B hakti - tattva - viveka

.
śrī śrī guru-gaurāngau jayata h.

B hakti - tattva - viveka

Deliberation upon the True Nature of Devotion

composed by
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

translated from the Hindi edition of

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

gaudIya vedAnta publications

vrindavan • new delhi • san francisco
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Bhakti-tattva-viveka
Deliberation upon the True Nature of Devotion
First Edition (April 1997 – 1,000 copies)
Second Edition (July 2001 – 5,000 copies)
Third Edition (September 2006 – 1,000 copies)
Fourth Edition (August 2012 - 2000 copies)
Printed at Spectrum Printing Press Ltd Pvt. (New Delhi, India)

ISBN 978-1-935428-55-8
Library of Congress Control Number 2012912471
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue
record for this book is available from the British Library
Cataloging in Publication Data--DK
Courtesy: D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. <docinfo@dkagencies.com>
Ṭhākkura, Bhaktibinoda.
Bhakti-tattva-viveka = Deliberation upon the true nature of
devotion / composed by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura ; translated
from the Hindi edition of Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī
Mahārāja. -- 4th ed.
p. cm.
Original in Bengali: translated from Hindi.
Includes index.
ISBN 9781935428558
1. Chaitanya (Sect)--Doctrines. 2. Bhakti. I.
Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa, 1921- II. Title. III. Title:
Deliberation upon the nature of devotion.
DDC 294.5512 23
 C o n t e n t7
s

Preface
i

Introduction
vii

CHAPTER ONE
The Intrinsic Nature of Bhakti
1

CHAPTER TWO
An Analysis of the Semblance of Bhakti
27

CHAPTER THREE
An Analysis of the Natural Attributes of Bhakti
51

CHAPTER FOUR
An Analysis of the Qualification of Bhakti
69

Verse Index
89
 Pre fac e
[translated from the Hindi edition]

The unlimited glories of devotion unto the Supreme Lord

(bhagavad-bhakti) are visible in the Purāṇas, Śrutis, Smṛtis, the
Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, as well as in the literatures
of famous Vaiṣṇava preceptors (ācāryas). By understanding the
constitutional nature of unalloyed devotion (śuddha-bhakti)
and genuinely engaging in its practice, one can easily cross the
ocean of nescience and achieve life’s ultimate goal of love for the
Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-prema). What to speak of the
genuine practice of śuddha-bhakti, even the attainment of a slight
semblance of bhakti can award the fourfold boons of economic
development (artha), religiosity (dharma), sense gratification
(kāma) and liberation (mokṣa). Therefore, people in general
become attracted towards the cultivation of bhakti. But due to
being ignorant of the true nature of unalloyed devotion, they
usually come in contact with pretentious devotees who desire
ii

only wealth, women and fame, and under their influence either
practise false devotion or adopt devotional sentiments that are
against the principles of pure devotion, all the while imagining
them to be pure bhakti. Coming under the influence of those
desiring impersonal liberation, they practise either a shadow or a
reflection of real bhakti and deceive themselves. Thus they do not
achieve the real fruit of bhaktti.
Hence, the ācārya of the profound science of devotional
mellows, the most merciful Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, has explained
in his book Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu the true nature of unalloyed
devotion on the basis of scriptural evidences. Moreover, he has
described the nature of chala-bhakti (pretentious devotion),
ābhāsa-bhakti (a semblance of devotion), pratibimba-bhakti (a
reflection of devotion), karma-miśrā-bhakti (devotion mixed
with fruitive action), jñāna-miśrā-bhakti (devotion mixed with
impersonal knowledge), āropa-siddha-bhakti (endeavours that
are indirectly attributed with the quality of devotion), saṅga-
siddha-bhakti (endeavours associated with or favourable to the
cultivation of devotion) and so on. In the realm of devotion,
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is unanimously accepted as the most
authoritative literature, but it was composed in Sanskrit, an
ancient language that is comprehensible to very few people
in modern times. So for the benefit of human society, in his
Bhakti-tattva-viveka Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has presented
the grave and deep conceptions of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu in the
Bengali language in a straightforward and easily under­standable
manner.
 iii

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is an intimate eternal associate

of the saviour of the masses in the age of Kali, Śacīnandana Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu. After the associates of Śrī Gaurahari,
such as the Six Gosvāmīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, Śrī Narottama
Ṭhākura and Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, left this world
and entered the unmanifest pastimes, the one hundred years that
followed are considered a dark period for the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava line.
This is because during this period in the Gauḍīya line no powerful
ācārya appeared who could carry forward the teachings of Śrīman
Mahāprabhu in their pure form as was done previously. As a result,
in a short span of time, on the pretext of following and preaching
the doctrine of divine love taught by Śrīman Mahāprabhu, many
false sects like Āula, Bāula, Kartābhājā, Neḍā-nedī, Sāī, Sahajiyā,
Sakhī-bhekhī, Smārta and Jātigosāī appeared and, while engaged in
abundant misbehaviour, began preaching their own imaginary and
materially motivated, deceitful principles. They defamed Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavism to such an extent that educated and respectable
people started viewing it with abhorrence. Gradually the Gauḍīya
conception of devotion began to disappear.
At this time, in the year 1838, Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda
Ṭhākura auspiciously appeared in a well-educated and cultured
family in the village of Vīra-nagara, which is near Śrī Navadvīpa-
dhāma in West Bengal. By compiling approximately one hundred
authoritative books on the science of bhakti in Sanskrit, Bengali,
Hindi, English and other languages, he ushered in a new era
in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava line and re-established its lost glory.
For this great effort, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas will remain eternally
iv

indebted to him. In the modern age, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

set in motion once again the bhakti-bhāgīrathī, the mighty
flowing river of pure devotion, and for this he is well known as
the Seventh Gosvāmī.
This Bhakti-tattva-viveka is a collection of four essays he
composed originally in Bengali on the deliberation of devotional
principles. The first Hindi edition of this material was serialized
in issues from the fourth and fifth years (1958–9) of Śrī Bhāgavata
Patrikā, a spiritual magazine in Hindi published monthly from
Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha in Mathurā. On the request of our
faithful readers and by the inspiration of the present-day ācārya
of the Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta
Vāmana Mahārāja, it is now being presented in book form.
By the causeless mercy of the founder of the Śrī Gauḍīya
Vedānta Samiti and its subordinate Gauḍīya Maṭha branches
throughout India, the most worshipful ācārya-keśarī jagad-
guru oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna
Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Gauḍīya devotional literatures are
being published by the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti. On the most
auspicious occasion of the anniversary of his appearance day, this
edition is being presented as an offering placed into his lotus
hands. Being the great embodiment of affection and forgiveness,
may he transmit the potency of his mercy into the core of our
hearts so that we can render maximum service to his innermost
desire. This is our humble prayer at his lotus feet.
Lastly, I humbly request the faithful readers to deliberate
upon this literature with great concentration. By understanding
the true nature of unalloyed devotion, one can relish the ultimate
 v

goal of all scriptures, the pure nectar of kṛṣṇa-prema as exhibited

and preached by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

An aspirant for a particle of mercy

of śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas,

Tridaṇḍi-bhikṣu Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa

The holy day of Śāradīya-pūrṇimā, 1990

Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha
Mathurā, Uttar Pradesh, India
 In t ro d u c t i o n
[to the second Englisch edition]

It gives us great pleasure to present this second English

edition of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s Bhakti-tattva-viveka
before our faithful readers. This edition is a direct translation of
the Hindi edition, which was directly compiled and translated
from the original Bengali by our illustrious spiritual master,
oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa
Gosvāmī Mahārāja. The first Hindi edition was published in
1990 and the first English edition in 1997.
Owing to its clear and precise presentation of the science
of devotion unto the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in simple and
easily comprehensible language, this small book has long been
a favourite of Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja. Quoting abundantly
from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-sandarbha, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura shows how
to discriminate between genuine pure devotion to the Lord and
viii

the many forms of adulterated devotion. This subject matter is

particularly relevant in modern times, when the exalted spiritual
teachings of ancient India are receiving greater exposure than
ever. The concepts explained herein will effectively guide sincere
spiritual aspirants along the devotional path by providing them
with a clear picture of true devotion and helping them to identify
those rare souls who embody such devotion.
Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja has a strong determination to see
the writings of the great Gauḍīya ācāryas published in English
and widely distributed. This he shares in common with his
dear friend and instructing spiritual master, Śrī Śrīmad A.C.
Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, who single-handedly and in
a relatively short period of time spread the teachings of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness around the entire world. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s trans­
lations and writings set the standard for the literary presentation
of Vaiṣṇava philosophy, and we hope and pray that our current
efforts, and this volume in particular, are pleasing to him.
This second English edition differs from the first in that it has
been carefully re-edited for linguistic and philosophical clarity. It
also sports a new design and has been typeset to a higher standard.
Grateful acknowledgement is extended to Lavaṅga-latā dāsī for
copy-editing this new edition, to Ṛṣabhādeva dāsa, Śānti dāsī and
Giridhārī dāsa for proofreading the final manuscript, to Atula-
kṛṣṇa dāsa for checking the Sanskrit, to Kṛṣṇa-prema dāsa for
designing the new cover and to Subala-sakhā dāsa for providing
the new photograph of Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja. On behalf of
the many devotees serving in Gauḍīya Vedānta Publications, we
 ix

offer this edition into the hands of our beloved Gurudeva, Śrīla
Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, praying that he will always bless us with the
capacity to fulfil his inner heart’s longing.

An aspirant for the service of the lotus feet

of śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas,
Prema-vilāsa dāsa

Śrī-kṛṣṇa-janmāṣṭamī
20th August, 2003
Gopīnātha-bhavana, Śrī Vṛndāvana
 nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad bhaktivedānta nārāyan.a Gosvāmī mahārāja
 nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī mahārāja
 nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad bhaktivedānta Svāmī mahārāja
 nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad bhakti prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī mahārāja
 nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda
 nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Saccidānanda Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākura
.
B hakti - tattva - viveka
 C ha p t e r
O n e7
The Intrinsic Nature
of Bhakti

yugapad rājate yasmin

bhedābheda vicitratā
vande taṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanyaṁ
pañca-tattvānvitaṁ svataḥ
praṇamya gauracandrasya
sevakān śuddha-vaiṣṇavān
bhakti-tattva vivekā khyaṁ
śāstraṁ vakṣyāmi yatnataḥ
viśva-vaiṣṇava dāsasya
kṣudrasyākiñcanasya me
etasminn udyame hy ekaṁ
balaṁ bhāgavatī kṣamā
2

I offer obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is naturally

manifest with His four primary associates in the pañca-tattva
and in whom the contrasting qualities of unity (abheda) and
distinction (bheda) simultaneously exist. After offering obeisances
unto the servants of Śrī Gauracandra, who are all pure Vaiṣṇavas,
I undertake with utmost care the writing of this book known as
Bhakti-tattva-viveka. Being an insignificant and destitute servant
of all the Vaiṣṇavas in the world (viśva-vaiṣṇava dāsa), in this
endeavour of mine I appeal for their divine forgiveness, for that
is my only strength.

Most respectable Vaiṣṇavas, our sole objective is to relish and

propagate the nectar of pure devotion (śuddha-bhakti) unto Lord
Hari. Therefore our foremost duty is to understand the true
nature of śuddha-bhakti. This understanding will benefit us in two
ways. First, knowing the true nature of pure devotion will dispel
our ignorance concerning the topic of bhakti and thus make our
human lives successful by allowing us to relish the nectar derived
from engaging in bhakti in its pure form. Secondly, it will enable
us to protect ourselves from the polluted and mixed conceptions
that currently exist in the name of pure devotion.
Unfortunately, in present-day society, in the name of śuddha-
bhakti various types of mixed devotion, such as karma-miśrā
(mixed with fruitive action), jñāna-miśrā (mixed with speculative
knowledge) and yoga-miśrā (mixed with various types of yoga
processes), as well as various polluted and imaginary conceptions,
are spreading everywhere like germs of plague. People in general
consider these polluted and mixed conceptions to be bhakti,
 3

respect them as such, and thus remain deprived of unalloyed

devotion. These polluted and mixed conceptions are our greatest
enemies. Some people say that there is no value in bhakti, that
God is an imaginary sentiment only, that man has merely created
the image of a God in his imagination and that bhakti is just a
diseased state of consciousness that cannot benefit us in any way.
These types of people, though opposed to bhakti, cannot do much
harm to us, because we can easily recognize them and avoid them.
But those who propagate that devotion unto the Supreme Lord is
the highest path yet behave against the principles of śuddha-bhakti
and also instruct others against the principles of śuddha-bhakti can
be especially harmful to us. In the name of bhakti they instruct
us against the actual principles of devotional life and ultimately
lead us onto a path that is totally opposed to bhagavad-bhakti.
Therefore with great endeavour our preceptors have defined the
intrinsic nature (svarūpa) of bhakti and have repeatedly cautioned
us to keep ourselves away from polluted and mixed concepts.
We shall deliberate on their instructions in sequence. They have
compiled numerous literatures to establish the svarūpa of bhakti
and, amongst them, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is the most beneficial.
In defining the general characteristics of unalloyed devotion, Śrīla
Rūpa Gosvāmī has written there (verse 1.1.11):

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ
bhaktir uttamā
4

The cultivation of activities that are meant exclusively for the

pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or in other words the uninterrupted flow
of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, performed through all endeavours of the
body, mind and speech, and through the expression of various
spiritual sentiments (bhāvas), which is not covered by jñāna
(knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (reward-
seeking activity), and which is devoid of all desires other than
the aspiration to bring happiness to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is called uttama-
bhakti, pure devotional service.

In the above verse, each and every word has to be analysed;

otherwise we cannot understand the attributes of bhakti. In this
verse, what is the meaning of the words uttama-bhakti? Do the
words uttama-bhakti, meaning “topmost devotion”, also imply
the existence of adhama-bhakti, inferior devotion? Or can they
mean something else? Uttama-bhakti means the stage where the
devotional creeper is in its completely pure or uncontaminated
form. For example, uncontaminated water means pure
water, meaning that in this water there is no colour, smell
or adulteration of any kind caused by the addition of another
substance. Similarly the words uttama-bhakti refer to devotion
that is devoid of any contamination, adulteration or attachment
to material possessions and that is performed in an exclusive
manner. The usage of qualifying adjectives in this verse teaches
us that we should not accept any sentiments that are opposed
to bhakti. The negation of sentiments that are opposed to bhakti
inevitably directs us towards the pure nature of bhakti itself.
Perhaps by merely using the word bhakti alone this meaning
 5

is indicated, since the word bhakti already contains within it

all these adjectives anyway. Then has Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the
ācārya of the profound science of devotional mellows (bhakti-
rasa), employed the qualifying adjective uttama (topmost) for
no reason? No – just as when desiring to drink water people
generally ask, “Is this water uncontaminated?” – similarly, in
order to describe the attributes of uttama-bhakti, our preceptors
considered it necessary to indicate that people mostly practise
miśra-bhakti, mixed devotion. In reality, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
is aiming to describe the attributes of kevala-bhakti, exclusive
devotion. Chala-bhakti (pretentious devotion), pratibimba-bhakti
(a reflection of devotion), chāyā-bhakti (a shadow of devotion),
karma-miśra-bhakti (devotion mixed with fruitive action), jñāna-
miśra-bhakti (devotion mixed with impersonal knowledge) and so
on are not śuddha-bhakti. They will all be examined in sequence
later on.
What are the intrinsic attributes (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa) of bhakti?
To answer this question it is said that bhakti is anukūlyena
kṛṣṇānuśīlana, the cultivation of activities that are meant
exclusively for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In his Durgama-
saṅgamanī commentary on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī has explained that the word anuśīlanam has two
meanings. First, it means cultivation through the endeavours to
engage and disengage one’s body, mind and words. Secondly,
it means cultivation towards the object of our affection (prīti)
through mānasī-bhāva, the sentiments of the heart and mind.
Although anuśīlana is of two types, the cultivation through
6

mānasī-bhāva is included within cultivation by ceṣṭā, one’s

activities. Hence, one’s activities or endeavours (ceṣṭā) and
one’s internal sentiments (bhāva) are mutually interdependent,
and in the end it is the ceṣṭā that are concluded to be the sole
characteristic of cultivation. Only when the activities of one’s
body, mind and words are favourably executed for the pleasure of
Kṛṣṇa is it called bhakti. The demons Kaṁsa and Śiśupāla were
always endeavouring towards Kṛṣṇa with body, mind and words,
but their endeavours will not be accepted as bhakti because such
endeavours were unfavourable to Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure. Unfavourable
endeavours cannot be called bhakti. The word bhakti is derived
from the root verb form bhaj. It is said in the Garuḍa Purāṇa
(Pūrva-khaṇḍa 231.3):

bhaj ity eṣa vai dhātuḥ

sevāyāṁ parikīrtitaḥ
tasmāt sevā budhaiḥ proktā
bhaktiḥ sādhana-bhūyasī
The verbal root bhaj means “to render service”. Therefore thought­
ful sādhakas should engage in the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa with great
endeavour, for it is only by such service that bhakti is born.

