Siddhi Lālasā (Part 3, Songs 7-10)
Siddhi Lālasā, Part I (songs 1-3)
Siddhi Lālasā, Part II (songs 4-6)
[7] --- The Glories of Sri Radha Kund
শ্রী রূপ মঞ্জরী কবে মধুর বচনে
রাধাকুণ্ড মহিমা বর্ণিবে সংগোপনে (১)
śrī rūpa mañjarī kabe madhura bacane
rādhākuṇḍa mahimā barṇibe saṁgopane (1)
When will Sri Rupa Manjari speak with such sweet words
explaining to me in private the glories of Radha Kund?
এ চৌদ্দ ভুবনোপরি বৈকুণ্ঠ নিলয়
তদপেক্ষা মথুরা পরম শ্রেষ্ঠ হয় (২)
e caudda bhubanopari baikuṇṭha nilaẏa
tad-apekṣā mathurā parama śreṣṭha haẏa (2)
"Beyond these fourteen worlds is the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha.
But greater than is Mathura, is the topmost and supreme abode.
মথুরমণ্ডলে রাসলীলা স্থান যথা
বৃন্দাবন শ্রেষ্ঠ অতি শুন মম কথা (৩)
mathura-maṇḍale rāsa-līlā sthāna yathā
bṛndābana śreṣṭha ati śuna mama kathā (3)
"Within the region of Mathura is the place where the rāsa-līlā took place,
That is Vrindavan, which is the best of all, listen as I tell you.
কৃষ্ণলীলাস্থল গোবর্ধন শ্রেষ্ঠতর
রাধাকুণ্ড শ্রেষ্ঠতম সর্বশক্তিধর (৪)
kṛṣṇa-līlā-sthala gobardhana śreṣṭhatara
rādhā-kuṇḍa śreṣṭhatama sarba-śakti-dhara (4)
"Superior amongst the places Krishna performs His pastimes is Govardhan.
And the best place there is Radha Kund, which possesses all potencies.
রাধাকুণ্ডমহিমা ত করিয়া শ্রবণ
লালয়িত হয়ে আমি পড়িব তখন (৫)
rādhā-kuṇḍa-mahimā ta kariẏā śrabaṇa
lālaẏita haẏe āmi paḏiba takhana (5)
"Whenever I hear the glories of this sacred Radha Kund,
I am immediately seized with such eager yearning that I may faint."
সখীর চরণে কবে করিব অকুতি
সখী কৃপা করি দিবে স্বারসিকী স্থিতি (৬)
sakhīra caraṇe kabe kariba akuti
sakhī kṛpā kari' dibe svārasikī sthiti (6)
When will I beg insistently to one of the sakhis
to mercifully bestow upon me my permanent, natural situation?
Rupa Goswami's verse, on which this is based:
vaikuṇṭhāj janito varā madhu purī tatrāpi rāsotsavād
vṛndāraṇyam udāra pāṇi ramaṇāt tatrāpi govardhanaḥ |
rādhā kuṇḍam ihāpi gokula pateḥ premāmṛtāplāvanāt
kuryād asya virājato giri taṭe sevāṁ vivekī na kaḥ ||9||
The holy place known as Mathurā is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathura is the transcendental forest of Vrindavan because of Krishna's rāsa līlā pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrindavan is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Ṣrī Krishna and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Ṣrī Rādhā Kund stands supreme, for it is flooded over with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Ṣrī Krishna. Where, then, is that intelligent Person who is unwilling to serve this divine Rādhā Kund, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill? (Upadeśāmṛta 9)
[8] A description of the Thakur's Siddha-deha (ekādaśa bhāva)
বরণে তড়িত, বাস তারাবলী,
কমল মঞ্জরী নাম
সাড়ে বার বর্ষ, বয়স সতত,
স্বানন্দসুখদধাম (১)
baraṇe taḏita, bāsa tārābalī,
kamala mañjarī nāma
sāḏe bāra barṣa, baẏasa satata,
sbānanda-sukhada-dhāma
My complexion is like lightning, my dress is covered in stars.
My name is Kamala Manjari.
My age is twelve-and-a-half, never changing
and I reside in my home at Svananda Sukhada Kunj.
কর্পূর সেবা, ললিতার গণ,
রাধা যূথেশ্বরী হন
মমেশ্বরী-নাথ, শ্রী নন্দ-নন্দন,
আমার পরাণ ধন (২)
karpūra sebā, lalitāra gaṇa,
rādhā yūtheśbarī hana
mameśvarī-nātha, śrī nanda-nandana,
āmāra parāṇa dhana (2)
I render the service of preparing the camphor within the assembly of Lalita Sakhi, of whom Sri Radha is the leader and the center of all their activities. And the Lord of my mistress Radha is the delightful Son of Nanda Maharaja, Who is also the treasure of my life.
