“So our sampradāya is really a mañjarī-bhāva sampradāya. This is, of course, a very narrow taste and it is quite understandable that certain people wished to broaden the scope to include other rasas. But when Narottam says that Rupa Goswami recognized the inner desire or mano'bhīṣṭam of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the sampradāya understands that this means mañjarī-bhāva.
Those who have Narottam Das in their paramparā should refer to Prema-bhakti-candrikā.
rādhikāra sakhī yoto tāhā vā kohibo koto
mukhya sakhī koribo gaṇana |
lalitā viśākhā tathā citrā campakalatā
raṅgadevī sudevī kathana || 49 ||
tuṅgavidyā indurekhā ei aṣṭa sakhī lekhā
ebe kohi narma sakhī gaṇa |
rādhikāra sahacarī priya preṣṭha nāma dhari
prema sevā kore anukṣaṇa || 50 ||
How much can I say about Radha’s sakhis, there are so many of them! Let me simply name the most important ones: Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citrā, Champakalata, Raṅgadevī, Sudevī, Tuṅgavidyā and Indurekhā, these are the eight sakhis. Now let me talk of thenarma-sakhīs (the manjaris). These are Radha’s companions who are also known as priya preṣṭha (“dear, most dear” or “dear to the most dear”) who engage in loving service constantly.
sama snehā viṣama snehā nā koriho dui lehā
kohi mātra adhika snehāgaṇa |
nirantara thāke saṅge kṛṣṇa kathā līlā raṅge
narma sakhī ei sab jana || 51 ||
Don’t mix up those who are sama snehā (equal in their affections to both Radha and Krishna) and viṣama-snehā, those who are unequal. I am only going to speak of those who have more affection for Radha than Shyam. These sakhis are always in Radha’s company, delighting her with talks of Krishna. This is why they are called narma-sakhīs.
śrīrūpa mañjarī sāra śrī rati mañjarī āra
lavaṅga mañjarī mañjulālī |
śrī rasa mañjarī saṅge kasturikā ādi raṅge
prema sevā kore kutūhole || 52 ||
Śrī rūpa Mañjarī is the essence of them all, Śrī Rati Mañjarī, Lavaṅga Mañjarī, Mañjulālī, Rasa Mañjarī, and Kasturikā Mañjarī – all serve in love with great enthusiasm.
e sabhāra anugā hoiyā prema sevā nibo cāiyā
iṅgite bujhibo sab kāja |
rūpe guṇe ḍagamagi sadā hobo anurāgī
vasati koribo sakhīra mājha || 53 ||
I will become the follower of these Narma Sakhis, and from them I will request services to perform, understanding what needs to be done simply from the signs they give. Becoming absorbed in Radha and Krishna’s form and virtues, I will always remain in love, dwelling in the company of Radha’s friends.
vṛndāvane dui jana caturdike sakhī gaṇa
samaya bujhibo rasa sukhe |
sakhīra iṅgite hobe cāmara ḍhulābo kobe
tāmbūla yogābo cāṅda mukhe || 54 ||
Radha and Krishna reside in Vrindavan, surrounded by the sakhis. I will easily know the times [for various pastimes and service] according to the rasas. When will I fan [the Divine Couple] with the chamara on the indication of the sakhis, and when will I offer tambul to their moon-like faces.
yugala caraṇa sevi nirantara ei bhāvi
anurāgī thākibo sadāya |
sādhana bhāvibo yāhā siddha dehe pābo tāhā
rāga pathera ei se upāya || 55 ||
Thinking constantly of how I will serve the Divine Couple’s lotus feet, I will remain always enthusiastically loving. That which I contemplate in my sādhanā is what I will attain in my spiritual body. This is the method taught in the rāgānugā path.
sādhane ye dhana cāi siddha dehe tāhā pāi
pakvāpakva mātra se vicāra |
apakke sādhana rīti pākile se prema bhakti
bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva sāra || 56 ||
That prize I seek in my culture of devotion is what I will get in the spiritual body. It is simply a question of ripe and unripe states of the same thing. When unripe it is called sādhana-bhakti, when ripe it is prema-bhakti. This is all you really need to know about bhakti.
narottama dāse koy ei yeno mora hoy
vrajapure anurāge vāsa |
sakhī gaṇa gaṇanāte āmāre likhibe tāte
taba hi pūrabo abhilāṣa || 57 ||
Narottam Das prays: May this be mine: residence in Vrindavan with passionate love. When they make a list of Radha’s sakhis, may I be included in their number, then my wishes will all be fulfilled.
sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām ātmānāṁ vāsanā-mayīm|
ājñā-sevā-parāṁ tat-tad-rūpālaṅkāra-bhūṣitām|| 58 ||
I meditate on myself as a companion of the sakhis, filled with desire [for service], dedicated to the their instructions for service, and decorated with their beauty and ornaments. (Sanatkumāra-saṁhitā)
manera smaraṇa prāṇa madhura madhura dhāma
yugala vilāsa smṛti sāra |
sādhya sādhana ei iha boi āra nāii
tattva sarva tattva sāra || 61 ||
The life of the mind is smaraṇa, remembering the Lord. It is the abode of sweetness. And of all the kinds of smaraṇa, remembering the līlā of the Divine Couple is the essence. So here I have told you about the process and the end goal. There is nothing more than this. You really need to know nothing more about spiritual life than this. (PBC 61)
āpana bhajana kathā nā kohibo yathā tathā
ihāte hoibo sāvadhāna |
nā koriho keho roṣa nā loiho keho doṣa
praṇamahu bhaktera caraṇa || 119 ||
I will not speak of my personal bhajan here and there in public. I will take care not to do so, and I hope no one will be angry with me because of it or find fault with me. I bow down to all the devotees' feet.” (Gaudiya)
Aqueles pertencentes a Gaudiya Sampradaya em outras Rasas que não Madhurya Parakiya Manjari Bhava recebem simultaneamente, pela graça de Sri Caitanya, um Svarupa de Manjari.
