Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 61 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

মনের স্মরণ প্রাণ,        মধুর মধুর ধাম,

যুগলবিলাস স্মৃতিসার ।

সাধ্য সাধন এই,        ইহা বই আর নাই,

এই তত্ত্ব সর্ববিধি সার ॥ ৬১ ॥

manera smaraṇa prāṇa,        madhura madhura dhāma,

yugala-bilāsa smṛti-sāra |

sādhya sādhana ei,        ihā bai āra nāi,

ei tattva sarba-bidhi sāra || 61 ||

     Smaraṇa is the life of the mind and the sweeter-than-sweet abode. The love sports of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are the cream of meditation. This is the goal and the means to attain it; there is nothing more. This fundamental truth is the essence of all injunctions.

     टीका–विधिनां कर्तव्योपदेशानां सारः । स्मर्तव्यः सततं विष्णुः विस्मर्तव्यो न जातुचित् । सर्वे विधिनिषेधाः स्युरेतयोरेव किङ्कराः ॥

The Life of the Mind

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has explained the smaraṇa limb of bhakti, which is the primary sādhana of rāgānugā-bhakti. First he says, manera smaraṇa prāṇa. Among all of a human’s senses, the mind is the king. Though being silent, it is the receptacle for the objects perceived by all the senses. The senses perform actions in subservience to the mind, as though its slaves. The five subtle elements (tanmātras), namely form, sound, flavor, aroma and touch, are respectively experienced through our eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin, which are all within the domain of the mind. I can describe something that I saw previously, though not seeing it now, because a picture of that thing has been imprinted on my mind. When we see lightning, it startles us and we become anxious about the impending sound of the thunderbolt because we have previously heard that sound in connection with lightning; it is in our memory. Even though not currently eating them, I can describe the specific flavors of enjoyable foods I have tasted before because a memory of the delicious nature of those foods has remained in my mind. If I have seen some beautiful flower, I can describe how it smells because previously the fragrance of the flower seemed pleasant to me. If a child not yet able to speak touches fire with her hand only once, she will not touch it again. Rather, if she sees fire, she will stand some distance away because she retains in her mind the impression that contact with fire causes painful burns. Even if we accept or use some substance or object with our gross senses, without the mind being focused on them, those things do not appear within our perception. In this way, the mind is the center of all the senses. Though being intangible, it can produce all kinds of thoughts and feelings.

     The mind of a person who has turned away from Bhagavān since beginningless time has become corrupted by thinking of worldly sense-objects. Like an ocean that endlessly undulates with waves, large and small, the mind of a materialistic person always undulates with waves caused by thoughts of sense-objects. Our intellects cannot comprehend all thoughts; only specific thoughts are understood. In the conscious state, of course, but also in the sleeping state, the waves caused by thoughts of sense-objects roll on. We call this svapna or dreaming. Only in the state of suṣupti or deep sleep does the mind remain inactive; the waves of thought have ceased. Having accepted this mind, everything becomes a diversion for the bhakta-sādhaka. Even after practicing for a long time in a mechanical way, without proper mental concentration one will not obtain prema, the fruit of bhajana. By performing sādhana-bhajana born of the mercy of Śrī Bhagavān and his bhaktas, the mind is cleansed of filth in the form of desires for sense-enjoyment; it stops being subjugated by thoughts of worldly sense-objects and continuously contemplates Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.29.11-12, this has been called śuddha or nirguṇa-bhakti (pure devotion). 

mad-guṇa-śruti-mātreṇa mayi sarva-guhāśaye |

manogatir avicchinnā yathā gaṅgāmbhaso’mbudhau ||

lakṣaṇaṁ bhakti-yogasya nirguṇasya hy udāhṛtam |

ahaituky avyavahitā yā bhaktiḥ puruṣottame || 

     Śrī Kapiladeva said to his mother, Devahūti, “O Mother! If one simply hears about my virtues, his mind flows without interruption to me, dwelling in the hearts of all, like the Gaṅgā flows to the sea. Such causeless and ceaseless devotion to me, the Supreme Person, has been spoken of as a characteristic of nirguṇa-bhakti-yoga.”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has therefore said that this remembrance of Śrī Bhagavān is the prāṇa or life of a bhakta-sādhaka’s mind. The mind that does not remember Bhagavān is as lifeless as a dead body. Just as jackals, dogs and so on freely consume a dead body, in the same way, lust, anger and the other enemies incessantly bite the mind that does not remember Bhagavān. When a jackal or dog sees a living person, it runs away in fear. Similarly, when lust and the other enemies encounter a mind invigorated by remembrance of Śrī Hari, they run far away. Therefore, every bhakta must adopt the smaraṇa limb of bhakti in order to get protection from the oppression of lust and the other enemies and to then taste bhajanānanda-rasa. If the mind is in some way connected to Śrī Bhagavān, that is called smaraṇa. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has mentioned five stages regarding the gradual development of the smaraṇa limb of bhakti: smaraṇa, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, dhruvānusmṛti and samādhi. A slight exploration of Śrī Bhagavān’s forms, qualities, pastimes and so on is called smaraṇa. When the mind is pulled away from thinking of sense-objects and focused to a small degree upon Śrī Bhagavān’s pastimes and so on it is called dhāraṇā. Contemplation of his form and so on in a more specific way is called dhyāna. Uninterrupted remembrance of Śrī Bhagavān’s form, qualities and pastimes like a stream of nectar is called dhruvānusmṛti. When only the object of meditation appears within the mind, it is called samādhi. This samādhi is not like the asamprajñāta-samādhi attained through the sādhanas of jñāna and yoga. In this, the meditation is very deep and Śrī Bhagavān’s pastimes appear as though directly manifest.

     The essence of this smaraṇāṅga is meditation upon Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; therefore he says, yugala-bilāsa smṛti-sāra. There are four kinds of smaraṇa: nāma (names)-smaraṇa, rūpa (forms)-smaraṇa, guṇa (qualities)-smaraṇa and saparikara-līlā (pastimes with their companions)-smaraṇa. Among them, līlā-smaraṇa is the best because meditation on nāma, rūpa and guṇa is included within līlā-smaraṇa. Moreover, compared to the līlā-smaraṇa of other forms of Bhagavān, the līlā-smaraṇa of Vrajendranandana, the embodiment of charm, is best of all because it is filled with transcendental sweetness. Moreover, compared to his bālya, paugaṇḍa and other līlās, his kaiśora-līlās in the preeminent śṛṅgāra-rasa, meaning his amorous pastimes with Śrī Rādhārāṇī, are the best of all. Therefore, yugala-vilāsa is the essence of meditation. The contemplation of pastimes such as Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa meeting with their friends, collecting flowers, stealing Kṛṣṇa’s flute, sporting in the forest, drinking honey-wine, making love, water sports, playing dice, rāsa-līlā and so on is the essence or best of all types of līlā-smaraṇa. In the Śrī Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, there is a paddhati or manual that explains how to meditate upon the pastimes of Śrī Gaurāṅga and Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava along with their companions during the eight time periods (aṣṭa-kālīya) or according to one’s taste (svārasikī), as well as the mantramayī or yogapīṭha meeting pastimes. This is the preeminent smaraṇāṅga-bhajana. Still, the sādhaka who is devoted to smaraṇa must always be sure that at the time of smaraṇa he relishes in the depth of his heart the mādhurya of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s madhura madhura dhāma: their sweeter-than-sweet forms, qualities, pastimes with their companions and so on. The principal aim of this sādhana is to enjoy the sweetness of one’s cherished deity. Specifically, in desire-based rāga-bhakti, if smaraṇāṅga-bhajana is performed only in a very regulated, systematic way and the sādhaka does not taste even a little of the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s forms, qualities and so on, how can that be called rāga-bhakti? On the other hand, if the sādhaka does get a taste of this mādhurya, his līlā-smaraṇa, though incomplete, becomes truly complete. In the second chapter of Śrīla Haridāsa Dāsajī’s Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-Jīvana, in the biography of Govardhana resident Siddha Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, the following is written: Those who were learning how to perform bhajana from the siddha-bābā would gather together each night. The siddha-bābā would hear from his disciples how their bhajana was going and then help them to correct any errors or omissions. One evening, without saying anything one of the Vaiṣṇava mahātmās began to weep. Bābājī Mahāśaya consoled and encouraged him and then asked why he was crying. The disciple replied, “Today I was not able to perform any bhajana. This morning, after I placed an ornament on Śrī Prāṇeśvarī’s right hand, my mind became so captivated by the beauty of her hand that I couldn’t think of anything else the rest of the day.” The siddha-bābā enthusiastically replied to him, “You have performed true bhajana!”

