FOREWORD caitanya candra mama hrit kumudam vikasya hridyam vidhehi nija cintana bhringa rangaih kim caparadha timiram nividam vidhuya padamritam sadaya payaya durgatam mam girivara tata kunje manju vrindavanesa sarasi ca racayan sri radhika krishna kirtim dhrita rati ramaniyam samsmarams tat padabjam vraja dadhi phalam asnan sarva kalam vasami SUBJECT TO BE ASCERTAINED – The name of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, who is one of the six Gosvami-acaryas, who are the most excellent dear-most associates of Sri Caitanya, the incarnation who sanctifies the current age of Kali, is world-famous. His renunciation, dispassion, fixation in worship, devotional eagerness etc. are established as the greatest examples of loving devotion and eternally attracts the faith of the practitioners of raga marga. This ‘Vilapa Kusumanjali’ is one of the hymns of the collection of hymns called Stavavali, which was composed by him. In this book Sripada Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami picked flowers of lamentation from the grove of his heart, which was filled with feelings of divine separation, which he then sprinkled with his tears and offered to the lotus feet of his most beloved deity, Sri Radharani. Deeply absorbed in his awareness of his spiritual body, Sripada lamented eagerly for the direct vision of service of Sri Radha like a young maidservant, who feels intense separation from the mistress of her life. That is ‘Vilapa Kusumanjali’. Such humble prayers, so full of deep yearning and intensely surging feelings of separation are rare indeed within Sanskrit literature. Newer and newer waves of desire surged within the river of his heart. He could not tolerate the pain of separation from Sri Radha for even a moment. The more the time of his passing away approached, the more eager he became for Sri Radha’s direct vision and service, like a greatly loving maidservant. Every day his heart was burning in the forest fire of great separation from Sri Radha! His lamentations of separation were like an intensely mounting flame that is belched out within this Vilapa Kusumanjali. All the aspirations for Sri Radha’s loving service as a maidservant that awoke within Sripada’s heart – the variegation, wonderfulness, excellence, expertise, eager prayer, Sri Radha’s beauty, sweetness, love, passion, Her service to Sri Krishna and Her eagerness to attain Sri Krishna - can all be ascertained within this hymn. By hearing of this, glorifying this and meditating on this the heart and mind of any sensitive devotee will be immersed in feelings of service to Sri Radha and will become eager and anxious to attain the service of Sri Radha’s lotus feet – of this there is no doubt. RAGANUGA BHAKTI – Gaudiya Vaishnavas take shelter of the mode of worship called raganuga bhakti (devotion in the wake of divine passions). Devotion in the wake of Vraja’s ragatmika devotion is called raganuga bhakti – virajantim abhivyaktam vrajavasi janadishu ragatmikam anusrita ya sa raganugocyate (B.R.S. – 1.2.271) In order to understand ragatmika or raganuga bhakti we must first understand the meaning of raga. That deep, natural, loving thirst which causes the topmost absorption within the beloved deity is called raga. ishte svarasiki ragah paramavishtata bhavet tanmayi ya bhaved bhaktih satra ragatmikodita (ibid – 1.2.272) ishte gadha trishna raga svarupa lakshana ishte avishtata tatastha lakshana kathana (C.C.) “Deep thirst for the beloved deity is the inherent symptom of raga whereas the absorption in the beloved deity is called the marginal symptom.” Srila Jiva Gosvami has defined raga and raganuga as follows: tatra vishayinah svabhaviko vishaya samsargecchatisaya-mayah prema raga yatha cakshuradinam saundaryadau tadrisa evatra bhaktasya sri bhagavatyapi raga ityucyate........yasya purvokte raga-viseshe rucir eva jatasti na tu raga-visesha eva svayam tasya tadrisa raga-sudhakara karabhasa samullasita hridaya sphatika-maneh sastradi srutasu tadrisya ragatmikaya bhakteh paripatishvapi rucir jayate. tatas tadiyam ragam rucyanugacchanti sa raganuga tasyaiva pravartate (Bhakti Sandarbha 310). raga means the strong and natural desire of a sense-enjoyer for his beloved sense-objects. The senses, like the eyes, are naturally attracted to their objects, such as beautiful