The supreme essence of prema is mahābhāva, and the embodiment of mahābhāva is Śrī Rādhā. Therefore Her form, attributes and pastimes are likewise. No one can compare to Her. Still She has placed Her own sārūpya, transcendental form, in Kṛṣṇa’s priya narma sakhā Subala. Subala has the same appearance as Śrī Rādhārāṇī, and since there are many obstacles in Her extramarital relationship with Kṛṣṇa, Subala can help Her in many cases by coming to the house of Her mother-in-law, by dressing up just like Her and helping Her to dress like him, so that She can go and see Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Because Rādhārāṇī and Subala have the same appearance, Jaṭilā and others are fooled.
Once Jaṭilā became very worried after hearing gossip about her daughter-in-law Rādhā’s illicit affair with Kṛṣṇa, so she decided to lock her daughter-in-law up in her house. She personally guarded the door to make sure that Nanda’s son could not come to Her and Rādhā could also not go out to see Him. Meanwhile Kṛṣṇa had come to the bank of Rādhākuṇḍa, eager to meet Rādhā, and became very upset when He heard that She would not come anymore. Kṛṣṇa’s dearest friend Subala, seeing how upset Kṛṣṇa was, consoled Him and went off to Jaṭilā’s village of Yāvaṭa. He saw Jaṭilā guarding the door of her house and bowed down to her feet. Jaṭilā asked him: “Why have you come here?”, and Subala replied: “I’ve come here to look for a lost calf. I am also very thirsty.” Jaṭilā said: “Go inside my house; my daughter-in-law Rādhā can give you something to drink.”
Śrī Subala thus entered Rādhā’s chamber and told Her of Kṛṣṇa’s precarious condition. Hearing of this, Rādhā became very upset, and they decided to exchange dress, so that Rādhā could escape in the appearance of Subala, and Subala would remain at home in Rādhā’s place. Śrīmatī managed to deceive Jatilā into believing that She was Subala, explaining that Her voluminous breasts were actually the calf that Subala was looking for, that he found in her barn, and that he (Rādhā) was now going off to bring the calf back to the meadows. Jaṭilā believed Her, and in this way Śrīmatī safely reached Rādhākuṇḍa. But when She came there She found out that She looked so much like Subala that even Kṛṣṇa did not recognise Her! Kṛṣṇa was so disappointed that Subala had not managed to bring Rādhārāṇī to Him, that He became very upset. When Śrīmatī saw how much Kṛṣṇa missed Her, She decided to make some fun with Him, and, imitating Subala’s voice, She told Him: “Bhāi Kānāi (brother Kṛṣṇa)! I couldn’t find any way to bring Śrīmatī here today! Her mother-in-law was so upset about all the gossip going around about You and Her that she decided to keep Her at home and to guard the door personally. But don’t worry! After I failed at Yāvaṭa, I went to ask Candrāvalī whether she wants to meet You and she says that she’s ready for You! If You tell me so, then I will bring her here to You now!” When Kṛṣṇa heard these words He fell into a swoon, crying out: “Hā Rādhe! Hā Rādhe!” Rādhikā was very pleased that Kṛṣṇa had passed the test that She had made for Him and She dropped the calf to embrace Him, thus reviving Him from His miserable swoon and giving Him the great bliss of meeting Her. It is for creating such wondrous līlā rasa that Śrīmatī has given Her own form to Subala, and hence She is also named subala nyasta sārūpyā.
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In the morning, when Kṛṣṇa takes His breakfast with His friends in His home Nandīśvara, Madhumangala causes waves of laughter (hāsya rasa): rohiṇī nandana, koroye bhojane, kānura ḍāhine bosi. vāmete subala, summukhe maṅgala, saghane uthaye hāsi “Rohiṇī’s son (Balarāma) is eating, sitting on Kṛṣṇa’s right side. Subala sits on His left, and Madhumaṅgala faces Him, making everyone laugh loudly.” Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī shyly places all the dishes in mother Rohiṇī’s hands, and takes the empty plates back from her. How beautiful are Her gestures as She walks in and out of the diningroom! She blushes of shyness and covers Her head, even Her forehead, with Her veil. While She hands Rohiṇī the dishes, She has takes a careful look at Kṛṣṇa and thinks: “Aha! How beautiful is My beloved!” Śyāma also manages to cast some secret glances at Śrīmatī’s face. A slight moonshine smile appears on Svāṁinī’s moonlike face when she hears Madhumaṅgala’s joking words. The eyes of the Cakora-bird named Śyāma are completely absorbed in this vision. Śrīmatī makes similar moonshine-smiles when She hears Madhumangala’s jokes while She plays dice with Kṛṣṇa, when She is taxed by Him (the Dāna-līlā), when She picks flowers or when She plays with Kṛṣṇa in the water of Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa, thus quenching the thirst of the Kṛṣṇa-Cakora. Hence Her name is madhumaṅgala narmokti janita smita candrikā.