     In some books we find the reading manera smaraṇa prāṇa, madhura madhura nāma. The meaning is that smaraṇa, the life of the mind, must be practiced under the shelter of sweeter-than-sweet Śrī Nāma. Because smaraṇāṅga-bhajana is dependent on purification of the mind, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, smaraṇaṁ tu śuddhāntaḥkaraṇatām apekṣate (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 276). It is impossible for an impure mind, a mind sullied by desires for earthly enjoyments, to deeply concentrate; therefore, smaraṇāṅga-bhajana does not occur. But nāma-kīrtana does not depend on mental purification. In nāma-kīrtana even an impure mind is not an obstacle because when the mind becomes purified through chanting, that smaraṇāṅga-bhajana will be delightfully performed.

     The question may be asked that if this is true, then let nāma-kīrtana go on as long as the mind is not pure, but what is the need for more nāma-kīrtana if the purified mind can concentrate on smaraṇa? Regarding this, in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has concluded that the enjoyment of smaraṇa is nourished by nāma-saṅkīrtana and the enjoyment of nāma-rasa is nourished by smaraṇa or dhyāna. Since each nourishes the other, there is never any discussion of performing smaraṇāṅga-bhajana without nāma-kīrtana. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, śuddhāntaḥkaraṇaś cet nāma-kīrtanāparityāgena smaraṇaṁ kuryāt (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 275). “The sādhaka whose mind is purified shall perform smaraṇa together with nāma-kīrtana.”

     Then he says, sādhya sādhana ei, ihā bai āra nāi, ei tattva sarba-bidhi sāra. The method one adopts to attain a desired objective is called sādhana, and the objective to be attained through that method is called sādhya. In the sādhanas of jñāna, yoga and so on, sādhana and sādhya are separate things, but in bhakti, the sādhya is also the sādhana. This is the great difference between bhakti-sādhana and jñāna, yoga and so on. Sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the primary, comparative and superlative states of the same thing. That which is unripe during sādhana becomes fully ripened in siddhi. Therefore, those who during sādhana can focus their minds intently on the practice of līlā-smaraṇa will be blessed at the time of siddhi with the service that they have contemplated within that līlā. Hence, other than this, there is nothing more to be attained: ihā bai āra nāi. For this reason, in all the śāstras instructions have been given regarding the jīva’s duties. Of all instructions, this is the essence (ei tattva sarba-bidhi sāra). From Śrī-Padma-Purāṇa:

smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit |

sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ ||

     “Always remember Śrī Bhagavān and never forget him. So many rules and regulations have been taught in the śāstras, but all of them are the servants or followers of these two.” Therefore it has been said that if a bhakta forgets Śrī Hari for even a moment, he should cry out in a loud voice, like a worldly person whose possessions have been stolen by thieves. ekasminn apy atikrānte muhūrte dhyāna-varjite, dasyubhir muṣiteneva yuktam ākrandituṁ bhṛśam (Garuḍa-Purāṇa).

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 60 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

যুগলচরণে প্রীতি,        পরম আনন্দ তথি,

রতি প্রেমময় পরবন্ধে ।

কৃষ্ণনাম রাধানাম,        উপায় করোঁ রসধাম,

চরণে পড়িয়া পরানন্দে ॥ ৬০ ॥

yugala-caraṇe prīti,        parama ānanda tathi,

rati premamaya parabandhe |

kṛṣṇa-nāma rādhā-nāma,        upāya karoṅ rasa-dhāma,

caraṇe paḍiyā parānande || 60 ||

     Let me always remain devoted to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet, for in that devotion lies the supreme joy. Let me  absorb my mind in books filled with love. Falling at their feet in great happiness, I shall chant the names of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the abode of rasa.

     टीका–परबन्धे-प्रबन्धे, श्रीकृष्ण-भक्तिरसविज्ञ-भक्तजनविरचित प्रेममय-कथायां मम रतिर्भवतु । चरणे राधामाधवयोरिति शेषः ॥

Internal Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya reveals a few things about the internal bhajana of a rāgānugīya-sādhaka by means of a prayer. First he says, yugala-caraṇe prīti, parama ānanda tathi. “Let me always remain devoted to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet, for in that devotion lies the supreme joy.” The Taittirīya-Upaniṣad says, saiṣānandasya mīmāṁsā bhavati. After showing that the joy of Prajāpati or Hiraṇyagarbha is a hundred times greater than that of a human being, the author determines that the joy of Parabrahma is a hundred times greater even than that. The boundlessness and diversity of that ānanda-tattva has been shown in verses such as yato vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha ānandaṁ brahmaṇo vidvan na vibheti kutaścana. Then, by statements such as ko hy evānyāt kaḥ prāṇyād yad eva ākāśa ānando na syāt, it has been shown that joy is the nature of the vibhu-brahma-tattva (all-pervading spiritual truth). In the śrutis, such statements as ānandād dhy eva khalv imāni bhūtāni jāyante proclaim that the entire world has been born from joy, is sustained by joy and will dissolve into joy. Thus, a message of great happiness has been spread throughout the universe. From this we can understand that it is impossible for anything but ānanda or joy to exist in the world. Misery can never exist in a universe created by the joyful, immortal, charming and delightful Śrī Bhagavān: ānanda-rūpam amṛtam, raso vai saḥ, sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ madhu. On the other hand, happiness and distress follow the worldly jīva’s life like light and darkness: this is nothing more than the consequence of the jīva’s actions. Although the jīva is in truth a particle of sac-cid-ānanda, or of the nature of joy, his heart and mind are impure because of his beginningless indifference to Śrī Bhagavān. Due to his lack of tattva-jñāna, he continues to mistakenly identify with his material body and suffers endless material miseries. When by the mercy of great souls the jīva once again turns inward, he will devote himself to the service of Śrī Bhagavān and realize the Lord to be dearer to him than his own life. Knowledge of his true nature will unfold in his heart and mind, and eternally perfect love will begin to appear. Experiencing the sweetness and charm of Śrī Bhagavān, the embodiment of joy, he will be forever immersed in an ocean of happiness. Among the different experiences of Śrī Bhagavān’s mādhurī, the mādhurī of Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vrajendranandana, the direct embodiment of sweetness, surpasses all. In the presence of Śrī Rādhārāṇī, the ocean of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurī swells to its highest. Therefore, those who are attached to the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava attain the supreme joy. Nothing else compares to this. Thus he says, yugala-caraṇe prīti, parama ānanda tathi. 