According to this verse, loving devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is

called bhakti. Such service is the intrinsic attribute of bhakti.
In the main verse from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11),
the word kṛṣṇānuśīlanam has been used. The purport of this is
that Svayam Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the sole, ultimate objective
indicated by the term kevala-bhakti (exclusive devotion).
 7

The word bhakti is also used for Nārāyaṇa and various other
expansions of Kṛṣṇa, but the complete sentiments of bhakti that
can be reciprocated with Kṛṣṇa cannot be reciprocated with
other forms. This point can be analysed in detail on another
occasion when the topic is more suitable for it. For the time
being it is necessary to understand that the Supreme Lord in
His Bhagavān feature is the only object of bhakti. Although the
Supreme Absolute Truth (para-tattva) is one, it is manifested in
three forms; that is, Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. Those
who try to perceive the Absolute Truth through the cultivation
of knowledge (jñāna) cannot realize anything beyond Brahman.
Through such spiritual endeavour they try to cross material
existence by negation of the qualities of the material world (a
process known as neti-neti); thus they imagine Brahman to be
inconceivable, unmanifest, formless and immutable. But merely
imagining the absence of material qualities does not grant one
factual realisation of the Absolute Truth. Such spiritualists think
that because the names, forms, qualities and activities in the
material world are all temporary and painful, Brahman – which
exists beyond the contamination of matter – cannot possess
eternal names, form, qualities, pastimes and so on. They argue
on the basis of evidence from the Śrutis, which emphasize the
absence of material attributes in the Supreme, that the Absolute
Truth is beyond the purview of mind and words, and that it
has no ears, limbs or other bodily parts. These arguments have
some place, but they can be settled by analysing the statement
of Advaita Ācārya found in the Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka
(6.67) written by Kavi Karṇapūra:
8

yā yā śrutir jalpati nirviśeṣaṁ

sā sāvidhatte saviśeṣam eva
vicāra-yoge sati hanta tāsāṁ
prāyo balīyaḥ saviśeṣam eva

In whatever statements from the Śrutis where the impersonal

aspect of the Absolute Truth is indicated, in the very same
statements the personal aspect is also mentioned. By carefully
analysing all the statements from the Śrutis as a whole, we can
see that the personal aspect is emphasized more. For example,
one Śruti says that the Absolute Truth has no hands, no legs
and no eyes, but we understand that He does everything, travels
everywhere and sees everything. The pure understanding of this
statement is that He doesn’t have material hands, legs, eyes and so
on as conditioned souls do. His form is transcendental, meaning
that it is beyond the twenty-four elements of material nature and
purely spiritual.
By the cultivation of jñāna it will appear that impersonal
Brahman is the Supreme Truth. Here the subtlety is that jñāna itself
is material, meaning in the material world whatever knowledge we
acquire or whatever philosophical principle (siddhānta) we establish
is done by depending solely upon material attributes. Therefore,
either that principle is material or by applying the process of
negation of the material (vyatireka) we conceive of a principle that
is the opposite of gross matter, but by this method one cannot
achieve the factual Supreme Truth. In his Bhakti-sandarbha Śrīla
Jīva Gosvāmī has outlined the relative truth that is attained by
those who pursue the path of impersonal knowledge as follows:
 9

prathamataḥ śrotṛṇām hi vivekas tāvān eva, yāvatā jaḍātiriktaṁ

cin-mātraṁ vastūpasthitaṁ bhavati. tasmiṁś cin-mātre ’pi vastūni
ye viśeṣāḥ svarūpa-bhūta-śakti-siddhāḥ bhagavattādi-rūpā varttante
tāṁs te vivektuṁ na kṣamante. yathā rajanī-khaṇḍini jyotiṣi jyotir
mātratve ’pi ye maṇḍalāntar bahiś ca diva-vimānādi-paraspara-
pṛthag-bhūta-raśmi-paramāṇu-rūpā viśeṣās tāṁś carma-cakṣuṣa na
kṣamanta ity anvayaḥ tadvat. pūrvavac ca yadi mahat-kṛpā-
viśeṣeṇa divya-dṛṣṭitā bhavati tadā viśeṣopalabdhiś ca bhavet na ca
nirviśeṣa-cin-mātra-brahmānubhavena tal-līna eva bhavati. (214)
idam eva (Bhagavad-gītā 8.3) “svabhāvo ’dhyātmam ucyate” ity
anena śrī-gītāsūktam. svasya śuddhasyātmano bhāvo bhāvanā ātmany
adhikṛtya vartamānatvād adhyātma-śabdenocyate ity arthaḥ. (216)
In the beginning the students who are pursuing the path of
jñāna require sufficient discrimination to comprehend the
existence of a transcendent entity (cinmaya-vastu) that is beyond
the contamination of gross matter. Although the specific
attributes of Godhead established by the potencies inherent
within the Lord’s very nature are intrinsically present within
that transcendent entity, the adherents of the path of jñāna are
unable to perceive them. For example, the sun is a luminary
that dispels the darkness of night. Although its luminous quality
is easily understood, the inner and outer workings of the sun
planet, the difference that exists between individual particles of
light, and the specific distinguishing features of the innumerable
atomic particles of light are all imperceptible to human eyes.
Similarly, those who view the transcendent entity through the
eyes of impersonal knowledge are unable to perceive the Lord’s
divine personal attributes. If, as previously described, one acquires
10

transcendental vision by the special mercy of great devotees, one

will be able to directly recognize the Lord’s personal attributes.
Otherwise, by realisation of the impersonal existential Brahman,
one will attain only the state of merging into that Brahman.
(Anuccheda 214)
This knowledge is stated in Bhagavad-gītā (8.3): “svabhāvo
’dhyātmam ucyate – the inherent nature of the living entity is
known as the self.” The meanings of the words svabhāva and
adhyātma are as follows. Sva refers to the pure self (śuddha-
ātmā), and the word bhāva refers to ascertainment. Hence the
ascertainment of the pure living entity as a unique individual,
eternally related to the Supreme, is known as svabhāva. When
the self (ātmā) is made the principal subject of focus and thus
given the power to act in its proper function, it is known as
adhyātma. (Anuccheda 216)

The purport of this is that when spiritual knowledge is acquired

through the process of negation (neti-neti), the Absolute Truth,
which is transcendental to the illusory material potency (māyā),
is realized only partially. The variegated aspect of transcendence,
which lies much deeper within, is not realized. If one who follows
this process meets a personalist, self-realized Vaiṣṇava spiritual
master, then only can he be protected from the impediment
(anartha) of impersonalism.
Those who pursue the path of yoga in the end arrive only
at realization of the all-pervading Supersoul, Paramātma. They
cannot attain realisation of the Supreme Lord in His ultimate
manifestation. Paramātmā, Īśvara, personal Viṣṇu and so on are
the objects of research in the yoga process. In this process we can
 11

find a few attributes of bhakti, but it is not unalloyed devotion.

Generally, religious principles in this world that pass for the
topmost spiritual path are all merely yoga processes that strive for
realisation of the Paramātmā feature. We cannot expect that in
the end all of them will ultimately lead us to the topmost path
(bhāgavata-dharma), because in the process of meditation there
are numerous obstacles before one finally realizes the Absolute
Truth. Besides, when after practising either yoga or meditation
for some time one imagines that “I am Brahman”, there is the
maximum possibility of falling into the trap of impersonal
spiritual jñāna.
In this process, realisation of the eternal form of Bhagavān
and the variegated characteristics of transcendence is not
available. The form that is imagined at the time of meditational
worship (upāsanā) – whether it be the gigantic form of the Lord
conceived in the shape of the universe or the four-armed form
situated within the heart – is not eternal. This process is called
paramātma-darśana, realisation of the Supersoul. Although this
process is superior to the cultivation of impersonal jñāna, it is not
the perfect and all-pleasing process. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga, haṭha-yoga,
karma-yoga and all other yoga practices are included within this
process. Although rāja- or adhyātma-yoga follows this process to
a certain extent, in most cases it is merely included within the
process of jñāna. The philosophical conclusion is that realisation
of the Supersoul cannot be called śuddha-bhakti. In this regard
it is said in Bhakti-sandarbha: “antaryāmitvamaya-māyā-śakti-
pracura-cic-chakty āśāviśiṣtaṁ paramātmeti – after the creation of
this universe, the expansion of the Supreme Lord who enters
12

it as the controller of material nature and who is situated as

the maintainer of the creation is known as Jagadīśvara, the all-
pervading Paramātmā.” His function is related more to displaying
the external potency rather than the internal potency. Therefore
this aspect of the Absolute Truth is naturally inferior to the
supreme and eternal Bhagavān aspect.
Absolute Truth realized exclusively through the process of
bhakti is called Bhagavān. In Bhakti-sandarbha the characteristics
of Bhagavān are described: “pari-pūrṇa-sarva-śakti-viśiṣṭa-bhagavān
iti – the complete Absolute Truth endowed with all transcendental
potencies is called Bhagavān.” After the creation of the universe,
Bhagavān enters it through His partial expansion as Paramātmā:
as Garbhodakaśāyī, He is situated as the Supersoul of the complete
universe, and as Kṣīrodakaśāyī, He is situated as the Supersoul
in the hearts of the living entities. Again, in direct distinction
from the manifested material worlds, Bhagavān appears as the
impersonal Brahman. Hence, Bhagavān is the original aspect of
Godhead and the Supreme Absolute Truth. His intrinsic form
(svarūpa-vigraha) is transcendental. Complete spiritual bliss resides
in Him. His potencies are inconceivable and beyond any reasoning.
He cannot be fathomed by any process fabricated by the knowledge
of the infinitesimal living entity (jīva). By the influence of His
inconceivable potency, the entire universe and all the living entities
residing within it have manifested. Jīvas manifesting from the
marginal potency (taṭastha-śakti) of Bhagavān become successful
only by following the path of engaging exclusively in His loving
transcendental service. Then by the practice of chanting the holy
name (nāma-bhajana), one can realize through one’s transcendental
 13

eyes the unparalleled beauty of Bhagavān. The processes of jñāna

and yoga are incapable of approaching Bhagavān. When approached
through the cultivation of impersonal knowledge, the Lord appears
as the formless and effulgent impersonal Brahman, and if He is
seen through the yoga process, He appears as Paramātmā invested
within this material creation. Bhakti is supremely pure. It is very
painful for Bhakti-devī, the personification of bhakti, to see the
Supreme Personality in His lesser manifestations. If she sees this
anywhere, she cannot tolerate it.
Out of these three manifestations of the Absolute Truth, it
is only the manifestation of Bhagavān’s personal form that is the
object of bhakti. But even within Bhagavān’s personal manifestation
there is one important distinction. Where the internal potency
(svarūpa-śakti) displays its complete opulence (aiśvarya), there
Bhagavān appears as Vaikuṇṭha-nātha Nārāyaṇa, and where the
internal potency displays its supreme sweetness (mādhurya), there
Bhagavān appears as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Despite being predominant almost
everywhere, aiśvarya loses its charm in the presence of mādhurya.
In the material world we cannot draw such a comparison; no
such example is visible anywhere. In the material world aiśvarya
is more influential than mādhurya, but in the spiritual world
it is completely the opposite. There mādhurya is superior and
more influential than aiśvarya. O my dear devotees, all of you just
deliberate upon aiśvarya one time, and then afterwards lovingly
bring sentiments of mādhurya into your hearts. By doing so you
will be able to understand this truth. Just as in the material world
when the sun rises and consumes the moonlight, similarly when
a taste of the sweetness of mādhurya appears in a devotee’s heart,
14

he no longer finds aiśvarya to be tasteful. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has

written (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.59):

siddhāntatas tv abhede ’pi

śrīśa-kṛṣṇa-svarūpayoḥ
rasenotkṛṣyate kṛṣṇa-
rūpam eṣā rasa-sthitiḥ

Although from the existential viewpoint Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa

are non-different, Kṛṣṇa is superior due to possessing more
rasa. Such is the glory of rasa-tattva. This topic will be made
clear later in this discussion. But for now it is essential to
understand that the favourable cultivation of activities meant
to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa (ānukūlyena anuśīlanam) is the sole intrinsic
characteristic (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa) of bhakti. Thus this confirms the
same statement made in the verse under discussion from Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11).
To remain devoid of desires separate from the desire to please
Śrī Kṛṣṇa (anyābhilāṣitā) and free from the coverings of jñāna and
karma (jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam) are the marginal characteristics
(taṭastha-lakṣaṇa) of bhakti. Viṣṇu-bhakti pravakṣyāmi yayā sarvam
avāpyate – in this half verse from Bhakti-sandarbha, the marginal
characteristics of bhakti are reviewed. Its meaning is that by the
practice of the aforementioned viṣṇu-bhakti, the living entity
can attain everything. The desire to attain something is called
abhilāṣitā. From the word abhilāṣitā one should not derive the
meaning that the desire to progress in bhakti and to ultimately
reach its perfectional stage is also to be rejected. “Through my
practice of sādhana-bhakti I will one day attain the elevated stage
 15

of bhāva” – it is highly commendable for a devotee to maintain

such a desire, but apart from this desire all other types of desire
are fit to be rejected. There are two types of separate desire: the
desire for sense gratification (bhukti) and the desire for liberation
(mukti). Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.22):

bhukti-mukti-spṛhā yāvat
piśācī hṛdi vartate
tāvad bhakti-sukhasyātra
katham abhyudayo bhavet

As long as the two witches of the desires for bhukti and mukti
remain in a devotee’s heart, not even a fraction of the pure
happiness derived from svarūpa-siddha-bhakti1 will arise. Both
bodily and mental enjoyment are considered bhukti. To make
an extraneous effort to remain free from disease or to desire
palatable foodstuffs, strength and power, wealth, followers, wife,
children, fame and victory, are all considered bhukti. To desire to
take one’s next birth in a brāhmaṇa family or in a royal family,
to attain residence in the heavenly planets or in Brahmaloka or
to obtain any other type of happiness in one’s next life is also
considered bhukti. Practice of the eightfold yoga system and to
desire the eight or eighteen varieties of mystic perfections are also
1 All favourable endeavours such as hearing, chanting, remembrance and so on,
as well as the manifestation of the spiritual sentiments which occur beginning from
the stage of bhāva, which are completely devoid of all desires separate from Śrī Kṛṣṇa
and which are freed from the coverings of jñāna and karma, are known as svarūpa-
siddha-bhakti. In other words all endeavours of the body, mind and words that are
related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and that are performed exclusively and directly for His pleasure
without any intervention are known as svarūpa-siddha-bhakti.
16

categorized as bhukti. The greed for bhukti forces the living entity
to become subordinate to the six enemies headed by lust and
anger. Envy easily takes over the heart of the living entity and
rules it. Hence, to attain unalloyed devotion one has to remain
completely aloof from the desire for bhukti. To abandon the
desire for bhukti, a conditioned soul need not reject the objects of
the senses by going to reside in the forest. Merely going to reside
in the forest or accepting the dress of a renunciant (sannyāsī)
will not free one from the desire for bhukti. If bhakti resides in a
devotee’s heart, then even while living amidst the objects of the
senses he will be able to remain detached from them and will be
capable of abandoning the desire for bhukti. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa
Gosvāmī says (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.254–6):

rucim udvahatas tatra

janasya bhajane hareḥ
viṣayeṣu gariṣṭho ’pi
rāgaḥ prāyo vilīyate
anāsaktasya viṣayān
yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
prāpañcikatayā buddhyā
hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ
mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo
vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate
 17

When the living entity develops a taste for kṛṣṇa-bhajana, at that

time his excessive attachment for the objects of the senses starts
gradually fading. Then with a spirit of detachment he accepts the
objects of the senses only according to his needs, knowing those
objects to be related to Kṛṣṇa and behaving accordingly. This is
called yukta-vairāgya. The renunciation of those who, desiring
liberation from matter, reject the objects of the senses considering
them to be illusory is called phalgu, useless. It is not possible
for an embodied soul to completely renounce the objects of the
senses, but changing the enjoying tendency towards them while
maintaining an understanding of their relation to Kṛṣṇa cannot be
called sense gratification. Form (rūpa), taste (rasa), smell (gandha),
touch (sparśa) and sound (śabda) are the objects of the senses. We
should try to perceive the world in such a way that everything
appears related to Kṛṣṇa, meaning that we should see all living
entities as servants and maidservants of Kṛṣṇa. See gardens and
rivers as pleasurable sporting places for Kṛṣṇa. See that all types
of eatables are to be used as an offering for His pleasure. In all
types of aromas, perceive the aroma of kṛṣṇa-prasāda. In the same
way, see that all types of flavours are to be relished by Kṛṣṇa, see
that all the elements we touch are related to Kṛṣṇa, and hear only
narrations describing the activities of Kṛṣṇa or His great devotees.
When a devotee develops such an outlook, then he will no longer
see the objects of the senses as being separate from Bhagavān
Himself. The tendency to enjoy the happiness obtained from sense
gratification intensifies the desire for bhukti within the heart of
a devotee and ultimately deviates him from the path of bhakti.
On the other hand, by accepting all the objects of this world as
18

instruments to be employed in Kṛṣṇa’s service, the desire for bhukti

is completely eradicated from the heart, thus allowing unalloyed
devotion to manifest there.
As it is imperative to abandon the desire for bhukti, it is
equally important to abandon the desire for mukti (liberation).
There are some very deep principles and conceptions regarding
mukti. Five types of mukti are mentioned in the scriptures:

sālokya-sārṣṭi-sāmīpya-
sārūpyaikatvam apy uta
dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṇanti
vinā mat-sevanaṁ janāḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.29.13)

[Śrī Kapiladeva said:] O my dear mother, despite being offered

the five types of liberation known as sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya,
sārūpya and ekatva, my pure devotees do not accept them. They
only accept my transcendental loving service.

