Secrets of the Life of Raghunatha Das Gosvami (pt.

2)

There are many pastimes concerning Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's renunciation in Puri, and
concerning the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami upon
him.

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu left this world, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami felt shelterless. He
had previously been eating rice, dal, and so on, but after Sriman Mahaprabhu left he took only
fruits and milk. Within three or four months Sri Svarupa Damodara also left and joined Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu in aprakata-lila, His eternal pastimes in the spiritual world, and at hat time
Raghunatha dasa also gave up taking even fruits and milk. He soon proceeded to Våndavana and
planned to give up his life by jumping from Govardhana Hill.

Previously, while he had been living in Jagannatha Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him two
Deities: a Govardhana sila and a gunja-mala (necklace of gunja beads, representing Srimati
Radhika), which Sankarananda Sarasvati had given the Lord upon returning from Våndavana.
Sriman Mahaprabhu personally used to perform worship of this sila by offering the water of His
tears and the flowers (moods) of His heart. Sometimes He kept it on His heart, sometimes on His
head, sometimes on His eyelids, and sometimes He could not find a satisfying place.

After three months Sriman Mahaprabhu gave the sila to Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, who
considered, "By doing this, Mahaprabhu has given me to Govardhana; I should serve
Govardhana. And, by giving me this gunja-mala, He has offered me to the lotus feet of Srimati
Radhika."

When he performed his worship, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami would place the gunja-mala
around his neck, taking shelter of Srimati Radhika. He served Govardhana as Sri Krsna, Vrajendra-
nandana Syamasundara, and he always thought of himself as a palya-dasi, or maidservant, of
Srimati Radhika – a manjari.

He came with these two Deities to Vrndavana, and there he met Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila
Sanatana Gosvami. He told them about his idea of going to Govardhana, but he did not disclose
his plan to give up his life by jumping from Govardhana. They could understand his intention,
however, and Srila Sanatana Gosvami instructed him, "Don't do so. You are my brother, and Srila
Rupa Gosvami's also."

Srila Sanatana Gosvami then told him something from his own life history. He explained that
while he was traveling from Våndavana to Jagannatha Puri he had become infected with a skin
disease, the moisture of which was oozing from sores all over his body. As soon as Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu saw him He embraced him, at which time the moisture from his body touched the
body of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Greatly distressed, he thought, "I should leave this body by
throwing myself under the wheel of Lord Jagannatha's chariot." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew
about this and told him, "You have given this body to Me, and now you are behaving
independently. You give yourself verbally, but internally you do not. You have no right to this
body, for you have already surrendered it to Me."

Sriman Mahaprabhu continued, "If I would have thought that by giving up My life I could receive
the service of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, I would want to give up My life hundreds of thousands of
times every day. But I know that Krsna and krsna-prema cannot be attained simply by dying.
They can only be achieved by krsna-bhajana."

Srila Sanatana Gosvami now told Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, "So, you can die, but you
cannot receive krsna-prema by such an act. Rather than die, it is better to perform bhajana at
Radha-kunòa, Govardhana, Våndavana, and other places of Srimati Radharani and Krsna's
pastimes."

In addition to his association with Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami had a
great deal of association with Srila Rupa Gosvami. He wholly followed Srila Rupa Gosvami, from
whom he received all realization about his service to Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, and Srila Sanatana
Gosvami also acted as his siksa-guru.

Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's Form in Krsna-lila

As previously mentioned, in his siddha-sarira Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is a manjari, a

certain type of sakhi. There are five kinds of sakhis: sakhi, nitya-sakhi, prana-sakhi, priya-sakhi,
and priya-narma-sakhi.
Sakhis are exemplified by gopis like Dhanistha, who serve and support Krsna. Although they
serve both Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna, they have more sneha, affection, for Sri Krsna than for
Srimati Radhika. Thus, they are called krsna-snehadhika gopis.

Priya-narma-sakhis are also called parama-prestha-sakhis, and priya-sakhis are also called
narma-sakhis. The priya-sakhis and priya-narma-sakhis are sama-sneha. The word sama-sneha
means that they have equal affection for Radha and Krsna, yet they are somewhat more
attracted to Srimati Radhika. They sometimes rebuke Krsna when they see Him committing any
fault in relation to Srimati Radhika, and they sometimes admonish Srimati Radhika when She is
angry and very hard-hearted towards Sri Krsna. Generally they want that Sri Krsna will always be
under the control of Srimati Radhika, and they show favoritism towards Her; yet, they are sama-
sneha.

The prana-sakhis and nitya-sakhis are radhika-snehadhika, meaning they have more affection
towards Srimati Radhika. They always serve Her and associate with Her, wherever She happens
to be, and they render Her innumerable services. They are extremely pleased if Srimati Radhika
is pleased. If She feels separation from Krsna, they also feel separation; when Krsna meets with
Her, they feel in their hearts that they themselves are meeting with Him.

Their mood is appreciated by the example of a bee playing on a flower. The bee cannot play on
the manjari of the flower because the manjari is not stable, yet when the bee plays on the
flower, the manjari trembles with happiness. In the same way, when Krsna meets with Radhika,
these manjaris become exceedingly happy.

One day Srimati Radhika told one of Her sakhis, for whom she has great affection, "Mani-manjari
is My very obedient friend. Please go to her and cleverly tell her that Krsna is waiting for her in a
sanketa-kunja (meeting grove). Please take her to Him by any means. It is My desire that she
meet with Him."

The sakhi went to Mani-manjari and requested her in a roundabout way to meet with Krsna. She
said, "Krsna is waiting for you. I also know the desire of Srimati Radhika. She has not told me to
come to you, but I know Her desire. She will not be angry."

