Nityananda Prabhu & Jahnavi Devi

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> GGD 66:

>

> 66. Some say that Srimati Vasudha-devi is the incarnation of Srimati

> Ananga-manjari, and others say that Srimati Jahnavi-devi is the

> incarnation of Srimati Ananga-manjari. In truth, both opinions are

> correct. They are both incarnations of Srimati Ananga-manjari.

 

> 65. Lord Balarama's two wives, Srimati Varuni-devi and Srimati

> Revati-devi, appeared during Lord Caitanya's pastimes as Srimati

> Vasudha-devi and Srimati Jahnavi-devi, the two dear wives of Lord

> Nityananda, and the daughters of the great personality Sri Surya-dasa.

>

> A contradiction? Wasn't it Ananga-manjari or Revati as Jahnavi or what?

> Our limited conception of personality comes up.

 

It is not surprising. Many personalities in Krsna-lila may have merged into

a single personality in Caitanya-lila. For eg. in GGD it is said that

Jagannatha Misra & Sacidevi were incarnations of Nanda & Yasoda but Vasudeva

& Devaki from Dvarka also merged in their bodies to relish the association

of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this way we can understand that both Jahnava

devi & Vasudha devi were incarnations of Ananga Manjari and Revati devi &

Varuni devi merged into their bodies resp.

 

> but what about the association between the two

> of Them? I know about the association between Lord Nityananda and Srimati

> Jahnava Devi, but not Lord Balaram and Srimati Ananga Manjari.

 

Ananga Manjari is the younger sister of Srimati Radharani and she assists in

Radha Madhava pastimes especially during Their super-excellent pastimes at

Radha Kunda in the afternoon. I don't know whether she is the pleasure

potency of Lord Baladeva but it is said that Lord Baladeva expands Himself

as Ananga Manjari to serve Krsna in His conjugal pastimes with Srimati

Radharani. Lord Baladeva & Ananga Manjari don't seem to have a family

connection because Srimati Radharani & Lord Balarama don't have any family

connection.

 

>Do you know

> any pastimes?

 

Yes. Thank you giving me the chance to relate this pastime. In the center of

Radha Kunda is situated a kunja belonging to Ananga Manjari. In this kunja

is a very beautiful temple of the name Salvela Mandir. It is of very unusual

design constructed with moon stones & rubies. Just below the water, there

are many beautiful figures of swans, floweres & bees made of gems which look

as if they are alive. The entire temples looks like a sixteen petalled

lotus. The temple is connected to the Northern bank of Radha Kunda by a

beautiful bridge.

 

When Jahnava-devi went to Radha-kunda, she sat just on the base of this

bridge and meditated on her kunja & her service to Radha & Krsna as Ananga

Manjari. He had the vision of Krsna there. This seat of Jahnava Mata is

still there at Radha Kunda. Raghunatha Dasa Goswami came to meet her there

from his bhajana kutir etc etc.

 

> >>I think it says in Krsna book that Sri Balaram has his own group of

> >>Gopis in Vrndavan dham, isn't it?

 

This can be a lengthy subject matter for discussion. But I will cut it

short. Lord Krsna & Lord Balarama are the all-attractive Supreme

Personalities of Godhead. There are basically only two sets of gopies in

Vrndavana. One set having conjugal relationship with Krsna and the other

with Balarama. Some pastimes are described in Ananda Vrndavana Champu.

Ofcourse in Krsna's gopies there are many yuthas (groups) & yutheshvaries

(group leaders). So is the case with Balarama's set. I can describe some

pastimes from AVC published by Mahanidhi Swami:

 

Haladhara Balarama looked extraordinarily elegant moving with His

own group of og young gopi consorts. One golden earring enticingly

danced on Balarama's cheek and His eyes rolled from drinking varuni. His

dark blue chaddar half falling off His camphor white chest, Baladeva

looked like the white moon breaking through the darkness. For some

time , Baladeva who is a talented artist, danced to the beat of

songs in carcass and dvipadika. Appearing like the personification of

bliss, Balarama sang, laughed, and threw kumkuma powder on His

beloved gopies, as if sprinkling the sindura of love on their foreheads.