Through sālokya-mukti one attains residence in the abode of

Bhagavān. To obtain opulence equal to that of Bhagavān is called
sārṣṭi-mukti. To attain a position in proximity to Bhagavān is
called sāmīpya-mukti. To obtain a four-armed form like that of
Bhagavān Viṣṇu is called sārūpya-mukti. To attain sāyujya-mukti
(merging) is called ekatva. This sāyujya-mukti is of two kinds:
brahma-sāyujya and īśvara-sāyujya. The cultivation of brahma-
jñāna, impersonal knowledge, leads one to brahma-sāyujya,
merging into the Lord’s effulgence. Also, by following the
method prescribed in the scriptures that deal with self-realisation,
 19

one attains brahma-sāyujya. By properly observing the Pātañjali

yoga system, one attains the liberation known as īśvara-sāyujya,
merging into the Lord’s form. For devotees both types of
sāyujya-mukti are worthy of rejection. Those who desire to attain
sāyujya as the perfectional stage may also follow the process of
bhakti, but their devotion is temporary and fraudulent. They
don’t accept bhakti as an eternal occupation and merely consider
it to be a means to attain Brahman. Their conception is that
after attaining Brahman, bhakti does not exist. Therefore the
bhakti of a sincere devotee deteriorates in the association of such
spiritualists. Unalloyed devotion never resides in the hearts of
those who consider sāyujya-mukti to be the ultimate perfection.
Regarding the other types of liberation, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
explains (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.55–7):

atra tyājyatayaivoktā
muktiḥ pañca-vidhāpi cet
sālokyādis tathāpy atra
bhaktyā nāti virudhyate
sukhaiśvaryottarā seyaṁ
prema-sevottarety api
sālokyādir-dvidhā tatra
nādyā sevā-juṣāṁ matā
kintu premaika-mādhurya
juṣa ekāntino harau
naivāṅgī kurvate jātu
muktiṁ pañca-vidhām api
20

Although the aforementioned five types of liberation are worthy

of rejection by devotees, the four types of sālokya, sāmīpya,
sārūpya and sārṣṭi are not completely adverse to bhakti. According
to the difference in a particular devotee’s eligibility to receive
them, these four types of liberation assume two forms: svasukha-
aiśvarya-pradānakārī (that which bestows transcendental
happiness and opulence) and prema-sevā-pradānakārī (that
which bestows loving transcendental service unto Bhagavān).
Those who reach the Vaikuṇṭha planets through these four
types of liberation obtain the fruit of transcendental happiness
and opulence. Servitors of the Lord never accept such liberation
under any circumstance, and the loving devotees (premi-bhaktas)
never accept any one of the five varieties of mukti. Therefore
within pure unalloyed devotees the desire for liberation does not
exist. Thus to remain free from the desires for liberation and
sense gratification is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya, being devoid of any
desire other than that to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is one of the
marginal characteristics (taṭastha-lakṣaṇa) of bhakti.
To remain uncovered by tendencies such as those for jñāna
(the cultivation of knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation)
and karma (fruitive activity) is another marginal characteristic of
bhakti. In the phrase jñāna-karmādi, the word ādi, meaning “and
so forth”, refers to the practice of mystic yoga, dry renunciation,
the process of enumeration (sāṅkhya-yoga) and the occupational
duties corresponding to one’s caste or creed. It has already been
mentioned that the favourable cultivation of activities to please
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called bhakti. The living entity is transcendental,
Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, and bhakti-vṛtti – the tendency of pure
 21

devotion through which the living entity establishes an eternal

relationship with Kṛṣṇa – is also transcendental. When the living
entity is situated in his pure state, only then does the intrinsic
attribute (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa) of bhakti act. At that time there is
no opportunity for the marginal characteristics of bhakti to act.
When the living entity is conditioned and situated in the material
world, along with his constitutional identity (svarūpa) two more
marginal identities are present: the gross and subtle bodies.
Through the medium of these, the living entity endeavours to
fulfil his various desires while residing in the material world.
Therefore, when introducing someone to the conception of
unalloyed devotion, we have to acquaint him with the concept
of anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya, being devoid of any desire other than the
desire to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the transcendental world this type
of identification is not required. After becoming entangled in the
ocean of material existence, the living entity becomes absorbed
in various types of external activities and is thereby attacked by a
disease called “forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa”. Within the jīva suffering
from the severe miseries caused by this disease arises a desire
to be delivered from the ocean of material nescience. At that
time, within his mind he condemns himself, thinking, “Alas!
How unfortunate I am! Having fallen into this insurmountable
ocean of material existence, I am being thrown here and there by
the violent waves of my wicked desires. At different times I am
being attacked by the crocodiles of lust, anger and so forth. I cry
helplessly at my miserable condition, but I don’t see any hope for
my survival. What should I do? Do I not have any well-wisher?
Is there any possible way I can be rescued? Alas! What to do?
22

How will I be delivered? I don’t see any solution to my dilemma.

Alas! Alas! I am most unfortunate.” In such a distressed state of
helplessness, the living entity becomes exhausted and falls silent.
Seeing the jīva in this condition, the most compassionate Śrī
Kṛṣṇa then mercifully implants the seed of the creeper of devotion
(bhakti-latā-bīja) within his heart. This seed is known as śraddhā,
faith, and it contains within it the undeveloped manifestation of
bhāva, the first sprout of divine love for Bhagavān. Nourished
by the water of the cultivation of devotional activities headed
by hearing and chanting, that seedling first sprouts, then grows
leaves, and then finally flowers as it assumes the full form of a
creeper. When in the end good fortune dawns upon the living
entity, the creeper of devotion bears the fruit of prema, divine
love.
Now I will explain the gradual development of bhakti, starting
from its seed-form of śraddhā. It is to be understood clearly that as
soon as the seed of faith is sown in the heart, immediately Bhakti-
devī appears there. Bhakti at the stage of śraddhā is very delicate
like a new-born baby girl. From the very time of her appearance
in a devotee’s heart, she has to be very carefully kept in a healthy
condition. Just as a householder protects his very tender baby
daughter from sun, cold, harmful creatures, hunger and thirst,
similarly the infant-like Śraddhā-devī must be protected from all
varieties of inauspiciousness. Otherwise the undesirable association
of impersonal knowledge, fruitive activity, mystic yoga, attachment
to material objects, dry renunciation and so forth will not allow her
to gradually blossom into uttama-bhakti and will instead make her
grow into a different form. In other words, faith will not eventually
 23

develop into bhakti but will merely assume the form of anarthas,
impediments to pure devotion. The danger of disease remains
until the tender Śraddhā-devī becomes free from the influence
of anarthas and transforms into niṣṭhā, resolute determination.
This occurs from being nurtured by the affectionate mother of
the association of genuine devotees and from taking the medicine
of bhajana. Once she has reached the stage of niṣṭhā, no anartha
whatsoever can easily harm her.
If Śraddhā-devī is not properly nurtured with the utmost
care, she will be polluted by the germs, termites, mosquitoes
and unhealthy environment of jñāna-yoga (the cultivation of
knowledge), vairāgya (dry renunciation), sāṅkhya-yoga (the
process of enumeration) and so forth. In the conditioned stage,
the pursuit of knowledge, renunciation and so on are unavoidable
for the living entity, but if knowledge is of a particular variety that
is unfavourable to devotion, it can ruin bhakti. Hence, according
to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the word jñāna here refers to the pursuit of
impersonal Brahman. Jñāna is of two types: spiritual knowledge
that is directed towards obtaining mukti, and bhagavat-tattva-
jñāna, which arises simultaneously along with bhakti within
the heart of the living entity. The first type of jñāna is directly
opposed to bhakti and it is essential to stay far away from it. Some
people say that bhakti arises only after the cultivation of such
spiritual knowledge, but this statement is completely erroneous.
Bhakti actually dries up by the cultivation of such knowledge. On
the other hand, knowledge concerning the mutual relationship
(sambandha) between the Supreme Lord, the living entity and
the illusory energy, which arises within the heart of the living
24

entity through the faithful cultivation of devotional activities,

is helpful for bhakti. This knowledge is called ahaituka-jñāna,
knowledge that is devoid of ulterior motive. Sūta Gosvāmī says in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.7):

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
Bhakti-yoga that is performed for the satisfaction of the Supreme
Lord Vāsudeva brings about detachment from all things
unrelated to Him and gives rise to pure knowledge that is free
from any motive for liberation and directed exclusively towards
the attainment of Him.

Now, by carefully reviewing all the previous statements, we

can understand that to remain uncovered by jñāna, karma and
so forth – which means accepting them as subservient entities
– and to engage in the favourable cultivation of activities meant
to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa that are devoid of any other desire, is called
uttama-bhakti. Bhakti is the only means by which the living entity
can obtain transcendental bliss. Besides bhakti, all other methods
are external. With the assistance of bhakti, sometimes fruitive
activity (karma) is identified as āropa-siddha-bhakti, endeavours
that are indirectly attributed with the quality of devotion, and
sometimes the cultivation of impersonal knowledge (jñāna) is
identified as saṅga-siddha-bhakti, endeavours associated with or
favourable to the cultivation of devotion. But they can never be
 25

accepted as svarūpa-siddha-bhakti, devotion in its constitutionally

perfected stage.
Svarūpa-siddha-bhakti is kaitava-śūnya, free from any deceit
and full of unalloyed bliss by nature, meaning that it is devoid of
any desire for heavenly enjoyment or the attainment of liberation.
But in āropa-siddha-bhakti, the desires for sense gratification
(bhukti) and liberation (mukti) remain in a hidden position.
Therefore it is also called sakaitava-bhakti, deceitful devotion.
O my dear intimate Vaiṣṇavas, by your constitutional nature
you are attracted to svarūpa-siddha-bhakti and have no taste for
āropa-siddha-bhakti or saṅga-siddha-bhakti. Although these two
types of devotion are not actually bhakti by their constitution,
some people refer to these two types of activities as bhakti. In
fact they are not bhakti, but bhakti-ābhāsa, the semblance of real
devotion. If by some good fortune through the practice of bhakti-
ābhāsa one develops faith in the true nature of bhakti, then only
can such practice transform into unalloyed devotion. But this
does not happen easily, because by the practice of bhakti-ābhāsa
there exists every possibility of remaining bereft of unalloyed
devotion. Therefore, in all the scriptures, the instruction is to
follow svarūpa-siddha-bhakti.
In this short article, the intrinsic nature of unalloyed devotion
has been explained. Having carefully reviewed all the instructions
of our predecessor ācāryas, in summary form we are presenting
their heartfelt sentiments in the following verse:

pūrṇa-cid-ātmake kṛṣṇe
jīvasyāṇu-cid-ātmanaḥ
26

upādhi-rahitā ceṣṭā
bhaktiḥ svābhāvikī matā

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the complete, all-pervading consciousness who always

possesses all potencies, and the jīva is the infinitesimal conscious
entity who is likened to a single particle of light situated within a
ray of the unlimited spiritual sun. The natural and unadulterated
endeavour of the infinitesimal conscious entity towards the
complete consciousness is called bhakti. The living entity’s
persistence towards anyābhilāṣa (acting to fulfil desires other than
the desire to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa), jñāna (the cultivation of knowledge
aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (fruitive activity) is
called “acquiring material designation”. We should understand
that the natural inherent endeavour of the jīva can only mean the
favourable cultivation of activities to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
 C ha p t e r
Tw o8
An Analysis of the
Semblance of Bhakti

yad bhaktyābhāsa-leśo ’pi

dadāti phalam uttamam
tam ānanda-nidhiṁ kṛṣṇa-
caitanyaṁ samupāsmahe
We worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is an ocean of transcendental
bliss. Even a faint trace of devotion unto Him yields the highest
result.

