. In the same way, the fruit of this mahāśakti is not destroyed when the human body dies. After that also, this creative power continues to govern the soul’s next human mind, just as the book of a powerful writer or the music of a powerful composer continues to increase the joy of their audience, offering them a bouquet of mental delight, even though no one speaks of the artist’s life or death. If worldly psychology has such power, then it is beyond the range of the human intellect to understand just how powerful thought can be with the help of a spiritual psychology or the sādhaka’s single-minded, transcendental devotion to Śrī Bhagavān. In fact, if the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhaka is intently engaged in meditating upon the sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava while contemplating his own siddha-deha, considering that siddha-deha to be his true, natural form, he will with the help of the compatible, mercy-laden thoughts of the past sages very quickly become absorbed in bhāva and be brought to the kingdom of siddhi (success). Of this there is no doubt. In this we find the highest expression of spiritual psychology as well as the highest manifestation of Bhagavān’s mahāmādhurya-rasa in the heart of the sādhaka. Regarding meditation on the siddha-deha, the sādhaka should particularly understand that the primary way to prepare his heart and mind for being saturated with gopī-bhāva is to practice rāgānugā-sādhana in the mood of a gopī. Therefore, if one thinks of himself as having only the form of a gopikā, his contemplation of his siddha-deha will not go smoothly. His meditation will progress nicely if he contemplates his gopikā form as being steeped in gopī-bhāva. We have been instructed in how to meditate on Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s līlās in the mood of a gopī: ataeba gopī-bhāba kari aṅgīkāra, rātri-dina cinte rādhā-kṛṣṇera bihāra; siddha-deha-cinti kare tāṅhāi sebana, gopī-bhābe pāya rādhā-kṛṣṇera caraṇa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.228-229). “Therefore, accept the mood of a gopī and think of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes day and night. If you perform sevā in gopī-bhāva while contemplating your own siddha-deha, you will attain the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.” Absorbed in mañjarī-bhāva, the highest state of gopī-bhāva, the sādhaka who longs for prema-sevā must always meditate upon herself as a female companion of Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and so on. In obedience to their orders, she serves as a maidservant devoted to the sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. She decorates herself with the ornaments, clothing and so on previously worn by Śrī Rādhā. Her heart and mind are formed by her desire for the prema-sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and her body is made from the nectar of yugala-sevā.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 57 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

নরোত্তম দাসে কয়,        এই যেন মোর হয়,

ব্রজপুরে অনুরাগে বাস ।

সখীগণ-গণনাতে,        আমারে লিখিবে তাতে,

তবহি পূরব অভিলাষ ॥ ৫৭ ॥

narottama dāse kaya,        ei yena mora haya,

braja-pure anurāge bāsa |

sakhī-gaṇa-gaṇanāte,        āmāre likhibe tāte,

tabahi pūraba abhilāṣa || 57 ||

     Narottama Dāsa says, “Let me live in the land of Vraja with great love. I will be counted as one of the sakhīs and all my desires will be fulfilled.”

Living in Vraja with Devotion

  Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya expresses his desire to live in Vraja with loving devotion (anurāga) and to be included among the group of sakhīs. It can be understood here that he is praying to live such a life in both his sādhaka and siddha bodies. We shall first discuss living in Vraja with anurāga in the sādhaka body. The word anurāga here is not the anurāga that is included in one’s sthāyibhāva because that cannot be produced in the sādhaka body. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is expressing his desire to reside in Vraja in his sādhaka body with love, devotion and respect. Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has advised the rāgānugīya-sādhakas to live continuously in Vraja: kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā (Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.294). Even so, he has instructed those who are unable to live in Vraja physically to maintain the determination to live in Vraja mentally. The reason for this is that by the inconceivable power of Vrajadhāma, residence in Vraja will cause bhāva to quickly appear in the heart of an offenseless sādhaka. durūhādbhuta-vīrye’smin śraddhā dūre’stu pañcake, yatra svalpo’pi sambandhaḥ sad-dhiyāṁ bhāva-janmane (Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.238). “Associating with devotees, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, serving the Deity form, congregational chanting of the holy names and living in Vraja: each of these five sādhanas is so inconceivably, astonishingly powerful that even without the presence of faith, only a slight connection with them causes bhāva to quickly appear in the heart of an offenseless sādhaka.” One may ask, “Only after the sādhaka has passed through the several stages from śraddhā up to āsakti by means of suitable sādhana-bhajana is he able to arrive in the kingdom of bhāva. How can bhāva be produced by such little contact with those five sādhanas?” He replies, alaukika-padārthānām acintyā śaktir īdṛśī, bhāvaṁ tad-viṣayaṁ cāpi yā sahaiva prakāśayet (Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.244). “These five transcendental practices have such inconceivable power that by only a slight connection with them, both bhāva and the object of bhāva are revealed at the same time.” But the sādhaka must live in Vraja with anurāga, meaning with love, devotion and respect. Otherwise, if offenses are committed there, Śrī Dhāma is displeased and the sādhaka will incur much delay in attaining his goal. Then, after suffering the appropriate misery or repentance for a long time, if Śrī Dhāma is satisfied, the sādhaka can obtain the fruit of living there.

  Secondly, there is nowhere in the world that can provide more inspiration to the sādhaka for his loving service of living in Vraja. Never mind this world, Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya has advised Gopakumāra that to attain vraja-bhāva he should abandon the spiritual abodes from Vaikuṇṭha up to Dvārakā and reside in this earthly Vraja. This has been described in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.5.243-244:

tatraivotpadyate dainyaṁ tat-premāpi sadā satām |

tat-tac-chūnyam ivāraṇya-sarid-giryādi paśyatām ||

sadā hā-hā-ravākrānta-vadanānāṁ tathā hṛdi |

mahāsantāpa-dagdhānāṁ sva-priyaṁ parimṛgyatām ||

  “Seeing the forests, rivers, mountains and so on in the earthly Vṛndāvana, the sādhus always spontaneously experience unprecedented humility and love. There, they ever search eagerly for their beloved deity, their mouths crying out in anguish and their hearts burnt by great repentance.” After arriving in this earthly Vraja, Śrīla Gopakumāra entered a similar emotional state, as described in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.6.3-4:

sadā mahārtyā karuṇa-svarai rudan

nayāmi rātrīr divasāṁś ca kātaraḥ |

na vedmi yad yat sucirād anuṣṭhitaṁ
sukhāya vā tat tad utārti-sindhave ||

kathaṁ cid apy ākalayāmi naitat

kim eṣa dāvāgni-śikhāntare’ham |

vasāmi kiṁ vā paramāmṛtāccha-
suśītala-śrī-yamunā-jalāntaḥ ||

  Śrī Gopakumāra said to Śrī Jana Śarmā, “O brāhmaṇa! After arriving in the earthly Vraja, I used to always cry out in deep sorrow, meaning in great distress I called out ‘O Lord’ with a mournful voice. In this way, I spent my days and nights. For a long time I performed all of my religious practices, but whether it was for obtaining happiness or for submerging myself in a vast ocean of misery, I did not know. I could not understand whether I was living within the flames of a forest fire or within the transcendentally sweet, pure and cool water of the Yamunā.” This is a charming image of living with anurāga in Vraja in the sādhaka body. Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha and the rest of the Six Gosvāmīs have established the highest ideal of this kind of love-filled residence in Vraja.

