Qualification for Rāgānugā Bhakti

DOES ONE NEED TO BE A ‘PURE DEVOTEE”

TO START RĀGĀNUGA PRACTISE?

rāgānugā bhakti means allegiance to the eternally perfect rāgātmikā-

devotees of Vraja. Such is the teaching of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhakti
Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.271):

virājantīm abhivyaktaṁ vrajavāsī janādiṣu

rāgātmikām anusṛtā yā sā rāgānugocyate

Before we speak of rāgātmikā bhakti and rāgānugā bhakti we must first

know what is rāga. Rāga is that deep natural loving thirst which causes us to
become completely absorbed in our beloved deity:

iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ paramāviṣṭatā bhavet

tanmayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ sātra rāgātmikoditā

(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.272)

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has defined rāga and rāgānuga as follows:

tatra viṣayinaḥ svābhāviko viṣaya saṁsargecchātiśayamayaḥ premā rāga
yathā cakṣurādīnāṁ saundaryādau tādṛśa evātra bhaktasya śrī bhagavatyapi rāga
ityucyate.............yasya pūrvokte rāga-viśeṣe rucir eva jātāsti na tu rāga-viśeṣa eva
svayaṁ tasya tādṛśa rāga-sudhākara karābhāsa samullasita hṛdaya sphaṭika-maṇeḥ
śāstrādi śrutāsu tādṛśyā rāgātmikāyā bhakteḥ paripāṭīṣvapi rucir jāyate. tatas
tadīyaṁ rāgaṁ rucyānugacchantī sā rāgānugā tasyaiva pravartate
(Bhakti Sandarbha 310).
"Rāga means the strong and natural desire of a sense-enjoyer for his
beloved sense-objects. The senses, like the eyes, are naturally attracted to their

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objects, such as beautiful forms, and they need no encouragement in this. In the
same way, when a devotee's heart is naturally attracted to the Lord and he has a
deep thirst for the Lord then this is called rāga. When a mere ray of the nectar-
moon of such rāga falls on the crystal-like hearts of those devotees who only
have some taste for a particular rāga but do not possess that rāga itself yet, then
the heart rejoices and as a result of hearing from the scriptures and saints taste
will awaken within the heart of such a devotee for the devotional expertise of a
rāgātmika bhakta. This means that ruci (taste) will awaken within the heart when
we hear about the loving devotional expertise of a rāgātmika vraja-bhakta from
the scriptures or from the mouth of a saint whose heart is pure, that is, free from
lust, anger and envy. The devotion which follows the rāga of a rāgātmikā Vraja-
devotee along with ruci is called rāgānugā bhakti".
Both the vidhi-devotee and the rāga-devotee may therefore begin,
simultaneously, with the path of devotion, from the stage of anartha nivṛtti,
cessation of unwanted habits, progressing through the stages that have been
described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.4.15-16 (ādau
śraddhā tathā sādhu saṅgo 'tha bhajana kriyā). The difference between them lies
not in personal purity, but in their mood. In other words, rāgānugā bhakti runs
parallel with vaidhi bhakti, and not only sequentially. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes
in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.291):

rāgātmikaika niṣṭhā ye vrajavāsī janādayaḥ

teṣāṁ bhāvāptaye lubdho bhaved atrādhikāravān

"Those who are anxious ('greedy') to attain the mood of the eternal,
exclusively fixed-up Rāgātmika Vrajavāsīs, are eligible to enter into Rāgānugā
Bhakti." The rāga-devotee is under the divine illusion that Kṛṣṇa is equal or
inferior to him, following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of Vraja
(vrajalokānusārataḥ, Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu), whose attitude of intimate,
spontaneous love, free from awe and reverence, is described in the Tenth Canto
of Śrīmad Bhāgavata.

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 Qualification for rägänugä bhakti

rāgānugā bhakti is not only for perfected souls beyond the stage of anartha
nivṛtti

It is not a fact that rāgānugā bhakti comes after the stage of sādhanā bhakti
(devotion in practise). First of all, what is sādhana bhakti? Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
says in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.2:

kṛti-sādhya bhavet sādhya bhāvā sā sādhanābdhidhā

“That goal of bhāva bhakti is to be attained through practise with the

senses (kṛti). This is called sādhanā“. Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.5 then
declares:
vaidhi rāgānuga ceti sa dvidha sādhanābhidhā

“There are two kinds of sādhana — vaidhi and rāgānugā”.

Nowhere it is said that rāgānugā bhakti is a post graduate state of vaidhi

bhakti. Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 22,108 confirms this—

ei sādhana bhakti dui to prakāra; eka vaidhi bhakti—rāgānugā bhakti āra

"There are two kinds of devotion in practise. One is called vaidhi bhakti
and the other rāgānugā bhakti. "
Different ācāryas that follow Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī claim that
rāgānugā bhakti commences at the stage of niṣṭha, ruci or even bhāva, but there is
not a word of evidence for that in the authorised scriptures on the topic, like
Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu or its commentaries, Bhakti Sandarbha, Mādhurya
Kādambinī or Rāga Vartma Candrikā.
Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Ādi 4, 231-232, 235-237) declares:

e sob siddhānta gūḍh – kohite nā juwāy; nā kohile keho anta nāhi pāy
ataeva kohi kichu koriyā nigūḍh; bujhibe rasik bhakta nā bujhibe mūḍh

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…………
abhakta uṣṭrera ithe nā hoy pravesh; tabe cite hoy mora ānanda viśesh
ye lāgi kohite bhoy, se yadi nā jāne; ihā boi kibā such āche tribhuvane
ataeva bhaktagane kore namaskāra; nihśanke kohiye tār hauk camatkāra

“All these topics are confidential and shouldn’t be discussed, but if they
were not discussed then no one would be able to find out about them. Hence I
will disclose some confidential matters now, which will be understood by rasika
devotees, but not by the fools…..If the camel-like non-devotees cannot grasp
such topics then I will be in ecstasy. What greater joy could there be in the three
worlds if they, for whom I fear to speak out, will not know of this? Therefore I
offer my respects to the devotees and speak out fearlessly. Let the devotees be
astonished about what I am about to disclose!”
Śrīmad Bhāgavata (10.33.36) declares:

anugrahāya bhūtānāṁ mānuṣāṁ deham āsthitaḥ;

bhajate tādṛśiḥ krīḍā yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed the Rāsa-līlā out of compassion for all conditioned
souls and anyone who hears of this becomes His devotee.”
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī comments in his Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī-comment on this
verse:
ataeva tādṛśa bhakta prasaṅgena tādṛśīḥ sarva cittākarṣiīḥ krīḍā bhajate, yāḥ
sādhāranair api śrutvā bhaktebhyo 'nyo 'pi janas tatparo bhavet. kim uta rāsa līlā
rūpam imāṁ śrutvetyarthaḥ vakṣyate ca—vikrīḍitaṁ vrajavadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
(S.B. 10.33.39) ityādi. yad vā mānuṣaṁ deham āśritaḥ sarvo 'pi jīvas tatparo bhavet
martyaloke śrī bhagavad avatārāt tathā bhajane mukhyatvācca manuṣyānām eva
sukhena tac chravaṇādi siddheḥ.

