The Glory of Gauḍīya Guru-paramparā

The first and general understanding of Śrī Kṛṣṇa tattva is that the jīva or soul is the eternal servant of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ hāya-kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 20.108).

When attachment and desire to serve Śrī Rādhā becomes more powerful than attachment to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then aiśvarya (the Lord’s majestic opulence) becomes covered.

The majestic aiśvarya mood of great awe and reverence is not manifest in the maidservants of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

Śrīla Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura explains in his Bhajana-rahasya, 5.10:

राधा-पाद वीणा कभु कृष्ण नहि मिले

rādhā-pāda vīṇā kabhu kṛṣṇa nahi mile

Without taking shelter of the lotus feet of Rādhā, one can never meet Kṛṣṇa.

राधिका दासीर कृष्ण सर्व-वेदे बोले

rādhikā dāsīra kṛṣṇa sarva-vede bole

The Vedic scriptures declare that Kṛṣṇa is the property of the māñjarīs, the maidservants of Śrī Rādhā.

The glorious position of Śrī Rādhā is revealed by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī:

জগত্-মোহন কৃষ্ণ, তাঞ্হার মোহিনী

jagat-mohana kṛṣṇa, tāñhāra mohinī

Caitanya Caritamṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.95

That very Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who attracts the entire universe with His beauty, qualities, pastimes, nature, opulence, sweetness, and other aspects, is Himself attracted and rendered helpless by the unpararalled and unsurpassed love of Vṛṣabhānu-nandini Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

গোবিন্দানন্দিনি রাধা, গোবিন্দ-মোহিনী
গোবিন্দ-সর্বস্ব, সর্ব-কান্তা-শিরোমণি

govindānandini rādhā, govinda-mohinī
govinda-sarvasva, sarva-kāntā-śiromaṇi

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.82

Śrī Rādhā is the one who gives pleasure to Govinda. The world is enchanted by Govinda but Govinda Himself is enchanted by Śrī Rādhā. Śrī Rādhā is everything for Govinda and She is the crest jewel of all His beautiful consorts.

The pleasure-giving potency of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s internal energy is called the hlādinī-śakti. The purest and most complete manifestation of the hlādinī-śakti is displayed by the Vraja gopīs, among whom Śrī Rādhā is the topmost crest jewel.

The essence of this pleasure giving potency or hlādinī is love of God, prema. The essence of prema or love of God is called bhāva. The ultimate manifestation of bhāva is mahābhāva. The embodiment of that exalted mahābhāva is Śrīmatī Rādhikā as is stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta [Ādi-līlā 4.69], mahābhāva-svarūpa śrī rādhā ṭhākurānī.

Of all the loving devotees and eternal intimate associates of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Rādhā’s transcendental loving service to Her beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the highest.

Therefore to become a maidservant, a kiṅkarī of Śrī Rādhā is the topmost cherished goal of all the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas in the line of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. This is the speciality and glory of our line, sva-priyacaraṇa-kinkarim kuru (Śrī Rādhā-Prārthanā 2).

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja reveals -Śrī Kīśorī’s maidservants (kinkaris) are always devoted to Her service. The word kainkarya expresses a mood of being ardent to serve and it means kim karomi, “What may I do? What service can I do?”

This mood of pure rādhā-dāsya is called māñjarī-bhāva. Sva-priyacaraṇa-kinkarim kuru, please make me a kiṅkarī at the lotus feet of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī birth after birth.

By the causeless mercy of the maidservants of Vraja, and by the causeless mercy of Śrī Guru, that māñjarī bhāva svarūpa, the mood of a māñjarī, is revealed in the heart of a sober sādhaka.

These topics should be understood soberly by a śiṣya (servant of Śrī Guru) who fully controls their senses.

In the practice of rāgānuga bhakti, the mādhurya feature of the Lord covers His aiśvarya feature. The sādhaka tastes the unlimited sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, qualities and pastimes. In this way, the sādhaka realizes Śrī Guru as a confidential associate of Śrī Rādhikā.

In vaidhī-bhakti, a disciple’s relationship with Śrī Guru is dominated by awe and reverence; he understands Śrī Guru is sākṣād-hari, non-different from Śrī Bhagavān.

साक्षाद्-धरित्वेन समस्त-शास्त्रैर्
उक्तस् तथा भाव्यत एव सद्भिऋ

sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiṛ

Śrī Gurvaṣṭakam 7

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura writes that all the scriptures and all the saints proclaim Śrī Guru to be sākṣād-hari, one who is endowed with the potency of Śrī Hari and is His direct representative. Many of the same qualities of the Lord automatically reside in Śrī Guru. This understanding of Śrī Guru is in vaidhī-bhakti.

किन्तु प्रभोर् यह् प्रिय एव तस्य
वन्दे गुरोह् श्री चरणारविन्द

kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh śrī caraṇāravinda

Śrī Gurvaṣṭakam 7

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura further reveals that Śrī Guru is very dear to the Lord because he is a very confidential servitor of the Lord. Śrī Guru is thus simultaneously different and non-different from Śrī Hari, acintya-bhedābheda-prakāśa-vigraha.

