An Inquiry into the Nature of Rdhs a a Handmaids (Majar n -svarpa-nirpana) u u . Version: 0.

1
by Kujabihri Dsa Bb n a a a a translated from Bengali by Jan Brzezinski November 10, 2001

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Contents
Translators Preface v

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii An Introduction to Ma jar n -bhva a 1 Sthyi-bhva: The Dominant Mood in Erotic Divine Love a a 1.1 1.2 1.3 An Overview of the Concepts of Sacred Rapture . . . . . . . . The Person Qualied to Experience Sacred Rapture . . . . . . Krsna is the Object of Divine Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.4 1.5 Gods majesty and his sweetness . . . . . . . . . . . . xi 1 1 2 3 3 6 9

Krsna in his form as the charmer is the object of the .. . gop love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . s Krsna is the original god of love or kmadeva . . . . . a .. .

The cowherd girls of Vrindavan are the repositories of competent aection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The dominant mood of erotic divine love . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 1.5.1 1.5.2 1.5.3 Madhur rati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 a Samarth rati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 a Kma-rp bhakti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 a u a iii

iv 1.6 1.7 1.8

Contents Kmnug bhakti and its two divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 a a a The dominant mood of the lady-loves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Dierent examples of the attainment of perfection by aspirants on the path of desire for physical union with Krsna . . . . . . 27 .. . 1.8.1 1.8.2 1.8.3 The Vedas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Gyatr Dev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 a The sages in Dandaka forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 .. 31

A About the Author

Translators Preface
It may be asked why this relatively recent work on an aspect of Gaud . ya Vaisnava theology should be selected for translation. It is not a modern .. treatment of theology, but one that is extremely traditional in its approach: its purpose is to esh out that which Gaud practitioners have for gener. ya ations accepted as the ultimate goal of their practice. However, as Kuja n Bihr Dsj himself explains in his introduction, although the concept of a a majar-bhva is the highest ideal of Gaud Vaisnavism, it was not written n a . ya .. about as a topic in its own right by the authors of the Gaud canon. . ya The word majar in its sense as a servant-girl of Rdh does not seem n a a Rpa Gosvmins writings and even to have been used anywhere prior to Sr u a then it is not found in a large number of his works such as Vidagdha-mdhava, a Lalita-mdhava, Dna-keli-kaumud Hamsa-dta, Uddhava-sandea, Laghua a , u s . bhgavatmrta, etc. The mood of the majar called bhvolls-rati has a a . n s, a a a been identied and dened in the Bhakti-rasmrta-sindhu, written in 1463 a . Saka, i.e., AD 1541, but the word majar itself is nowhere used. In fact, n the rst occurrence of the term in the corpus of Rpas oeuvre is in Ujjvalau nlamani, which was likely nished in 1464 or 1465 Saka, i.e. AD 1542-3. . There the names of Kastr Majar Mani Majar and Lavanga Majar u n , n n . are found and they are identied as Rdhs maid-servants. a a In the Rdh-kr. na-ganoddesa-dpik, which was written in 1472 Saka, a a . s. a . i.e. AD 1550, the names of eighteen chief majar are listed. Of these, the n s rst name mentioned is that of Rpa Majar Rpa Gosvmin is identied u n . u a as an incarnation of Rpa Majar in the Gaura-ganoddea-d a of Kavi u n s pik . Karnapra (AD 1571) and it is thus felt that out of humility he did not write . u about her in any work prior to the Rdh-kr. na-ganoddea-d a, but in a a . s. s pik . this, his very last book, he could not avoid mentioning her name. Another v

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Translators Preface

early occurrence of the term is found in J Gosvmins Mdhava-mahotsava va a a (AD 1555), where the names of Kastr Majar and others are mentioned. u n Raghuntha Dsa Gosvmin worshipped the Divine Couple as a follower a a a of Rpa Majar as is clear from his Stavval Indeed, it is evident from a u n , a . verse in the Vilpa-kusumnjal that even though he had spent many years a a in the company of Krsna Caitanya Mahprabhu in Puri as the protege of a .. . Svarpa Dmodra, it was not until he came to Braj in 1535 that he was u a a introduced to the concept of serving Rdh and Krsna as a majar Thus a a n . .. . Raghuntha writes at the end of his Mukt-carita: Holding straw in my a a teeth, I beg repeatedly to become a speck of dust at Rpas lotus feet, birth u after birth. In the Gaud Vaisnava school, Rpa Gosvmin and Raghuntha Dsa u a a a . ya .. Gosvmin are particularly held to be the exemplars of worship in the mood a of the majar Of the two, Rpa Gosvmin is the guru of Raghuntha Dsa n s. u a a a Gosvmin. a Rpas elder brother Santana describes himself as Rdh- dsyecchuh, u a a a a . one who desires the service to Rdh, in his Brhad-bhgavatmrta (2.1.21). a a a a . . The sum and substance of Santanas own commentary to the word rdha a a dsyecchuh is that such a person desires only to be the servant of Madana a . Goplas most dear Rdh. He considers that the obtention of such service a a a is all perfection to him; from this all things even beyond his own desires are attained automatically. From this it is clear that service to Rdh is the a a extraordinarily supreme great goal of spiritual life. It is evident, then, that the subject matter of Majar n -svarpa-nirpana u u . rests on a presumed understanding of the entire corpus of Gaud Vaisnava ya . .. theology, a post-graduate course, as it were. It is for this reason that the work, despite being published for the rst time only in 1963, is of great value for those who seek an understanding of Gaud Vaisnavism theology, with. ya .. out a knowledge of which misconceptions are bound to arise. Furthermore, since Kuja Bihr Dsj used the model of Rpa Gosvmins works on din a a u a vine aesthetics as his model, it is dicult to understand this work without a knowledge of the language of the stheticians. The insuciency of English to duplicate the subtle dierences in the terms which are used for the various sthyi- bhvas is particularly noticeable. Words like love, feeling a a or aection are customarily used to translate prema, bhva or sneha, but a the English words here do not reect the hierarchical character that Rpa u

