Mangala Arati

[Guest guest]

> Could someone please post the scriptural significance of performing/

> attending mangala aarti.

 

I recently discovered a considerable quantity of nectar in this regard from

the "Acarya Kesari", the biography of Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami

Maharaja. I am hoping that this will be of use for your bhajana.

 

An excerpt from the seventh chapter:

 

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Sri Mangala-arati

 

We stated earlier that our most revered Srila Guru-padapadma was a rasika

poet as well as a self-realised philosopher. We shall now present some of

his verses of mangala-arati, from which we can easily understand how rasika

a poet he really was. In this mangala-arati he has described Sri Sri

Radha-Krsna’s nisanta-lila in a confidential way. Ordinary sadhakas cannot

imbibe these profound emotions into their heart; only some raganuga

Vaisnavas can understand these meanings.

 

The eternal pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Krsna have been divided into eight

periods (astakaliya-lila) so that raganuga sadhakas can remember and

contemplate them: 1) nisanta (the end of the night); 2) pratah (dawn); 3)

purvahna (morning); 4) madhyahna (midday); 5) aparahna (early afternoon); 6)

sayam (evening); 7) pradosa (first part of the night); 8) madhya-ratri-lila

(pastimes in the middle of night).

 

Mangala-arati is connected with nisanta-lila, the pastimes of Sri Sri

Radha-Krsna Yugala which take place in the last part of night before dawn.

The description of nisanta-lila has been given in Sri Sanat-Kumara Samhita,

in Padma Purana (patala khanda) and in the books of the Gosvamis. Srila Rupa

Gosvami has described these eightfold pastimes in a condensed (sutra) form,

while Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has described them in detail in his

Sri Govinda-lilamrta, as has Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura in his Sri

Krsna-bhavanamrta. Here, we shall give a very brief overview of

nisanta-lila.

 

Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala are tired after Their midnight pastimes, and are

sleeping in a charming kunja (forest bower). Some special sakhis, carrying

in their hands the articles and ingredients required for their service at

that time, are waiting for Sri Yugala-Kisora to wake up. The cool and gentle

early morning breeze, kissing each and every flower, has become intoxicated

with the fragrance and is now moving unsteadily. Buzzing bumblebees also

wake up quickly, and kiss the flowers in turn, leaving them for new flowers.

The whole atmosphere of Vrndavana is becoming enchanted by the aroma of

these blossoming flowers.

 

Sri Vrnda-devi becomes worried when sees Yugala Kisora-Kisori still

sleeping. “Aho! The sun is just about to rise now, and this Couple is still

sleeping, happily bound to each other in Their tight embrace.” Seeing this,

she becomes worried and tells the birds of Vrndavana such as the parrot, the

she-parrot, the cuckoos, peacocks and papihas, “Wake Them up with your sweet

songs, otherwise They will be put to shame when everyone else wakes up.” As

soon as the birds hear Sri Vrnda-devi’s orders, they all sing in their sweet

voices about the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala and begin to wake

Them up.

 

Meanwhile, some of the prana-prestha-sakhis become enchanted while peering

through a small opening in the bushes of the kunja. In their jubilation on

seeing the incomparable, lustrous beauty of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, they begin

to perform arati with their eyes. Although the Couple have been awakened by

the sweet chirping of the birds, They do not want to get up from Their bed,

for fear of losing the happiness of Their deep embrace. At last, on the

request of the suka (parrots) and sari (female parrots), They get up and sit

on the bed. At that time svadhina-bhartrka Srimati Radhika requests Her

dearmost Sri Krsna to rearrange Her srngara (ornaments and garments), and

dhira-lalita Krsna complies with Her request.

 

At that time the sakhis also come into the kunja. Melodiously describing the

pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala, they approach the Divine Couple and

start performing their respective services. Suddenly, the female monkey

named Kakkhati loudly calls out the name ‘Jatila’. Upon hearing this, Sri

Sri Radha-Krsna become anxious due to the mellow of transcendental fear and

longing. They return to Their respective homes, and sleep for a while. Sri

Rupa Gosvami’s sutra sloka is as follows.

