The Awakening of Spontaneous Devotional Service

Śivarāma Swami
The Awakening of
Spontaneous Devotional Service
Śivarāma Swami
The Awakening
of Spontaneous
Devotional Service
Lāl Kiadó
The Awakening of Spontaneous
Devotional Service
© 2015 Śivarāma Swami

© 2015 Lāl Kiadó, Hungary
Publishing Manager: Manorāma Dāsa

Editor: Braja Sevakī Devī Dāsī
Sanskrit Editor: Gabhīra Dāsa
Layout & Prepress: Sundara-rūpa Dāsa
Artwork: Śyāma-latā Devī Dāsī
Cover: Akṛṣṇa Dāsa
ISBN 978-615-80197-9-8
Printed in Hungary
Readers interested
in the subject matters in this book
are invited to visit the website:
www.sivaramaswami.com
Dedication
To those devotees who follow strictly the process of
regulated devotional service and who constantly hear
about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Vṛndāvana pastimes as taught by
Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Contents
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter One
The Sādhana Leading to Celestial Vraja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter Two
The Rāgātmika-bhakti of the Vraja-vāsīs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter Three
The Qualification for Rāgānuga-sādhana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter Four
Attraction in Sacred Lust and Relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chapter Five
Remembering Kṛṣṇa and His Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chapter Six
Following a Vraja-vāsī in One’s Siddha-deha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Chapter Seven
Following a Vraja-vāsī in One’s Sādhaka-rūpa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
7
The Awakening of Spontaneous Devotional Service
Chapter Eight
Five Limbs of Practice Affecting Bhāva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Chapter Nine
Two Kinds of Rāgānuga-bhakti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter Ten
Words of Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Chapter Eleven
Spontaneous Devotion in ISKCON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Index of Verses Quoted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
8
Acknowledgements
I have but one acknowledgement to make in regard to the
production of this book, a collective acknowledgement to the
small group of people involved in bringing it to life and their
marathon efforts in what would otherwise be an impossible frame
of time but which, due to their undeniable love for their service,
their dedication to each other as a team, their cooperative spirit,
and most especially their ease and willingness to respond to my
demands, all combined to turn a marked-up manuscript into
another beautiful Lal production.
To all of you whose names are listed in the beginning of this
book, my heartfelt thanks.
9
Introduction
Historically, the subject and the practice of spontaneous devo-
tional service has repeatedly been a source of concern in iskcon.
This concern is generally a justified reaction to immature devo-
tees propagating the teachings and practice of rāgānuga-bhakti.
At times though, the reaction has been inappropriate, resulting
in unwanted consequences. Yet as iskcon grows and matures, it
strives to find the right balance in accommodating rāgānuga-bhakti
in a Society whose members visibly practise vaidhī-bhakti.
It has to!
Spontaneous practice is one of the two paths leading to spon-
taneous loving devotion which, is the ultimate goal of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. The urge to take up the path of rāga will invariably
arise in some iskcon members as a consequence of devotee asso-
ciation and reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. And it will arise in
almost every member when they become liberated.
However, all sources of hearing do not awaken genuine greed.
Often it is found that when devotees acquire an interest in and
knowledge of spontaneous devotion, they mistakenly think they
are qualified to practise it. That misunderstanding can lead to the
age-old delusion that afflicts our Gauḍīya tradition—sahajiyāism.
Sahajiyās are untrained, unguided Vaiṣṇavas who oversimplify the
qualification for spontaneous devotion despite having mastered
neither sense control nor Lord Caitanya’s teachings. The result is
that the integrity of the purest spiritual lineage has been subjected
11
to criticism and disdain. That is a serious handicap for a religious

movement with its sights on global influence and eminence.
It was for this reason that Śrīla Prabhupāda dealt with
anything that resembled sahajiyāism with an iron fist. And that
mood has been rightly carried forth by iskcon’s leaders, albeit
without the same spiritual insight as that of His Divine Grace—
understandably. But as devotees become more learned and real-
ised, their fidelity to protect the Society is being fine-tuned to the
consequences of Lord Caitanya’s teachings: Kṛṣṇa consciousness
gives rise to spontaneous devotees. And those spontaneous devo-
tees must be harmoniously integrated within the Society, their
spiritual practices nurtured, and regulated devotion maintained
as the common visible sādhana of iskcon.
No easy task.
The spiritual leanings and preferences of devotees in iskcon is
legion. Among regulated devotees are those who are unaware of the
relevance of spontaneous devotion, and those who are. Then there
are devotees who have an affinity for spontaneous practice but no
qualification for it—they are often instigators of controversy. Among
truly spontaneous devotees are both conditioned souls and liberated
souls: of the former, some do not know how to conduct themselves
and so they too cause dissention. Returning to regulated devotees,
there are those who do not know how to relate to Vaiṣṇavas of a
mood different from their own, and then there are those who are
intolerant of what they mistakenly judge to be unorthodoxy.
In writing this book I have tried to shed light on the truths of
rāgānuga-bhakti in a way that would assist devotees—regulated,
spontaneous, or the many shades in between—to both pursue
their spiritual calling and maintain stability in the movement. If
I have made any mistakes or created any offences in the process
I beg my readers to forgive me.
12
CHAPTER ONE
The S§dhana Leading

to Celestial Vraja
I
n his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī describes devo-
tional service in practice to be of two kinds: regulated, vaidhī,
and spontaneous, rāgānugā. The 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-Vaikuṇṭha while the worship-
pers of Lord Nārāyaṇa attain shelter in the Lord’s all-opulent
13
Chapter One
abode. Similarly, devotees of Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa 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 state-
ment of the Lord implies that in order to attain the most exalted
loving devotion—rāgātmika-bhakti—one must engage in a
corresponding spiritual practice. That corresponding practice is
rāgānuga-sādhana-bhakti and it is the subject matter of this book.
Kṛṣṇa 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. Kṛṣṇa then reappeared
as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach rāgānuga-bhakti through the
medium of nāma-saṅkīrtana.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is emphatic in its expectation that devo-
tees who have read of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes from its pages recognise
the wonderful opportunity presented through the process of
spontaneous practice:
anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ
mānuṣaṁ deham āśritaḥ
bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍā
yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet
“Kṛṣṇa 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
14
The Sādhana Leading to Celestial Vraja
The 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 conclu-
sion and practice will generally develop when devotees have been
sufficiently purified through regulated practice and by the asso-
ciation of advanced Vaiṣṇavas.
In Kṛṣṇa’s own words, “Then, 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. This 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 Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 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 resi-
dence in many Vaikuṇṭha planets, only through unalloyed spon-
taneous love is the Vraja of Goloka accessible.”5
Because spontaneous devotional service leads to a more inti-
mate relationship with Kṛṣṇa in a land abounding with the great-
15
Chapter One
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. The concepts of supe-
riority and inferiority are applied to them only to indicate greater
and lesser degrees of completeness and perfection. These are the
relative considerations in the absolute realm, as Mahāprabhu
explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī regarding Kṛṣṇa’s manifestations
being “perfect, more perfect, and most perfect.”6
To get a better grasp of these topics and how they apply to
the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we should study the basic
definition of devotional service in practice and its two dominant
aspects: regulated and spontaneous.
* * * *
Rūpa Gosvāmī defines sādhana-bhakti in this way:
kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya-

bhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya
prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā
“When transcendental devotional service, by which love for

Kṛṣṇa is attained, is executed by the senses, it is called sādhana-
bhakti, or the regulative discharge of devotional service. Such
devotion eternally exists within the heart of every living entity.
The awakening of this eternal devotion is the potentiality of
devotional service in practice.”7
16
Śrīla Prabhupāda translates bhāva as “love for Kṛṣṇa,” for

it refers to the stage of bhāva, ecstatic devotion, which is the
preliminary stage of love for Kṛṣṇa, 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 spon-
taneous practice, or a combination of both.
The distinguishing feature between these two types of sādhana
is the difference in internal impetus for performing the same
external activities headed by hearing and chanting about the
Lord. The impetus in regulated devotion is obedience to scrip-
tural injunctions, whereas in spontaneous devotion the impetus
is a natural attraction. But because these two kinds of impetus
combine in different 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. The reason
for that is repeatedly emphasised throughout this book: the exter-
nal activities of both kinds of sādhana are basically the same, that
of regulated devotion.
The set of activities or single activity that constitutes devo-
tional service is called a limb of devotion, or aṅga. 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.
There are sixty-four such limbs of devotional service of which
the first 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
17
Chapter One
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu or The 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, five—Deity
worship, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa,
associating with devotees, and residing in Vṛndāvana—are the
most prominent. And as with all guidelines, some are recom-
mendations and some are prohibitions.
Rūpa Gosvāmī also explains which religious or spiritual activ-
ities are not limbs of devotional service. These include follow-
ing the duties prescribed by the varṇāśrama 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 Kṛṣṇa says,
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta

na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau 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 śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ
viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23] one has to act according to the regulative
principles of the Vedic injunctions [known as varṇāśrama].”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 gratification—in
18
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words “they are falling down”11—they should

take note of the relevant duties and qualities that pertain to their
varṇa 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 varṇāśrama to set a proper
example for others. This was illustrated in the exemplary behav-
iour by great devotees including Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In summary, adherence to the varṇāśrama system is not a
limb of bhakti. Thus, 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 purification 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 devo-
tion—also known as the path of rules, maryādā-mārga—the Lord
offers this flexibility as to how they can awaken their love for Him.
And yet Kṛṣṇa is not fully satisfied 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
vaikuṇṭhake yāya catur-vidha mukti pāñā
19
Chapter One
“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 Vaikuṇṭha and
attain the four kinds of liberation.”13
And so once again Kṛṣṇa appeared as Caitanya Mahāprabhu
to make known that special devotional service whose fruit not
only fully satisfies Him but also makes Him mad with bliss by
its influence. That 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.
Thus Rūpa Gosvāmī introduced vaidhī-bhakti not only for the
benefit of those who want to take it to its perfection and attain
the Lord in one of the Vaikuṇṭha 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 Kṛṣṇa dawns. More-
over, 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. The reason
is that spontaneous devotional service is almost like regulated
devotional service but with a different inspiration and a different
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 qualification 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 Vṛndāvana.
20
Śrīla Prabhupāda points to Mother Yaśodā as such a role

model. He writes, “Anyone who desires to be Kṛṣṇa conscious
in motherly affection or parental affection should contem-
plate the bodily features of Mother Yaśodā.” The description of
Kṛṣṇa’s mother to which Śrīla Prabhupāda refers is this verse of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
kṣaumaṁ vāsaḥ pṛthu-kaṭi-taṭe bibhratī sūtra-naddhaṁ

putra-sneha-snuta-kuca-yugaṁ jāta-kampaṁ ca subhrūḥ
rajjv-ākarṣa-śrama-bhuja-calat-kaṅkaṇau kuṇḍale ca
svinnaṁ vaktraṁ kabara-vigalan-mālatī nirmamantha
“Dressed in a saffron-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 flowers were
falling from her hair.”
His Divine Grace concludes his commentary by saying,
“Therefore this description is provided here. Advanced devo-
tees must cherish this description, always thinking of Mother
Yaśodā’s features—how she was dressed, how she was working
and perspiring, how beautifully the flowers were arranged in her
hair, and so on. One should take advantage of the full descrip-
tion provided here by thinking of Mother Yaśodā in maternal
affection for Kṛṣṇa.”14
21
Chapter One
NOTES
1. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.15

2. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.36
3. This interpretation of the word bhavet is found in the verses of Caitan-
ya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.33-35 and their purports.
5. We shall later see that spontaneous devotion mixed with reverence leads to
service in the Dvārakā of Goloka.
6. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.399
7. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-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 attrac-
tion. 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 devo-
tion, equating the two is not and so it is rejected. Similarly, austerities that are
meant to please Kṛṣṇa 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.
11. Conversation, February 14, 1977, Māyāpur
12. See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.4.18–20
13. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.16-17
22
CHAPTER TWO
The R§g§tmika-bhakti
of the Vraja-v§s¦s
Ś
rī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to reveal the mystery
of spontaneous devotion both in practice and perfection.
Thus when He describes vaidhī-bhakti to Sanātana Gosvāmī
on the banks of the Ganges in Vārāṇasī He does so by calling it
the sādhana undertaken by devotees prior to the awakening of
spontaneous attraction.1 The Lord’s statement not only implies
that regulated devotion is generally an obligatory precursor to
23
Chapter Two
spontaneous attraction but that spontaneous attraction is gener-

ally the prescribed successor to regulated devotion.
The qualification for regulated devotional service is faith in
and knowledge of the scriptures, and devotees are known as
beginner, intermediate, and advanced practitioners according to
the depth of their faith and knowledge. In the previous chapter,
mention has been made of the sixty-four primary limbs of devo-
tional service of which taking shelter of, taking dīkṣā and śikṣā
from, and serving the spiritual master are prerequisites. Of all
sixty-four, Lord Caitanya considers the most far-reaching to be,
sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa

mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana
“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the
Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside at Mathurā, and worship
the Deity with faith and veneration.”2
When devotees’ faith is mixed with dependence on karma—
which includes duties in varṇāśrama like jñāna, yoga, or renun-
ciation—or on the benefits accrued from devotion like wealth
and followers, that faith is to be known as impure. Such impure
faith results in mixed devotion—a combination of spiritual and
material motives—and must be purified before it can result in
bhāva. That purification will most naturally and quickly take
place when a mixed devotee associates with pure devotees. Thus
the learned always emphasise advanced association as the key to
spiritual elevation.
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-janma-mūla haya ‘sādhu-saṅga’

kṛṣṇa-prema janme, teṅho punaḥ mukhya aṅga
24
The Rāgātmikā-bhakti of the Vraja-vāsīs
“The root cause of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa is association

with advanced devotees. Even when one’s dormant love for Kṛṣṇa
awakens, association with devotees is still most essential.”3
As already mentioned, while devotees are encouraged to
follow all the limbs of devotional service, it is found that they
often excel in or take shelter of one of the primary limbs of bhakti
and in that way they attain perfection, bhāva. Many prominent
devotees are examples of this truth:
“Mahārāja Parīkṣit attained the highest perfection, shel-
ter at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, simply by hearing about Lord
Viṣṇu. Śukadeva Gosvāmī attained perfection simply by recit-
ing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Prahlāda Mahārāja attained perfection
by remembering the Lord. The goddess of fortune attained
perfection by massaging the transcendental legs of Mahā-Viṣṇu.
Mahārāja Pṛthu attained perfection by worshipping the Deity,
and Akrūra attained perfection by offering prayers unto the Lord.
Vajrāṅgajī [Hanumān] attained perfection by rendering service
to Lord Rāmacandra, and Arjuna attained perfection simply by
being Kṛṣṇa’s friend. Bali Mahārāja attained perfection by dedi-
cating everything to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.”4
To better understand the nature of spontaneous devotion, this
chapter has introduced the basics of regulated devotional service.
I have given emphasis to these basics to be dutiful in describing
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhana and to emphasise that process for my
readers.
* * * *
The following overview of rāgānuga-bhakti begins by an appre-

ciation of its goal or perfection, which is celebrated by the name
25
Chapter Two
of rāgātmika-bhakti. This kind of devotional service is the char-

acteristic of Kṛṣṇa’s eternal Vṛndāvana associates.
Rūpa Gosvāmī says,
iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ

paramāviṣṭatā bhavet
tan-mayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ
sātra rāgātmikoditā
“When one becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, his natural inclination to love is fully absorbed in
thoughts of the Lord. That is called transcendental attachment,
and devotional service according to that attachment is called
rāgātmika, or spontaneous devotional service.”5
The primary feature of spontaneous devotion is its unparal-
leled, fathomless love for Kṛṣṇa which is called rāga. The second-
ary feature, arising from the first, is absorption in thoughts of
Him. As mentioned earlier, this kind of loving devotion is to
be found only in the residents of Vṛndāvana and nowhere else.
The characteristics and service of the Vraja-vāsīs is narrated in
many Vedic scriptures, among which Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam excels.
Since hearing and studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is an integral
aspect of devotional service, it is to be expected that at some stage
in their spiritual practice devotees will become attracted first to
Kṛṣṇa’s Vṛndāvana pastimes and then to His Vraja-vāsī follow-
ers. And when a devotee’s inspiration for Kṛṣṇa consciousness
comes from the example of the Vraja-vāsīs’ service, a service that
he or she is eager to emulate, then that devotee’s piety is called
rāgānugā, or spontaneous devotional service in practice.
Rūpa Gosvāmī defines rāgānuga-bhakti in this way:
26
virājantīm abhivyaktāṁ
vraja-vāsi-janādiṣu
rāgātmikām anusṛtā
yā sā rāgānugocyate
“Devotional service in spontaneous love is vividly expressed and

manifested by the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Devotional service
that accords with their devotional service is called rāgānuga-
bhakti, or devotional service following in the wake of spontane-
ous loving service.”6
Whereas the meaning of rāga in rāgātmika-bhakti indicates
complete loving absorption in Kṛṣṇa, Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura defines rāga in rāgānuga-bhakti as an intense craving
to see the Deity of Kṛṣṇa and to hear the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s
tenth canto pastimes of the Lord.7 Therefore the one word rāga
has a meaning for the perfect devotee that is considerably differ-
ent from what it means for the practitioner. Love for Kṛṣṇa is
all-inclusive and universal, but it manifests to different degrees
according to one’s spiritual development.8
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura confirms,
pakile sei prema-bhakti apakwe sādhana khyāti

bhakati-lakṣaṇa-anusāra
“Actually sādhana-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the same devo-

tional service. In the former, love for Kṛṣṇa is still unripe and in
the latter the same love has reached the mature, ripened stage.
That is the description of devotional service.”9
The natural object of love for the living entity is Kṛṣṇa. In the
conditioned state, however, love is directed towards the objects
of this world, the result being that material activities and their
27
Chapter Two
reactions cover every living entity’s pure rāga.10 This covering is

the contaminated state of the subtle body, meaning the aggregate
of the mind, intelligence, and false ego.
Therefore when one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, rāga mani-
fests in proportion to the purification of the heart. Yet as long
as the subtle body remains in a contaminated state, one cannot
regain pure love for Kṛṣṇa. And so the difference between a devo-
tee practising spontaneous devotion and one who has attained it
is that the former seeks to surrender by abandoning his material
identity, while the latter has given himself to Kṛṣṇa by having
realised his spiritual identity.
Thus the devotion of the rāgānuga-sādhakas has rāga as its
quality, which may be called rāgamayī, whereas the devotion of
the eternal associates has rāga as its essence, which we know as
rāgātmikā.11 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes that the transformation
of love from the qualitative to the essential takes place by the grad-
ual dissolution of the material contamination covering the subtle
body, a dissolution affected by the practice of devotional service:
jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ

nigīrṇam analo yathā
“Bhakti, devotional service, dissolves the subtle body of the living

entity without separate effort, just as fire in the stomach digests
all that we eat.”12
Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda uses the word ruci as a synonym for
rāga, thus shedding further light on the essence of spontaneous
devotion.13 Ruci means taste. When one has a natural taste for
serving the Lord, then one is said to have rāga. And as explained
earlier, the intensity of taste for Kṛṣṇa and His service is a meas-
ure of one’s evolving love for Him.
28
Jīva Gosvāmī confirms that a taste for rāga does not indicate its
full awakening.14 In the way that the rays of the moon are reflected
in a crystal and thus cause it to shine, so when the moonlight of
hearing about the loving devotion of the Vraja-vāsīs illuminates
the heart with a taste for a similar type of devotion, the subsequent
Kṛṣṇa consciousness of a practitioner is called rāgānugā.
Rūpa Gosvāmī equates rāga with a deep thirst for Kṛṣṇa,
paramāviṣṭatā.15 Thus, according to the level of spontaneous thirst
one has for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to that degree the quality of
one’s rāgānuga-bhakti approaches the perfection of rāga which is
manifest at the successive stages of bhāva, prema and the mellow
of devotion, rasa.
To conclude: When a devotee has some natural attraction
for the service of the Vraja-vāsīs—which manifests in a thirst
for hearing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and a taste for what he or she has
heard—then it can be understood that sacred love, rāga, has
appeared. If that devotee’s service to the Lord and his or her
impetus to practise the limbs of bhakti are inspired by rāga,
then that devotee has crossed into the threshold of spontaneous
devotion.16
When devotees are naturally inclined to think of Kṛṣṇa then
their way back to Godhead is clear. In Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s
words,
bhāvite bhāvite kṛṣṇa sphuraye antare

kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya ajña pāya rasa-sindhu-pāre
“When one thinks of Kṛṣṇa constantly, love for Him manifests

within the heart. Even though one may be ignorant, one can
reach the far shore of the ocean of transcendental love by Lord
Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.”17
29
Chapter Two
What subject matter will attract devotees’ thoughts? Anything

in relation to Kṛṣṇa is attractive, for He is attraction personified.
But His bodily beauty, as described by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, is the
emperor of irresistible qualities. The most exquisite description
of Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is spoken by the gopīs:
barhāpīḍaṁ naṭa-vara-vapuḥ karṇayoḥ karṇikāraṁ

bibhrad vāsaḥ kanaka-kapiśaṁ vaijayantīṁ ca mālām
randhrān veṇor adhara-sudhayāpūrayan gopa-vṛndair
vṛndāraṇyaṁ sva-pada-ramaṇaṁ prāviśad gīta-kīrtiḥ
“Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue

karṇikāra flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as
gold, and the Vaijayantī garland, Lord Kṛṣṇa exhibited His tran-
scendental form as the greatest of dancers as He entered the forest
of Vṛndāvana, beautifying it with the marks of His footprints.
He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, and
the cowherd boys sang His glories.”18
NOTES
1. The Lord says, “Those who have not attained the platform of spontaneous
attachment in devotional service render devotional service under the guid-
ance of a bona fide spiritual master according to the regulative principles
mentioned in the revealed scriptures. According to the revealed scriptures,
this kind of devotional service is called vaidhī-bhakti.” Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Madhya-līlā 22.109
4. This verse appears in Padyāvalī 53 and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.265.
30
Notes
7. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu, Pūrva-vibhāga 8
8. From these interpretations of rāga, rāgānugā can mean both following the
love, rāga, of the Vraja-vāsīs and also following one’s own immature love,
rāga, for the love of the Vraja-vāsīs. The first interpretation is the general one.
9. Prema-bhakti-candrikā 5.8
10. The natural affection that a complete materialist has for those sense objects
that fulfil his desires for sensual enjoyment is also called rāga. Obviously such
rāga is completely material. However through purification of the heart, Kṛṣṇa
becomes the object of a devotee’s attachment and material rāga becomes puri-
fied, thereby gradually assuming its original nature at perfection.
11. In Daśa-mūla-tattva 11, Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda describes the distinction
between the love of the practitioner and that of the perfect devotee using
the term prīti for love. He calls love in these two stages—immaturity and
maturity—prītimayī and prītyātmikā. I have replaced the word prīti for rāga
to avoid introducing another term for the same thing.
13. Āmnāya-sūtra 5.116 says, ruci-mūlā hi rāgānugā bhaktiḥ, “Rāgānuga-bhakti
is rooted in taste.” One may further note that “love” is also a dictionary
synonym for “taste.”
14. Bhakti-sandarbha 310
16. Readers may take note that spontaneous devotion is of many kinds. A
common form is when a devotee’s impetus is not completely natural but
partially impelled by the edicts of regulated devotional service. More will be
said about this kind of rāgānuga-bhakti in later chapters.
31
CHAPTER THREE
The Qualification for