vii Gosvmin intended for these terms. Other terms such as rati, bhva and a a sthyi-bhva approximate each other, and are translated variously as the a a dominant mood, aection, love. They refer to the particular relational quality of the aective mood. Though these terms are to some extent explained in the text, the reader is advised to familiarize her or himself with the Bhaktirasmrta-sindhu and Ujjvala-nlamani, which are the sources of this termia . . nology. In its original form, this translation was an English rendition of Kuja n Bihr Ds Bbj Majar-svarpa-nirpana as well as a shorter supplea a a a s n u u . ment to that work, Majar-bhva-sdhana-paddhati, which is represented in n a a this nal version as chapters eight and nine, The majar sacred rapture n s in separation and in union and The practice that leads to becoming a handmaiden. Upon completion of the rst draft, it was evident that there was some overlap in the two books and that there was a more natural way to integrate their contents. This led to more editing of the original text through the addition of (generally short) bridging comments which are not identied in the text as mine. Any footnotes in English are mine. Although I made a concerted eort to nd the original texts for all references used by Kuja n Bihr Dsj some were regrettably never found. a a , Several Sanskrit and Bengali verses have been translated into English verse. At no time did I intend to translate all verse in this way, but I did not feel that these eorts diminished entirely the meaning of the originals and could not bring myself to reduce them to prose. For this I apologize.

Acknowledgments
I rst of all thank Ananta Ds Bbj Mahrj for approving the publication a a a aa of this translation as well as for making his biography of his spiritual master available to me. I would like to thank Neal Delmonico for doing a thorough re-edit of the introduction, which he rst published in the rather short-lived review Time after Time in 1986. The use of English translations for the titles of Sanskrit and Bengali books is his innovation and I hope that he will forgive me for abandoning this convention in the later chapters. I am also indebted to Dr. Delmonico for his translation of the problematic word rasa as sacred

viii

Translators Preface

rapture. The Sanskrit term is multi-valenced and it should not be thought that any single English word could be used across the board as a synonym for it, yet for the greater part of this text, sacred rapture at least adequately conveys rasas character as an ultimate religious experience. Steve Rosen is also to be thanked for republishing the text of the introduction in The Journal of Vaisnava Studies, thus bringing the same material .. to a wider audience including Sinisa Kosic (Rdharana Dsa) of Zagreb, a as . a Croatia, whose letters inspired me to bring the entire text to publication. An important note of thanks is reserved for Joseph OConnell, of St. Michaels College at the University of Toronto and to Katherine Young, professor of religious studies at McGill University, both of whom are masters in the art of friendship and encouragement. It would also be inappropriate for me not to thank all those other teachers, too many to name, through whose kindness I possess the little knowledge I have. Knowing them all to be manifestations of the Paramtman, I bow a down to them in reverence. And last, but not least, I thank my wife Anne, who always stands by me. Jan Brzezinski May 21, 1997

pFyqsArEfEfrAnEp c dpAdAn ^ DFrAn mr dmDrA mDo, smFrAn . \ ^ ^ vACE t k BEv tTAmtEs DprAn ^ F!ppAdkEvtAsrs EnpFy ; 1 ; \
py. a-sra-iirn api candra-pdn us a s s a a a dhrn maranda-madhurm ca madhoh sam an a a. s r . vnchanti ke bhuvi tathmrta-sindhu-prn a a . u a r-rpa-pda-kavit-surasam nip (1) s u a a ya . After having drunk just once the delicious juice of Rpa Gosvmins poetry, u a who on this earth desires the rays of the moon, said to bring the dewy essence of ambrosia?

ix And who would wish for the sweet, dulcet breezes of spring or the waves of the ocean of the nectar of immortality?

p[yE t k srbEl rmZFytA tA \ \ m dAEknF EvkckAnpl#mF . sMpZfArdsDAkrmXl vA \ F!ppAdkEvtAsrs EnpFy ; 2 ; \

payanti ke sura-bali ramanyatm tm s . a. a. mandkin vikaca-kncana-padma-laksm a a . m samprna-rada-sudhkara-mandalam v u . sa a .. . a r-rpa-pda-kavit-surasam nip (2) s u a a ya . After having drunk just once the delicious juice of Rpa Gosvmins poetry, u a who would look upon the beauty of the garden of the gods, or upon the beauty of blooming golden lotus owers in the Ganges of the heavens, or upon the disc of the full moon of autumn?

k vA rsAlmkl vElJ tAEn {k fvE t EkrvDklkEWnAdAn . ^ kq mklkoEklkEjt vA \ F!ppAdkEvtAsrs EnpFy ; 3 ; \

ke v rasla-mukulesv ali-jhakrtni a a . . a rnvanti kinnara-vadh-kala-kan. hi-ndn s. . u a a .t kujesu maju-kala-kokila-kjitam v n . n u . a r-rpa-pda-kavit-surasam nipya (3) s u a a . And of those who have drunk just once the delicious juice of Rpa Gosvmins poetry, u a

x who would still listen to the sweet buzzing of the bees as they taste the mango owers, or to the song of the wives of the heavenly choir, or the sweet song of the ko in the forests? l

Translators Preface

An Introduction to Ma jar ava n -bh

y-y -PEtlvArZ lGn=y tmnFnA mn, \ -p mo"sKAEr>yEt JV(yA-vAmAnAdEp . \ MZ-t-y mk d sAhEstyA fot k, ATn ByA>j mEn j mEn cEynF Ek t -phA=y/ m ;1
Oh Mukunda, giver of liberation! Who in the world is there with the courage to pray for the gift of sacred love, of which the slightest manifestation, when brushing against the minds of the great sages, makes them forget the happiness of liberation? My prayer therefore to you is this: that I should simply desire for such prema, and that this desire should increase forever, in this world, birth after birth. yra sphrti lavnkura a u a laghu haite laghupura sparamtra tmrma mane s a a a a a a svdita moksasukha . tatkla kari vimukha a l asvde kare svdane l a a a ke hena shas jana a
1

Attributed to Rpa Gosvmin, Stavaml u a aa

xi

xii mge hena premadhana a kintu eikariye prrthana a se prema pbra lgi a a a tr. ntura anurg s. a a . prabala utkan. h anuksana .t a . . jalavin yena mna a duhkha pya yuhna a a . sei mata pipsita haiy a a ctaka jalada yaiche a cakoracandrik taiche a raba anya sakala bhuliy 2 a