"Kṛṣṇa performs this all-attractive pastime for His devotees, but even
ordinary people are attracted to this game by hearing about it. Even they thus
become exclusively devoted to the Lord. This will be further explained in verse
10.33.39. The words mānuṣaṁ deham āśritaḥ also indicate that the jīvas that

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attained a human form are able to hear of this pastime and thus become
devotees. The Lord descends on the human planets and it is here that the
worship of the Lord assumes its most important form. Hence human beings can
blissfully attain perfection by hearing of this pastime. "
Śrīmad Bhāgavata 10.33.39 declares that the senses do not become
sexually agitated by hearing or reading of the Rāsa-līlā, but rather that they
become freed from lust.

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idam ca viṣṇoḥ

śraddhānvitaṁ nu 'śṛṇuyed atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ paraṁ bhagavatiṁ pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd rogam āśv apahinoty acirena dhīraṁ

"Anyone who faithfully hears and describes the pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu
(Kṛṣṇa) with the ladies of Vraja (the gopīs) will attain supreme devotion to God
and will soon become free from the heart's disease of lust. "

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī comments as follows on this verse:

śraddhayā viśvāsenānvita iti. tad viparītāvajña rūpāparādha......bhaktiṁ
prema lakṣaṇāṁ parāṁ śrī gopikā premānusāritvāt sarvottama jātīyām. pratikṣaaṁ
nūtanatvena labdhā hṛd roga rūpaṁ kāmam iti bhagavad viṣayaḥ kāma viśeṣo
vyavacchinnaḥ tasya parama prema rūpatvena tad vaiparītyāt......anyatra śruyate (śrī
gītā 18.54) brahma bhūta prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad bhaktiṁ labhate paraṁ. ityatra tu hṛd rogāpahānāt pūrvam eva parama bhakti
prāptiḥ tasmāt parama balavad evedaṁ sādhanam iti bhāvaḥ
"śraddhānvitā means hearing with faith. This word is used to avoid the
offence of disbelieving or disregarding the scriptures — that is contrary to the
principles of hearing and chanting......The highest devotion is that of the gopīs
and hearing and chanting of their devotion is so powerful that this supreme
devotion appears in the heart even before the heart's disease of lust is chased out
of it......This despite verse 18.54 of the Gītā, that shows an opposite sequence.
This shows that hearing and chanting of the Rāsa-līlā is the most powerful
sādhana in existence. "

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Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī, in his commentary on the same verse,

condemns those who do not believe this statement of the Bhāgavata, that prema
comes before the cessation of lust, as nāstikas, or atheists, and mūrkhas, or
fools— dhīraḥ paṇḍita iti hṛd roge satyapi kathaṁ premā bhaved ityanāstikya
lakṣaṇena mūrkhatvena rahita...The word yaḥ is very significant. It means anyone
who hears and describes this with faith. First the lamp (of pure love) is kindled,
and then the darkness (of lust and ignorance) is destroyed. rāgānugā bhakti,
devotion following one 's sacred passion, is therefore not necessarily only meant
for the most advanced, purified souls. The distinction between practitioners of
vidhi bhakti (compulsory devotion) and rāga bhakti (passionate devotion) is made
because of their mood and attitude, not because of their possible different levels
of purity. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu pointed out to Vyenkata Bhaṭṭa (in Caitanya
Caritāmṛta Madhya 9) that the goddess of fortune performed many purifying
austerities to attain the position of the gopīs, but that she could still not attain it
because she lacked their sweet intimate attitude towards Him.

ei lāgi sukha bhoga chāḍi ciro-kāla;

vrata niyam kori tapa korilo apāra

"Just to associate with Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī gave up all sense enjoyment for long
and performed severe austerities, following many regulative principles"
(Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya 9, 113)
rāsa na pāilo lakṣmī, śāstre iha śuni —
"Lakṣmī did not attain the Rāsa dance, I have heard from the revealed
scriptures". (Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya 9, 120)

vrajendra nandana boli ' tāre jāne vrajajana;

aiśvarya jñāne nāhi kon sambandha manana
vraja-lokera bhāve yei koroye bhajan;
sei jana pāya vraje vrajendra nandana

"The people of Vraja know Him as the son of Vrajendra, and they
consider that there can be no relationship with Him in awe and reverence. Those

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who worship Kṛṣṇa in the mood of the people of Vraja, will attain that
Vrajendra-nandana in Vraja." (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 9,130-131)
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda writes in chapter 1 of Mādhurya
Kādambini:
bhaktes tu 'vikrīḍitaṁ vrajavadhūbhiḥ ' ityādau— bhaktiṁ parāṁ
bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ hṛd rogam āśvapahinotyacirena dhīraḥ (bhāg.
10.33.39) ityatra 'ktvā ' pratyayena hṛd rogavatyevādhikāriṇi paramāyā api tasyāḥ
prathamam eva praveśas tatas tayaiva parama svatantrayā kāmādīnām apagamaś ca.
teṣāṁ kadācit sattve 'pi 'api cet sudurācāro bhajate mam ' iti 'bādhyamāno 'pi mad
bhakta ' ityādibhiś ca tadvatāṁ na kvāpi śāstreṣu nindā leśo 'pi.
“Although lust is also considered a fault on the path of bhakti, one can
still enter the devotional path, despite being still afflicted by lust and other
material desires. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (10.33.39) says:
“A person who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s pastimes of Rāsa-
līlā with the gopīs of Vraja attains supreme devotion of the Lord. He quickly
becomes steady and conquers over the senses, giving up lust, the disease of the
heart.”
In this text “after attaining supreme devotion” is an unfinished act,
showing that bhakti can be attained even though one has lusty desires. This
shows the most independent nature and power of bhakti to destroy lusty desires.
Sometimes lusty desires exist even while practicing devotion. From verses like,
“If the most sinful person worships Me exclusively...” (Gītā 9.30) and “Though
my devotee is afflicted by lusty desires...” (Ś.B. 11.14.18) it is clear that though
lusty desires may exist in a devotee, still he is not condemned even slightly.”