R§g§nuga-s§dhana
J ust as regulated devotional service has faith in and knowl-

edge of that which is beyond the modes of material nature
as its qualification, similarly natural attraction—or to be
more specific, greed for attaining devotion similar to that of the
Vraja-vāsīs, called lobha—is the qualification for spontaneous
devotional service. Both types of sādhana have a qualification,
or adhikāra.
33
Chapter Three
Rūpa Gosvāmī defines spiritual greed in this way:
tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrute dhīr yad apekṣate

nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca tal-lobhotpatti-lakṣaṇam
“Greed is that quality which is said to have made its appearance

when, within one’s mind and intelligence, devotion becomes
independent of scripture and logic and is inspired instead by
appreciation for the sweetness of the Vraja-vāsīs’s love after having
heard of their service mood from scriptures and saints.”1
In the above verse it should be noted that the word “appreci-
ation” means that one has a “certain degree of appreciation” for
the Vraja-vāsīs. Practising devotees are conditioned souls: that
they will not be able to fully appreciate rāgātmika-bhakti does
not mean that they cannot appreciate it at all. The degree of
appreciation indicates the extent to which greed has developed.
Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself describes the proportionate reciprocation of
pure devotion with its practitioner:
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante

tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante
manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ
“As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone

follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.”2
Although Rūpa Gosvāmī’s description of greed also indicates
its cause, it is useful to separately answer the question, “How
does greed arise?”
The only causes for the appearance of greed are the mercy of
Kṛṣṇa or the mercy of His devotee.3 In commenting on the culti-
34
The Qualification for Rāgānugā-sādhana
vation of greed, Śrīla Prabhupāda states that it “nourishes devo-

tional service to the highest standard,” meaning rāgānuga-bhakti
raises the practitioner to the desired perfection of vraja-bhakti.4
According to the teachings of Lord Caitanya, the highest stand-
ard of devotion—what to speak of the highest perfection—is the
love of the Vraja-vāsīs for Kṛṣṇa.
When we speak of the mercy that gives rise to greed, that
mercy means the good will of the Lord or His pure servant, who
bless a devotee with the desire for rāgātmika-bhakti: “May he be
a follower of the Vraja-vāsīs.” In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words, “If
you satisfy a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he can give you Kṛṣṇa like
this: ‘Take it.’”5 That blessing was also reflected in the concluding
words to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s letters: “Your ever well-wisher.”
Extreme examples of the power of a Vaiṣṇava’s mercy are seen
in how Rasikānanda Prabhu blessed a wild elephant with devotion
to Kṛṣṇa,6 and in how Haridāsa Ṭhākura, knowing that a local
prostitute was employed to tempt him with her wiles, remained
in his place of residence only to bless her with kṛṣṇa-bhakti.7
An example of the Lord’s mercy on us all has already been
mentioned as the external cause of Lord Caitanya’s appearance:8
Kṛṣṇa wanted to bless us with vraja-bhakti. He says,
yuga-dharma pravartāimu nāma-saṅkīrtana

cāri bhāva-bhakti diyā nācāmu bhuvana
“I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age—nāma-

saṅkīrtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall
make the world dance in ecstasy, realising the four mellows of
loving devotional service.”9
When is this divine grace from Kṛṣṇa or His pure devotee
acquired?
35
Chapter Three
Mercy may be attained at any time, either in a previous life

or in the current life.10 In the former, a devotee so blessed will
seek out a spiritual master when his previously acquired greed
manifests its influence. In the latter, generally good fortune will
bring a devotee to surrender to a spiritual master by whose asso-
ciation greed awakens.11
Since greed is the prerequisite for rāgānuga-bhakti, it follows
that one must acquire the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa or that of His pure
devotee. By their grace one will be blessed with the insatiable
eagerness for perfection, laulyam. Rūpa Gosvāmī says there is no
other route to this standard of perfection:
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ
krīyatāṁ yadi kuto ’pi labhyate
tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalaṁ
janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate
“Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be had

even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. Only
by paying one price for it, intense greed, can it be attained. If it
is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay.”12
Śrīla Prabhupāda would indicate that taking responsibility
for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a way to get the mercy of
Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa indicates as much when
He guarantees the preacher pure devotional service.13
And when devotees are very exacting in devotional service,
attentive to all the principles, in Kṛṣṇa’s words “constantly
endeavouring for perfection,” they are certainly candidates for
mercy.14 In this regard Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote, “I am very pleased
to know that you have been strictly living according to our Kṛṣṇa
conscious way of life in the matters of daily chanting sixteen
36
rounds, following the four basic restrictive principles, and work-

ing hard in Kṛṣṇa’s service. Please continue to live in this way
and the success of your life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is assured.”15
Śrīla Prabhupāda also teaches that devotees cannot be indif-
ferent to acquiring greed, thinking that it will come by some
pious acts. Rather, there must be an initial eagerness, a determi-
nation for it. And Śrīla Prabhupāda sets a high bar for the stand-
ard of that determination: “I shall do anything. I shall sacrifice
anything.”16
Although such high-level determination may not come imme-
diately, it will come in stages according to devotees’ advancement,
as in the case of rāga discussed earlier. At least one should acquire,
as Śrīla Prabhupāda says, “a pinch” of greed and then Kṛṣṇa will
give the intelligence from within how one can gradually attain
it full-blown.17
To summarise on sacred greed and its acquisition: while the
kind of greed that immediately propels one into the realm of
transcendence can be acquired by the grace of Kṛṣṇa and guru,
in most cases a less intense form of greed, an eagerness, will be
instilled in the heart of the sincere practitioner. That eagerness
will develop in stages as the devotee hears of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes
of love with His Vraja-vāsī associates. But whatever intensity of
greed one first acquires, it can only be acquired through divine
grace, and that divine grace is usually, but not always, bestowed
as a consequence of sincere service and surrender.18
But what of the already liberated souls who have not practised
spontaneous devotion yet aspire for it rather than for regulated
devotion?
Since ecstatic devotion is achieved by the divine grace of Kṛṣṇa
and His devotees, such liberated souls will immediately see a very
forceful greed flare up in their hearts. For faithful followers of
37
Chapter Three
Caitanya Mahāprabhu, divine grace in the form of a ray of love,

prema-sūryāṁśu, includes all wonderful gifts including rāga.19
Such souls are indeed fortunate.
“If greed comes by blessings,” we may ask, “why do we need
to be aware of it or even strive for it?”
The example may be given of a philanthropist who indiscrim-
inately distributes gold coins to the poor. Unless the destitute
come to receive the gold, unless they open their palms for it,
unless they at least pick it up from the ground upon which it
is scattered, they remain bereft of a life-changing good fortune.
Mercy may come but we have to be ready to take it. Earlier in the
chapter we quote Śrīla Prabhupāda stating that a devotee can give
Kṛṣṇa consciousness just by saying, “Take it.” We have to take it.
One may also rightfully enquire, “If the acquisition and devel-
opment of both greed and spontaneous devotion in practice
are independent of scriptural injunctions, what need then has
rāgānuga-bhakti for reference to scriptures?”
The answer is that rāgānuga-bhakti is a devotional science. If
practitioners do not take guidance from scriptures, then from
where will they receive it? How will they progress? Just because
the impetus for spontaneous devotion is not dependent on
scriptural regulations does not mean that its practice is similarly
independent. Bhakti cannot be made up. Such speculation by
conditioned souls creates as many obstacles in their own efforts
for perfection as it does in the efforts of others:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate
38
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorised Vedic

literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, and Nārada-pañcarātra is
simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.”20
An example of a spontaneous desire brought to fruition by
standard procedures is how hunger comes to people spontane-
ously, yet when they cook to appease their hunger they refer to
cookbooks or recipes.
The fact is that the culture of rāgānuga-bhakti is guided by
the testament of realised souls, either in person or as recorded
in scriptures. The demigods confirm this in a prayer to the Lord
wherein they say,
“As one can derive fire from wood, milk from the milk bag
of the cow, food grains and water from the land, and prosperity
in one’s livelihood from industrial enterprises, so by the practise
of bhakti-yoga, even within this material world, one can achieve
Your favour or intelligently approach You. Those who are pious
all affirm this.”21
Moreover, from where will an inexperienced devotee hear
Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes if not from scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?
Devotees must therefore always carefully follow the exam-
ple of their predecessors whether they follow the path of vidhi
or rāga. If they do not they will forfeit their opportunity for
perfection and their only gain will be the notoriety of becoming
a sahajiyā—an impostor.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives an example that
concludes the answer to this question:
Like a devotee with a thirst for rāga, a person may have a
thirst for milk. But in order to be able to drink milk, that indi-
vidual must still find out where to purchase a cow, buy one, and
thereafter learn how to milk it. Thus only after taking guidance
from others and following the recommended procedures will a
39
Chapter Three
person with a thirst for milk know the true pleasure of drinking
it. Similarly, the rāgānuga-bhakta will continue to take guidance
from saints and scriptures if he is to actually taste real rāga in the
way of the Vraja-vāsīs.22
In conclusion, scriptures themselves emphasise that rāgānuga
practitioners must take guidance from scriptures and guru, for
these are the manifestations of the same Supreme Lord upon
whom the devotees meditate. How then could devotees ignore
His guidance? And when such practitioners become exceedingly
purified, then and only then can they receive guidance through
revelation from within their hearts. This kind of guidance takes
place at the stage of ecstasy and beyond.
When devotees embrace the standard procedure for practising
rāgānuga-bhakti and become advanced, then their attraction to
Kṛṣṇa gradually evolves from being a qualitative feature of their
devotion to being its essence. Kṛṣṇa explains to Uddhava,
yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate ’sau

mat-puṇya-gāthā-śravaṇābhidhānaiḥ
tathā tathā paśyati vastu sūkṣmaṁ
cakṣur yathaivāñjana-samprayuktam
“When a diseased eye is treated with medicinal ointment, it

gradually recovers its power to see. Similarly, as a conscious living
entity cleanses himself of material contamination by hearing and
chanting the pious narrations of My glories, he regains his ability
to see Me, the Absolute Truth, in My subtle spiritual form.”23
Although different kinds of rāga will be described later, it
is instructive to note here that attraction to Kṛṣṇa as exhibited
by the residents of Vraja is of many kinds. In speaking to His
mother, Lord Kapila explained,
40
na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe

naṅkṣyanti no me ’nimiṣo leḍhi hetiḥ
yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca
sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam
“My dear mother, devotees who receive such transcendental

opulences are never bereft of them; neither weapons nor the
change of time can destroy such opulences. Because the devotees
accept Me as their friend, their relative, their son, preceptor,
benefactor, and Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived of their
possessions at any time.”24
In the verse above, Kṛṣṇa is the beloved of the gopīs, He is
the Supreme Brahman for sages like Sanaka-kumāra, the son of
Queen Yaśodā, the friend of cowherd boys like Śrīdāmā, the guru
of Arjuna, the relative of the Pāṇḍavas, the benefactor of Sudāmā
Vipra, and the master of Dāruka.25
The Vraja-vāsīs and their unique kind of love are the objects of
worship for saintly practitioners who recognise the unsurpassable
storehouse of sweetness that such devotion opens. Although the
glories of these Vraja-vāsīs were hidden from the pages of the
Vedas, they have been made known to the world under Caitanya
Mahāprabhu’s order by His own associates, who are those self-
same Vraja-vāsīs. By reading their books devotees discover a rare
touchstone: the greed for vraja-bkakti. A sample of those writings
is the following from Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī:26
“Within the district of Mathurā, the land of Śrī Vraja is splen-
didly manifest. I eternally worship the land of Mathurā. Even
today, affectionate Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoys the very sweet nectar of
transcendental pastimes there, herding the cows with His brother
and His many dear friends. A wonderful sweetness becomes
manifest in the heart of they who understand the nectar of
41
Chapter Three
this place. Of Vraja, which is more dear even than the city of
Mathurā, I take shelter.
“With great love, enthusiasm, and respect, Kṛṣṇa’s servants,
who are much like His friends, serve Him in many ways and
please Him by bringing the flute, vīṇā, water, betel nuts, and other
articles. I worship Kṛṣṇa’s servants, who have Patrī as their leader.
“Filled with deep love for Him and anxious that they may be
separated, Subala never, even in dream, lets go of the hand of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the moon of Gokula. Subala’s heart is sprinkled with
the waters of the swiftly moving mountain stream of devotion
to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. I offer my respectful obeisances to Subala,
whose body trembles with love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
“May the Queen of Vraja, whose breasts continually trickle
milk out of maternal love for her son, who is prepared to give
her life many millions of times to protect Him from even a single
drop of perspiration, and who is so attached to Him that if she
cannot for a moment see Him she cries like a cow frightened for
her newborn calf, protect us.
“By offering Her betel nuts, by massaging Her feet, by bring-
ing Her water, by arranging for Her meetings with Lord Kṛṣṇa,
and by performing many other services, many gopī maidservants
affectionately please Śrī Rādhā, the great queen of Vṛndāvana
forest. When the Divine Couple enjoy Their pastimes, these
maidservants are not at all shy, even in the presence of the prom-
inent gopīs for whom Śrī Rādhā is more dear than life. I take
shelter of these gopī maidservants, who have Rūpa-mañjarī as
their leader.
“With great humbleness, let me offer my respectful obeisances
to the supremely pious dear devotees of the Lord who reside in
Vraja. Even though Brahmā is a great demigod entrusted with
many weighty duties, to get the dust of the Vraja-vāsīs feet, he
42
sincerely yearns to take birth among the bushes and blades of

grass in Vraja.”
NOTES
2. Bhagavad-gītā 4.11
3. Greed associated with the mode of passion leads to “degradation of the
soul” (Bhagavad-gītā 16.21). However, greed that is the cause of spontaneous
devotion is born of goodness and is clearly different, for it elevates the soul
to “the highest standard” and so it is generally referred to as “sacred greed.”
In this book, where the word “sacred” does not qualify the divine nature of
greed, it should be understood that it is implied.
4. The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 16
5. This is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s comment on the following cited verse by Rūpa
Gosvāmī, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.35 class, Vṛndāvana, November 22, 1976.
6. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 3.105-143
7. Rasika-maṅgala, Western Wave 8
8. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā Chapter 4 describes that the external reason
for Lord Caitanya’s appearance was to introduce the saṇkīrtana movement and
the internal reason was to relish the love that Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī has for Kṛṣṇa.
10. Mercy obtained from a rāgānuga-bhakta in a previous life is called prāktana
and that obtained in a current birth is called ādhunika. (Rāga-vartma-candrikā
1.6)
11. The word “generally” is used here because a devotee may acquire greed
through devotees other than his initiating spiritual master.
12. Padyāvalī 14
15. Letter to Mahānanda (Michael) March 29, 1970
16. Lecture on Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.91-2, Vṛndāvana, March 13,
1974
43
Chapter Three
17. “This eagerness, how to love Kṛṣṇa, this is not available even after many,
many births. So if you have a pinch of that anxiety, ‘How I can serve Kṛṣṇa?’
you must know you are the most fortunate man. A pinch only, laulya, this
anxiety, ‘How I can serve Kṛṣṇa?’ it is very nice. Then Kṛṣṇa will give you
intelligence.” Lecture, Seattle, October 4, 1968
18. Divine grace is causeless which means that it sometimes descends upon a
recipient who appears to be undeserving.
22. Rāga-vartma-candrikā 1.6
25. Jīva Gosvāmī comments on this verse to clarify that Lord Śiva’s falling
in love with Mohinī-mūrti does not fall in the category of ecstatic love but
material lust. The reasoning is that Lord Śiva was under the influence of the
Lord’s illusory potency.
26. The following verses are Vraja-vilāsa-stava 5 and 6, 37, 22, 10, 38, and
100 respectively.
44
CHAPTER FOUR
Attraction in Sacred Lust

and Relationship
A
t the end of the previous chapter I touched upon different
kinds of spontaneous devotion based on the teachings
of Lord Kapila. Before describing the actual practices
involved in rāgānuga-bhakti, I shall elaborate on the two main
categories into which spontaneous devotion is divided—conjugal
and relationship.
One may naturally enquire why a distinction needs to be
45
Chapter Four
made between the two, since conjugality is also a kind of rela-

tionship. The reason is that Rūpa Gosvāmī takes the very same
approach. And Jīva Gosvāmī explains that because conjugality is
the pre-eminent relationship, it is set apart from others.1
The two types of rāgātmika-bhakti are known by the names
kāma-rūpa, impelled by conjugal love, and sambandha-rūpa,
impelled by the pure sentiment of relationship.
Spontaneous devotion in kāma is exemplified by the young
gopīs of Vṛndāvana, their conjugal absorption in Kṛṣṇa being
motivated by the loving desire to give Him pleasure. In this
kind of devotion, kāma is known as sacred lust and is clearly
distinguished from the mundane lust of this world that also goes
by the name of kāma. The distinguishing factor is the gopīs’ full
absorption in pleasing Kṛṣṇa by means of romantic exchanges.
Because the gopīs’ only motive for conjugal enjoyment is to give
Kṛṣṇa happiness, it is also known as love, prema, and the activ-
ities resulting from that love are the highest form of devotional
service.
Jīva Gosvāmī suggests that the term kāma-rūpa could also
be replaced with the term kāmātmika because kāma-rūpa indi-
cates only conjugal actions which alone do not give rise to love,
whereas kāmātmika indicates not only actions but also the
emotions of conjugality.2 He reconciles the implied disparity
by including the actions of the mind in kāma-rūpa devotion in
which the gopīs think, “Kṛṣṇa will become so happy with me.”
This kind of thinking is indicative of love, and its subsequent
activities are also transformations of the same.
Kubjā is an example of kāma which does not match the love
of the gopīs. It lacks purity and is almost mundane, thus author-
ities do not accept her to be a rāgātmika-bhakta. When Kṛṣṇa
transformed her from a deformed hunchback into a beautiful
46
Attraction in Sacred Lust and Relationship
maiden, she felt lusty attraction towards Him and immediately

expressed her intentions. Her motive was to enjoy herself, not to
give Kṛṣṇa pleasure. But because Kṛṣṇa was the exclusive object of
her attraction, it is said that she has a small degree of love. Only
later, when Kṛṣṇa and Uddhava visited Kubjā at home, did she
receive Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and become fully purified. Śrīdhara Svāmī
adds that she became a liberated soul at that time.3 And according
to Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Kubjā is the Lord’s bhū-śakti, the earth
goddess.4 As such, even her purified love will not match up to
kāma-rūpa love because, as an expansion of the internal potency,
she has awareness of His divinity.
A true example of kāma-rūpa-rāgātmika-bhakti, one that
exhibits both the physical and mental acts of pure conjugal love,
is the following expression of the gopīs, spoken when Kṛṣṇa aban-
doned them in the forest on the night of the rāsa dance:
yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ staneṣu

bhītāḥ śanaiḥ priya dadhīmahi karkaśeṣu
tenāṭavīm aṭasi tad vyathate na kiṁ svit
kūrpādibhir bhramati dhīr bhavad-āyuṣāṁ naḥ
“O dearly beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them
gently on our breasts, fearing that Your feet will be hurt. Our life
rests only in You. Our minds, therefore, are filled with anxiety
that Your tender feet might be wounded by pebbles as You roam
about on the forest path.”5
In Vedic literatures and among great devotees, the kāma-rūpa
of the gopīs is synonymous with prema, and it is eagerly sought
after by the likes of the personified Vedas and by Kṛṣṇa’s cousin
Uddhava.
The Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad and the Gāyatrī mantra succeeded
47
Chapter Four
in their quest to become gopīs, while Uddhava took birth as

ground cover at a place where the gopīs would walk on him. The
reason Uddhava did not accept the actual mood and form of the
gopīs was that he did not want to inspire devotees to abandon their
original relationship with Kṛṣṇa for one of a gopī. Where would
the variegatedness of kṛṣṇa-līlā be if everyone was a gopī? So while
Uddhava did not aspire for the kāma of the gopīs, he did desire its
intensity. This is Jīva Gosvāmī’s considered opinion.6
Because it is pure, spotless, and never wavers, the love of the
gopīs is celebrated as rūḍha-bhāva, which literally means “perfect
love,” and so it is poles apart from material lust. It is said, “The
desire to gratify one’s own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to
please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is prema [love].”7
For Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure the gopīs abandoned not only their
families but also social customs, scriptural injunctions, bodily
demands, fruitive action, shyness, patience, bodily pleasures,
self-gratification, and the rules of varṇāśrama-dharma.
Having renounced everything, indifferent to their pleasures
and pains, the gopīs were attached only to giving Kṛṣṇa pleasure,
and so their every physical and mental activity was dedicated
to that end. By the influence of their love the gopīs surpass the
greatest yogīs and devotees, obliging Kṛṣṇa—Who has promised
to reciprocate with all who worship Him—to admit that He is
unable to repay the gopīs’ love and so remains in their eternal
debt.8
To summarise, the sacred lust of the gopīs, kāma-rūpa-rāgāt-
mika-bhakti, is characterised by an intense thirst for conjugal
enjoyment with Kṛṣṇa for the sole purpose of pleasing Him.
Unlike the kāma of Kubjā, the gopīs’ kāma is without the slightest
trace of desire to enjoy Kṛṣṇa. Therefore their kāma is the fullest
expression of love of God.
48
Kāma equates with prema. It has gained such renown because

of its special sweetness, which arises from amorous exchanges not
found in other relationships and yet which includes all those devo-
tional moods. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s valued opinion it is “super-
excellent.”9 And Vedic literature says, premaiva gopa-rāmāṇāṁ
kāma ity agamat prathām, “The kāma-rūpa-bhakti of the gopīs has
become famous simply as prema.”10 Therefore great devotees in
relationship with Kṛṣṇa, like Uddhava, not only praise the love
of the gopīs but, as mentioned earlier, they yearn for its intensity.
* * * *
Having discussed the spontaneous love of the gopīs, the other

kind of rāgātmika love, relationship, will now be examined.
While praising the good fortune of Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, Nārada
Muni says,
gopyaḥ kāmād bhayāt kaṁso

dveṣāc caidyādayo nṛpāḥ
sambandhād vṛṣṇayaḥ snehād
yūyaṁ bhaktyā vayaṁ vibho
“My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, the gopīs by their lusty desires, Kaṁsa
by his fear, Śiśupāla and other kings by envy, the Yadus by their
familial relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you Pāṇḍavas by your great
affection for Kṛṣṇa, and we, the general devotees, by our devo-
tional service, have obtained the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.”11
This verse lists different persons who, as a consequence of deep
immersion in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, achieved different kinds of perfec-
tions. By analysing these different perfections we see that only two
49
Chapter Four
kinds of absorptions lead to rāgātmika-bhakti, and those are of the

nature of kāma and sambandha. That analysis is as follows:
Nārada’s devotion is denoted by the words bhaktyā vayam,
which is translated by Śrīla Prabhupāda as “we, the general
devotees, by our devotional service,” which Rūpa Gosvāmī goes
further to specify as “we, by our vaidhī-bhakti.” Śrīla Prabhupā-
da’s purport also confirms that this latter understanding was also
his. Thus the mercy obtained by Nārada and his followers is not
rāgātmika-bhakti.
The same may be said of the Pāṇḍavas. Although they are
Kṛṣṇa’s friends, veneration dominates their devotion and once
again the mercy for which they qualify is not of the nature of rāga.
Finally, while fear and envy may have resulted in liberation
for Kaṁsa and Śiśupāla, these are clearly not favourable moods
of devotion and so the absorption that they award does not equal
that attained by the devotees of the Lord. Generally the mercy
which demons attain is shelter in Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual effulgence,
brahman, and in the rare case that they attain the spiritual world
they still only relish the happiness of brahman, or brahmānanda,
which is a far cry from the bliss of rāgātmika-bhakti.12
By the process of elimination we see that only the kāma of
the gopīs and the sambandha of the Vṛṣṇis fall into the cate-
gory of rāgātmika-bhakti. After their careful analysis of Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam, ācāryas Rūpa, Jīva, and Viśvanātha conclude in
this way.
Having already touched upon the subject of rāgātmika-bhakti
in sacred lust, let us briefly survey the characteristics of rāgāt-
mika-bhakti in other relationships like parenthood, friendship,
and servanthood. Once again, these kinds of rāga are only seen
in the Vraja-vāsīs.
Objection may be raised that in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
50
verse above, affection in relationship was exemplified by the