forms, and they need no encouragement in this. In the same way, when a devotees heart is naturally attracted to the Lord and he has a deep thirst for the Lord then this is called raga. When a mere ray of the nectar-moon of such raga falls on the crystal-clear hearts of those devotees who only have some taste for a particular raga but do not possess that raga itself yet, then the heart rejoices and as a result of hearing from the scriptures and saints taste will awaken within the heart of such a devotee for the devotional expertise of a ragatmika bhakta. This means that ruci (taste) will awaken within the heart when we hear about the loving devotional expertise of a ragatmika vraja-bhakta from the scriptures or from the mouth of a saint whose heart is pure, that is, free from lust, anger and envy. The devotion which follows the raga of a ragatmika Vraja-devotee along with ruci is called raganuga bhakti. Hardly anyone has such ruci in the first stage of devotional life, but still, when one hears about the loving activities of the people of Vraja (Krishnas servants, friends, elders and lovers) from the mouth of a pure soul who performs bhajana while following the scriptural injunctions and who has thus become immersed in the pure raga of Vraja, sacred greed will awaken in the heart of the neophyte devotee to attain such a love also. This is called ‘raganuga bhajana’. Of the different kinds of sweet love of Vraja’s consorts Sriman Mahaprabhu and His dear associates the Gosvamis have instructed us in the most excellent worship in the wake of manjaris like Sri Radharani’s dear maidservant Sri Rupa Manjari. This Vilapa Kusumanjali of Srimat Dasa Gosvamipada is filled with this sweet flavour of manjari bhava. MANJARI BHAVA PRACTISE- manjari bhava sadhana, the spiritual practise in the mood of a maidservant of Srimati Radharani, is the unique gift of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the fallen souls of this age of Kali (quarrel), and it has been preached and spread particularly by His dearest associates Sri-Sri Rupa and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. There are two kinds of madhura rati (conjugal mellows) in Vraja: 1) sambhogecchatmika (nayika bhava, the mood of an amorous heroine) and 2) tad bhavecchatmika (sakhi-bhava, the mood of an amorous accomplice). In Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu (1.2.299), Srila Rupa Gosvami states: tad-bhavecchatmika tasam bhava madhurya kamita: The devotional attitude of wanting to assist Sri Radha and other yuthesvaris (gopi-groupleaders) in meeting Sri Krishna and enjoying amorous pastimes with Him and to relish the sweetness of these pastimes rather than to enjoy with Krishna personally is called tad-bhavecchatmika or sakhi-bhava. This attitude attracts the hero and heroine and awakens a causeless, completely sincere and unlimited love for the yuthesvari or nayika. Indeed, the heroine becomes dearer to such a devotee than his (her) own life-airs or even self! Sri Radha has five kinds of girlfriends: asyah vrindavanesvaryah sakhya panca-vidhah matah sakhyasca nitya sakhyas ca prana-sakhyas ca kascana priya-sakhyas ca parama preshtha sakhyas ca visrutah (Ujjvala Nilamani) sakhis are for instance Dhanishtha and Vindhya, who are krishna-snehadhika (they love Krishna more than Radha). priya-sakhis and parama preshtha-sakhis are Kurangakshi and the eight chief sakhis, such as Lalita and Visakha. They are sama sneha (having equal love for Radha and Krishna), and the prana-sakhis and nitya-sakhis are Kasturi, Mani Manjari and others, who are radha snehadhika (they love Radha more than Krishna). They are called manjaris. Their bodies consist of nothing but devotional service, and although they are in the class of sakhis they are mostly surrendered to (assisting in) the intimate nikunja-pastimes of Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava due to their fixation in a service attitude. The sweet, relishable raganuga bhajana of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas consists of allegiance to them. sri rupa manjari ara, sri rati manjari sara, lavanga manjari manjulali. sri rasa manjari sange, kasturika adi range, prema seva kore kutuholi Blissfully render loving devotional service with Sri Rupa Manjari, Sri Rati Manjari, Lavanga