There is no guarantee that someone who practises vaidhi bhakti is

automatically promoted to rāgānugā bhakti, rather Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says in
Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.309):

kṛṣṇa tad bhakta kārunya mātra lābhaika hetukā

"Only by the grace of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees this path of rāgānugā bhakti
is attained."

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Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says in Padyāvalī:

kṛṣṇa bhakti rasa bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate
tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalaṁ janma koṭi sukṛtair na labhyate

"No ten million lifetimes of following regulative principles will give you
taste for Kṛṣṇa-bhakti. The only price is greed! Purchase it as soon as it is
available anywhere! "
It is on sale where the rasika bhaktas speak about Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In
connection with the above śloka, to use the saying "Fools rush in where Angels
fear to tread" is an offence to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī's followers, calling them fools.
This 'fools rush in' is a mundane saying which applies to mundane impulsive
people and their actions. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda teaches in Rāga
Vartma Candrikā (1.5): nāpi lobhanīya vastu prāptau svasya yogyāyogyatva vicāraḥ
ko 'py udbhavati: "No candidate ever considers whether he is qualified for this
path of rāgānugā bhakti or not ". 1

1 HAVING SAID ALL THIS, My Guru Sādhu Bābā, Kṛṣṇadās Madrasi Bābā,
Rohiṇīndranāth Mitra and Madanmohan Dās Bābājī, all great souls, told me,
independently from each other, it is better not to read rasa śāstra when one is too lusty.
I understood that is because when one is an emotionally and physically active lover one
will identify with the līlā of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and that is an offence called ahaṅgropāsana,
meditating on oneself as the deity. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says in Bhakti Sandarbha (276)
that smaraṇa (even just of the holy name, let alone Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s intimate līlā) requires
a pure heart – nāma smaraṇam tu śuddhāntaḥ-karaṇatām apekṣate. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī has
also written (Bhakti Sandarbha 275): atha śaraṇāpattyādibhiḥ śuddhāntaḥ karaṇaś
cet....nāma saṅkīrtanāparityāgena smaranaṁ kuryat "When the mind is purified by the
process of surrender, one should practise the devotional item of recollection without
giving up nāma sankīrtana." kintu rahasya-līlā tu pauruṣa-vikāravad indriyaiḥ……nopāsyā
“But the intimate pastimes should not be meditated upon by (those whose) senses are
affected by masculine transformations.” (Bhakti Sandarbha 338) When one is less
heated one can read these books, and the topic will work as a medicine, as has been
promised by the Bhāgavata in the final verse of the Rāsa līlā-narration (10.33.39). There
are subtle desires, called vāsanā, cherished by people who actually control their outer

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So who IS then unqualified to hear it?

This is also explained by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī in his commentary on Bhakti

Rasāmṛta Sindhuḥ (3.5.2), which deals with madhura rasa: (nivṛttānupayogitvād
durūhatvād ayaṁ rasaḥ) - nivṛtteṣu prākṛta śṛṅgāra rasa sāmya dṛṣṭyā śrī
bhāgavatād apyasmād virakteṣvanupayogitvād ayogyatvāt “Because of lack of
qualification of those who are without taste for this rasa related to the Lord,
caused by their equating it with material love.”
In other words, mistaking this rasa to be an ordinary mundane affair
disqualifies one from entering into rāgānugā bhajana.
One cannot learn vidhi bhakti from the Guru and then just learn rāgānugā
bhakti from books, because your Guru did not teach you rāgānugā bhakti. Śrīla
Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī says:

asambhāṣya tad bhāva gambhīra cittān kuto śyāma sindho rasasyāvagāhaḥ -

"How can one enter into the Śyāma-ocean without having conversed with
a devotee whose heart is steeped in love for Rādhā?" Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī
writes in his Rāga Vartma Candrikā (1.6) –

sa ca bhagavat kṛpā hetuko 'nurāgī bhakta kṛpā hetukaśceti dvividhaḥ. tatra

bhakta kṛpā hetuko dvividhaḥ prāktana ādhunikaśca. prāktanaḥ paurvabhavika
tādṛśa bhakta kṛpotthaḥ ādhunikaḥ etajjanmāvadhi tādṛśa bhakta kṛpotthaḥ. ādye

senses. That can be there, OK, and one can still read rasa śāstra, but to be grossly active
in sex and read rasa śāstra, is not something approved by the mahātmās I knew. Śrīla
Jīva Gosvāmī said in Gopāla Campū (pūrva 23.1): tad etad govinda vraja vijana
kāntānuvacanaṁ dadhadbhir yogyasya śravasi paramāpyaṁ na sadasi 'This confidential
Rāsa-līlā topic is to be heard by qualified people who carry Govinda in their hearts, not
in a public assembly."

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sati lobhānantaraṁ tādṛśa guru caraṇāśrayaṇ¬am. dvitīye guru

caraṇāśrayānantaraṁ lobha pravṛttir bhavati.
"There are two causes for the appearance of sacred greed: The mercy of
God or the mercy of an anurāgī devotee. There are again two kinds of mercy
bestowed by a devotee: prāktana and ādhunika. prāktana means mercy bestowed
by a rāgānugā bhakta in a previous life, and ādhunika is mercy bestowed in the
present birth. The prāktana-devotee takes shelter of the lotus feet of a rāgānugā
guru after the sacred greed has arisen in him, the ādhunika will get that sacred
greed after surrendering to the feet of such a Guru. "

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī gives the following definition of pure devotion in

Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.1.17)

kleśaghni śubhadā mokṣa laghutākṛt sudurllabhā

sāndrānanda viśeṣātmā śrī kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī ca sā

“1. It destroys all grief and suffering, meaning sins, including the cause of sin, 2.
It bestows auspiciousness, 3. It lightens the importance of liberation, 4. It is rare
5. It is deeply blissful and 6. It attracts Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
In his commentary, Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī spells out: tatra sādhana
bhaktiḥ kleśaghīti śubhadā rūpā ca – “The symptoms of sādhana bhakti are the first
two items – destroying grief, or sin, and bestowing auspiciousness.”

