3.3 The superiority of the Radha-snehadhika sakhis

In the Ananda-candrika commentary on Ujjvala-nilamani 2.15, Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada writes that although all sakhis find their own happiness by arranging for the pleasure of the nayika in union with her Lord, still a general division can be made of two categories from amongst them.

They are
1) those whose bodies are extremely attractive to Krishna due to their having salient qualities of love, beauty and coquettishness, etc., and
(2) others who are somewhat inferior in these respects and so are not so attractive to the Lord's romantic aspirations.

Thus, girls of the former category may occasionally, at the behest of their friend and mistress (yuthesvari), desire for erotic dalliance with Krishna, for his pleasure. These sakhis include Lalita and the other parama-preshtha-sakhis. The second category of sakhi, however, never entertain such aspirations. They are Kasturi and the other nitya- sakhis. 125

For an example, we can look to the Vrindavana-mahimamrita by Prabodhananda Sarasvati:

One day one of Srimati Radharani's handmaidens whose exclusive desire is to relish the flavour of serving her lotus feet and who never thinks for a moment, not even in dreams, that she would have any kind of intimate contact with Krishna, was accosted by him who shocked her by tearing away at her blouse and uncovering her bosom. She started crying, "No, no, what are you doing?" while Srimati Radharani, my very life and soul, stood by and watched, laughing. 126

The nitya-sakhis have a certain reward for their unique spirit of abnegation, something which is withheld even from Radharani's dearest comrades like Lalita and Visakha.
That reward is described for us by Raghunatha Dasa Gosvamin in Vraja-vilasa-stava:

I take shelter of the handmaidens of the Queen of Vrindavan,
who are led by Sri Rupa Manjari
and who lovingly satisfy her
by offering hazelnuts and other condiments, massaging her feet, bringing fragrant water and arranging trysts with her gallant
and have thus become most dear to her.

They are thus allowed to enter the sceneof the Divine Couple's most intimate affairs
without the slightest discomfiture, a reward not given even to her dearest friends. 127

This is the area where the manjaris are unique and distinctive.

Ranganamala and her friends, though they are themselves dear friends (priya-sakhi ), either on their own initiative or at the behest of Visakha and her friends, sometimes behave towards the Ever-youthful Couple of Vraja just as if they were maidservants. Behaving shyly, they do this in order to obtain the highest ecstasy by listening to their extremely funny conversations as well as to gain their most cherished service (as an expression of their love). 128

Similarly, in the Krishna-bhavanamrita, it is said about Rupa Manjari and the other handmaidens of Radharani that one sparkle of whose toenails is brighter than a flash of lightning, they are certainly qualified in all respects, whether in talents or in coquettishness, to become yuthesvaris or nayikas themselves, and yet they are completely devoid of any attraction for such glories. They would much rather bathe constantly in the nectarean ocean of Radha's service. 129

A further special feature of the nitya-sakhis type of manjaris is that just as Srimati Radharani and the other yuthesvaris are spontaneously and instinctively filled with an intense thirst to relish the flavour of Krishna's form, taste, fragrance, touch and sound, so similarly the manjaris are spontaneously and instinctively attracted to both Radha's and Krishna's qualities. To what extent and how they are so attracted can be explained as follows.

The nature of madhura-rasa is clear: the gopis want to please Krishna by offering their own bodies. Even Brahmaa prays to be able to drink "again and again from the cup of his senses the honey-like nectar of Krishna's lotus feet." 130

According to Caitanya-caritamrita, "the nectar of Krishna's lotus feet" means his direct bodily contact. 131

From this we can understand that the nayikas serve Krishna by directly relinquishing their bodies to him- that is their qualification for being in the madhura rasa.
The manjaris, on the other hand, are unenthusiastic about such type of service. They never contemplate such a possibility, even in their dreams. Yet, the question may be asked, if there is no possibility of madhura rasa or romance without physical intimacy, how can the platonic spirit of the manjaris be graced with the name of samartha rati or kama-rupa bhakti?

In answer to this question, it should be said that the object of the manjaris' affection is the Spiritual Couple of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna together. Therefore,

the perfection of the manjaris' power of sight and the thirst of their eyes
is to see that couple locked in embrace.
The craving of their ears
is to hear the spiritual Couple's sweet murmuring conversations and that is the fulfillment of their sense of hearing.
The desire of their tongues
is to relish the flavour of the condiments touched by the spiritual Couple's lips,
and in that way their sense of taste attains perfection.
Similarly, the sweet fragrance that arises at the spiritual Couple's union is the object craved for by their nostrils and its experience is the fulfillment of their sense of smell.
The tactile sense finds plenitude in massaging the Holy Couple's feet and bodies, and this is the only object of their sense of touch.

