Mañjarī-bhāva

snātānulipta-vapuṣaḥ pupuṣuḥ svabhās tan- nirmālya-mālya-vasanābharaṇena dāsyaḥ

snātānulipta-vapuṣaḥ pupuṣuḥ svabhās tan-
nirmālya-mālya-vasanābharaṇena dāsyaḥ |
prāsya svakāmam anuvṛtti-ratās tayor yāḥ
śrī-rūpa-mañjari-samāna-guṇābhidhānāḥ ||
tā vidyud-uddyuti-jayi-prapadaika-rekhā
vaidagdhya eva kila mūrtibhṛtas tathāpi |
yūtheśvarītvam api samyag arocayitvā
dāsyāmṛtābdhim anusasnur ajasram asyāḥ ||
(Kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta: 3.1–2)

“The dāsīs whose bodies are bathed and anointed and whose own lusters are nourished with her [i.e., Śrī Rādhā’s] remnant garlands, garments, and ornaments, [the dāsīs] who have cast away selfish desire and are engaged in pleasing them [i.e., Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa], [the dāsīs] who are known to possess qualities equal [in excellence] to the buds (mañjarīs) of their figures and splendors [alt., who are known to have qualities equal to those of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī], [the dāsīs] one ray from the tips of whose toes defeats the brilliance of lightning, [the dāsīs] who are verily embodiments of cleverness, [the dāsīs] who nevertheless have no taste whatsoever for being a yūtheśvarī [even though they are fully qualified to be one], [those dāsīs] forever bath in the ocean of the nectar of servitude (dāsya) unto her [i.e., Śrī Rādhā].”

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śrī-rādhā-pāda-padma-cchavi-madhuratara-prema-cij-jyotir ekā-mbodher

śrī-rādhā-pāda-padma-cchavi-madhuratara-prema-cij-jyotir ekā-
mbodher udbhūta-phena-stavaka-maya-tanūḥ sarva-vaidagdhya-pūrṇāḥ |
kaiśora-vyañjitās tad-ghana-rug-apaghana-śrī-camatkāra-bhājo
divyālaṅkāra-vastrā anusarata sakhe rādhikā-kiṅkarīs tāḥ ||
(Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta: 2.86)

“Their forms are made of clusters of foam arising from the superexcellent ocean of the spiritual light of prema made even sweeter by the luster of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. They are replete with all expertise and vividly youthful, their figures are splendorous and astonishing with the intense luster thereof [i.e., of their youth] and adorned with charming ornaments and garments. O sakhī, follow those maidservants of Rādhikā.”

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mātar gopa-kiśoraṁ taṁ

mātar gopa-kiśoraṁ taṁ tvañ ca rāsa-rasāmbudhim |
tat-prema-mohitābhiḥ śrī-gopībhir abhito vṛtam ||
amūṣāṁ dāsyam icchantī tādṛśa-prema-bhaṅgibhiḥ |
nityaṁ bhajasva tan-nāma-saṅkīrtana-parāyaṇā ||
(Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.154–5)

“The Adolescent Cowherd, the Ocean of the rasa of rāsa, surrounded on all sides by the beautiful gopīs enchanted by prema for him—O Mother, you too should always worship him with similar means of prema [i.e., with means of prema similar to those of the gopīs’ prema], desiring servitude to them [i.e., to the gopīs] and being absorbed in saṅkīrtana of his name.”

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tad-bhāvecchātmikā tāsām

tad-bhāvecchātmikā tāsām bhāva-mādhurya-kāmitā |
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.299)

“Bhakti constituted of desire for the sweetness of their [i.e., the Vraja-gopīs’] bhāva shall be [called] tad-bhāvecchātmikā [i.e., bhakti constituted of desire for their bhāva].”

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