e Sādhana Leading to Celestial Vraja

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Introduction

CHAPTER ONE

The S§dhana Leading to Celestial Vraja

In his Bhakti-rasām ta-sindhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī describes devotional service in practice to be of two kinds: regulated, vaidhī, and spontaneous, rāgānugā. e ācārya further elaborates on a well-known principle of bhakti which is that spiritual disciplines lead to corresponding perfections.

For example, the worshippers of Lord Rāmacandra become His eternal associates in Ayodhyā-Vaiku ha while the worshippers of Lord Nārāya a attain shelter in the Lord’s all-opulent

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abode. Similarly, devotees of K ṣ a who steadfastly worship Him in reverence become His servants in Dvārakā while those who attain the perfection of spontaneous love become Vraja-vāsīs.

Comparing the devotion of the Vraja-vāsīs to that of all others, Lord K ṣ a says, “Everywhere in the world people worship Me according to scriptural injunctions. But simply by following such regulative principles one cannot attain the loving sentiments of the devotees in Vrajabhūmi.”1

In context of the devotional principle cited above, this statement of the Lord implies that in order to attain the most exalted loving devotion—rāgātmika-bhakti—one must engage in a corresponding spiritual practice. at corresponding practice is rāgānuga-sādhana-bhakti and it is the subject matter of this book.

K ṣ a appeared on earth along with His eternal Vraja-vāsīs so that devotees who hear about His pastimes would be inspired by His associates’ unique love for Him. K ṣ a then reappeared as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach rāgānuga-bhakti through the medium of nāma-sa kīrtana.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is emphatic in its expectation that devotees who have read of K ṣ a’s pastimes from its pages recognise the wonderful opportunity presented through the process of spontaneous practice:

anugrahāya bhaktānā mānu a deham āśrita bhajate tād śī krī ā yā śrutvā tat-paro bhavet

“K ṣ a manifests His eternal human-like form and performs His pastimes to show mercy to the devotees. Having heard such pastimes, one should engage in service to Him.”2

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e above cited word bhavet means “one must become [a rāgānuga-sādhaka],” and its authoritarian mood implies that astute students of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will come to that proper conclusion.3 However, and as will be explained later, such conclusion and practice will generally develop when devotees have been su ciently puri ed through regulated practice and by the association of advanced Vaiṣ avas.

In K ṣ a’s own words, “ en, by hearing about the pure love of the residents of Vraja, devotees will worship Me on the path of spontaneous love, abandoning all rituals of religiosity and fruitive activity.”4

To better understand spontaneous devotion in the life of a practitioner, let us begin by studying the two types of devotion in practice and their interrelationship. is study begins with a comparison of the two kinds of devotion, a study that poses the following questions:

“Which kind of devotional service awards the complete unfolding of perfected mellows—vaidhī or rāga?”

And:

“Can a devotee attain vraja-bhakti through the practice of vaidhī-bhakti?”

Sanātana Gosvāmī’s B had-bhāgavatām ta is devoted to answering these questions which may be summarised in this way:

“Only spontaneous devotional service leads to the complete unfolding of mellows.”

And:

“While regulated devotional service may award eternal residence in many Vaiku ha planets, only through unalloyed spontaneous love is the Vraja of Goloka accessible.”5

Because spontaneous devotional service leads to a more intimate relationship with K ṣ a in a land abounding with the great-

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est sweetness, it is often said to be superior to service inspired by regulations. However, it should be made clear that such a comparison does not imply any defect in regulated devotion. Regulated and spontaneous devotion are equally perfect and complete in both practice and attainment. e concepts of superiority and inferiority are applied to them only to indicate greater and lesser degrees of completeness and perfection. ese are the relative considerations in the absolute realm, as Mahāprabhu explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī regarding K ṣ a’s manifestations being “perfect, more perfect, and most perfect.”6

To get a better grasp of these topics and how they apply to the K ṣ a consciousness movement, we should study the basic de nition of devotional service in practice and its two dominant aspects: regulated and spontaneous.