     After that he says, rati premamaya parabandhe. The mind must be absorbed in the love-filled literature of the great souls from one’s tradition who are experienced in śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa. Books such as Stavamālā, written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda, Stavāvalī by Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda and Govinda-Līlāmṛtam by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja are most enjoyable to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava mañjarī-bhāva-sādhakas and are extremely nourishing to their personal bhāvas. Every syllable in the books composed by the mahājanas is filled with love: premamaya akṣara yāhāra. Each syllable is saturated with the rasa of their realizations and is therefore able to purify the heart and bestow prema-bhakti. This Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā by Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is also such a book. I shall relate a true story in regard to this. Once, a high-ranking government official, a judge, spent a few days in Ambikā Kālanā, West Bengal for work-related purposes. At that time, Siddha Śrī Bhagavān Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja was manifest there. One day, after hearing about the siddha-bābā’s glories from the local people, the judge went to take his darśana. When the siddha-bābā saw him, he asked why he had come. The judge said, “Bābā! Please tell me how to attain prema-bhakti.” The siddha-bābā quickly replied, “You can purchase prema-bhakti for two annas.” When the gentleman heard this, he felt a little perplexed and said, “Bābā, why are you teasing me?” The siddha-bābā replied very seriously, “This is not a joke; you can buy Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā for two annas on Grub Street in Kolkata. Study that book daily and you will attain prema-bhakti.”

     Following the instructions of the siddha-bābā, the gentleman purchased a copy of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and began to read it daily. Because it was the order and mercy of a great saint, his regular sevā of the love-filled syllables of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā caused him to lose interest in any other employment. He immediately quit his job and, staying home, he began to regularly read Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā with great devotion. By suddenly quitting his job, he upset his friends and relatives. He no longer derived any pleasure from his house, food, sex and so on, so one day he abandoned his home and began to wander here and there like an ascetic. He wore torn, soiled clothing and filled his belly with begged food. Offering whatever love was in his heart to Śrī Hari, he studied Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā daily. Because of this sudden transformation of such a big, high-ranking authority, the worldly people regarded him as having gone insane. A fair amount of time passed in this way.

     One day, a group of distinguished Indian paṇḍitas arrived in Śrī Navadvīpa Dhāma, having been invited to a meeting of the Vibudha-Jananī Society. At the beginning of the assembly, when that ascetic tried to enter, the doorkeeper chased him away, thinking him to be mentally ill. After a little while, when he tried to enter the meeting again, he was once again expelled by the doorkeeper. When he arrived at the door a third time and tried to enter, the doorman prepared to send him away again, but the chairman of the meeting, the great teacher Paṇḍita Śrī Yukta Ajita Nyāyaratna Mahāśaya, intervened and told him to bring the ascetic into the assembly. Then the paṇḍita inquired, “Why do you want to enter this assembly after being chased away repeatedly; is there something you need here?” In reply to Nyāyaratna’s question, the ascetic told him that he had been studying Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā daily according to the instructions of Siddha Śrīla Bhagavān Dāsa as well as practicing mental detachment and so on at all times. After revealing these matters, he finally asked the paṇḍita if he had not attained the prema-bhakti that the siddha-bābā had described. Hearing his words, Nyāyaratna Mahāśaya, the chairman of the assembly, prostrated himself before the ascetic. Then, desiring his blessing, he stood before him with folded hands and proclaimed to everyone that by the siddha-bābā’s mercy and as a result of studying Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, the fortunate ascetic had been showered with the clear moonlight of prema-bhakti. He said that today, at the beginning of their Vibudha-Jananī meeting, one unprecedented, delicious fruit had been produced. The meaning is that the function of the assembly was to spread the glory of hearing and chanting the ārya-śāstras and the words of the mahājanas. An ideal example of studying these great teachings was visible before them in embodied form. Because of this, everyone in the assembly considered themselves blessed and everyone offered obeisance at the ascetic guest’s lotus feet. This story was heard from the lotus mouth of the venerable bhajanānandī Śrīmat Jaya Nitāi Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja of Śrī Rādhā-Kuṇḍa. It is also seen in the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-Jīvanī of Śrīla Haridāsa Dāsajī that a similar instruction for studying Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Prārthanā was given to some faithful person by Śrīla Bhagavān Dāsa Siddha-Bābā’s disciple Siddha Śrī Yukta Jagadīśa Bābā, a resident of Vṛndāvana’s Kālīyadaha. Hearing and reciting the love-filled literature composed by great souls whose hearts and minds have been saturated with śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa will bear fruit. In the phala-śruti of Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta (Madhya 2.87), Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has written, yebā nāhi bujhe keho, śunite śunite seho, ki adbhuta caitanya-carita; kṛṣṇe upajibe prīti, jānibe rasera rīti, śunilei haibe baḍa hita. “Even though someone may not understand, if he repeatedly hears about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s wonderful pastimes, he will develop love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. By hearing, he will understand the nature of rasa and derive great benefit.” Needless to say, by repeatedly studying all these love-filled literary works with great delight, the sādhaka will be blessed with prema.