  Moreover, it can be understood from this verse that he also desires to live with anurāga in līlā-dhāma Vraja, the realm of līlā, directly in his siddha-deha. In his Ānanda-Candrikā commentary on verses 3.49-53 of Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi and in his Śrī-Rāga-Vartma-Candrikā, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has shown with logic and appropriate philosophical conclusions that the sādhaka is born in the kingdom of līlā in his internally conceived siddha-deha and lives in Vraja with anurāga. The essential meaning of this is that those who are eager for vraja-bhāva perform bhajana on the rāgānugā-mārga. According to their eagerness for the appropriate rāgānugā-bhajana, they from time to time take birth in the womb of a gopī, either alone or in groups of two or three. Taking birth as a gopī in Vrajabhūmi means that at the time of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incarnation, like the nitya-siddhā-gopīs, the sādhana-siddhās also appear in their mentally conceived siddha-svarūpas. There, by the power of their association with the nitya-siddhā-gopīs, and by seeing Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, hearing and singing of their qualities and so on, the symptoms of sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga and mahābhāva manifest in their gopī bodies. In the sādhaka-deha, one can only rise to the stage of prema; the stages from sneha up to mahābhāva cannot manifest. Without taking birth from the womb of a gopī in a family of cowherds, one cannot become knowledgeable in the various relationships of Kṛṣṇa’s nara-līlā (humanlike pastimes), such as which girl is whose daughter, whose daughter-in-law and whose wife. After a long time, an intense yearning for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s direct sevā awakens in the heart of a bhakta who is thoroughly engaged in rāgānugā-mārga-sādhana and in whom prema has appeared. Then, even though sneha or the other stages of prema have not yet arisen in the bhakta’s heart and mind, Śrī Kṛṣṇa becomes overwhelmed by compassion and gives the bhakta, in his sādhaka-deha, a divine vision of himself along with his companions, either in a dream or directly manifest. Then, just as he gave a blissful spiritual body to Śrī Nārada, in the same way he gives to the loving sādhaka the vraja-gopikā body he has contemplated. After that, when Śrī Vṛndāvana visibly manifests on earth and Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his companions appear, Yogamāyā causes that very body to be born from the womb of a gopī in order to complete the stages of prema, beginning with sneha. Regarding this, there is not even a moment’s delay because at that time the premika’s eagerness to obtain direct sevā immediately leads him to the kingdom of līlā. There is no other way. Still, to bring about his maturation through sneha and the other stages of prema, and to give him knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nara-līlā through birth from a gopī’s womb, he must first be brought to the prakaṭa-līlā (manifest pastimes). There is also no cessation of the prakaṭa-līlā; it rolls through countless universes like a wheel of fire. After leaving his material body, by Yogamāyā’s mercy the bhakta in whom prema has arisen then takes birth in the home of a gopa in the universe where Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are being displayed. In this way, the sādhaka lives with anurāga in Vraja in his siddha-deha along with the nitya-siddhā-gopīs. Knowing him to be worthy, the nitya-siddhā-sakhīs also include him (her) in their own group and bless him with the direct sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. By this, all of the sādhaka’s hopes are fulfilled. Therefore, he says, sakhī-gaṇa-gaṇanāte, āmāre likhibe tāte, tabahi pūraba abhilāṣa. We find a similar conclusion in Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s poem Prārthanā:

hari hari! āra kabe emana daśā haba |

kabe bṛṣabhānu-pure, āhirī-gopera ghare, tanayā haiyā janamiba ||

yābaṭe āmāra kabe, e pāṇi-grahaṇa habe, basati kariba kabe tāya |

sakhīra parama-preṣṭha, ye haya tāhāra śreṣṭha, sebana kariba tāra pāya ||

teṅha kṛpābān hañā, rātula-caraṇe lañā, āmāre karibe samarpaṇa |

saphala haibe daśā, pūribe manera āśā, sebi duṅhāra yugala-caraṇa ||

  “Hari! Hari! When shall I be in such a state? When shall I take birth as a daughter in the home of cowherds in Vṛṣabhānupura? When shall I be married in the village of Yāvaṭa and make my residence there? I shall serve the feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, who is most dear to Śrī Lalitā. Being very merciful, she will offer me at the crimson lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. This state will be most fruitful: all my heart’s desires will be fulfilled and I will serve the Divine Couple.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 56 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

সাধনে যে ধন চাই,        সিদ্ধদেহে তাহা পাই,

পক্বাপক্ব মাত্র সে বিচার ।

পাকিলে সে প্রেমভক্তি,        অপক্বে সাধনগতি,

ভকতি লক্ষণ তত্ত্বসার ॥ ৫৬ ॥

sādhane ye dhana cāi,        siddha-dehe tāhā pāi,

pakvāpakva mātra se bicāra |

pākile se prema-bhakti,        apakve sādhana-gati,

bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva-sāra || 56 ||

  I will attain in my siddha-deha the treasure that I long for during sādhana: the only consideration is ripeness or unripeness. The unripe stage consists of the practices of sādhana; the ripened stage is prema-bhakti. This is the essential characteristic of the path of devotion.

