Manjari Bhâva - Cultivating the devotional feelings of manjaris.
Important note: Please read the previous page on gopi bhâva before this one - it contains essential introductory material.
The practice of manjari bhâva
Manjari bhâva is a like gopi bhâva except that instead of being centered on Lord Krishna as in gopi bhâva, manjari bhâva most often shifts its focus to Radha,
There are two reasons for the shift of devotional focus from
1) To imagine oneself as Radha enjoying intimate bliss with Lord Krishna is considered by some to be immodest. By identifying instead with Radha's associates, the aspirant seeks to vicariously enjoy Radha's bliss, while maintaining the humility which is an important virtue in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition from which these practices come.
2) Hinduism gives equal importance to female representations of God. Shiva has his consort, Goddess Parvati; Vishnu has Goddess Lakshmi, and so on. Therefore, manjari bhâva gives practitioners the opportunity to have Radha as the focus of their devotion. But instead of the feeling of like God's lover as in madhura bhâva, here one develops dâsya bhâva, the sense of being a loving and devoted servant.
Practice of Manjari Sâdhana
An elaborate tradition called manjari sâdhana (spiritual practice of being a manjari) has been developed by later generations of teachers in the lineage of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They hold that every male aspirant has a non-physical spiritual body known as siddha deha. The siddha deha is female and is identified as one of the many manjaris mentioned in traditional stories.
In his important 19th-century text, Jaiva Dharma, Bhaktivinode writes -
...though they exist in their corporeal body externally in the form of males, spiritually in their siddha dehas they possess female forms.
Details of this elaborate tradition are described in a Sanskrit text called Gaura-govindârchana-smarana-paddhati by Dhyanachandra Goswami, where he writes -
The sâdhaka (aspirant) shall contemplate his siddha-deha in this way: She is a 15-year-old gopi, fully decorated with ornaments, having large raised breasts, and endowed with the sixty-four qualities. (verse 84)
She has a secret love for Lord Krishna that is bewildering even to Cupid himself. She speaks very sweetly and has a divine form. (verse 85)
She has all pleasant characteristics and is adorned with feminine gestures that excite feelings of love... (verse 87)
She is very devoted to Radha and has an intense desire to serve in transcendental love. Her body is made of consciousness and is radiant like molten gold. She wears very beautiful blue clothing and is nicely decorated with various kinds of ornaments. (verse 88)
The text then goes on to specify these eleven aspects of each siddha deha -
1. Nâma, name, like Kamala Manjari
2. Rupa, form, skin complexion
3. Vayas, age, usually 13 to 15 years old.
4. Vesha, dress, fabric color, ornaments
5. Sambandha, relations, family, husband, etc.
6. Yutha, group of sakhis led by a particular gopi
7. Ajna, order to serve a particular gopi
8. Seva, service, like dressing hair, making flower garlands, etc.
9. Nivâsa, home, village
10. Parâkâshta, goal: to serve Sri Radha-Krishna
11. Pâlyadâsi, protected, a novice under a particular older gopi
A related text by the same author called Râdhâkrishna-ashtakâliya-lilâsmaranakrama-paddhati describes how the aspirant should meditate upon himself in his siddha deha amongst Lord Krishna, Radha, and her sakhis -
Lord Krishna's gopis, possessing the mood of paramours, always lovingly engage
in amorous sport with Him. The sâdhaka shall meditate upon himself as being among those gopis and possessing the form of a beautiful and charming young adolescent girl. That charming girl is very expert in the various fine arts and is very pleasing to Lord Krishna. If, however, Lord Krishna desires intimate enjoyment with her, she will not agree. (verses 9-11)
She is one of Radha's companions and is always devoted to serving Her. She has more love for Radha than for Lord Krishna. With great affection and care she daily arranges for their union, and because of her tasting the happiness of this service, she is abundantly satisfied. Meditating in this way, beginning from 4 AM through the eight time periods up to the dead of night, the sâdhaka shall lovingly render service. (verses 12-14)
Initiation of the Manjari
A disciple must first be well-prepared by years of study, prayer, meditation, and repetition of mantras under the guidance of his guru. When he is deemed ready for this advanced initiation, his guru reveals the disciple's secret spiritual identity as a manjari, his manjari svarupa. The guru also reveals his own hidden manjari svarupa and those of his teachers.
He then describes to his disciple each of the eleven aspects of the disciple’s new identity explained above. The guru also prescribes specific contemplations to be performed at eight different times each day in which the disciple imagines himself in his female manjari form participating in the sacred activities (lila) of Radha and her sakhis.
O.B.L. Kapoor, a highly regarded scholar and practitioner, says in his book, Sri Caitanya and Raganuga Bhakti -
Constant contemplation of his transcendental manjari svarupa (form) makes the imaginary manjari svarupa gradually approximate his transcendental svarupa... It also gradually spiritualizes the physical body of the sâdhaka (aspirant), purifies the heart, and intensifies devotion. (page 94)
Many believe that the practice of manjari bhâva helps an aspirant gain the blessings of Radha and her sakhis, enabling him to be reborn as a sakhi with Radha in a spiritual world called Goloka Vrindavan.
Resources:
All of the web and print resources listed on the prior page (Gopi Bhâva) are relevant and useful.
The text of Bhaktivinode’s Jaiva Dharma is available here.
The full text and translation of Dhyanachandra Goswami’s manual is available here .