     After that, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, kṛṣṇa-nāma rādhā-nāma, upāya karoṅ rasa-dhāma, caraṇe paḍiyā parānande. “After taking shelter at their lotus feet in transcendental joy, I shall chant the holy names of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the abode of all rasas.” The foundation for the worship of Śrī Bhagavān is to take shelter of his lotus feet. If śaraṇāgati does not occur in the bhakta’s heart and mind, there is no bhagavad-bhajana. A sādhaka progresses in bhajana to the degree that he takes refuge. In Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 237 anuḥ, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, asyāś cāpūrvatvaṁ tāṁ vinā tadīyatvāsiddheḥ. “The unprecedented nature of śaraṇāgati is that without it one never fully realizes that he belongs to Bhagavān.” When that relationship is realized the sādhaka becomes completely fearless. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.12.15 Śrī Bhagavān said to Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya, mām ekam eva śaraṇam ātmānaṁ sarva-dehinām, yāhi sarvātma-bhāvena mayā syā hy akutobhayaḥ. “O Uddhava! By renouncing everything and taking full refuge in me, the self of all embodied beings, you can become completely fearless.” Not only does the sheltered bhakta become fearless; he also becomes free from doubt and anxiety regarding his bhajana-sādhana and attains genuine transcendental joy. tavāsmīti vadan vācā tathaiva manasā vidan, tat-sthānam āśritas tanvā modate śaraṇāgataḥ (Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa). “The sheltered sādhaka will experience supreme joy by saying, ‘O Bhagavān! I am yours!’ with his mouth, nourishing that conception in his mind and resorting to the places of Śrī Bhagavān’s pastimes with his body.”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has therefore said, “After taking exclusive shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, I shall accept in supreme joy the most enjoyable names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the abode of rasa, as the best way to attain prema, or I shall take shelter of the best of all limbs of bhajana.” Śrī Nāma is the abode or shelter of all rasas. Bhagavān’s names are naturally very sweet and relishable. The sweetness of sugar-candy cannot be experienced by one whose tongue is tainted by bile; rather, the candy has a bitter taste. But if he continues to eat the candy, the unwanted bile is removed from the tongue and he tastes the natural sweetness of the candy. In the same way, it is impossible for the tongue defiled by offenses to spontaneously relish Śrī Nāma, the abode of rasa; but by continuously engaging the tongue in chanting Śrī Nāma, the offenses will subside and one will experience the sweetness. Therefore, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, ataevānanda-rūpatvam asya mahad-dhṛdaya-sākṣikaṁ yathā śrī-vigrahasya. “Like the visible form of Śrī Bhagavān, his name is also the embodiment of joy; the realizations of great souls are the best evidence of this.” Even if faithless demons have a direct vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of sweetness, they derive no joy; rather, their hearts and minds are scorched by malice and envy. In the same way, the tongue of an offensive person gets no taste of rasa-dhāma Śrī Nāma. The bhakta realizes that kṛṣṇa-nāme ye ānanda-sindhu-āsvādana, brahmānanda tāra āge khātodaka sama (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 7.97). “The bliss of brahman is like water in a ditch to those who taste the ocean of joy in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is longing for that sweeter-than-sweet śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-nāma-bhajana. Regarding the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s names, Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has written the following in his Abhīṣṭa-Sūcana-Stava: rādheti nāma nava-sundara-sīdhu-mugdhaṁ, kṛṣṇeti nāma madhurādbhuta-gāḍha-dugdham; sarva-kṣaṇaṁ surabhi-rāga-himena ramyaṁ, kṛtvā tad eva piba me rasane kṣudhārte. “The name ‘Rādhā’ is captivating like fresh, sweet nectar. The name ‘Kṛṣṇa’ is extremely sweet like amazing condensed milk. O my hungry tongue! Always drink these two substances chilled with fragrant ice made of love.” In Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.256, Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked Rāmarāya, upāsyera madhye kon upāsya pradhāna? “Among objects to be worshiped, which is preeminent?” Rāmarāya replied, śreṣṭha upāsya–yugala-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-nāma. “The best object of worship is the name Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.” It should be understood that through this verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has shown three kinds of internal sādhana related to rāgānugā-bhajana: affection for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa; intent absorption of the mind in the books composed by great souls who understand śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa; and kīrtana of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s names.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 59 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

कृष्णं स्मरन् जनं चास्य प्रेष्ठं निजसमीहितम् ।

तत्तत्कथा-रतश्चासौ कुर्याद्वासं व्रजे सदा ॥ ५९ ॥

kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam |

tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā || 59 ||

     The sādhaka shall reside in Vraja, constantly remembering that cherished form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa with his beloved companions and devoted to hearing about their pastimes.

     टीका–कृष्णं स्मरन्निति । स्मरणस्यात्र रागानुगायां मुख्यत्वं रागस्य मनोधर्मत्वात् । श्रेष्ठं निजभावोचित-लीलाविलासिनं कृष्णं वृन्दावनाधीश्वरम् । अस्य कृष्णस्य जनं च कीदृशं निजसमीहितं स्वाभिलषणीयं श्रीवृन्दावनेश्वरी-ललिता-विशाखा-रूपमञ्जर्यादिकं कृष्णस्यापि निजसमीहितत्वेऽपि तज्जनस्य उज्ज्वलभावैकनिष्ठत्वात् निजसमीहितत्वाधिक्यम् । व्रजे वासमिति असामर्थ्ये मनसापि साधकशरीरेण वासं कुर्यात् । सिद्धशरीरेण वासस्तु उत्तर श्लोकार्थः प्राप्त एव ।।

The Rāgānugā Method

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now further develops his proposal by citing the kṛṣṇaṁ smaran verse (1.2.298) from the Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda, the direct incarnation of Vraja’s Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and the primary teacher of the Gauḍīya Sampradāya. First, he says, kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam. “Meditate upon Śrī Vrajendranandana, the enjoyer of līlās suitable for his śṛṅgāra-bhāva (amorous mood), along with his beloved companions Śrī Rādhā, Lalitā, Viśākhā, Rūpa Mañjarī and others.” The purport is that in rāgānugā-bhajana, the smaraṇa limb of bhakti is primary because rāga is a function of the mind. Therefore, in rāgānugā-bhakti, which originates from the mental function called rāga (thirst or strong desire), the smaraṇa limb is prominent because it is mental worship. Still, in the external body, śravaṇa, kīrtana and the other limbs of bhajana are not to be ignored. Regarding this, it should particularly be understood that if one gives up the external practices of hearing, chanting and so on, he will have no success in following the residents of Vraja. Just as the mental practice of līlā-smaraṇa is nourished by the external practices of śravaṇa-kīrtana, in the same way, an appreciation for the external sādhana is produced from the mental sādhana. Because each supports the other, if a sādhaka neglects the external sādhana, even though trying to apply his mind intently to līlā-smaraṇa, he will in reality not be successful. Moreover, though one may be eager to perform external sādhana but neglects līlā-smaraṇa, the rāgānugā-mārga-bhajana will not happen. Therefore, it is essential that both be practiced together.

     For all new sādhakas, the contemplation of their own siddha-dehas or their meditation on Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s pastimes is not yet very clear; rather, they consider it to be somewhat difficult. If at first one does not have much eagerness for līlā-smaraṇa, he should perform some light or simple meditation and reflection along with hearing, chanting and so on. The sādhaka should hear and recite books that express the glory of gopī-bhāva or rāgānugā-bhajana, such as Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s Prārthanā and Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda’s Stavamālā, Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda’s Stavāvalī and Śrīla Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Siddha Bābā’s Prārthanāmṛta-Taraṅgiṇī. In this way, he endeavors to create a saṁskāra (impression) of mañjarī-bhāva internally. By doing these things, he will easily make his heart and mind suitable for performing līlā-smaraṇa. For this reason the author says, tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau: “being always engaged in hearing and chanting about Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.” Because Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the stories about him are identical in nature, Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself enters the heart of the sādhaka through his ears in the form of kṛṣṇa-kathā from the mouth of a sādhu-bhakta. Then he cleanses the sādhaka’s heart and mind by driving away impurities in the form of desires and inclinations. This has been clearly described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17: 

śṛṇvatāṁ svakathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ |

hṛdy-antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām ||

     “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is situated in the hearts of all, is the friend of the virtuous. He drives away all inauspiciousness from those who listen to his stories, which bestow merit upon anyone who hears or recites them.”