The same Viśvanātha Cakravartī writes in his Mādhurya Kādambini (2.2):

….sva-sparśeṇa sparśamaṇir iva karaṇa vṛttīr api prākṛtatva-lohatāṁ śanais-
tyājayitvā cinmayatva śuddha jāmbunadatāṁ prāpayantyāḥ kandalībhāvānte
samudgacchantyāḥ sādhanābhikhye dve patrike vivriyete. tayoḥ prathamā kleśaghnī
dvitīyā śubdhadeti. dvayor api tayor antas tu lobha pravartakatva lakṣaṇa-
caikkanyena yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca ityādi śuddha sambandha snigdhatayā
ca prāptotkarṣe deśe rāga nāmno rājña evādhikāraḥ. bahis tu tasmād bhārata
sarvātmā ityādi śāstra pravartakatva lakṣaṇa-pāruṣyābhāsena priyādi śuddha
sambandhābhāvāt svata evāti snigdhatānudayena pūrvataḥ kiñcid apakṛṣṭe deśe

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vaidha nāmno’ parasya rājñaḥ. kleśaghnatva-śubhadatvābhyāntu prāyaśuyorṇa ko’pi

viśeṣaḥ.
“Like a touchstone, this creeper of bhakti eventually transforms the iron-
like material nature of the senses into the most pure transcendental gold.
Gradually the sādhana-bhakti-creeper sprouts and unfolds two leaves. The first is
called kleśaghni, destroyer of material sufferings, and the second is called
śubhadā, giver of all auspiciousness. The inner surface of the two leaves is the
domain of the king called rāga (divine passionate devotion), and is very smooth,
the sign of its being born out of spontaneous greed. It is superior due to its
appearance from the pure affectionate relation with the Lord as described in the
Bhāgavata (3.25.38), “I am their dear one, very life, son,...”. The outer surface of
the leaves is ruled by another king known as vaidha (regulative devotion) and
slightly rough in nature, the sign of its being born from the injunctions of the
scriptures. It is somewhat inferior and slightly rough due to the lack of pure
affectionate relation with the Lord. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (2.1.5) says, “Therefore,
persons desiring fearlessness should worship the Lord, the Supersoul.” However,
both rāga and vaidhī, almost equally manifest the symptoms of kleśaghni and
śubhadā. “
Here it is again proven that rāgānugā bhakti is, like vaidhi bhakti, a
sādhana that starts from the beginning of bhakti-practise. rāga is the inner leaf
and vaidhi the outer.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s commentary on Bhakti Rasamṛta

Sindhu 1.2.292:
tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrī-bhāgavatādi-prasiddhāvatāra-līlā-varṇanamaya-
śāstra-sāmānye śrute śravaṇa-dvārā yat kiñcid anubhūte sati yacchāstraṁ vidhi-
vākyaṁ nāpekṣate | yuktiṁ ca na kintu pravartata evety arthaḥ | tad eva lobhotpatter
lakṣaṇam anumāpakaṁ tādṛśa-hetu-jñānād eva lobhotpattir anumīyate ity arthaḥ |
na tv atra lakṣaṇaṁ lobhotpatteḥ svarūpam iti vyāhyātuṁ śakyaṁ śāstra-
yuktāpekṣābhāvasya svarūpatvābhāvāt

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s ṭīkā of Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.292 -

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tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrī-bhāgavatādiṣu siddha-nirdeśa-śāstreṣu śrute

śravaṇa-dvārā yat kiñcid anubhūte sati yacchāstraṁ vidhi-vākyaṁ nāpekṣate |
yuktiṁ ca kintu pravartata evety arthaḥ | tad eva lobhotpatter lakṣaṇam iti

The meaning of both the above texts is identical - "When one has got even
a slight (yat kincit) feeling for the sweet moods of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees
through hearing their descriptions in texts describing the ultimate spiritual goal,
such as the Bhāgavata, (the rāgānugā sādhaka) no longer waits for the
injunctions of scripture or for logical reasons to do so, but simply takes up (the
rāgānugā devotional path). This is the characteristic of lobha. "

The words yat kincit prove that initial lobha is not an all-consuming fire.
*
In his book “Śrī Guru Paramparā - Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur,
Heir to the Esoteric Life of Kedaranatha Bhaktivinoda”, Tripurāri Swāmi says –

"…in Bhakti-sāra-pradarśinī (his commentary on Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu,

ed.), Viśvanātha tells us that in order to practice rāgānugā bhakti one must have
attained the stage of niṣṭhā."

Response:
rāgātmikaika niṣthā ye vrajavāsī janādayaḥ
teṣāṁ bhāvāptaye lubdho bhaved atrādhikāravān (B.R.S. 1.2.291)

Is the verse referred to here. The words eka niṣṭha (exclusively fixed, loyal) have
been mistranslated to refer to the adhikaravān, the jīva-candidate, and have
confused it for the high stage of bhakti called niṣṭhā, but it refers instead to the
nitya siddha role-models, the Vrajavāsīs, and means 'exclusive fixation ' and not
the stage of niṣṭhā that sādhakas must go through. This is what Viśvanātha
Cakravartīpāda writes in his Bhakti Sāra Pradarśini-commentary on this
verse –
rāgātmika bhaktau eka niṣṭhāṁ yeṣāṁ teṣāṁ vrajavāsinam śrī kṛṣṇe yo bhāvās
tat sājātiya bhāvāptaye lubdha ityarthaḥ.

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The word-for-word translation of this commentary runs as follows:

rāgātmikā bhaktau = in rāgātmikā bhakti (of the nitya siddha vrajavāsīs, described
in verse 270) eka niṣṭhāṁ = exclusively fixed. yeṣāṁ = of them, teṣāṁ = of
exactly these same ones. vrajavāsināṁ= of the Vrajavāsīs. śrī kṛṣṇe = towards
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. yaḥ = whatever. bhāvaḥ = feelings. tat = that. sājātiya = like-
minded. bhāva = feeling. āptaye = for the sake of attaining. lubdha = greedy. iti
= thus. arthaḥ = the meaning.