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh

Those self-satised sages who are directly experiencing the happiness of liberation immediately become indierent to that pleasure simply upon coming into contact with the fractionally germinated seed of prema; what person is there in this world so bold that he would pray for such wealth? I, therefore, am praying only that always, in every one of my lives, I should constantly develop a great thirst and enthusiasm for attaining that great prize that I should remain forgetful of all else and thirst for it in the way that a sh plucked from its pond craves for a return to water, as a ctaka bird thirsts for the appearance of a cloud, or as the fabled a cakora seeks the rays of the moon. Brahmnanda is the name given to the joy found in the transcendentalists a realization of universal spiritual identity. This pleasure is so highly lauded by its proponents that it is said to make all worldly pleasure, even that of being an emperor or universal creator like Brahm, appear completely a insignicant. Yet this brahmnanda itself becomes an object of scorn for a one who has attained the fortune of getting even the slightest scent of kr. na. s. prema, or love for Krsna. Prema is therefore the ultimate goal of life, or the .. . prayojana-tattva. There are unlimited varieties of prema, but there is a vast dierence in the measurement of these various types. According to Vivantha Cakravart s a s commentary on the varieties of heroine in The Blazing Sapphire (Ujjvalanlamani), the four measurements are: atomic, comparatively substantial, .
2

An unidentied Bengali verse translation of Rpas verse above. u

xiii great and exceedingly great.3 In those persons whose devotional taste has not yet developed (ajta-ruci ), prema is present only in atomic quantity; the a prema is only barely detectable and consequently, the Lords giving of himself to such devotees is also just barely visible. At the opposite extreme, prema is found to be extremely great only in the person of the Queen of Vrindavan, mat Rdhrn There, because prema is present in its fullest possible Sr a a a . . manifestation, Krsna is also in complete subordination to her. Sacred love .. . (prema) is great in all the residents of Vrindavan and therefore Lord Krsna .. . accepts the role of a subordinate to them also. The Lord submits himself to devotees like Nrada, in whom sacred love is greater or lesser, in proportion a to their devotion. When the Lord consents to become a subordinate to his devotee, i.e., in a case where love is either great or exceedingly great, his majestic aspects remain completely hidden in the way that the potencies of a feudal baron, though relatively manifest before others, are subdued before in the presence of an emperor. The strength of Rdhs love is further eulogized in the Jewel Box of a a Sacred Love (Prema-samputik, 54): . a

lokyAt -vjnt, prt, -vto vA ^ AZEyAdEp smzsmA yEd -y, . fA-td=yEtblF shsA EvEj(y mv tAn hErErBAEnv pEmEt ; { ^
As a strong lion defeats many elephants and then becomes further nourished and strengthened by feeding on them, so too does sacred love, when exceedingly great, conquer all obstacles before it, whether they come from this world or the next, from enemies or from family members, from ones own body or the things connected to it, or even from that dearest one,
From the commentary by Vivantha Cakravart on Rpas Ujjvala-n s a u lamani, 5.6. . (ed.) Pandit Durgaprasad and Vasudeva Laksmana Shastri Pansikar, reprinted (Delhi: Chaukhamba Sanskrit Pratishthan, 1985), 105.
3

xiv who is the object of the love itself. Even if those obstacles are as vast as the immeasurable Mount Meru, sacred love will conquer them, and having conquered, will become more strong and vital.

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh

Sacred love is the essence of Krsnas internal potency which is known as .. . the hldin or bliss-giving energy.4 This energy manifests in dierent types of a devotees and therefore appears in four basic varieties known as servitorship, comradeship, guardianship and the sweetest aection known as mistressship. This mistress-ship is called sweet love (madhur rati ) because it is a the most relishable of the devotional emotions. It is of three types: common (sdhran a a . -rati), compromising (samajas-rati ), and competent (samarthn a a rati). Of these three, the last is considered the most perfect. In the Bhaktirasmrta-sindhu (1.2.283-86), Rpa Gosvmin has described this competent a . u a love as kma-rp-bhakti or devotion which has the form or appearance of a u a sexual attraction: That devotion or love which makes the desire for sexual union submit to it and take on its own form, i.e., makes it function only for the purpose of Krsnas pleasure, is known as kma-rpa u a .. . bhakti. Where such devotion exists, all eorts are made only for his happiness and never for ones own pleasure or satisfaction, even though externally or supercially this desire for Krsnas .. . pleasure may appear like a desire for ones own sexual satisfaction. This kma-rp-bhakti is widely known to exist only in a u a the cowherd girls of Vrndvana. Learned persons have given the . a name of sexual attraction (kma) to the love of the cowherd girls a for Krsna because in the multifarious expressions of sweetness, .. . such sports as embracing, kissing and other amorous activities take place. Even great devotees like Uddhava adore the spirit of the cowherd girls because it transforms the essentially selsh sexual desire into pure devotional love or desire for the Supreme Lords sensual enjoyment. These devotees desire to attain that level of devotion, but remain forever unable.5
4 5

Sr J Durga-sangamin on Bhakti-rasmrta-sindhu, 1.3.1. va, a . Brs, 1.2.283-6.

xv In The Story of Gopla (Gopla-camp )6 and The Treatise on Sacred a a u Love (Pr ti-sandarbha), J Gosvmin writes that the Lord gave Uddhava va a a position in his life in the spiritual world of Goloka, but even so, Uddhava was unable to obtain the form of a cowherd girl or the true identity of one. This does not mean that Uddhavas position is not extremely elevated. According to the larger Nectar of the Lords Devotee (Brhad-Bhgavatmrta, a a . . 2.1.16), there are ve kinds of devotees: (1) the devotee in knowledge (jnana bhakta), such as Bharata Mahrja, (2) the pure devotee (uddha-bhakta) aa s like Ambar. a Mahrja, (3) the devotee in sacred love (prema-bhakta) like s aa Hanumn, (4) the devotee entirely xed in sacred love (prema-para-bhakta) a like the ve Pndava brothers, and (5) the devotee completely absorbed in a. . and moved by sacred love (premtura-bhakta) like the Ydavas, amongst a a whom the chief is Uddhava. Each of these divisions is superior to the one preceding it. Nevertheless, although Uddhava stands in this position as superior to all the above-mentioned devotees, he cannot attain to the ultimate standard of devotional sentiment which is known as the mood of the cowherd girl (gop-bhva). a Devotion to Krsna in the form of sexual desire (kma-rp) is further suba u a .. . divided into two divisions. One entails desiring to be a mistress to Krsna. .. . This is called sambhogecchmay, or devotion formed of the desire for a dia rect sexual relationship with the Lord. The second division is called tadbhvecchtmik devotion arising out of a desire for the feelings of Rdh, i.e., a a a a a devotion which approves of and follows in the wake of the leading ladys aairs with her leading man, Krsna. This second category is the one into .. . mat Rdhrn girlfriends (sakh falls. which the devotion of Sr a a a . s -s) Amongst Rdhrn girlfriends there are again several divisions, all of a a a . s them belonging to the spirit of tad-bhvecchtmik devotion. Some of the a a a girlfriends have equal love for both Rdh and Krsna; others are more ina a .. . clined to either one or the other of the Divine Couple. Those who are more mat Rdhrn Krsnas leading lady, are known as rdhfavorable to Sr a a a . , . . . a a snehdhik ; these are also known as the majar or ower buds. Rpa a a n -s, u Gosvmin has given their unique aection or devotional sentiment a special a name, that of bhvolls-rati (Brs., 2.5.228), for they consider themselves to a aa mat Rdhrn even over and above be exclusively the maidservants of Sr a a a . , Krsna himself. Sr . . .
6