Such a personality is therefore most worshipable and I offer prayers unto his lotus feet.

Understanding Śrī Guru as a very dear and confidential servitor is a manifestation of rāgānuga-bhakti.

Following in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, a rāgānuga bhakta’s realization of Śrī Guru is as mukunda-preṣṭha, the nearest and dearest of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. His relationship with Śrī Guru will be marked by intimate service and friendship.

Śrīla Raghunātha Gosvāmī reveals in his Manah Śikṣā verse 2:

न धर्मं नाधर्मं श्रुति-गण-निरुक्तं किल कुरु
व्रजे राधा-कृष्ण-प्रचुर-परिचर्याम् इह तनु
शची-सूनुं नन्दीश्वर-पति-सुतत्वे गुरु-वरं
मुकुन्द-प्रेष्ठत्वे स्मर परम् अजस्रं ननु मनह्

na dharmaṃ nādharmaṃ śruti-gaṇa-niruktaṃ kila kuru
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pracura-paricaryām iha tanu
śacī-sūnuṃ nandīśvara-pati-sutatve guru-varaṃ
mukunda-preṣṭhatve smara param ajasraṃ nanu manah

O my dear mind! Please do not perform either the dharma or adharma mentioned in the śrutis or Vedas. Rather, you should render profuse loving service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-Yugala here in Vraja, for the śrutis have ascertained Them to be the highest principle of supreme worship and the Supreme Absolute Truth. Always meditate on Śacīnandana Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, richly endowed with the complexion and sentiments of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, as non-different from Śrī Nandanandana and always remember Śrīla Gurudeva as most dear to Śrī Mukunda.

Śrī Guru is mukunda preṣṭha, the nearest and dearest of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Mukunda means that personality who refutes the happiness of mukti (impersonal liberation) and gives premānanda to His dear devotee. It also means Mu, jubilant; mukha-padmaṃ kuṇḍa, whose face is like a kuṇḍa or lotus flower.

The rāga-bhakti sādhaka sees his guru, not as sākṣād-hari, but as an intimate friend of the Lord. The highest limit of friendship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa is manifest in the mood of the maidservants of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

In Bṛhat-bhakti-tattva-sāra, it is said,

राधा-सन्मुख-संसक्तिं सखी-सङ्ग-निवासिनीम्
ताम् अहं सततं वन्दे गुरु-रूपां परां सछेम्

rādhā-sanmukha-saṃsaktiṃ sakhī-saṅga-nivāsinīm
tām ahaṃ satataṃ vande guru-rūpāṃ parāṃ sachem

I forever worship my guru, who in his form as an exalted sakhī, is happily immersed in the company of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the other sakhīs.

It is described here that Gurudeva is a priya-sakhī, maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī previously described Śrī Guru as mukunda preṣṭha, as most dear to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has unlimited relationships with the Vrajavāsīs such as with Raktrak and Patrak who are servants of Nanda Bābā, in dāsya-rasa; with Subhal and Madhumaṅgal in sakhya-rasa, with Nanda and Yaśodā in vātsalya-rasa and with the sakhīs in mādhuryarasa such as Lalitā, Viśākhā, Campakalata and so on. Amongst them all, Śrīmatī Rādhikā is most near and dear to Kṛṣṇa. Of all the gopīs in Vraja who have madhura (loving service and devotion in the conjugal mood), Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s madhura-rasa is of the highest limit.

Śrī Rādhikā has five types of sakhīs or dear friends. Among them, the prāṇa sakhīs and nitya sakhīs are very near and dear to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. These dear friends are called “māñjarīs”.

The position of the māñjarīs or young friends of Śrīmatī Rādhikā is given in Śrī Caitainya Caritāmṛta:

রাধার স্বরূপ—কৃষ্ণ-প্রেম-কল্পলতা
সখী-গণ হয তার পল্লব-পুষ্প-পাতা

rādhāra svarūpa—kṛṣṇa-prema-kalpalatā
sakhī-gaṇa haya tāra pallava-puṣpa-pātā

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 8.209

By nature Śrī Rādhā is like a creeper of kṛṣṇa-prema and the sakhīs (māñjarīs) are the leaves, flowers and twigs of that creeper. When the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is sprinkled on that creeper, the leaves, flowers and twigs experience a happines millions times greater than if they were to be directly sprinkled with this nectar. The māñjarīs have much greater affection towards Rādhikā than towards Kṛṣṇa (bhāva-ullāsa rati, tat-tad bhāva icchāmāyī); thus they are known as Rādhā-sneha-adhika, and because Śrīmatī Rādhikā loves them so much, they are also very near and dear to Kṛṣṇa.

yat-kiṅkarīṣu bahuśah khalu kāku-vāṇī,
nityaṃ parasya puruṣasya śikhaṇḍa-mauleh

श्री राधा-रस-सुधा-निधि ८

Śrī Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi 8

Śrīla Prabhodhānanda Sarasvatī, another great rasika ācārya in our line, has mercifully revealed in the above verse, how Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Enjoyer who wears a peacock feather in His hair, who is the source of all incarnations, falls at the feet of Śrī Rādhikā’s young maidservants, the māñjarīs, begging them to allow Him to meet with Śrī Rādhikā.