Manjari, Manjulali Manjari, Sri Rasa Manjari, Kasturika and others. e sabhara anuga hoiya, prema seva nibo caiya, ingite bujhibo sab kaja. rupe gune dagamagi, sada hobo anuragi, vasati koribo sakhira majha 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 Radha and Krishnas forms and qualities while I reside amongst the sakhis. vrindavane dui jana caturdike sakhigana, samaya bujhiya rasa sukhe sakhira ingita hobe, camara dhula’bo kobe, tambula yogabo canda mukhe. “When Radha and Krishna are enjoying in Vrindavana, 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 carana sevi, nirantara ei bhavi, anuragi rohibo sadaya sadhane bhavibo jaha, siddha dehe pabo taha, raga pathera ei se upaya “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 raga.” (Prema Bhakti Candrika, Narottama dasa Thakura) After taking shelter of the lotus-feet of Sri Guru, Gaudiya Vaishnava-practitioners get acquainted with their own manjari – or siddha-body in the process called Sri Guru-siddha pranali. In the opinion of Sri Jiva Gosvami this siddha-body is one of the countless spiritual bodies present in the spiritual sky that are suitable for serving the Lord, and that are particles of the Lord’s light. On the strength of meditation Sri Gurudeva is aware which one of the countless spiritual bodies in the spiritual sky will be accepted by the Lord (as the spiritual body of the candidate), and he points out that body to the practitioner. This is not anyone’s speculation. To consider the spiritual body of the practitioner, which automatically arises within the heart of Sri Gurudeva, who is the compact embodiment of the Lord’s compassion, steeped in the great power of the Lord, and which spontaneously arises within his meditation or recollection, as imaginary or false, is sheer atheism and a greatly harmful offence to devotion itself. The practitioner must identify himself with this spiritual body and meditate on it – bahye antara ihara dui to sadhana; bahya - sadhaka dehe kore sravana kirtana mane - nija siddha deha koriya bhavana; ratri-dina kore vraje krishnera sevana (C.C.) There are two kinds of sadhana (devotional practise) - external and internal. Externally, within the sadhaka deha (gross physical body) one practises hearing and chanting the glories of Krishna and internally, that is mentally, one meditates on ones own siddha deha (spiritual body) in which one serves Krishna in Vraja day and night. In the raganuga- practise of the most intimate feelings of the manjari there are two flawless ways of attaining the loving service of Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna. 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 unfavourable to one’s own devotional feelings. The other type of practise is internal – one establishes one’s self-esteem in the spiritual body which is given by Sri Guru and with it mentally meditates on its loving service in the time-framework of Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna’s eternal eight-fold transcendental daily pastimes. The main internal practice of the practitioner is, according to his qualification, to mentally serve Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava with Their girlfriends and to remember Their forms, attributes and pastimes alongside. While the practitioner remembers the forms, attributes and pastimes of Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava and thus relishes Their sweetness within this internal practise 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 practise 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 endeavours to firmly identify himself with his spiritual form. Such encouragements can be found also in the scriptures that were composed by the ancient seers – atmanam cintayet tatra tasam madhye manoramam rupa yauvana sampannam kisorim pramadakritim sakhinam sangini rupam atmanam vasanamayim ajna sevaparam tadvat ratnalankara bhushitam (Sanat Kumara Samhita) An aspirant should think himself to be amongst them (the other gopis), as an enchanting beautiful young adolescent female. As a female associate of Radha and Krishnas girlfriends like Lalita and Visakha, she is dedicated to the services that are ordered to her and she is decorated with jewelled ornaments (that are given to her by Sri Radha 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 