Gc, ii.37.11.

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An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh

Pure devotional service, the general denition of which is given at the beginning of the Ocean of the Nectar of Sacred Rapture (Bhakti-rasmrtaa . sindhu, 1.1.6: anybhil. it-unyam ...), namely that it is completely free a as a s from any other desire, nds its most perfect actualization in this spirit of mat Rdhrn maidservants, bhvolls-rati. Sr a a a . s a aa The love of the cowherd girls of Vrndvana is called competent (samarth) a . a because it has the power to control Krsna, to make him who is the Supreme .. . Lord (capable of doing anything he pleases, or of not doing it, or of changing from one mode of action to another according to his whim) incapable of paying back the debt which he feels to them. He himself admits to this in mat Rdhrn is the chief of the Srmad-bhgavata (Bhg., 10.32.22). Sr a a a a a. Vrndvanas milk-maids; she is the presiding deity of this competent devo. a tion. Nevertheless, she herself is incapable of creating any change or transformation in the determination of the majar to exclusively serve her, their n s 7 mistress. Even though she is the source and abode of the unlimited goddesses of fortune, she feels herself to be indebted to the majar She is the n s. reservoir of unlimited compassion and is always anxious to fulll the desires of all the devotees, but the majar only desire is service to her, and they n s will have nothing else of her. These are condential and dicult facts which are not known to all, secrets of which only the select few can comprehend. In section 63 of Prti-sandarbha, J Gosvmin has shown that the va a Supreme Lord enjoys four types of pleasure: one from simply being situated in his being, one which comes from his immeasurable opulences, another arises from his mind; and the last and best is that which is derived from the love of his devotees.8 In the Bhgavata Purna (10.86.59), the Lord is described as the devotee a a. 9 of his devotees. Similarly, it is written in the Caitanya-bhgavata (3.2.478): a kr. na th prna karena mge bhrtya a . s. a a u . . bhaktavnch prti bhinna nhi anya krtya a a u a . Krsna gives whatever is prayed for by his servant. He has no .. . activity other than to fulll the desires of his devotees.
7 8

BgvdAn d, Kl EDA -v!pAn d, -v!pfAn d . aE tm EDA mAnsAn d eyAn d . t/Ann tdFyq mAnsAn dq BAn d-y sAm \ dEftm . }A>y ^ 9 BgvAn BBEmAn ^ ^

See Ujjvala-n lamani, 8.88-9, Vrndvana-mahimmrta, 16.94. a . . . a

xvii Rpa Majar appeared as Rpa Gosvmin when Lord Gaurnga, the u n u a a combined form of Rdh and Krsna appeared on this earth. The following a a .. . incident from his life will help make the above statement clearer. Rpa u Gosvmin would perform his worship at a place called Tero Kadamba which a lies halfway between Nanda Gram and Javat (Yvata) in the area of Braj. a . One day he thought to himself that if he only had some milk and sugar he could prepare some khr (sweet condensed milk) to oer his deity and then serve it as sacred remnants (prasd ) to his spiritual master, Santana. A few a a moments later, a young girl came there carrying milk and sugar which she gave to him, telling him to make condensed milk (kh for his deity. Having r) done this she went away. Rpa then did as he had been told; he boiled the u sugar and milk down into the thick, condensed milk and oered it up to the Lord. Afterwards he gave the sacred remnants to Santana to enjoy. While a Santana was eating, he was seized by uncontrolled spasms of ecstasy. When a he had calmed down somewhat, he inquired from his brother where he had gotten his ingredients. Rpa told him the story of the Vrajavs girl. Upon u a hearing the entire account, Santana became immediately aware that it had, a mat Rdhrn herself who had come personally bearing in fact, been Sr a a a. gifts for them. Because Rdh was their goddess and they were her servants, a a the proper relation of served and servant had been reversed. He therefore strictly forbad Rpa from accepting such gifts in the future.10 u mat Rdhrn the most Santana Gosvmin called this servitude to Sr a a a a a. unique and elevated of all spiritual goals in his commentary on his own work, The Nectar of the Lords Devotee (2.1.21).11 Prabodhnanda Sarasvat the a , spiritual guide of sixty thousand ascetics, elaborates on this idea in his Nectar of the Greatness of Vrndvana (2.35): . a

D yo lok mm"hErBjnpro D yD y-tto_sO D yo y, k ZpAdAMbjrEtprmo zEnFfEyo_t, . yAfodyEyo_t, sblsdt, goEpkA tAEyo_t, Fm dAvnyEtrsEvvfArADk, svmEn ; ^
10 11

t-y svsADArZ-y prmmhAPl-y AO tdEctm svsADArZ prmmhAsADn EnEdfEt \ \ ^ sFty tFEt .

Narahari Cakravartin, Bhakti-ratnkara, 5.1311-1330. a

xviii

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh Glorious are those persons who desire to climb out of the well of material existence and attain liberation; even more glorious are they who have dedicated themselves to the service of the Lord. Even more elevated are those who have become attached to the .. . lotus feet of Sr Krsna. Those who love the husband of Queen Rukmin are superior again to them; more praiseworthy still are . those who are dear to the son of Yaod. More glorious again are s a those who have made friends with the comrade of Subala. More glorious again than them are those who worship the Lord as the lover of the gop Yet standing at the head of all the devotees s. in creation are those whose thoughts have been washed away by the great ow of sacred rapture emanating from the daughter of King Vrsabhnu, Rdh, and worship her above all. a a a ..