Vṛṣṇis. But the Vṛṣṇis are residents of Mathurā and Dvārakā
and their affection is burdened by awareness of Kṛṣṇa’s divinity.
The conclusion derived from that verse thus compromises the
very definition of rāga. How then can we say that there is such
a thing as rāgātmika-bhakti in that relationship?
The answer in short is that the Vraja-vāsīs are also known as
Vṛṣṇis.13 This is the explanation of our revered ācāryas.
While instructing Rūpa Gosvāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has
described the rudimentary characteristics of the sambandha-rūpa
Vraja-vāsīs, followed by those of the gopīs.14
The distinguishing characteristics of love begin with love in
veneration and are attachment to Kṛṣṇa and freedom from mate-
rial desires. These are exhibited by jñānīs who have achieved the
mellow of neutrality, śānta-rasa. Only when neutrality is enriched
with acts of service is it then known as servitude, dāsya, the first
of three relationships of sambandha-rūpa-rāgātmika-bhakti.
When the relationship of servitude is freed from the venera-
tion ingrained in the exchange between servant and master, and
when it is further enhanced with friendly intimacy, at that time
it is transformed into friendship, sakhya. Endowed with this
relationship, Kṛṣṇa’s friends think themselves His equal or even
His superior. And when friendship is further enriched with the
sense of maintenance typical of parents, then that relationship
becomes one of parenthood, vātsalya.
Parental relationship is followed by kāma-rūpa-bhakti in
which the same attachment, service, fraternity, and sense of
maintenance exist, but with increased intimacy and intensity. In
addition, the gopīs offer their bodies in service to the Lord. Thus,
over and above its own speciality, the love of the gopīs contains
all the qualities of relationship to a superlative degree.
51
Chapter Four
Viewed from the number and intensity of qualities present,

the kāma-rūpa of the gopīs is transcendentally superior to those
in sambandha-rūpa. That is why it is called the perfection of love.
In sambandha-rūpa, parenthood excels friendship, which in turn
is superior to servitude. From the point of view of the Vraja-vāsīs,
however, whichever love for Kṛṣṇa they embody is the relation-
ship they consider perfect and complete. Similarly, while Kṛṣṇa
recognises the hierarchy of perfections, He is simultaneously
equally pleased with them all.
In the perpetual festival-ocean of love celebrated by the Vraja-
vāsīs, many waves of pastimes rise and fall, such as Kṛṣṇa’s leaving
for the morning pasturing grounds.
Like an outgoing tide of humanity the Vraja-vāsīs flow from
the homes of Nandagrāma to see off their beloved Prince Regent.
The cows have been eagerly anticipating Kṛṣṇa’s arrival, and when
He appears they lovingly greet Him in their own ways and then
turn to lead Him to Vṛndāvana forest.
Servant boys like Bṛṅgara and Madhukānta attend to Kṛṣṇa.
They carry His paraphernalia, such as the buffalo-horn bugle,
walking stick, and rope. They are expert in decorating Kṛṣṇa with
mineral dyes, serving Him betel nuts, and playing instruments
as they sing melodious songs. Other servants anoint Kṛṣṇa with
aromatic substances and decorate Him with ornaments and fresh
cloth, while yet others carry water for all occasions and also wash
His clothes. But the maidservants sadly remain in Nandagrāma,
where they cleanse Kṛṣṇa’s quarters and attend to His needs in
the way that Mother Yaśodā directs.
Surrounded by intimate friends, priya-narma-sakhās, like
Subala, Ujjvala, and Madhumaṅgala, Kṛṣṇa basks in the soothing
rays of their love. Although He is more beautiful than thousands
of Cupids, Kṛṣṇa revels in the beauty of fair-complexioned Subala,
52
who like Balarāma is dressed in blue garments and is decorated

with an assortment of jewels and flower ornaments. Although
only twelve-and-a-half years old, cheerful Subala is wise in Kṛṣṇa’s
amorous ways and expert at arranging meetings with Śrī Rādhā.
Walking before Kṛṣṇa are His dear friends, priya-sakhās, of
whom dark complexioned Śrīdāmā is the leader. Being Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī’s older brother, sixteen-year-old Śrīdāmā is a vast
repository of love for his dear friend. In the intimacy of love he
will wrestle with Kṛṣṇa, placing his knee on the Lord’s chest and
saying, “Now what kind of strong prince are You?”
Kṛṣṇa has other friends, some known as well-wishers, suhṛt,
others as friends, sakhās. They are characterised by unique affec-
tion for Him and by specialised services. Along with the other
boys they sing while dancing towards the forest’s edge and play-
fully hold the end of the dhotī of the boy before them. In this
way they enjoy, and please the eyes of the demigods who shower
flowers from above.
Seeing that her worst fears will be realised and that her son
is really leaving barefoot for the demon-infested forest, Mother
Yaśodā faints into the arms of elder ladies like Rohiṇī, Balarāma’s
mother. Although these gopīs are mothers to Kṛṣṇa’s friends, they
love Kṛṣṇa many times more than their own sons. Unable to
revive their Queen, the gopīs call to Kṛṣṇa, Who with His sooth-
ing touch and gentle words revives Yaśodā-devī and reassures her
that His day will be auspicious, His return imminent.
Kṛṣṇa touches His mother’s feet saying, “Dear Mother! With
the power of your foot dust I can vanquish a universe full of
demons. Who can harm Me now?” Her eyes overflowing with
tears, Yaśodā can barely see her son and so she embraces Him
one last time, giving instructions to Balarāma and the older boys
to keep Kṛṣṇa well guarded.
53
Chapter Four
Kṛṣṇa looks longingly at His mother. He wants to purify His

eyes and impress her image within His heart. Of medium stature,
Yaśodā-devī’s beauty brings to rest great poets’ quills, for she can
only be compared to herself, just as Kṛṣṇa can only be compared
to Himself. Her dark complexion and even darker braid contrast
exquisitely with her rainbow-coloured dress, jewelled ornaments,
and flower decorations. Although she looks like a gopī queen, she
is the embodiment of parental love who would instantly sacrifice
her life to remedy Kṛṣṇa’s slightest discomfort.
A little behind and to the side of the other Vraja-vāsīs, the
young gopīs huddle around Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, their eyes fixed
on Kṛṣṇa, their voices whispering hope to their princess. To
the untrained eye, the radiance of their transcendental qualities
and incomparable bodily beauty could be mistaken for a treas-
ure-hoard of celestial gems. A qualified observer, however, will
see that they are the personification of amorous charm, the mere
mention of whose names cause demigods to fall from heaven
like rain. Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citrā, and Tuṅgavidyā are some of Her
friends, and mañjarīs Rūpa, Rati, Lavaṅga, and Kastūrī Her maid-
servants. For the exclusive pleasure of Kṛṣṇa they are all gorgeously
dressed and ornamented, but in their minds they lament, “What
is the use of our beauty if Kṛṣṇa cannot delight in it!”
At the forest’s edge Kṛṣṇa turns to cast a reassuring look at
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Her entourage. Placing the flute to His
lips He sends a mystic song whose message is understood only
to Vraja’s beauties: “Please do not grieve. Return home, complete
your household chores and then meet Me by Rādhā’s lake at
midday.” And with that He enters the forest shadows to enjoy a
morning of play with His joyful companions.
Although the rāgātmika devotion of Kṛṣṇa’s eternal associ-
ates is classified in these ways, both lust and relationship have
54
further subdivisions which I have only touched on above. For

further information on the topic, readers can study the chapters
of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and The Nectar of Devotion that deal
with prema-bhakti.
This book deals with rāgānuga-bhakti, which has already been
defined as devotional service in practice shadowing the attraction
of the Vraja-vāsīs. A conclusion readers will draw from this chap-
ter is that rāgānuga-bhakti also has two main divisions—in kāma
and in sambandha. These are respectively called kāmānuga and
sambandhānuga-sādhana-bhakti. They are the topic of following
chapters.
NOTES
1. See Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.273 and Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary.

2. Jīva Gosvāmī’s explanation may be found in his commentary to Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.284
3. Commentary to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.48.8
4. Commentary to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.48.10
6. Commentary on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.286
8. In this regard Kṛṣṇa says, na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ sva-sād-
hu-kṛtyaṁ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ / yā mābhajan durjaya-geha-śṛṅkhalāḥ saṁvṛścya
tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā, “O gopīs! I am not able to repay My debt for your
spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmā. Your connection with Me
is beyond reproach. You have worshipped Me, cutting off all domestic ties,
which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be
your compensation.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.22)
9. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s comment can be found in the purport to Caitan-
ya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.81
55
Chapter Four
10. Cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.285

12. Rūpa Gosvāmī quotes the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa as saying, “Siddha-loka, the
spiritual world, is beyond prakṛti. There, demons killed by the Lord and some
sages dwell, merged in the happiness of brahman.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
1.2.280)
13. The geneology of the Vṛṣṇis stems from King Devamīḍha, who had two
wives: a kṣatriya from whom descend the residents of Dvārakā, and a vaiśya
from whom descend the Vraja-vāsīs. Although the direct meaning of Vṛṣṇi is
Dvārakā-vāsī, in the context in which the name has been used such a mean-
ing does not make sense, and therefore the secondary meaning, Vraja-vāsī,
is adopted. Thus when Nārada refers to the Vṛṣṇis he is speaking about the
Vraja-vāsī Vṛṣṇis.
What is the context? In 7.1.30 Nārada lists causes of absorption—lust, hatred,
fear, affection, and regulated devotion. Hatred and fear do not qualify as devo-
tion so they are not relevant to the context in question. Since he has already
explicitly mentioned regulated devotion, lust and relationship must both be
spontaneous devotion. Such being the case, relationship cannot refer to the
Vṛṣṇis as their devotion is not purely spontaneous. Therefore the secondary
or indirect meaning of Vṛṣṇi must be adopted—Vraja-vāsīs.
14. A detailed dissertation on the subject can be found in Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Madhya-līlā, Chapter 19.
56
CHAPTER FIVE
Remembering K¥¢£a
and His Associates
I
n Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu Rūpa Gosvāmī summarises the
practice of rāgānuga-bhakti in three verses. These verses
reveal the devotional service presented to the world by
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, a presentation that sets the Bhāgavatam
apart from all other Vedic literature.
Why such brevity?
For the most part the activities of rāgānuga-bhakti are the
57
Chapter Five
activities of vaidhī-bhakti, which the ācārya had already described

extensively. What sets the two apart is that rāgānuga is a mental
absorption brought about by a natural eagerness, whereas vaidhī
concentrates on obligatory engagement of the senses.
Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī’s definition of spontaneous devotion
is directed more to the mental state of the practitioner, even more
specifically on his absorption in topics relating to Kṛṣṇa’s vraja-
līlā. The depth of mental absorption is dependent on the strength
of a devotee’s greed, which as mentioned before is the qualification
for rāgānuga-bhakti. That qualification is expressed as follows:
rāgātmikāika-niṣṭhā ye vraja-vāsī-janādayaḥ
teṣāṁ bhāvāptaye lubdho bhaved atrādhikāravān
“That person who is greedy for attaining a bhāva similar to

the inhabitants of Vraja, who themselves are fixed in rāgātmi-
ka-bhakti, is a candidate for rāgānuga-bhakti.”1
In contrast to the regulated practitioner inspired by the
authority of scripture, the rāgānuga-sādhaka is inspired to attain
the perfection of vraja-bhakti by an acquired taste for it. We may
liken the difference to one child who eats because of his mother’s
encouragement and another who eats because he has an appetite.
What are the actual practices of rāgānuga-bhakti?
Rūpa Gosvāmī says that while living in Vṛndāvana a rāgānuga
devotee regularly hears and chants about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa as
He is being served by the Vraja-vāsī whom the devotee holds dear:
kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya

preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam
tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau
kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā
58
Remembering Kṛṣṇa and His Associates
“The devotee should always think of Kṛṣṇa within himself and

should choose a very dear devotee who is a servitor of Kṛṣṇa in
Vṛndāvana. One should constantly engage in topics about that
servitor and his loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and one should
live in Vṛndāvana. If one is physically unable to go to Vṛndāvana,
he should mentally live there.”2
Beginning the verse with kṛṣṇaṁ smaran, Rūpa Gosvāmī indi-
cates that Kṛṣṇa, and not any of His expansions or incarnations,
is the object of rāga. This conclusion has already been reached
from the very definition of rāgātmika-bhakti derived from the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam verse beginning with gopyaḥ kāmād.3 Since it
is universally accepted that the gopīs have kāma for only Kṛṣṇa, this
verse confirms that rāgānuga-bhakti is to be directed only to Him.
Attraction for other forms of Kṛṣṇa exists in the residents of
Vaikuṇṭha. But because their spontaneity is stunted in degrees
by awareness of the Lord’s divinity, it is not as pure as the rāga
of the Vraja-vāsīs of Goloka.4 Because the Vraja-vāsīs’ attraction
is not impelled in the least by Kṛṣṇa’s divinity, Śrīla Prabhupāda
refers to it as kevala-bhakti.5 His Divine Grace also emphasises
the importance of rāga to Kṛṣṇa as follows: “… when one reaches
pure love, one realises the transcendental form of the Lord as
Lord Kṛṣṇa or Lord Rāma.6 This is what is wanted.”7
Absorption in Kṛṣṇa not only yields the purest form
of rāga, but is the easiest form of absorption to cultivate. Why?
Since Kṛṣṇa is the most attractive of all forms of Godhead,
He is like a magnet for devotees’ minds. Even demons become
absorbed in Kṛṣṇa and consequently liberated—something that
does not happen to demons killed by other incarnations of the
Lord.
More important than what is favourable to devotees, however,
is what is favourable to the Lord. Kṛṣṇa is happiest when treated
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Chapter Five
as an equal or as a subordinate by devotees with pure love.

Indeed, He tells Arjuna that He prefers being dependent on even
practising devotees, what then to speak of the rāgātmika-bhaktas.8
Kṛṣṇa enjoys the greatest pleasure when He can wrestle with
His friends, be reprimanded by His mother, or be the target of
the gopīs’ jokes. And the Lord says as much when He reveals His
heart to the Vraja-vāsīs:
yadi vo ’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo ’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi

tad-ātma-bandhu-sadṛśī buddhir vaḥ kṛyatāṁ mayi
“If you love Me and if you regard Me as worthy of your praise,

then you should consider Me as your most intimate friend and
relative.”9
Kṛṣṇa continues to say, “I am neither a god, nor a Gandharva,
nor a Yakṣa, nor a Dānava. I am just your kinsman, and so from
now on do not think of Me otherwise.”10
In conclusion we may say that because rāgātmika-bhakti to
Kṛṣṇa is the supreme attainment and Kṛṣṇa’s own heartfelt wish,
devotion in pursuance of it, rāgānuga-bhakti, is directed exclu-
sively towards Him.
By saying kṛṣṇaṁ smaran Rūpa Gosvāmī further affirms that
remembering Kṛṣṇa is the primary feature of rāgānuga-bhakti.
Natural attraction is a specific feature of a purified mind. For this
reason rāgānuga-bhakti is also known as the religion of the mind.
Since the very qualification for rāgānuga-bhakti is natural
affinity, the phrase kṛṣṇaṁ smaran is not an injunction to think
about Kṛṣṇa but rather an encouragement to keep thinking
about Him. And one should do so in the way learned authori-
ties have taught. It is for this reason Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the
word “should.” Were it otherwise—a command—such a mean-
60
ing would be contrary to the very definition of spontaneous

practice.11
Kṛṣṇa is not different from thoughts of His name, qualities,
or form. Therefore the sādhaka who is intensely absorbed in the
Lord becomes purified of material contamination, matures in
absorption, and attains pure love. Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate transcen-
dental touchstone. Whoever contacts Him becomes transformed.
The potency of spontaneous absorption is exemplified by the
story of a grassworm that has been confined in a wasp’s lair to
be eaten later.12 By thinking of the bee in fear and enmity, the
grassworm becomes a wasp in its next life. What then can be
said of a practitioner absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa? He quickly
attains his desired perfection. Śrī Nārada therefore says,
tasmāt kenāpy upāyena

manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet
“Somehow or other, one must consider the form of Kṛṣṇa very

seriously.”13 The phrase “somehow or other” means by one of the
four moods of devotion appropriate to the practitioner.
Absorption arising from spontaneous emotions is more
intense than that which is achieved through regulative devo-
tion. So much so that demons whose attentions were focused on
Kṛṣṇa due to great animosity quickly achieved a liberation rarely
secured by yogīs and jñānīs.
Nārada Muni adds that even regulated devotees who try to
progress through the five stages of remembrance cannot manage
the intensity of absorption displayed by demons like Śiśupāla.14
Therefore, in the matter of bringing the practitioner to the stage
of ecstasy, spontaneous devotion is more powerful and more
expeditious than regulated devotion.
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Chapter Five
Nārada Muni is an example of the regulated devotee who

dedicated his whole life to vaidhī-bhakti before being rewarded
with rāga. In other words, his progress was gradual. Jīva Gosvāmī
says, “It is a great wonder that that which is achieved after a long
time with great endeavour through the path of vaidhī-bhakti
is quickly achieved simply through a specific internal feeling
(bhāva), including even animosity.”15
It should be noted that while the animosity of demons is
an effective cause of absorption as well as of liberation, it does
not qualify as spontaneous devotion. Why? Because by defini-
tion, pure devotion is based on moods and acts that are favour-
able to Kṛṣṇa, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam.16
* * * *
Kṛṣṇa is never alone. He is always in the company of His loved

ones. And as He is the object of rāga, so the Vraja-vāsīs are its
shelter. Therefore a devotee drawn to the ways of Vraja should
take shelter of the Vraja-vāsī of his choice and remember the ways
in which that Vraja-vāsī serves Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda translates the words preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam
in two ways: “following in the footsteps of such associates,” and
“should choose a very dear devotee who is a servitor of Kṛṣṇa in
Vṛndāvana.”17
The first version connects the practitioner to one of the four
kinds of rāgātmika devotees, while the second connects the prac-
titioner to a specific devotee in one of these four categories.
Considering these two translations, the first is generic and the
second specific.
One way in which the two may be put into practice is for
62
devotees who are attracted to vraja-bhakti to first decide which

of the four kinds of devotees they are attracted to and then, by
hearing of the services of those associates, decide which particu-
lar associate’s service most attracts them. Following naturally
ensues.18
Śrīla Prabhupāda and his predecessors warn that practis-
ing devotees should aspire for a mood and service like that of
their role model and not for the position and service of Kṛṣṇa’s
associate.
Jīva Gosvāmī explains that in the example of one inspired by
Subala, of the two kinds of identification, “I am different from
Subala but yearn for service like his” and “I am Subala,” the
second is unsuitable,19 meaning self-identification with one of
Kṛṣṇa’s eternal associates will ruin one’s chances for devotional
service. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains further that there is every
chance that such misidentification will degrade into out-and-
out Māyāvāda thinking.20 More shall be said of this pitfall later.
Sometimes a devotee has regard for spontaneous devotion
and feels obliged to think of an associate of the Lord, although
he does not yet have a natural attraction. Such a devotee may
think, “I have been initiated by mantras meant for meditating on
Kṛṣṇa. To be true to my spiritual master I should do so.” Or he
may think, “In spontaneous devotion, devotees think of Kṛṣṇa
and His associates. Let me also do so.”
In these cases, following an associate is a function of regulated
devotion but because such following mirrors spontaneous devo-
tion it is accepted as a mixture of the two. If done under senior
guidance it is authorised. By absorption in vraja-līlā the sponta-
neous aspect of following waxes and the regulated aspect wanes.
Let us now study Rūpa Gosvāmī’s instruction to hear and
chant about all-attractive Kṛṣṇa.
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Chapter Five
A rāgānuga-sādhaka comes to attachment by hearing kṛṣṇa-

līlā. To nurture and enhance that attachment he must continue
to hear the kind of kṛṣṇa-līlā (tat-tat-kathā) to which he has
developed attachment (rati).
For example, Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the progress of
devotees who are followers of the gopīs:
vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ

śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ
“Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful

affairs with the young gopīs of Vṛndāvana will attain the Lord’s
pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and
conquer lust, the disease of the heart.”21
The words anuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayet means that the rāgānu-
ga-bhakta both hears and repeats those pastimes that he has been
attracted to think about. By so doing he enhances his own medi-
tation. The resultant and intensified absorption frees the heart of
obstacles to perfection, like lust, and also enthuses the devotee to
hear further. Thus by hearing about Kṛṣṇa one naturally thinks
about Him and by thinking of Him one naturally hears and
speaks more. This cyclical process quickly elevates the devotee
to the supreme perfection, parā bhakti.
While Rūpa Gosvāmī correlates the devotee’s attraction to
hearing a specific kind of kṛṣṇa-līlā, practising devotees should
not disrespect other kinds of kṛṣṇa-līlā such as the Lord’s killing
demons, the pastimes of His other incarnations, or His teachings
in Bhagavad-gītā. Such aversion is artificial and a sign of spiritual
immaturity. Śrīla Prabhupāda says, “Cheap Vaiṣṇavas (sahajiyās)
64
do not care to study the Vedānta philosophy as commented upon

by the four ācāryas… [they] consider such commentaries to be
untouchable philosophical speculation, and they consider the
ācāryas to be mixed devotees. Thus they clear their way to hell.”22
If true rāga has awakened in a Vaiṣṇava he will never abhor
anything to do with Kṛṣṇa even though he may concentrate on
and hear his preferred subject matter. This principle is all the
more relevant in the very public practice found in a preaching
movement like iskcon.
As with other spiritual disciplines, rāgānuga-bhakti considers
the place of practice to be important. The surrounding environ-
ment impacts the consciousness and life of a conditioned soul. If
the place of practice is not peaceful, a devotee’s mind will become
too agitated to practise properly. In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa there-
fore recommends that yogīs find a sanctified place, śucau deśe.23
And since bhakti-yoga is the leading yoga system it is worthy of
the most sanctified place on earth, and that is Vraja. The ācārya
therefore instructs, kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā, “one should always
live in Vṛndāvana.”24
The word kuryād is emphatic, “one should.” And whereas
there may be many sanctified places in the world to practice yoga,
Vṛndāvana is only in one place, in India. Does that mean that all
rāgānuga-bhaktas must live in Vraja? And if they don’t, will their
attachment to Kṛṣṇa not fructify?
In his translation to this verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda answers this
question with a proviso: “If one is physically unable to go to
Vṛndāvana, he should mentally live there.” This clarification is
also offered by other ācāryas.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura gives the basic qualification for
living in Vṛndāvana proper or in the Vṛndāvana of the mind:
one’s heart must be pure, śuddha habe mana.25 In the absence of
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Chapter Five
the purity arising from strictly following the regulations of pure

devotion, the benefit of physically living in Vṛndāvana is greatly
compromised and mentally living there, inconceivable.
On the other hand, as one becomes freed from material
contamination one can both appreciate the atmosphere of
Vṛndāvana in India as well the all-pervasive Vṛndāvana of the
heart. The key factor is the actual level of absorption in Kṛṣṇa
and His associates. If one is truly absorbed in kṛṣṇa-līlā then one
is automatically thinking of Vṛndāvana, for that is where those
pastimes take place.
And what if one is not actively meditating but is active in
other ways?
If one is engaged in some activity like preaching or working
to maintain oneself, by learning to see Kṛṣṇa everywhere and in
everything one remains sheltered by Vraja.
The opportunity for appreciating Vraja was also one of the
purposes for which Śrīla Prabhupāda established temples world-
wide and why he encouraged devotees to worship Deities in their
homes: “If you worship the Deity very rigidly, follow the rules
and regulations, so wherever you do, that is Vṛndāvana.”26
Vṛndāvana is dear not only to practitioners and perfected
devotees, but to Kṛṣṇa. It is His home, the full manifestation of
His creative abilities, and the place where He can be Himself—a
carefree cowherd prince. Even if it appears that He has left Vraja
for somewhere else, Kṛṣṇa always remains in Vṛndāvana to be
seen and loved only by His rāgātmika-bhaktas.27
While carrying out his universal duties, Lord Brahmā contin-
ues to live in Vṛndāvana by offering prayers as follows:
“I worship that transcendental seat known as Śvetadvīpa
where as loving consorts, the Lakṣmīs, in their unalloyed
spiritual essence, practise the amorous service of the Supreme
66
Lord Kṛṣṇa as their only lover; where every tree is a transcen-

dental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all water
is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is
the favourite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss,
and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty;
where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans
of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time,
who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not
subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half
a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few
self-realised souls in this world.”28
NOTES
4. Here the word “pure” does not mean freedom from material contamina-
tion, but rather freedom from knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s opulence. Pure love in
this case means love that is 100% impelled by Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness and not by
His greatness.
5. Purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.3.53
6. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s reference to Lord Rāma as the object of pure love cannot
indicate Lord Rāmacandra as that would be contradictory to his own state-
ments in the purport to 10.3.31. Love for Lord Rāma is mixed with some
knowledge of His divinity. It is not kevala. Therefore Rāma here refers either
to Lord Balarāma, or to Lord Kṛṣṇa as Rādhā-ramaṇa.
8. See Bhagavad-gītā 9.26
9. Viṣṇu Purāṇa 5.13.11
10. Viṣṇu Purāṇa 5.13.12
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Chapter Five
11. Jīva Gosvāmī gives this explanation for the use of the word “should” in
relation to spontaneous devotion in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.25.
12. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.28-29
14. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes the five stages of remembrance in this way:
“Recollection, absorption, meditation, constant remembrance, and trance are
the five items of progressive kṛṣṇa-smaraṇa. At first, remembrance of Kṛṣṇa
may be interrupted at intervals, but later remembrance proceeds uninter-
rupted. When remembrance is uninterrupted, it becomes concentrated and
is called meditation. When meditation expands and becomes constant, it is
called anusmṛti. By uninterrupted and unceasing anusmṛti one enters the stage
of samādhi, or spiritual trance. (Purport to Nectar of Instruction 8)
17. The former quote is from Nectar of Instruction, purport to verse 8, the
latter Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.160.
18. Alternate practices that these two translations indicate is to either directly
follow one of the four kinds of devotees or to directly follow one associate. In
the context of how Śrīla Prabhupāda translates the next verse, Bhakti-rasāmṛ-
ta-sindhu 1.2.295, and the general teachings of rāgānuga-bhakti, the first
alternative practice will naturally lead into the second. The second alternative
is characteristic of the devotee who upon first hearing of the Vraja-vāsīs is
immediately attracted to having the mood and service of one specific devotee.
19. Durgama-saṅgamanī-ṭīkā to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.306
20. Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 16
22. Purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.72
25. Prārthanā 1.3
26. Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.2, March 17, 1974
27. It is said, kṛṣṇo ’nyo yadu-sambhūto yaḥ pūrṇaḥ so ’sty ataḥ paraḥ / vṛndāva-
naṁ parityajya sa kvacin naiva gacchati, “The Kṛṣṇa known as Yadu-kumāra
is Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. He is different from the Kṛṣṇa who is the son of Nanda
Mahārāja. Yadu-kumāra Kṛṣṇa manifests His pastimes in the cities of Mathurā
and Dvārakā, but Kṛṣṇa the son of Nanda Mahārāja never at any time leaves
Vṛndāvana.” Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (1.5.461)
28. Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.56
68
CHAPTER SIX
Following a Vraja-v§s¦
in One’s Siddha-deha
T
he following is the second of the three verses on practising
rāgānuga-bhakti which specifically elaborates on what it
means to follow a Vraja-vāsī. Rūpa Gosvāmī says,
sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa
siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi
tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā
vraja-lokānusārataḥ
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Chapter Six
“The advanced devotee who is inclined to spontaneous loving

service should follow the activities of a particular associate of
Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. He should execute service externally as a
regulative devotee as well as internally from his self-realised posi-
tion. Thus he should perform devotional service both externally
and internally.”1
A devotee is identified herein as possessed of two forms: sādhaka-
rūpa and siddha-rūpa.
The sādhaka-rūpa is the form in which a devotee practises
devotional service following Caitanya Mahāprabhu in order to
realise his siddha-rūpa as an associate of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
The sādhaka-rūpa of a practitioner may be the form of a
conditioned soul, of a liberated soul, or of an associate of Lord
Caitanya like that of Sanātana Gosvāmī. Although they all look
like and conduct themselves as practising devotees, the first two
are new to devotional service while the third is eternally liberated.
g It is their activities of practising devotion and preaching that are
t common.
The siddha-rūpa is the realised spiritual form of a devotee, also
known as his svarūpa. For Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, their siddha-rūpa
is as a Vraja-vāsī in one of the four relationships explained in
chapter four of this book.
We shall first study how both practising and liberated devotees
follow a Vraja-vāsī in their siddha-rūpa.
In this verse Śrīla Prabhupāda translates siddha-rūpa as “a body
suitable for eternal, self-realised service,” and “his self-realised
position.” The immediate sense of these translations would be
that siddha-rūpa refers to the self-realised form of a devotee, to
his svarūpa.
This is understandable when the rāgānuga-bhakta is at the
stage of bhāva, where he has realisation of his eternal, self-realised
70
Following a Vraja-vāsī in One’s Siddha-deha
service. But how is it applicable when the rāgānuga-bhakta is still

at the stage of sādhana? After all, rāgānuga-bhakti is defined as a
branch of devotional service in practice. How then could a prac-
tising devotee, a conditioned soul, have a self-realised position?
One must conclude that in the context of sādhana-bhakti, the
word siddha can also be understood in another way.
Fortunately Śrīla Prabhupāda gives that other understanding
in another translation to the same verse:
“In the transcendental realm of Vraja [Vraja-dhāma] one
should serve the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with a feeling similar
to that of His associates, and one should place himself under
the direct guidance of a particular associate of Kṛṣṇa and should
follow in his footsteps. This method is applicable both in the
stage of sādhana [spiritual practices executed while in the stage
of bondage] and in the stage of sādhya [God realisation], when
one is a siddha-puruṣa, or a spiritually perfect soul.”2
This more elaborate translation of siddha-rūpa answers our
question. In the case of a sādhaka, the siddha-rūpa refers to his
aspiration or a mentally conceived body, and only where the
devotee has gone beyond the stage of sādhana is siddha-rūpa the
realised spiritual form.
Śrīla Prabhupāda elaborates on what this mentally conceived
body is. It encapsulates emulating the conduct of a Vraja-vāsī,
taking the role of his or her servant, and sharing a similar feeling
of love.
In commenting on the following well-known verse, Jīva
Gosvāmī confirms that practising devotees should fix their minds
by engaging it in meditation.3 He then goes on to say that the
word sneha, or affection, refers to a sādhaka’s attraction towards
rāga. This affection is what Śrīla Prabhupāda paraphrases as a
“feeling similar to that of His associates.”
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Chapter Six
tasmād vairānubandhena
nirvaireṇa bhayena vā
snehāt kāmena vā yuñjyāt
kathañcin nekṣate pṛthak
“Therefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affec-

tion or by lusty desire—by all of these or any one of them—if
a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind
upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of
His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.”4
The concept of a mentally conceived identity is further
supported by another verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam wherein
Nārada calls the absorption in such devotion manaḥ āveśya,
“absorption of the mind,” which Śrīla Prabhupāda translates in
context as “I shall now explain how one receives Kṛṣṇa’s mercy
simply by concentrating one’s mind upon Him.”5
Caitanya Mahāprabhu also tells Sanātana Gosvāmī, “If one
wants to engage in spontaneous loving service, he must follow the
inhabitants of Vṛndāvana and constantly engage in devotional
service within his mind.”6
In the context of the practitioner, siddha-rūpa then indicates
an identity conceived of in the mind which expresses a feeling
or affection one has for rāgātmika-bhakti. It is not a realised
transcendental identity.
The siddha-rūpa can be accepted as the devotee’s svarūpa once
he has passed beyond the jurisdiction of matter into the realm
of bhāva and from there on to prema-bhakti.7 At that stage the
siddha-rūpa is real and not the expression of inclination. Moreo-
ver, the realised siddha-rūpa may or may not be the same as that
conceived of in practice.
Further statements by Nārada, like tasmāt kenāpy upāyena
72
manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet, confirm that the sādhaka should engage

his mind in thinking of Kṛṣṇa. And his terminology, as translated
by Śrīla Prabhupāda, is quite general. The sage says, “Somehow
or another, one should concentrate [the mind],” and “Somehow
or other, one must consider the form of Kṛṣṇa very seriously.”8
But what are the aspects like age, dress, and form of such a
mentally conceived siddha-deha? After all, conditioned souls may
have an inclination for a kind of service, but will imagining other
aspects of their spiritual identity lead to mental speculation and
a risk of deviation?
In answer to this question, some authorities recommend that
the spiritual master assign these aspects of siddha-deha to the
disciple based on their qualification for rāgānuga-bhakti and their
clear inclination for rāga.
However, neither Śrīla Prabhupāda nor Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Ṭhākura adopted this system or approved of it as a
viable approach in a worldwide preaching movement.
Such a practice requires accomplished spiritual masters and
highly qualified disciples. Furthermore, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava history
had proven that assigning this kind of siddha-deha gave rise to a
plethora of pseudo-Vaiṣṇava schools known as sahajiyās.9 Rather
than elevating their followers’ attraction to rāgātmika-bhakti, they
simply increased their attraction for material rāga. By practising
sense gratification in the name of transcendence, sahajiyās not
only remained bound to this world but ruined the reputation of
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism in the process. This is hardly a risk ācāryas
would want to take today while striving for world recognition
of Lord Caitanya’s teachings.
What form, then, is the rāgānuga-sādhaka to think of when
serving in his siddha-deha as per Rūpa Gosvāmī’s direction?
A very general one!
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Chapter Six
In the way that regulated devotees think of themselves in a

general way, “I am Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant,” spontaneous devo-
tees should similarly think of themselves, “I am the servant
of a Vraja-vāsī.” In Jīva Gosvāmī’s words, “I am different from
Subala but yearn for service like his.” In other words, other than
wanting to be a cowherd boy, a young gopī, or an elder of Vraja,
one should not attempt to progress further by way of imagined
personality traits.
This restricted self-identification may be compared to the
general category of love, rati, known as śuddha-rati, which arises
in an advanced devotee.10 Due to its immaturity, this kind of
love does not possess the features of the other mellows such as
servitude and so on, for which reason it is known as ordinary
love, or sāmānya-rati. In time, proper association and practice
elevate this ordinary love to one of the four kinds of relationships.
Similarly, the rāgānuga-sādhaka should be content with his
general or ordinary kind of siddha-deha. Without speculating
on the specifics of a form, he should instead hear of a Vraja-
vāsī’s service, yearn to assist him or her, and think of ways to
do so under a spiritual master’s guidance. When by the power
of bhakti one enters the stage of ecstasy, then the details of one’s
real svarūpa become manifest and one’s meditations go from
the conceived to the factual, and hence from the general to the
specific.
* * * *
Having explored the meaning of siddha-deha and how a rāgānu-

ga-bhakta conceives of it, let us now return to Rūpa Gosvāmī’s
guidance on how to serve a Vraja-vāsī in that way.
74
Put simply: one is meant to follow the activities of the Lord’s

associates, anusārataḥ.
From Rūpa Gosvāmī to Śrīla Prabhupāda, ācāryas have empha-
sised that in their meditations practitioners follow the associates
of Kṛṣṇa as they carry out specific services. That means that prac-
titioners meditate on what they have heard about: how Raktaka,
Śrīdāmā, Mother Yaśodā, or Rūpa-mañjarī go about their services
to Kṛṣṇa or to the Divine Couple. In keeping with the aforemen-
tioned prohibition on imagining spiritual attributes, the ācāryas
explain that the cultivation of rāga takes place when, based on
what one has heard from authorised sources, one remembers the
services, attributes, and moods of one’s role model.
Although in his writings Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
encourages the sādhaka to perform services mentally, such an
instruction should be understood to refer to those devotees who
have already realised their svarūpa and not to those who only
conceive of a siddha-deha.11
In other words, the meditation of a rāgānuga-bhakta may
be compared to that of an observer rather than of an active
participant.
This notion of being an observer is reinforced by the mantras
and songs that all devotees utter during their scheduled medita-
tions—while chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and medi-
tating on dīkṣā-mantras.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s translation of the mahā-mantra gives
unequivocal support for this notion: “O energy of the Lord
[Hare], O all-attractive Lord [Kṛṣṇa], O Supreme Enjoyer
[Rāma], please engage me in Your service.”12 The message is
clear: A devotee who, while chanting japa or doing kīrtana,
spontaneously remembers his Vraja-vāsī role model will do so
as one aspiring after, not as one engaged in, service. And this is
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Chapter Six
the mood of separation in which Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas perform all

activities. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words,
“We should follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya and the
six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana. They were always serving Kṛṣṇa
in the mood of separation. They never said that ‘now I have
seen Kṛṣṇa’ or ‘last night I danced with Kṛṣṇa’—No. They were
crying ‘where is Kṛṣṇa,’ and they were always searching after
Him, wondering when they would finally be able to see Him.
We should also desire intensely to see and be with Kṛṣṇa, but
first thing is to become purified through devotional service. It is
not possible otherwise.”13
Śrīla Prabhupāda has said much about prematurely adopting
a position that has not really been deserved by ardent longing
brought about through service in separation. Therefore rāgānu-
ga-sādhakas may observe the services of their role model, but until
they have actually been awarded with their own specific services
they should simply hanker for them. That will make attainment
all the more relishable.
As in Gīta-mālā, Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda expresses the mood
of longing for service throughout his songs:
pālya-dāsī kari’ lalitā sundarī

āmāre loiyā kabe
śrī-rādhikā-pade kāle milāibe
ajña-sebā samarpibe
“When, accepting me as her maidservant to be protected by

her, will beautiful Lalitā place me before Śrī Rādhā’s feet and
command me to serve Her?”14
As with the chanting of the mahā-mantra, meditation on
dīkṣā-mantras is in a mood of aspiration, not attainment. This
76
is supported by the concluding word of the Brahma-, Guru-,

Gaura-, and Kāma-gāyatrīs—pracodayāt. This is a request to be
inspired in the respective moods of the mantras. Similarly, the
concluding word of the Gopāla mantra, svāhā, is an offering of
the self to the mood of the mantra.
In the example of the Brahma-gāyatrī, the disciple meditates
on service to the Divine Couple as the ultimate religion of the
three worlds. While vibrating the Guru-gāyatrī, the disciple’s
meditation is on the guru’s service to Kṛṣṇa. In the case of the
Gaura-gāyatrī, one meditates on Lord Caitanya as the dispenser
of kṛṣṇa-prema, in the Gopāla mantra on Kṛṣṇa as the object of
the four moods of devotion, and in the Kāma-gāyatrī as Kṛṣṇa,
the impetus for conjugal love.15
Of all mantras, the one that is chanted by sannyāsīs most
explicitly emphasises the need to take shelter of the mood, bhāva,
of the Vraja-vāsīs, specifically the gopīs. Having been blessed by
that shelter, the purified devotee realises the eleven attributes
integral to her spiritual identity and serves the Divine Couple
with little care for anything else.16
All these mantras nourish the mood of spontaneous attach-
ment and none of them directly expound specific services or
attributes. Their explicit message clearly places the worshipper
as an observer of transcendental reality, although their divine
potencies undoubtedly disclose all esoteric attributes to the quali
fied soul.
This process of meditating upon the associates of the Lord
can be likened to the cleansing of the mirror of the heart. In this
example the mirror is the devotee’s meditation on the service of
the Vraja-vāsīs. As the rāgānuga-bhakta becomes both purified
at heart and adept at absorbing his mind, his own services and
attributes become visible by the grace of the Vraja-vāsī.
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Chapter Six
Members of iskcon regularly practise this meditation during

maṅgala-ārati when they chant the fifth and sixth verses of
Gurvaṣṭaka:
śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra-
mādhurya-līlā guṇa-rūpa-nāmnām
prati-kṣaṇāsvādana-lolupasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
“The spiritual master is always anxious to hear and chant about

the wonderful pastimes between Rādhikā and Mādhava, which
are all in the modes of loving exchanges [mādhurya-līlā], as well
as about Their quality, names, and form. The spiritual master
aspires after relishing these things at every moment. I offer my
respectful obeisances to such a spiritual master.”
nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai
yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīyā
tatrāti-dākṣyād ati-vallabhasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
“The spiritual master is very much expert in assisting the gopīs,

who are engaged in the perfection of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s conjugal love
affairs. At different times they make different tasteful arrange-
ments for such spiritual exchanges, and the spiritual master is
there to assist in the affairs. I offer my most humble obeisances
unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.”
Both verses refer to the siddha-deha of the spiritual master as
being that of a maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, serving the
Divine Couple in the groves of Vraja. Clearly both verses are
meditations in spontaneous devotion. However, the fourth line of
78
both verses—vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam, “I offer my respect-

ful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master”—sets
the disciple in the role of an observer, a worshipper, and not an
active participant.
This approach to spiritual perfection is one that is enunciated
by scripture: by worship of Kṛṣṇa and guru, all truths are even-
tually revealed to the sincere soul:
yasya deve parā bhaktir

yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
“Only unto one who has unflinching devotion to the Lord and
to the spiritual master does transcendental knowledge become
automatically revealed.”17
Examples of how to follow in the footsteps of the Vraja-vāsīs
are the celestial girl Candrakānti, the sages of Daṇḍakāraṇya
forest, and the prostitute Piṅgalā.18 While scriptures describe
their determination and enthusiasm for vraja-bhakti they make
no mention of the details of their meditation. This confirms once
again that practitioners should be reassured that by following
one’s role model, the process of devotional service reveals itself
in progressive stages to final perfection.
“Mental service” therefore translates into remembering the
services performed by one’s role model based on what one has
read about them.
For a devotee attached to the mood of a cowherd boy and
drawn to Subala as his role model, remembrance of Subala’s
eleven attributes as he serves Kṛṣṇa throughout the day will be
integral to the sādhaka’s japa and kīrtana. At these times the
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Chapter Six
devotee may recall Subala’s loving exchanges with Kṛṣṇa, such

as waking the Lord in the morning, sharing breakfast with Him,
and then leaving for the pasturing grounds of Vraja with the
cows.
In addition to recalling Subala’s many pastimes, a devotee will
be absorbed in appreciating Subala’s excellences as epitomised by
the following words of a gopī:
“My dear Kṛśāṅgī, O delicate one! Just see how Subala is
whispering Your message into Kṛṣṇa’s ear, how he is deliver-
ing the confidential letter of Śyāmā-dāsī silently into Kṛṣṇa’s
hand, how he is delivering the betel nuts prepared by Pālikā into
Kṛṣṇa’s mouth, and how he is decorating Kṛṣṇa with the garland
prepared by Tārakā. Did you know, my dear friend, that all these
most intimate friends of Kṛṣṇa are always engaged in His service
in this way?”19
Similarly, a devotee attracted to the mood of the young gopīs
may remember Rati-mañjarī as she dresses Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in
the morning and how she then accompanies Vraja’s princess to
Nandagrāma to cook Kṛṣṇa’s breakfast. The moods and services
of Rati-mañjarī are recorded in Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s
Vilāpa-kusumāñjali.
Although more could be said about the process of following in
the footsteps, anusārataḥ, for devotees truly endowed with spon-
taneous attraction the process of devotional service will reveal
everything according to the qualification of the practitioner. This
is confirmed in the verse beginning with yasya deve parā bhaktir.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sets out the proper attitude for a
sādhaka that shows how to be a follower of the spiritual master
and Rūpa-mañjarī, thus fulfilling the mind’s yearning to serve
the Divine Couple:20
80
lokanātha prabhu tumi dayā kara more