My dear devotees, in the previous chapter we discussed the

intrinsic nature (svarūpa) and extrinsic characteristics (taṭastha-
lakṣaṇa) of bhakti. In this chapter we will discuss bhakti-ābhāsa,
the semblance of devotion. We have already discussed a little about
bhakti-ābhāsa while reviewing the taṭastha-lakṣaṇa of bhakti, and
indeed, bhakti-ābhāsa is actually included within the category of
28

the taṭastha-lakṣaṇa of bhakti. But since it is not really suitable for

the semblance of devotion to be thoroughly analysed in a section
where both the intrinsic nature and extrinsic characteristics of
bhakti are being described, it has become necessary to write a
separate chapter on the topic of bhakti-ābhāsa. We hope that
this article will serve to further clarify the subject matter of the
previous chapter.
It has already been stated that the natural and unadulterated
endeavour of the infinitesimal consciousness, the jīva, towards
the complete consciousness, Kṛṣṇa, is called bhakti. Jīvas are
situated in two stages, the liberated stage and the conditioned
stage. In the liberated stage the living entity is free from all
varieties of material relationships and is situated in his pure,
constitutional position. In such a stage the jīva remains free
from any material designation and hence within him there is no
opportunity for the marginal characteristics of bhakti to exist. In
the conditioned stage the jīva forgets his constitutional identity
as his spiritual intelligence is deluded by the coverings of the
subtle and gross bodies. In this stage the jīva acquires various
material designations. When a mirror is free from dust, it gives
a clear reflection of any object, but when it is covered with dust,
it does not give a clear reflection. In such a condition we can say
that the mirror has acquired a designation. When something
covers the nature (svabhāva) of an object, then that covering is
called the object’s designation. Material nature covers the pure
constitutional nature of the jīva, and that covering is the jīva’s
designation. It is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.37):
 29

bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād

iśād apetasya viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ
tan-māyayāto budha ābhajet taṁ
bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devatātmā

The jīva’s innate tendency of unalloyed devotion towards the

complete consciousness, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is his eternal
occupational duty (nitya-dharma). When the same jīva becomes
opposed to Bhagavān, then he is gripped by fear and his intelligence
is lost. Māyā is the external potency of Bhagavān (apara-śakti).
Considering the existence of this material world, which has
manifested from the external potency, to be an independent
element from Bhagavān, the unfortunate living entity falls into
material existence. Intelligent people, accepting the shelter of
the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, engage themselves
in the exclusive bhajana of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Hari.
From the verse on the previous page, we can conclude that the
living entity’s absorption in the material energy (māyābhiniveśa)
imposes a false designation upon him. In such an adulterated
stage, the devotion of the living entity easily deteriorates and
appears as bhakti-ābhāsa. Those who desire nothing other than
entrance into unalloyed devotion should completely cross over
bhakti-ābhāsa and take shelter of kevala-bhakti, exclusive and
uninterrupted devotion. For this reason we are reviewing the
topic of bhakti-ābhāsa in great detail. This in-depth analysis
of the semblance of devotion is extremely confidential; only
intimate devotees are qualified to hear it. This is because those
30

who consider bhakti-ābhāsa to be bhakti will never be pleased

upon reading this book until they become truly fortunate. I am
feeling immense pleasure in presenting this topic before the
intimate devotees.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has not given a separate analysis of bhakti-
ābhāsa in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Within the first half of the
verse anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, he has
given a complete yet hidden explanation of bhakti-ābhāsa. While
discussing the topic of rati-ābhāsa, the semblance of ecstatic
spiritual emotion, in his review of the principle of rati, Śrīla Rūpa
Gosvāmī has nicely explained bhakti-ābhāsa. I am presenting this
deliberation on the semblance of devotion upon the basis of Śrīla
Rūpa Gosvāmī’s conception.
Bhakti-ābhāsa exists prior to the stage of śuddha-bhakti.
From bhakti-ābhāsa, the stages of unalloyed devotion and rati
within unalloyed devotion appear in sequence. Śrīla Rūpa
Gosvāmī says (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.45): “pratibimbas tathā
chāyā ratyābhāso dvidhā mataḥ – there are two types of bhakti-
ābhāsa: pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa and chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa.” The
difference between the two is that pratibimba remains apart from
the original object and appears as another separate entity, while
chāyā is completely dependent on the original object and from
a position of proximity to it appears as a partial manifestation of
the original object. When a tree is reflected in water, the tree that
is visible in the water is called the pratibimba, or reflection, of the
original tree. The reflection is never in touch with the original
object. The existence of the reflection is due solely to the existence
of the original object; still, the reflection is accepted as a separate
 31

entity. The form that appears because of the tree’s blockage of

the path of light and that resembles the form of the tree itself is
called the chāyā, or shadow. The existence of the chāyā is entirely
dependent upon the original object. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says
tasmān nirupādhitvam eva rater mukhya-svarūpatvaṁ sopādhitvam
ābhāsatvaṁ tattva-gauṇyā vṛttyā pravartamānatvam iti, which
means that when bhakti is unadulterated, it is svarūpa-bhakti,
devotion in its intrinsic state, but when bhakti is adulterated,
then it is called bhakti-ābhāsa. Bhakti-ābhāsa is manifested by the
gauṇa-vṛtti, the secondary inclination of the living entity. The
living entity’s intrinsic inclination is called the mukhya-vṛtti,
and the inclination that is obstructed or covered is called the
gauṇa-vṛtti. Pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa and chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa
are both categorized as gauṇa-vṛtti, or secondary tendencies.
When bhakti reaches its pure form, it is completely free from the
tendencies of pratibimba (reflection) and chāyā (shadow). At that
time only the original object itself, pure spontaneous devotion,
is manifest.

Pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa
The semblance of devotion known as pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa
can be divided into three categories: (1) nirviśeṣa-jñānāvṛta-
bhakti-ābhāsa, (2) bahirmukha-karmāvṛta-bhakti-ābhāsa and (3)
viparītavastu-bhakti-buddhi-janita-bhakti-ābhāsa.

(1) In nirviśeṣa-jñānāvṛta-bhakti-ābhāsa, bhakti remains hidden by

a covering of impersonal knowledge (nirviśeṣa-jñāna). At that time
32

a curtain of impersonal knowledge exists between the sādhaka and

svarūpa-siddha-bhakti2, making direct realisation of bhakti in its
inherent form impossible.
The conception of impersonal knowledge is that within tran­
scendental reality (cit-tattva), names, forms, qualities, pastimes
and other attributes do not exist. According to this philosophy,
these attributes exist only in material objects; when the jīva
becomes liberated from material existence, he merges into
undifferentiated Brahman. Wherever such impersonal knowledge
exists, unalloyed devotion cannot manifest there. Kṛṣṇānuśīlana,
the cultivation of devotion unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is called śuddha-
bhakti. But the activities of bhakti are not possible in impersonal
liberation because neither Kṛṣṇa, His servant the living entity,
nor devotional endeavours are present. If someone believes that
when the perfectional stage of liberation is achieved bhakti no
longer exists due to the destruction of the mind, body and false
ego, but simultaneously they continue to follow the process of
bhakti to achieve such perfection, then how can their devotion
to Kṛṣṇa be called eternal and free from deceit? Such a person
tries to please Kṛṣṇa for the time being and in the end attempts
to extinguish Kṛṣṇa’s existence. In precisely the same way, the
demon Vṛkāsura pleased Lord Śiva with his worship, and after
obtaining a boon from Śiva that he could kill anyone by merely
placing his hand on their head, he tried to kill Śiva himself. The
devotion of such a person is deceitful and temporary due to his
ignorance of the intrinsic nature of eternally perfected devotion

2  Refer to the footnote on p. 15 for a definition of this term.

 33

(nitya-siddha-bhakti). In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.3.44, 46) Śrīla

Rūpa Gosvāmī has described the attributes of such deceitful bhakti:

kintu bāla-camatkāra-
kārī tac-cihna-vīkṣayā
abhijñena subodho ’yaṁ
ratyābhāsaḥ prakīrtitaḥ
aśramābhīṣṭa-nirvāhī
rati-lakṣaṇa-lakṣitaḥ
bhogāpavarga-saukhyāṁśa-
vyañjakaḥ pratibimbakaḥ

By observing the symptoms of shedding tears and trembling in

persons who desire material enjoyment and liberation, it may
seem that they have developed kṛṣṇa-rati, ecstatic emotion based
on excessive attachment for Kṛṣṇa. But only foolish people, who
are easily influenced by a show of external symptoms, will consider
such so-called rati genuine. Those who are knowledgeable know
it to be rati-ābhāsa. Such a person’s trembling and shedding of
tears are due to two reasons. The first reason is that they have a
hankering for impersonal liberation and by remembering Kṛṣṇa,
who alone can award such mukti, they feel great pleasure. This
pleasure is the cause of their shedding tears and trembling; it
is not due to spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa. The second reason
for their shedding tears and trembling is the happiness derived
from thinking that simply by the performance of such bhakti-
ābhāsa their inner desires for material enjoyment will be easily
fulfilled.
34

vārāṇasī-nivāsī kaścid ayaṁ

vyāharan hareś caritam
yati-goṣṭhyām utpulakaḥ
siñcati gaṇḍa-dvayī-masraiḥ
Once, in the city of Vārāṇasī, a renunciant was chanting the
names of Hari in an assembly of sannyāsīs and eventually he began
trembling and tears started flowing from his eyes. While chanting
the holy name he was thinking, “Aha! By such a simple process
I will attain impersonal liberation.” Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describes
the cause of such a condition (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.47–8):
daivāt sad-bhakta-saṅgena
kīrtanādy-anusāriṇām
prāyaḥ prasanna-manasāṁ
bhogo mokṣādi-rāgiṇām
keṣāñcid dhṛdi bhāvendoḥ
pratibimba udañcati
tad-bhakta-hṛn-nabhaḥ-sthasya
tat-saṁsarga-prabhāvataḥ
Exhibiting such trembling and shedding of tears is not easy for
an impersonalist because knowledge and renunciation make the
heart hard and push away all the symptoms of bhakti, which is
very tender by nature. Even though in the process of hearing
(śravaṇa) and chanting (kīrtana) conducted by the impersonalists
the disease of the desires for sense gratification and liberation
exists, they still feel a little pleasure in their hearts from their
performance of śravaṇa and kīrtana. If at such a time by some
 35

good fortune they obtain the association of a pure devotee of

Bhagavān, then by the effect of that association the bhāva that
has arisen like the moon in the sky of the hearts of pure devotees
is reflected even in their hearts, which are contaminated by the
impersonal conception. Such an occurrence can sometimes cause
a little ecstasy and shedding of tears. But when again they lack the
association of such a devotee, they deride the tears and trembling
of their own disciples as fraud or cheating. Hence, bhakti can
never appear in the heart covered by impersonal knowledge, but
sometimes there is the appearance of bhakti-ābhāsa.

(2) In bahirmukha-karmāvṛta-bhakti-ābhāsa a blockage comprised

of an external covering of fruitive activity (karma) is produced
by the secondary tendency (gauṇa-vṛtti) of bhakti. It is as if a
curtain of fruitive activity is present between the relisher, the
living entity, and that which is to be relished, bhakti. This
curtain covers the intrinsic nature of bhakti. Pursuing the path
of mystic yoga and strictly adhering to the occupational duties
corresponding to one’s caste and stage of life (varṇāśrama-
dharma) are both classified as karma. Karma is of two types:
nitya (activities performed regularly) and naimittika (activities
performed occasionally). All actions that result in piety are
considered karma, fruitive activity. A detailed explanation of
karma here would greatly enlarge this presentation. Those who
specifically want to understand the concept of karma may read
the initial pages of my book Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta.
The process of karma delineated in the books of the smārta-
brāhmaṇas is all superficial activity. Activities such as sandhya-
36

vandana, prayers to be recited daily at dusk, that are suitable

for the proper execution of one’s varṇāśrama duties and that are
mentioned in the books of the smārtas are called nitya-karma,
daily routine activities. The smārtas consider the performance
of these daily activities to be bhakti. Yet an in-depth review of
these activities will reveal that they are superficial. The symptoms
of bhakti that are visible in them are due merely to pratibimba-
bhakti-ābhāsa and not real bhakti. This is because the desired
fruit of these activities is either the attainment of impersonal
liberation or the pleasures of this world or the heavenly worlds.
Some people consider the limbs of bhakti such as hearing and
chanting to be karma and the hearing and chanting of the
karma-yoga process to be bhakti. These misconceptions are
caused by their ignorance of the proper philosophical conception.
Although externally there appear to be many similarities between
the processes of karma-yoga and sādhana-bhakti, there exists a
fundamental difference between the two. Whatever action is
performed to attain mundane happiness in this world or in the
heavenly worlds is called karma. This happiness is classified as
either sense gratification or relief from suffering in the form of
impersonal liberation.
On the other hand, bhakti is the action performed with
absorption in those sentiments which only help to increase
our natural inborn inclination for love of Kṛṣṇa and where the
performer has no other desire whatsoever. Despite accruing some
other fruits by the performance of such activity, the performer
considers those fruits to be very insignificant. Those acts which
nourish unalloyed devotion are also considered bhakti because
 37

bhakti alone is the mother of bhakti; the processes of jñāna and

karma can never be capable of producing bhakti. My dear intimate
devotees, you cannot satisfy the people engaged in gross activities
by presenting before them this subtle difference between karma-
yoga and bhakti. Only when their faith in the processes of karma
and jñāna dwindles by the accumulation of heaps of pious
activities and by the effect of association with pure devotees of
Bhagavān will the seedling of undeveloped bhakti appear in their
hearts in the form of faith. Unless in possession of such faith, no
one can understand the subtle difference between karma-yoga
and bhakti.
We should understand that if someone thinks that bhakti is
simply another form of karma, then he won’t be able to relish
the transcendental sentiments of unalloyed devotion in his heart.
The difference between bitter and sweet can be distinguished only
by tasting them, not by reasoning. After actually tasting them, it
becomes much easier to consider and then determine which of
them is superior. Those inclined towards karma-yoga sometimes
dance, tremble and shed tears while chanting the holy name,
but all of this is a mere reflection of bhakti, not śuddha-bhakti. It
is the result of their previous good fortune of having associated
with devotees, as described in the verses quoted previously [on
p. 34] such as daivāt sad-bhakta-saṅgena... . Their trembling and
shedding of tears are just symptoms produced by sensual pleasure
and are considered mere reflections (pratibimba) only. At such
times they are either immersed in thoughts of heavenly pleasure
or absorbed in an imaginary ocean of the pleasure derived from
liberation. This is pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa.
38

(3) In present times we can easily point out viparīta-vastu-

bhakti-buddhi-janita-bhakti-ābhāsa, which is produced by the
visualisation of bhakti in activities that are actually opposed to
bhakti and which is prevalent in the pañcopāsanā and in the īśvara-
praṇidhāna, concentration upon the Supersoul within the yoga
process. Those known as pañcopāsanā consider that there are five
sampradāyas: Śaiva (worshippers of Śiva), Śākta (worshippers of
Durgā), Gānapatya (worshippers of Gaṇeśa), Saura (worshippers
of Sūrya) and Vaiṣṇava (worshippers of Viṣṇu). All five are
followers of impersonalism. The Vaiṣṇava line mentioned here
is not the Vaiṣṇava line that follows the genuine principle of
bhakti. The four genuine Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas are not included
within the Vaiṣṇava pañcopāsanā-sampradāya mentioned here.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Śrī Madhvācārya, Śrī Viṣṇusvāmī and Śrī
Nimbāditya are the four ācāryas of the four bona fide sampradāyas
of unalloyed devotion that are described in the verse śrī-brahma-
rudra-sanakāś catvāraḥ sampradāyinaḥ. To indicate these four
sampradāyas, it is said in the scriptures sampradāya-vihīnā ye
mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ, which means mantras not accepted
from the four bona fide sampradāyas yield no results.
Vaiṣṇavas who belong to the pañcopāsanā section are basically
impersonalists, not pure devotees. All the pañcopāsakas believe
that the mūrtis of their five worshipful deities are ultimately
imaginary. In other words, they believe that Brahman has no
form and that these forms are conceived only as a convenience
for worship while still in the bodily conception of life. According
to their concept, when one’s worship becomes perfect he merges
into impersonal Brahman and the devotion he offered to those
 39

“imaginary” mūrtis whom he considers to be the Supreme is

not eternal. This activity is simply jñānāvṛta-bhakti-ābhāsa,
devotion that is covered by impersonal knowledge. One cannot
attain unalloyed devotion as long as he believes such semblance
of devotion to be real bhakti. If symptoms of bhakti such as
trembling and the profuse shedding of tears are detected in the
performers of this type of bhakti-ābhāsa, they should be taken
only as symptoms produced by sensual pleasure and a mere
reflection (pratibimba) of the genuine symptoms.
Just as the pañcopāsakas display a semblance of devotion
towards their “imaginary” deities of demigods, similarly yogīs
also display trembling and shedding of tears towards their
“imaginary” deity of the Supersoul. These are all examples of
pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa. The concept that pratibimba-bhakti-
ābhāsa will gradually develop and ultimately transform into
unalloyed devotion is totally false because by rejecting impersonal
meditation and the benefits sought from fruitive activities the
existence of this semblance of devotion totally vanishes. There
remains no possibility of those practising pratibimba-bhakti-
ābhāsa actually being benefited unless they completely purify
their consciousness from its very root. Impersonalists such as the
four Kumāras and the topmost jñānī Śukadeva Gosvāmī could
only begin new and more exalted lives when they completely
renounced their previous faiths and accepted the path of bhakti.
By the strength of their new, exalted lives they achieved the
status of our ācāryas. Regarding pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa, Śrīla
Rūpa Gosvāmī says (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.42–3):
40

vimuktākhila tarṣair yā
muktair api vimṛgyate
yā kṛṣṇenātigopyāśu
bhajadbhyo ’pi na dīyate
sā bhukti-mukti-kāmatvāc
chuddhāṁ bhaktim akurvatām
hṛdaye sambhavaty eṣāṁ
kathaṁ bhāgavatī ratiḥ
How is it possible for the rare bhagavad-rati, ecstatic emotion
for Bhagavān that appears in the stage of bhāva, to appear in
the hearts of those desiring material sense gratification and
impersonal liberation when such rati is being eagerly sought
after by liberated souls who have completely renounced all
varieties of material desires and is not easily granted by Śrī Kṛṣṇa
to those engaged in His exclusive bhajana?

It is imperative to mention here that those who consider the

pleasure derived from illicit association with women and taking
intoxication to be love of God are themselves polluted and may
pollute others also.

Chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa
It is very important for a sādhaka to understand chāyā-bhakti-
ābhāsa. Unlike pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa, chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa is
not crooked and shrewd; it has simplicity and virtue. Śrīla Rūpa
Gosvāmī has written as follows regarding chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.49–53):
 41

kṣudra kautūhalamayī
cañcalā duḥkha-hāriṇī
rateś chāyā bhavet kiñcit
tat-sādṛśyāvalambinī
hari-priya-kriyā-kāla-
deśa-pātrādi-saṅgamāt
apy ānuṣaṅgikādeṣā
kvacid ajñeṣv apīkṣyate
kintu bhāgyaṁ vinā nāsau
bhāvāc chāyāpy udañcati
yad abhyudayataḥ kṣemaṁ
tatra syād uttarottaram
hari-priya-janasyaiva
prasāda-bhara-lābhataḥ
bhāvābhāso ’pi sahasā
bhāvatvam upagacchati
tasminn evāparādhena
bhāvābhāso ’py anuttamaḥ
krameṇa kṣayam āpnoti
khastha-pūrṇa-śaśī yathā

There are a few similarities between chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa and

śuddha-bhakti, but by nature the practitioner of chāyā-bhakti-
ābhāsa feels some slight curiosity concerning what fruit will
be attained by following this process, his mind is restless and
some of his material distress is eradicated. Chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa
is sometimes visible even within a person bereft of spiritual
42

knowledge, just by the influence of their having come into

contact with the times, places and devotees that are related to
Bhagavān. Whether one be a follower of pañcopāsana or of a bona
fide disciplic succession, one cannot attain the stage of chāyā-
bhakti-ābhāsa without some special good fortune having arisen
within him, because upon the shadow of bhāva arising just once –
in whatever minute degree it may be – it will certainly grow and
result in progressive benefit for the sādhaka. Upon obtaining the
mercy of a pure Vaiṣṇava, bhāva-ābhāsa can suddenly progress up
to the stage of bhāva. But on the other hand, if one commits
offences at the feet of pure Vaiṣṇavas, even the topmost semblance
of bhāva gradually deteriorates, just like the gradual waning of
the moon in kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, the dark fortnight of the lunar month.
Chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa is of two types: (1) svarūpa-jñānābhāva-
janita-bhakti-ābhāsa, the semblance of devotion that appears in
the absence of knowledge of one’s inherent identity, and (2)
bhakti-uddīpaka-vastu-śakti-janita-bhakti-ābhāsa, the semblance
of devotion in which the stimulation for bhakti is caused by the
influence of having come into contact with objects such as time,
place and circumstance that are related to Bhagavān.

(1) The intrinsic knowledge (svarūpa-jñāna) concerning the

sādhaka (the practitioner), sādhana (the practice) and sādhya (the
object of achievement) is non-different from the inherent nature
of śuddha-bhakti. When such svarūpa-jñāna has not yet arisen
within a sādhaka but the desire to cross over the ocean of material
existence has come within him, then whatever symptoms of
bhakti visible in him in that condition are merely bhakti-ābhāsa.
 43

This semblance of devotion transforms into śuddha-bhakti when

one obtains this intrinsic knowledge. Even for Vaiṣṇavas who
are duly initiated into the genuine sampradāya, the illumination
of one’s eternal identity arising from the dīkṣā-mantra that
they received from their dīkṣā-guru will not appear until they
are fortunate enough to receive instruction on this intrinsic
knowledge. Due to ignorance of this intrinsic knowledge of the
bhakti-yoga process, svarūpa-siddha-bhakti remains covered and
hence only the semblance of devotion is visible.
The devotion of pañcopāsakas who remain aloof from the
teachings of impersonalism and perform the worship of their
favourite deity by considering him or her to be a direct expansion
of Bhagavān and the supreme goal is also chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa.
Still, there is a great deal of difference between pañcopāsaka
Vaiṣṇavas and sāmpradāyika Vaiṣṇavas. The resolute faith of
sāmpradāyika Vaiṣṇavas in the personal aspect of Bhagavān is
much stronger than that of pañcopāsaka Vaiṣṇavas. By receiving
proper instruction on philosophical principles, a sāmpradāyika
Vaiṣṇava remains hopeful of reaching a very exalted stage of pure
Vaiṣṇavism, but a pañcopāsaka cannot be as hopeful of achieving
such an exalted stage of Vaiṣṇavism by receiving instruction on
philosophical principles according to their own custom.
The accessibility of association of pure devotees for
sāmpradāyika Vaiṣṇavas is much better than it is for pañcopāsakas.
If by some fortune the pañcopāsakas obtain the association
of devotees and simultaneously keep themselves aloof from
the association of impersonalists, they can then be refined
by the sāmpradāyika system and can begin pursuing the path
44

of unalloyed devotion. Two scriptural evidences mentioned in

Bhakti-sandarbha are being quoted here. In the Skanda Purāṇa
it is confirmed that sāmpradāyika Vaiṣṇavas achieve their desired
result even by the practice of chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa. Śrī Mahādeva
says (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.200):

dīkṣā-mātreṇa kṛṣṇasya
narā mokṣaṁ labhanti vai
kiṁ punar ye sadā bhaktyā
pūjayanty acyutaṁ narāḥ
Just by receiving initiation into the kṛṣṇa-mantra one can obtain
liberation, so what can be said about what one can achieve by
performing devotion unto the Supreme Lord?

Regarding pañcopāsakas who, remaining free from pratibimba-

bhakti-ābhāsa, have developed chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa, the Ādi-
varāha Purāṇa (211.85) says:

janmāntara-sahasreṣu
samārādhya vṛṣadhvajam
vaiṣṇavatvaṁ labhet kaścit
sarva-pāpa-kṣaye sati
If one worships Gaṇeśa for thousands of births and becomes
free from all sins, then it is possible to come to the platform of
Vaiṣṇavism.

The scriptural conclusion is that Śaktas, worshippers of the

goddess Durgā, are gradually elevated to bhakti by first becoming
worshippers of the sun-god, then worshippers of Gaṇeśa, then
 45

worshippers of Śiva, then pañcopāsaka Vaiṣṇavas, and finally

sāmpradāyika Vaiṣṇavas. By the careful analysis of the words of the
scriptures, it is understood that by the influence of association with
pure devotees, chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa transforms into pure devotion.

(2) In the scriptures there are many examples of bhakti-uddīpaka-

vastu-śakti-janita-bhakti-ābhāsa. The tulasī plant, mahā-prasāda,
vaiṣṇava-prasāda, the days of devotional observance such as
Ekādaśī, the deity of Bhagavān, the holy dhāmas, the Gaṅgā,
the footdust of Vaiṣṇavas and so on are various objects that
act as bhakti-uddīpaka, stimuli to devotion. The living entity
receives immense benefit even by coming in contact with these
objects unknowingly. Sometimes benefit is accrued even when
the innocent jīva unknowingly commits an offence to them.
Coming into contact with these objects in this way is also bhakti-
ābhāsa. Devotees will not be astonished upon witnessing such
remarkable results of bhakti-ābhāsa; all such results are due solely
to the immense power of śuddha-bhakti. If the processes of jñāna
and yoga are not executed purely and if they are not supported
by bhakti-ābhāsa, then they are incapable of granting any result.
On the other hand, Bhakti-devī is completely independent;
regardless of the motives of those who take shelter of her, she
fulfils their innermost desires. Although all these results are visible
in the semblance of devotion, it is not the prescribed conduct.
The execution of unalloyed devotion is our only duty. Those
who desire absolute success should not under any circumstance
give a place to pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa within their hearts. By
the strength of bhajana performed under the guidance of pure
Vaiṣṇavas, they should cross beyond chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa and take
46

exclusive shelter at the lotus feet of Bhakti-devī. Therefore all

of you kindly accept the following principle presented by Viśva-
vaiṣṇava dāsa:

pratibimbas tathā chāyā

bhedāt tattva-vicārataḥ
bhaktyābhāso dvidhā so ’pi
varjanīyaḥ rasārthibhiḥ

Those who desire to relish the liquid mellows of devotion (bhakti-

rasa) should always remain aloof from both types of bhakti-
ābhāsa. By reviewing this subject matter, it is concluded that
the semblance of devotion is of two types, pratibimba-bhakti-
ābhāsa and chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa. Pratibimba-bhakti-ābhāsa has a
tendency to make the living entity commit offences, while chāyā-
bhakti-ābhāsa is incomplete in itself. The execution of unalloyed
devotion is the only recommended activity for the living entity.

Offences towards bhakti

This is a very dangerous item. We execute so many limbs
of bhakti, such as accepting the dīkṣā-mantra from a bona fide
spiritual master, every day applying tilaka to twelve different parts
of the body, performing arcana unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, observing the
vow of Ekādaśī, chanting the holy name and remembering Kṛṣṇa
according to one’s ability, visiting the holy places like Vṛndāvana
and so forth. But unfortunately we don’t try hard enough to avoid
committing offences at the feet of Bhakti-devī. Giving the example
of the activities of Mukunda, Śrīman Mahāprabhu highlighted
 47

to His devotees the various symptoms of offence towards bhakti

(Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.185, 188–190, 192):

kṣaṇe dante tṛṇa laya, kṣaṇe jāṭhī māre

o khaḍa-jāṭhiyā – beṭā nā dekhibe more
prabhu bole – o beṭā jakhana yathā jāya
seī mata kathā kahi tathāya miśāya
vāśiṣṭha paḍaye jabe advaitera saṅge
bhakti-yoge nāce gāya tṛṇa kari dante
anya sampradāye giyā jakhana sāmbhāya
nāhi māne bhakti jāṭhi māraye sadāya
bhakti-sthāne uhāra haila aparādha
eteke uhāra haila daraśana-bādha
[Śrīman Mahāprabhu said:] I can never bestow mercy upon
Mukunda because sometimes he displays his humility by taking
straw between his teeth and at other times he attacks Me; in
other words, he keeps one of his hands at My feet (displaying
humility) and the other at My neck (attacking Me). According
to his own convenience, sometimes he behaves as My follower
and at other times he criticizes Me. Hence, I cannot reward him.
Wherever he goes, seeking his own benefit he represents himself
accordingly and mixes with people. Sometimes he supports the
doctrine of Māyāvāda by reciting from the book Yoga-vāśiṣṭhā,
which is endowed with advaita philosophy, and at other times
he shows his faith by abandoning the impersonal concept and
cultivating kṛṣṇa-bhakti by becoming meek and humble, and by
dancing and performing kīrtana. When he enters the sect of the
48

impersonalists, he rejects the eternality of bhakti and condemns

the devotees with the weapon of argument and logic. In this
way he has committed an offence at the feet of Bhakti-devī.
Therefore I cannot give him My darśana.

Mukunda Datta is an eternal associate of the Lord, so

whatever Mahāprabhu said to him in this regard is only a pastime.
But Mahāprabhu’s objectives are very grave, so there must be
an extremely confidential reason for His statements here. His
confidential instruction is that we cannot please Kṛṣṇa just by
accepting initiation and executing the various limbs of bhakti.
Only those who have unwavering faith in exclusive devotion can
satisfy Him. Those who have developed such faith accept the path
of unalloyed devotion with great determination. They do not
visit places where doctrines that are unrelated to śuddha-bhakti
are discussed. They go to places where the topic of pure devotion
is being discussed and they listen with great interest. Simplicity,
determination and exclusive desire for bhakti are the natural
characteristics of such unalloyed devotees. They never approve
of statements or activities that are opposed to the principles of
bhakti merely to gain popularity; pure devotees always remain
indifferent to such things.
These days most people don’t try to avoid the above-mentioned
offences. Just from seeing the devotees or hearing narrations of
the Lord’s activities, they display symptoms of apparent spiritual
ecstasy such as trembling and the shedding of tears and they
support spiritual philosophy in assemblies, but afterwards they
are again seen becoming mad after sense gratification. Therefore,
 49

dear readers, what can be said about the so-called firm adherence
(niṣṭhā) of those who display these bogus sentiments? We
understand that just to earn fame they display these symptoms
before the devotees. Out of greed to acquire fame or other
material benefits, they display varieties of this sort of conduct.
It is a matter of great sorrow that these people not only commit
an offence at the feet of Bhakti-devī by propagating deceitful
philosophies in the name of bhakti, but also completely ruin the
spiritual lives of the living entities of this world.
Dear readers, we should remain very careful not to ever
commit any offence at the feet of Bhakti-devī. First of all, we
must vow to perform bhakti while remaining indifferent to
all else. We must never do anything or speak anything that is
contrary to bhakti just to gain popularity or collect followers. We
must remain simple and straightforward in our actions. There
shouldn’t be any difference between our words and our actions.
We must never try to gain the favour of those who are indifferent
to bhakti by displaying to them artificial symptoms of advanced
devotion. We will always remain chaste to the principles of
unalloyed devotion and will never support any other doctrine.
Our external conduct and the feelings within our hearts should
be one and the same.
 C ha p t e r
Th re e7
An Analysis of the
Natural Attributes of Bhakti

śuddha-bhakti-svabhāvasya
prabhāvān yat-padāśrayāt
sadaiva labhate jīvas
taṁ caitanyam ahaṁ bhaje
I worship Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By taking shelter of His
feet, the living entity forever obtains the potency issuing from
the very nature of unalloyed devotion.

Śuddha-bhakti manifests along with six symptoms: (1) kleśaghnī –

it brings immediate relief from all kinds of material distress;
(2) śubhadā – it brings all auspiciousness; (3) mokṣa-laghutākṛt –
liberation becomes insignificant before it; (4) sudurlabhā – it is
rarely achieved; (5) sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā – it grants intense
transcen­dental pleasure; and (6) kṛṣṇākarṣaṇī – it is the only
52

means to attract Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the stage of sādhana-bhakti only

the first two symptoms appear, in the stage of bhāva the first
four symptoms appear and in the stage of prema all six symptoms
appear. These six symptoms will now be systematically discussed.

(1) Kleśaghnī – Bhakti-devī completely removes all the distress

(kleśa) of those who take shelter of unalloyed devotion. Kleśa is
of three types: sin (pāpa), sins in their seed form (pāpa-bīja) and
ignorance (avidyā). Due to the sins committed by the jīva in
innumerable lifetimes or the sins that he may commit in his
present or future lives, he has to suffer various types of distress.
The prominent sins have been analysed in the fifth wave of the
second shower of my book Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta. These sins can
be further divided into two categories: prārabdha and aprārabdha.
Prārabdha sins are those for which the living entity must
suffer the reactions in his present life span. The sins whose
reactions will be suffered in one’s next life are called aprārabdha.
The sins committed by the living entity in innumerable lifetimes
combine together as aprārabdha sins and in his next birth fructify
as prārabdha sins. Hence, within the jurisdiction of eternal
law, the jīva is bound to suffer the reactions of the sins he has
committed in his innumerable lifetimes. Birth in a brāhmaṇa
family, a Muslim family, a wealthy family or a poor family,
or having beautiful personal features or being ugly are all the
results of prārabdha-karma. Birth in an untouchable (yavana)
family is due to prārabdha sins. Unalloyed devotion destroys both
types of sin, prārabdha and aprārabdha. If the path of jñāna is
followed properly, it destroys aprārabdha-karma. But according
 53

to the scriptures of the jñānīs, one must suffer the reactions of

his prārabdha-karma. But bhakti also destroys prārabdha-karma:

yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād
yat-prahvaṇād yat smaraṇād api kvacit
śvādo ’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate
kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.33.6)

[Devahūti said:] O my dear Lord, by hearing and chanting Your

holy names, by offering obeisances unto You and by remembering
You, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately
obtains the right to perform Vedic sacrifices; in other words, he
acquires the status of a brāhmaṇa. What to speak then of the
benefit one can achieve by receiving Your direct darśana?

This verse highlights how bhakti easily destroys the prārabdha

sins that result in taking birth in a low-class family. Now see how
bhakti also destroys aprārabdha sins:

aprārabdha-phalaṁ pāpaṁ
kūṭaṁ bījaṁ phalonmukham
krameṇaiva pralīyeta
viṣṇu-bhakti-ratātmanām
Padma Purāṇa;
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.23)

For those who have undeviating and exclusive attachment for

devotion unto Lord Viṣṇu, their (1) aprārabdha, the accumulated
stock of sins that are lying in a dormant condition, (2) kūṭa,
54

sins that are tending towards producing seeds, which means that
they are beginning to take shape as sinful desires, (3) bīja, seeds
that are already established as sinful desires, and (4) prārabdha,
fructified sins, are all destroyed in sequence.