That devotion which has been described in the introductory verse to the Vidagdha-mdhava (and then quoted in the Caitanya-caritmrta) as the a a . most elevated of all sacred erotic raptures is this aection of the girlfriends of Rdhrn who care even more for her than they do for Krsna himself. a a a. .. . This bhvolls-rati love which exults in the divine feelings (of Rdh) is a aa a a the crest-jewel of all mystic achievements. It is the special gift of Caitanya Mahprabhus limitless mercy. a unnata ujjvalarasa prema bhaktidhana kono kle prabhu yh n dena kakhana a a a a se dhana dibre kaliyuge krp kari a . a yei deva avatrna hemavarna dhari . . simha sama sei deva acra kumra s a . hrdaya kandare tabha sphuru anibra 12 a .

anEptcrF\ EcrAt kzZyAvtFZ, klO ^ smpEytmto>>vlrsA -vBEEy . \ \ hEr, prVs drEtkdMbs dFEpt, sdA dyk dr -Prt v, fcFn dn, ;13
This elevated, eulgent, taste of sacred rapture
12 13

An unidentied Bengali verse translation of the following verse by Rpa Gosvmin. u a a Rpa Gosvmin, Vidagdha-mdhava, 1.2. u a

xix is the wealth of devotional love; the Lord never gives it at any time; yet, out of his mercy, he came in this Age of Quarrel to distribute this treasure to the world, becoming incarnate in his golden form. The son of Sac is like a lion; may he dwell in your hearts forever. Mahprabhu infused all of his power into the heart of Rpa Gosvmin, a u a his dearest associate, and had him reveal to the world what was actually his own hearts desire. In the Caitanya-caritmrta (2.19.105-7) it is said: a . kr. na-tattva bhakti-tattva rasa-tattva prnta a . s. saba ikhila prabhu bhgavata siddhnta s a a a rmnanda pe yata siddhnta unila a a as a s rpe krp kari th saba sacrila u a a a n a . rrpa hrdaye prabhu akti sacril s u s n a a . sarvatattva nirpane pravnakaril u . . a The Lord taught Rpa the truths about Krsna, devotion to him u .. . and sacred sthetics, as well as the conclusions of the Bhgavata. a Those conclusions which he had heard from Rmnanda Rya he a a a compassionately infused into Rpa. The Lord infused his power u u into the heart of Sr Rpa and made him expert in explaining all these truths.

Fct ymno_BF -TAEpt yn Btl . { \ \ so_y !p, kdA m ddAEt -vpdAE tkm ;14 \ \ ^
When will that Rpa, u who has estabished on earth the hearts desire of Sr Caitanya, bestow on me a place at his feet?
14

Narottama Thkura, Prema-bhakti-candrik, 2. a . a

xx

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh

Caitanya Mahprabhu himself resided in the whorl of Rpas lotus- like a u heart in the form of the raptures of the Bhgavata Purna for the purpose a a. la of giving himself to the unfortunate souls of the world. As a result, Sr Rpa Prabhu was able to produce two master works on the varieties of spiriu tual experience: Bhakti-rasmrta-sindhu (The Ocean of the Nectar of Sacred a . Rapture), and the Ujjvala-n lamani (The Blazing Sapphire). . dekhiy n dekhe tre abhaktera gana a a a . ulke n dekhe yaiche sryera kirana 15 u a u . The non-devotees cannot see directly what is before their eyes, just as an owl is unable to see the bright rays of the sun. In the twelfth verse of the Manah-iks (Instructions to the Mind), . s .a Raghuntha Dsa writes: a a

mn,Ef"AdkAdfkvrmt mDryA { EgrA gAy(y, smEDgtsvATtEty, . { syT, F!pAng ih Bvn goklvn ^ jno rADAk ZAtlBjnr s lBt ; \
u One who recites this poem becomes a follower of Sr Rpa Gosvmin a and his group and receives the jewel of worship of Rdh and a a Krsna in the forest of Gokula. .. . Baladeva Vidybhsana [Bangevara Vidybhsana ?] in his gloss on this a u. . s a u. . verse expands the idea by saying: One should follow in the footsteps of Rpa Gosvmin and his u a Gopla Bhatta, Sr Santana, Sr Lokantha, etc.) group (i.e., Sr a a a .. and live in Vrndvana serving Rdh and Krsna. Because Rpa, a a a u . .. . as his [Raghuntha Dsas] own guru, is recognized as the best, a a he is described as the leader of the group.16
15 16

syT, FgopAlBgo-vAEmFsnAtngo-vAEmFloknATgo-vAEmBEtyTn sh vtmAn, s cAsO !pEt t-yAng, . F!p-y -vgz(vn (vAt yTAEDp(vnoE, . ^

Cc, 1.3.69.

xxi u Raghuntha Dsa also designated Sr Rpa as the chief among the six a a Gosvmins in another book, The Story of the Pearls (Mukt-carita, 1) where a a he writes the following nal auspicious dedication:

aAddAnA rd-tZEmd yAc pn, pn, . { \ FmdppdAMbjDEl, -yA j mj mEn ; \

Taking straw in my teeth, I make this one prayer again and again: May I become a piece of dust la u at Sr Rpa Gosvmins lotus feet, a birth after birth. The conclusion, therefore, is that if one wishes to get a full appreciation of the inner desires of Sr Caitanya Mahprabhu, then he should know that a he has no other alternative but to follow whole-heartedly in the footsteps of la u Sr Rpa Gosvmin. a In Bhakti-rasmrta-sindhu (3.6.2), the ve chief types of sacred feelings a . are described with their component ingredients in an detailed fashion. There, sacred erotic love (madhur rati ) has been described as the most excellent; a nevertheless, in spite of its excellence, it was described only briey; the extensive description being reserved for The Blazing Sapphire. Rpa himself u explains why:

EnvAnpyoEg(vAd d!h(vAdy rs, . \ ^ rh-y(vA s \E"=y EvttAo_Ep ElHyt ;17

Those renunciates who are excessively inclined to asceticism, those who are unable to distinguish between the erotic aairs of the material world and spiritual eros, and those who, although devotees, are indierent to the erotic mysticism of the Bhgavata Purna, a a. 17 From Sr J vas comm.: Envq AktfArrssAMydA FBAgv Vivanthas comm.: t/ tAd=y-mAdsAEr vnpyoEg(vAd ayo`y(vAt. From Sr s a ^ ^ ht/ymAh Envq AktfArrssAMydA FBAgvtAd=y-mAd rsAEr vnpyoEg(vAd ^ ^ ayo`y(vAEd(yT,

xxii

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh are not qualied to hear about sacred erotic rapture, and since it is also esoteric and dicult to understand, it has been described here in only an abbreviated way although it is a huge topic.

