SRI HARIVANSH MANGAL

– BY SRI SEVAKJI MAHARAJA - 12th CHAPTER OF SRI SEVAK-VANI – SUNG

DAILY BY RADHAVALLABHIS

jay jay srī-harivansh vyās kul mandanā |

rasik ananyani mukhya guru jan bhay khandanā |
srī-vrindavan bās rās ras bhūmi jahā |
krīdat shyāmā-shyām pulin manjul tahā | |
pulin manjul param pāvan trividh tahā mārut bahe |
kunj bhavan vichitra shobhā madan nit sevat rahe | |
tahā santat vyās-nandan rahat kalush vihandanā |
jay jay srī-harivansh vyās kul mandanā | | (1)

Bhavartha [intended meaning] of Sri Hit dasji Maharaja:

“All glories to Sri Harivansh who is the ornament of [his Father] Sri Vyasa-Mishra's family! He is
the primary guru of the rasika-ananyas [exclusively one-pointed rasikas] and he destroys the fear in
those who are surrendered to him. He eternally resides in that Sri Vrindavan where Sri-Shyama-
Shyam perform their love-filled plays on the beautiful banks of the Yamuna and which is also the
site of the rasa-lila.

Where a three-fold breeze [which is cooling, gentle and fragrant] constantly flows on the supremely
pure sandy bank [of the Yamuna], where the kunja-bhavans [bower-cottages, houses of vines] are
exceedingly beautiful, where the God-of-love-and-beauty [Kamadeva/Cupid] himself always
decorates the kunjas, in such a Sri Vrindavan, Sri Vyasa-nandan [the son of Vyasa, Sri Harivansh]
constantly resides. All glories to Sri Harivansh, the jewel of Sri Vyasa's family!”

jay jay srī-harivansh chandra udit sadā |

dvij kul kumud prakāsh vipul sukh sampadā |
par upkār vichār sumati jag vistarī |
karunā sindhu kripāl kāl bhay sab harī ||
harī sab kali kāl kī bhay kripā rup ju bapu dharyo |
karat je anasahan nindak tinahu pe anugraha karyo |
nirabhimān nirvair nirupam nishkalank ju sarvadā |
jay jay srī-harivansh chandra udit sadā | | (2)

Explanation of Sri Lalitacharan Goswami:

(Now Sri Sevakji describes Sri Harivansh's forever shining, forever manifest prema-svarupa).

"All glories to that moon-like Sri Harivansh who is always glowing (within the hearts and eyes of
such premi-upasakas, love-filled worshippers). He is the one who causes the lotus-flower-like1
community of dvijas [the twice-born] to blossom. (Those who take birth twice, they are called dvija
or twice-born. [Normally this refers to Brahmins or the three varnas who undergo the sacred thread
ceremony] The meaning of dvija here refers to loving devotees [premi-upasakas]. They take birth
once through their mother's womb and then a second birth once they take shelter of a Guru).
1The twice-born are referred to as kumud-kul - a group of night-time lotuses and Sri Harivansh as
the moon (chandra) because the night-time lotuses only open with the moon's presence.
Such twice-born premi-upasakas are always in a joyous state of being blossomed due to Sri
Harivansh-chandra's constant shining brilliance and they keep on receiving the great wealth of
divine happiness. (This happiness is different from the tiny and temporary worldly happiness in all
respects). In order to benefit the living entities, he appeared in this world, distributed true wisdom to
them and destroyed their suicidal ignorance.

(Sri Vyasa-Nandan, the son of Vyasa appeared in this Kali-age. Out of the 4 Vedic ages, the Kali-age
is infamous as being a storehouse of faults and bad qualities. In order to vanquish the faults of this
age, a special avatara [descent of divinity] was needed, therefore the flute which is the foundation of
all rasa [rasa-mula-muralika] descended in the form of Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu). He made
such premi-bhaktas fearless even in such a difficult age as Kali. He destroyed the fear of living in
the age of Kali. Sri Harivansh is the very svarupa [embodiment] of mercy. (All of the main and
internal aspects of prema were manifest during the manifest presence of Hitji). Those who were
jealous of him and therefore criticized him also received his mercy! He is free of pride
[nirabhiman], free of any feelings of enmity towards anyone [nirvair], incomparable [anupam] and
free from all kinds of faults [nishkalank]. All glories to such a forever brilliantly shining Sri
Harivansh-chandra!"

jay jay srī-harivansh prashansit sab dunī,

sārāsār vivekit kobid bahugunī |
gupt rīti ācharan, pragat sab jag diye,
gyān-dharma-vrat-karma, bhakti kinkar kiye | |
bhakti hit je sharan āye, dvand dosh ju sab ghate,
kamal kar jin abhay dīne, karma bandhan sab kate |
param sukhad susīl sundar, pāhi svāmini mam dhanī,
jay jay srī-harivansh prashansit sab dunī | | (3)

Explanation following Sri Lalitacharan Goswami and others:

(In this third part, Sri Sevakji has described Sri Harivansh's form as a spiritual world teacher
[acharya-rupa]).