 

ratryante trastavrnderitabahubhiravairbodhitau kirasari

padyairhrdyairahrdyairapi sukhasayanadutthitau tau sakhibhih

drstau hrstau tadatvoditaratilalitau kakkhatigihsasankau

radhakrsnau satrsnavapi nijanijadhanyaptatalpau smarami

 

Many different vaisnava acaryas in the Sri Gaudiya Sampradaya have written

mangala-aratis of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala. However, my Paramaradhya Srila

Gurudeva’s mangala-arati has its own unprecedented and unique speciality. By

singing this mangala-arati one is infused with the bhavas of the

nisanta-lila of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna in a way which can not be found anywhere

else. The whole mangala-arati is as follows:

 

mangala sri guru-gaura mangala murati

mangala sri radha-krsna yugala piriti (1)

 

mangala nisanta lila mangala udaye

mangala arati jage bhakata hrdaye (2)

 

tomara nidraya jiva nidrita dharaya

tava jagarane visva jagarita haya (3)

 

subha drsti kara ebe jagatera prati

jaguka hrdaye mora sumangala rati (4)

 

mayura sukadi sari kata pikaraja

mangala jagara hetu kariche viraja (5)

 

sumadhura dhvani kare jata sakhi-gana

mangala sravane baje madhura kujana (6)

 

kusumita sarovare kamala-hillola

mangala saurabha bahe pavana kallola (7)

 

jhanjhara kansara ghanta sankha karatala

mangala mrdanga baje parama rasala (8)

 

mangala arati kare bhakatera gana

abhaga kesava kare nama-sankirtana (9)

 

“Glories to the auspicious forms of Sri Guru and Gaura and all glories to

Sri Radha-Krsna’s auspicious amorous love.

 

“All glories to Their auspicious nisanta-lila which heralds the end of night

and to Their auspicious awakening, which brings auspiciousness to all!

Glories to mangala-arati which awakens the devotees’ hearts.

 

“While You sleep, the jivas lie sleeping deep in their ignorance, but upon

Your rising, the whole world awakens. (If you manifest in their hearts, then

all tattva and all siddhanta will be revealed to them).

 

“Please bestow Your kind glance upon the world and awaken in my heart that

most auspicious rati.

 

“The peacocks, parrots, suka, sari and cuckoos all exist solely to sing for

Your auspicious awakening.

 

“Sitting in the branches of the trees, all the birds sing their supremely

sweet morning melodies which resound throughout the forest. Those sweet,

soft, auspicious sounds grace everyone.

 

“Varieties of flowers, with lotuses in the centre, fill the pond and sway

with the waves. Breezes carry auspicious aromas of pure delight and joy

everywhere.

 

“Large cymbals, gongs, bells, conches, karatalas and auspicious mrdangas

play the supreme rasa.

 

“Performing mangala arati in the company of devotees, Sri Kesava dasa sings

nama-sankirtana.”

 

The jiva is constitutionally a servant of Bhagavan. Unfortunately, the jiva

who has fallen into this illusory world, being averse to Bhagavan since time

immemorial, is burnt by the three-fold miseries in the cycle of repeated

birth and death. Only by great fortune does the jiva take shelter at the

lotus feet of a sad-guru and follow the path of suddha-bhakti. At that time

he realizes that Sri Gurudeva, Sri Gaurasundara, and Sri Sri Radha-Krsna

Yugala are the embodiment of auspiciousness for the whole world. The

ultimate goal of the jiva is to attain prema for the lotus feet of Sri Sri

Radha-Krsna. The life of that person in whose heart prema for Sri Sri

Radha-Krsna has arisen is actually significant, meaningful and profitable.

This condition is the ultimate good fortune of all jivas.

 

By the mercy of the all-auspicious Bhagavan and His devotee, when a

practitioner of bhakti goes on practising uttama-bhakti, he gradually

crosses the successive stages of sraddha, nistha, ruci and asakti. At that

time suddha-sattva, which is the combined essence of the hladini and samvit

aspects of the svarupa-sakti, becomes self-manifest in the heart. Then that

fortunate sadhaka’s pure intrinsic spiritual form, name, mood and other

aspects also become manifest in his heart. By the association of tattva-jna

and rasika bhaktas, he is naturally attracted to perform nama-kirtana with

bhava and to remember the asta-kaliya-lila (eight-fold pastimes). Only in

the heart of a jiva who has received such good fortune is mangala

nisanta-lila manifested. The same love-laden mangala-arati which the

priya-narma-sakhis perform in the transcendental abode of Vrndavana during

Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala’s nisanta-lila is specifically bestowed in the

heart of such a sadhaka.

 

This auspicious rati does not manifest without the mercy of Sri Sri

Radha-Krsna or Their associates, and until this auspicious rati is

manifested, the transcendental mangala-arati will also not manifest itself.

Therefore the bhakti-sadhaka prays piteously in great distress to receive

such good fortune (verses 1-4).