The Essential Truth

  Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: After describing the consistent nature of sādhana and siddhi in the previous verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now clearly defines it through an example: sādhane ye dhana cāi, siddha-dehe tāhā pāi, pakvāpakva mātra se bicāra. Sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the primary, comparative and superlative states of the same thing. At the time of sādhana, the rāgānugīya-sādhaka meditates on performing whatever treasured prema-sevā to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava that he desires. When the sādhaka attains prema, he will obtain that same sevā in his siddha-svarūpa or spiritual form. When passionate devotion is in an incomplete state and is moving in the direction of siddhi, that is sādhana-bhakti. When it reaches a concentrated state, then it is prema-bhakti. For this reason it has been said, siddhasya lakṣaṇaṁ yat syāt sādhanaṁ sādhakasya tat (Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam ṭīkā). “That which is the natural characteristic of a siddha or saint is the devotional practice of a sādhaka.” It is always the nature of sādhana-bhakti to awaken and sustain the desire to attain prema-bhakti or direct sevā. Therefore Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, sādhane ye dhana cāi. Insatiability is the nature of bhakti: the higher the sādhaka ascends in bhakti-sādhana, the more eager or impatient he becomes. This impatience or extreme eagerness quickly leads the sādhaka to the kingdom of prema-siddhi or direct sevā. Abundant enjoyment has also been stored in sādhana-bhakti, specifically in the rāga-sādhaka’s līlā-smaraṇa wherein his meditation is like direct sevā. Therefore, the extraordinary enjoyment they experience during sādhana has no comparison. If the sādhaka becomes satisfied with that enjoyment and cannot sustain his longing for prema or direct sevā, then in the end a state similar to self-delight (ātmārāmatā) can arise which obstructs the sādhaka’s progress in bhakti-sādhana. It should be understood that this truth has also been hidden within the statement sādhane ye dhana cāi.

  Sādhane ye dhana cāi means that whatever direct prema-sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava the sādhaka desires during the stage of sādhana, he will obtain that same sevā in his siddha-deha after reaching the stage of prema. This is certain: siddha-dehe tāhā pāi. After giving dīkṣā in the kāma-bīja and kāma-gāyatrī, Śrī Gurudeva teaches the sādhaka to worship Śrī Yugala and gives him siddha-praṇālī, which establishes the sādhaka’s relationship with his cherished deity. Siddha-praṇālī contains the name, complexion, age, nature and the rest of the eleven aspects of the sādhaka’s siddha-svarūpa or spiritual form. Those scholars who know the truth describe dīkṣā as a method to destroy a person’s sins and give him spiritual knowledge: divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṁkṣayam, tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ. After quoting this verse in anuccheda 283 of his Śrī-Bhakti-Sandarbha, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written the following: divyaṁ jñānaṁ hy atra śrīmatī mantre bhagavat-svarūpa-jñānaṁ tena bhagavatā sambandha-viśeṣa-jñānaṁ ca; yathā pādmottara-khaṇḍādāv aṣṭākṣarādikam adhikṛtya vivṛtam asti. Here, the word divya-jñāna is understood to mean knowledge of Śrī Bhagavān’s form within a potent mantra, and through that, knowledge about the sādhaka’s specific relationship with Śrī Bhagavān, the presiding deity of the mantra. Regarding this, there is an explanation of the eight-syllable and other mantras in the beginning of the Uttara-Khaṇḍa of Śrī-Padma-Purāṇa wherein this meaning of the word divya-jñāna has been established. In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, this knowledge of a specific relationship became ekādaśa-bhāva, the eleven items defining the relationship of the sādhaka’s mañjarī form with Śrī Gopījanavallabha, the deity of the mantra. In the Pātāla-Khaṇḍa of Padma-Purāṇa we find a description of meditation on the siddha-deha, which is suitable for performing mental service, done by the sādhaka who understands the essential nature of śrī-kṛṣṇa-rasa and who has taken shelter of madhura-rasa. Nādevo devam arcayet, devo bhūtvā devaṁ yajet. “If one is not a god, he cannot worship a god. If one becomes a god, he can worship a god.” This statement from śāstra firmly establishes through prohibition and prescription that a bhakta who desires to serve Śrī Bhagavān must perform bhajana while thinking of himself as one of Bhagavān’s companions (pārṣadas). Thinking of himself as a companion means the sādhaka contemplates his own siddha-deha.

  Some people mistakenly think, “In the beginning the sādhaka meditates by resorting to an imagined mental body, and then, by performing sādhana-bhajana, the sādhaka satisfies Śrī Bhagavān. Following the system of yādṛśī bhāvanā yasya siddhir bhavati tādṛśī, meaning ‘one accomplishes that which he contemplates,’ Śrī Bhagavān makes the sādhaka’s ātmā his companion. In this way, although the sādhaka’s pārṣada body is ultimately real, at the stage of meditation it is imagined.” This conclusion is not supported by the śāstras and mahājanas. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.14 says, vasanti yatra puruṣāḥ sarve vaikuṇṭha-mūrtayaḥ, ye’nimitta-nimittena dharmeṇārādhayan harim. “Śrī Bhagavān’s companions always reside in his abode in spiritual forms similar to his own. They constantly worship Śrī Hari through the selfless practice of bhāgavata-dharma.” In his commentary on this verse in anuccheda 10 of Śrī-Prīti-Sandarbha, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, vaikuṇṭhasya bhagavato jyotir aṁśa-bhūtā vaikuṇṭhaloka-śobhā-rūpā yā anantā mūrtayaḥ tatra vartante tāsām ekayā saha-muktasyaikasya mūrtiḥ bhagavatā kriyata iti vaikuṇṭhasya mūrtir iva mūrtir yeṣām ity uktam. The gist of Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda’s statement is that in Śrī Bhagavān’s eternal abode, the Lord’s companions are of two kinds. One kind is engaged in Śrī Bhagavān’s direct sevā, and the other, being part of the Lord’s luster, is transcendental like his body but exists eternally in countless inactive forms as the brilliant radiance of Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Every one of the countless jīvas is the servant of Śrī Bhagavān; a body suitable for performing the Lord’s sevā has been kept in his abode for each of them. When by bhakti’s mercy he becomes eligible for bhagavat-sevā, Śrī Bhagavān blesses him with that body. 

  In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, siddha-praṇālī is received from Śrī Guru’s lotus feet and contains the particulars of that spiritual body. No one should consider this to be imagined; it is eternal truth. Among those countless forms situated in Śrī Bhagavān’s abode, the Lord determines the particular body the bhakta will receive. After being informed of that through the power of meditation, Śrī Gurudeva gives that form to the sādhaka as his siddha-deha. At the time of sādhana, after establishing a sense of self in that body, the devotee must perform sādhana-bhajana in it. When the sādhaka attains prema, he is blessed with direct sevā in that very body. pakvāpakva mātra se bicāra, pākile se prema-bhakti, apakve sādhana-gati, bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva-sāra. “Ripe or unripe: that is the only consideration. If mature, it is prema-bhakti; if still in development, sādhana is the method. This is the essence of bhakti’s nature.” When a fruit is unripe, its juice is sour or bitter; but when ripe, it is sweet and delicious. In the same way, when sādhana-bhakti becomes fully developed, it is called prema. Even though in the stage of sādhana the enjoyment is somewhat diluted because of anarthas and so on, in prema-bhakti the enjoyment is extremely concentrated. By saying apakve sādhana-gati, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has hinted at a few principles of sādhana-bhakti. One meaning of the word gati is stream or current. The current of the Mandākinī River flows constantly toward the sea; there is no stopping until it reaches its goal. In the same way, sādhana-bhakti constantly flows like the current of the Mandākinī toward the ocean of prema-bhakti. Even though this does not exactly harmonize with the example of the ripe or unripe fruit, still, the thirst for prema-bhakti remains always awake in the sādhaka’s heart, producing within him an inclination toward continuous sādhana-bhakti, which leads him to the kingdom of prema. This part of the example is consistent. The word gati is also defined as both means and goal. Sādhana-bhakti is the method to attain prema-bhakti and also the goal itself, meaning it is the embodiment of prema. This has been implied by the example of the ripe and unripe fruits. Or, sādhana-bhakti is the method and the goal because even in sādhana-bhakti there is no dearth of enjoyment. The premika devotees also long to relish the rasa of sādhana-bhakti. One who eats ripe mangoes may also desire to eat unripe mangoes after making them into pickles. Another meaning of the word gati is class or type. Apakve sādhana-gati means that the different classes of sādhana-bhakti beginning from śraddhā and reaching up to āsakti are in the unripe state. Bhāva-bhakti or rati is the partially ripened state and prema-bhakti is the completely ripened state. The reading apakve sādhana-rīti is also seen in some editions of this book. It should be understood here that the word rīti also refers to those successive stages the bhakta passes through.

  Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says this is the bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva-sāra, meaning that which one desires at the time of sādhana is obtained when one reaches siddhi. The only difference is that it is unripe in sādhana and ripe in siddhi. This is the essence of the devotional principle. Or, beginning from verse fifty-two (śrī-rūpa-mañjarī sāra) and continuing up to this verse, the mysteries of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhana have been revealed; these comprise the essential characteristics of bhakti. Selfless (niṣkāma) service of Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet is the natural characteristic of bhakti. There is no comparison anywhere to the pure, selfless service of the mañjarīs. In them we find the highest level of selflessness.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 55 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

যুগল-চরণ সেবি,        নিরন্তর এই ভাবি,

অনুরাগী থাকিব সদায় ।

সাধনে ভাবিব যাহা,        সিদ্ধদেহে পাব তাহা,

রাগপথের এই সে উপায় ॥ ৫৫ ॥

yugala-caraṇa sebi,        nirantara ei bhābi,

anurāgī thākiba sadāya |

sādhane bhābiba yāhā,        siddha-dehe pāba tāhā,

rāga-pathera ei se upāya || 55 ||

  I shall always remained devoted to Śrī Yugala’s lotus feet and shall constantly meditate on serving them. I shall obtain in my siddha-deha that which I contemplate during sādhana. This is the method for those on the path of rāga.

The Consistency of Sādhana and Siddhi

  Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has given a hint of the rāgānugīya-sādhaka’s mental service; in this verse he describes the method and results of that mental service. After establishing a sense of self in their own guru-given siddha-svarūpas, the rāgānugīya Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhakas perform mental sevā while contemplating Śrī Śrī Gaura-Govinda’s aṣṭa-kāla-līlā. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācārya Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has described the aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā in brief aphorisms within his Smaraṇa-Maṅgala-Stotra. With that as support, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda narrated Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā very extensively in his book Śrī-Śrī-Govinda-Līlāmṛta. Like Śrī Bhagīratha, he has blessed the sādhaka community with a Gaṅgā-like stream of līlā-rasa. Later on, in his book Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛta, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda gave an elaborate description of all the līlās that had been only briefly described in Govinda-Līlāmṛta, thus increasing in every way the storehouse of aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā-rasa. It is impossible to obtain a vision of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s līlā without first meditating on Śrī Śrī Gaurāṅga’s līlā. Therefore, at a later time Śrī Govardhana resident Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Siddha Bābā was given darśana of Śrī Rādhārāṇī, wherein she personally instructed him to develop for her devoted Vaiṣṇavas a system of meditation suitable for Śrī Śrī Gaura-Govinda’s aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā. After receiving this order from his beloved Śrī Rādhā, Śrīla Siddha Bābā compiled the Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta-Guṭikā, thus creating a manual for līlā-smaraṇa that was in all respects suitable for the rāga-sādhaka’s meditation. To enable the community of sādhakas to taste the rasa of this aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā through the realizations of the mahājanas, Śrīla Siddha Bābā compiled a book called Śrī-Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgraha, which is a large collection of verses that describe the various līlās. In this way, the previous mahājanas have vastly enriched the treasure trove of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Govinda’s aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā, which supports the internal bhajana of the rāgānugīya Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas who have taken shelter at Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet. Within his constant meditation on those aṣṭa-kālīna-līlās, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhaka also contemplates the sevā he most likes to perform. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, yugala-caraṇa sebi, nirantara ei bhābi, anurāgī thākiba sadāya. In his book Śrī-Bhakti-Sandarbha, within the discussion of the smaraṇa limb of bhakti, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has referred to evidence from the Śrī-Garuḍa-Purāṇa showing the necessity for constant meditation on Śrī Hari.

ekasminn apy atikrānte muhūrte dhyāna-varjite |

dasyubhir muṣitenaiva yuktam ākrandituṁ bhṛśam ||

  “If one spends even a moment without thinking of Śrī Hari, he should weep in lamentation like a person who has lost everything to thieves.” Therefore, the mahājanas have given a system of aṣṭa-kāla-līlā-smaraṇa by which the bhakta-sādhakas don’t waste even a moment of the day or night and by which they can be blessed with loving service at the lotus feet of their beloved deities. The rāgānugīya rasika-bhaktas do not rely on the instructions of śāstra and are dependent only upon longing or ardent desire. They follow (not imitate) the bhāva of the nitya-siddha rāgātmikā-vrajavāsīs, and in constant allegiance to them, eagerly engage in mental sevā while contemplating Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s pastimes. Therefore, the following has been written in Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.156-157 regarding rāgānugā-bhakti-sādhana:

bāhya antara ihāra dui ta sādhana |

bāhya-sādhaka-dehe kare śrabaṇa-kīrtana ||

mane nija-siddha-deha kariyā bhābana |

rātri-dina kare braje kṛṣṇera sebana ||

  “There are two types of sādhana in rāgānugā-bhakti: external and internal. In the external sādhaka body, the devotee performs śravaṇa and kīrtana. In the mind, he meditates on his own siddha-deha and serves Śrī Kṛṣṇa day and night in Vraja.” Consequently, the rāgānugīya Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhaka remains absorbed in his svarūpa, speaking nothing of the world. Roaming about always in the kingdom of love, he spends his life devoted to bhajana. anurāgī thākiba sadāya. Thus, if the sādhaka performs bhajana in allegiance to those who belong to the nitya-siddha svarūpa-śakti group, his bhāva will become one with theirs. By the mercy of his guru-rūpā-mañjarī, he is blessed with success and obtains the direct sevā of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in his mañjarī-svarūpa in the bowers of Vrajadhāma.

  Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, sādhane bhābiba yāhā, siddha-dehe pāba tāhā, rāga-pathera ei se upāya. One most spiritually scientific truth has been deposited within the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas’ method of contemplating aṣṭa-kāla-līlā. We find the following in Chāndogya-Upaniṣad 3.14.1: yathā-kratur-asmin-loke puruṣo bhavati tathetaḥ pretya bhavati sa kratuṁ kurvīta. The jīva’s mental state in this life determines the state he will attain after leaving the body. Therefore, the sādhaka must take shelter of love. This is also found in the Bṛhad-Āraṇyaka-Upaniṣad 4.4.5: sa yathā-kāmo bhavati tat-kratur bhavati tat karma-kurute yat karma-kurute tad-abhisaṁpadyate iti. “To the degree a jīva is attached to his desires, he similarly becomes engaged in work (karma). Whatever work he is engaged in, that work he accomplishes. The type of work he accomplishes determines the result he obtains.” This is also found elsewhere in the śruti-vākya: yathā yathopāsate tad eva bhavantīti. “That which one is intent upon, that he becomes.” In Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 8.6, Śrī Bhagavān says, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram, taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. “Whatever state of being one contemplates, he remembers at the time of death; and whatever state he remembers at death, he will attain after leaving the body.” This power of contemplation is a scientific truth. From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.9.23:

kīṭaḥ peśaskṛtaṁ dhyāyan kuḍyāṁ tena praveśitaḥ |

yāti tat-sātmatāṁ rājan pūrva-rūpam asantyajan ||

  “When a wasp seals her larva within the walls of her nest, the larva thinks constantly of the wasp and transforms into a similar form without even giving up its previous body.” If there is such power in the contemplation of material things, then there can be no doubt that by contemplating Śrī Bhagavān, the transcendental form of condensed spirit and embodiment of the supreme truth, the devotee’s desire will be realized with the help of the divine bhakti-śakti. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said to Śrī Uddhava in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.15.26,

yathā saṅkalpayed buddhyā yadā vā matparaḥ pumān |

mayi satye mano yuñjaṁs tathā tat samupāśnute ||

  “A person obtains that which he desires by devoting himself to me and directing his mind toward me, for my wish is always fulfilled.” That meditation which is performed by the sādhaka after he has taken shelter of Śrī Bhagavān, the supreme truth incarnate, and which has the powerful support of bhakti, the essential function of Śrī Bhagavān’s hlādinī-śakti, can never result in useless imagination. He obtains in his siddha-deha, or in his internally conceived, guru-given mañjarī body, the same aṣṭa-kāla-sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava that he contemplates during sādhana. There is no exception to this. This is the best method for achieving one’s desires through rāga-bhajana.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 54 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

বৃন্দাবনে দুইজন,        চতুর্দিকে সখীগণ,

সময় বুঝিব রসসুখে ।

সখীর ইঙ্গিত হবে,        চামর ঢুলাব কবে,

তাম্বূল যোগাব চাঁদমুখে ॥ ৫৪ ॥

bṛndābane dui-jana,        caturdike sakhī-gaṇa,

samaya bujhiba rasa-sukhe |

sakhīra iṅgita habe,        cāmara ḍhulāba kabe,

tāmbūla yogāba cāṅda-mukhe || 54 ||

     In Vṛndāvana there are two people surrounded by their friends. When, after seeing the sakhī’s gesture and understanding the moment, shall I joyfully fan them with a cāmara and offer tāmbūla to their moonlike mouths? 

Service in Spiritual Joy

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is visualizing in meditation the loving service performed by those rāga-sādhakas who have obtained mañjarī-bhāva. In the previous verse, he gave a hint of the sādhaka’s siddha-svarūpa. He now indicates that the devoted rāgānugīya-sādhaka shall perform mental service in the līlā-kingdom of Vrajadhāma in his siddha-svarūpa among the sakhīs and mañjarīs. bṛndābane dui-jana, caturdike sakhī-gaṇa, samaya bujhiba rasa-sukhe. sakhīra iṅgita habe, cāmara ḍhulāba kabe, tāmbūla yogāba cāṅda-mukhe. In the kingdom of rasa, within the incomparably beautiful environment of Śrī Vṛndāvana, the sādhaka shall meditate upon two people, namely the king of śṛṅgāra-rasa incarnate, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the embodiment of mahābhāva, Śrī Rādhārāṇī, who is endowed with unequalled beauty, qualities and devotion. Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s sakhīs, who are similar to her in splendor, surround Śrī Yugala-Kiśora on all sides. By joking and teasing, the sakhīs inspire high waves of beauty, love and affection to rise in the oceans of prema and rasa, namely in Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāma, and then they swim in those oceans. In his poem Prārthanā, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has painted an extraordinary mental picture of this.

bṛndābana ramyasthāna, dibya cintāmaṇi-dhāma, ratana-mandira-manohara |

ābṛta kālindī-nīre, rājahaṁsa keli kare, tāhe śobhe kanaka-kamala ||

tāra madhye hema-pīṭha, aṣṭa-dalete beṣṭita, aṣṭa-dale pradhānā nāyikā |

tāra madhye ratnāsane, basi achena dui-jane, śyāma saṅge sundarī rādhikā ||

o rūpa-lābaṇya-rāśi, amiyā paḍiche khasi, hāsya parihāsa sambhāṣaṇe |

narottama dāsa kaya, nitya-līlā sukhamaya, sadāi sphuruka mora mane ||

     “Vṛndāvana is such a delightful place, a heavenly abode made of cintāmaṇi (a wonderful gem that fulfills all desires). There is a charming jeweled palace there, surrounded by the river Yamunā, in whose waters swans sport among beautiful golden lotuses. Within that palace stands a golden pedestal surrounded by eight petals occupied by the eight principal nāyikās. In the middle of that pedestal sits a jeweled throne on which two people are seated: Śrī Śyāma and the lovely Śrī Rādhikā. They exude grace and charm like drops of nectar as they laugh and joke together. Narottama Dāsa says, ‘May these joyful, eternal pastimes always appear within my mind.’”

