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Discussions on the doctrines of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Please place practical questions under the Miscellaneous forum and set this aside for the more theoretical side of it.

Prabodhananda and Manjari-bhava - Manjari-bhava in Radha-rasa-sudhanidhi?



kovidara - Sun, 21 Aug 2005 02:02:09 +0530
Radha Rasa Sudha Nidhi is well known as one of the great Gaudiya compositions glorifying Radharani and praying for Her maidservice. The author, Prabodhananda Sarasvati, is identified as Tunga-vidya Devi, one of the asta sakhis.

Why will Radha's sakhis pray in the mood of the manjaris?
Madhava - Mon, 22 Aug 2005 01:41:23 +0530
By the matchless grace of Sriman Mahaprabhu, all of his parshadas had access to the reservoir of nectar known as mañjarI-bhAva-mAdhuri. The following words of Mahaprabhu appear towards the end of the tenth act of Kavi Karnapura's Chaitanya Chandrodaya:

zrI-kRSNa-caitanyaH : evam eva --

vRndAraNyAntarasthaH sarasa-vilasitenAtmanAtmanam uccair
Ananda-syanda-vandIkRta-manasam urIkRtya nitya-pramodaH |
vRndAraNyaika-niSThAn svaruci-sama-tanUn kArayiSyAmi yuSmAn
ity evo’ste’vaziSTaM kim api mama mahat karma tac cAtaniSye ||72||

"O Acharya! I always reside in Vrindavan, perpetually enrapt in the delight of the matchless blissful rasa of my charming pastimes; I will give you a place in Vrindavan, and a body in accordance with your ruchi in which to relish the madhura-rasa of Vraja! This is my one remaining grand task, and that I shall swiftly do."

api ca --
dAsye kecana kecana praNayinaH sakhyaika evobhaye
rAdhA-mAdhava-naiSThikAH katipaye zrI-dvArakAdhIzituH |
sakhyAdAv ubhayatra kecana pare ye vAvatArAntare
mayy Abaddha-hRdo’khilAn vitanavai vRndAvanAsaGginaH ||73||

"Some are in the mood of servitude, some are beloveds, and some are friends. Some are attached to Radha-Madhava, some others to Sri Dvarakadhish, and again, others to my different avatars. I shall bind all of you within my heart, making you attached to Vrindavan!"

Commenting on the first verse in his vyakhya on the 112th tripadi of Prema-bhakti-chandrika, Sri Anantadas Babaji Maharaja writes:

zrIman mahAprabhu rAdhA-kRSNa milita-vigraha zrI-vRndAvane zrI-rAdhA-kRSNa-rUpe tini nitya madhura rasa-vilAse magna ha_ibena evaM navadvIpa-lIlAra pArSada-gaNake_o tA&hAdera cintanIYa rADhA-kiGkarI-rUpe vraja-nikuJje se_i madhura-rasera AsvAdana dAna karibena - ihA_i zrIman mahAprabhura zeSa kAja |

Sriman Mahaprabhu is the joint form of Radha and Krishna. In the form of Sri Radha-Krishna in Vrindavan, he is perpetually steeped in the sweet pastimes of rasa. In Navadvipa-lila, he will bestow the relish of madhura-rasa to his companions in the forms of the maidservants of Radha in the nikunjas of Vraja they contemplate on -- this is the final task of Sriman Mahaprabhu.

I trust this answers the question? Unfortunately, I don't have Baba's commentary on Radha-rasa-sudhanidhi at hand; I am under the impression that he speaks more on this somewhere in there. Could someone please look that up for us?