শ্রী রূপ মঞ্জরী, প্রভৃতির সম,
যুগল সেবায আশ
অবশ্য সে-রূপ, সেবা পাব আমি,
পরাকাষ্ট সুবিশ্বাস (৩)
śrī rūpa mañjarī, prabhṛtira sama,
yugala sebāya āśa
abaśya se-rūpa, sebā pāba āmi,
parākāṣṭha subiśvāsa (3)
I always desire to execute conjugal service similar to that which is rendered by Sri Rupa Manjari and her associates. Thus I will certainly get utmost conviction and faith.
কবে বা এ দাসী, সংসিদ্ধি লভিবে,
রাধা-কুণ্ডে বাস করি
রাধা-কুণ্ড-সেবা, সতত করিবে,
পূর্ব স্মৃতি পরিহরি (৪)
kabe bā e dāsī, saṁsiddhi labhibe,
rādhā-kuṇḍe bāsa kari
rādhā-kuṇḍa-sebā, satata karibe,
pūrba smṛti parihari (4)
When will this maidservant thus attain such complete spiritual perfection, living by the banks of Sri Radha Kund? I will eternally serve Radha and Krishna, and all of my previous memories will be automatically forgotten.
Siddhi Lālasā, Part II (songs 4-6)
[7] --- The Glories of Sri Radha Kund
শ্রী রূপ মঞ্জরী কবে মধুর বচনে
রাধাকুণ্ড মহিমা বর্ণিবে সংগোপনে (১)
śrī rūpa mañjarī kabe madhura bacane
rādhākuṇḍa mahimā barṇibe saṁgopane (1)
When will Sri Rupa Manjari speak with such sweet words
explaining to me in private the glories of Radha Kund?
এ চৌদ্দ ভুবনোপরি বৈকুণ্ঠ নিলয়
তদপেক্ষা মথুরা পরম শ্রেষ্ঠ হয় (২)
e caudda bhubanopari baikuṇṭha nilaẏa
tad-apekṣā mathurā parama śreṣṭha haẏa (2)
"Beyond these fourteen worlds is the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha.
But greater than is Mathura, is the topmost and supreme abode.
মথুরমণ্ডলে রাসলীলা স্থান যথা
বৃন্দাবন শ্রেষ্ঠ অতি শুন মম কথা (৩)
mathura-maṇḍale rāsa-līlā sthāna yathā
bṛndābana śreṣṭha ati śuna mama kathā (3)
"Within the region of Mathura is the place where the rāsa-līlā took place,
That is Vrindavan, which is the best of all, listen as I tell you.
কৃষ্ণলীলাস্থল গোবর্ধন শ্রেষ্ঠতর
রাধাকুণ্ড শ্রেষ্ঠতম সর্বশক্তিধর (৪)
kṛṣṇa-līlā-sthala gobardhana śreṣṭhatara
rādhā-kuṇḍa śreṣṭhatama sarba-śakti-dhara (4)
"Superior amongst the places Krishna performs His pastimes is Govardhan.
And the best place there is Radha Kund, which possesses all potencies.
রাধাকুণ্ডমহিমা ত করিয়া শ্রবণ
লালয়িত হয়ে আমি পড়িব তখন (৫)
rādhā-kuṇḍa-mahimā ta kariẏā śrabaṇa
lālaẏita haẏe āmi paḏiba takhana (5)
"Whenever I hear the glories of this sacred Radha Kund,
I am immediately seized with such eager yearning that I may faint."
সখীর চরণে কবে করিব অকুতি
সখী কৃপা করি দিবে স্বারসিকী স্থিতি (৬)
sakhīra caraṇe kabe kariba akuti
sakhī kṛpā kari' dibe svārasikī sthiti (6)
When will I beg insistently to one of the sakhis
to mercifully bestow upon me my permanent, natural situation?
Rupa Goswami's verse, on which this is based:
vaikuṇṭhāj janito varā madhu purī tatrāpi rāsotsavād
vṛndāraṇyam udāra pāṇi ramaṇāt tatrāpi govardhanaḥ |
rādhā kuṇḍam ihāpi gokula pateḥ premāmṛtāplāvanāt
kuryād asya virājato giri taṭe sevāṁ vivekī na kaḥ ||9||
The holy place known as Mathurā is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathura is the transcendental forest of Vrindavan because of Krishna's rāsa līlā pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrindavan is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Ṣrī Krishna and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Ṣrī Rādhā Kund stands supreme, for it is flooded over with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Ṣrī Krishna. Where, then, is that intelligent Person who is unwilling to serve this divine Rādhā Kund, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill? (Upadeśāmṛta 9)
[8] A description of the Thakur's Siddha-deha (ekādaśa bhāva)
বরণে তড়িত, বাস তারাবলী,
কমল মঞ্জরী নাম
সাড়ে বার বর্ষ, বয়স সতত,
স্বানন্দসুখদধাম (১)
baraṇe taḏita, bāsa tārābalī,
kamala mañjarī nāma
sāḏe bāra barṣa, baẏasa satata,
sbānanda-sukhada-dhāma
My complexion is like lightning, my dress is covered in stars.