The purport is that for the destruction of their sins, the devotees
need not perform any separate acts of either karma or jñāna as
atonement.
The desires to commit sinful activities that are situated within
the heart of the living entity are called pāpa-bīja, the seeds of
sins. Pāpa-bīja can only be destroyed by bhakti:

tais tāny aghāni pūyante

tapo-dāna-vratādibhiḥ
nādharmajaṁ tad-dhṛdayaṁ
tad apīśāṅghri-sevayā
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.2.17);
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.24)

The systematic methods for the atonement of sins that are

prescribed in the scriptures, such as the performance of difficult
vows like cāndrāyaṇa3 and other activities on the path of ordinary
karma, as well as the performance of austerities and the giving
of charity, destroy only those sins for which they are specifically
prescribed. Those atonements do not destroy the seeds of sin,
or in other words the sinful desires that have arisen due to
3  Cāndrāyaṇa is a vow where one takes only fifteen mouthfuls of food on the
full moon day, decreasing by one mouthful each succeeding day until one fasts
completely on the new moon day. Then one gradually increases his intake by one
mouthful per day up until the next full moon.
 55

ignorance. Sinful desires can be removed only by engaging in the

service of Kṛṣṇa, meaning that besides bhakti there is no other
means that can expunge sinful desires from the heart. As soon as
Bhakti-devī appears in the heart, all sinful desires – as well as any
desires for piety – are destroyed at the root. The following verses
from the Padma Purāṇa and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describe how
bhakti eradicates avidyā, ignorance:

kṛtānuyātrā vidyābhir
hari-bhaktir anuttamā
avidyāṁ nirdahaty āśu
dāva-jvāleva pannagīm
Padma Purāṇa;
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.26)

When hari-bhakti appears in the heart, she is followed by the

knowledge potency (vidyā-śakti), which immediately dispels the
ignorance situated within the heart of the living entity, just as a
serpent is burnt by a blazing forest fire.

yat-pāda-paṅkaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā
karmāśayaṁ grathitam udgrathayanti santaḥ
tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo ’pi ruddhasroto-
gaṇās tam araṇaṁ bhaja vāsudevam
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.22.39);
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.25)

Ascetics who have detached their minds from the objects of the
senses by keeping their senses away from those objects cannot
easily untie the knot of false ego from their hearts, whereas
56

devotees who are exclusively engaged in transcendental loving

service unto the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa can untie this knot in
no time. Hence, one should engage in bhajana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the
supreme shelter.

Though the cultivation of knowledge can dispel ignorance

to some extent, without taking shelter of bhakti, a sādhaka will
certainly fall down:

ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas

tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ
āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32)

[The demigods prayed:] O lotus-eyed Lord, although by the

cultivation of neti-neti, the negativity principle, non-devotees
endeavour to attain something different from dull matter and
consider themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. With
great difficulty they cross the ocean of nescience to attain the
stage of Brahman, but because they have not taken permanent
shelter of Your lotus feet, they fall down from such a stage.

O intimate devotees, having surely heard the word avidyā

before, you must be eager to know its intrinsic nature. Therefore
I will explain a few points in this regard. Śrī Kṛṣṇa possesses
unlimited varieties of potencies (śaktis). Amongst them, cit-
śakti, jīva-śakti and māyā-śakti are prominent. Cit-śakti displays
Bhagavān’s abode (dhāma) and all the paraphernalia necessary
for His pastimes (līlā). Another name for cit-śakti is svarūpa-
 57

śakti. Jīva-śakti produces innumerable living entities. By nature

jīvas are purely spiritual (cit-tattva), but due to their incomplete
constitution they can be trapped by māyā, the illusory energy.
By harbouring selfish desires they become opposed to Kṛṣṇa and
are trapped by the illusory energy, and by desiring to be disposed
towards Kṛṣṇa they are freed from māyā and engage in His service.
This is the difference between conditioned and liberated jīvas.
The illusory energy acts in two ways upon the intrinsic nature
of the conditioned living entity: through the avidyā potency and
through the vidyā potency. Through its avidyā aspect, māyā covers
the constitutional pure ego of the living entity, thus creating a
false or distorted ego by which the jīva identifies himself with
gross matter. This shackle of ignorance is the cause of the jīva’s
conditioned state. Becoming free from avidyā and devoid of false
designations, the living entity attains the stage of liberation.
Thus avidyā is nothing more than a special potency of māyā
that makes the living entity forget his constitutional position.
Ignorance causes the desire for fruitive activity in the jīva. These
desires initiate the process of sin and piety. This ignorance is the
root cause of all the difficulty experienced by the jīva. Besides
bhakti, no other process is capable of eliminating this ignorance.
Karma can only destroy sins, and jñāna can destroy at the root the
desires that cause both sin and piety. But bhakti totally eradicates
at the root the sins themselves, the desires to perform both sin
and piety, and the prime cause of these desires, ignorance.

(2) Bhakti is auspicious by nature, śubhadā. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

says (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.27):
58

śubhāni prīṇanaṁ sarva-

jagatām anuraktatā
sad-guṇāḥ sukham ity ādīny
ākhyātāni manīṣibhiḥ
Scholars define true auspiciousness (śubha) as possessing love
for all living entities and becoming the object of affection of all
living entities as well as possessing all good qualities, happiness
and other similar auspicious achievements.

The Padma Purāṇa explains what is meant by possessing love

for all living entities and being the object of affection of all living
entities (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.28):

yenārcito haris tena

tarpitāni jaganty api
rajyanti jantavas tatra
jaṅgamāḥ sthāvarā api
Those who have worshipped Śrī Hari have satisfied the entire
universe. Therefore all living entities, both animate and
inanimate, love them.

The purport is that those who are devoted exclusively to hari-

bhajana love everyone without any envy; therefore others also
love them.
In devotees all varieties of good qualities develop naturally.
This is easily verified by examining the lives of devotees. In this
regard it says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.18.12), as well as in
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.29):
 59

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā

sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

Those who possess undeviated and exclusive bhakti for Bhagavān

become the residence of all the demigods and all good qualities.
How can such great qualities exist in non-devotees, whose
illicit desires compel them to run after sense gratification? The
qualities of compassion, truthfulness, humility, detachment,
spiritual awareness and so forth appear only in those hearts in
which bhakti has arisen. Even by great endeavour these qualities
do not appear in those hearts which are occupied with desires
for sense gratification. Though happiness is included within
auspiciousness, it is being reviewed separately. By nature bhakti
bestows all auspiciousness.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has written that the happiness of the
conditioned soul can be divided into three categories: vaiṣayika-
sukha, brāhma-sukha and aiśvara-sukha. Vaiṣayika-sukha is all the
varieties of mundane pleasure that are found within this material
world. The eighteen types of mystic perfection and heavenly
enjoyment are also considered vaiṣayika-sukha. Upon realising
that mundane pleasure is ultimately distressful and temporary,
the endeavour to eradicate it through the process of neti-neti
is called vyatireka, the principle of negation. The impersonal
pleasure derived from these vyatireka efforts, through eliminating
all mundane feelings and imagining oneself to be one with the
unchangeable Brahman, is called brāhma-sukha. The happiness
60

derived from taking permanent shelter of Bhagavān, who

possesses all opulences in full, is called aiśvara-sukha. By nature
hari-bhakti bestows all varieties of happiness. According to one’s
specific qualification and desires, it bestows either vaiṣayika-
sukha, brāhma-sukha or aiśvara-sukha.

siddhayaḥ paramāścaryā
bhuktir muktiś ca śāśvatī
nityaṁ ca paramānandaṁ
bhaved govinda bhaktitaḥ
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.31)

The eight types of mystic yoga perfection, all varieties of material

enjoyment, the happiness of impersonal liberation and the
supreme bliss (paramānanda) can all be achieved by devotion
unto Śrī Govinda.

It is written in Śrī Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-

sindhu 1.1.32):

bhūyo ’pi yāce deveśa

tvayi bhaktir dṛḍhāstu me
yā mokṣānta-caturvarga-
phaladā sukhadā latā
O Lord of the demigods, I repeatedly beg for the boon of
attaining exclusive devotion unto You by which, according to
their specific qualification, some devotees obtain the fruits of
wealth, religiosity, sense gratification and liberation while others
obtain the fruit of the happiness of possessing love for You.
 61

The purport is that bhakti is capable of bestowing all types of

happiness but the unalloyed devotees, considering the pleasure
derived from sense gratification and impersonal liberation to be
insignificant, search exclusively for prema-sukha, the happiness
of possessing love for the Supreme Lord. Without the help of
bhakti, the paths of jñāna and karma are incapable of yielding any
result. Hence, in any condition, happiness cannot be obtained
without bhakti.

(3) Mokṣa-laghutākṛt – By nature bhakti renders the conception

of liberation (mukti) insignificant. It is said in the Nārada-
pañcarātra (and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.34):

hari-bhakti-mahādevyāḥ
sarvā muktyādi-siddhayaḥ
bhuktayaś cādbhutās tasyāś
ceṭikāvad anuvratāḥ

The various kinds of perfection headed by mukti and the entirety

of mundane pleasures follow behind the goddess of hari-bhakti,
Bhakti-devī, as her maidservants.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has also said this very beautifully (Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.33):

manāg eva prarūḍhāyāṁ

hṛdaye bhagavad-ratau
puruṣārthās tu catvāras
tṛṇāyante samantataḥ
62

Only when one understands the fourfold achievements of eco­

nomic development, religiosity, sense gratification and libera­
tion to be very insignificant can it be accepted that unalloyed
devotion is appearing within him.

(4) Attainment of hari-bhakti is extremely rare, sudurlabhā. Śrīla

Rūpa Gosvāmī writes about the extreme rarity of bhakti (Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.35):
sādhanaughair anāsaṅgair
alabhyā sucirād api
hariṇā cāśv adeyeti
dvidhā sā syāt sudurlabhā
There are two reasons for hari-bhakti being so rare. First, it
cannot be achieved in spite of engaging in many varieties of
sādhana for a long period of time as long as one is bereft of firm
faith and unwavering persistence. Secondly, Śrī Hari does not
easily grant bhakti unto Him even though one may be engaged
in āsaṅga-yukta-sādhana, spiritual practice endowed with
unflinching attachment. The word āsaṅga implies expertise in
bhajana. Without expertise in bhajana, no spiritual practice can
grant hari-bhakti. By executing sādhana with expertise in bhajana
for a long period of time, and after offences to both the holy
name and Vaiṣṇavas have been dispelled, by the mercy of the
Lord unalloyed devotion, which establishes one in knowledge of
his constitutional identity, arises in the heart.
jñānataḥ sulabhā muktir
bhuktir yajñādi puṇyataḥ
 63

seyaṁ sādhana-sāhasrair
hari-bhaktiḥ sudurlabhā
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.36)

By the cultivation of impersonal knowledge one can easily obtain

liberation (mukti), and by the performance of sacrifices and other
pious activities one can easily obtain sense gratification (bhukti),
but despite performing innumerable sādhanas one cannot achieve
hari-bhakti so easily.

Bhagavān does not easily grant bhakti unto Him, as confirmed in

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.6.18) and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.37):

rājan patir gurur alaṁ bhavatāṁ yadūnāṁ

daivaṁ priyaḥ kula-patiḥ kva ca kiṅkaro vaḥ
astv evam aṅga bhajatāṁ bhagavān mukundo
muktiṁ dadāti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam

[Śukadeva Gosvāmī said:] My dear King Parīkṣit, Lord Mukunda

Himself was the protector, spiritual master, worshipful deity,
well-wisher and head of the Pāṇḍavas and the Yadu dynasty.
Sometimes He even became their obedient servant. It is a matter
of great fortune because Bhagavān easily grants liberation to
those engaged in bhajana unto Him, but He doesn’t easily award
prema for Him, which is far superior to liberation.

In his commentary to this verse, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments:

“tasmād āsaṅgenāpi kṛte sādhana-bhūte sākṣād bhakti-yoge sati yāvat
phala-bhūte bhakti-yoge gāḍhāsaktir na jāyate tāvan na dadātīty
arthaḥ – those who engage in bhajana unto the Supreme Lord by
64

executing the ninefold limbs of bhakti are not granted unalloyed

devotion by Bhagavān until they develop strong attachment for
activity executed on the platform of ecstatic emotion (bhāva),
which is the fruit of perception of one’s eternal identity. Until
that time comes, one’s devotion is simply chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa.”

(5) Sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā – By nature bhakti is very intense

transcendental pleasure (ānanda). It has already been mentioned
that Bhagavān is saccidānanda-svarūpa, the complete embodiment
of eternity, knowledge and bliss, and that the jīva is anucidānanda,
an infinitesimal particle of spiritual bliss who is likened to a single
particle of light situated within a ray of the unlimited spiritual
sun. Hence, spiritual knowledge (cit) and spiritual bliss (ānanda)
are also present within the living entity in minute quantity. The
word ānanda is generally understood to mean mundane pleasure,
but whatever pleasure can be derived from all material pleasures
combined is extremely negligible when placed before spiritual
pleasure. Material pleasure is extremely weak and momentary,
whereas cidānanda, transcendental pleasure, is extremely intense.
Bhakti is very intense transcendental pleasure and the intrinsic
pleasure of the living entity. The happiness derived from impersonal
liberation (brahmānanda) is negligible before bhakti. Brahmānanda
is not the eternal bliss of the living entity; it is the so-called pleasure
obtained from the negation of matter and material activities. Śrīla
Rūpa Gosvāmī has said (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.38):

brahmānando bhaved eṣa

cet parārdha-guṇī-kṛtaḥ
 65

naiti bhakti-sukhāmbhodheḥ
paramāṇu-tulām api

Even if the happiness of liberation experienced by impersonalists

is multiplied by ten million times, the resulting pleasure will
not be equal to even a drop of the ocean of pleasure derived from
bhakti.

The purport is that by simple imagination we may extend the

happiness derived from impersonal liberation to whatever extent,
but in reality it cannot even come near the intrinsic pleasure of
the living entity, what to speak of equalling it. The constitutional
pleasure of the jīva is inborn and hence natural. The happiness
derived from impersonal liberation is unnatural due to arising from
the living entity’s distorted endeavours and hence it is temporary.
It is said in Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
1.1.39):

tvat-sākṣāt-karaṇāhlāda-
viśuddhābdhi-sthitasya me
sukhāni goṣpadāyante
brāhmāṇy api jagad-guro

O Bhagavān, by attaining darśana of You, I am now established in

the ocean of pure bliss. What to speak of material pleasure, even
the pleasure of impersonal liberation now seems as insignificant
as the water in a calf’s hoof-print.

There are many similar statements found in the scriptures.

66

(6) Kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī – Bhakti is the only means to attract Kṛṣṇa. As

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.41):

kṛtvā hariṁ prema-bhājaṁ

priya-varga-samanvitam
bhaktir vaśī karotīti
śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī matā
Unalloyed devotion overpowers Śrī Kṛṣṇa and all His dearmost
associates with love; this very ability to attract Śrī Kṛṣṇa is
actually the inherent nature of Bhakti-devī.