Translation: “It is means those who are greedy after attaining the like-
minded feelings of the exclusively fixed rāgātmikā Vrajavāsīs for Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

Here is that definition of the rāgātmikā bhakti of the nitya siddha

Vrajavāsīs –
virājantīm abhivyaktaṁ vrajavāsi-janādiṣu
rāgātmikām anusṛtā yā sā rāgānugocyate

(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.270)

“The devotion which is clearly present in the associates of the Lord in

Vraja is called devotion filled with loving attachment (rāgātmika-bhakti), and
devotion following in the wake of this rāgātmikā-bhakti is called rāgānugā-
bhakti.”
As one desires to approach the Lord, so the Lord will approach the
aspirant – ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmyahaṁ (B. Gītā 4.11)
Reflecting on these famous words of the Bhagavad Gita, one can easily
understand that varieties of goals are attained in accordance with one 's desires.
It is not that all paths lead to the same goal.

vaidhī-rāgānugā-mārga-bhedena parikīrtitaḥ
dvividhaḥ khalu bhāvo’tra sādhanābhiniveśajaḥ

(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.3.7)

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“The paths of vaidhi and rāgānugā are known to be separate from each
other. Engagement in these two forms of practice certainly awakens two distinct
varieties of bhāva.”
This automatically shows that rāgānugā bhakti is not per se a post
graduate phase of vaidhi bhakti. The goals of these two paths of devotion in
practice are understood as follows:

vidhi-bhaktye pārṣada-dehe vaikuṇṭhete yāy

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 24.87)

“Through vidhi-bhakti, one will attain the form of an associate in

Vaikuṇṭha.”
aiśvarya-jñāne vidhi-bhajana koriyā
vaikuṇṭhake yāya catur-vidha mukti pāyā

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 3.17)

“Those who worship according to scriptural commandments, being aware

of the Lord's superhuman prowess, attain the four kinds of liberation in
Vaikuntha.”
rāga-bhaktye vraje svayaṁ-bhagavāne pāy

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 24.85)

“Through rāga-bhakti, one will attain the Lord Himself in Vraja.”

rāgānuga-mārge tāre bhaje yei jana

sei-jana pāya vraje vrajendra-nandana

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 8.221)

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“He who worships on the path of rāgānugā will attain Vrajendra-nandana

(Sri Kṛṣṇa) in Vraja.”
In the realm of Vraja, the sweet and intimate human-like pastimes of
Kṛṣṇa prevail. Only in such an atmosphere love can attain its pinnacle. Love
which is filled with awareness of the Lord's almight is of an inferior quality. As
stated by the Lord Himself:

sakala jagate more kore vidhi-bhakti

vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhāva pāite nāhi śakti
aiśvarya-jñānete saba jagat miśrita
aiśvarya-śithila-preme nāhi mora prīta

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta 1.3.15-16)

“Everyone in this world worships Me through vidhi-bhakti. vidhi-bhakti has

no power for attaining the feelings of Vraja. The devotion of the world is mixed
with knowledge of My divine prowess. I do not delight in love diluted with
prowess.”

It is thus evident that there is a need to deeply reflect on the nature and
practice of rāgānugā-bhakti for anyone who desires to perfect his loving faculty in
relationship with God. There is no other means for tasting the ambrosial
sweetness of the Vraja-pastimes of the Lord!

Smaranam and the siddha deha

The siddha deha does not just come falling out of the sky, but must be
formed gradually, from the point where one is pure enough to start meditating,

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by mental practise. In his translations of Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Madhya 8,229;

Madhya 22, 155-158) A.C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī repeatedly suggests that to
meditate on the siddha deha one needs to be ‘self-realised’, while such a word
cannot be found in the original verses. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura explains
that meditation on the siddha deha is a sādhana:

sādhane bhāvibe yāhā, siddha dehe pābe tāhā

rāga mārge ei sei upāya

(Prema Bhakti Candrikā 57)

"Whatever you think of during your sādhana, you will attain in your
siddha-body. Those are the ways of rāga mārga.”

sādhane ye dhana cāi, siddha dehe tāhā pāi,

pakkāpakka mātra se vicāra

(Prema Bhakti Candrikā 56)

"The treasure I covet during my sādhanā I will receive in my siddha body.

The only difference between the two is being ripe and unripe.”
This means that the difference between the struggling practitioner and the
siddha is only in quantity and not in quality. That the siddha deha does not come
from out of the blue, but must be formed through constant meditation is also
confirmed in Bhagavad Gīta 8,6 —

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvan tyajantyante kalevaram

taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad bhāva bhāvita

"Whatever one contemplates throughout life is what one attains when

one leaves the body”.

kīṭaḥ peśaskṛtāruddhaḥ kuḍyāyāṁ tam anusmaran

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saṁrambha bhaya yogena vindate tat svarūpatām

"The caterpillar imprisoned by a wasp in (its nest on) a wall, and

constantly thinking of the latter through intense hate and fear, attains the form
of the wasp". (Śrīmad Bhāgavata 7.1.27)

Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.295—

sevā sādhaka rūpeṇa siddha rūpeṇa cātra hi;

tad bhāva lipsunā kāryā vraja lokānusārataḥ

"A person who desires loving attraction to His beloved deity Śrī Kṛṣṇa in
Vraja must serve in allegiance to the people of Vraja, both in the current
practitioner 's body as well as in the spiritual, mentally conceived body, which is
fit for serving the beloved deity. "
Commentary by Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī:
tathāca siddha-rūpeṇa mānasī sevā śrī rādhā-lalitā-viśākhā śrī rūpa
manjaryādīnām anusāreṇa kartavyā. sādhaka rūpeṇa tu kāyikyādi sevā tu śrī rūpa
sanātanādi vrajavāsi janānām anusāreṇa kartavyetyarthaḥ - "Mental service must
be rendered in the spiritual body in allegiance to Śrī Rādhā, Lalitā and Rūpa
Mañjarī and service in the current physical body must be rendered in allegiance
to Vraja-people like Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana."