     Finally, he says, kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā: “The rāgānugīya-sādhaka shall always reside in Vraja.” In his commentary on this śloka, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda says, sāmarthye sati vraje śrīman-nanda-vrajāvāsa-sthāne śrī-vṛndāvanādau śarīreṇa vāsaṁ kuryāt tad-abhāve manasāpīty arthaḥ. The meaning is that if one is able, he should live in Vraja with his physical body. If unable, he should live in Vraja with his mind, or at least express his desire to reside there. In the Bṛhad-Gautamīya-Tantra, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has personally described the glory of living in Vraja: 

idaṁ vṛndāvanaṁ ramyaṁ mama dhāmaiva kevalam |

atra ye paśavaḥ pakṣī mṛgāḥ kīṭā narāmarāḥ ||

ye vasanti mamādhiṣṇe mṛtā yānti mamālayam |

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pañca-yojanam evāsti vanaṁ me deha-rūpakam |

kālindīyaṁ suṣumnākhyā paramāmṛta-vāhinī ||

atra devāś ca bhūtāni vartante sūkṣma-rūpataḥ |

sarva-deva-mayaś cāhaṁ na tyajāmi vanaṁ kvacit ||

āvirbhāvas tirobhāvo bhaven me’tra yuge yuge |

tejomayam idaṁ ramyam adṛśyaṁ carma-cakṣuṣā ||

     “This Vṛndāvana is most delightful and is my only abode. All those domestic animals, birds, wild animals, worms, insects, humans and celestial beings who reside in this place go to my home when they die. This twenty-five mile Vṛndāvana is in reality my own body. The transcendental nectar-bearing Yamunā is its central artery. Gods and jīvas exist in subtle forms here, having accepted transcendental bodies. I, who contain all the gods, never leave this forest. In yuga after yuga I appear in this place and then disappear. This charming Vṛndāvana is possessed of great power, meaning its nature is pure consciousness, and it lies beyond the range of the physical eye.” Though being a manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental sandhinī-śakti or existential power, the holy dhāma, overwhelmed by compassion for the sādhakas of the world, has spontaneously appeared in an earthly form to help them succeed in bhajana. Will any virtuous sādhaka not resort to that transcendental abode to perfect his worship?

     After taking shelter of Vrajadhāma, the sādhaka regularly practices smaraṇa along with the other limbs of bhakti such as śravaṇa and kīrtana in the association of rasika-bhaktas who have similar aspirations. As a result of this, the heart of the rāga-sādhaka is cleansed by a shower of the pellucid rays of bhakti. Then, by means of a concentrated mind and steady intellect, he gradually develops a profound ruci or affection for Śrī Bhagavān. In this way, when the sādhaka who has attained ruci performs bhajana, his soul’s love-perfumed desire for sevā is reflected in his heart and mind. First, it delights his tender heart, softened by affection; then it is affirmed in his intellect and bestows freedom from doubt. After that, it engrosses the ego in the mood of his svarūpa. Then the sādhaka’s bhajana goes smoothly. The desire for sevā remains always in his mind; knowledge with conviction is established in his intellect; a self-concept appropriate for bhāva manifests in his ego; and in his heart, he gains a profound realization of his previously experienced bhakti-saṁskāras. Then the complete force of that bhāva is manifest in the actions of his senses when accompanied by śravaṇa-kīrtana and so on. Moreover, after the force of that  realized bhāva nourishes the sweetness of śravaṇa-kīrtana and the other limbs of bhakti, it spontaneously turns inward and, with the help of its own respective capabilities, it invigorates and delights the inner faculties of mind, intellect and ego. This is how the sādhaka experiences bhajana.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 58 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

सखीनां सङ्गिनीरूपामात्मानं वासनामयीम् ।

आज्ञासेवापरां तत्तद्रूपालङ्कार-भूषिताम् ॥ ५८ ॥

sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām ātmānaṁ vāsanā-mayīm |

ājñā-sevā-parāṁ tat-tad-rūpālaṅkāra-bhūṣitām || 58 ||

टीका–सखीनां श्रीललिता-श्रीरूपमञ्जर्यादीनां सङ्गिनीरूपाम् आत्मानं ध्यायेदिति शेषः । किम्भूताम्? आज्ञासेवापराम् आज्ञया तासामनुमत्या सेवापरां श्रीराधामाधवयोरिति शेषः । पुनः किम्भूताम्? तत्तद्रूपालङ्कारभूषितां सुप्रसिद्ध-श्रीकृष्णमनोहररूपेण श्रीराधिका-निर्माल्यालङ्कारेण भूषिताम्; निर्माल्यमाल्य-वसनाभरणास्तु दास्य इत्युक्तेः । पुनः किम्भूताम्? वासनामयीं चिन्तामयीम् ईक्षेत चिन्तामयमेतमीश्वरमित्यादिवत् ॥

     The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhaka shall contemplate himself as being an adolescent female companion of the sakhīs. She is devoted to serving Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava according to the sakhīs’ orders and is adorned with the flowers, garments and ornaments worn by Śrī Rādhikā.

Contemplating the Siddha-Deha

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya previously established the essential doctrines of the mañjarī-svarūpa and mañjarī-bhāva. As primary evidence of that he quotes one verse from the Śrī-Sanat-Kumāra-Saṁhitā tantra and one verse from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda’s book Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ. He first gives evidence from Śrī-Sanat-Kumāra-Saṁhitā: sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām ātmānaṁ vāsanā-mayīm, ājñā-sevā-parāṁ tat-tad-rūpālaṅkāra-bhūṣitām. “A rāgānugīya-sādhaka shall contemplate his own desired body as being in the form of an adolescent female companion of the sakhīs headed by Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā and Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. She is devoted to serving Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava according to the sakhīs’ orders and is adorned with the flowers, garments and ornaments worn by Śrī Rādhikā.” Besides meditating on Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and the other sakhīs, following the siddha-praṇālī of his guru-paramparā the sādhaka also contemplates his own guru-mañjarī as a priya-narma-sakhī devoted to the loving service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. He contemplates himself as a kiṅkarī (maidservant) devoted to the order of his guru-mañjarī. In allegiance to Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and so on, and by the order of śrī-guru-mañjarī, he contemplates his own loving service to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. Corresponding evidence of this is also found in Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s words in verse thirty of his poem Prārthanā: guru-rūpā-sakhī-bāme, tribhaṅga-bhaṅgima-ṭhāme, cāmarera bātāsa kariba ity ādi. “With my body curved in three places, I shall stand to the left of my guru-rūpā-sakhī and cool the Divine Couple with a yak-tail fan.” The person who initiates his student in śrī-kṛṣṇa-mantra and teaches him how to perform rāgānugīya-bhajana is also the student’s guru-rūpā-sakhī in vraja-līlā. Even so, in the sādhaka-deha, the student must think of Śrī Gurudeva as the direct embodiment of Śrī Bhagavān’s kindness. Externally, the sādhaka should never approach Śrī Guru in an informal or familiar way because that would be against the words of the sādhus and śāstras.

     Before the sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām verse in the Śrī-Sanat-Kumāra-Saṁhitā we find this verse: ātmānaṁ cintayet tatra tāsāṁ madhye manoramām, rūpa-yauvana-sampannāṁ kiśorīṁ pramadākṛtim. “The sādhaka shall meditate upon himself as a beautiful and charming adolescent girl living among Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s gopī lovers and their sakhīs.” In this verse, the word cintayet should be understood to mean that the sādhaka shall perceive himself as possessing a nature, form and so on similar to the nitya-siddha-sakhīs (according to the particulars of his ekādaśa-bhāva given by Śrī Gurudeva in the siddha-praṇālī). In this way, he maintains the firm self-concept that, “I am that body possessed of a certain nature and form.” If able to establish a firm self-concept in that svarūpa, the sādhaka is said to be very near to success (siddhi). Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has established this siddhānta by saying, astu tāvad bhajana-prayāsaḥ kevala tādṛśatvābhimānenāpi siddhir bhavatīti. “Not to speak of success by endeavoring in bhajana, one can attain siddhi simply by thinking of oneself as that svarūpa.”