In the above-mentioned two books of Rpa Gosvmin, the rst division u a of erotic devotion called sambhogecch-may (that of devotees who desire to a be Krsnas lovers) has been described extensively with all ingredients neces.. . sary for the production of its form of rapture, or the experience of transcendental emotion. However, the second division of this erotic devotion called tad-bhvecchtmik (the type consisting of a desire to share those feelings), a a a which is the possession of the sakhs and majar who are imbued with a n s, spirit of complete dedication and service to Rdh, has not been described a a in such a far-reaching manner in any book. Still, some details of this type of devotion have been provided in those and a large number of other works, albeit somewhat obscurely. It would be a dicult task for an ordinary person to put these details together in an orderly fashion for contemplation, yet for the practitioners of the devotional life who yearn for the mystic perfection of direct service to the Divine Couple, knowledge of them is an absolute necessity. Without knowing these dierent characteristics, in what models would aspirants eager for the mood of a majar take inspiration? By which n moods would they nd happiness and with whose feelings should they seek to empathize? For this reason, a complete familiarity with the dominant emotions, the speciers, notiers and so forth of the majar is an absolute n s necessity. In the Mural-vilsa (The Sport of the Flute) (Chapter 6), Jhnav Thkurn a a a . a a. replies to a question of her adopted son and disciple, Rmi Thkur (Rmacandra a a . a a Gosvmin) about the moods of the majar a n : Rmi Thkur said, Please continue. Tell me about this love a a . a called bhvollsa. Where is it found? a a Mother Jhnav answered, Dear one, listen carefully. This bha a a vollsa-rati can only be found in the holy land of Vrndvana. The a . a Lords abode of Vrndvana is even beyond the reach of the gods. a . There, the ever youthful Divine Couple reigns supreme. Serving u them raphsodically day and night are hand-maidens like Sr Rpa Ananga Majar who possess this bhvolls rati. Majar and Sr n n a aa

xxiii The happiness of the Divine Couple is their happiness; they know nothing else. Always immersed in an ocean of bliss in the service of Rdh and Krsna, they are oblivious to time. Their love, which a a .. . delights in feeling, like a companion mood, aims at giving pleasure to Krsna; it feeds and nourishes the love between Rdh a a .. . mat Rdhrn they and Krsna. They are all identical with Sr a a a . ; .. . merely possess dierent bodies. One life, one soul, all are expansions of Rdh. When she and her lover are at the height of a a rapturous intimacy and the hair stands erect on Rdhs body, a a the very same phenomenon occurs on the bodies of her girlfriends. They experience seven times the pleasure that Rdh does. Somea a times, on some excuse, she arranges their erotic meetings with Krsna, seeing which her happiness increases thousands of times. .. . This is a description of bhvollsa love, because of which the Lord a a said in the circle dance, I am unable to repay you gop for the s love you have shown me. The process of attaining bhvollsa love is described by Narottama Dsa a a a Thkur in his famous Moonbeam of Sacred Love (Prema-bhakti-candrik ), a a . Song One: yugala kiora prema, yena laksa bna hema, s . a. hena prema prakila yr. as a a jaya rpa santana, deha more premadhana, u a se ratana mora gale hr. a a prema bhakti rti yata, nija granthe suvekata, kariychena dui mahaya. a as yhra ravana haite, parnanda haya cite, a a s a . yugala madhura rasraya. as The love of the Divine Couple is as pure as gold rened thousands of times; may glory crown Rpa and Santana u a who revealed this treasure to the world. Oh please be kind and give me that treasure of love and I will wear it as a pendant around my neck. In their books, these two great ones

xxiv

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh have clearly shown all the intricacies of sacred love. Hearing their works produces the greatest joy in the heart and shelter in the erotic rapture of the loving Couple.

In the Stavval of Raghuntha Dsa (Svasankalpa-praka-stotra, 1): a a a as

anArA@y rADApdAMbojrnm ^ anAE(y v dAVvF\ t(pdAA . \ asMBA y tAvgMBFrEcAn ^ kt, [yAmEs Do rs-yAvgAh, ;
Not ever having worshipped once the dust mat lotus feet; that sprinkles from Sr s not having taken shelter even once of Vraja Dhm, marked with her dainty tread; a not ever having spoken with the souls so laden with a weighty love for her how foolish those who think that they can plunge a into the secret nectar sea of Syma! And from the Padyval (14), a

k ZBErsBAEvtA mEt, FytA yEd kto_Ep l<yt . \ t/ lOSymEp mSymkl j mkoEVsktn l<yt ; \ {
Oh friend, if you should nd it anywhere: that heart absorbed in Krsna rasa so rare .. . be quick to buy, how much the souls in need! In that bazaar is posted just one price; millions of pious works will not suce, the only cost is paid in coins of greed. Where does such spiritual greed come from? Rpa Gosvmin writes in u a Bhakti-rasmrta-sindhu (1.2.292): a .

