The mañjarīs are one at heart with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
If Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is a tree, the sakhīs are the branches and the mañjarīs are the fruits and flowers. We know a tree or a plant by its fruits or flowers: only by seeing them we can say, “This is a mango tree, this is a rose bush, this is jasmine.” All the sakhīs and mañjarīs are Her expansions, they are all part of Her, but just as the fruits and flowers show the nature of the tree, the mañjarīs embody the essence of Rādhārāṇī’s mood.
She is their heart. What She feels, what She wants, appears directly in their hearts as well. Because they are exclusively devoted to Her, She holds nothing back from them.
There are some very specific times when they will refuse or apparently act contrary to Her will, yet this is out of their love and loyalty for Her. Knowing Her from within, they understand exactly how to serve Her and increase the love between Her and Kṛṣṇa in any situation.
The mañjarīs’ purity of heart
Rādhārāṇī is often sending Her sakhīs to enjoy with Kṛṣṇa. Although for the līlā She will display Her anger and jealousy, but actually She is arranging all these meetings. She is Vṛndāvaneśvarī; nothing in Śrī Vraja-dhāma happens except by Her desire.
Sri Rādhā knows that Kṛṣṇa has this fickle nature, He likes to always try new things, and however much He enjoys, She will feel that pleasure one hundred times more.
And, since She is the only one who can satisfy Kṛṣṇa completely, after His dalliances She can enjoy Him inevitably coming back to Her and begging forgiveness. Ultimately His heart is only for Her. She knows this, but She likes to see this demonstration of it.
Sometimes Rādhārāṇī will try to do the same with the mañjarīs, sending them to enjoy with Kṛṣṇa, as a way of testing their loyalty.
In Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, She sends one sakhī to try to persuade Maṇi Mañjarī to have a secret tryst with Kṛṣṇa.
“It’s a such a joy to be embraced by Kṛṣṇa,” this sakhī told Maṇi Mañjarī, “you really must try it at least once! Rādhikā’s other friends go with Him sometimes, why not you too?” She tried many different ways to persuade or tempt her.
But Maṇi refused, saying, “When Rādhārāṇī enjoys the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa’s company, then the happiness I feel is greater than that which I could gain by doing anything for myself at all!” As the other girl persisted, Maṇi Mañjarī even became a bit angry: “If it is so pleasurable being with Him, then you go yourself! Why are you telling me?”
Finally the sakhī returned to Śrīmatī and reported that Maṇi Mañjarī’s heart was completely pure, that she had not even the slightest trace of desire to meet with Kṛṣṇa. Rādhārāṇī was very pleased with this.
She also sometimes allows Kṛṣṇa to try with the mañjarīs, knowing full well He will fail to seduce them. Kṛṣṇa is very confident in His skill at flirting—no other girl in Vraja can resist His charms! And the mañjarīs are very attractive, each one qualified to be a yūtheśvarī in her own right if she had that desire. Kṛṣṇa tries all His best tricks on them, but the mañjarīs reject Him every time and send Him back to Rādhārāṇī.
Rādhārāṇī likes to see this, as She knows She can trust Her mañjarīs with everything.
Restoring harmony between Sri Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇa
The mañjarīs are always completely attuned with Rādhārāṇī’s mood. They know what She wants and what is going on for Her below the surface.
When Kṛṣṇa has made some big mistake, Sri Rādhā might want Him gone. “Get out of My kuñja! I don’t want to see You here anymore!” She will ask one of the sakhīs or mañjarīs to drive Him away.
We all know Lalitā Sakhī especially is skilled in this, with her sharp words and fierce nature. If Śrīmatī is really angry, then the mañjarīs also will send Kṛṣṇa on His way, maybe also with a fierce mood or more gently, according to their individual nature and the situation.
But Śrīmatī’s anger is not always real—sometimes it is just for show, a part of the līlā, like an ornament on Their love games. On the outside She is displaying this stern mood but on the inside She is happy that Kṛṣṇa is there and enjoys seeing Him try to win Her forgiveness.