     The rāgānugā-bhajana of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is an extraordinarily powerful spiritual psychology. Psychologists say that among the many powers that people are known to have, the power of thought that appears spontaneously in the brain is the greatest. In this world, objects rise and fall, are created and destroyed, introduced and rendered extinct. By research we can understand that at the root of them all, individually or collectively, sits the golden throne of thought. This is the fundamental reason for the customary honor given to the power of thought. The nature or characteristic of this power is that it is independent; for this reason, it is not confined to any fixed place. Its unrestricted movement extends to all places on earth and in the heavens. The fruit of this power is everlasting. Even after death, this power remains with one from whose brain it has expanded. When a pot is broken, the air within is not destroyed but rather mingles with the greater atmosphere. In the same way, the fruit of this mahāśakti is not destroyed when the human body dies. After that also, this creative power continues to govern the soul’s next human mind, just as the book of a powerful writer or the music of a powerful composer continues to increase the joy of their audience, offering them a bouquet of mental delight, even though no one speaks of the artist’s life or death. If worldly psychology has such power, then it is beyond the range of the human intellect to understand just how powerful thought can be with the help of a spiritual psychology or the sādhaka’s single-minded, transcendental devotion to Śrī Bhagavān. In fact, if the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhaka is intently engaged in meditating upon the sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava while contemplating his own siddha-deha, considering that siddha-deha to be his true, natural form, he will with the help of the compatible, mercy-laden thoughts of the past sages very quickly become absorbed in bhāva and be brought to the kingdom of siddhi (success). Of this there is no doubt. In this we find the highest expression of spiritual psychology as well as the highest manifestation of Bhagavān’s mahāmādhurya-rasa in the heart of the sādhaka. Regarding meditation on the siddha-deha, the sādhaka should particularly understand that the primary way to prepare his heart and mind for being saturated with gopī-bhāva is to practice rāgānugā-sādhana in the mood of a gopī. Therefore, if one thinks of himself as having only the form of a gopikā, his contemplation of his siddha-deha will not go smoothly. His meditation will progress nicely if he contemplates his gopikā form as being steeped in gopī-bhāva. We have been instructed in how to meditate on Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s līlās in the mood of a gopī: ataeba gopī-bhāba kari aṅgīkāra, rātri-dina cinte rādhā-kṛṣṇera bihāra; siddha-deha-cinti kare tāṅhāi sebana, gopī-bhābe pāya rādhā-kṛṣṇera caraṇa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.228-229). “Therefore, accept the mood of a gopī and think of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes day and night. If you perform sevā in gopī-bhāva while contemplating your own siddha-deha, you will attain the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.” Absorbed in mañjarī-bhāva, the highest state of gopī-bhāva, the sādhaka who longs for prema-sevā must always meditate upon herself as a female companion of Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and so on. In obedience to their orders, she serves as a maidservant devoted to the sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. She decorates herself with the ornaments, clothing and so on previously worn by Śrī Rādhā. Her heart and mind are formed by her desire for the prema-sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and her body is made from the nectar of yugala-sevā.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 57 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

নরোত্তম দাসে কয়,        এই যেন মোর হয়,

ব্রজপুরে অনুরাগে বাস ।

সখীগণ-গণনাতে,        আমারে লিখিবে তাতে,

তবহি পূরব অভিলাষ ॥ ৫৭ ॥

narottama dāse kaya,        ei yena mora haya,

braja-pure anurāge bāsa |

sakhī-gaṇa-gaṇanāte,        āmāre likhibe tāte,

tabahi pūraba abhilāṣa || 57 ||

     Narottama Dāsa says, “Let me live in the land of Vraja with great love. I will be counted as one of the sakhīs and all my desires will be fulfilled.”

Living in Vraja with Devotion

  Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya expresses his desire to live in Vraja with loving devotion (anurāga) and to be included among the group of sakhīs. It can be understood here that he is praying to live such a life in both his sādhaka and siddha bodies. We shall first discuss living in Vraja with anurāga in the sādhaka body. The word anurāga here is not the anurāga that is included in one’s sthāyibhāva because that cannot be produced in the sādhaka body. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is expressing his desire to reside in Vraja in his sādhaka body with love, devotion and respect. Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has advised the rāgānugīya-sādhakas to live continuously in Vraja: kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā (Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.294). Even so, he has instructed those who are unable to live in Vraja physically to maintain the determination to live in Vraja mentally. The reason for this is that by the inconceivable power of Vrajadhāma, residence in Vraja will cause bhāva to quickly appear in the heart of an offenseless sādhaka. durūhādbhuta-vīrye’smin śraddhā dūre’stu pañcake, yatra svalpo’pi sambandhaḥ sad-dhiyāṁ bhāva-janmane (Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.238). “Associating with devotees, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, serving the Deity form, congregational chanting of the holy names and living in Vraja: each of these five sādhanas is so inconceivably, astonishingly powerful that even without the presence of faith, only a slight connection with them causes bhāva to quickly appear in the heart of an offenseless sādhaka.” One may ask, “Only after the sādhaka has passed through the several stages from śraddhā up to āsakti by means of suitable sādhana-bhajana is he able to arrive in the kingdom of bhāva. How can bhāva be produced by such little contact with those five sādhanas?” He replies, alaukika-padārthānām acintyā śaktir īdṛśī, bhāvaṁ tad-viṣayaṁ cāpi yā sahaiva prakāśayet (Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.244). “These five transcendental practices have such inconceivable power that by only a slight connection with them, both bhāva and the object of bhāva are revealed at the same time.” But the sādhaka must live in Vraja with anurāga, meaning with love, devotion and respect. Otherwise, if offenses are committed there, Śrī Dhāma is displeased and the sādhaka will incur much delay in attaining his goal. Then, after suffering the appropriate misery or repentance for a long time, if Śrī Dhāma is satisfied, the sādhaka can obtain the fruit of living there.

  Secondly, there is nowhere in the world that can provide more inspiration to the sādhaka for his loving service of living in Vraja. Never mind this world, Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya has advised Gopakumāra that to attain vraja-bhāva he should abandon the spiritual abodes from Vaikuṇṭha up to Dvārakā and reside in this earthly Vraja. This has been described in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.5.243-244:

tatraivotpadyate dainyaṁ tat-premāpi sadā satām |

tat-tac-chūnyam ivāraṇya-sarid-giryādi paśyatām ||

sadā hā-hā-ravākrānta-vadanānāṁ tathā hṛdi |

mahāsantāpa-dagdhānāṁ sva-priyaṁ parimṛgyatām ||

  “Seeing the forests, rivers, mountains and so on in the earthly Vṛndāvana, the sādhus always spontaneously experience unprecedented humility and love. There, they ever search eagerly for their beloved deity, their mouths crying out in anguish and their hearts burnt by great repentance.” After arriving in this earthly Vraja, Śrīla Gopakumāra entered a similar emotional state, as described in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.6.3-4:

sadā mahārtyā karuṇa-svarai rudan

nayāmi rātrīr divasāṁś ca kātaraḥ |

na vedmi yad yat sucirād anuṣṭhitaṁ
sukhāya vā tat tad utārti-sindhave ||

kathaṁ cid apy ākalayāmi naitat

kim eṣa dāvāgni-śikhāntare’ham |

vasāmi kiṁ vā paramāmṛtāccha-
suśītala-śrī-yamunā-jalāntaḥ ||

  Śrī Gopakumāra said to Śrī Jana Śarmā, “O brāhmaṇa! After arriving in the earthly Vraja, I used to always cry out in deep sorrow, meaning in great distress I called out ‘O Lord’ with a mournful voice. In this way, I spent my days and nights. For a long time I performed all of my religious practices, but whether it was for obtaining happiness or for submerging myself in a vast ocean of misery, I did not know. I could not understand whether I was living within the flames of a forest fire or within the transcendentally sweet, pure and cool water of the Yamunā.” This is a charming image of living with anurāga in Vraja in the sādhaka body. Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha and the rest of the Six Gosvāmīs have established the highest ideal of this kind of love-filled residence in Vraja.