The Bengali translation of the above śloka in Caitanya Caritāmṛta

(Madhya 22,154-155) is:

bāhya antara ihāra dui to sādhana;

bāhya — sādhaka dehe kore śravaṇa kīrtana
mane — nija siddha deha koriyā bhāvana;
rātri dine kore vraje kṛṣṇera sevana

"There are two kinds of devotion in practise — external and internal. In

the external practitioner's body devotional practices of hearing and chanting

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Kṛṣṇa 's glories are performed, and internally, in the mentally conceived spiritual
body, one renders mental service to Kṛṣṇa in Vraja day and night. "

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s translation is as follows:

SYNONYMS
bāhya—externally; antara—internally; ihāra—of this spontaneous love of
Godhead; dui—two; ta’—indeed; sādhana — such processes of execution; bāhye—
externally; sādhaka-dehe—with the body of an advanced devotee; kare—does;
śravaṇa-kīrtana—hearing and chanting; mane—the mind; nija—own; siddha-
deha—eternal body or self-realized position; kariyā bhāvana—thinking of; rātri-
dine—night and day; kare—executes; vraje—in Vṛndāvana; kṛṣṇera—of Lord
Kṛṣṇa; sevana—service.

TRANSLATION
“There are two processes by which one may execute this rāgānugā bhakti—
external and internal. When self-realized, the advanced devotee externally
remains like a neophyte and executes all the śāstric injunctions, especially those
concerning hearing and chanting. But within his mind, in his original, purified,
self-realized position, he serves Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in his particular way. He
serves Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, all day and night.”

Though one indeed needs to be fairly advanced to meditate on one’s siddha deha,
as Jīva Gosvāmī has said in Bhakti Sandarbha - smaranaṁ tu
śuddhāntaḥkaraṇatām apekṣate – “Smaranam requires a pure heart”, the term ‘self
realised’ is a bit too extreme for a description of sādhana (this verse appears in
the sādhana bhakti chapter of Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu).

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Discrepancies between A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s ‘Nectar of Devotion’

and the teachings of the foundational ācāryas:

“Persons desiring to follow in the footsteps of such eternal devotees of the Lord as the
Vṛṣṇis and Vṛndāvana denizens are called rāgānugā-devotees, which means that they
are trying to attain to the perfection of those devotees. These rāgānugā-devotees do
not follow the regulative principles of devotional service very strictly…”

However, Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī teaches in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.296) –

śravaṇotkīrtanādīni vaidhi bhaktyuditāni tu

yānyaṅgāni ca tānyatra vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ

“The discriminating practitioners should accept the items which were

mentioned in vaidhi-bhakti such as hearing and chanting as the items of
rāgānugā-bhakti.”

Commentary by Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda:

śravaṇotkīrtanādīni. guru-pādāśrayaṇādīni tvākṣepa-labdhāni. tāni vinā vraja-
lokānugatyādikaṁ kim api na siddhyed ity arthaḥ. manīṣibhir iti manīṣayā
vimṛśyaiva svīya-bhāva-samucitāny eva tāni kāryāṇi. na tu tad-viruddhāni. tāni
cārcana-bhaktāv ahaṅgrahopāsana-mudrā-nyāsa-dvārakā-dhyāna-rukmiṇy-ādi-
pūjanāni āgama-śāstra-vihitāny api naiva kāryāṇi

“Along with hearing and chanting, items such as surrendering to the lotus
feet of Guru should be understood as favorable. Without those favorable items
how can one accomplish following after the eternal inhabitants of Vraja? After
considering with intelligence, one should select activities conducive to one’s own
sentiments for Kṛṣṇa, and not those activities which are contrary to one’s
sentiments. Though prescribed in the scriptures, activities of deity worship such
as worshipping Rukmiṇī, meditation of Dvārakā, performing mudrās and nyāsas,

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or identifying oneself with the Lord and worshipping oneself, should be

rejected.”

No ācārya mentions any other rules of vaidhi-bhakti which can be

scrapped by a rāgānugā-devotee.

QUOTE Nectar of Devotion ch.16 - Eligibility for Spontaneous Devotional

Service:

“We must always remember, however, that such eagerness to follow in the footsteps
of the denizens of Vraja is not possible unless one is freed from material
contamination. In following the regulative principles of devotional service, there is a
stage called anartha-nivrtti, which means the disappearance of all material
contamination. Sometimes someone is found imitating such devotional love, but
factually he is not freed from anarthas or unwanted habits......... When one is actually
spontaneously attracted to the loving principles of the gopis, there will be found no
trace of any mundane contamination in him.”

Response: In his Raga-vartma-candrika (1.8) however, Viśvanātha

Cakravartī explains that lobha is not a black-and-white matter, that it is either
absolute and complete, or there is none. lobha is not necessarily a burning, all-
consuming passion:
sa ca lobho rāga vartma vartināṁ bhaktānāṁ guru-padāśraya lakṣaṇam
ārabhya svābhīṣṭa vastu sākṣāt prāpti samayam abhivyāpya “yathā yathātma
parimṛjyate’sau mat puṇya gāthā śravaṇābhidhānaiḥ tathā tathā paśyati vastu
sūkṣmaṁ cakṣur yathaivāñjana samprayuktam ” iti bhagavad ukter bhakti
hetukāntaḥ karaṇa śuddhi tāratamyāt prati dinam adhikādhiko bhavati.
“It is described that the devotees on the rāga-path gradually progress
from the initial surrender to the feet of Śrī Guru up to the stage of directly
attaining the object of their desires. ‘When the eye is smeared with medicinal
ointment, its ability of perception becomes more and more refined, and
accordingly it is able to perceive more and more subtle objects; similarly,
according to the degree of the mind’s having become purified by hearing and

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chanting of My purifying pastimes, all the subtle truths of reality become

manifest in the heart of the sādhaka.’ From these words of the Lord (S.B.
11.14.26) it is known that through sādhana-bhakti the consciousness of the
sādhaka becomes more purified every day, and he gradually becomes more and
more greedy.”

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: "In the stage of devotional service where regulative
principles are followed, there is no necessity of discussing this love, for it must develop
of itself at a more advanced stage".