xxv

t(BAvAEdmADy t DFydp"t . nA/ fA-/ n yE toBo(pEl"Zm ;18 \ ^

When one has some perception, from hearing the Bhgavata Purna a a. or other books on the Lords sports written by rapturous devotees, that all of Krsnas senses are pleased by the feelings, beauty .. and qualities of the residents of Vraja such as Nanda and Yaod, s a an attitude arises that is indierent to scripture or argument and is a symptom of the development of eagerness or greed (lobha). This attitude is, more specically, the innate, spontaneous desire for the sweetness of those various moods: May I also have the same kinds of feelings and qualities. Even though spontaneous attraction to the mood of the residents of Vrndvana is so natural, not all persons develop it instantly upon rst hear. a ing about it. The Caitanya-caritmrta (2.22.87) says: th uni lubdha haya a . a as kono bhgyavn, Some rare fortunate soul develops this greed when he hears a a the glories of the residents of Vrindavan. One needs the mercy of a devotee endowed with this spirit himself and the candidate must be possessed of certain qualities on his own, a certain lucidity or clearness of mind, before such greed can appear. Therefore, Rpa says u in Bhakti-rasmrta-sindhu (1.2.309) that it is krpaikalabhy, only available a . a . through the mercy of the Lord and his devotees. va In the Bhakti-sandarbha (Treatise on Devotion) (310), Sr J describes the development of greed in the following way: A devotee whose heart is clear like a crystal will nd that when the rays of the moon-like devotion of the residents of Vraja fall upon it, it lights up and takes on that glow itself, i.e., eagerness manifests itself in his heart. Then a curiosity about the dealings or feelings or passions of the eternally perfect residents of Vraja such as Nanda, Yaod, etc., arises in the practitioner. In other s a words a desire to know more about the patterns of their feelings occurs and he develops a taste or hunger for those patterns.19

vjvAEsnA Fk Z y, BAv, t(sjAtFyBAvAy loB, ( cvEtpAd, ) } \ fA-/yEEnrp"tAvAEdmADyAEBlsn loBo(pl"Zm ( mk ddAsgo-vAmF ) \ ^ 19 tAdfrAgsDAkrABAssmEstdy-PVFkmZ, sADk-y t(pErpAVF vEp zEcjAyt .
18

xxvi

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh

The candidate who is qualied for practicing devotion in pursuit of erotic passion (kmnug bhakti ) is further described in Rpa Gosvmins Bhaktia a a u a rasmrta-sindhu (1.2.300): a .

FmEtmADrF\ #y tFlA EnfMy vA . \ t@bAvAkAEZo y -y-tq sADntAnyo, ;

Those who have seen the beauty of the image of the Lord or who have heard about his sports with his lovers, from their falling in love (prva-rga) to the ecstasies of the circle dance, and who u a have become eager for the feelings of either the heroines or their friends are qualied for the practice of one of the two types of this form of devotion. J vas commentary on this verse is as follows: Previously [in verse 1.2.292], only the process of hearing was mentioned. Now it appears that it is necessary to see Krsnas form .. . also. Seeing Krsnas images, certainly, is also dependent on hear.. . ing, for without hearing, there is no possibility that the Lords beauty or activities will spring into reality. Moreover, even without seeing the image of the Lord, hearing of his sports will be eective.20 Who then is not qualied? Expanding on a previously quoted verse from Bhakti-rasmrta-sindhu (3.5.2), Visnu Dsa writes in his commentary on a . a .. Ujjvala-nlamani (1.2): . 1. This spiritual discussion is unedifying for those who, though they are devotees of Krsna, have no inclination toward erotic sacred rapture and .. . for those who, considering the Lords erotic dalliances to be the same as mundane sexuality, feel dispassion or lack any taste for them.

t-yA-tAvAEdmADy EnfMy (vA kvl vZ y(pvm t/ t t-yA, "Z_Ep t-y  \ \ \ vZ-y sAhA ymv[y m`yt i(yEBt yEnA mltdplFlA-Pt, . tFlAvZ t \ \ t("Z EvnAEp kAykrm . \ ^
20

xxvii 2. Although there are many devotees in erotic sacred rapture, still, not all of them, because they lack the proper aptitude, are procient at tasting rapture. For them, this discussion is dicult to grasp. 3. It is improper to discuss this topic before those whose minds are deeply absorbed in the path of injunctions, who, because of having various tendencies, are by nature unaware of the path of passion. The superiority of the path of passion means, after all, that there are unlimited lesser natures unsuited for it. This conception of the majar is as dicult to comprehend as it is rare. n Yet, as it is extremely important we have no other recourse than that of familiarizing ourselves with it. Although such a task is beyond the capabilities of an uneducated, foolish and most unqualied person such as myself, still, because of the indomitable inuence of this holy land and of the blessings of mat Rdhrn compassion, the Vaisnavas, who are all embodiments of Sr a a a . s .. I have been inspired to take up this task with enthusiasm.

xxviii

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh

30

An Introduction to Majar ava n -bh

Appendix A About the Author

The author of this book, Kuja Bihr Ds Bbj was a Tewari Brhmana n a a a a , a . from Meshya, a small village near Jhalda in the district of Purulia in northwestern Bengal. He was born Kuja Kishor Tewari on the Jhulan Purnima n of 1896, the only son of Nilakamal Tewari and Muktamala Devi. He became interested in religious subject matters as a boy, learning the Bengali versions of Mahbhrata and Rmyana from his uncle, Nilamadhab Tewari. It would a a a a . appear that the Caitanyaite religion was not well known in the area at the time and his rst religious attraction was to the Rm-carit Mnas of Tulas a a Ds. It was only in the mid-1920s that he rst encountered the Bhgavata a a Purna with Rdhvinoda Goswamis translation and commentary. a. a a As is often the case in such circumstances, Kuja Kishors parents worried n about their only sons religious interests and had him married at a young age in order to assure his commitment to the family. Even though he had only limited formal education, Kuja Kishor opened n a primary school in his village where he taught for twenty years. His primary interests continued to be religious, but at the same time, he engaged his students in the nationalist (Svadeshi) movement by growing cotton and spinning it for the purpose of making homespun cloth. He was particularly inuenced by Nibaran Chandra Dasgupta, the publisher of Mukti magazine, which was the main organ of the Congress party in the district. Nibaran Chandra was also a Vaisnava who saw independence as a means for improving the status .. of the Caitanyaite religion. Kuja Kishor was much inuenced by his teachn ing, in particular, his attitude toward the proliferation of religious leaders in 31

