Sri Caitanya Caritamrita. Antya-lila

Chapter 5: How Pradyumna Misra Received Instructions from Ramananda Raya. Text 20

sevya-buddhi ÄropiyÄ karena sevana
svÄbhÄvika dÄsÄ«-bhÄva karena Äropaṇa

 sevya-buddhi ÄropiyÄ - considering worshipable; karena sevana - engages in service; svÄbhÄvika - by his natural position; dÄsÄ«-bhÄva - as a maidservant; karena Äropaṇa - considers.


Text

ÅšrÄ«la RÄmÄnanda RÄya used to act in that way because he thought of himself in his original position as a maidservant of the gopÄ«s. Thus although externally he appeared to be a man, internally, in his original spiritual position, he considered himself a maidservant and considered the two girls gopÄ«s.

Purport

ÅšrÄ«la Bhaktivinoda ṬhÄkura writes in his Amá¹›ta-pravÄha-bhÄá¹£ya: “ŚrÄ«la RÄmÄnanda RÄya composed a drama named JagannÄtha-vallabha-nÄá¹­aka, and he engaged two young girls who were professional dancers and singers to demonstrate the ideology of the drama. Such girls, who are called deva-dÄsÄ«s, are still employed in the temple of JagannÄtha, where they are called mÄhÄrÄ«s. ÅšrÄ« RÄmÄnanda RÄya engaged two such girls, and because they were meant to play the parts of gopÄ«s, he taught them how to awaken thoughts like those of the gopÄ«s. Because the gopÄ«s are worshipable personalities, RÄmÄnanda RÄya, who considered the two girls gopÄ«s and himself their maidservant, engaged in their service by massaging their bodies with oil to cleanse them completely. Because RÄmÄnanda RÄya always placed himself in the position of a maidservant of the gopÄ«s, his rehearsal with the girls was actually on the spiritual platform.â€

Because there was no question of personal sense gratification when ÅšrÄ« RÄmÄnanda RÄya was serving the girls, his mind was steady and his body untransformed. This is not to be imitated, nor is such a mentality possible for anyone but ÅšrÄ« RÄmÄnanda RÄya, as ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu will explain. The example of ÅšrÄ« RÄmÄnanda RÄya is certainly unique. The author of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta has given this description because in perfect devotional service one can attain such a position. Nevertheless, one must understand this subject very seriously and never attempt to imitate such activities.