The purport of this is that in the stage of sādhana-bhakti,

as long as unalloyed devotion has not arisen within the heart, a
sādhaka is performing a semblance of devotion (bhakti-ābhāsa).
At this stage the attainment of śuddha-bhakti is very rare. But
when unalloyed devotion does appear in the heart – even in the
stage of sādhana – a little of the splendour of the limbs of bhajana
begins to blossom. At that time realisation of the jīva’s eternal
identity and realisation of the true intrinsic nature of the Lord
is kindled by the medium of that splendour. Subsequently, a
powerful agitation in the form of deep attachment for bhakti
develops within the heart of the devotee. Thus, the appearance of
this stage of bhajana causes the pure practice of bhakti to quickly
unfold into the stage of bhāva and to ultimately fully blossom
into prema. In the stage of bhāva, bhakti attracts Śrī Kṛṣṇa along
with His dearmost companions, but in the stage of prema,
bhakti makes the sādhaka an instrument of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and
thus induces him to relish the topmost rasa. This topic will be
 67

explained more clearly ahead. Viśva-vaiṣṇava dāsa summarizes

this topic in the following five verses:

kleśaghnī śubhadā bhaktir

yadā sā sādhanātmikā
hṛdaye baddha-jīvānāṁ
taṭastha-lakṣaṇānvitā (1)
kleśaghnī śubhadā mokṣa-
laghutākṛt sudurlabhā
sā bhaktir bhāva-rūpeṇa
yāvat tiṣṭhati cetasi (2)
prema-rūpā yadā bhaktis
tadā tat-tad-guṇānvitā
sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā
śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣaṇī ca sā (3)
muktānām eva sā śaśvat
svarūpānanda-rūpiṇī
sambandha-svarūpā nityaṁ
rājate jīva-kṛṣṇayoḥ (4)
bhaktyābhāsena yā labhyā
muktir māyā nikṛntanī
sā kathaṁ bhagavad-bhakteḥ
sāmyaṁ kāṅkṣati ceṭikā (5)

There are three stages of bhakti: sādhana, bhāva and prema.

Bhakti in the stage of sādhana has two aspects: kleśaghnatva,
meaning it removes all types of material distress, and śubhadatva,
68

meaning it offers the supreme auspiciousness. In the stage of

bhāva, four aspects of bhakti are visible: kleśaghnatva, śubhadatva,
mokṣa-laghutākāritva, meaning it reveals to the practitioner
the insignificance of liberation, and sudurlabhatva, meaning it
is extremely rare. In the stage of prema, over and above these
four attributes, two more aspects are visible: sāndrānanda-
viśeṣātmā, meaning it grants extremely intense transcendental
pleasure, and śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣaṇī, meaning it is the only means to
attract Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the conditioned stage of the living entity,
the three intrinsic attributes of bhakti, that is sāndrānanda-
svarūpatva, śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣatva and sudurlabhatva, remain mixed
with its three marginal characteristics, that is kleśaghnatva,
śubhadatva and mokṣa-laghutākāritva. In the liberated stage,
the bhakti of the living entity acts between the jīva and Kṛṣṇa
as eternal loving service in a particular relationship and as the
living entity’s intrinsic transcendental pleasure. The liberation
that dispels the covering of the illusory energy can be attained
simply by the performance of a semblance of devotion. Since
such liberation is just one of the ordinary maidservants among
the many maidservants of Bhakti-devī, how can she aspire to be
equated with Bhakti-devī?
 C ha p t e r
Fo u r
An Analysis of the
Qualification for Bhakti

karma-jñāna virāgādi-
ceṣṭāṁ hitvā samantataḥ
śraddhāvān bhajate yaṁ
śrī-caitanyam ahaṁ bhaje
I worship Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is always served by
faithful devotees who have completely given up the pursuits of
fruitive activity, impersonal knowledge and dry renunciation.

In the first chapter we discussed the intrinsic nature of unalloyed

devotion, in the second chapter we discussed the intrinsic nature
of bhakti-ābhāsa, or that which appears to be devotion but in fact is
not, and in the third chapter we discussed the natural attributes of
unalloyed devotion. In this chapter we will discuss the qualification
(adhikāra) for śuddha-bhakti. No one acquires anything without
70

possessing the eligibility for it. This eligibility or qualification is

the very foundation of success. When a devotee fully understands
this, he will no longer remain doubtful concerning his eventual
achievement of the ultimate goal. Many devotees think, “For a
long time now I have been fully surrendered to my guru, I have
accepted the dīkṣā-mantra from him, I am also engaged in hearing
and chanting, but still I am not experiencing the desired result –
what is the reason for this?” Gradually they become uninterested in
their bhajana and in the end they become totally faithless. Sound
knowledge of the proper qualification for bhakti can easily protect
one from such doubts.
It should be carefully noted that the performance of
devotional activities such as hearing and chanting and the
resultant appearance of symptoms like the shedding of tears and
trembling should not be accepted as true bhakti for anyone and
everyone. Hence, in order to take shelter of unalloyed devotion, it
is compulsory to analyse the proper qualification for it. The hari-
bhajana performed by those who are eligible to perform karma
and cultivate jñāna usually becomes a part of mere karma and
jñāna. Therefore such people don’t obtain the auspicious fruit
that is expected from the performance of bhajana. A devotee’s
hari-bhajana becomes pure only when he obtains the proper
qualification for unalloyed devotion, and when this happens, his
bhajana will very quickly bear fruit in the form of bhāva. For this
reason I have undertaken an analysis of this very important topic.
Scholars quote the following verse from Bhagavad-gītā (7.16):

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ

janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna
 71

ārto jijñāsur arthārthī

jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
[Śrī Kṛṣṇa said:] My dear Arjuna, as a result of their accumulation
of pious activities in innumerable lifetimes, four types of people
engage in bhajana unto Me: those who are distressed, those who
are inquisitive, those who desire wealth and those who possess
spiritual knowledge. These four kinds of virtuous persons are
qualified to perform bhajana unto Me.

Those who are very anxious to eradicate their distress are called
ārta. Those who are inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth
are called jijñāsu. Those who desire to attain material happiness
are called arthārthī, and those who are realising spiritual truth
at every moment are called jñānī. Though one may be ārta,
jijñāsu, arthārthī or jñānī, unless one has some accumulated pious
merit (sukṛti), he will not be inclined towards bhajana. Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī has defined sukṛti as “those activities in connection with
transcendental personalities that give rise to an intense desire to
perform bhakti.” There may be doubts concerning the existence
of sukṛti in the ārtas, jijñāsus and arthārthīs, but in relation to
the jñānīs there are no such doubts. It is a fact that those who
possess spiritual knowledge certainly engage in bhajana after their
abundant accumulation of sukṛti. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.20–1):

tatra gītādiṣūktānāṁ
caturṇām adhikāriṇām
madhye yasmin bhagavataḥ
kṛpā syāt tat-priyasya vā
72

sa kṣīṇa-tat-tad-bhāvaḥ syāc
chuddha-bhakty-adhikāravān
yathebhaḥ śaunakādiś ca
dhruvaḥ sa ca catuḥ-sanaḥ
When the four types of persons who are eligible to engage in
bhakti, as mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā and other scriptures,
receive the mercy of Bhagavān or His devotees, they become free
from their particular motivations that are, respectively, the desire
for relief from distress, the desire to have their inquisitiveness
satisfied, the desire to obtain wealth and the attachment to
impersonal knowledge. They then become rightful candidates
for unalloyed devotion. This is clearly visible from the examples
of Gajendra, the sages headed by Śaunaka, Dhruva Mahārāja and
the four Kumāras.

When Gajendra was seized by the crocodile and was unable to

free himself despite innumerable strenuous efforts, he fervently
prayed to Bhagavān. Then Bhagavān, the saviour of the distressed,
appeared and delivered Gajendra by killing the crocodile. By
the mercy of Bhagavān, Gajendra’s distress was removed and
he became qualified for unalloyed devotion. Śaunaka and the
other sages became very fearful upon the arrival of Kali-yuga.
Understanding the inability of fruitive activity to yield any
benefit, they approached the great devotee Sūta Gosvāmī and
enquired how the people of this age could attain the ultimate
benefit. In his reply, Sūta Gosvāmī instructed them on pure
devotion, and as a result of receiving his mercy in this way, they
attained śuddha-bhakti. Dhruva Mahārāja worshipped Bhagavān
 73

motivated by the desire to attain an opulent kingdom. But when

Bhagavān appeared before him, by Bhagavān’s mercy his desire
for a kingdom vanished and he became qualified for pure bhakti.
Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat are the four Kumāras.
Previously they were impersonalists, but later on, by the mercy
of Bhagavān and His devotees, they completely rejected the
conception of impersonalism and attained the qualification for
śuddha-bhakti.
The purport is that as long as all of them harboured desires
within their hearts either for relief from their distress, to satisfy
their inquisitiveness or to obtain wealth, or were attached to an
impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth, they were ineligible
for unalloyed devotion. Therefore, in relation to the qualification
for pure bhakti, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has written (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-
sindhu 1.2.14):

yaḥ kenāpy ati-bhāgyena

jāta-śraddho ’sya sevane
nātisakto na vairāgya-
bhāg asyām adhikāry asau
When one is not too attached to or detached from this material
world and by some good fortune develops faith in the service of
Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, he is considered to possess the eligibility for
unalloyed devotion.

The purport is that when worldly people realize the futility of

material existence after being afflicted by various types of distress
and by suffering in the absence of their desired objects, they begin
74

to lead their lives in a mood of detachment from the material

world. If by some good fortune at such a time they acquire the
association of Bhagavān’s devotees, they enquire from them and
come to understand that there is no higher destination than the
attainment of Bhagavān. Gradually they develop firm faith in this
and engage in bhajana. At that time it can be said that they have
developed faith in kṛṣṇa-bhakti. This very faith is the root cause
of the eligibility for pure devotion, as confirmed by Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī’s explanation (found in Bhakti-sandarbha, Anuccheda
172) of these verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.20.27–8:

jāta-śraddho mat-kathāsu
nirviṇṇaḥ sarva-karmasu
veda duḥkhātmakān kāmān
parityāge ’py anīśvaraḥ
tato bhajeta māṁ prītaḥ
śraddhālur dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
juṣamāṇaś ca tān kāmān
duḥkhodarkāṁś ca garhayan
[Śrī Kṛṣṇa said:] My devotees, who have developed faith in
hearing the narrations of My pastimes, remain detached from
fruitive activities and try to accept the objects of the senses
just enough to maintain their lives, knowing well that sense
enjoyment leads to a miserable result. Still enduring the reactions
to their previous activities and endeavouring to become free
from the cycle of the pleasant and unpleasant results that arise
from such activities, they sincerely regret those fruitive activities
and silently condemn them. They simply tolerate the reactions
 75

to those activities while simultaneously remaining engaged in

bhajana unto Me with firm faith and resolve.

While explaining the above verses, which describe how

a faithful devotee performs bhajana, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has
commented in Bhakti-sandarbha, “tad evam ananya-bhakty-
adhikāre hetuṁ śraddhā-mātram uktvā sa yathā bhajeta tathā
śikṣayati,” which means that faith is the sole cause of the
qualification to perform exclusive devotion. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī
also mentions, “śraddhā hi śāstrārtha-viśvāsaḥ. śāstraṁ ca tad
aśaraṇasya bhayaṁ tac charaṇāsyābhayaṁ vadati. ato jātāyāḥ
śraddhāyās tat śaraṇāpattir eva liṅgam iti,” which means that faith
in the words of the scriptures is called śraddhā. The scriptures
mention that those who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of
Bhagavān have nothing to fear, but those who have not done so
remain fearful. Thus, it can be understood from the symptoms of
śaraṇāpatti (surrender) whether or not faith has developed within
someone. What is śaraṇāpatti? Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī writes “jātāyāṁ
śraddhāyāṁ sadā tad anuvṛtti-ceṣtaiva syāt” and “karma-parityāgo
vidhīyate,” which mean that upon the appearance of faith, the
constant endeavour to serve Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇānuvṛtti-ceṣṭā) is always
visible in a person’s behaviour and the tendency to perform
fruitive activities is altogether removed. This is śaraṇāpatti.
In Bhagavad-gītā (18.66), after giving separate explanations of
karma, jñāna and bhakti, through a most confidential statement
Bhagavān has given instruction on full surrender:

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
76

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

We should understand the words sarva-dharma in this verse to

mean paths that are obstacles to complete surrender, such as the
pursuance of one’s occupational duties within the varṇāśrama
system and the worship of demigods. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is saying,
“Rejecting all of these, one should surrender unto Me, meaning
one should develop exclusive faith towards engaging in bhajana
unto Me. Don’t be fearful of the reactions that come to those
who commit the sin of rejecting their occupational duties. I
assure you that I will free you from the reactions to all such sins.”
The doubt may arise that the word faith actually refers here
to respect. The paths of karma, jñāna and so forth also require
faith. Thus faith is not only the cause of bhakti, but of karma
and jñāna also. The philosophical principle is that the word
śraddhā actually means feelings of faith in the injunctions of the
scriptures, and included within this feeling another sentiment
certainly exists, which is called ruci, taste. Despite possessing
faith, one may not desire to participate in a particular activity
unless he has developed taste for it. Faith in the paths of karma
and jñāna is always mixed with a particle of bhakti in the form of
ruci. Only through the influence of this fraction of bhakti are the
paths of karma and jñāna able to yield any result. Similarly, the
faith that develops for bhakti is endowed with ruci, and this faith is
none other than the seed of the creeper of devotion (bhakti-latā),
which is sown in the heart of the living entity. Faith in the paths
of karma and jñāna is mixed with taste for the activities of karma
 77

and jñāna respectively, but the nature of this faith is different.

Only faith that is endowed with taste for bhakti culminates in
the symptoms of bhakti. This is called śaraṇāpatti, full surrender.
Only when one’s taste for bhakti advances through the
progressive stages of sadhu-saṅga, performance of bhajana, absence
of anarthas and finally assumes the form of niṣṭhā does it become
pure ruci. Thus faith is a separate entity from bhakti. Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī writes in Bhakti-sandarbha, “tasmāc chraddhā na bhakty-
aṅgaṁkintu karmaṇy asamartha vidvat tāvad ananyatākhyāyāṁ
bhaktāvadhikāri-viśeṣaṇam eva.” Hence, faith is not a limb of
bhakti, but an attribute of the qualification for bhakti resulting
from one’s having become indifferent to the ritualistic fruitive
activities known as karma-kāṇḍa. It says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(11.20.9):

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta

na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā
śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
[Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:] One should continue performing his occupa­
tional duties as long as he has not become indifferent to them
and has not developed faith in hearing the narrations of My
pastimes.

The purport is that one is qualified to renounce his occupational

duties only when he develops faith in hearing the narrations of
Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. This is the conclusion of the scriptures. To
clarify a possible doubt here, we must note that if faith, which
78

is the very cause of the qualification for unalloyed devotion, is

itself not a limb of bhakti, then how can spiritual knowledge
and renunciation, which in some instances manifest before the
appearance of faith, be limbs of bhakti? Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.248):

jñāna-vairāgyayor bhakti-
praveśāyopayogitā
īṣat prathamam eveti
nāṅgatvam ucitaṁ tayoḥ
In some particular instances spiritual knowledge (jñāna) and
renunciation (vairāgya) may be useful while a devotee is in the
initial stages of entering into bhakti, but they can never be said
to be limbs of bhakti.

Hence, it is an established fact that only that faith which

is endowed with the symptoms of complete surrender is the
cause of the qualification for pure devotion. Sometimes people
are heard saying that faith in hearing the narrations of Kṛṣṇa’s
pastimes is developed by some through the strict performance
of their occupational duties, by some through the cultivation
of spiritual knowledge and by others through renunciation of
the objects of the senses. But such statements are erroneous.
It is possible that these processes may have been cultivated just
prior to the appearance of faith, but through a more detailed
analysis it becomes apparent that somehow or another there must
have been some association with devotees just between the two
instances; that is, between the cultivation of the above-mentioned
 79

processes and the appearance of faith. In this context the

following verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.51.53) is worthy of
consideration:

bhavāpavargo bhramato yadā bhavej

janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samāgamaḥ
sat-saṅgamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau
parāvareśe tvayi jāyate matiḥ

[Śrī Mucukunda said:] O my dear infallible Lord, becoming

opposed to You, the living entity sometimes attains worldly sense
pleasure by pursuing the path of karma and sometimes attains
liberation through the cultivation of jñāna. Thus he is entangled
in the repeated cycle of birth and death. If while wandering in this
way the living entity somehow becomes fortunate and receives
the association of Your devotees, with great determination he
fixes his intelligence at Your lotus feet, understanding You to be
the only shelter of saintly persons, the origin of all creation, both
material and spiritual, and the ultimate goal.