     The revered author has also written the following:

kadamba-tarura ḍāla, nāmiyāche bhūme bhāla, phuṭiyāche phula sāri sāri |

parimale bharala, sakala bṛndābana, keli kare bhramarā bhramarī ||

rāi kānu bilasai raṅge |

kibā rūpa, lābaṇi, baidagadhi-khani dhanī, maṇimaya ābharaṇa aṅge ||

rāiyera dakṣiṇa kara, dhari priya giridhara, madhura madhura cali yāya |

āge pāche sakhī-gaṇa, kare phula bariṣaṇa, kona sakhī cāmara ḍhulāya ||

parāge dhūsara sthala, candra-kare suśītala, maṇimaya bedira upare |

rāi kānu kara-yoḍi, nṛtya kare phiri phiri, paraśe pulaka aṅga bhare ||

mṛga-mada candana, kare kari sakhī-gaṇa, barikhaye phula-gandharāje |

śrama-jala bindu-bindu, śobhā kare mukha-indu, adhare muralī nāhi bāje ||

hāsa bilāsa-rasa, sarasa madhura bhāṣa, narottama manoratha bharu |

duṅhuka bicitra beśa, kusuma racita keśa, locana-mohana līlā karu ||

     “The branches of the kadamba trees are bent low by dense clusters of blossoming flowers whose fragrance pervades all of Vṛndāvana. The male and female bees flit about while Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa amuse themselves with jokes and laughter. How beautiful are their forms! How graceful and intelligent! How elegantly they are adorned with jewels! Śrī Rādhā’s beloved Giridhārī holds her right hand as they walk about with enchanting style. Some of the sakhīs shower them with flowers from front and back, while another fans them with a cāmara. With hands joined, Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa dance round and round upon a jeweled platform turned grayish with pollen and cooled by moonlight, their bodies covered with goose bumps risen from each other’s touch. The sakhīs shower them with fragrant substances like musk, sandalwood powder and jasmine flowers. Drops of perspiration beautify their moonlike faces; exhausted, Śrī Kṛṣṇa no longer plays his muralī flute. Joking and laughing, they speak with sweet and charming words. Both are dressed in colorful clothing and wear flowers in their hair. Their pastimes captivate the eyes. Narottama’s desires have been fulfilled.”

     The narrations of those who have directly experienced with their eyes of love the sweet pastimes of Śrī Yugala-Kiśora and their friends in Śrī Vṛndāvana, the kingdom of rasa, provide support for the meditations of the sādhakas. The sāmājika-sādhaka* will realize what a flawless picture has been painted in the poetry above describing Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s sweet pastimes with their sakhīs in Vṛndāvana. In this way, the rāgānugīya-sādhaka will with great delight offer the appropriate sevā to Śrī Yugala-Kiśora surrounded by their sakhīs, who are an ocean of beauty, virtues and pastimes. Samaya bujhiba means “knowing the various services that are suitable for winter, summer and so on, as well as those suitable at the time of abhisāra (lover’s journey to a rendezvous), milana (meeting), vilāsa (amorous pastimes) and viccheda (separation) along with sevā in the form of narrations and discussions.” Rasa-sukhe means “in the spiritual happiness born of affectionate service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and their sakhīs, as well as in that joy born of tasting the sweetness of their forms, qualities and pastimes.” Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vrajendranandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the highest truth and the embodiment of charm, is a billowy ocean filled with the nectar of beauty, virtues and pastimes. A taste of his mādhurya-rasa may be obtained through rāgānugā-bhakti. In the company of Śrī Rādhārāṇī and her sakhīs, that ocean of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness swells and surges without limit. Only Śrī Rādhā, through her mādanākhya-mahābhāva, is fully capable of tasting that boundless mādhurya-rasa. In Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.138-139, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says the following:

adbhuta ananta pūrṇa mora madhurimā |

trijagate ihāra keha nāhi pāya sīmā ||

ei prema-dvāre nitya rādhikā ekali |

āmāra mādhuryāmṛta āsvāde sakali ||

     “My sweetness is astonishing, boundless and complete; no one in the three worlds can find its limit. Through her love, Śrī Rādhikā alone always fully relishes the nectar of my charm.”

     By Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s mercy, her sakhīs and mañjarīs, who have taken shelter at her lotus feet, swim continuously in the endless sea of yugala-mādhurya-rasa. Nothing else in the spiritual realm can compare to the happiness they derive from tasting this rasa. This is the highest level of rasika joy the jīva-śakti can attain through sādhana-bhajana. Moreover, it should be understood here that this rāgānugā-bhajana is never possible with the human body made of five elements. For this reason, during the stage of sādhana, the sādhaka must contemplate a beautiful body similar to those of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and others. This is called the siddha-deha or perfected body. By the mercy of Śrī Gurudeva, who has much experience in bhajana, the sādhakas obtain specific knowledge about their siddha-dehas. Śrī Gurudeva is of the same nature as Śrī Bhagavān. By his power as inner guide, he makes the rāgānugā-sādhaka familiar with his eternally perfect divine form, which is an abode of spiritual beauty, along with its ekādaśa-bhāva (the eleven characteristics of the siddha-deha). Śrīla Gosvāmipāda has determined that this siddha-deha is a suitable body for the direct service of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. The sādhaka contemplates living among the sakhīs in this siddha-deha in Vrajabhūmi and, along with them, rendering direct service to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. Those sādhakas who have a slight realization of their siddha-deha can experience the unprecedented joy of such mental service. No one can explain this through a commentary.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, sakhīra iṅgita habe, cāmara ḍhulāba kabe, tāmbūla yogāba cāṅda-mukhe. The hearts and minds of Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs are so attuned with Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s nature that she considers them to be non-different from her own body. Sometimes, by Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s desire, her sakhīs make love with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but the kiṅkarīs will not accept this even in dreams. For this reason, the kiṅkarīs are blessed with more intimate service to Śrī Yugala than even the sakhīs. 

tāmbūlārpaṇa-pāda-mardana-payodānābhisārādibhir

vṛndāraṇya-maheśvarīṁ priyatayā yās toṣayanti priyāḥ |

prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhī-kulād api kilāsaṅkocitā bhūmikāḥ

keli-bhūmiṣu rūpa-mañjarī-mukhās tā dāyikāḥ saṁśraye || 

(Vraja-Vilāsa-Stava 38)

     “I take full shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s maidservants headed by Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. They constantly arrange for Vṛndāvaneśvarī Śrī Rādhā’s thorough satisfaction by offering her tāmbūla, massaging her feet, bringing her water, setting up secret meetings with Śrī Kṛṣṇa and so on. They come and go from the sites of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s intimate pastimes more freely than even Śrī Lalitā and the other prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhīs.” When, at the time of sporting in the kuñja, Śrī Yugala become exhausted from making love, the sakhīs signal the kiṅkarīs to perform the appropriate sevā. By that signal, the mañjarīs enter without hesitation the site of Śrī Yugala’s pastimes to offer water, tāmbūla, fanning and other services.