Thus Śrī Guru is celebrated as mukunda preṣṭha, one very dear to Mukunda (Kṛṣṇa), by Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

The realization that Śrī Guru is a maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhikā is essential for the rāgānuga sādhaka. Under the guidance of his guru-sakhī or guru-māñjarī, at the appropriate time, Śrī Guru reveals that māñjarībhāva in the heart of his qualified disciple. The sādhaka thus remembers the aṣṭa-kāliya-līlā or eight-fold daily pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, meditating on his Gurudeva as a māñjarī serving in those pastimes under the affectionate guidance of Śrīla Rūpa Māñjarī.

There is no room for mental speculation, imagination or fantasy in this factual bona fide process of rāga-mārga.

When the sādhaka achieves qualification, the manifest guru will accordingly instruct him on his service to the Divine Couple in his spiritual body.

The rāgānuga sādhaka while remaining in this world meditates internally on the service given to him by Śrī Gurudeva; as Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura prayed in his Gīta Mālā:

barane tadit, basa taravali, kamalā māñjarī nāma
sade bara barsa, bayasa satata, svananda-sukhada-dhāma

My color will be lightning, my garments a host of stars, my name Kamalā Māñjarī, my age eternally twelve and a half years, my home Svānanda-sukhada.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is revealing his own siddha svarūpa as Kamalā Māñjarī and her eternal service, which is, among other services, to supply camphor and betel nuts to the Divine Couple. In the same way, meditating on his eternal form and service, the sādhaka will receive the mercy of Yogamāyā Devī and one day enters into the eternal pastimes of the Divine Couple. In due course of time, these will be revealed in the pure heart of the disciple, by the causeless mercy of Śrī Guru.

Śrī Guru is manifest here with us in this world and simultaneously in the spiritual realm is serving Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the Divine Couple Śrī Śrī Rādhā-kṛṣṇa. One may question how can Śrī Guru be present in this world and also be serving in the spiritual world? All this is possible by the execution of the inconceivable potency and mercy of Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, the unified form of the Divine Couple. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains in his Jaiva Dharma that when a soul is performing sādhana in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this exceptionally fortunate Kālī-yuga, at the time of achieving perfection, that soul will attain two svarūpas, that is two eternal forms -one will be eternally present in the pastimes of Mahāprabhu and one will serve in the nitya-līlā of the Divine Couple Śrī Śrī Rādhā-kṛṣṇa. In the same way, Śrīla Gurudeva can be present in the material world in one svarūpa and simultaneously be serving in the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa conjugal.

When the sādhaka of rāgānuga bhakti is absorbed in his internal meditation, a state of samādhi or trance is attained. In his internal spiritual body, he enters into the eternal pastimes of the spiritual realm while still situated in his manifest form in the material world. This is the speciality of one totally immersed in rāgānuga bhakti. This cannot be achieved by one who is still a prisoner of his material mind and senses. If a homeless person who is sleeping on a torn mattress, dreams that he is the president of a country, does that make him the president? No, as this is just a dream of a conditioned soul. One should be very careful not to think and mistake the meditation or spiritual trance of a fully liberated devotee, who is not under the influence of the material modes of nature, to be an illusion, a dream or an imagination. By the mercy of Śrī Guru, the qualified devotee meditates on his eternal, spiritual form situated in a grove or kuñja in Vraja and serves the Divine Couple under the guidance of his guru-sakhī. This topmost reality is not a wishful fantasy, a dream or an illusion in the realm of the mundane world. Pure, spontaneous devotional service is eternal and transcendental in nature. The pure spiritual desires of the sādhaka become an eternal reality by the mercy of Śrī Guru and Śrī Guru-paramparā.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja explains that Śrī Guru is like a desire-tree. By his causeless mercy, Śrī Guru causes the spiritual svarūpa or identity of the disciple to appear within the disciple’s heart. Having full faith in Śrī Guru’s words, the sādhaka whole-heartedly performs bhajana (devotional service) with firm niṣṭhā (steadiness), and by the mercy of the hlādinī-śakti (the spiritual pleasure potency), he fully realizes his ultimate svarūpa or identity. The sādhaka then intently engages in the service of his most cherished Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the skillful enjoyer of pastimes. Śrī Guru will instruct everything necessary to the cent-percent surrendered disciple, truly rewarding him spiritually, far beyond any expectations.

By his unalloyed sincere service to his Gurudeva, the devotee can understand how Śrī Guru is simultaneously serving both in this world and in the spiritual world. He therefore assists Śrī Guru at all times. This uninterrupted selfless service or assistance to his Gurudeva is the natural cause of the auspicious manifestation of his spiritual svarūpa or form.

In the practice of rāgānuga bhakti the conception that Śrī Guru is Kṛṣṇa rūpa and svarūpa, the direct manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, will be covered.

The sādhaka will continuously serve Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in the groves, the kuñjas of Vṛndāvana under the guidance of his Gurudeva who is Mukunda preṣṭha, the dear maidservant of Rādhikā.

This conception is the essence and highest understanding of Śrī Guru Tattva and Śrī Guru-sevaka.