Rūpa Gosvāmī de nes sādhana-bhakti in this way:

k ti-sādhyā bhavet sādhyabhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prāka ya h di sādhyatā

“When transcendental devotional service, by which love for K ṣ a is attained, is executed by the senses, it is called sādhanabhakti, or the regulative discharge of devotional service. Such devotion eternally exists within the heart of every living entity. e awakening of this eternal devotion is the potentiality of devotional service in practice.”7

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Śrīla Prabhupāda translates bhāva as “love for K ṣ a,” for it refers to the stage of bhāva, ecstatic devotion, which is the preliminary stage of love for K ṣ a, prema. As a distinct stage of devotion in its own right, bhāva is the attainment of practice and prema is the attainment arising from the culture of bhāva.

Ecstatic devotion can be attained by either regulated or spontaneous practice, or a combination of both. e distinguishing feature between these two types of sādhana is the di erence in internal impetus for performing the same external activities headed by hearing and chanting about the Lord. e impetus in regulated devotion is obedience to scriptural injunctions, whereas in spontaneous devotion the impetus is a natural attraction. But because these two kinds of impetus combine in di erent degrees to form a spectrum of motivations it is said that there are many kinds of regulated and spontaneous devotional service in practice.8

In describing sādhana-bhakti, Rūpa Gosvāmī chooses to describe it primarily in terms of regulated devotion. e reason for that is repeatedly emphasised throughout this book: the external activities of both kinds of sādhana are basically the same, that of regulated devotion. e set of activities or single activity that constitutes devotional service is called a limb of devotion, or a ga. An example of a set of activities is Deity worship, which groups together many kinds of tasks related to the Lord. An example of a single activity is accepting a spiritual master, a duty that has no further subdivisions. ere are sixty-four such limbs of devotional service of which the rst twenty are considered the door to bhakti—the most important being taking shelter of a spiritual master, serving him, and accepting instruction and initiation. Devotees may refer to

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Bhakti-rasām ta-sindhu or e Nectar of Devotion for a detailed description of each of these limbs.

Of these sixty-four limbs, some engage a devotee’s entire body, others the senses like touch and sight, while still others the internal organs such as the mind. Of the sixty-four, ve—Deity worship, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, chanting Hare K ṣ a, associating with devotees, and residing in V ndāvana—are the most prominent. And as with all guidelines, some are recommendations and some are prohibitions.

Rūpa Gosvāmī also explains which religious or spiritual activities are not limbs of devotional service. ese include following the duties prescribed by the var āśrama social system, the development of good qualities, and the impersonal approach to knowledge of the soul. While these aforementioned practices may in certain forms—or even partially—be initially favourable for devotional service, ultimately they are not an integral part of the development of bhakti through its stages of development.9 For example, Lord K ṣ a says,

tāvat karmā i kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā mat-kathā-śrava ādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate

“As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śrava a kīrtana vi o [SB 7.5.23] one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions [known as var āśrama].”10

How does this verse apply to devotees?

Although they may have faith in the chanting and hearing process, if devotees are still attached to sense grati cation—in

The Sādhana Leading to Celestial Vraja

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words “they are falling down”11—they should take note of the relevant duties and qualities that pertain to their var a and āśrama, continuing to follow them until their hearts are truly free of attachment. When pure and above such duties, devotees may continue to follow var āśrama to set a proper example for others. is was illustrated in the exemplary behaviour by great devotees including Śrīla Prabhupāda.

In summary, adherence to the var āśrama system is not a limb of bhakti. us, while following Vedic duties is helpful in freeing one from the enjoying spirit, devotional service is not dependent on them.

Practising devotees are always advised to remain attentive to all sixty-four items of vaidhī-bhakti. However, while doing so they may invariably be drawn to just one or perhaps a few limbs of devotion, and that limb or limbs may become their main vehicle for puri cation and perfection.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja was liberated by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śukadeva Gosvāmī by speaking it. By contrast, the son of Vyāsa names ten practices by which Ambarīṣa Mahārāja became free of material attachment and purchased the grace of the Lord.12 To those who recognise the purpose of the regulations of devotion—also known as the path of rules, maryādā-mārga—the Lord o ers this exibility as to how they can awaken their love for Him.