32

Appendix A. About the Author

Bengal claiming to be incarnations of God. He was also introduced by him to some of the more subtle aspects of the Caitanya-caritmrta teachings. a . In 1922, Nilakamal Tewari died. Kunja Kishor followed the obligatory mourning rituals ending with the rddha ceremony, but shortly thereafter s a he fell ill and for about eight months was repeatedly attacked by strong fevers. After this long illness, Kuja Kishor underwent a period, which lasted for n about a month and a half during the rainy season of 1923, of what he himself described as unmda, insanity. He experienced this time as one of great a joy and liberty, claiming to have had visions of Rdh and Krsna and hearing a a .. . divine sounds, etc. In his later life looked back on this period as a precursor of his experiences as a adept in Rdh Kund. a a .. In spite of all these distractions, Kuja Kishors school continued to be a n success with many of its graduates going on to win scholarships for further study. Thus, though he tended to use the school as a platform for religious and political activity, there was little objection from the school inspectors. One of his stranger classroom practices was to keep a human skull, found in a eld, on display in order to remind his students of the impermanence of life. Gradually, the school grew and a new building with the aspect of an ashram was erected in the middle of a eld and was given the name Sevrama. A as three-day Vaisnava festival, which continues to be held there annually, was .. inaugurated by Kuja Kishors uncle Subal Chandra Tewari. n In the early 1930s, the inuence of Sahajiya and Baul teachings began to be felt in the district and some close friends of the Tewari family also became members of these sects. Kuja Kishor felt very fortunate to meet a n Vrndvana Vaisnava who was travelling in the area at the time. From him he a . .. learned about many aspects of Vaisnava teaching as preserved in Vrndvana, .. . a including the disciplic succession and the importance of the siddha-pranl .a in Gaud Vaisnava tradition. Kuja Kishor had been initiated by Gopal ya n . .. Chandra Thakur Goswami of Jhalda when only ten or eleven years old. He now took steps to recover the knowledge of siddha-pranl which was the key .a to further advancement on the spiritual path. With renewed enthusiasm and armed with this deeper understanding of the orthodox tradition, he managed to convert several of his Sahajiya and Baul neighbours to the path of pure Vaisnavism. This caused a stir and the Bauls started in a campaign of .. criticism against Vaisnava orthodoxy. A great assembly was called together .. at the Sevrama in November, 1934, to establish the supremacy of the as

33 orthodox movement. Many guest speakers from all over the Vaisnava world .. were invited, led by the scholar Vrajendranath Chakravarti of Jhalda. The result of the meeting was that the inuence in the district of the various Tantric subsects of Gaud Vaisnavism was seriously impaired. . ya .. Unfortunately, only a few weeks after this success, Kuja Kishors wife n died in childbirth. He continued his life as a teacher for several more years as he fullled his responsibilities towards his two daughters, Vinodin Dev and Janak Bl, seeing to their education and marriage. During this time he aa continued to organize large assemblies in the name of the Gaud . ya-Vaisnava.. Dharma-Samraksin Sabh (Council for the protection of the Gaud Vaisnava a . . . . ya.. religion). Those who had been initiated were encouraged to nd out their siddha-pranl while those who were initiated in heterodox movements were . a , encouraged to seek reinitiation. He collected money so that mrdanga and . k rtana classes could be given at Sevrama and formed a k as rtana group with the students who participated. Word of Kuja Kishors close adherence to the Vrndvana orthodoxy n . a reached the ears of Krsna Caitanya Ds Bbj of Rdh Kund, also originally a a a a a .. . .. from Jhalda, who wrote to him saying that he felt that Kuja Kishor must n have been a friend of his through many lives. The kindness of a great monk like Krsna Caitanya Dsj had a deep eect on Kuja Kishor and his interest a n .. . in material life diminished further. In 1937, during the Kumbha period (midwinter), he went to Rdh Kusd for a months holiday and accepted Krsna a a .. .. . Caitanya Dsj as his iks-guru, taking the Paca-tattva and other mantras a s .a n from him, as well as instructions about worship. Krsna Caitanya Dsj died a .. . a year later. In 1939, Kuja Kishor went back to Braj with his mother, this time n for good. He was immediately initiated into the renounced order of life by the renowned scholar Advaita Ds Bbj of Govardhan, receiving the name a a a Kuja Bihr Ds Bbj A few months later his mother also took the n a a a a . renounced order from Advaita Dsj receiving the name Mdhav Ds She a , a a . continued to live in a room near the Gopa Kuw at Sym Kund before dying a a .. in 1944. Kuja Bihr Dsj found a cottage at Brajnanda Gher, and with the n a a a a help of donations received from his countrymen, he was able to greatly improve the building. In it, he established a publishing house which he named a the Krsna Caitanya Sstra Mandir after his iks-guru. He published not s .a ..

34

Appendix A. About the Author

only numerous books such as Bhavakpe J u ver Gati, Paratattva Sammukhya, Bhakti- kalpa-lat, Bhakti-rasa-prasanga and Majar a n -svarpa-nirpana, but u u . many paintings and charts as well. The well-known scholar of Vaisnava .. history and Bengali literature, Biman Bihari Majumdar, used Bhakti-rasaprasanga as a required text for his M.A. course at the University of Patna. In his introduction to the Majar n -svarpa-nirpana, Kujavihr Dsj u u . n a a writes that his rst acquaintance with the mood of the majar was through n Advaita Dsa Bbj of Govardhana, whom he his renunciation guru, Sr a a a called the foremost scholar of the Vaisnava world, especially in the matter .. of sacred sthetics or rapture. From that time on he became especially interested in the subject and began collecting references to the mood of the majar whenever he came across them, paying special attention to the difn ferent ingredients necessary to produce the experience of sacred rapture in that mood. Later on, he had the opportunity to live for a long time with another great scholar and resident of Rdh Kund, D sarana Dsa Bbj a a a a a , . . na . and was able to study thoroughly all the literature on the subject. During that time, most of the materials found in this book were compiled. Later, other residents of the Kund gave their encouragement and through nancial .. help received from a number of sources, these materials were published as An Inquiry into the Nature of Rdhs Handmaids. a a Kuja Bihar Dsj made a great number of disciples, several of whom n a later became abbots of Rdh Kund. His most celebrated disciple, Ananta a a .. Ds Bbj is a great scholar in his own right, who has published numerous a a a , a works from the Krsna Caitanya Sstra Mandir. Kuja Bihr Dss inun a a .. . ence continues to be felt in his homeland which its inhabitants identify with Jharikhand, the wild jungle country through which Caitanya passed on his way from Pur to Vrndvana in 1513, avoiding the more frequented route . a along the Ganges. The proportion of bbj living in Rdh Kund who a a s a a .. come from the westernmost part of Bengal is well over 50%. Vaisnavism in .. Puruliya district (where I had the opportunity to go in the winters of 1983 and 1984) continues to bear the strong stamp of the practices found in Rdh a a Kund. ..