endeavour 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 dhiya ta urugaya vibhavayanti tat tad vapuh pranayase sad anugrahaya (Bhag. 3.9.11) Lord Brahma 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 favourable 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 Yogamaya (the divine illusion that assists the Lord in His pastimes), is blessed with attaining his desired loving service of the Divine Youthful Pair Themselves in his spiritual body within the realm of Their pastimes. SRILA RAGHUNATHA AND MANJARI BHAVA : Srimat Raghunatha dasa Gosvamipada is Vraja’s eternally perfect ‘Rati Manjari’or ‘’Tulasi Manjari’. In Sri-Sri Gaura Govindarcana Paddhati Sriman Mahaprabhu’s dear associate Srila Gopala Guru Gosvami has written- ratyambujakhya kunje’stindulekha kunja dakshine tatraiva tishthati sada surupa rati manjari taravali dukuleyam tadit tulya tanu-cchabih dakshina mridvika khyata tulasiti vadanti yam asya vayo dvimasadhya hayanastu trayodasa pitasya vrishabham kanto divakhyam sarada prasuh svasrus ca sannika prokta camara sevananvita iyam hi raghunathakhyam prapta gaura rase kalau In the kunja known as Ratyambuja (the lotus of Rati), south of Indulekhas kunja, the beautiful Rati Manjari always resides. Her dress is decorated with a cluster of stars and her body shines like lightning. She has a mild, submissive nature and is nick-named Tulasi.1 She is 13 years and two months old. Her father is Vrishabha, her husband Diva, her mother is named Sarada and her mother-in-law Sannika. Her service is fanning. In the age of Kali she has descended as Raghunatha dasa. He descended to the mundane world along with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to give the best example to the world of how to practise manjari bhava through his own bhajana. On the one hand he gave the world the example of how to perform loving devotion, how to renounce the world and how to be fixed in one’s worship, on the other hand he showed how he was similarly always immersed within his self esteem as a manjari within his spiritual body – thus he gave the example of how to be greatly eager and anxious for attaining the personal loving service of Sri Radha. The extraordinary renunciation, superhuman loving devotional conduct and unbroken absorption in the siddha svarupa of Sri Raghunatha, who is a mine of countless jewel-like attributes, is a new subject altogether within the history of worship in the spiritual realm. When he resided in Nilacala (Jagannatha Puri), Sriman Mahaprabhu was very pleased by seeing his extraordinary love-scented renunciation and rewarded him with the gifts of His very dear string of gunja beads and His sacred rock from Mount Govardhana. Sri Raghunatha then understood the Lord’s secret intentions – sila diya gosai more samparpila govardhane gunja-mala diya dila radhika carane. (C.C.) “By giving me the sacred rock the Lord offered me to Mount Govardhana and through the string of gunja-beads He offered me to the lotus feet of Radhika.” After the disappearance of Sriman Mahaprabhu Sripada went to reside at Sri Radhakunda, at the base of Sri Giriraja, the place the Lord had bestowed upon him. Here, by Sriman Mahaprabhu’s grace, his mind became immersed in the recollection of divine pastimes and he became greatly agitated with divine emotions. There, on the shore of Sri Radhakunda, Sripada composed the scripture named Stavavali. In this collection of hymns the surge of Sripada’s divine sentiments flow like a pure creek, as if it continually runs towards a boundless ocean of divine flavours. Wherever we look in the world of literature, we can find that such lovely poetry, so gracious, deep with feelings and decorated with sweetness, is very rare indeed. The river of Sripada’s rasika poetry is agitated with ever-fresh waves of beauty and sweetness and illuminated and enlarged by the tender rays of the moon of ever-fresh feelings, so that it has become relishable for both the loving devotee and the sensitive connoisseur of poetry! But only the one-pointed rasika devotees can perceive and relish the amazing high- and ebb-tide of separation and meeting that surge in a self-incited way in his heart’s outbursts of divine passion in the Ganges-river of his poetry. Within Vilapa Kusumanjali an abundance of such feelings are