And yet K ṣ a is not fully satis ed by the love that devotees achieve through regulated practice. After His disappearance from the world He thought,

aiśvarya-jñānete saba jagat miśrita aiśvarya-śithila-preme nāhi mora prīta aiśvarya-jñāne vidhi-bhajana kariyā vaiku hake yāya catur-vidha mukti pāñā

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“Knowing My opulences, the whole world looks upon Me with awe and veneration. But devotion made feeble by such reverence does not attract Me. By performing such regulated devotional service in awe and veneration, one may go to Vaiku ha and attain the four kinds of liberation.”13

And so once again K ṣ a appeared as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to make known that special devotional service whose fruit not only fully satis es Him but also makes Him mad with bliss by its in uence. at fruit is spontaneous loving devotional service which is beyond the range of regulated devotion and can only be attained by spontaneous devotional practice, rāgānuga-bhakti. us Rūpa Gosvāmī introduced vaidhī-bhakti not only for the bene t of those who want to take it to its perfection and attain the Lord in one of the Vaiku ha planets. More importantly, and in keeping with Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission, he introduced vaidhī-bhakti as the way in which practising devotees can purify themselves until their natural attachment to K ṣ a dawns. Moreover, he propounded the process of vaidhī-bhakti as the suitable external conduct for accomplished rāgānuga devotees.

Since the external activities of spontaneous and regulated devotion are almost identical, Rūpa Gosvāmī’s description of the former is much more concise than that of the latter. e reason is that spontaneous devotional service is almost like regulated devotional service but with a di erent inspiration and a di erent meditation.

In describing rāgānuga-bhakti, therefore, the bhakti-rasācārya concentrates not on its limbs—which for the most part are the limbs of regulated devotion—but on the quali cation for its practice, its divisions, and the mental absorption accompanying it. All this he precedes with an explanation of its perfection and the role models it emulates—the residents of V ndāvana.

The Sādhana Leading to Celestial Vraja

Śrīla Prabhupāda points to Mother Yaśodā as such a role model. He writes, “Anyone who desires to be K ṣ a conscious in motherly a ection or parental a ection should contemplate the bodily features of Mother Yaśodā.” e description of K ṣ a’s mother to which Śrīla Prabhupāda refers is this verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

k auma vāsa p thu-ka i-ta e bibhratī sūtra-naddha putra-sneha-snuta-kuca-yuga jāta-kampa ca subhrū rajjv-ākar a-śrama-bhuja-calat-ka ka au ku ale ca svinna vaktra kabara-vigalan-mālatī nirmamantha

“Dressed in a sa ron-yellow sari, with a belt tied about her full hips, Mother Yaśodā pulled on the churning rope, labouring considerably, her bangles and earrings moving and vibrating and her whole body shaking. Because of her intense love for her child, her breasts were wet with milk. Her face, with its very beautiful eyebrows, was wet with perspiration, and mālatī owers were falling from her hair.”

His Divine Grace concludes his commentary by saying, “ erefore this description is provided here. Advanced devotees must cherish this description, always thinking of Mother Yaśodā’s features—how she was dressed, how she was working and perspiring, how beautifully the owers were arranged in her hair, and so on. One should take advantage of the full description provided here by thinking of Mother Yaśodā in maternal a ection for K ṣ a.”14

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NOTES

1. Caitanya-caritām ta, Ādi-līlā 3.15 2. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.36 3. is interpretation of the word bhavet is found in the verses of Caitanya-caritām ta, Ādi-līlā 4.33-35 and their purports. 4. Caitanya-caritām ta, Ādi-līlā 4.33 5. We shall later see that spontaneous devotion mixed with reverence leads to service in the Dvārakā of Goloka. 6. Caitanya-caritām ta, Madhya-līlā 20.399 7. Bhakti-rasām ta-sindhu 1.2.2 8. Vaidhī- and rāga-bhakti have been described in their pure stages. However, while some devotees may be inspired to serve in either one of these two ways, other devotees may be inspired by varying combinations of duty and attraction. Where duty dominates over attraction, those kinds of devotion are called the many forms of vaidhī-bhakti, and where attraction dominates over duty, those kinds of devotion are called the many forms of spontaneous devotion. 9. Impersonalists analyse the nature of the soul and of brahman but then equate the two. While knowledge of the soul and brahman are useful to devotion, equating the two is not and so it is rejected. Similarly, austerities that are meant to please K ṣ a are useful but to perform them only to gain mastery over the senses or attain some material perfection is not. Finally, since proper conduct and qualities like cleanliness are by-products of bhakti, they do not constitute a limb of devotion. 10. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.20.9 11. Conversation, February 14, 1977, Māyāpur 12. See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.4.18–20 13. Caitanya-caritām ta, Ādi-līlā 3.16-17 14. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.9.3