The sakhi tried in many different ways to convince her to go, but Mani-manjari said, "Please do
not request me to do this. I will never go. When I see Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna meet, I feel
so much pleasure, much more pleasure than if I were to personally meet with Him. If a person
knows where he can achieve greater happiness, he will not purposely strive for lesser happiness.
When Krsna meets with Radhika it is my gain, but if I would meet with Him it would be a very
great loss. Why should I choose loss over gain?" Thus, Srimati Radhika has so much faith in the
manjaris.

Radhika once wanted Sri Rupa-manjari to meet with Krsna. She looked towards Krsna and hinted
for Him to catch hold of her. Krsna wanted to do so, but Rupa-manjari fell at His feet and prayed,
"Please don't do this. I am Radhika's dasi. When You meet with Her I derive more pleasure than I
can describe. I request You to give me that pleasure, not this lesser pleasure." Krsna agreed to
her request.

The sadhana to attain this mood of devotion is called tat-tad-bhava-icchatmika. Tat-tad-bhava-

icchatmika is one of the two types of kamanuga-bhakti, and the other is sambhoga-iccha-mayi.
Aspiring to become an independent nayika (heroine) like Srimati Radhika and Candravali is called
sambhoga-iccha-mayi, which means the desire to have a direct relationship with Krsna. Those
gopis who become greatly pleased by witnessing the meeting of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and who
experience all the symptoms of directly meeting Krsna simply by seeing Sri Radha and Sri Krsna
meet are called sakhi snehadhika. They experience what Radhika has experienced with Krsna,
which is more than what they would have experienced by directly meeting with Him. Tat-tat-
bhava means 'the specialty of the meeting of Radha and Krsna, and its bhava.' Although the
manjaris have all the qualities of the nayika, or other heroines, if not more, they only want to
serve Sri Radha. Sri Rupa-manjari and Sri Rati-manjari are both in this category. The sadhana to
attain this devotion is therefore called tat-tad-bhava-icchatmika.

How can this type of devotion be attained? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come to this world only
to give this bhava – not the love of Srimati Radhika or the love of a nayika.

anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam

(Caitanya-caritamrata Adi-lila, 1.4)

He has appeared in the age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation ever
offered before: the most sublime and radiant spiritual knowledge of the mellow taste of His
service.

Sva-bhakti-sriyam is that unnatojjvala-rasa, or elevated conjugal mellow, which can be attained

by the jiva soul. The soul cannot have what Srimati Radhika has – mahabhava [SEE ENDNOTE 1]
in both madana and modana [SEE ENDNOTE 2] – in exactly the same way that She has it. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to taste radha-bhava, Radhika's transcendental ecstatic sentiments,
and radhayah pranaya-mahima, the glory of Her love. He came also to distribute manjari-bhava,
engagement in the service of Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna.

Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami thus advised Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami,
and they gave him Radha-kunòa as his place to live and perform bhajana. There he was always
crying for Srimati Radhika, and always rolling in the dust of the bank of Radha-kunda.

Although he is a special sakhi of Srimati Radhika and is never separated from Her, in this lila, as
Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, he has played the highest role of a jiva – a raganuga-sadhaka, a
practicing devotee who desires the service of the manjaris.

He was not merely pretending. By the arrangement of Yogamaya he actually felt himself to be a
sadhaka. Although Lord Krsna is God of Gods, He weeps by seeing the stick in the hand of
Mother Yasoda. He is not pretending. He actually fears Mother Yasoda and therefore He
genuinely weeps. Similarly, although Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is a near and dear sakhi of
Srimati Radhika in his spiritual form as a manjari, he is not pretending to feel greed to achieve
that service. By the influence of Yogamaya he does what he actually feels. He has two roles: one
as a practicing raganuga-bhakti-sadhaka, and at the same time another, in his siddha-sarira, as
Sri Rati-manjari, who is always serving Radha and Krsna.

'mane' nija-siddha-deha kariya bhavana

ratri-dine kare vraje krsnera sevana

(Caitanya-caritamrta Madya-lila, 22.157)

There are two processes by which one may execute raganuga-bhakti – external and internal.
When self-realized, the advanced devotee externally remains like a neophyte and executes all
the sastric injunctions, especially hearing and chanting. Within his mind, however, in his original,
pure, self-realized position, he serves Krsna in Vrndavana in his particular way. He serves Krsna
twenty-four hours a day, throughout the day and night.

Every jiva has a siddha-deha, or siddha-sarira (spiritual body). Without a siddha-deha one cannot
serve Sri Radha and Sri Krsna. This material body is not fit for serving Them. In Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's pastimes, one can perform bhajana and sadhana with this body, but for manasa-
cintana, meditating on and entering Radha and Krsna's pastimes, the siddha-deha is essential.

This can be achieved if a person has greed, if he has gone to a siddha-gurudeva, and if he is very
eager to serve Radha and Krsna. Initially his Gurudeva will cause him to hear all Their pastimes.
The guru will watch and see in which rasa the disciple has taste. Accordingly, he will let him hear
the pastimes that will be appropriate and useful for him.

When bhava manifests in one's body, one becomes situated in the stage called svarupa-siddha
(internal cognizance of one's spiritual identity). After attaining this svarupa-siddha, one can
'imagine' these pastimes, but the word imagination has a specific meaning here. There is some
realization.

Suppose a devotee is hearing a verse of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami from the lips of a pure
guru. In that verse Sri Rati-manjari smiles as she tells Sri Rupa-manjari, "O Rupa-manjari, I know
that you are a very chaste lady in Våndavana. Everyone knows this; yet although your husband
has been out of home for so many days, I see some unusual marks on your lips. Why is that?
Perhaps, while you were sleeping, a parrot came; thinking your lips to be a bimba fruit, he has
bitten and cut them."