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa jena sadā citte sphure
“O my master Lokanātha! Please be merciful and bless me that

Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet may be always manifested within my mind.
tomāra sahita ṭhāki sakhīra sahite

ei ta bāsanā mora sadā uṭhe citte
“I wish to have your association when you reveal your form as a

gopī-friend of the Divine Couple. This desire continually arises
in my mind.
sakhī-gaṇa-jyeṣṭha jeṅho tāṅhāra caraṇe

mora samarpibe kabe sebara kāraṇe
“O master! When, by your mercy, will I be allowed to serve the

lotus feet of Śrīmatī Rādharāṇī, the best of all gopīs?
tabe se haibe mora bāñchita pūraṇa

ānande sebiba doṅhāra jūgala caraṇa
“If you fulfil my desire, then I shall be able to blissfully serve the
lotus feet of the Divine Couple.
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī sakhī kṛpā-dṛṣṭe cāñā

tāpī narottame siñca sebāmṛta diñā
“O Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī! O friend of the Divine Couple! Please cast

your glance of mercy upon me. Sprinkle this distressed Narot-
tama dāsa with the nectar of your devotional service.”
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Chapter Six
NOTES
1. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.295, cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā

22.158.
2. Purport to Nectar of Instruction, Verse 8
7. One may question why one would practise rāgānuga-bhakti at the stages
of bhāva and prema. Have devotees not realised their svarūpa? The answer in
short is, not fully. At the stage of bhāva and the initial stages of prema, devo-
tees’ sentiments, services, and relationship with Kṛṣṇa are still maturing and
so they continue a similar cultivation as do sādhakas, but they do so with a
transcendental rāga which makes their progress very rapid. Since this book is
about rāgānuga-sādhana, this topic is not discussed further here.
8. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.26 and 7.1.32 respectively.
9. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura listed 13 main sahajiyā sects, namely āula, bāula,
kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāni, sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi,
ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī, and gaurāṅga-nāgarī. See purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Madhya-līlā 1.271.
10. This topic is described in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.5.1 to 2.5.16.
11. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu the ācārya writes, “In one’s internal,
spiritual body one is to follow in the footsteps of Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī while
performing his service mentally.”
12. Quest for Enlightenment, Chapter 8
13. Letter to Lalitā Priyā, May 7, 1975, Perth, Australia.
14. Gīta-mālā, Siddhi-lālasā 4.1
15. An elaborate explanation of these mantras can be found in the author’s
Nava-vraja-mahimā, Volume 7.
16. The attributes pertaining to one’s spiritual identity are eleven in number,
they are called ekādaśa-bhāva, and are described individually in Jaiva-dharma,
Chapter 39. In summary they are: 1) relationship, 2) age, 3) name, 4) form,
5) group, 6) dress, 7) specific service, 8) residence, 9) general services, 10)
ultimate aspiration, and 11) the mood of a maidservant.
17. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23
82
Notes
18. See Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 19 & 16, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.8.35

and 40 respectively.
20. Śrī Prārthanā 21
83
CHAPTER SEVEN
Following a Vraja-v§s¦
in One’s S§dhaka-r¡pa
I
n the previous chapter we examined how devotees follow a
Vraja-vāsī in their siddha-rūpa, which is either their mentally
conceived body as a Vraja-vāsī or their actual svarūpa. In this
chapter we shall examine how devotees follow a Vraja-vāsī in
their sādhaka-rūpa.
In his translation to the sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa verse, Śrīla Prabhu-
pāda emphasises two kinds of services to be carried out by the prac-
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Chapter Seven
titioner: “Thus he should perform devotional service both externally

and internally.”1 Jīva Gosvāmī calls the sādhaka-rūpa “the physical
body of the practitioner.”2 The aggregate meaning is clear: while a
devotee absorbs his mind in following a Vraja-vāsī, he should simul-
taneously engage his senses in other activities of devotional service.
Śrīla Prabhupāda details the specific nature of service in the
sādhaka-rūpa. His Divine Grace emphasises that these services
should be according to the principles of regulated devotion: “He
should execute service externally as a regulative devotee.”
From the statements of these ācāryas it is clear that in the
practice of rāgānuga-bhakti, a devotee’s visible conduct conforms
to that of a vaidhī-bhakta. Spontaneity relates only to the inner,
mental disposition and not otherwise. As already described,
rāgānuga-bhakti is a religion of the mind.
How then does one engage the senses or sādhaka-rūpa in
Kṛṣṇa’s service?
The answer is, in the same way as one engages the mind—by
following the activities of a particular associate of Kṛṣṇa. Rūpa
Gosvāmī’s instruction to follow an associate of Kṛṣṇa in Vraja
applies equally to the sādhaka-rūpa as to the siddha-rūpa.
But how does one follow an associate of Kṛṣṇa in Vraja with-
out being an imitator, or worse, a sahajiyā?
By following the sādhaka-rūpa of that Vraja associate.
Kṛṣṇa’s own sādhaka-rūpa is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and
when the associates of Kṛṣṇa appear along with Lord Caitanya
they do so in their sādhaka-rūpa.3 For example, Lalitā-devī is
Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Subala is Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita, and
Uddhava is Paramānanda Purī. Thus following in the footsteps of
Kṛṣṇa’s associates in one’s sādhaka-rūpa means to act in accord-
ance with the practices and activities of the sādhaka-rūpa of one’s
Vraja-vāsī role model.
86
Following a Vraja-vāsī in One’s Sādhaka-rūpa
A most compelling example of service in the sādhaka-rūpa and

siddha-rūpa is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s descent to this world. It
is well known that the Lord appeared to spread the saṅkīrtana
movement. Kavirāja Gosvāmī writes,
prema-nāma pracārite ei avatāra
“This incarnation [Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu] descends to prop-

agate the chanting of the holy name and spread love of God.”4
The activities Caitanya Mahāprabhu enacts with His transcen-
dental body and senses constitute the mission of establishing the
religion of this age. But there is more. Kavirāja Gosvāmī goes
on to say that in addition to this “external” reason, there is a
“confidential” reason for the Lord’s appearance,
satya ei hetu, kintu eho bahiraṅga

āra eka hetu, śuna, āche antaraṅga
“Although this is true, this is but the external reason for the
Lord’s incarnation. Please hear one other reason—the confiden-
tial reason—for the Lord’s appearance.”5
The confidential reason is to accept the ecstatic love,
bhāva-grahaṇera, of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.6 Why and how this takes
place is elaborately explained in the fourth chapter of the Ādi-līlā
of Caitanya-caritāmṛta but is summarised in the following verse
penned by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī:
śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā-

svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ
saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt
tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ
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Chapter Seven
“Desiring to understand the glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love, the

wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her
love, and the happiness She feels when She realises the sweetness
of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her
emotions, appeared from the womb of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī, as the
moon appeared from the ocean.”7
In reading the biography of Caitanya Mahāprabhu we learn
that while the Lord realised both His ambitions, He did so by
keeping activities of the sādhaka-rūpa in the forefront—which
is to say, visible to everyone—and activities of His siddha-rūpa
confidential.
Indeed, Lord Caitanya consciously cultivated inner medita-
tion only during the night in His private chambers, and He did
that only in the company of two confidantes, Rāmānanda Rāya
and Svarūpa Dāmodara.
The lesson to be learned is that a rāgānuga-bhakta makes
only the activities of his sādhaka-rūpa visible to others, thereby
conducting himself as a regulated devotee. Meanwhile, he care-
fully keeps the activities of his siddha-rūpa confidential.
An example of this kind of spiritual chastity was communi-
cated in a letter by Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Rūpa and Sanātana:
para-vyasaninī nārī
vyagrāpi gṛha-karmasu
tad evāsvādayaty antar
nava-saṅga-rasāyanam
“If a woman is attached to a man other than her husband, she

will appear very busy in carrying out her household affairs, but
within her heart she is always relishing feelings of association
with her paramour.”8
88
This example brings to mind the question of whether, like

the housewife who thinks of her paramour while doing chores,
a devotee is meant to think of Kṛṣṇa while undertaking services
in his sādhaka-rūpa?
The answer is both “Yes!” and “No!”
If we accept that things related to Kṛṣṇa are not different from
Him, then absorption in thoughts of His service is tantamount
to thinking of Him. That is a “Yes.”
If we can do the service perfectly while giving thoughts to
Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes—in the way that an experienced cook can
prepare a meal while holding a conversation—that is also a “Yes!”
In this regard Kṛṣṇa says, mām anusmara yudhya ca, “Therefore,
Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and
at the same time continue your prescribed duty of fighting. With
your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence
fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.”9 An example of
how this can be done is nāma-saṅkīrtana, wherein the external
and internal activities are highly complementary.
However, if one is not so spiritually adept, or if circumstances
prohibit simultaneously thinking of Kṛṣṇa and serving Him, or
if by thinking of Kṛṣṇa one cannot properly serve Him, then the
answer is “No!” Examples are doing the bookkeeping of Kṛṣṇa’s
finances or driving a saṅkīrtana party to its destination. At these
times it is better to concentrate on service. And one will not be
bereft of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy by doing so. We see how Mother Yaśodā
put Kṛṣṇa down to tend to the milk flowing over on the stove.
She gave up Kṛṣṇa’s company for His service. Of the two, the
latter is more important.10
If devotees are looking for one practical rule of thumb, then
we should follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s example and do the
activities of sādhaka-rūpa and siddha-rūpa sequentially.
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Chapter Seven
* * * *
Other relevant questions arise about service in the sādhaka-deha.

One is, “How will different devotees follow different associates
of Lord Caitanya and still maintain unity in achieving Lord
Caitanya’s mission?”
The answer is: because Rūpa Gosvāmī perfectly represents
the conduct and teachings of Lord Caitanya’s every associate,
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas follow him. This is confirmed by the well-
known verse,
śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ
sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ
dadāti sva-padāntikam
“When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has estab-

lished within this material world the mission to fulfil the desire
of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?”11
The role of Rūpa Gosvāmī as the sādhaka whom all other
sādhakas follow is so ingrained in Gauḍīya tradition that Gauḍīyas
are named after him. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words,
“The present Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is also based on
the authority of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. We are there-
fore generally known as rūpānugas, or followers in the footsteps
of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda.”12
Thus, rāgānuga-bhaktas can be assured of being faithful to their
sādhaka-rūpa calling by following Rūpa Gosvāmī or any rūpānuga
Vaiṣṇava. Telling symptoms of such rūpānuga role models are seen
in their conduct as regulated devotees and enthusiastic preachers.
As the Founder-Ācārya of iskcon, Śrīla Prabhupāda sets
90
the bar for the Society’s members as to what following Rūpa

Gosvāmī means. Naturally, all true followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda
can become role models for their followers. Their example will
include rising early, attending the morning program, regularly
studying Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, worshipping the Deity with
faith, keeping good association, and preaching through book
distribution, harināma-saṅkīrtana, prasādam distribution, and
festivals. And of course, these activities must be done within the
framework of iskcon as His Divine Grace has ordained.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu summarises the activities of a rūpānuga
Vaiṣṇava and the benefit they derive in this way:
sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa

mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana
sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga
kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pāñcera alpa saṅga
“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the
Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside at Mathurā, and worship
the Deity with faith and veneration. These five limbs of devo-
tional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of
these five awakens love for Kṛṣṇa.”13
Since devotees can follow Śrīla Prabhupāda or their own
spiritual master in their sādhaka-rūpa, they may ask whether
they can also follow their preceptors in their siddha-rūpa.
If devotees have been sufficiently purified at heart to realise
the siddha-deha of a self-realised Vaiṣṇava, then they may follow
them if they are so inclined. However, if devotees are still condi-
tioned then they can only be attracted to, and hence internally
follow, Vaiṣṇavas whose siddha-deha is known from scripture—
like Śrī Rādhā, Subala, or Rūpa-mañjarī.
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When devotees become liberated in their own right, then as

part of the greater picture of their eternal services to Kṛṣṇa in
Vraja they will also realise their eternal connection with their
spiritual master in his siddha-deha.
The concept of service to the sādhaka-rūpa of a Vraja-vāsī also
sheds further light on what it means to live in Vraja: one must be
dedicated to the service of a rūpānuga Vaiṣṇava like Śrīla Prab-
hupāda. If one is absorbed in such service then wherever in the
world one serves, that will be Vraja. Conversely, if one neglects
such service then one will not reap the real benefit of even phys-
ically living in Vṛndāvana.
In conclusion we may consider that unless one is faithful to
the process of service in one’s sādhaka-rūpa, one will struggle to
reach the perfection of service in one’s siddha-rūpa. However,
if devotees are meticulous in service to their rūpānuga lineage,
their inner meditations will be enhanced by divine grace.14 It is
by divine grace that rāga first appears, and it is by the same divine
grace that rāga will be nurtured to perfection. In this regard Śrīla
Prabhupāda writes,
“When one becomes serious to follow the mission of the
spiritual master, his resolution is tantamount to seeing the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. As explained before, this
means meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the
instruction of the spiritual master. This is technically called vāṇī-
sevā. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura states in his Bhaga-
vad-gītā commentary on the verse vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha
kuru-nandana that one should serve the words of the spiritual
master. The disciple must stick to whatever the spiritual master
orders. Simply by following on that line, one sees the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.”15
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NOTES

3. In describing members of the Pañca-tattva, Kavirāja Gosvāmī calls Caitanya
Mahāprabhu bhakta-rūpa, or the Lord “in the form of a devotee,” which is
synonymous with the Lord in the form of a practitioner, sādhaka-rūpa. (Cait-
anya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.14)
10. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10th Canto, Chapters 9-11) tells the story of Kṛṣṇa’s
pastime of being bound to a mortar by His mother. The pastime begins with
Mother Yaśodā breastfeeding her son, but when the milk boils over on the
stove, she puts Him down—much to His consternation—and attends to the
overflowing milk. Ācāryas explain that it was not a fault on her part to neglect
the Lord because the milk was meant for His pleasure and so attending to it
was service to Him, which in this case took a rightful priority.
12. Nectar of Devotion, Introduction
13. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.128-129
14. This conclusion brings to the fore the relative merits of the goṣṭhy-ānandī
and bhajanānandī devotees. The former both preaches and practises Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, and the latter just practises in a sacred place. Preaching is very
dear to Kṛṣṇa and therefore He easily bestows His mercy on the goṣṭhy-ānandī.
It is that mercy which will catapult practitioners into the realm of perfec-
tion. Due to misunderstanding Lord Caitanya’s teachings, the bhajanānandī
thinks that by excessive effort in bhajana, grace will descend. However, such a
laboured attempt at spontaneous practice is a form of mixed vidhi and rāga. It
is characteristic of a neophyte’s attempts at spontaneity and does not result in
perfection. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s opinion was that the best way to draw Kṛṣṇa’s
attention was by preaching on His behalf.
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CHAPTER EIGHT
Five Limbs of Practice

Affecting Bh§va
H
aving read the previous chapter, thoughtful devotees will
question whether following all the aspects of vaidhī-
bhakti is actually favourable for cultivating rāga. After
all, Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains that regulated devotional service
practised in awe and veneration leads one to Vaikuṇṭha and the
four kinds of liberation—it does not lead to Vṛndāvana and
rāgātmika-bhakti.1 And Rāmānanda Rāya has also said, vidhi-
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mārge nā pāiye vraje kṛṣṇa-candra, “One cannot obtain Kṛṣṇa

in Goloka Vṛndāvana simply by serving the Lord according to
regulative principles.”2
Rūpa Gosvāmī resolves this quandary with the third verse
outlining the practice of rāgānuga-bhakti:
śravaṇotkīrtanādīni
vaidha-bhakty-uditāni tu
yāny aṅgāni ca tāny atra
vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ
“The discriminating practitioners should accept the limbs of

vaidhī-bhakti that are favourable for rāgānuga-bhakti, such as
hearing and chanting, accepting those regulated practices as limbs
of spontaneous practice.”3
How do devotees discern which limbs of regulated devotional
service are favourable for cultivating rāga and which are not?
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura identifies five limbs of practice
that are distinguished by their different effect on the cultivation
of spontaneous devotion.4 He calls these: tad-bhāvamaya, the
actual mood; bhāva, for which a practitioner aspires and which
saturates all his practices; tad-bhāva-sambandhī, those activities
of devotion that are related to bhāva; tad-bhāva-anukūla, those
favourable to bhāva; tad-bhāva-aviruddha, those not opposed
to bhāva; and tad-bhāva-pratikūla, those which are opposed to
bhāva.5
In this context bhāva is synonymous with the specific kind
of rāga for which a sādhaka aspires. An understanding of these
divisions helps the practitioner to not only select those practices
that are favourable for rāga but to discern the relative contribu-
tions those practices make to the development of rāga.
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Five Limbs of Practice Affecting Bhāva
* * * *
Tad-bhāvamaya is the specific mood of devotion to which the

devotee has a spontaneous attraction.
Every rāgānuga-sādhaka is drawn to one of the four relation-
ships of Vraja. As explained earlier, that is their bhāva or rāga.
According to the intensity of one’s mood, one’s devotional activ-
ities are proportionately pervaded. Thus when a devotee’s acts of
devotion— especially chanting and hearing—are infused with his
bhāva, the self-same bhāva is nourished at its roots. Thus bhāva,
the means, is that by which bhāva, the goal, is achieved. The
difference between the two is that the former is unripe whereas
the latter is ripe. In this way the mood of devotion is the orig-
inal or efficient cause of bhāva as well as of its development to
maturity. This is called tad-bhāvamaya.
The example can be given of the greed of a materialistic
merchant. Every product that he manufactures is based on his
greed to make more and more money. As he sells his products
for a profit, his greed to become wealthy increases and in time
he truly becomes affluent. The greed, which is the direct cause
of the merchant’s wealth, is tad-bhāvamaya.
Tad-bhāva-sambandhī, or devotional activities related to
bhāva, are the fundamental aspects of Kṛṣṇa consciousness that
are the ingredient cause for the development of rāga.
Sādhana related to bhāva includes the acceptance of a spiritual
master, chanting dīkṣā-mantras, worship of Deities, and hearing
and speaking about the services of the Vraja-vāsī to whom one
is attracted. When a devotee’s mood of devotion is saturated
with these activities, practising them further shapes and nour-
ishes that devotee’s thoughts and feelings. As the direct cause of
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the development of bhāva they are said to be related to bhāva,

tad-bhāva-sambandhī.
Rāmānanda Rāya gives an example of how service and specif-
ically remembrance is related to bhāva:
ataeva gopī-bhāva kari aṅgīkāra

rātri-dina cinte rādhā-kṛṣṇera vihāra
siddha-dehe cinti’ kare tāhāṅñi sevana
sakhī-bhāve pāya rādhā-kṛṣṇera caraṇa
“Therefore one should accept the mood of the gopīs, gopī-bhāva,

in their service. In such a transcendental mood, one should
always think of the pastimes of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. After
thinking of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and Their pastimes for a long
time and after getting completely free from material contamina-
tion, one is transferred to the spiritual world. There the devotee
attains an opportunity to serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa as one of the
gopīs.”6
Vibrating the Gopāla mantra is an example of a practice
related to bhāva. Whichever of the four moods of devotion a
devotee aspires for is directly nourished by the Gopāla mantra.
The same may be said for kīrtana of the mahā-mantra. As the
yuga-dharma it is the most effective limb of tad-bhāva-sambandhī.
Although remembrance is the principle limb of rāgānuga-bhakti
it is still dependent on kīrtana. In this regard Jīva Gosvāmī
comments, yadyanyā bhaktiḥ kalau kartavyā tadā kīrtanākhyā
bhakti-saṁyoga-naiva, “Even though in the age of Kali one may
perform the other eight branches of bhakti, nevertheless they
must be accompanied by kīrtana.”7
Kṛṣṇa also recommends that with their specific mood, devo-
tees hear and narrate His pastimes: “One should also glorify My
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transcendental qualities and activities, hear with love and faith

the narrations of My glories, and constantly meditate on Me.”8
Śrīla Prabhupāda also describes how the combination of hear-
ing about Kṛṣṇa and worshipping the Deity is favourable for
perfecting bhāva: “This development of conjugal love can be
possible only with those who are already engaged in following
the regulative principles of devotional service, specifically in the
worship of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in the temple. Such devotees grad-
ually develop a spontaneous love for the Deity, and by hearing of
the Lord’s exchange of loving affairs with the gopīs they gradually
become attracted to these pastimes. After this spontaneous attrac-
tion becomes highly developed, the devotee is placed in either of
the abovementioned categories [of perfection].”9
The earlier example of the greedy man to understand tad-bhā-
vamaya can also give insight to tad-bhāva-sambandhī. Although
greed is the original cause of the merchant’s wealth, unless he
manufactures his products and sells them, bargaining in the
process, his wealth cannot be realised. Because these business
transactions and their success are the material cause of increas-
ing the merchant’s greed and of realising his wealth, they are his
tad-bhāva-sambandhī.10
The next three divisions involved in the development of
rāgānuga-bhakti are: tad-bhāva-anukūla, practices that are help-
ful to the development of bhāva; tad-bhāva-aviruddha, those
that have a neutral effect; and tad-bhāva-pratikūla, those that are
harmful and so are to be rejected.
Tad-bhāva-anukūla includes the observance of Ekādaśī,
Janmāṣṭamī, and the vow of Kārtika. These observances should
be accompanied by the glorification of vraja-bhakti, and the
renunciation of sense pleasure—like fasting—should be done
solely for the purpose of attaining one’s coveted perfection.
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Chapter Eight
Another practice that exemplifies bhāva-anukūla is the

worship of Tulasī-devī with words like,
ei nivedana dhara, sakhīra anugata koro

sevā-adhikāra diye koro nīja dāsī
“I beg you to make me a follower of the cowherd damsels of

