Madhurya Bhava in Poems and Songs of Mirabai

                                                               Figure 1 - Krishna (by Pete Linforth).

 

Summary From the Book Madhurya, the Rasa of Sweetness

Writings such as Tenth Canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam, devotional literature of acharyas of Brahma-Madhava-Gaudiya Sampradaya and compositions of Shri Andal describes, analyzes and exposes feelings and attitudes, which together compose the conjugal experience of God.

Since Krishna is a Supreme Person, it contains a central point, which is housed in Shri Radhe, and from which everything emanates. Other of His relations with multiple consorts are closer to this central focus, but there are the more distant ones. 

Events like Shri Andal's rank among leelas of the Lord that are very close to the origin center of madhurya-bhava (in Bhu Devi). By shifting only slightly from the central component, however still adjacent to the primary expression of conjugal attraction another pastime of Shri Mirabai makes itself evident (in Nila Devi).

Mirabai began to show symptoms of love for Krishna still very young. She developed a strong attachment to the murti of the Lord, that a sadhu had given to her. Mirabai and her mother had a conversation around a girl's marriage as they saw a passing wedding procession and commented that her daughter's husband would be Shri Krishna.

This dialogue reinforced the trend that was already present in Mirabai's heart however her family made an arrangement to marry her with Prince Bhoj Raj of Chittor. Mirabai was unhappy in her marriage because she knew she was married to Krishna and lived this matrimony in transcendental consciousness and sings "I have my Giridhar Gopal and no one else is mine".

Songs of Mirabai also show that she was persecuted by her in-laws especially Vikramaditya, King of Chittor, who wanted to stop her worship of Shri Hari. Mirabai resisted all their negative interference by developing even more intense love for the Lord. Ecstatic experiences of Mira, which began in private, eventually became public. She did not fail to go out at night to meet with satsangs and discuss spirituality in the streets.

There were attempts to assassinate her by using poisoned food, nails on her bed and a snake in a basket. In all cases she was protected by Shri Krishna. The family pressure was so intense that she decided to leave the place and under the instructions of some sages and saints she went to Vrindavan with few followers.

There Mira began to dedicate herself fully and intensely to her devotion to Krishna. She would spend hours singing bhajans and/or experiencing ecstatic prema along with her beloved Lord.

She deeply experienced the madhurya rasa with Keshava and identified herself with a gopi of Vrindavana. The passionate devotee continued expressing her feelings, showing deep love and bliss and her compositions exposed both her moments of separation pain (vipralambha), as her ecstasies of union with the Lord. 

Mirabai left the body in Dwarka and entered the Light of Shri Krishna's heart.
 
Notes and Conclusions

The presence of marital interactions with Keshava as in the case of Andal and Mirabai contributes to keeping the spark of conjugal love for the Lord enlivened. It is necessary to maintain this love as a Sacred Flame lighted up in this Age of Kali and this flame is guarded by eternal consorts of Its source, Shyamsundara. This serves as a lighthouse guiding souls who need it most directly.

These experiences show that the deep love of Shri Radharani does not impose limits on itself. It propagates in waves of contemplation and ecstasy, which intoxicate the soul that experiences madhurya bhava. Such power pushes the soul to search for liberation and also encourages the desire for unconditional love for God.
 

Questions/Answers
Dialogue Between V d and Guru Ma Shri

 
1. How shall we understand that Shri Mirabai identified herself with a gopi of Vrindavan. Was it emotional identification or was it her transcendental realization of her original swaroopa?

Due to the trustworthiness and continuity of her experience, we must understand that Mirabai's emotional identification with a gopi from Vrindavana expresses the transcendental realization of her original swaroopa. There are many cases of devotees who identify only emotionally with the experience of the gopis, but without any trustworthiness or continuity, which has nothing to do with the experience of the eternal soul, but only with the external ego's need to feel loved by Krishna in such a mood. For there to be transcendental realization there has to be a continuous and profound experience, which will be expressed through writings, poetry, music, teachings, discipleship, among other manifestations that prove the veracity of self-identification.

2. Is it me who has misinterpreted views of Sakhi and Manjari Bhava devotees or do they really mean that for Krishna no other gopi really matters except Shrimati Radharani? Does the Lord really have unequal love for His consorts and His personal associates in general?

Some devotees of sakhi and manjari bhava repeat this without any deep realization of what they are saying. They are like parrots, repetitive. That's why you shouldn't confuse teachings from different paths, so as not to waste time on what won't help you reach the Lord through the self-realization of the specific Guru (Ma) you're following. It is obvious that Krishna has deep and pure conjugal love for all gopis and wives, however Radha/Rukmini is the feminine source of this love, the Adi-Shakti Herself in conjugal mood. In any case, as I have explained on other occasions, conjugal intimacy with Him is only possible when there is unity with such a source (Radha/Rukmini) in the multiplicity of gopis/wives, when His love is always pure and perfect, so that this idea of inequality disappears from the self-realized consciousness.
 

3. It is even pointed out sometimes that Shri Lakshmi did not get entry into Rasa Dance even though she is performing tough penances for it, does this have a scriptural basis? If yes how shall we understand this, does it not show unequal love on the part of the Lord for His consorts?

This is another misconception that shouldn't occupy your mind, because we know that Lakshmi, Radha, Rukmini, Sita, Parvati, Sarasvati are all just moods of the same Person. Lakshmi does penance so that, in Radha's consciousness (which is Her own, Adi Shakti's), She can experience the purity and perfection of the rasa dance together with Her eternal and beloved visaya (Shri Hari). This does not reveal unequal love on the part of the Lord for His consorts, for Radha and Lakshmi are the same Person in different moods and garments. To be in one or the other, She only needs to tune into the thought/feeling and body/clothing/ornament waves of the one She wants to be in, just like when we tune into the waves of a particular radio. Lakshmi's penance is part of the eternal lila, a vrata and a request from Her (to Vishnu), which culminates in the rasa dance, in Radha's consciousness with Krishna.

 

Figure 2 - Mirabai (by Vishal Kumar).