Response: This is not corroborated by Rūpa Gosvāmī.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: “We must always remember, however, that such
eagerness to follow in the footsteps of the denizens of Vraja (Vṛndāvana) is not
possible unless one is freed from material contamination. In following the regulative
principles of devotional service, there is a stage called anartha-nivṛtti, which means
the disappearance of all material contamination. Sometimes someone is found
imitating such devotional love, but factually he is not freed from anarthas, or
unwanted habits. It has been seen that a so-called devotee proclaims himself a
follower of Nanda, Yaśodā or the gopīs, while at the same time his abominable
attraction for mundane sex life is visible. Such a manifestation of divine love is mere
imitation and has no value. When one is actually spontaneously attracted to the loving
principles of the gopīs, there will be found no trace of any mundane contamination in
his character. Therefore, in the beginning, everyone should strictly follow the
regulative principles of devotional service, according to the injunctions of the
scriptures and the spiritual master. Only after the stage of liberation from material
contamination can one actually aspire to follow in the footsteps of the devotees in
Vṛndāvana.”

Response: Rūpa Gosvāmī teaches:

vaidhi rāgānugā ceti sa dvidha sādhanābhidha
(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.5) - There are two kinds of sādhana (after first
explaining that sādhana bhakti means practise with the senses, by souls that are

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still conditioned) — vaidhi and rāgānugā, and nowhere it is said that rāgānugā
bhakti is a post graduate state of vaidhi bhakti. Śrī Viśvanatha Cakravarti states in
his Rāga Vartma Candrikā (2.7) -
atha rāgānugā-bhakti - majjanasyānartha-nivṛtti-niṣṭhā-rucy-āsakty-antaram
prema-bhūmikārūḍhasya sākṣāt svābhīṣṭa-prāpti-prakaraḥ pradarśyate
“Then it will be described how the one, who has progressed on the path
of rāgānugā-bhakti through the cessation of the evils (anartha-nivṛtti), firmness
(niṣṭha), taste (ruci), and attachment (āsakti) all the way to the attainment of
ecstatic love (prema), will directly come to attain his desired object.”

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: “In this connection, we should be careful about the so-
called siddha-praṇāli. The siddha-praṇāli process is followed by a class of men who
are not very authorized and who have manufactured their own way of devotional
service.”

Response: That will include Bhaktivinoda Thakur, whom A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami himself has made world-famous as an ācārya? Bhaktivinoda preaches
siddha-praṇālī in his books Hari-nāma cintāmaṇi, Bhajan Rahasya and Jaiva-
dharma.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: “They imagine that they have become associates of the
Lord simply by thinking of themselves like that.”

Response: Yet, this is what the ācāryas say:

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī in Bhakti Sandarbha (286) –

tatra bhūta-śuddhir nijābhilaṣita bhagavat sevaupayogika tat pārṣada deha bhāvanā –
"Bhūta śuddhi means that one meditates on one's own desired siddha deha which
is fit for serving the Lord ".
Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāja in Caitanya Caritāmṛta –
mone nija siddha deha koriyā bhāvan,
'Think of your own desired siddha deha as a sādhana (ei sādhana bhakti dui to
prakāra, Madhya 22.155-6)

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Rūpa Gosvāmī in that very same Nectar of Devotion – siddha rūpena cātra hi -
“Serve in the siddha deha also”, Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.295,
plus this verse’s ṭīkās by Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī – siddha-
rūpeṇa antaś cintitābhīṣṭa tat sevopayogi dehena – “With the siddha deha” means
serving in a mentally conceived body which is fit for service.”
Narottama dās Thākur – sādhane bhāvibe yāhā, siddha deha pābe tāhā
(Premabhakti Candrikā) – “Whatever siddha deha one thinks of during one’s
sādhana is what one attains in siddha-stage.”
Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāja’s Sāraṅga Rangadā ṭīkā of Kṛṣṇa Karṇāmṛta (3):
rāgānugā mārge anutpanna rati sādhaka bhaktair api svepsita siddha dehaṁ manasi
parikalpya - 'On the rāgānugā-path even a sādhaka bhakta who has no rati yet can
think of his own desired siddha deha. "

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: “This external behavior is not at all according to the
regulative principles. The so-called siddha-praṇāli process is followed by the prākṛta-
sahajiya, a pseudo sect of so-called Vaiṣṇavas. In the opinion of Rūpa Gosvāmī, such
activities are simply disturbances to the standard way of devotional service.”

Response:
1) Where does Rupa Gosvami say this in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu?
2) Bhaktivinoda Thākur, who elaborately preached siddha praṇālī, is a pseudo
Vaiṣṇava called prākṛta sahajiya? Why then call him the 7th Gosvāmī?

In his writings, Swāmījī persistently presents a vaidhi bhakta as a neophyte and a

rāga bhakta as an advanced devotee. He explains the two-fold division of
sādhana into vaidhi and rāgānugā as follows (Nectar of Devotion, chapter 2):

“Now this sadhana-bhakti, or practice of devotional service, may also be divided into
two parts. The first part is called service according to regulative principles: one has to
follow these different regulative principles by the order of the spiritual master or on
the strength of authoritative scriptures, and there can be no question of refusal. That is
called vaidhi, or regulated. One has to do it without argument. Another part of
sadhana-bhakti is called raganuga. Raganuga refers to the point at which, by

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following the regulative principles, one becomes a little more attached to Krsna and
executes devotional service out of natural love. For example, a person engaged in
devotional service may be ordered to rise early in the morning and offer arati, which
is a form of Deity worship. In the beginning, by the order of his spiritual master, one
rises early in the morning and offers arati, but then he develops real attachment.
When he gets this attachment, he automatically tries to decorate the Deity and prepare
different kinds of dresses and thinks of different plans to execute his devotional service
nicely. Although it is within the category of practice, this offering of loving service is
spontaneous.”

Response: Following such reasoning, the siddha-associates of Lord Viṣṇu in

Vaikuntha, who are vaidhi bhaktas, would have to be woken up for mangal ārati?
This argument shows that rāga bhakti is not to be translated or presented as
'spontaneous devotion' because the siddha vaidhi bhaktas in Vaikuṇṭha surely
need not be prodded into their service.

Swāmījī comments on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.5.4:

“...The bhakti process, as performed under the regulative principles of vaidhi-bhakti,

or devotional service following the prescribed rules and regulations, is defined by the
revealed scriptures and confirmed by great acaryas. This practice can help the
neophyte devotee to rise to the stage of raga-bhakti, in which the Lord responds from
within as the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master as Superconsciousness.”