 

This prayer causes the auspicious arati of Sri Sri Radha Krsna Yugala to

manifest in the heart of the raganuga-sadhaka. Losing external consciousness

of his body and this world, he sees with his eternal form 'mayura sukadi

sari kata pikaraja mangala jagara hetu kariche viraja' (verse 5).

 

The time of dawn is quickly approaching. In some pleasure grove such as

Sanketa, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala are still asleep, bound by each others’

embrace. Afraid that everyone will soon wake up, Vrnda-devi inspires the

birds such as peacocks, male and female parrots, cuckoos, and papiha to

awaken Sri Yugala. At that time, all the birds in the water and on land

start calling in their sweet voices. The description of this pastime in Sri

Govinda-lilamrta touches the heart:

 

draksasu saryyah karakesu kirah jaguh pikibhisca pika rasale

pilau kapotah priyake mayurah latasu bhrngah bhuvi tamra cuda

 

“Female parrots sitting on the grape-vines, parrots on the pomegranate

trees, cuckoos on the branches of the mango trees, male and female pigeons

on the pilu trees, male and female peacocks on the kadamba trees, male and

female bumblebees on the creepers and roosters on the ground-all are

produing their sweet sounds.”

 

The male and female peacock start crying their sweet Ke! Ka! The male

peacocks call out Ke! - “The patience, shyness and chastity of Srimati

Radhikaji, who is the personification of mahabhava, are like a tall

mountain. Who can crush that mountain to powder? Only Krsna!” Then the

peahens reply Ka! -“Sri Krsna is like a mad elephant, sporting with His

beloved in the waves of prema. Who can control that maddened elephant with

the ankusa (goad) of Her love? Only Srimati Radhika!”

 

Swarms of bumblebees blow Cupid’s conch as they buzz from one flower to

another. Parrots like Daksa and Vicaksana, and female parrots such as Subha

and Manjubhasini awaken Sri Yugala by heralding the auspicious dawn.

Although Radha-Krsna are awakened by the sweet calling of these birds, They

still keep themselves bound in Their embrace with Their eyes closed, fearing

that the pleasure of that embrace may vanish.

 

Here the line ‘mangala sravane baje madhura kujana’ (verse 6) can have many

profound purports. The first meaning is that the sweet calls of the birds on

the branches of different trees enters the auspicious ears of Sri Sri

Radha-Krsna as a sweet but indistinct sound. The second meaning is that the

sweet sound of the birds enters the ears of the priya-narma-sakhis, who are

waiting for Sri Sri Radha-Krsna to wake up. There is another very

confidential meaning of the word kujana. At the time of the rati-vilasa

(amorous pastimes) of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, They converse together and

exchange sweet joking words. When this kujana enters the ears of

priya-narma-sakhis, it enchants them with love.

 

Intoxicated bumblebees are humming everywhere in Vrndavana, which is full of

many different types of flowers such as beli, cameli, juhi, yuthika,

mallika, malati, jati and kunda. The clear ponds of fresh, sweet water are

full of lotuses over which swarms of bumblebees are humming. These lotuses

sway at the touch of the cool, gentle breezes, and they dance in

overwhelming jubilation when waves arise in the pond.

 

In the midst of all this, everyone hears the word ‘Jatila!’ Sri Sri

Radha-Krsna Yugala and Their sakhis, full of suspense and eagerness,

immediately get ready to leave the kunja to go to Their respective palaces.

At this very moment, the internal absorption of the sadhaka breaks and he

regains his external consciousness. He becomes overwhelmed with grief, but

just then the bell starts ringing in the temple room for the arati of Sri

Sri Radha-Krsna Yugala. The doors open and the devotees start performing the

arati of Sri Sri Yugala Kisora very affectionately. As the devotees dance

and sing mangala-arati, their melodious voices combine with the sweet sounds

of jhanjhara, kansara, ghanta, sankha, karatala, and mrdanga. Inspired by

his previous absorption in nisanta-lila, the author of this poem also starts

to perform nama-sankirtana with the other devotees. As he sings each verse

of the kirtana, the bhavas of nisanta-lila appear in his heart, soothing his

grief.

 

I have tried to reveal some of the heart-felt moods of Paramaradhya Srila

Gurudeva, following the sakha-candra-nyaya (logic of the moon and the

branch), and but I know that I am incapable of collecting even one drop from

his fathomless, endless ocean of rasa. May Srila Gurupadapadma bestow his

causeless grace upon this useless servant, so that I one day may become

qualified for this.

 

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