"Sri Harivansh is praised by the whole world! He has knowledge on all important topics and is full
of all good qualities. What's more is that within the realm of bhakti-dharma he decided what was
essential and what was not, and whatever he considered unnecessary for the spiritual welfare of the
conditioned souls, he abandoned from the very beginning.

Within the realm of rasa [devotional aesthetics/flavours] he also very carefully discriminated
between what was proper and improper just as someone who separates the water from the pure
milk. Rasa naturally has qualities such as generosity [udarata], luminescence [ujjvalata], eternity
[nityata], a constant unbreakable flow [avicchinnata], concentration in one rasa [eka-rasata] and so
on. Sri Harivansh got rid of all opposing/incompatible factors that had become mixed within the
conception of rasa.

He revealed the confidential ways [gupta-riti] of shringar-rasa [the divine romantic flavour] through
his presentation of Sri Shyama-Shyam's love-plays. This helped the entire world to understand the
mysteries of their love-filled activities. (If he had only presented the theoretical
understanding/siddhanta of rasa and had not shown how it manifests in the form of the lilas, the
living entities would not have benefited greatly. Along with this, for the purpose of the appropriate
and full development of pure and one-pointed prema-bhakti) He made jnana [knowledge], dharma
[religious duty], vrata [observance of fasts] and karma [fruitive activity] become servants/followers
of bhakti. (meaning: he accepted them only to the extent of their being useful for the development
of prema-bhakti. He did not accept any of them as an essential limb of the path of prema-bhakti).

Whosoever took his shelter being desirous of receiving the aforementioned prema-bhakti, had their
dvandva-dosh [material dualities of happiness, distress and a mixture of the two] diminish. Upon
whose head Sri Harivansh placed his lotus hands [a traditional way of bestowing blessings] they
attained the state of complete fearlessness and their material bondage in the form of the knots of
karma were completely cut away. (Whilst singing of the qualities of that Sri Harivansh who
possesses a wonderfully unique character, Sri Sevakji Maharaja's heart fills up and he says) May he
who is a foremost bestower of joy, who has an impeccable spotless character, he who is my Swami
[Master], may he protect my prema-bhava; my loving devotion. All glories to that Sri Harivansh
who is glorified by the entire world!”

jay jay srī-harivansh nām gunn gai hai |

prem lakshanā bhakti sudridh kari pāi hai |
aru bādhe rasrīti prīti chit nā tare |
jīti visham sansār kīrati jag bistare | |
bistare sab jag bimal kīrati sādhu sangati nā tare |
vās brindāvipin pāve (pyāri) srī-rādhika jū kripā kare |
chatur jugal kishor sevak din prasādahi pāi hai |
jay jay srī-harivansh nām gunn gai hai | | (4)

Explanation of Sri Hitdasji Maharaja and Sri Lalitacharan Goswami:

(In this part, Sri Sevakji describes the effect of reciting Sri Harivansh's name. He says...)

"For those people who recite Sri Harivansh's name and sing of his glories, that firmly fixed prema-
lakshana-bhakti will arise within their hearts. The rasa-riti [Sri Harivansh's rasika mode of worship
according to the Nitya-vihara-rasa] will go on increasing within them and even if they attempt to
stop this divine-loving-service, it will not be possible to do so.

Due to the constant manifestation of divine love within their hearts they will be able to defeat this
whole wide world [overcome the coming and going in this world] and their fame will spread far and
wide. Due to their spotless fame, many great sadhus will become attracted to them and associate
with them constantly, thus destroying all types of bad association.

By receiving Vrindavanesvari Sri Radhika's grace, they will be able to reside continuously in Sri
Vrindavan dhama. In this way, such a clever servant of the divine couple [Sri-Yugala-Kishor] will
receive their mercy at every single moment. These are all the benefits of those who sing the name
and glories of Sri Harivansh!”

Translated from Hindi by Hari Radhacharan das. Please contact via rbains@hotmail.co.uk
Visit https://sriharivansh.wordpress.com/ for more information on Radhavallabh Sampradaya.