rati-raṇe śramayuta, nāgarī nāgara, mukhabhari tāmbūla yogāya |

malayaja kuṅkuma, mṛgamada karpūra, militahi gāta lāgāya ||

aparupa priya-sakhī prema |

nija-prāṇa koṭi, dei niramañchai, naha tula lākha bāna hema ||

manohara mālya, duṅhu gale arpai, bījai śīta mṛdu bāta |

sugandhi śītala, karu jala arpaṇa, yaiche hota duṅhu śāṅta ||

duṅhaka caraṇa puna, mṛdu saṁbāhana, kari śrama karalahiṅ dūra |

iṅgite śayana, karala duṅhu sakhī-gaṇa, sabahuṅ manoratha pūra ||

kusuma-śeje duṅhu, nidrita herai, sebana-parāyaṇa-sukha |

rādhāmohana dāsa, kiye heraba, meṭaba saba manodukha ||

     “How sublime is the priya-sakhīs’ love! When Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa become exhausted from Cupid’s battle, the sakhīs prepare tāmbūla and place it in their lotus mouths. They anoint Śrī Yugala’s bodies with sandalwood paste, saffron, musk and camphor. This service is more precious to them than their own lives a million times over. Their love is purer than gold melted a hundred thousand times. They place charming garlands around Śrī Yugala’s necks and cool them with a gentle breeze by fanning. They allay their thirst with offerings of cool, fragrant water. They drive their fatigue away by gently massaging their lotus feet again and again. When given the signal, they make Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa lie down to rest. The sakhīs fulfill their every desire. Whenever Rādhāmohana Dāsa, who joyfully performs his sevā, sees them both asleep on a bed of flowers, all his distress will be gone.”

* Sāmājika means “a member of an audience or assembly, a spectator at an assembly or meeting.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 53 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

এ সব অনুগা হৈয়া,        প্রেমসেবা নিব চাইয়া,

ইঙ্গিতে বুঝিব সব কাজ ।

রূপে গুণে ডগমগি,        সদা হব অনুরাগী,

বসতি করিব সখী-মাঝ ॥ ৫৩ ॥

e saba anugā haiyā,        prema-sebā niba cāiyā,

iṅgite bujhiba saba kāja |

rūpe guṇe ḍagamagi,        sadā haba anurāgī,

basati kariba sakhī-mājha || 53 ||

     As a follower of these mañjarīs, I shall request and receive the loving service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Simply by seeing their gestures, I shall understand all my duties. Constantly submerged in Yugala-Kiśora’s beauty and virtues, I shall devote myself to them and live among their sakhīs.

A Prayer for Prema-Sevā

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now expresses his desire to attain prema-sevā in allegiance to the nitya-siddhā-mañjarīs as well as the competence to perform that sevā. First he says, e saba anugā haiyā, prema-sebā niba cāiyā, iṅgite bujhiba saba kāja. Without following the rāgātmikā-nitya-siddha-pārṣadas (pārṣada means companion), there will be no success in vraja-bhajana. rāgamayī-bhaktira haya rāgātmikā nāma, tāhā śuni lubdha haya kona bhāgyabān. lobhe brajabāsī-bhābe kare anugati ityādi (Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.152-153). “Devotion marked by loving attachment is called rāgātmikā-bhakti. By hearing about this, some fortunate person may begin to long for it. With great eagerness, he or she follows the moods of the Vrajavāsīs.” After performing bhajana in allegiance to the vraja-gopīs, the ṛṣis living in the Daṇḍaka forest and the presiding deities of the śrutis became gopīs themselves and were blessed with the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vraja. On the other hand, Śrī Lakṣmīdevī, the Goddess of Vaikuṇṭha, did not follow the gopīs, and though she lived in Vrajadhāma and performed austerities, she was unable to attain a relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This has been described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other purāṇas. Regarding this, we see the following in Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s words to Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa in Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 9.133-137:

śruti-saba gopī-gaṇera anugata hañā |

brajeśvarī-suta bhaje gopī-bhāba lañā ||

bāhyāntare gopī-deha braje yabe pāila |

sei dehe kṛṣṇa-saṅge rāsa-krīḍā kaila ||

gopa-jāti kṛṣṇa–gopī preyasī tāṅhāra |

debī bā anya strī kṛṣṇa nā kare aṅgīkāra ||

lakṣmī cāhe sei dehe kṛṣṇera saṅgama |

gopikā-anugā hañā nā kaila bhajana ||

anya dehe nā pāiye rāsa-bilāsa |

ataeba ‘nāyaṁ’ śloka kahe bedabyāsa ||

     “All the śrutis became followers of the gopīs and served Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the mood of those gopīs. In Vraja, when they attained gopī bodies within and without, in those bodies they performed the rāsa-līlā with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa was born into a community of cowherds and the gopīs are most dear to him: he does not accept goddesses or any other women. Lakṣmīdevī wanted to meet with Kṛṣṇa in her current body, so she performed bhajana without becoming a follower of the gopikās. But in any other body than that of a gopī, one does not get to enter the rāsa pastimes. Therefore, Vedavyāsa has composed the ‘nāyaṁ’ verse.” (See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.9.21.)

     The exalted author says, śrī-rūpādi mañjarī-gaṇera anugā haiyā, prema-sebā niba cāiyā. “Having longed for it, I shall receive the loving service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava from the mañjarīs led by Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī.” There is a specific reason he has used the words prema-sevā here instead of just sevā. Prema, love, is the best thing to offer during one’s service to Śrī Bhagavān. If prema does not exist in the sevaka’s heart, then the fruits, water, cooked foods and other articles she offers cannot bring happiness to Śrī Bhagavān. Therefore, the following has been mentioned in the Padyāvalī:

nānopacāra-kṛta-pūjanam ārta-bandhoḥ

premṇaiva bhakta-hṛdayaṁ sukha-vidrutaṁ syāt |

yāvat kṣud asti jaṭhare jaraṭhā pipāsā

tāvat sukhāya bhavato nanu bhakṣya-peye ||

     “O devotee! When Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the friend of the afflicted, is lovingly worshiped with various kinds of articles, his heart melts with joy. As long as there is strong hunger and thirst in the stomach, food and drink are no doubt enjoyable and satisfying.”* The devotee’s anxious love causes a powerful longing to awaken in Śrī Bhagavān’s heart to accept the articles of worship offered by the devotee.

     Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs are the direct embodiments of sevā-rasa. Their forms are molded from sevā-rasa. The love in their hearts is so pure and exalted that it has reached maturity in the form of sevā. Like iron that has become one with fire, their love and sevā are so similar in nature that they appear as one undivided thing. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has used the term prema-sevā. This prema-sevā must be obtained from the nitya-siddhā-kiṅkarīs. The prema-sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava is the personal treasure of the mañjarīs. It is possible for the kiṅkarī-bhāva-sādhaka to attain this if it is compassionately bestowed by the mañjarīs. By the words prema-sebā niba cāiyā, it has been implied that everything from the sādhaka’s expertise in bhajana to his resultant eagerness for prema is meant to invoke their compassion. Such sādhakas who are eager for kiṅkarī-bhāva must with a sorrowful prayer beg for Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s prema-sevā from the mañjarīs. The mañjarīs are also boundlessly merciful; when they see the distress of the worthy new dāsī, they will bless her with the appropriate sevā. This is the implied meaning of the words prema-sebā niba cāiyā.

     Then he says, iṅgite bujhiba saba kāja. By Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s mercy, her kiṅkarīs are able to understand all of the gestures she makes with her eyes, speech, hands, feet and so on. śrīśvarī-dṛṣṭi-vāgādi-sarveṅgita-vicakṣaṇām (Śrī-Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛta 8.32). “Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs can understand all of the gestures their prāṇeśvarī makes with her eyes, words and so on.” They are also expert in understanding all the different gestures made by the sakhīs as well as by the mañjarīs led by Śrī Rūpa. Without understanding all the signals involved in parakīya-madhura-rasa-sevā, such service is not possible. In the kuñja, Yugala-Kiśora are engaged in passionate vilāsa. The sakhīs and mañjarīs are silently relishing Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s beauty by peering through an opening in the bower. When they hear the slightest sound, they know the intensity of the lovemaking has dissipated. If the kiṅkarī is not qualified for sevā by understanding all these different signals of the sakhīs and mañjarīs, she cannot obtain that sevā. Besides their sevā in the kuñja, the kiṅkarīs must also be expert in understanding the signals for sevā in Śrīmatī’s own home. In the morning, Jaṭilā enters Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s room and awakens her. Roused from sleep by her mother-in-law’s call, Śrīmatī sits upon her bed, exhausted from last night’s pastimes. When her friend Viśākhā sees the love-marks on Śrīmatī’s body, she becomes alarmed. If the old lady notices them, everything is lost! Viśākhā then signals Śrīmatī’s devoted kiṅkarī with an eye gesture; the kiṅkarī understands and immediately covers the love-marks with makeup. In this way, expertise in understanding the signals for all kinds of services in parakīya-madhura-rasa is necessary. iṅgite bujhiba saba kāja.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, rūpe guṇe ḍagamagi, sadā haba anurāgī, basati kariba sakhī-mājha. “I shall devote myself to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, always immersed in their beauty and qualities, meaning, at every moment I shall be overwhelmed by tasting the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s ever-youthful forms, qualities and so on.” Or, having discussed the attainment of prema-sevā in allegiance to the mañjarīs and expertise in that service, he now speaks about the suitability of their svarūpas (natures or forms). He will be absorbed in the rūpa of a maidservant of Śrī Rādhā, meaning in a beautiful bodily form, as well as in various qualities like modesty, sweet disposition, good character and so on. The form, qualities and so on of a siddha-svarūpa have been described to guide the mañjarī-bhāva-sādhakas in contemplating their own svarūpas.

śrī-guroś caraṇāmbhoja-kṛpāsikta-kalevarām |

kiśorīṁ gopa-vanitāṁ nānālaṅkāra-bhūṣitām ||

pṛthutuṅga-kuca-dvandvāṁ catuḥṣaṣṭi-kalānvitām |

rakta-citrāntarīyam āvṛta-śuklottarīyakām ||

svarṇa-citrāruṇa-prānta-muktādāma-sukāñcalīm |

candanāguru-kāśmīra-carcitāṅgīṁ madhu-smitām ||

sevopāyana-nirmāṇa-kuśalāṁ sevanotsukām |

vinayādi guṇopetāṁ śrī-rādhā-karuṇārthiṇīm ||

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sukhāmoda-mātra-ceṣṭāṁ supadminīm |

nigūḍha-bhāvāṁ govinde madanānanda-mohinīm ||

nānā-rasa-kalālāpa-śālinīṁ divya-rūpiṇīm |

saṅgīta-rasa-sañjāta-bhāvollāsa-bharāṇvitām ||

tapta-kāñcana-śuddhābhāṁ svasaukhya-gandha-varjitām |

divā-niśaṁ manomadhye dvayoḥ prema-bharākulām ||

evam ātmānam īśaṁ bhāvayed bhaktim āśritaḥ ||

     “The mañjarī’s body has been sprinkled with the nectar of mercy from Śrī Guru’s lotus feet. She is an adolescent cowherd girl adorned with various kinds of ornaments. Her breasts are ample and prominent. She is well-educated in the sixty-four arts. She is dressed in a red skirt and white shawl, wearing a fine golden bodice adorned with strings of pearls and a charming crimson border. (All these garments and ornaments are prasāda from Śrī Rādhārāṇī, given to the girls when she is pleased with their sevā.) Her body is anointed with sandalwood paste, aloeswood, saffron and so on. She is adorned with a sweet smile and is very expert in preparing the articles for yugala-sevā. She is always eager to perform her service. She is endowed with qualities such as modesty and so on. She longs for Śrī Rādhā’s compassion. Her every action is meant for the happiness of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. She is a girl of superior mental gifts and physical features (padminī) and she has a hidden love for Śrī Govinda. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa sees her, he is overwhelmed by the joy of erotic love. (The desire to accept the devotee’s prema-sevā is awakened in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s heart according to the type and degree of the premika’s love. This is the transcendental nature of that love. The desire to unite with Śrī Kṛṣṇa never arises within Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs, not even in dreams. Therefore, although they are extremely beautiful and qualified, and worthy of being group leaders themselves, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa sees their forms, so devoted to sevā, he is overwhelmed by the joy of erotic love or by his desire for union with Śrī Rādhā. This is the secret and profound mood they have in relation to Śrī Govinda. Because this bhāva is very different from that of the sakhīs, it has been called nigūḍha or hidden.) She is expert in the fine art of sweet and pleasant conversation. She has a beautiful and lustrous body, and she takes great delight in singing and hearing music. Her complexion is like pure molten gold. She hasn’t even a whiff of desire for her own happiness. Day and night, she is overwhelmed by the weight of love for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhakas who have taken shelter of the path of bhakti shall always think of themselves in this way.” Like this, having established the self-concept of being an adolescent cowherd girl endowed with beauty and noble qualities, the sādhaka shall contemplate herself as living among the sakhīs with her heart and mind filled with loving devotion for Śrī Yugala-Kiśora.

*Another interpretation of this verse: “When Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the friend of the afflicted, is lovingly worshiped with various kinds of articles, the devotee’s heart melts with joy.” (Translator)