WHAT HAPPENS IF WE GET A SMALL RAY OF THE VRAJA DEVI'S AND MANJARI'S LOVE IN OUR HEART?

Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 47
We are searching for that person who has stolen the effulgence of heavy rainclouds, who has grown languid from playing so much, who wears a crest made from the feathers of an passionate peacock, whose lotus face is fascinating, who has become stunned by long and close contact with the upward-pointing sidelong glances of Kamalā (Rādhikā), and who is the very overabundance of perfection of all the sweet beauty in the universe.
Kṛṣṇa is the leader and greatest of thieves. How? He is like the sun that evaporates water. Anywhere water is present, the sun steals it. How and when, no one knows. The sun takes the water, turns it into vapor and puts it in the clouds. And then all this water is purified by the sun. Similarly, when will Kṛṣṇa steal our anarthas, false ego, independent desires, and purify and keep us nearby Him? Kṛṣṇa is darkish like a rain cloud. There are many types of rasa. What is rasa? Kṛṣṇa starts the rasa festival, called the rāsotsava and distributes this rasa in everyone’s heart.
For example, many trees and plants grow in the earth and collect many rasas, such as sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. They collect these tastes from the earth and stock them in their foliage. People don’t know how trees collect rasa and stock them as apples, pomegranates, and so forth.
Kṛṣṇa plants this rasa in Vraja-maṇḍala. He distributes this seed of the reservoir of all rasa to everyone. Later, how can they take care and maintain it? Then, afterwards, Kṛṣṇa comes and tastes this rasamālayam, reservoir of mellows.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said:
nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayaṁ
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.3
O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.
If you drink that rasa, you will be rasika, expert in relishing transcendental mellows, and bhāvuka, imbued with these spiritual moods. No mundane moods or desires will be there, and one won’t run again for mundane rasas. One will no longer be thirsty for this, and won’t beg door to door for ordinary things. This will be stopped by rasamālayam, the reservoir of rasa, which is distributed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
Where will you go and hide? Anytime you pray to Paramātmā, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s followers, the Vraja-devīs, mañjarīs, sakhās, gopas, cows, peacocks, and remember, “How much love they have! How much service they do! How can I also go there and serve Kṛṣṇa!” If you have a little desire for this, then this is called service-tendency. This desire is given by Guru-pāda-padma. This steals all anarthas. Guru-pāda-padma and the Vraja-devīs clean and purify one, and fill the heart with rasa. In the summer one is dry, but when the rainy season comes there is only water, water, water. Similarly, the heart will be cooled. But first drying is necessary to clean.
Chāyā-coraṁ vilāsa-bharālasaṁ. First Kṛṣṇa cleans, dries, and then waters. Who is this person? Mada-śikhi-sikhā-lilottaṁsaṁ. Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful lotus face spreads fragrance. How? Kṛṣṇa’s adharāmṛta and vacanāmṛta, nectarful voice, goes everywhere. He wears a peacock feather on His head and is the color of an indranīla-maṇī, blue sapphire. He is decorated by many jewelled ornaments from Yaśodā Mātā. He plays the flute and with this message He goes and distributes something. Anyone who hears His voice will have Him enter his heart and appear there. But first it is necessary to clean the heart. To clean hearts He arranges millions of Vraja-devīs and mañjarīs. How is ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam possible? Śreyah kairava candrikā vitaraṇam vidyā-vadhu. From where will the qualities of the vidyā-vadhus come from? How do the vraja-vadhūs serve Kṛṣṇa with their love? If a small ray of their love comes in anyone’s heart, the heart will automatically be cleaned and changed.
All people have desire to serve. They continuously serve their body, mind, and those who help their mind and senses. They serve them and have attachment for them. But if one attains a little relationship with the Vraja-devīs and hears the Vraja-devīs’ holy names, then first the heart will be cleansed and then kṛṣṇa-bhakti-lalasā, desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, will sprout there. Then one will no longer be lazy or crazy for anything mundane. One will continuously be eager for Kṛṣṇa’s darśana. With Her eyes, Rādhārānī drinks the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty. She takes this and gives it to the mañjarīs and gopīs. If one watches the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty directly, then he doesn’t know the proper process of how to relish this beauty.
Therefore, Śrīmatī Rādhārānī collects and distributes this nectar to all the gopīs. For example, the roots of trees collect juice and mellows from far away and then give it to the trunk and then to the branches and leaves. Then the leaves make food for the tree through the sunshine. This is the process. Rādhārānī collects the nectar of Kṛṣṇa and drinks this, and then She gives it to the mañjarīs, sakhīs, gopīs, and other followers of the Vraja-devīs. They next serve Kṛṣṇa, having been nourished with this mādhurya nectar. Their attraction is very deep. They don’t go this side or that side. If anyone has love for Kṛṣṇa, then his heart will be more beautiful and fragrant than a lotus, and he won’t have attachment for anything else. Like a swan can extract milk from water, any followers of the Vraja-devīs will be like swans, extracting transcendental feelings and never taking any mundane rasa. They will be clean and perfect.
All their associates will be engaged in kīrtana, hari-kathā, hari-sevā, and are related with Vraja-dhāma.
They won’t leave Vraja-dhāma, and there will be no need to order them, “Do this, do that.” They will automatically be serving. When the lotus blossoms, the lotus doesn’t make an announcement, “I have honey, please come.” The bumblebee comes automatically. This is very sweet. If anyone has this desire and follows the footsteps of the Vraja-devīs, automatically everything will be favorable. This is powerful in its attraction.
Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura ki Jaya! (Excerpted from the Bhaktabandhav book publication, “Krsna Karnamrta”. Available from: rasik@kripa.tv )