Vraja. Please give me the privilege of devotional service and make
me your own maidservant.”11
Activities like observing Ekādaśī and worshipping Tulasī-devī
are direct limbs of remembrance, chanting, and hearing, and are
related to bhāva. And while they are ingredients of rāgānuga-
bhakti, their observance is compulsory.
In this regard Śrīla Prabhupāda comments:
“In the Bhakti-sandarbha by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, there is a
quotation from the Skanda Purāṇa admonishing that a person
who eats grains on Ekādaśī becomes a murderer of his mother,
father, brother, and spiritual master, and even if he is elevated
to a Vaikuṇṭha planet he falls down. On Ekādaśī, everything is
cooked for Viṣṇu, including regular grains and dhal, but it is
enjoined that a Vaiṣṇava should not even take viṣṇu-prasādam
on Ekādaśī.”12
Devotees will note that following those activities that are
related to and favourable to bhāva are not optional. Even though
they are limbs of spontaneous devotion, they cannot be neglected.
For instance, one cannot neglect to surrender to and take initi-
ation from a spiritual master. Spontaneous devotion does not
mean whimsy, but moulding one’s acquired bhāva according to
recognised procedures. When devotees neglect the direction of
saints and scriptures, their spontaneous devotion becomes a sham
and their conduct a disturbance in Vaiṣṇava circles.
100
In this regard, great devotees commenting on rāgānu-

ga-sādhana have cited the following verse to emphasise the
importance of following the duties prescribed by scripture:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorised Vedic

literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, and Nārada-pañcarātra is
simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.”13
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura includes wearing tulasī neck-
beads, tilaka, and the names and footprints of Kṛṣṇa drawn with
gopīcandana as bhāva-anukūla. Being daily functions, they are
accompanied by, and so are limbs of, the recitation of Kṛṣṇa’s
names and remembrance of Him.
Another limb of bhakti that is favourable to rāgānuga-sādhana
is not a practice but a frame of mind—the universally praised
Vaiṣṇava quality of humility. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has defined
the cultivation and symptoms of humility in this way:
tṛṇād api su-nīcena

taror iva sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more
tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honour
yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily
always chant the holy name of the Lord.”14
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Chapter Eight
The mood of humility is not only a direct limb of kīrtana but

also a direct limb of the other eight limbs of bhakti.15 However,
humility is not just in the category of tad-bhāva-anukūla,
but because it is directly related to the cultivation of bhāva
it may be said that it is also related to it and so a feature of
tad-bhāva-sambandhī.
Humility is an outstanding quality of the Vraja-vāsīs, thus
aspiring for their mood of devotion means imbibing the four
qualities of humility as defined by Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
* * * *
Tad-bhāva-aviruddha are limbs of sādhana that are not opposed

to bhāva.
This neutral terminology reflects the nature of certain devo-
tional activities that do not explicitly connect with a devotee’s
rāga, but by their passive nature rāga is implied. For example,
wearing Deities’ clothes, garlands, and ornaments, and marking
the body with the Lord’s names. These items and markings don’t
directly nurture a devotee’s mood but when the devotee is aware
of them, then indirectly they do. Therefore these acts of devotion
can also be accepted for rāgānuga-sādhana.
In this regard Uddhavajī says,
tvayopabhukta-srag-gandha-
vāso-’laṅkāra-carcitāḥ
ucchiṣṭa-bhojino dāsās
tava māyāṁ jayema hi
“Simply by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant oils,
102
clothes, and ornaments that You have already enjoyed, and by

eating the remnants of Your meals, we, Your servants, will indeed
conquer Your illusory energy.”16
Other items of devotion that are not opposed to the desired
mood of devotion are the worship of cows, serving brāhmaṇas,
and hearing stories from the Purāṇas or Mahābhārata.17
Of course the study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is in a different
category than the study of other Purāṇas. As mentioned earlier,
hearing and reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is related to the cultiva-
tion of bhāva and therefore learned Vaiṣṇavas follow the injunc-
tion of the Bhāgavatam itself and make its study an essential part
of their daily sādhana, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.18
The comparison between the benefits of reading Śrīmad-Bhāga-
vatam to other Purāṇas is given by Sūta Gosvāmī: “All other
Purāṇic scriptures shine forth in the assembly of saintly devotees
only as long as that great ocean of nectar, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
is not heard. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is declared to be the essence
of all Vedānta philosophy. One who has felt satisfaction from its
nectarean mellow will never be attracted to any other literature.”19
Thus while reading other Vedic literature is not detrimental to
the mood of devotion, the benefits they give pale by comparison
to the benefits derived from hearing, speaking, and distributing
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Special mention should be made of service to Vaiṣṇavas as
an ingredient to tad-bhāva-sambandhī, tad-bhāva-anukūla, and
tad-bhāva-aviruddha. According to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness of
the Vaiṣṇava or Vaiṣṇavas being served, the mood of the rāgānu-
ga-sādhaka will benefit accordingly.
Rūpa Gosvāmī describes three kinds of Vaiṣṇavas in the
following verse: the uttama-adhikārī, who has realised his svarūpa
and is competent to bless the rāgānuga-bhakta in all ways; the
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madhyama-adhikārī, who is as similarly situated in bhāva as the

rāgānuga-bhakta; and the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, whose greed has not
yet awakened. The ācārya writes,
kṛṣṇeti yasya giri taṁ manasādriyeta

dīkṣāsti cet praṇatibhiś ca bhajantam īśam
śuśrūṣayā bhajana-vijñam ananyam anya-
nindādi-śūnya-hṛdam īpsita-saṅga-labdhyā
“One should mentally honour the devotee who chants the holy
name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one should offer humble obeisances to
the devotee who has undergone spiritual initiation [dīkṣā] and
is engaged in worshipping the Deity, and one should associate
with and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in
undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely
devoid of the propensity to criticise others.”20
Because his blessings can elevate the practitioner, service to the
first-class devotee is bhāva-sambandhī; because his friendship is
conducive to the mood of the practitioner, service to the second-
class devotee is bhāva-anukūla; and because he is a Vaiṣṇava, to
whom showing respect is always pleasing to Kṛṣṇa, service to the
third-class devotee is bhāva-aviruddha.
All kinds of Vaiṣṇavas are dear to Kṛṣṇa and so a rāgānuga-
sādhaka knows well that they should all be rendered service
according to their advancement. How one offers service to devo-
tees is part of Vaiṣṇava etiquette which Caitanya Mahāprabhu
calls the ornament of a devotee:
tathāpi bhakta-svabhāva—maryādā-rakṣaṇa
maryādā-pālana haya sādhura bhūṣaṇa
104
“It is the characteristic of a devotee to observe and protect the

Vaiṣṇava etiquette. Maintenance of the Vaiṣṇava etiquette is the
ornament of a devotee.21
How do we recognise the advancement of another Vaiṣṇava?
Śrīla Prabhupāda says that it is our responsibility to have the
intelligence to distinguish between the three levels of devotees.22
And if one neglects to serve Vaiṣṇavas properly then one
will commit the offence of vaiṣṇava-aparādha which will stunt
and eventually destroy not only one’s rāga but one’s devotional
creeper.
Cakravartī Ṭhākura says service to Vaiṣṇavas is a very special
limb of devotion. Therefore we should be exceedingly careful in
that regard.
Tad-bhāva-pratikūla are the practices of vaidhī-bhakti that
cannot be incorporated into rāgānuga-sādhana and are thus
opposed to bhāva.
Those activities or meditations that either indirectly or directly
invoke a mood that is different from one’s aspired-after perfection
should be discontinued by the rāgānuga-sādhaka. Some exam-
ples of these practices are kara-nyāsa and aṅga-nyāsa—assigning
various names of Lord Viṣṇu to different parts of the body—and
meditating on Kṛṣṇa’s Dvārakā pastimes or worshipping His
queens.
Sometimes devotees become fearful at the thought of neglect-
ing a prescribed limb of vaidhī-bhakti and of thus committing
offence. However, Kṛṣṇa reassures His devotee that because this
path of devotion has been prescribed by Him, sincere practition-
ers will not become offenders:
na hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso

mad-dharmasyoddhavāṇv api
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Chapter Eight
mayā vyavasitaḥ samyaṅ

nirguṇatvād anāśiṣaḥ
“My dear Uddhava, because I have personally established it, this

process of devotional service unto Me is transcendental and free
from any material motivation. Certainly a devotee never suffers
even the slightest loss by adopting this process.”23
* * * *
How the five divisions of devotion are either integrated into

or distanced from rāgānuga-bhakti have been briefly described.
The discrimination to recognise which scriptural injunctions
are meant to be observed and which are to be rejected is a qual-
ification of the rāgānuga-sādhaka. This is confirmed by Rūpa
Gosvāmī’s words, vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ, “this should be known
by the discriminating soul.”24
The Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu verses beginning with kṛṣṇaṁ
smaran and sevā sādhaka describe both living in Vṛndāvana and
the mental absorption involved in rāgānuga-bhakti. The verse
beginning with śravaṇotkīrtanādīni describes the devotional
practices starting with hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Indeed, hearing and chanting are the fountainhead from which
all other practices proceed and are the indispensible limbs of
bhakti without which a practitioner will be unable to follow in
the footsteps of the Vraja-vāsīs.
In the stepwise progression of devotional service from the
stage of faith to love, there are variations in the rules governing
each stage. Thus as one progresses from one stage to the next,
one invariably gives up certain rules exclusive to the earlier stage
106
and embraces new rules exclusive to the successive one. This is

implicit in the process of spiritual advancement and it is incum-
bent on the devotee to recognise those rules that are meant to be
continued, those meant to be given up, and those meant to be
adopted. If one fails in this regard, his advancement is curtailed.25
This is the sum and substance of Rūpa Gosvāmī’s third verse
outlining the practice of rāgānuga-bhakti.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī is the perfect follower of Rūpa
Gosvāmī and as such he has elaborated further on the śravaṇot-
kīrtanādīni verse for our benefit. The following verses from
Manaḥ-śikṣā are favourites of Vaiṣṇavas, and Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Ṭhākura enjoined his followers to know and recite
them daily:26
gurau goṣṭhe goṣṭhālayiṣu sujane bhūsura-gaṇe

sva-mantre śrī-nāmni vraja-nava-yuva-dvandva-śaraṇe
sadā dambhaṁ hitvā kuru ratim apūrvām atitarāṁ
aye svāntardhātaś caṭubhir abhiyāce dhṛta-padaḥ
“O mind! I grasp your feet and beg you with sweet words: Please
throw away all your pride and develop intense, extraordinary
love for my spiritual master, Vrajabhūmi, the people of Vraja, the
Vaiṣṇavas, the brāhmaṇas, the Gāyatrī mantra, the holy name,
and the transcendental shelter that is the youthful couple of
Vraja.
na dharmaṁ nādharmaṁ śruti-gaṇa-niruktaṁ kila kuru

vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pracura-paricaryām iha tanuḥ
śacī-sūnuṁ nandīśvara-pati-sutatve guru-varaṁ
mukunda-preṣṭhatve smara padam ajasraṁ nanu manaḥ
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Chapter Eight
“Mind, don’t do the pious and impious deeds described in the

Vedas. Intently serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vraja. Always remember
that Lord Caitanya is the son of Mahārāja Nanda and my guru
is most dear to Lord Mukunda.
yadīccher āvāsaṁ vraja-bhuvi sa-rāgaṁ prati-janur

yuva-dvandvaṁ tac cet paricaritum ārād abhilaṣe
svarūpaṁ śrī-rūpaṁ sa-gaṇam iha tasyāgrajam api
sphuṭaṁ premṇā nityaṁ smara nama tadā tvaṁ śṛṇu manaḥ
“Mind, listen to me! If you desire to reside in Vraja birth after

birth, and if you desire to directly serve the youthful Divine
Couple, then with great love always remember and bow down
before Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, his elder
brother Sanātana Gosvāmī, and all their associates and followers.
asad-vārtā-veṣyā visṛja mati-sarvasva-haraṇīḥ

kathā mukti-vyāghryā na śṛṇu kila sarvātma-gilaṇīḥ
api tyaktvā lakṣmī-pati-ratim ito vyoma-nayanīṁ
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇau sva-rati-maṇi-dau tvaṁ bhaja manaḥ
“Give up the prostitutes of friendship with non-devotees, pros-

titutes who will steal the treasure of your heart. Don’t listen to
the words of the tigress of impersonal liberation which devours
everyone. Give up attraction for Lord Nārāyaṇa which leads to
the world of Vaikuṇṭha. O mind, in Vraja worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa,
two philanthropists who give away the jewel of pure love.”
108
NOTES
1. See Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.17

4. Rāga-vartma-candrikā 1.13
5. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu 1.11
6. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.228-229
7. Krama-sandarbha commentary to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.23-24
9. Nectar of Devotion 16
10. Viśvanātha Cakravarti Ṭhākura refers to tad-bhāva-sambandhī as the
upādāna-kāraṇa, a terminology used in describing creation and translates
as the “material cause” or “ingredient cause.” (Rāga-vartma-candrikā 1.14)
Another more fundamental cause to creation is the efficient cause or original
cause, known as nimitta-kāraṇa. In simple terms, creation has two aspects:
Kṛṣṇa’s desire to create, and the material ingredients with which creation
is realised. Similarly, in relation to the development of rāga to the stage of
prema, tad-bhāvamaya, the devotee’s bhāva, is the efficient cause and tad-bhā-
va-sambandhī, the primary acts of devotion like śravaṇa and kīrtana, are the
ingredient cause that facilitate the realisation of bhāva.
11. Śrī Tulasī-pūjā-kīrtana 4
14. Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka 3
15. Kavirāja Gosvāmī emphasises that all devotional practices must be
approached and cultivated with the mood of humility. He says, “Raising
my hands, I declare, ‘Everyone please hear me! String this verse on the thread
of the holy name and wear it on your neck for continuous remembrance.’”
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.32)
17. In light of the recent passing of His Grace Kūrma Rūpa Prabhu, who
established Care For Cows in Vṛndāvana and who attained perfection through
his many years of dedicated, selfless service to Kṛṣṇa’s cows, special mention
should be made of cows in the dhāma—all iskcon dhāmas worldwide—
109
Chapter Eight
compared to cows elsewhere, which are mentioned herein as belonging to the

category of tad-bhāva-aviruddha. As Kṛṣṇa’s cows are residents of the dhāmas,
they are worshipable as dhāma-vāsīs. Moreover, in Rāga-vartma-candrikā, in
the section entitled “Eternal Activities,” Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
says, “the processes of hearing, chanting, and the other devotional practices
are eternal activities that the devotee should perform incessantly, connecting
him with his cherished bhāva (bhāva-sambandha).” Thus when cow protection
is done in the consciousness that it is integral to one’s eternal bhāva as a gopa
or gopī, service to Kṛṣṇa’s cows is tad-bhāvamaya.
18. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.18 recommends that devotees make service to it
a perpetual activity.
19. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.13.14-15
20. Śrī Upadeśāmṛta 5
21. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 4.130
22. Commenting on Śrī Upadeśāmṛta 5 Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “In this verse
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī advises the devotee to be intelligent enough to distinguish
between the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī, and uttama-adhikārī.”
23. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.29.20. Cakravartī Ṭhākura repeatedly quotes this
verse in support of the practice of tad-bhāva-pratikūla. See, for example, his
commentary on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.296.
25. In Bhaktyāloka 1.4 Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda has further explained this
principle underlying Rūpa Gosvāmī’s instruction. The ācārya writes, “In the
process of sādhana-bhakti there are four stages: śraddhā, niṣṭhā, ruci, and āsakti.
After passing these four stages one comes to the level of bhāva, which is the
doorstep of prema. According to the degree of faith, each level has different
rules. As one leaves behind one level and progresses to the next, he should
honour the rules of the latter and leave aside those of the former. Those who
do not give up the rules of the previous level are bound by those rules like
chains that do not allow him to proceed to the next level.
“In the process of devotional service, whatever rules are prescribed for
each level are all subordinate to one principle rule. That general rule is given
in the Padma Purāṇa as follows: smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na
jātucit / sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ. ‘Remembering Kṛṣṇa is
the eternal duty. All other prescriptions mentioned in the śāstras have arisen
from this main prescription. Forgetting Kṛṣṇa is never allowed. All other
prohibitions mentioned in the śāstras have arisen from this main prohibition.’
110
Notes
“Keeping this main prescription in mind while advancing, the practitioner

should give up his attachment for the prescriptions of the previous level
and accept the prescriptions of the next level. Otherwise he will be guilty of
niyamāgraha and weak in reaching the next level. The practitioner of devo-
tional service must always remember this point.”
26. Manaḥ-śikṣā 1-4
111
CHAPTER NINE
Two Kinds of
R§g§nuga-bhakti
E
arlier in this book the spontaneous devotion of the Vraja-
vāsīs has been shown to be of two kinds—sacred lust and
relationship. Since rāgānuga-bhakti follows in the wake of
the love of the Vraja-vāsīs, it has the same two divisions called
kāmānuga and sambandhānuga respectively. In the former, the
practising devotee is inspired by the love of the young gopīs of
Vraja, whereas in the latter the practitioner aspires for the loving
sentiments of the other Vraja-vāsīs.
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Chapter Nine
The sacred lust of the gopīs is expressed in terms of activi-

ties inspired by their love for Kṛṣṇa. When a practising devotee
follows in the footsteps of the gopīs because of his longing for
their kind of love, he is known as a kāmānuga-sādhaka. As already
mentioned, the activities of such a devotee are of two kinds:
thoughts enacted by the mind, and actions of the external senses.
Rūpa Gosvāmī befittingly describes the practitioner’s longing for
this kind of bhakti as a thirst, tṛṣṇā.1
The thirst of a sādhaka for following the gopīs is of two kinds:
that which desires, icchā, to follow those who enjoy union,
sambhoga, with Kṛṣṇa, and that which desires, icchā, to follow
those who don’t have union with Kṛṣṇa but aspire for the gopīs’
love, bhāva, for Him. These two kinds of kāmānuga-bhakti are
called sambhogecchā-mayī and tat-tad-bhāvecchātmā respectively.
Of the two kinds of kāmānuga-bhakti, sambhogecchā-mayī
is the one least aspired after by devotees and of the two, adds
Cakravartī Ṭhākura, tat-tad-bhāvecchātmā is preferable.2
Why is that?
Because the mood of tat-tad-bhāvecchātmā possesses a special
kind of sweetness that is absent in sambhogecchā-mayī. This sweet-
ness inspires partiality towards tat-tad-bhāvecchātmā in practi-
tioners and perfected devotees alike. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī
expresses it thus:
pādābjayos tava vinā vara-dāsyam eva

nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devi yāce
sākhyāya te mama namo ’stu namo ’stu nityaṁ
dāsyāya te mama raso ’stu raso ’stu satyam
“O Queen! I shall never ask You for anything other than direct
service to Your lotus feet. I offer my respectful obeisances to Your
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Two Kinds of Rāgānuga-bhakti
friendship. I offer my respectful obeisances to Your friendship

again and again. May I find Your service as sweet as nectar. May
I find Your service as sweet as nectar!”3
What is the cause of this special sweetness?
Gopīs whose kāma is of the nature of tat-tad-bhāvecchātmā
have the service of a maidservant to those gopīs who desire union
with Kṛṣṇa, like Candrāvalī. By that kāma they not only enjoy
the bliss of serving gopīs like Śrī Rādhā but additionally they
enjoy the bliss that their mistresses enjoy with Kṛṣṇa. Moreover,
their innocence and their selflessness in serving both their heroine
and hero brings kāma to its zenith.
Readers will notice how compatible tat-tad-bhāvecchātmā is
with the practice of rāgānuga-bhakti. Like rāgānuga it empha-
sises mood over acts and observation over participation.
Thus it may also be said that the practice of tat-tad-bhāvec-
chātmā-kāmānuga-bhakti is considerably easier than that of
sambhogātmā-kāmānuga-bhakti.
Of course, practitioners of sambhogātmā-kāmānuga-bhakti
desire to unite with Kṛṣṇa not for their own enjoyment—for
such motive runs against the grain of pure devotion—but to
give Kṛṣṇa conjugal enjoyment. Therefore they aspire to serve
independently in the way that group leaders like Śrī Rādhā and
Candrāvalī do.
This is why rāgānuga-bhaktas prefer the path of tat-tad-bhāvec-
chātmā: they do not want to become competitors to group lead-
ers, especially to the foremost gopī of Vraja, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
All Vaiṣṇavas know that Śrī Rādhā is Kṛṣṇa’s favourite and She
gives Him greater pleasure than anyone else.
Therefore, devotees aspiring after kāma will consider that
the best way to serve Kṛṣṇa is to assist Śrī Rādhā to serve Him
and so they generally adopt the mood of tat-tad-bhāvecchātmā.
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Chapter Nine
Both verses above by Dāsa Gosvāmī and the one below by the
Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad confirm this:
striya uragendra-bhoga-bhuja-daṇḍa-viṣakta-dhiyo
vayam api te samāḥ sama-dṛśo ’ṅghri-saroja-sudhāḥ
“Similarly, we śrutis, who generally see You as all-pervading, will