My name is Kamala Manjari.
My age is twelve-and-a-half, never changing
and I reside in my home at Svananda Sukhada Kunj.
কর্পূর সেবা, ললিতার গণ,
রাধা যূথেশ্বরী হন
মমেশ্বরী-নাথ, শ্রী নন্দ-নন্দন,
আমার পরাণ ধন (২)
karpūra sebā, lalitāra gaṇa,
rādhā yūtheśbarī hana
mameśvarī-nātha, śrī nanda-nandana,
āmāra parāṇa dhana (2)
I render the service of preparing the camphor within the assembly of Lalita Sakhi, of whom Sri Radha is the leader and the center of all their activities. And the Lord of my mistress Radha is the delightful Son of Nanda Maharaja, Who is also the treasure of my life.
শ্রী রূপ মঞ্জরী, প্রভৃতির সম,
যুগল সেবায আশ
অবশ্য সে-রূপ, সেবা পাব আমি,
পরাকাষ্ট সুবিশ্বাস (৩)
śrī rūpa mañjarī, prabhṛtira sama,
yugala sebāya āśa
abaśya se-rūpa, sebā pāba āmi,
parākāṣṭha subiśvāsa (3)
I always desire to execute conjugal service similar to that which is rendered by Sri Rupa Manjari and her associates. Thus I will certainly get utmost conviction and faith.
কবে বা এ দাসী, সংসিদ্ধি লভিবে,
রাধা-কুণ্ডে বাস করি
রাধা-কুণ্ড-সেবা, সতত করিবে,
পূর্ব স্মৃতি পরিহরি (৪)
kabe bā e dāsī, saṁsiddhi labhibe,
rādhā-kuṇḍe bāsa kari
rādhā-kuṇḍa-sebā, satata karibe,
pūrba smṛti parihari (4)
When will this maidservant thus attain such complete spiritual perfection, living by the banks of Sri Radha Kund? I will eternally serve Radha and Krishna, and all of my previous memories will be automatically forgotten.
Again, this is a direct summary of the eleven characteristics of the siddha-deha as given in the parampara of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur and which he received from his Gurudeva at the time of his initiation. The name Kamala Manjari was also given to him at that time. In Hari-nāma-cintāmani, chapter 15, the Thakur makes it clear that one receives these eleven characteristics from the guru, and he also reveals his own identity there, as he does here.
sambandha vayasa nāma rūpa |
yūtha veśa ājñā-vāsa sevā parākāṣṭhāśvāsa
pālya-dāsī ei aparūpa ||58||
Needed to cultivate the most brilliant love for Krishna are eleven characteristics:
relationship, age, name, physical appearance, membership in a group, specific dress,
a mission, an address, a specific service, the aspiration for an ultimate goal,
and the inner identification as a protected maidservant. (HNC 15.58)
Bhaktivinoda Thakur's comment: One whose natural tendency is to cultivate the conjugal rasa should definitely adopt the female form and attitude of a gopi in Vrindavan. No living entity can enter the conjugal mood of Vraja in a masculine mood or body. Only when one has adopted the identity of a gopi can she truly worship Krishna. This identity is composed of eleven aspects. Thus only one who has adopted these eleven attitudes can be said to have taken a gopi identity. They are:
1. sambandha (a specific relationship with Radharani in Vrindavan),
2. vayas (age, such as 12 years, 6 months, 10 days),
3. nāma (a name, such as Kamala Manjari),
4. rūpa (bodily appearance, usually expressed in terms of bodily hue, such as the color of lightning),
5. yūtha-praveśa (entry into a particular group under the command of one of Radharani’s intimate friends, such as Lalita),
6. veśa (a dress of a particular style and color, such as a blue cloth covered in stars),
7. ājñā (a specific instruction),
8. vāsa-sthāna (a place of residence, such as Svananda-sukhada Kunj),
9. sevā (a specific service, such as providing the Divine Couple with camphor),
10. parākāṣṭhā (the ambition to attain a particular blessing, such as being directly asked to do something by Sri Rupa Manjari),
11. pālya-dāsī-bhāva (the mood of a completely dependent maidservant, under the tutelage of one of Radharani’s sakhis).
Whatever one’s identity in this world, one should internally adopt a spiritual identity in these eleven aspects and worship Radha and Krishna directly in that form.