The mañjarīs know very well which mood is which. If they send Kṛṣṇa out while She is in this play-anger, She will feel very sad that Her lover has gone away. Now She may say, “Get out! Go away!’ but if He goes then She will not be able to tolerate the separation and will send the mañjarīs again to bring Him back.
So they keep quiet, and when Her back is turned, they will tell Kṛṣṇa exactly what He needs to know to get back in Her good graces. “Go bring some flowers, the ones She likes the most, and offer them to Her lotus feet. Apologize in this way,” etc.
And once harmony between Yugala-kiśora is restored, the mañjarīs will blissfully serve Them both together.
They don’t like so much to see either one separate from the other; their joy is when Śrī Rādhā-Govinda are absorbed in each other.
Sweet memories of the intimate pastimes
The gopīs are like cakora birds who live from the nectar of the full moon, except their moon is Kṛṣṇacandra. Which Kṛṣṇa is the full moon? Not Dvārakā Kṛṣṇa or Mathurā Kṛṣṇa—only Vṛndāvana Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇatama, the most perfect, because Kṛṣṇa is truly beautiful only when Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is next to Him.
Out of all the young girls of Vraja, the mañjarīs are the ones who really understand this. They are also cakora birds but they live purely from the nectar of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇachandra, from Yugala- kiśora in union.
The unsurpassable beauty and sweetness of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī blossoms from the infinite pool of Kṛṣṇa-prema-rasa in Her heart. The mañjarīs’ love is exclusively for Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī—their hearts, their breath, their life is for Her—but still they know She is only in Her full beauty with Kṛṣṇa at Her side.
Everything the mañjarīs do is to unite Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and increase the love between Them. Their only thought is how to make Her happy, and they know that all Her happiness is Kṛṣṇa. He is Her heart. Because She loves Him, they love Him.
To them, Kṛṣṇa on His own is just another naughty cowherd boy. But because He is their Svāminī’s lover, all the mañjarīs hold in their hearts a very clear picture of Kṛṣṇa and of the intimate pastimes of the Divine Couple. This is so the mañjarīs can perform a special seva for Rādhārāṇī’s pleasure.
When Radhrani is suffering too much in separation from Kṛṣṇa, the mañjarīs will narrate these līlās to Her. They recall what happened in perfect detail, as if it were happening again before their eyes, so Rādhārāṇī will feel like Kṛṣṇa is again there with Her. They find clever ways to evoke His presence and give Her some experience like being with Him, so She can bear the separation.
Only the mañjarīs can do this, since only they are allowed to witness Her most intimate pastimes with Kṛṣṇa. They are the only ones who know exactly what happens, exactly what She is feeling then, and what will remind Her of Him in just the right way to lift Her mood.
Conclusion
Love makes you one with your beloved, even in our ordinary human relationships. The person you love, you feel their sorrow and their joy as your own, even more intensely than your own. You know what they like and how they will react in any situation, not with your mind but a feeling in your heart.
But in human love there is always some distance. No matter how much two people love each other, there is always some part that they keep each for themselves.
It is not like that with Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. They are like rivers running into the sea, where their waters cannot be separated from it, or like two candles that melt together and form a single pool of wax.
As the nāyikā sakhīs have this tadātmikā relationship with Kṛṣṇa, the mañjarīs are of one soul with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
And just as Kṛṣṇa is indebted to the gopīs for their love for Him, Rādhārāṇī is indebted to the mañjarīs as they serve Her and arrange Her meetings with Kṛṣṇa without even a trace of self-interest. Their love is so complete, they want nothing from Her, although She can give them anything. All a mañjarī wants for her entire life is to give her Svāminī one moment of pleasure.
This article is based on the katha of our beloved Gurudeva, Prabhupāda Śrīla Premgopāl Gosvāmī, at whose lotus feet we offer our most heartfelt praṇāma. Anything sweet you find here comes from his mercy only. All mistakes are ours; please forgive us! May our small attempt to convey these confidential topics inspire you to dive deeper in your own bhajana.
Jai Nitāi! Jai Śrī Rādhe!