In this way, it may be said that of the four types of sambhoga (intimate contact) mentioned by Jiva Gosvamin (i.e., by sight, conversation, touch and intimate contact) the first three are present in the manjaris to some extent.
The question is, how do they experience samprayoga, or intimate contact? We get some light on this point from the following passage from the Govinda-lilamrita:

Just as the moon enlivens the lilies, so Krishna is the bright moon who enlivens the lily-like hearts of the residents of Vrindavan. His pleasure-giving potency is personified in Radha, who is like a creeper whose fruits are prema.
Her girlfriends are like the unlimited branches, leaves and flowers which expand out from her self and are thus equal to her. For this reason, when that winding creeper of love is watered with the heavenly potion of Krishna's sporting activities, then the leaves and flowers (the sakhis) find hundreds of times more pleasure than if they were themselves to be sprinkled this seems quite normal. 132

Just as the all-pervading, omnipotent Supreme God Almighty needs his majestic spiritual potencies to become fulfilled, similarly, the love of Radha and Krishna, though very elevated, self-manifest and joyful by nature, does not find fulfillment for even a moment without the presence of her girlfriends, the sakhis and manjaris. What person, genuinely learned in the science of sacred rapture, would not therefore take shelter of them? 133

Prabodhananda Sarasvati also states in the Vrindavana-mahimamrita,

The pleasure felt by the eyes of the sakhi alone in seeing Radha merged in the ocean of love for Krishna makes all the Supreme Lord's festive arrangements for his own happiness seem insignificant. 134

Another quote from the Govinda-lilamrita (11.137) of Krishnadasa Kaviraja illustrates the
power of the vicarious pleasure of the manjaris:

If Krishna should touch Srimati Radharani, then lo and behold! her sakhis start to tremble, they sweat and their body hairs stand on end and tears well in their eyes. And if Krishna should carefully sip the spirituous liquor of Radha's lips, it is they who become intoxicated! This is truly something wonderful. 135

In his commentary on this verse, Srila Vishvanatha Cakravartin observes that this verse contains the rhetorical embellishment (alamkara) known as asangati or "non sequitur."
Asangati is defined as arising when causes are described as being inflicted on one entity have their effects reproduced in a completely distinct one. Here, the Lord is touching and kissing Radha, but the effects of trembling and intoxication are described taking place in the bodies of the sakhis. 136

Another verse can be quoted here from the Ahnika-kaumudi of Kavi Karnapura where Krishna says:

O doe-eyed beauties!
When your girlfriends are absent,
you may have to look in a mirror
before you can say whether you are happy or sad.
They reflect every mood of yours
they perform all the services of a looking glass!

When tears fall from your eyes they also cry;
when you are excited, their hairs stand on end;
when you laugh they also do so;
and when you become depressed, they also look down-hearted. 137

In the Krishna-bhavanamrita, there is another verse which illustrates the point:

Radha's handmaids are unable to maintain their lives if they cannot see the pastimes of the beautiful Divine Couple; with great eagerness they had gathered about the window of the forest cottage in which Radha and Krishna were locked in embrace and one of them said, "Friends, what an amazing and wonderful situation is this they have gotten themselves into." 138

If the sakhis can feel intoxicated when Krishna kisses Radharani, then it is not altogether surprising if they get an even greater pleasure by watching the intimate activities of the Lord and his mistress than they would from their own. The reason for this is that they are not lovers in the mundane sense, but are supreme, the transcendental Lord and his celestial mistress.

Krishna is romantic love personified. He has appeared in his form as the king of sacred rapture (rasa-raja) and thus he attracts all the minds of everyone in the universe, including his very self. Srimati Radharani is the supremely worshipable personification of maha-bhava, the ultimate achievement in the domain of prema. Verily she is the embodiment of prema herself, for her entire body is vibrant with pure devotional love for Krishna.

Not only are Radha and Krishna transcendental, but so also are the sakhis and manjaris. In
the Krishna-bhavanamrita they are described in the following way:

These handmaidens of Radharani are unexcelled in this universe for their beauty is without bounds. The rays coming from the nails of their toes defeats the glory of the lightning bolt. Each one of them is an incarnation of Radharani's expertise in loving dalliance and thus competent to herself become a competitor for Krishna's affections. Yet such desires do not enter their minds for even a moment because they are completely desireless. In this way, they are eligible to eternally dive into the ambrosial sea of service to her. 139

Without bhava or love-feeling, the ecstasies of sacred rapture cannot be experienced. Without love-feeling, the ecstasies of love cannot be appreciated.

To relish Krishna's sweetness, one must become similar to him in quality,
otherwise it will not be possible.

Just as Radharani's competent affection is not separable from her identity, eternal and self-manifest, so too the sakhis and manjaris have love for the Divine Couple which is similarly uncaused, self- manifest and directly produced from their own identities. This is beyond normal experience and thus inconceivable. "Those things which are inconceivable are not accessible by mental speculation." 140

The actions of the Lord are supra-mundane, its ways and means are all transcendental; thus the unfortunate hear about them and even so develop no faith in him.