  Moreover, it can be understood from this verse that he also desires to live with anurāga in līlā-dhāma Vraja, the realm of līlā, directly in his siddha-deha. In his Ānanda-Candrikā commentary on verses 3.49-53 of Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi and in his Śrī-Rāga-Vartma-Candrikā, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has shown with logic and appropriate philosophical conclusions that the sādhaka is born in the kingdom of līlā in his internally conceived siddha-deha and lives in Vraja with anurāga. The essential meaning of this is that those who are eager for vraja-bhāva perform bhajana on the rāgānugā-mārga. According to their eagerness for the appropriate rāgānugā-bhajana, they from time to time take birth in the womb of a gopī, either alone or in groups of two or three. Taking birth as a gopī in Vrajabhūmi means that at the time of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incarnation, like the nitya-siddhā-gopīs, the sādhana-siddhās also appear in their mentally conceived siddha-svarūpas. There, by the power of their association with the nitya-siddhā-gopīs, and by seeing Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, hearing and singing of their qualities and so on, the symptoms of sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga and mahābhāva manifest in their gopī bodies. In the sādhaka-deha, one can only rise to the stage of prema; the stages from sneha up to mahābhāva cannot manifest. Without taking birth from the womb of a gopī in a family of cowherds, one cannot become knowledgeable in the various relationships of Kṛṣṇa’s nara-līlā (humanlike pastimes), such as which girl is whose daughter, whose daughter-in-law and whose wife. After a long time, an intense yearning for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s direct sevā awakens in the heart of a bhakta who is thoroughly engaged in rāgānugā-mārga-sādhana and in whom prema has appeared. Then, even though sneha or the other stages of prema have not yet arisen in the bhakta’s heart and mind, Śrī Kṛṣṇa becomes overwhelmed by compassion and gives the bhakta, in his sādhaka-deha, a divine vision of himself along with his companions, either in a dream or directly manifest. Then, just as he gave a blissful spiritual body to Śrī Nārada, in the same way he gives to the loving sādhaka the vraja-gopikā body he has contemplated. After that, when Śrī Vṛndāvana visibly manifests on earth and Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his companions appear, Yogamāyā causes that very body to be born from the womb of a gopī in order to complete the stages of prema, beginning with sneha. Regarding this, there is not even a moment’s delay because at that time the premika’s eagerness to obtain direct sevā immediately leads him to the kingdom of līlā. There is no other way. Still, to bring about his maturation through sneha and the other stages of prema, and to give him knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nara-līlā through birth from a gopī’s womb, he must first be brought to the prakaṭa-līlā (manifest pastimes). There is also no cessation of the prakaṭa-līlā; it rolls through countless universes like a wheel of fire. After leaving his material body, by Yogamāyā’s mercy the bhakta in whom prema has arisen then takes birth in the home of a gopa in the universe where Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are being displayed. In this way, the sādhaka lives with anurāga in Vraja in his siddha-deha along with the nitya-siddhā-gopīs. Knowing him to be worthy, the nitya-siddhā-sakhīs also include him (her) in their own group and bless him with the direct sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. By this, all of the sādhaka’s hopes are fulfilled. Therefore, he says, sakhī-gaṇa-gaṇanāte, āmāre likhibe tāte, tabahi pūraba abhilāṣa. We find a similar conclusion in Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s poem Prārthanā:

hari hari! āra kabe emana daśā haba |

kabe bṛṣabhānu-pure, āhirī-gopera ghare, tanayā haiyā janamiba ||

yābaṭe āmāra kabe, e pāṇi-grahaṇa habe, basati kariba kabe tāya |

sakhīra parama-preṣṭha, ye haya tāhāra śreṣṭha, sebana kariba tāra pāya ||

teṅha kṛpābān hañā, rātula-caraṇe lañā, āmāre karibe samarpaṇa |

saphala haibe daśā, pūribe manera āśā, sebi duṅhāra yugala-caraṇa ||

  “Hari! Hari! When shall I be in such a state? When shall I take birth as a daughter in the home of cowherds in Vṛṣabhānupura? When shall I be married in the village of Yāvaṭa and make my residence there? I shall serve the feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, who is most dear to Śrī Lalitā. Being very merciful, she will offer me at the crimson lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. This state will be most fruitful: all my heart’s desires will be fulfilled and I will serve the Divine Couple.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 56 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

সাধনে যে ধন চাই,        সিদ্ধদেহে তাহা পাই,

পক্বাপক্ব মাত্র সে বিচার ।

পাকিলে সে প্রেমভক্তি,        অপক্বে সাধনগতি,

ভকতি লক্ষণ তত্ত্বসার ॥ ৫৬ ॥

sādhane ye dhana cāi,        siddha-dehe tāhā pāi,

pakvāpakva mātra se bicāra |

pākile se prema-bhakti,        apakve sādhana-gati,

bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva-sāra || 56 ||

  I will attain in my siddha-deha the treasure that I long for during sādhana: the only consideration is ripeness or unripeness. The unripe stage consists of the practices of sādhana; the ripened stage is prema-bhakti. This is the essential characteristic of the path of devotion.

The Essential Truth

  Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: After describing the consistent nature of sādhana and siddhi in the previous verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now clearly defines it through an example: sādhane ye dhana cāi, siddha-dehe tāhā pāi, pakvāpakva mātra se bicāra. Sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the primary, comparative and superlative states of the same thing. At the time of sādhana, the rāgānugīya-sādhaka meditates on performing whatever treasured prema-sevā to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava that he desires. When the sādhaka attains prema, he will obtain that same sevā in his siddha-svarūpa or spiritual form. When passionate devotion is in an incomplete state and is moving in the direction of siddhi, that is sādhana-bhakti. When it reaches a concentrated state, then it is prema-bhakti. For this reason it has been said, siddhasya lakṣaṇaṁ yat syāt sādhanaṁ sādhakasya tat (Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam ṭīkā). “That which is the natural characteristic of a siddha or saint is the devotional practice of a sādhaka.” It is always the nature of sādhana-bhakti to awaken and sustain the desire to attain prema-bhakti or direct sevā. Therefore Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, sādhane ye dhana cāi. Insatiability is the nature of bhakti: the higher the sādhaka ascends in bhakti-sādhana, the more eager or impatient he becomes. This impatience or extreme eagerness quickly leads the sādhaka to the kingdom of prema-siddhi or direct sevā. Abundant enjoyment has also been stored in sādhana-bhakti, specifically in the rāga-sādhaka’s līlā-smaraṇa wherein his meditation is like direct sevā. Therefore, the extraordinary enjoyment they experience during sādhana has no comparison. If the sādhaka becomes satisfied with that enjoyment and cannot sustain his longing for prema or direct sevā, then in the end a state similar to self-delight (ātmārāmatā) can arise which obstructs the sādhaka’s progress in bhakti-sādhana. It should be understood that this truth has also been hidden within the statement sādhane ye dhana cāi.

