Radharani’s Manjaris: Tattva & Lilas 037 “Radha Rebukes Ramanbihari”

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

This series of posts presents the facts (tattva) regarding the identity, moods (gopi-bhava), intimacy and sevas of Srimati Radharani’s beautiful, talented handmaidens known as manjaris, kinkaris, or dasis. Many wonderful lilas are also presented to highlight the manjaris intimate sevas to Srimati Radhika and Her beloved Krishna.

The information here comes from the commentaries of Advaitavamsa Acharya 108 Sri Ananda Gopala Goswami and 108 Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji Maharaja on “Vilapa Kusumanjali” and “Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi” translated by Sri Advaita Dasji.

Lila: Radha Rebukes Ramanbihari

Shyam sits behind Swamini trying to nicely arrange Her hair. How wonderful is Krishna’s expertise in decorating hair! The embodiment of erotic transcendental rasa engages Himself in the service of maha bhava. Swamini is most satisfied with Shyam’s expert arrangements and says: “How beautifully You have done My hair!” Radha wonders: “How can I properly reward Krishna?”

Then Radha gives Krishna a sweet kiss. When Krishna is kissed, He makes a mistake and forgets everything. Sriji beats Shyam Him with her play lotus. Rasamaya Krishna cannot even ascertain the value of this rasika beating! Who can guess how much pleasure Radha’s rebukes give Krishna!

Tulasi Manjari giggles upon seeing Swamini tap Shyam with Her lila-kamala. She covers her mouth with her veil, and her accompanying manjaris laugh with her. Tulasi Manjari means to say: “When Krishna sees me giggling, He will understand where He has failed.”

Tattva: Becoming Fixed in Manjari Seva

When the worship of the all-sweet, all-ecstatic, all-loving and all-beautiful Radha Govinda Yugal becomes established within the heart, one will relish complete bliss and thus become blessed. This is the great truth preached by the experienced loving devotees. When, by Krishna’s grace a devotee advances, desires for personal happiness will subside and one will consider happiness, distress, good, bad, heaven, hell and liberation as useless.

The heart will be filled with bhakti-rasa as one yearns for the affectionate seva of Radha Govinda. One’s long-standing painful identification with the material body will vanish, and one will identify oneself, think, feel and act like a humble dedicated dasi of Devi Radha fully engaged in the nitya seva of Radha Madhava. One’s heart will be saturated with the right attitude, pure seva bhava (daso aham vasudevasya, abhimanenapi siddhir bhavatity. (Bhakti Sandarbha 304), and then one will become fixed in Vraja-bhajan.

The whole scene of the material world will vanish from the eyes and one will perceive the eternally charming, sweet and beautiful loving land of Vraja. Then one will float and sink in the ocean of the supremely sweet and all-attractive forms, qualities and pastimes of Radha Govinda both in meeting and separation. This is the highest attainment of the manjari bhava upasaka.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the embodiment of blissful lilas, prema, and rasa asvadana preached this kind of sweet worship of Radharani to the world.

Radha’s kinkaris are the embodiments of pure seva. They don’t perform any other activity than seva. They live, breathe, eat, sleep and dream only seva. Sadhakas will become qualified to serve rasamaya Shyam and rasamayi Swamini by following in Their footsteps.

Gauranga’s dear most associates Sri Rupa Raghunatha gave us the perfect example ragamayi bhajan in gopi-bhava. Thus, all sadhakas will greatly benefit by reading, hearing and chanting about their worship and their love.

Radharani’s manjaris ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!