achieve the same nectar from Your lotus feet that Your consorts
are able to relish because of their loving attraction to Your mighty,
serpentine arms, for You look upon us and Your consorts in the
same way.”4
The gopīs who serve as maidservants of Śrī Rādhā or some
other gopī, like Candrāvalī, are called mañjarīs, and their love is
called mañjarī-bhāva. The siddha-rūpa of most Gauḍīya ācāryas
is that of a mañjarī.
It will come as no surprise to the reader that awakening a
longing for either conjugal mood is accomplished by hearing of
Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with the gopīs. The same awakening takes place
by seeing the Deity forms of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, provided that
such Deity worship is accompanied by hearing. In other words,
the process of hearing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is sufficient to nurture
bhāva, but Deity worship is not: it is dependent on the hearing
process.
The misinformed may think it improper for male sādhakas to
show interest in the feminine mood and conduct characteristic of
gopīs. They are mistaken. And their mistake is the classic blunder
of identifying the sādhaka-rūpa with the siddha-rūpa—the body
with the mentally conceived identity. The sages in Daṇḍakāraṇya
forest were blessed by Lord Rāmacandra to become gopīs of Vraja.
They are just one example of sages meditating on gopī-bhāva, and
their attainment is described by Śukadeva Gosvāmī thus:
116
antar-gṛha-gatāḥ kāścid
gopyo ’labdha-vinirgamāḥ
kṛṣṇaṁ tad-bhāvanā-yuktā
dadhyur mīlita-locanāḥ
“Some of the gopīs, however, could not manage to get out of

their houses and instead they remained home with eyes closed,
meditating upon Him in pure love.”5
The example of the sages also illustrates how sādhakas become
progressively spiritualised by purification, a side topic but one
that is relevant to the subject of spontaneous devotional service:
Some of the sages who took birth as gopīs were less advanced
than others and so they continued to harbour a slight attachment
to following social norms in lieu of unconditionally following
after Kṛṣṇa. When born as gopīs in Vraja, these sages did not have
the opportunity to meet with Kṛṣṇa’s eternal associates and thus
they remained slightly contaminated materially. Though mostly
spiritual, their bodies also had a material aspect. For this reason
they could not go out to meet Kṛṣṇa. However, the ordeal of
separation from Him referred to in the verse above burned up the
material aspect of their identities and, attaining purely spiritual
forms, they followed the call of the flute at a later date. From that
time on they too were counted as one of Kṛṣṇa’s eternal beloveds.
This concept of a devotee’s body being both spiritual and
material is explained by Śrī Kavi:
bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir

anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ
prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus
tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo ’nu-ghāsam
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Chapter Nine
“Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and

detachment from other things—these three occur simultane-
ously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment, and
relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with
each bite, for a person engaged in eating.”6
From this verse it can be seen that sādhana-bhakti spiritually
transforms devotees’ bodies. But it does so progressively. While
devotees are still tainted by material attachment, there remains a
proportionate material aspect to their being. In such conditions
their bodies are both spiritual and material.
As the sādhaka becomes increasingly absorbed in bhakti, the
spiritual aspect of his body increases and the material aspect
wanes. Finally, at the stage of samādhī, he becomes fully spirit-
ualised. For the rāgānuga-sādhaka, the maturity of his rāga will
determine the extent of his spiritualisation. And only when their
attraction to Kṛṣṇa becomes completely spontaneous do they
enter the realm of transcendence and divine service. This was
the case with some ṛṣi-cārī gopīs.7
* * * *
Returning to the topic of whether kāmānuga-bhakti is solely the

realm of Vaiṣṇavīs, the example of the sages of Daṇḍakāraṇya
clearly shows that Vaiṣṇavas are equally qualified in this regard.
This is also confirmed by the implicit meaning of the language
of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. In the verse riraṁsām suṣṭhu kurvan
yo vidhi-mārgeṇa sevate, Rūpa Gosvāmī refers to candidates for
kāmānuga-bhakti with the word yaḥ, meaning “one who,” which
indicates either man or woman.8
118
The following topic concerns Gauḍīya sādhakas’ interest in

and practise of regulated devotion.
Since practising Vaiṣṇavas follow the activities of vaidhī-bhakti
and since they also hear of the Lord’s pastimes that take place
outside of Vraja, a circumstance may arise in which a devo-
tee aspires for a conjugal relationship with Kṛṣṇa like that of
Dvārakā’s queens. In short, they do not want to be a gopī.
One may wonder what the destination is for such a
practitioner.
Kṛṣṇa Himself gives the answer in the Bhagavad-gītā verse
beginning with yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam.9 The Lord’s reign-
ing opinion is that the outcome of sādhana-bhakti is determined
more by mood than bodily activities.
Thus, even though a devotee may repeat the words of the
kāma-gāyatrī or worship the Deities of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, which are
both appropriate for gopī-bhāva, if he is fixed on becoming a
queen of Dvārakā or an assistant to a queen then he will take
birth in Dvārakā. This is also the principle enshrined in the
sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa verse: services in siddha-rūpa are the factor
determining a sādhaka’s goal.
Scriptural evidence for this kind of attainment is to be found in
the Mahā-kūrma Purāṇa which states that by performing austerities
in vaidhī-bhakti the sons of Agni became the wives of Vāsudeva,
the origin of the universe.10 In this verse both the means, tapasā,
and the end, bhartāram, confirm that vaidhī-bhakti to Kṛṣṇa results
in securing a position similar to that of Dvārakā’s queens.
The principle espoused in the paragraphs above also clar-
ifies the destination of a devotee who aspires after the service
of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa but who is engaged in worship according to
vaidhī-bhakti. For instance, he continues with the bodily mark-
ings and hand gestures described earlier and worships both
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Chapter Nine
demigods and Dvārakā’s queens as a marginal rite prescribed in

Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.11
What destination does such a devotee attain?
As established earlier, he will reach the object of his worship.
Yet because his mood is dominated by Kṛṣṇa’s divinity he
lacks the pure spontaneity of rāga-bhakti. Therefore he secures
Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa not in Vraja but in a portion of Vṛndāvana
called Goloka, where Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness is diluted with
knowledge of Their divinity. Reference to Goloka as an opulent
portion of Gokula can be found in both Padma Purāṇa and
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as well as in Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta.12
yat tu goloka-nāma syāt

tac ca gokula-vaibhavam
sa goloka yathā brahma-
saṁhitāyām iha śrutaḥ
“What is known as Goloka is but the majestic aspect of Gokula

and is elaborately described in Brahma-saṁhitā.”
Some ill-informed people argue that spontaneous worship of
Kṛṣṇa in regulated devotion should lead practitioners to become
associates of Kubjā in Mathurā. But ācāryas reject this proposal,
arguing that the love of Kubjā is inferior to that of the queens
of Dvārakā. How then could a worshipper with a higher mood
of devotion than that which targets Dvārakā get a lower result?
It is inconsistent.
The proper understanding is that regulated devotion to
Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa leads to Vraja. However, such devotion leads to
the opulent portion of Vraja called Goloka, and the accomplish-
ment of the vaidhī-sādhaka is somewhat slower than that of the
rāgānuga-bhakta. This is the conclusion of learned authorities.
120
* * * *
Besides kāmānuga-bhakti, spontaneous devotional service in

practice has a second aspect and that is sambandhānuga-bhakti,
devotion that seeks to follow the Vraja-vāsīs in one of the other
three relationships.13 Rūpa Gosvāmī defines it in this way:
sā sambandhānugā bhaktiḥ

procyate sadbhir ātmani
yā pitṛtvādi-sambandha-
mananāropanātmikā
“The devotees define sambandhānuga-bhakti as devotion in which

there is a constant contemplation of oneself as a parent, friend,
or servant of Kṛṣṇa, and identification with the role.”14
The emphasis here is on the constant absorption of the prac-
titioner in the service to his role model and the mood of his role
model. This of course is the essence of kāmātmika-bhakti but in
sambandhānuga, relationships are the underlying bhāva.
With a corresponding greed, devotees yearn to become a
servant of Yaśodā-devī, Subala, or Raktaka, without making the
mistake of identifying themselves with these eternal associates.
And of course, while following the Vraja-vāsīs in one’s siddha-
rūpa one should not transpose one’s mental conduct upon one’s
sādhaka-rūpa. In other words, although Subala does not follow
Ekādaśī, the rāgānuga-bhakta continues to do so, knowing that
negligence in following such limbs of devotion eventually leads
to falldown.
The Skanda Purāṇa narrates two pastimes that illustrate how
devotees attained Kṛṣṇa as their son.
The first, spoken by Sanat-kumāra, describes a sonless king
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Chapter Nine
who accepted his fate and instead installed a Deity of Kṛṣṇa Who
then told the king, “I have become your son.”15
The second and more widely-known pastime affirms that
devotees should seek vraja-bhakti by following the guidance of
a guru in one’s sādhaka-deha:
There was an old carpenter in Hastināpura who wanted Kṛṣṇa
as his son. On the order of Nārada Muni he installed a Deity of
Kṛṣṇa, and instead of following Nanda Mahārāja in his siddha-
deha—as he could have done—the carpenter served the Deity
in his sādhaka-deha, making no distinction between Kṛṣṇa and
the Deity. In this way he worshipped the Deity according to
pāñcarātrikī regulation but always thought of the Lord as his
son. In time, the carpenter achieved the result of his service and
took birth in Vraja as a cowherd man, and when Brahmā stole
the gopas and calves, Kṛṣṇa became his son. Such is the power of
spontaneous devotion in relationship.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s followers have written extensively
on the subject of rāgānuga-bhakti, especially along the lines of
tat-tad-bhāvecchātma-rāgātmika-bhakti and its ensuing rāgānu-
ga-sādhana. Qualified souls may do appropriate research and
readings under the guru’s supervision.
As a sample of the ācāryas’ works, the following songs of
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura express the mañjarī-bhāva of an aspir-
ant who remains fully dependent on the grace of his spiritual
master:16
ei naba-dāsī bali śrī-rūpa cāhibe

hena śubha-kṣaṇa mora kata dine habe
“O when will the auspicious time come when I become a young

gopī-maidservant to be directly instructed by Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī?
122
śīghra ājñā karibena—dāsī hethā āya

sebāra susajjā-kārya karaha twarāya
“When will Rūpa-mañjarī repeatedly order me, saying, ‘O maid-

servant! Come here and quickly arrange for my fancy garments
and ornaments.’
ānandita hañā hiyā tāṅra ājñā-bale

pabitra manete kārya karibe tat-kāle
“To hear this request I will become delighted and my purified

mind will be fully absorbed in my service.
sebāra sāmagrī ratna-ṭhālete kariyā

subāsita bāri swarṇa-jhārite pūriyā
“When, in Rūpa-mañjarī’s service, will I fill a jewelled tray with

various items of worship and fill a golden goblet with aromatic
water?
doṅhāra sammukhe la ’ye diba śīghra-gati

narottamera daśā kabe haibe e-mati
“When will I nimbly approach the Divine Couple? O when will

Narottama dāsa attain this condition of life?
śrī-rūpa paścāte āmi rahiba bhīta hañā

doṅhe pūnaḥ kahibena āmā pāne cāñā
“When will I timidly follow behind Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī who will

softly say to me, ‘Now hand over the water to the Divine Couple?’
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Chapter Nine
sadaya hṛdaye doṅhe kahibena hāsi

kothāya pāile rūpa ei naba dāsī
“After taking notice of me, when will the Divine Couple compas-
sionately smile and ask Rūpa-mañjarī, ‘From where have you
gotten this new maidservant?’
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī tabe doṅhā vākya śuni

mañjūlālī dila more ei dāsī āni
“Hearing these words will Rūpa-mañjarī say, ‘Mañjūlālī gave her

to me as your new handmaid.’
ati namra-citta āmi haibe jānila

sebā-kārya nīya tabe hethāya rākhila
“Hearing this sweet exchange I shall feel very humble at heart

and continue to diligently engage in the Divine Couple’s service.
hena tattwa doṅhākāre sākṣāte kahiyā

narottame sebāya dibe niyūkta kariyā
“And when will the time come when that Divine Couple directly
speak to Narottama dāsa and further engage him in Their service?
hā hā prabhu lokanātha rākha pāda—dwandwe

kṛpā-dṛṣṭe cāha jadi haiyā ānande
“O Lokanātha Gosvāmī! O my master! Be pleased with me and

place me at your lotus feet so that I may be blessed with your
merciful glance.
124
mano-bāñchā siddhi tabe hañā pūrṇa-tṛṣṇa

hethāya caitanya mile sethā rādhā-kṛṣṇa
“If you are satisfied with me, then all the wishes of my mind will
be fulfilled and my thirst for happiness satiated. If you are satis-
fied with me, then I will attain the association of Lord Caitanya
and the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
tumi nā karile dayā ke karibe āra

manera bāsanā pūrṇa kara ei bāra
“But, O master! If you do not become merciful then what will

become of me, where will I go? Therefore I request you, ‘Please
fulfil my mind’s desire at least this one time.’
e tina saṁsāre mora āra keha nāi

kṛpā kari ’nija pāda-tale deha ṭhāñi
“In the entire world there is no one as much in need of your

mercy as I. Please therefore be merciful and give me shelter at
the soles of your lotus feet.
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-līlā-guṇa gāna rātri-dine

narottama-bāñchā pūrṇa nahe tuyā bine
“Although he spends all his days and nights glorifying the tran-
scendental pastimes and attributes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, nevertheless
Narottama dāsa knows that his desire for Their association will
not be fulfilled without your mercy.”
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Chapter Nine
NOTES
3. Vilāpa-kusumāñjali 16
7. The subject of the ṛṣi-cārī gopīs, their materially tainted bodies, and the
example of sādhakas is described in great depth by Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura in his commentary to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.9-11.
8. See Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.303
9. The entire verse is as follows: yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante
kalevaram / taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ, “Whatever state
of being one remembers when he quits his present body, in his next life he
will attain to that state without fail.” Bhagavad-gītā 8.6
10. The verse quoted in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.304 is agni-putrā mahāt-
mānas tapasā strītvam āpire / bhartāram ca jagad-yoniṁ vāsudevam ajaṁ
vibhum.
11. Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 7.364
12. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura cites the Pātāla-khaṇḍa of Padma Purāṇa
in his commentary to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.303. He also cites verses
10.28.14-17 of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the same commentary and shows
clearly the reference to a Vaikuṇṭha in Kṛṣṇa’s own abode, meaning Vṛndāvana.
That is Goloka, as it is called by name in Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.5.498.
13. Those relationships are servitude, friendship, and parenthood.
15. Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.307
16. Śrī Prārthanā, Songs 18-20
126
CHAPTER TEN
Words of Caution
T
o highlight certain pitfalls in the practice of rāgānu-
ga-bhakti and to summarise what I have written in
the context of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings to iskcon,
I conclude this short book with two further chapters entitled
“Words of Caution” and “Summary.”
Some five millennia ago Kṛṣṇa appeared on earth with His
eternal associates, and together they displayed unprecedented
pastimes of love. Yet the Lord spoke of those pastimes only indi-
rectly to Arjuna and directly but in confidence to Uddhava:
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Chapter Ten
kevalena hi bhāvena
gopyo gāvo nagā mṛgāḥ
ye ’nye mūḍha-dhiyo nāgāḥ
siddhā mām īyur añjasā
“The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, including the gopīs, cows, unmov-

ing creatures such as the twin arjuna trees, animals, living enti-
ties with stunted consciousness such as bushes and thickets, and
snakes such as Kāliya, all achieved the perfection of life by unal-
loyed love for Me and thus very easily achieved Me.”1
Śrī Kṛṣṇa knew well the risks involved in publicising the high-
est mellows of devotional service—notably conjugal love—in
the days preceding the dawn of Kali-yuga. Therefore He left
it to highly-qualified devotees to find the path to vraja-bhakti
themselves. They could do this through hearing of His pastimes
and scrutinising Vedic literature.
But even by Kṛṣṇa’s admission that indirect approach had little
result.2 Vraja-bhakti remained a mysterious subject for advanced
scholars, what to speak of the distracted populace of this dark
age. Kṛṣṇa then appeared again as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to
glorify spontaneous devotion, show the means of attaining it, and
reveal the key to both attainment and practice—nāma-saṅkīr-
tana. The Lord’s most confidential associate, Svarūpa Dāmodara
Gosvāmī, wrote,
anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam
hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ
sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ
“May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Śrīmatī
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Words of Caution
Śacī-devī be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers

of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold,
He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to
bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most
sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow
of conjugal love.”3
Yet even in the Lord’s presence pseudo-devotees and academ-
ics began to hide the truth of His teachings, a mischief that
gained further traction after Lord Caitanya’s disappearance. Very
quickly a shroud of ignorance settled over the world, a shroud
that only the preaching of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s associates
and followers could eradicate. With the mission of the Lord in
mind, ācāryas from Rūpa Gosvāmī to Śrīla Prabhupāda worked
tirelessly to write books on and preach the path of pure devotion.
Their similarly pure teachings emphasised that detachment from
all that is material and chanting in the mood of separation were
criteria for the spontaneous devotion that led to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
and their associates.4
The ācāryas also warned of the pitfalls that practitioners would
encounter in sādhana-bhakti in general and rāgānuga-bhakti in
particular. They cautioned devotees on philosophical misconcep-
tions, deviant practices, and the sahajiyās who embraced both.
Although greed is the undeniable qualification for rāgānu-
ga-sādhana, because it is an internal emotion it is not so easily
distinguished from an interest in or a false exhibition of rāga. To
identify where greed has truly appeared, scriptures and ācāryas
have highlighted other accompanying qualities that visibly indi-
cate its presence.
Vidura states that a symptom of covetousness is indifference
to anything that is not related to pure devotional service. In other
words, the taste for vraja-bhakti appears where there is no taste
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Chapter Ten
for sense-gratification.5 In the same vein, Jīva Gosvāmī concludes

his dissertation on rāgānuga-bhakti by saying kintu rahasya-līlā
tu pauruṣa-vikāravad indriyaiḥ pitṛ-putra-dāsa-bhāvaiś ca nopāsyā,
that devotees who continue to feel the presence of the enjoying
spirit or “male feelings,” pauruṣa-vikāra, should not contemplate
the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, meaning they lack the quali-
fications for doing so.6
Finally we should recall that rāgānuga-bhakti is dependent on
remembering Kṛṣṇa and His associates, kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ
cāsya.7 But constant remembrance is possible only when the
heart has been sufficiently purified through regulated devo-
tional service. Where such purification is absent, meditation on
kṛṣṇa-līlā will be fragmented and unproductive. In such circum-
stances the sādhaka will make better use of his time and efforts
to intensely concentrate on vaidhī-bhakti in order to achieve the
prerequisite purity of heart.
* * * *
Śrīla Prabhupāda and his predecessors were all concerned that

sādhakas who are attracted by the service of a Vraja-vāsī not iden-
tify themselves as being that particular Vraja-vāsī. Rūpa Gosvāmī’s
emphasis is always on being a follower, vraja-lokānusārataḥ.8 Our
identity as Kṛṣṇa’s servants is eternal, and so is that of His associ-
ates. Therefore it is doubly artificial to try and adopt the identity
of one of Kṛṣṇa’s dear companions.9 Since the attempt to become
Nanda Mahārāja, for example, is just like the attempt by some
jñānīs to become Kṛṣṇa, this ideology is Māyāvāda and against
the principles of pure devotion.
Another pitfall that ācāryas repeatedly warn us about is imita
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Words of Caution
ting the activities of the Vraja-vāsīs in one’s sādhaka-deha, mean-

ing transposing activities of the mind to bodily action.
For example, the gopīs worship the sun god and the goddess
Kālī. Vaiṣṇavas, however, should not worship demigods. Kṛṣṇa
has instructed Arjuna that such conduct is not befitting those
learned in devotion:
antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ

tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām
“Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits

are limited and temporary.”10
Similarly, while the Vraja-vāsīs do not follow Ekādaśī, do
not worship śālagrāma-śilās, and do not formally take initia-
tion, we in this world cannot mimic their conduct.11 Rather, as
Rūpa Gosvāmī has instructed, we must follow the conduct of the
Vraja-vāsīs in their sādhaka forms. For example, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa
Gosvāmī is the sādhaka form of Guṇa-mañjarī or Anaṅga-mañ-
jarī, yet He accepted initiation from Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī
Ṭhākura, worshipped śālagrāma-śilās under Lord Caitanya’s
order, and meticulously followed the vow of Ekādaśī.12 Practis-
ing devotees are meant to follow the conduct of such mahājanas
or risk becoming ostracised from the community of pure devo-
tees, as was one Hitā Harivaṁśa at the time of the Gosvāmīs of
Vṛndāvana.13
The most obvious form of transgression can be seen in
Vṛndāvana today where some pseudo-Vaiṣṇavas dress like Vraja-
vāsīs. These are men who dress as gopīs, mistakenly thinking
that this oversimplification of following a Vraja-vāsī gains them
entrance into kṛṣṇa-līlā. On the contrary, they remain mate-
rially grounded, laughing stocks of the sane, and a blight to
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Chapter Ten
the Vaiṣṇava community. They are undisputed prākṛta-sahajiyās.

Practitioners are warned not to imitate the Vraja-vāsīs in any way
lest they, too, degrade to such absurd conduct. Devotees can
never interchange the external conduct of the sādhaka-rūpa for
the internal activities of the siddha-rūpa.
The next hazard for practising devotees is to reject scriptures
or to reject following the principles of regulated devotion recom-
mended in scriptures. Just because rāgānuga-bhakti is inspired
not by scriptural injunctions but by natural attraction does not
mean devotees are not under the guidance of scriptures. To the
contrary, the path of spontaneity is set out in scriptures alone.
When Śrīla Prabhupāda makes statements like “These
rāgānuga devotees do not follow the regulative principles of
devotional service very strictly…”, he does not mean to say
that rāgānuga devotees can pick and choose regulated princi-
ples, ignoring them at will.14 Rather, His Divine Grace refers
to shunning those practices that are unfavourable for spontane-
ous devotion, bhāva-pratikūla; ignoring some elements of dhar-
ma-śāstra, like obligation to one’s forefathers; and neglecting
details of pāñcarātrikī standards, as in the case of laying down in
the temple in ecstasy.15
Given that there are valid reasons to neglect certain regulated
practices, neither those qualified nor those unqualified to do
so should make much ado about their exceptional conduct. It
should remain a confidential affair, in keeping with the principle
established by the Lord:
naitat parasmā ākhyeyaṁ

pṛṣṭayāpi kathañcana
sarvaṁ sampadyate devi
deva-guhyaṁ susaṁvṛtam
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Words of Caution
“O lady! Even if someone enquires, you should not disclose this

fact to anyone. That which is very confidential is successful if
kept secret.”16
Aside from the examples above, rāgānuga-sādhakas and
perfected devotees alike follow the edicts of regulated devotional
service so as to set a proper example for others. Even Kṛṣṇa,
who is far beyond regulatory obligations, embraces this principle
Himself and expects His devotees to do the same:
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas

tat tad evetaro janaḥ
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute
lokas tad anuvartate
“Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow.