seen. Here Sripada’s unbroken absorption in manjari bhava is surely extremely astonishing! This is such a great example of the practise of manjari bhava, that by hearing, chanting and recollecting it hundreds and hundreds of practitioners of manjari bhava will be enlivened by this sky-high ideal and can be blessed with the practise of manjari bhava – of this there is no doubt. THE REASON FOR MAKING THIS BOOK- Although I am greatly unqualified I have recited and explained the hymn called ‘Vilapa Kusumanjali’ a number of times to the Vaishnavas that reside at Sri Radhakunda and in Sri Vrindavana, following their merciful order. Then the desire awoke within the Vaishnavas’ hearts for the publication of a book with a corresponding, lengthy commentary on this hymn. Following their merciful order I commence this difficult work, like a lame man that wants to climb a mountain, and by their merciful encouragement, remembering the lotus feet of the most worshipable Srimat Raghunatha Dasa Gosvamipada I am preparing the blueprint of my translation and ‘Parimala Kana’-commentary of Vilapa Kusumanjali on the bank of Sri Radhakunda, the place where he performed his bhajana and where he composed this book. This Vilapa Kusumanjali is the treasure of Sri-Sri Dasa Gosvamipada’s worship, now appearing in the form of a book as a gift to be offered on the occasion of the celebration of the five-hundredth anniversary of the appearance of Sri-Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu,2 the sanctifier of the age of Kali, who was the heart’s treasure of Sripada Raghunatha, who was himself the manifestation of His compassion. Previously an unqualified fallen wretch like me has published a commentary on Sri-Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvatipada, named ‘Rasa-varshini’ as an offering to the lotus-feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu during the festival to commemorate His five-hundredth birth-anniversary. The merciful Vaishnavas and intellectual devotees were in topmost ecstasy after reading this and offered their merciful blessings to this fallen wretch. Depending on their merciful blessing and on their encouragement this ‘’Parimala Kana’-commentary on Vilapa Kusumanjali was now published. Just as the predominance of Sri Radha’s glories are emphasised in Sri Radha-Rasasudhanidhi, in Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali the heart’s eagerness of the loving devotee, the anxiousness of separation and the expertise in serving Sri Radha is the main topic. By relishing these two sacred works the devotional practitioner will learn many valuable facts of the worship of the Divine Pair – there is no doubt about this at all. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF GRATITUDE – When the most worshipable Srila Ananda Gopala Gosvami, who has passed to the eternal abode, lectured on Vilapa Kusumanjali in Sri Vrindavana, one devotee made brief notes of it; a copy of this text, in Malayalam script, got in the possession of Sri Radhakunda’s Srila Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja (Madrasi Baba). After getting this from Srila Krishna dasaji I have followed the line of this commentary as far as possible. At the end of the Parimala Kana-commentary of each verse is a song-translation by the ancient poet Sri-yukta Rasika-Candra dasa Mahasaya, which had been published by the office of Hoogly Bhaktiprabha. This was again published in the Bengali year 1379 (1972) by Srila Tulasi Dasa Adhikariji, who had taken shelter of Sri Radhakunda and who has now passed to the eternal abode. I have received this by his grace. I express my heart’s gratitude to all of them. The most affectionate Sriman Harekrishna Dasa has spent many days in Sri Vrindavana to proof-read this text and he has done it beautifully. I pray at the lotus feet of Sri-Sri Kundesvari and Sripada Dasa Gosvami for a successful bhajana for this devotee. Even after a lot of effort there are still some mistakes left in this book. If the merciful readers will correct this while relishing this book the insignificant work of this wretch will be successful. Signed, the lowly publisher. (Vilapa kusumanjali introduction)
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 12:03:48 +0000
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