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Mangalacharanam of Vilapa Kusumanjali - A few questions...



kovidara - Sat, 15 Oct 2005 18:48:42 +0530
Verse 2 of Vilapa Kusumanjali reads (trans. by Advaita das):

sthalakamalini yuktaM garvitA kAnane'smin
praNayasi vara hAsyaM puSpa gucchAc chalena
api nikhila latAs tAh saurabhAktAh sa muNcan
mRgayati tava mAgaM kRSNa bhRNgo yad adya

O Sthalakamalini (Landlotus)! It is fitting that you are laughing very proudly through your flowerbunches, since, though all the flowers in the forest are anointed with fragrance, the blackbee Krishna leaves them now to search for you only!

The commentaries say that this verse may be considered to be glorifying either Radharani or Rupa Manjari. I'd like to understand this better.

As a glorification of Radharani, I can follow this verse; Radha may laugh proudly at the fact that Krishna loves her more than any other girl, and may leave so many girls just to be with her.

But how can this verse be understood to glorify Rupa Manjari? What does it mean to say that the blackbee Krishna may leave so many others to be with Rupa Manjari? How to understand this?

Verse 3 of Vilapa Kusumanjali reads:


vrajendra vasati sthale vividha ballabI saNkule
tvam eva rati maNjari pracura puNya punjodayA
vilAsa-bhara vismRta praNayi mekhalA mArgaNe
yad adya nija nAthayA vrajasi nAthitA kndaram


O Rati Manjari! You are the most fortunate cowherdgirl in the abode of the king of Vraja! When Your mistress (Sri Radhika) forgets Her beloved sash of bells due to absorption in Her loveplay, She asks You to fetch it from the cave where She left it!

The author of this poem, Raghunatha das Goswami, is Rati Manjari. How is it that an author will praise his own spiritual form, thus praising himself? Is it a feature of manjari sadhana that I'm unaware of that a devotee will pray to his own spiritual form, glorifying his own good qualities in that form?
Madhava - Sat, 15 Oct 2005 22:38:24 +0530
I unfortunately don't have the text at hand at this very moment. Could you please provide the relevant passages from the commentaries for review?

I will grab a copy of Baba's original Bengali text tomorrow and see if the dual interpretation of verse 2 is there. The English rendition of Vilapa Kusumanjali isn't an exact translation of the original.

As for verse 3, these are the words of Rupa Manjari, spoken to Rati Manjari. I believe the commentary also notes the same.
kovidara - Sat, 15 Oct 2005 23:01:03 +0530
QUOTE
I unfortunately don't have the text at hand at this very moment. Could you please provide the relevant passages from the commentaries for review?


The commentary on verse 2 by Ananta das Babaji (translated by Advaita dasji) begins by describing how Tulsi and Rupa Manjaris were peaking inside a cave at Govardhana, witnessing Krishna faint of love-excitement which gave Radharani great pride that she had controlled her lover.

That part is clear enough.

Page 9 of the edition I have (basically the last paragraph of the commentary, just before quoting Krishna Bhavanamrta) begins with:

"Some consider this verse to be Sripada's addressing Sri Rupa Manjari in svarupavesa. This explaination is also endorsed by the Mahatmas. When Sri Rupa Manjari heard herself praised in the first verse, a smile blossomed on her face. Seeing this, Tulsi addressed a blooming landlotus before her and praised her gurudevi once more by revealing the glories of her beauty and fortune."

As far as verse 3 goes:

It's true that the commentaries say verse 3 is Rupa addressing Rati. I re-read and found that. But thats interesting and unique, no? Are there other examples of Vaisnava authors including verses their superiors have spoken to praise them in their mangalacharana?
kovidara - Sat, 15 Oct 2005 23:17:55 +0530
Another point about verse 3. The commentary on verse 7 begins: "In the first three verses Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami offered prayers in his spiritual identity, in the next three verses in his external identity, and from this verse on he will offer one flower-like lamentation after the other to Srimati Radharani's lotusfeet, absorbed in his spiritual identity of Rati or Tulsi Manjari."

So it's Dasa Goswami offering the prayer of verse 3... Comments?