[9] The Mood of a Manjari
বৃষভানু-সুত-চরণ সেবনে,
হইব যে পাল্য-দাসী
শ্রী রাধার সুখ, সতত সাধনে,
রহিব আমি প্রযাসী (১)
bṛṣabhānu-suta-caraṇa sebane,
ha̮iba ye pālya-dāsī
śrī rādhāra sukha, satata sādhane,
rahiba āmi prayāsī (1)
For serving the lotus feet of the charming daughter of
King Vrsabhanu, I will become a sheltered maidservant of Her
maidservant. Indeed, I will live only for the happiness of
Sri Radha, and I will always endeavor to increase Her joy.
শ্রী রাধার সুখে, কৃষ্ণের যে সুখ,
জানিব মনেতে আমি
রাধাপদ ছাড়ি, শ্রীকৃষ্ণ সঙ্গমে,
কভু না হইব কামী (২)
śrī rādhāra sukhe, kṛṣṇera ye sukha,
jāniba manete āmi
rādhā-pada chāḏi', śrī kṛṣṇa-saṅgame,
kabhu nā ha̮iba kāmī (2)
That Krishna feels happiness only when Radha is happy,
I will understand within my heart.
I will thus never, ever desire to abandon Radhika's lotus feet
to enjoy with Krishna alone.
সখী-গণ মম, পরম সুহৃত্,
যুগল-প্রেমের গুরু
তদনুগা হোয়ে, সেবিব রাধার,
চরণ কলপতরু (৩)
sakhī-gaṇa mama, parama suhṛt,
yugala-premera guru
tadanugā hoẏe, sebiba rādhāra,
caraṇa kalapataru (3)
All the sakhis are my best friends,
and they are my gurus in Radha and Krishna's love.
Following them, I will serve the lotus feet of Radha,
which are just like desire-fulfilling trees.
রাধা-পক্ষ ছাড়ি, যে জন সে জন,
যে ভাবে সে ভাবে থাকে
আমি ত রাধিকা-পক্ষপাতি সদা,
কভু নাহি হেরি তাকে (৪)
rādhā-pakṣa chāḏi, ye jana se jana,
ye bhābe se bhābe thāke
āmi ta rādhikā-pakṣapāti sadā,
kabhu nāhi heri take (4)
Whoever abandons Radha's side, whoever she is
may do as she pleases, that is not my business.
As for me, I am forever partial to Sri Radhika
and will never even look upon such people.
[10] The Ultimate Perfection
শ্রী কৃষ্ণ-বিরহে, রাধিকার দশা,
আমি ত সহিতে নারি
যুগল-মিলন সুখের কারণ,
জীবন ছাড়িতে পারি (১)
śrī kṛṣṇa-birahe, rādhikāra daśā,
āmi ta sahite nāri
yugala-milana sukhera kāraṇa,
jībana chāḏite pāri (1)
Whenever Radhika suffers in separation from Krishna,
I am unable to tolerate her condition.
But when they meet, that is the one source of my happiness
I could simply die from all the joy.
রাধিকাচরণ, ত্যাজিয়া আমার,
ক্ষণেকে প্রলয় হয়
রাধিকার তরে, শত-বার মরি,
সে দুঃখ আমার সয় (২)
rādhikā-caraṇa, tyājiẏā āmāra,
kṣaṇeke pralaẏa haẏa
rādhikāra tare, śata-bāra mari,
se duḥkha āmāra saẏa (2)
If I am separated from Sri Radhika's lotus feet,
I become completely devastated in that very moment.
For her sake, I am ready to die hundreds of times,
I will tolerate such distress for her sake.
এ হেন রাধার চরণযুগলে,
পরিচর্য্যা পাব কবে
হাহা ব্রজজন, মোরে দয়া করি,
কবে ব্রজবনে লবে (৩)
e hena rādhāra caraṇa-yugale,
paricaryyā pāba kabe
hāhā braja-jana, more daẏā kari,
kabe braja-bane labe (3)
When will I be able to serve such a divine pair of lotus feet as Radha's? Alas, I beg you all, oh residents of Vraja, please be merciful to me now! When will you take me int the transcendental forests of Vrindavan?
বিলাস মঞ্জরী, অনঙ্গ মঞ্জরী,
শ্রী রূপ মঞ্জরী আর
আমাকে তুলিয়া, লহ নিজ পদে,
দেহ মোরে সিদ্ধি সার (৪)
bilāsa mañjarī, anaṅga mañjarī,
śrī rūpa mañjarī āra
āmāke tuliẏā, laha nija pade,
deha more siddhi sāra (4)
Oh Vilasa Manjari! Oh Ananga Manjari! Oh Rupa Manjari!
Please lift me up and bring me close to your own lotus feet,
thus bestowing upon me the quintessence
of eternal spiritual perfection!
Again Vilasa Manjari and Ananga Manjari are the siddha identities of Bipin Bihari Goswami and Jahnava Mata, respectively.
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