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The sakhīs and mañjarīs have exclusive love for Śrī Rādhārāṇī. They only serve Kṛṣṇa because He is connected with Rādhā, not independently. They have exclusively given their hearts to Śrī Rādhārāṇī. They love Her more than millions of their own lives. She is the only medicine for their lives.
Śrī Rādhā has five kinds of girlfriends: sakhīs, priya-sakhīs, prāṇa-sakhīs, nitya-sakhīs, and parama preṣṭha sakhīs. These five are again subdivided in three kinds: 1) sama snehā, or those who love Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa equally, among the priya sakhīs this is Kuraṅgākṣī and among the parama preṣṭha sakhīs these are Lalitā, Viśākhā and others 2) asama snehā, those who love Kṛṣṇa a little more than Rādhā, like Dhaniṣṭhā, and 3) adhika snehā, these are the prāṇa sakhīs and nitya sakhīs, who love Rādhā more and are also known as mañjarīs.
Previously it was described how Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the very life of sakhī Dhaniṣṭhā, and it was also noted previously that Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the very life of Lalitā, Viśākhā and others. The rādhā snehādhikā mañjarīs, who are also known as prāṇa sakhīs and nitya sakhīs, love Rādhā the most, and for them She is nondifferent from their very life-airs. In Śrī Vṛndāvana Mahimāmṛta it is written:
kṣaṇaṁ caraṇa vicchedyāc chrīśvaryāḥ prāṇa hāriṇīm
padāravinda saṁlagna tayaivāharniśaṁ sthitām
bahunā kiṁ sva kāntena krīḍanty api latāgṛhe
paryāṅkā’dhi sthāpitāṁ vā vastrair vācchāditāṁ kvacit
“The mañjarīs lose their lives when they are separated from their Śrīśvarī’s lotus feet for even a moment, so they stay close to these lotus feet day and night. What more can I say, even when Śrīmatī plays with Her lover in the vine-cottage, She keeps Her maidservants with Her in the bed, and sometimes She covers them with Her sheet!” The mañjarīs are totally surrendered to Śrī Rādhārāṇī, and they cannot live without Her. Śrī Raghunātha has said himself in Vilāpa Kusumāñjali: tavaivāsmi tavaivāsmi na jīvāmi tvayā vinā; “O Rādhe! I am Yours, I am Yours! I cannot live without You!” Such strong feelings of mine-ness towards Rādhārāṇī and such self-surrender cannot be found in anyone but the mañjarīs. Therefore Śrīmatī is named svagaṇādvaita jīvātuḥ.
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Śrī Narottama dāsa sings: abhimānī bhakti hīna, jaga mājhe sei dīna, vṛthā tāra aśeṣa bhāvanā (P.B.C.), “Proud people have no devotion; they are the lowest people of the world. All their endless thoughts are wasted.” Wherever there is pride, there can be no devotion, and therefore also no God, and where there is devotion there can be no pride. How is it then possible that Rādhārāṇī, who is the presiding goddess of love of God Herself, increases the pride of Her devotees instead of diminishing it? This is a logical question. The answer is:
The pride of these devotees is not a product of the material modes of passion and ignorance, this is a svarūpa-bhūta (innate or transcendental) pride, created by deep love for Rādhārāṇī! They love Her more than millions of their own life-airs, and when they see Her great glories they become very proud. This is called ahaṅkāra here. Śrīmat Rupa Gosvāmīpāda has written in ‘Utkalikā Vallari (42)’:
rāsārambha vilasati parityajya goṣṭhāmbujākṣī
vṛndaṁ vṛndāvana bhuvi rahaḥ keśavenopanīya
tvāṁ svādhīna priyatama pada prāpanenārcitāṅgīṁ
dūre dṛṣṭvā kim acirād arpayiṣyāmi darpam
“O Śrīmatī Rādhike! When, at the beginning of the Rāsa-dance, Keśava leaves all the lotus-eyed gopīs behind to take You to a lonely place in Vṛndāvana, You proudly order Him to dress and ornament You in different ways. When will I my heart become filled with pride when I see this from a distance?” Śrīmatī is the crownjewel Kṛṣṇa’s lovers, therefore Her different glories constantly increase their ahaṅkāra. Thus She is known as svīyāhaṅkāra vardhiṇī.
Srila Ananta das Babaji
Amrita-Tarangini 