Response: Here again Swāmiji suggests that rāga bhakti is some kind of post-
graduate stage of vaidhi bhakti. That would mean that accomplished vaidhi
bhaktas like Prahlāda, Bhīṣma and Nārada did not have communion with the
caitya guru or Supersoul?

Concluding: Both the vaidhi-sādhaka and the rāgānugā-sādhaka pass

through the various stages delineated in the ādau śraddhā-verses on their
respective paths. vaidhi-sādhana and rāgānugā-sādhana are not two

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subsequent stages of one path, but two different paths leading to separate
goals.

FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON RĀGĀNUGĀ BHAKTI

Bhakta: "Some say that it is more humble to become a servant of Mother

Yaśodā at a respectful distance than to be right up front as a mañjarī with Rādhā-
Kṛṣṇa".

Advaitadas: 'No one can reach the spiritual sky without being totally
humble. If there is any pride left you can simply not enter into that realm, be it
as a manjarī, servant of Mother Yaśodā, associate of Lord Nārāyaṇa or what have
you. This suggestion is a purely artificial, mental construction which is not at all
based on rasa vicāra, lobha (devotional greed) or on any ācārya's teaching.
manjarī bhāva is superior in flavour or quality but not in quantity. In quality
there are 4 kinds of flavours - dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya, in quantity
there is but one - full surrender. mañjarī bhāva is based on sheer attraction and
not on ambition or pride. mañjarīs are neither more proud nor more humble
than mother Yaśodā's servants. That is not the point of mañjarī bhāva. The
siddhānta of 'the more surrender, the higher the rasa" is a myth.”

Bhakta: "What about Vaikuṇṭha as a stopover to Goloka? Can one get

further promotion to Goloka after first attaining Vaikuṇṭha? "

Advaitadas: "Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu and Caitanya Caritāmṛta speak of

two parallel paths that have different symptoms of progress (bhāva, prema) and
different final destinations - vaidhi bhakti leads to Vaikuṇṭha and rāga bhakti
leads to Vraja. (See quotes on page 14) Gopa-kumāra's progressive course in
Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta does not apply to regular sādhakas. He is widely regarded
as a model rather than a prototype sādhaka. In Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya līlā,

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chapter 14, there was a debate between Śrīvāsa Pandit, who fought the corner of
the aiśvarya-vision, and Svarūpa Dāmodara, who fought the mādhurya-corner.
That debate was unsolved - Śrīvāsa was not converted. Murāri Gupta and
Vallabha were Rām-bhaktas and none other than Mahāprabhu Himself and
Rūpa-Sanātana preached to them to become Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas, but they were not
converted either. It was simply their sthāyi bhāva. If Vaikuṇṭha is a stopover,
where is there a question of sthāyi-bhāva then? "

Bhakta: "Why it always has to be mañjarī-bhāva, why not gopa bhāva

(serving Kṛṣṇa as a cowherd boy) or so?"

Advaitadas:
1. "The fact that there are elaborate systems of sādhana and entire societies built
up around mañjarī bhāva, and none (that I know) around gopa bhāva (of which
there is very scant scriptural description and virtually no social support on the
ground) should not be seen as coincidence, but a clear sign that Mahāprabhu
really wants us to practise this (mañjarī bhāva)".
2. The entire Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya is initiated into the kāma gāyatrī,
which is a mantra worshiping Kṛṣṇa as the transcendental youthful Cupid
(Madana Gopāla) of Vraja - that is wholly incompatible with loving Kṛṣṇa as a
child or a friend, is it not? Is any Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava initiated with a mantra
worshipping Kṛṣṇa as a child or a friend?
3. The entire Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya sings the Gurvaṣṭakam by Śrīpāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī, in which he clearly depicts Gurudeva as an assistant of
the gopīs to perfect the amorous pastimes of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa - nikuñja yunoḥ
rati-keli siddhyaiḥ yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīya
4. In that same Gurvaṣṭakam, Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī describes how the Guru
is always eager to relish the endless sweetness of the pastimes, attributes, forms
and names of Śrī Rādhikā and Mādhava, not of Kṛṣṇa with the cowherd boys or
His parents - śrī rādhikā mādhavayor apāra mādhurya līlā guṇa rūpa nāmnām
pratikṣaṇāsvādana lolupasya…”

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Bhakta 2: We see in Caitanya Caritāmṛta that Śrīla Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja

Goswāmīpāda has written, cāri bhāva diyā prabhu nācāimu tribhuvana, that
Śrīman Mahāprabhu has given four bhāvas, cāra-vidha braja-bhāva, and with
these He has made the world dance. And you say Mahāprabhu really wants us to
practise this mañjarī bhāva, can you comment please?

Advaitadas:
1. Yes, in principle these four bhāvas are given, but practically you see huge
systems having been built around mañjarī bhāva (Guṭikā, siddha praṇālī,
yogapīṭha, maps, what have you) whereas none of these things are in place for
practising gopa bhāva anywhere (to my knowledge).
2. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava-scriptures are predominantly about mādhurya rasa, to
the extent that Rūpa Gosvāmī, when coming to that subject in Bhakti Rasāmṛta
Sindhu, cut it short and referred to an entire separate book he was to write
about it, Ujjvala Nīlamaṇi, which is about as big as the Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu
itself.
3. The opening verse of Caitanya Caritāmṛta (also composed by Rūpa Gosvāmī),
anarpita cariṁ cirāt karuṇayā avatīrṇa kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala sva bhakti
śriyam reveals the predominance of mādhurya rasa (unnata ujjvala rasa).”

Bhakta 3: “If the members of our mission start practicing rāgānugā-bhakti, no one
will preach anymore and the mission will collapse.”

Advaitadās: rāgānugā’s value is a matter of attitude, of quality, not of quantity.

vaidhi bhaktas worship in awe and reverence and rāgānugā bhaktas worship in
intimate love. rāgānugā sādhakas are also preaching worldwide, printing and
distributing books and lecturing on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The outreach practices
of preaching, traveling and training disciples can easily go on side by side with
rāgānugā-bhakti sādhana. No śāstra says that each rāgānugā sādhaka should chant
8 lakhs (512 rounds) a day at Rādhākuṇḍa all day. Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.5
says that rāgānugā is a sādhana, simple. There’s no link at all between vairāgya or
huge sādhanā and rāgānugā bhakti.

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