Backed by the vina, Baladeva loudly sang a song in dvipadika. Then

in a joking mood, He threw colored powders on the restless-eyed

gopies. Balarama mixed with His many gopi group leaders and their

companions in the same way that Krsna enjoys with His gopies like

Radhika, Lalita, Candravali, Syama & Bhadra....

 

As Krsna playfully moved with heroic steps, He met with Balarama who

rambled about like an intoxicated elephant along with His own group of

enraptured young gopies. These gopies were completely attached to

Balarama, gazed at Him with tender eyes,, conveying their affection for

their beloved consort. Lifting their bangle-laden arms, they sang

according to the beat and sometimes induced Balarama to sing along. While

their ankle-bells tinkled in time with the nimble movements of their

feet, the gopies danced beside their beloved Balarama, and threw kumkuma

powder on His body with great delight.

 

Understanding the hints from Krsna's glances, the cowherd boys

bombarded the gopies with red, white and yellow scented powders.

Balarama's gopies ran away fearfully. Seeing their condition, Krsna

smiled and mocked them by playing merily on His flute. Krsna's gopies

laughed along in sweet tones. While clapping their hands with a strong

beat and bellowing "Ho! Ho! Hee! Hee!" Krsna's friends filled the four

directions with robust laughter.

 

His anger and passion enflamed, Rohininandana, roaring like a wild

bull elephant suddenly spurred to competition, chased Krsna's companions

to defeat them with a deluge of powders. Glancing forwards & backwards

like lions stalking prey, Krsna's girlfriends desired victory. But losing

their intelligence, whether to attack or retreat, so they all ran

away. When Krsna's gopa friends (the priya-narma sakhas) counter-attacked

Baladeva, He laughed as He squeezedthem in His strong, snake-like arms

and covered them with colorful powders. In this pleasure of playing,

Krsna's cowherd boyfriends lost all sense of awe for Baladeva, as

they shouted at Him with contorted faces. Being very strong, they

manged to get free from Baladeva's grip. Gathering in a group, they

fearlessly retaliated with a volley of vermillion bombs. Though

defeated, Baladeva remained fearless.

 

Krsna bathing everyone in the glow of His soft, sweet smile, said, "

What you have done is not right. I do not like it. It is

ungentlemanly to gang up on My brother who is all alone." Hearing

this, all the boys calmed down.

 

Moved by the emotions of comedy, pride & anger, Baladeva's

complexion assumed a ruddy hue to appear like a diamond pillar embraced by

red lotuses. The majestic form of Balarama shone like a huge crystal

bud reflecting the red jaba flower, or like a proud pinnacle of ice

touched by the pink of early dawn. Baladeva looked as elegant as a

mountain of white lotuses covered by a forest of pink lotuses

inhabited by cakravaka birds. He looked like a full moon anointed with

vermillion, glowing in the red evening sunset. Seeing Him thus, Balarama's

gopies surrounded Him and amused Him with blissful singing and dancing as

they wandered off together.

 

Kavi-karnapura's descriptions are super-excellent. I have tried to give the

whole pastime of Balarama and His gopies with Krsna & His gopies and

priya-narma gopas because such pastimes are rarely mentioned in the

scriptures. I hope all the devotees are pleased.

 

> If that is the case, does the other

> > >>Cowherd boys also have Their gopis, or are they just serving Lord

> > >>Krsna in His pastimes with the Gopis?

 

No other cowherd boys have any extra-marital conjugal relationship with any

of the gopies like Krsna & Balarama.

 

> > Are the other cowherd boys Visnu-tattva? Thus expanding their personal

> > pleasure potency to increase their divine pleasure? Or are they servants

> > of the conjugal mellows of Vraja, meant for Lord Rasaraja to relish?

> > Again, food for thought.

 

No cowherd boys are Visnu-tattva. They were Visnu-tattva only in

brahma-vimohana lila when Krsna expanded Himself as the cowherd boys &

calves. Among the cowherd boys, there are also different categories. And

among these categories only the most intimate sakhas, the priya narma sakhas

(like Subala, Madhumangala, Ujjwala, Arjuna, Kokeela, Sananda, Vidagdha

etc.) assist Krsna in His conjugal pastimes with the gopies. Others simply

serve Him & Balarama in sakhya rasa without knowledge of His conjugal

pastimes and they are perfectly satisfied in their constitiutional position.

 

Your servant,

Nayana-ranjana Dasa