  Sādhane ye dhana cāi means that whatever direct prema-sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava the sādhaka desires during the stage of sādhana, he will obtain that same sevā in his siddha-deha after reaching the stage of prema. This is certain: siddha-dehe tāhā pāi. After giving dīkṣā in the kāma-bīja and kāma-gāyatrī, Śrī Gurudeva teaches the sādhaka to worship Śrī Yugala and gives him siddha-praṇālī, which establishes the sādhaka’s relationship with his cherished deity. Siddha-praṇālī contains the name, complexion, age, nature and the rest of the eleven aspects of the sādhaka’s siddha-svarūpa or spiritual form. Those scholars who know the truth describe dīkṣā as a method to destroy a person’s sins and give him spiritual knowledge: divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṁkṣayam, tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ. After quoting this verse in anuccheda 283 of his Śrī-Bhakti-Sandarbha, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written the following: divyaṁ jñānaṁ hy atra śrīmatī mantre bhagavat-svarūpa-jñānaṁ tena bhagavatā sambandha-viśeṣa-jñānaṁ ca; yathā pādmottara-khaṇḍādāv aṣṭākṣarādikam adhikṛtya vivṛtam asti. Here, the word divya-jñāna is understood to mean knowledge of Śrī Bhagavān’s form within a potent mantra, and through that, knowledge about the sādhaka’s specific relationship with Śrī Bhagavān, the presiding deity of the mantra. Regarding this, there is an explanation of the eight-syllable and other mantras in the beginning of the Uttara-Khaṇḍa of Śrī-Padma-Purāṇa wherein this meaning of the word divya-jñāna has been established. In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, this knowledge of a specific relationship became ekādaśa-bhāva, the eleven items defining the relationship of the sādhaka’s mañjarī form with Śrī Gopījanavallabha, the deity of the mantra. In the Pātāla-Khaṇḍa of Padma-Purāṇa we find a description of meditation on the siddha-deha, which is suitable for performing mental service, done by the sādhaka who understands the essential nature of śrī-kṛṣṇa-rasa and who has taken shelter of madhura-rasa. Nādevo devam arcayet, devo bhūtvā devaṁ yajet. “If one is not a god, he cannot worship a god. If one becomes a god, he can worship a god.” This statement from śāstra firmly establishes through prohibition and prescription that a bhakta who desires to serve Śrī Bhagavān must perform bhajana while thinking of himself as one of Bhagavān’s companions (pārṣadas). Thinking of himself as a companion means the sādhaka contemplates his own siddha-deha.

  Some people mistakenly think, “In the beginning the sādhaka meditates by resorting to an imagined mental body, and then, by performing sādhana-bhajana, the sādhaka satisfies Śrī Bhagavān. Following the system of yādṛśī bhāvanā yasya siddhir bhavati tādṛśī, meaning ‘one accomplishes that which he contemplates,’ Śrī Bhagavān makes the sādhaka’s ātmā his companion. In this way, although the sādhaka’s pārṣada body is ultimately real, at the stage of meditation it is imagined.” This conclusion is not supported by the śāstras and mahājanas. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.14 says, vasanti yatra puruṣāḥ sarve vaikuṇṭha-mūrtayaḥ, ye’nimitta-nimittena dharmeṇārādhayan harim. “Śrī Bhagavān’s companions always reside in his abode in spiritual forms similar to his own. They constantly worship Śrī Hari through the selfless practice of bhāgavata-dharma.” In his commentary on this verse in anuccheda 10 of Śrī-Prīti-Sandarbha, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, vaikuṇṭhasya bhagavato jyotir aṁśa-bhūtā vaikuṇṭhaloka-śobhā-rūpā yā anantā mūrtayaḥ tatra vartante tāsām ekayā saha-muktasyaikasya mūrtiḥ bhagavatā kriyata iti vaikuṇṭhasya mūrtir iva mūrtir yeṣām ity uktam. The gist of Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda’s statement is that in Śrī Bhagavān’s eternal abode, the Lord’s companions are of two kinds. One kind is engaged in Śrī Bhagavān’s direct sevā, and the other, being part of the Lord’s luster, is transcendental like his body but exists eternally in countless inactive forms as the brilliant radiance of Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Every one of the countless jīvas is the servant of Śrī Bhagavān; a body suitable for performing the Lord’s sevā has been kept in his abode for each of them. When by bhakti’s mercy he becomes eligible for bhagavat-sevā, Śrī Bhagavān blesses him with that body. 

  In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, siddha-praṇālī is received from Śrī Guru’s lotus feet and contains the particulars of that spiritual body. No one should consider this to be imagined; it is eternal truth. Among those countless forms situated in Śrī Bhagavān’s abode, the Lord determines the particular body the bhakta will receive. After being informed of that through the power of meditation, Śrī Gurudeva gives that form to the sādhaka as his siddha-deha. At the time of sādhana, after establishing a sense of self in that body, the devotee must perform sādhana-bhajana in it. When the sādhaka attains prema, he is blessed with direct sevā in that very body. pakvāpakva mātra se bicāra, pākile se prema-bhakti, apakve sādhana-gati, bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva-sāra. “Ripe or unripe: that is the only consideration. If mature, it is prema-bhakti; if still in development, sādhana is the method. This is the essence of bhakti’s nature.” When a fruit is unripe, its juice is sour or bitter; but when ripe, it is sweet and delicious. In the same way, when sādhana-bhakti becomes fully developed, it is called prema. Even though in the stage of sādhana the enjoyment is somewhat diluted because of anarthas and so on, in prema-bhakti the enjoyment is extremely concentrated. By saying apakve sādhana-gati, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has hinted at a few principles of sādhana-bhakti. One meaning of the word gati is stream or current. The current of the Mandākinī River flows constantly toward the sea; there is no stopping until it reaches its goal. In the same way, sādhana-bhakti constantly flows like the current of the Mandākinī toward the ocean of prema-bhakti. Even though this does not exactly harmonize with the example of the ripe or unripe fruit, still, the thirst for prema-bhakti remains always awake in the sādhaka’s heart, producing within him an inclination toward continuous sādhana-bhakti, which leads him to the kingdom of prema. This part of the example is consistent. The word gati is also defined as both means and goal. Sādhana-bhakti is the method to attain prema-bhakti and also the goal itself, meaning it is the embodiment of prema. This has been implied by the example of the ripe and unripe fruits. Or, sādhana-bhakti is the method and the goal because even in sādhana-bhakti there is no dearth of enjoyment. The premika devotees also long to relish the rasa of sādhana-bhakti. One who eats ripe mangoes may also desire to eat unripe mangoes after making them into pickles. Another meaning of the word gati is class or type. Apakve sādhana-gati means that the different classes of sādhana-bhakti beginning from śraddhā and reaching up to āsakti are in the unripe state. Bhāva-bhakti or rati is the partially ripened state and prema-bhakti is the completely ripened state. The reading apakve sādhana-rīti is also seen in some editions of this book. It should be understood here that the word rīti also refers to those successive stages the bhakta passes through.

  Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says this is the bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva-sāra, meaning that which one desires at the time of sādhana is obtained when one reaches siddhi. The only difference is that it is unripe in sādhana and ripe in siddhi. This is the essence of the devotional principle. Or, beginning from verse fifty-two (śrī-rūpa-mañjarī sāra) and continuing up to this verse, the mysteries of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhana have been revealed; these comprise the essential characteristics of bhakti. Selfless (niṣkāma) service of Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet is the natural characteristic of bhakti. There is no comparison anywhere to the pure, selfless service of the mañjarīs. In them we find the highest level of selflessness.