Thus fruitive activity, the cultivation of spiritual knowledge,

renunciation and so on can never be the cause of the appearance
of faith; only the association of devotees can cause the appearance
of śraddhā. In this regard Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has composed lines
such as yaḥ kenāpy ati-bhāgyena jāta-śraddho ’sya sevane [on p.
73]. Thus only persons endowed with śraddhā are the rightful
candidates for unalloyed devotion.
There is another consideration here. Sādhana-bhakti is of
two types, vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti and rāgānuga-sādhana-bhakti,
80

as confirmed in this verse from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.5):

vaidhī rāgānugā ceti sā dvidhā sādhanābhidhā. It is essential to
understand the difference between vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti and
rāgānuga-sādhana-bhakti because without this under­ standing
there may remain many suspicions that can harm the develop­
ment of one’s bhakti. Concerning vaidhī-bhakti, Śrīla Rūpa
Gosvāmī has written:

yatra rāgānavāptatvāt
pravṛttir upajāyate
śāśanenaiva śāstrasya
sā vaidhī bhaktir ucyate
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.6)

Bhakti is the living entity’s natural inclination and the

inseparable occupation of his intrinsic nature. In the conditioned
stage the jīva is opposed to Bhagavān and becomes attached to
the worldly enjoyment presented by the illusory energy. As the
living entity becomes immersed in worldly pleasure, his natural
inclination to render loving devotional service unto Kṛṣṇa
becomes dormant. The jīva is fully satisfied only when by some
good fortune his intrinsic rāga, or strong loving attachment for
Kṛṣṇa, reawakens, however it may happen. When prema appears,
rāga naturally appears alongside it. But the rāga, or attachment
for material sense objects, that is visible in the conditioned soul
is distorted rāga, not pure rāga. In that stage the inborn rāga of
the living entity remains covered or dormant. To awaken this
inherent rāga, the acceptance of spiritual instruction is essential.
The Vedas and their subordinate literatures are storehouses of such
 81

instructions. The bhakti that is performed within the framework

of the instructions of the scriptures is called vaidhī-bhakti.
Now I will give a brief review of rāgānuga-bhakti. Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī writes in Bhakti-sandarbha, “tatra viṣa-yiṇaḥ svābhāvikī
viṣaya-saṁsargecchātiśaya-mayaḥ premā rāgaḥ. yathā cakṣur ādīnāṁ
saundaryādau, tādṛśa evātra bhaktasya śrī-bhagavaty api rāga ity
ucyate.” The powerful loving affection that naturally develops
within a materialistic person by his affiliation with the objects
of sense pleasure is called rāga. Just as eyes become excited upon
seeing any beautiful form, the similar inclination of a devotee
towards Kṛṣṇa is also called rāga. The taste that develops from
following in the footsteps of a personality who possesses natural
affinity for such rāga is called rāgānuga-bhakti. Regarding the
qualification for rāgānuga-bhakti, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes:

rāgātmikaika-niṣṭhā ye
vraja-vāsi-janādayaḥ
teṣāṁ bhāvāptaye lubdho
bhaved atrādhikāravān
tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye
śrute dhīryad apekṣate
nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca
tal lobhotpatti-lakṣaṇam
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.291–2)

The Vrajavāsīs’ sentiments for Kṛṣṇa are the most exalted and
exceptional example of rāgātmikā-bhakti. Such sentiments
cannot be seen anywhere other than Vraja. The fortunate soul
who develops the greed to attain sentiments for Kṛṣṇa such as
82

those displayed by the Vrajavāsīs is the rightful candidate for

rāgānuga-bhakti. Despite having heard about the sweetness of
such sentiments, one cannot enter into them until he becomes
“greedy” for them. The sole cause of the qualification for the
practice of rāgānuga-bhakti is this spiritual greed, not the careful
study of scriptures or the skilful use of logic.

Thus we understand that just as faith is the only cause of

the qualification for vaidhī-bhakti, similarly, greed is the only
cause of the qualification for rāgānuga-bhakti. Here a doubt
may arise concerning whether the faith that has been previously
established as the cause for the eligibility for unalloyed devotion
is incomplete. If that faith is the cause of the eligibility only for
one type of bhakti, then why has it been said to be the cause of the
eligibility for all types of bhakti? To dispel such a doubt, it is again
stressed that faith is the only cause of the qualification for pure
devotion. In the absence of faith, no variety of śuddha-bhakti can
ever appear. The conclusion is that śāstra-viśvāsamayī-śraddhā, or
śraddhā derived from faith in the injunctions of the scriptures, is
the only cause of the qualification for vaidhī-bhakti, and bhāva-
mādhurya-lobhamayī-śraddhā, or faith derived from intense greed
to experience the sweet sentiments of the Vrajavāsīs, is the only
cause of the qualification for rāgānuga-bhakti.
Only faith – whether it be viśvāsamayī or lobhamayī – is the
cause of the eligibility for both types of pure bhakti.
There are three types of rightful candidates for vaidhī-bhakti:
uttama (topmost), madhyama (intermediate) and kaniṣṭha (novice),
as confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
(1.2.16), “uttamo madhyamaś ca syāt kaniṣṭhaś ceti sa tridhā.”
 83

The symptoms of an uttama-adhikārī in vaidhī-bhakti are:

śāstre yuktau ca nipuṇaḥ

sarvathā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
prauḍha-śraddho ’dhikārī yaḥ
sa bhaktāv uttamo mataḥ
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.17)

One who is conversant with the scriptures, expert in all types

of logic and possesses unwavering determination is an uttama-
adhikārī, one endowed with firm faith.

The symptoms of the madhyama-adhikārī in vaidhī-bhakti are:

yaḥ śāstrādiṣv anipuṇaḥ

śraddhāvān sa tu madhyamaḥ
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.19)

One who is not so expert in understanding the scriptures and yet

is faithful is a madhyama-adhikārī; in other words, although when
presented with difficult arguments he is unable to answer them,
within his mind he remains firmly faithful to his own principle.

The symptoms of the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī are:

yo bhavet komala-śraddhaḥ
sa kaniṣṭho nigadyate
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.19)

Novice devotees have very little expertise in understanding the

scriptures and their faith is very delicate and immature. Their
faith can be changed by others’ logic and arguments.
84

It is to be noted here that the śraddhā visible in these three

types of faithful persons is characterized by faith in the injunctions
of the scriptures and by being mixed with logical evidences that
are dependent on the scriptures. According to the degree of greed
possessed by the rightful candidates for rāgānuga-bhakti, they can
also be divided into the three categories of uttama, madhyama
and kaniṣṭha.
The conclusion is that every human being has the right to
perform bhakti. Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras and antyajas
(untouchables), gṛhasthas, brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs
– all of them can be qualified for bhakti if they have faith in the
injunctions of the scriptures and the instructions of sādhu and
guru. Either an educated person through the study of the scriptures
or an uneducated person through hearing the principles of the
scriptures in the association of devotees is said to have developed
faith when he realizes the supremacy of bhakti as described in
the scriptures. Alternatively, if one develops lobhamayī-śraddhā
by continually hearing the narrations of Bhagavān’s pastimes
in the association of devotees while desiring to follow in the
footsteps of the rāgātmikā devotees of Vraja, then it can be said
that he has acquired the qualification to perform śuddha-bhakti.
The qualification for pure devotion cannot be achieved by the
processes of impersonal knowledge, renunciation, philosophical
analysis, religious discussion, self-control or meditation. Despite
receiving initiation into a bona fide disciplic succession, one
cannot enter into the previously discussed uttama-bhakti until
he becomes an uttama-adhikārī. Until that time, one’s bhakti can
be said to be a semblance of devotion.
 85

There is great necessity to strive for the stage of uttama-

adhikārī. This is possible only when one engages in hearing
and chanting in the association of devotees. We should never
think that one becomes an uttama-adhikārī simply by diligently
practising hearing and chanting and then displaying the
symptoms of shedding tears, trembling and dancing, because
these symptoms can also manifest in bhakti-ābhāsa. Whatever
little softening of the heart and determination to realize one’s
inherent identity that are visible in the beginning stages of pure
bhakti are far superior to a display of symptoms such as falling
unconscious and so on that arise as a result of pursuing the path
of bhakti-ābhāsa. Therefore we should strive to attain unalloyed
devotion with the utmost care. We should make a special effort
to pursue the proper method to attain the qualification for
bhakti; otherwise there is no possibility of attaining the eternal
association of Bhagavān. Viśva-vaiṣṇava dāsa puts forward the
following verses:

śraddhā lobhātmakā yā sā
viśvāsa-rūpiṇī yadā
jāyate ’tra tadā bhaktau
nṛ-mātrasyādhikāritā (1)
nā sāṅkhyaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ
na dharmo na bahujñatā
kevalaṁ sādhu-saṅgo ’yaṁ
hetuḥ śraddhodaye dhruvam (2)
śravaṇādi-vidhānena
sādhu-saṅga-balena ca
86

anarthāpagame śīghraṁ
śraddhā niṣṭhātmikā bhavet (3)
niṣṭhāpi rucitāṁ prāptā
śuddha-bhakty-adhikāritām
dadāti sādhake nityam
eṣā prathā sanātano (4)
asat-saṅgo ’thavā bhaktāv
aparādhe kṛte sati
śraddhāpi vilayaṁ yāti kathaṁ
syāc chuddha-bhaktatā (5)
ataḥ śraddhāvatā kāryaṁ
sāvadhānaṁ phalāptaye
anyathā na bhaved bhaktiḥ
śraddhā prema-phalātmikā (6)

When śraddhā that is based either on faith in the injunctions of

the scriptures or on greed to follow in the footsteps of a rāgātmikā-
bhakta appears in the heart, a person attains the qualification for pure
devotion. The appearance of faith is not caused by renunciation,
pursuing the process of enumeration, strictly adhering to the
occupational duties corresponding to one’s caste and stage of life,
or becoming a scholar. The sole cause of the appearance of faith
is the association of a sādhu who has deep love for the narrations
of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. When faith appears, one become a kaniṣṭha-
adhikārī. When one executes the limbs of sādhana-bhakti such as
hearing, and when by the influence of sādhu-saṅga one becomes
free from anarthas and his faith becomes dense and transforms into
 87

niṣṭhā, one develops the intermediate qualification (madhyama-

adhikāra) for unalloyed devotion. By the further pursuance of the
activities of sādhana-bhakti such as hearing and by the influence
of associating with devotees who are more advanced than oneself,
one’s niṣṭhā intensifies and assumes the form of ruci. The sādhaka
within whom such ruci has developed is called an uttama-adhikārī.
Only such an uttama-adhikārī attains unalloyed devotion. This
is the eternal process for the attainment of śuddha-bhakti. But if
during the execution of this gradual process of sādhana one keeps
the bad association of those who are attached to sense pleasure or
those attached to an impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth,
or if one disrespects a pure devotee or commits any other offence
to him, faith at the novice level as well as that at the intermediate
level will dry up from its very root and the sādhaka will be unable
to achieve pure bhakti. In such a condition the sādhaka is either
entangled in chāyā-bhakti-ābhāsa or, in the case of committing
numerous offences, even glides down into pratibimba-bhakti-
ābhāsa. Therefore, until one attains the stage of uttama-adhikāra,
the faithful and sincere sādhaka should remain extremely careful.
Otherwise it will be very difficult to achieve pure devotion, which
ultimately bears the fruit of divine love.

Śrī-kṛṣṇārpaṇam astu – may this treatise

be an offering unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
 Verse Index
A
anāsaktasya viṣayān.......................................................................... 16
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ......................................................................... 3
anya sampradāye giyā jakhana sāmbhāya........................................... 47
aprārabdha-phalaṁ pāpaṁ.............................................................. 53
asat-saṅgo ’thavā bhaktāv................................................................. 86
aśramābhīṣṭa-nirvāhī........................................................................ 33
ataḥ śraddhāvatā kāryaṁ................................................................. 86
atra tyājyatayaivoktā........................................................................ 19

B
bhaj ity eṣa vai dhātuḥ........................................................................ 6
bhakti-sthāne uhāra haila aparādha.................................................. 47
bhaktyābhāsena yā labhyā................................................................. 67
bhavāpavargo bhramato yadā bhavej.................................................. 79
bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād....................................................... 29
bhukti-mukti-spṛhā yāvat................................................................. 15
bhūyo ’pi yāce deveśa......................................................................... 60
brahmānando bhaved eṣa.................................................................. 64

C
catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ................................................................ 70

89
90

D
daivāt sad-bhakta-saṅgena................................................................ 34
dīkṣā-mātreṇa kṛṣṇasya.................................................................... 44

H
hari-bhakti-mahādevyāḥ................................................................... 61
hari-priya-janasyaiva....................................................................... 41
hari-priya-kriyā-kāla....................................................................... 41

J
janmāntara-sahasreṣu....................................................................... 44
jāta-śraddho mat-kathāsu................................................................. 74
jñānataḥ sulabhā muktir................................................................... 62
jñāna-vairāgyayor bhakti.................................................................. 78

K
karma-jñāna virāgādi...................................................................... 69
keṣāñcid dhṛdi bhāvendoḥ................................................................. 34
kintu bāla-camatkāra...................................................................... 33
kintu bhāgyaṁ vinā nāsau................................................................ 41
kintu premaika-mādhurya................................................................ 19
kleśaghnī śubhadā bhaktir................................................................. 67
kleśaghnī śubhadā mokṣa................................................................... 67
kṛtānuyātrā vidyābhir...................................................................... 55
kṛtvā hariṁ prema-bhājaṁ............................................................... 66
kṣaṇe dante tṛṇa laya, kṣaṇe jāṭhī māre............................................. 47
kṣudra kautūhalamayī...................................................................... 41
 91

M
manāg eva prarūḍhāyāṁ.................................................................. 61
muktānām eva sā śaśvat................................................................... 67

N
nā sāṅkhyaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ.......................................................... 85
niṣṭhāpi rucitāṁ prāptā.................................................................... 86

P
prabhu bole – o beṭā jakhana yathā jāya............................................. 47
praṇamya gauracandrasya.................................................................. 1
prāpañcikatayā buddhyā................................................................... 16
prathamataḥ śrotṛṇām hi.................................................................... 9
pratibimbas tathā chāyā.................................................................... 46
prema-rūpā yadā bhaktis.................................................................. 67
pūrṇa-cid-ātmake kṛṣṇe................................................................... 25

R
rāgātmikaika-niṣṭhā ye..................................................................... 81
rājan patir gurur alaṁ bhavatāṁ yadūnāṁ....................................... 63
rucim udvahatas tatra...................................................................... 16

S
sā bhukti-mukti-kāmatvāc................................................................ 40
sādhanaughair anāsaṅgair................................................................ 62
sa kṣīṇa-tat-tad-bhāvaḥ syāc............................................................. 71
sālokya-sārṣṭi-sāmīpya...................................................................... 18
92

sarva-dharmān parityajya................................................................ 75
śāstre yuktau ca nipuṇaḥ................................................................... 83
siddhāntatas tv abhede ’pi................................................................. 14
siddhayaḥ paramāścaryā................................................................... 60
śraddhā lobhātmakā yā sā................................................................. 85
śravaṇādi-vidhānena........................................................................ 86
śubhāni prīṇanaṁ sarva................................................................... 58
śuddha-bhakti-svabhāvasya................................................................. 1
sukhaiśvaryottarā seyaṁ.................................................................... 19

T
tais tāny aghāni pūyante................................................................... 54
tasminn evāparādhena...................................................................... 41
tato bhajeta māṁ prītaḥ................................................................... 74
tatra gītādiṣūktānāṁ........................................................................ 71
tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye............................................................... 81
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta...................................................................... 77
tvat-sākṣāt-karaṇāhlāda................................................................... 65

V
vārāṇasī-nivāsī kaścid ayaṁ.............................................................. 34
vāśiṣṭha paḍaye jabe advaitera saṅge................................................... 47
vāsudeve bhagavati........................................................................... 24
vimuktākhila tarṣair yā.................................................................... 40
viśva-vaiṣṇava dāsasya........................................................................ 1
 93

Y
yad bhaktyābhāsa-leśo ’pi.................................................................. 27
yaḥ kenāpy ati-bhāgyena................................................................... 73
yaḥ śāstrādiṣv anipuṇaḥ.................................................................... 83
yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād.................................................. 53
yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā.................................................. 59
yat-pāda-paṅkaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā........................................... 55
yatra rāgānavāptatvāt...................................................................... 80
yā yā śrutir jalpati nirviśeṣaṁ............................................................. 8
yenārcito haris tena.......................................................................... 58
ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas................................................ 56
yo bhavet komala-śraddhaḥ............................................................... 83
yugapad rājate yasmin........................................................................ 1
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Pinnacle of Devotion The Hidden Path of Devotion
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