Sometimes the manjaris even faint from the ecstasies they feel when they watch the intimate pastimes of the Divine Couple through the spaces between the forest vines.
Rupa Gosvamin has described such an instance in the Nikunja-rahasya-stava ("Praises of the secrets of the forest-bower")141:

O mind! remember Radha and Krishna, shining in the groves of Vrindavana. Their sakhis, saturated with love, fasten their eyes on them through the branches of the forest grove where they are expanding their work of love in wondrous variety; and overwhelmed with ecstasy, they fall to the ground in a swoon. 142

Sometimes Radharani makes arrangements for the manjaris to meet Krishna to be enjoyed by him; but even this intercession on her part does not shake their indifference to such direct erotic union with the Lord.
Srila Rupa Gosvamin gives an example in the Ujjvala-nilamani, which Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada expands upon as follows:

One day, Srimati Radharani arranged through another of her friends for Mani Manjari to have a rendez-vous with the Lord in some forest glen. That friend, after trying persuasively to convince the reluctant manjari finally returned to Srimati's side in failure. She then said to her, "Dear friend, you told me to try and I did. I went to Mani Manjari and tried to tempt her in many ways.

I said,'My friend, I don't believe there is any thrill in this entire universe that can compare with the ecstasy of Krishna's embrace; you really should try it one time. Lalita and the other sakhis sometimes have trysts with him, why shouldn't you, just this once? They can act as both friends and, occasionally, independently as Krishna's mistresses too. There's nothing wrong with it, why don't you be like that too? Otherwise, you become too insignificant!'

"Radhe, after hearing these arguments of mine, Mani answered me by saying,
'Friend, when Radharani enjoys the pleasure of Krishna's company, then I find the happiness I feel is greater than that which I could gain by doing anything for myself at all.'

Therefore, dear Radhe, I am completely convinced that her heart is entirely pure because despite all temptations and clever tricks on my part, she showed not the slightest urge for going for a meeting with Krishna." 143

Sometimes Krishna also personally tries to seduce the manjaris and meets with similar failure. One day one of Radharani's girlfriends was picking flowers for the purpose of making a garland. Sri Krishna chanced upon her at that time and immediately proposed to her, "O beautiful one, why not perfect your life by passing a few moments with me in this forest grove?' as well as saying many other sweet and enticing words. The bewildered girl put aside all her feminine tactics and arguments and very simply said to the Lord,

Govinda, I have only one desire:
to have the ever-greater intelligence
to be able to serve you and Radha
on the field of your ever-expanding, ecstatic romance
so that you experience newer and newer bliss;
for by such service, unlimited gopis have attained the very limit of the fulfillment of their desires. Therefore, oh Lord of Gokula, my mind
never becomes eager for your direct embrace;
it does not crave for such enjoyments,
please just engage me in that service. 144

Direct erotic union with the Lord is thought by many to be the ultimate object of the fulfillment of the gopis' desires but the manjaris have no attraction for it. Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipad glosses the above-quoted gopis' words: "Secretly watching your activities with Radharani in the forest groves seems to me to be hundreds of times more rapturous than direct intimate contact with you." 145

When a higher happiness can be found in other ways, then what intelligent person will take up inferior ways of pleasure-seeking?

Everyone seeks happiness and naturally they most intensely crave those things which give them the most happiness. So therefore, the spontaneous craving of the manjaris is to be witness to the varieties of Radharani's loving sports with Krishna. This craving is called manjari-bhava. 146

Srila Jiva Gosvamin has written a nice verse in his poetical work Madhava-mahotsava
("The spring festival"):

O sakhi! Kasturi has achieved, along with her associates, the fruit of her vow: she is completely averse to being personally embraced by Krishna himself and totally dedicated to the happiness of her friend Radha. Now today, here in the best of Hari's forests, she sprinkles her with water [to celebrate the occasion of her coronation as Queen of Vrindavana.]147

The manjaris are dedicated to the service of the Divine Couple, that service is their life and soul and such service performed after their union in exhausted intimacy is the highest object of their desires.

Radha Mohan Das, the grandson of Srinivasa Acarya, has written a song which is appropriate to this situation:

When the lover and beloved are exhausted after their erotic war,
they bring them condiments of betelnut; sandalwood and saffron, musk and camphor, they mix and smear upon their bodies; How incomparably beautiful the love of these priya-sakhis!

Radha is worth ten million lives to them; Not equalled in purity by gold melted thousands of times,
they offer her the lamps of their lives.
They place enchanting garlands around their necks;
they fan to give a cooling breeze;
they offer water, cold and fragrant, drinking which the lovers' thirst is pacified.
They massage their feet gently and rid them of their fatigue.
The lovers signal them to take rest, and they all do so, feeling that their every desire has been fulfilled.

Radha and Krishna close their eyes in slumber on the flower bed, the manjaris, seeing them do so, feel the happiness resulting from service executed well. Radha Mohan Das, seeing all these things is liberated from all mental pain. 148