And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world
pursues.”17
Devotees must remain faithful to the codes of proper conduct
prescribed by scriptures. If they are neglectful they will degrade to
the level of those sahajiyās who smoke intoxicants and engage in
illicit sex on the reasoning that the only sin for rāgānuga devotees
is vaiṣṇava-aparādha. Need we say any more about such fallacies!
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura further elaborates on
some misconceptions held by would-be rāgānuga-bhaktas who
lack the most fundamental understanding of devotional service:18
Since the foundation of spiritual advancement is transcen-
dental knowledge, devotees must be well versed in the teachings
of scripture. An understanding of one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa,
sambandha-jñāna, is essential to qualify one for cultivating that
relationship, and sādhana means cultivation. Therefore without
sambandha-jñāna there is no question of rāgānuga-bhakti.
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Chapter Ten
Although it is stating the obvious, engagement in the appro-

priate limbs of sādhana is integral to rāgānuga-bhakti. Yet there
appears to be a class of sahajiyās who propose that once one has
greed for Kṛṣṇa—although its hard to believe they do—one is not
obliged to do any sādhana. Then there is another class of sahajiyās
who argue that sādhana need not be to the standard. Obviously
such concocted ideas lead to anywhere except Goloka.
Yet other neophyte devotees make the mistake of equating
belief in or knowledge of rāgānuga-bhakti with greed. Alterna-
tively they think that by declaring themselves to be followers of
the Vraja-vāsīs they become qualified practitioners. Worse still are
devotees who have not gone past the stage of offensive chanting
but who think that by remembering or speaking about Kṛṣṇa’s
gopī-līlā they will become free of lust and be blessed with their
svarūpa. Wishful thinking. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
says,
nā uṭhiyā vṛkṣopari phala dhari’ ṭāne nā

rūpānuga krama-patha vilopa ta’ kare nā
“Just as intelligent people never climb into a tree to pick unripe

fruit knowing that all fruit naturally ripens in season, the follow-
ers of Rūpa Gosvāmī never make efforts to artificially awaken
greed or stimulate their siddha-rūpa, for they know that the
systematic progression of pure devotional service reveals and
matures all aspects of rāgānuga-bhakti without effort.”19
A common misconception among people in general—one that
is fed by unscrupulous impersonators—is that rāgānuga-bhaktas
should always be absorbed in their svarūpa and seeing kṛṣṇa-līlā.
But these expectations are the stuff of fantasy and not the reality
of devotional science.
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Words of Caution
The mood of separation taught by Lord Caitanya is a different

and truly spiritual experience. Even the most advanced devotees,
such as Rūpa Gosvāmī, do not claim to see kṛṣṇa-līlā. Rather
they cry after service to the Divine Couple and in that mood
of separation they sometimes realise their identity. Then all too
soon they return to external consciousness and to their identity
as a sādhaka in whose heart a hankering for service again flares
up like a sacrificial fire fed with ghee.
Śrīla Prabhupāda would quote the following verse as evidence
of the mood and vision of real transcendentalists:
he rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ

śrī-govardhana-kalpa-pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ
ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahā-vihvalau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī jīva-gopālakau
“I offer my respectful obeisances to the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī

Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa
Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrī
Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who were chanting very loudly every-
where in Vṛndāvana, shouting, ‘Queen of Vṛndāvana, Rādhārāṇī!
O Lalitā! O son of Nanda Mahārāja! Where are you all now? Are
you just on the hill of Govardhana, or are you under the trees
on the bank of the Yamunā? Where are you?’ These were their
moods in executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”20
To conclude on this: those who claim to be always seeing
Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes should be known as impostors, self-deluded
cheaters who are far away from the path of rāgānuga-sādhana.
Another impropriety to which aspiring rāgānuga-bhaktas
succumb is questioning the process of devotional maturation that
Śrīla Prabhupāda bestowed upon iskcon. In their newfound inter-
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Chapter Ten
est in spontaneous devotion, neophytes sometimes express doubt

at the absence of “higher topics” being discussed in iskcon, such
as Kṛṣṇa’s vraja-līlā or rasa-tattva. When devotees take such doubts
out into the public domain they reveal their own disqualification
for rāgānuga-bhakti and incur the ire of the Founder-Ācārya for
causing disturbance in the Society. Spontaneous devotional service
is never meant to be a topic of public debate. It is a personal affair
that devotees practise under the guidance of a qualified guru.
Commenting in this regard, Kavirāja Gosvāmī writes, “The
readers should relish this wonderful nectar because nothing
compares to it [Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes]. Keeping their faith firmly fixed
within their minds, they should be careful not to fall into the pit
of false arguments or the whirlpools of unfortunate situations. If
one falls into such positions, he is finished.”21
Although rāgānuga-bhakti is certainly the goal to which
iskcon guides its members, because this movement contains,
engages, and trains devotees from the most neophyte to the most
advanced, their common ground of practice must be vaidhī-
bhakti. Thus devotees honour Rūpa Gosvāmī’s edict of sevā
sādhaka-rūpeṇa, they “execute service externally as a regulative
devotee.” If some devotees have actually become qualified for
spontaneous devotion, then siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi, they can
simultaneously follow a Vraja-vāsī “internally from their self-re-
alised position.” In this way what is done externally through the
senses is common to all devotees and what is practised internally
within the mind is based on each individual’s accomplishment.
Devotees should have faith in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s perfect vision
for facilitating devotees across a full spectrum of spiritual tastes
in iskcon. There is no need to introduce anything new. Rather
we must follow the path set for us by great devotees, mahājano
yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ.22
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Words of Caution
* * * *
We may be convinced of the fallacies of premature and imitative

attempts at rāgānuga-bhakti and of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s perfect
formula for raising us to real spontaneous devotion. But what is
that formula exactly, and how does it accommodate devotees at
different levels of advancement and with different spiritual tastes?
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī answers with a beautiful elabo-
ration on Rūpa Gosvāmī’s sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa verse. He explains
how, by keeping Lord Caitanya in their hearts while remember-
ing Kṛṣṇa’s nectarean pastimes, devotees of every aspiration who
follow Lord Caitanya’s teachings and serve His mission will live
together in harmony and savour bliss in their siddha forms.
“With all humility, I submit myself to the lotus feet of all
of you devotees, taking the dust from your feet as my bodily
ornaments. Now, my dear devotees, please hear one thing more
from me.23
“Devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is exactly like a pleasing, jubilant
forest of lotus flowers wherein there is ample honey. I request
everyone to taste this honey. If all the mental speculators bring
the bees of their minds into this forest of lotus flowers and jubi-
lantly enjoy ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa day and night, their mental
speculation will be completely transcendentally satisfied.
“The devotees who have a relationship with Kṛṣṇa are like
the swans and cakravāka birds who play in that forest of lotus
flowers. The buds of those lotus flowers are the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa,
and they are edibles for the swanlike devotees. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
is always engaged in His transcendental pastimes; therefore the
devotees, following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
can always eat those lotus buds, for they are the pastimes of the
Lord.
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Chapter Ten
“All the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu should go to

that lake and, remaining always under the shelter of the lotus feet
of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, become swans and cakravāka birds
in those celestial waters. They should go on rendering service to
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and enjoy life perpetually. In this way all miseries
will be diminished, the devotees will attain great happiness, and
there will be jubilant love of God.
“The devotees who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu take the responsibility for distributing
nectarean devotional service all over the world. They are like
clouds pouring water on the ground that nourishes the fruit of
love of Godhead in this world. The devotees eat that fruit to their
hearts’ content, and whatever remnants they leave are eaten by
the general populace. Thus they live happily.
“The pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are full of nectar,
and the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa are like camphor. When one
mixes these, they taste very sweet. By the mercy of the pure
devotees, whoever tastes them can understand the depths of that
sweetness.
“Men become strong and stout by eating sufficient grains, but
the devotee who simply eats ordinary grains but does not taste
the transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and
Kṛṣṇa gradually becomes weak and falls down from the transcen-
dental position. However, if one drinks but a drop of the nectar
of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, his body and mind begin to bloom and he
begins to laugh, sing, and dance.
“The readers should relish this wonderful nectar because noth-
ing compares to it. Keeping their faith firmly fixed within their
minds, they should be careful not to fall into the pit of false
arguments or the whirlpools of unfortunate situations. If one
falls into such positions, he is finished.”
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Words of Caution
Commenting, Śrīla Prabhupāda says that the essence of

knowledge is that Lord Caitanya’s pastimes “are identical with
the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”24 This means that Lord Caitanya’s
pastimes are the sādhaka-rūpa counterpart of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes,
which are also fully and directly manifest in Lord Caitanya’s
siddha-rūpa pastimes.25 Appropriately following both Kṛṣṇa and
Lord Caitanya nurtures practising devotees to the maturity of
their devotion.
Śrīla Prabhupāda further emphasises that the philosophy
underlying how one follows Lord Caitanya and remembers
Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is a “difficult subject matter.”26 No wonder,
then, that neophyte devotees easily stumble on the path of trying
to understand them. However, the books of the six Gosvāmīs
have carefully enumerated this philosophy for our benefit, and
we should study them.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purports to the essence of Vaiṣṇava litera-
ture like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā are a summary of
the Gosvāmīs’ books. If devotees carefully study Śrīla Prabhupā-
da’s teachings they will see that he has chalked out the path from
the beginning of regulated devotion, through spontaneous devo-
tion, on to ecstatic and finally loving devotion. It just requires
a studious and faithful eye to recognise that. But if devotees are
lazy…
“All the devotees connected with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness
movement must read all the books that have been translated
(the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā
and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat,
sleep, and fall down from their position. Thus they will miss the
opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental
pleasure.”27
A final note of caution: while iskcon Vaiṣṇavas have regulated
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devotional service as their common external practice, the internal

mood of true rāgānuga-bhaktas may occasionally set them apart
from, or bring them to the notice of, regulated devotees.
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura warns regulated devotees
to respect the inspiration of their spontaneous companions. He
says, vaidha-bhakta-jane kabhu rāgānugā jāne nā, “Regulated
devotees cannot understand spontaneous devotees.”28 Because
the inspiration of regulated and spontaneous devotees differs, it is
understandable that in their interactions different perspectives on
some devotional topics will emerge. At such times neither class
of devotees should try to convince or deride the other. Respect
for every devotional conviction is inherent in mature Vaiṣṇava
conduct.
Additionally, regulated devotees should not try to artificially
become spontaneous practitioners. As long as one’s inspiration is
faith in scriptures there is no question of rāgānuga, which neces-
sitates at least some measure of genuine greed. And greed will
not arise by philosophical arguments or fidelity to regulations. It
comes by submissively hearing about Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana from
scriptures or rasika Vaiṣṇavas.
When a strong desire to taste the service moods of the Vraja-
vāsīs stirs a devotee’s heart, then greed has truly appeared. As
long as a devotee’s inspiration for service is firmly rooted in scrip-
ture, it is said that his devotion remains mixed with sentiments
of family fidelity in urban life with the Supreme Lord as his
object of affection. Such devotion cannot bring one to Kṛṣṇa in
Vṛndāvana.
In this chapter I have tried to summarise the deviations
that arise when conditioned souls contact or actually practise
spontaneous devotional service. As Śrīla Prabhupāda said, how
one follows Lord Caitanya and remembers Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is
140
Words of Caution
a difficult subject matter. Therefore devotees must exercise the

utmost care. For devotees who are attracted to vraja-bhakti and
yet are too cautious to leave the path of regulated devotion, their
destination to Vraja is also assured. When purified of material
contamination they will cross beyond the jurisdiction of matter
and take up rāgānuga-bhakti at the stage of ecstasy or bhāva. How
this is the safe approach and one preferred by our ācāryas will be
described in the following chapter.
NOTES
2. Kṛṣṇa said, “For a long time I have not bestowed unalloyed loving service
to Me upon the inhabitants of the world. Without such loving attachment,
the existence of the material world is useless,” to which Śrīla Prabhupāda
later comments, “After His appearance, Lord Kṛṣṇa thought that He had not
distributed the transcendental personal dealings with His devotees in dāsya,
sakhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya.” Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.14 and 3.16
respectively.
4. This paragraph is based on the concluding words of Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi.
9. The phrase “doubly artificial” means that it is once artificial to give up our
own eternal identity, which simply needs to be discovered, and secondly it is
artificial to try to assume someone else’s equally eternal identity.
11. The worship of śālagrāma-śilās is an element of regulated devotion and
so some devotees mistakenly think that such service to the Lord is against
141
Chapter Ten
the mood of spontaneous devotion, bhāva-pratikūla, and should be rejected.

However, Lord Caitanya Himself ordered Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī to worship
these sacred stones. Therefore such worship is an acceptable part of Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇava practice.
12. Some servants of the Rādhā-ramaṇa temple say that Gopāla Bhaṭṭa
Gosvāmī was initiated by Lord Caitanya when the latter visited Raṅgakṣetra,
the home of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa. However, the introduction to Sanātana Gosvāmī’s
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (1.2) says, “This book, Hari-bhakti-vilasa was originally
compiled by Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, the disciple of Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī,
who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.”
13. Hitā Harivaṁśa was a disciple of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. However, when
his heterodoxical practices of chewing betel nuts and abstaining from Ekādaśī
came to light, his guru rejected him for imitating the behaviour of the Vraja-
vāsīs. Thereafter Hitā Harivaṁśa became even more deviant and was shunned
by the Gosvāmīs of his time, as is his lineage today.
15. Ignoring injunctions of morality are expressed in the verse beginning with
devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇām which states that “Anyone who has taken
shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all
kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither
duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family
members, humankind or forefathers.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.41). Śrīla
Prabhupāda gives the example of lying down before the Deity in The Nectar
of Devotion, Chapter 11.
17. This is the first of a series of verses in Bhagavad-gītā (3.21-26) which Kṛṣṇa
lauds those who set an example for the benefit of those who are not equally
mature in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
18. The following misconceptions and deviations attributed to Bhaktisid-
dhānta Sarasvatī are based on the book Prākṛta-rasa-śata-dūṣaṇī.
19. Prākṛta-rasa-śata-dūṣaṇī 57
20. Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 8
22. This line is from the following verse of Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117:
tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam / dhar-
masya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. “Dry argu-
ments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from
142
Notes
others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are
variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles
are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart
of an unadulterated, self-realised person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm,
one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.”
23. This quote is from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.272-279.
24. Purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.271
25. These siddha-rūpa pastimes of Lord Caitanya are especially manifest when
He is abosorbed in saṅkīrtana or in Gambhīra with His personal associates.
28. Prākṛta-rasa-śata-dūṣaṇī 61
143
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Spontaneous Devotion
in ISKCON
S
ince Lord Caitanya’s mission was to introduce to the world
spontaneous devotion in the wake of the Vraja-vāsīs, there
can be little doubt that this is also the mission of the Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement. And so there should be little doubt
that Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted his followers to become rāgānu-
ga-bhaktas. His Divine Grace taught,
“…without vidhi-bhakti, you cannot reach to the platform of
rāga-bhakti, although that is our aim. Rāgānuga, rāga-bhakti is
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Chapter Eleven
executed following the footprints of the devotees in Vṛndāvana.

That is called rāga-bhakti…So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness move-
ment is gradually developing up to the stage of rāga-bhakti or
parā bhakti. Then life is successful.”1
Śrīla Prabhupāda taught his followers the principles of regu-
lated devotional service and also how to put it into practice. As
a result His Divine Grace’s followers have no doubts on how to
practise devotional service either in their homes or in iskcon
temples. By contrast, while Śrīla Prabhupāda also taught what
spontaneous devotional service was—explaining the basics of its
practice and warning of its pitfalls—he spoke little about how
rāgānuga practitioners should integrate within iskcon.
And yet Śrīla Prabhupāda did not leave us clueless. His elabo-
rations on spontaneous devotion contain in themselves the right
conduct of a qualified rāgānuga-sādhaka. This concluding chapter
will therefore address the question, “How did Śrīla Prabhupāda
envisage rāgānuga-bhakti should be practised in iskcon?”
From his example and teachings it is clear that His Divine
Grace expected his followers to conduct themselves as regu-
lated devotees or “neophyte” devotees.2 This has also been the
consistent expectation of our ācāryas dating back to Caitanya
Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Prabhupāda envisaged that the longing to
follow the Vraja-vāsīs should remain a personal, internal matter,
and should neither be made public nor discussed in the general
devotee forum. This is borne out by how Śrīla Prabhupāda dealt
with the “Gopī-bhāva Club.”3
The tradition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and of Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavism is that internal cultivation and accomplishment
are kept confidential. The verse beginning with naitat parasmā
ākhyeyam4 and the following instruction from Narottama dāsa
Ṭhākura are evidence of this custom:
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Spontaneous Devotion in ISKCON
āpana bhajana-kathā nā kahiba jathā tathā

ihāte haiba sābadhāna
nā kariha keha roṣa nā laiha mora doṣa
praṇāmaha bhaktera caraṇe
“In regards to one’s own personal bhajana, devotees should be

careful not to speak openly here and there, to anyone and to
everyone. The reason is that some people will become angry while
others will find fault. Therefore it is better to just offer obeisances
to the feet of all Vaiṣṇavas—in other words it is better to keep
one’s heart’s treasures distant from them.”5
Whatever private cultivation devotees are engaged in, publicly
they should discuss only the topics of regulated devotion and
the techniques of preaching.6 This is their spiritual chastity. Like
women who remain confidential about their intimacy with their
husband, Vaiṣṇavas are guarded about their burgeoning relation-
ship with Kṛṣṇa.
Another example of this kind of chastity is found in the
conduct of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Even when He was unable
to control His ecstasies in the presence of others He would refute
the authenticity of those ecstasies and denounce Himself as a
pretender, saying, “My dear friends! I have not the slightest tinge
of love of Godhead within My heart. When you see Me crying
in separation, I am just falsely exhibiting a demonstration of My
great fortune.”7
Śrīla Prabhupāda was also guarded about his internal attain-
ment, never revealing his spiritual identity to his disciples but
always setting the ideal example of a regulated devotee and
preacher.
Confidentiality is not only the right conduct of a rāgānu-
ga-bhakta but the way to protect his blossoming attachment from
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Chapter Eleven
those who would misunderstand it. Moreover, confidentiality

avoids dissention in the Vaiṣṇava community, dissention that
often results in offences or disturbance to the mission. And to
re-emphasise the point made twice in chapter ten of this book,
Kavirāja Gosvāmī says, “Keeping their faith firmly fixed within
their minds, they [devotees] should be careful not to fall into the
pit of false arguments or the whirlpools of unfortunate situations.
If one falls into such positions, he is finished.”8
We may well ask how a devotee will advance on the path of
spontaneous devotion under such restrictive conditions.
As with every other aspect of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotees
will progress in rāgānuga-bhakti by the guidance of the spiritual
master, the direction of scriptures, and the counsel of the Lord
within. Devotees who sincerely aspire after vraja-bhakti will be
rewarded with the fulfilment of their aspirations. Kṛṣṇa Himself
promises:
ananyāś cintayanto māṁ

ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham
“But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion,

meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what
they lack, and I preserve what they have.”9
* * * *
The difficulties that arise when practising or unqualified devo-

tees take to rāgānuga-bhakti are circumvented when the stage
148
of ecstasy is the gateway to spontaneous devotion. And this was

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s preference for his followers and his movement.
Readers please take note!
Evidence for this preference can be seen throughout Śrīla
Prabhupāda’s writings and statements. In a translation of the sevā
sādhaka-rūpeṇa verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda translates siddha-rūpeṇa
as “his self-realised position.”10 In this context, self-realisation
means actually entering one’s spiritual identity. Elsewhere Śrīla
Prabhupāda says that rāgānuga-bhakti is for paramahaṁsas, which
means for transcendentalists.11 This notion is again reinforced
by this quote:12
“…rāga-bhakti. That is called parā bhakti. That parā bhakti
is required.
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
‘“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realises the

Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments
or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every
living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto
Me.”’13
Aside from the possibility that conditioned souls will cause
disturbances in iskcon, there is another reason Śrīla Prabhupāda
preferred that rāgānuga-bhakti be cultivated by liberated devotees.
Those who are transcendentally situated are beyond illusion and
the tendency to make mistakes. Therefore they cannot be lured
into sahajiyā aberrations that would contaminate the Society.
But because spontaneous devotion is attained by the mercy
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Chapter Eleven
of Kṛṣṇa or His devotees, there is no restriction as to when that

mercy will descend. Although greed is mature at bhāva, it may
appear at lower stages of devotion. That is why it is also a part of
devotional service in practice.
Śrīla Prabhupāda acknowledges and accommodates this possi-
bility in another translation of the sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa verse:
“This method is applicable both in the stage of sādhana [spiritual
practices executed while in the stage of bondage] and in the stage
of sādhya [God realisation], when one is a siddha-puruṣa, or a
spiritually perfect soul.”
Eagerness to follow the Vraja-vāsīs may awaken in practising
devotees. And it is mostly to these Vaiṣṇavas that this book is
addressed. However, those who are gifted early with this treasure
of devotion should recognise the responsibility that comes along
with it and conduct themselves appropriately.
With whom can devotees share their realisation and from
whom can they get guidance?
Keeping in mind the conduct detailed earlier, rāgānuga-bhak-
tas should carefully follow the guidance and example of Śrī Cait-
anya Mahāprabhu:
śrīmad-bhāgavatārthānām
āsvādo rasikaiḥ saha
sajātīyāśaye snigdhe
sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vare
“One should taste the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the

association of pure devotees, and one should associate with
the devotees who are more advanced than oneself and who are
endowed with a similar type of affection for the Lord.”14
Lord Caitanya directs that one seek the guidance of devo-
150
tees who are well versed in spontaneous devotion. The initi-

ating spiritual master is the first devotee in whom one should
take shelter. However, if he is not able to counsel his disciple in
this regard then he will direct his ward to a qualified śikṣā-guru.
Whatever the case, Kṛṣṇa is sitting in the heart of the devotee
and, understanding his spiritual needs, the Lord makes suitable
arrangements.
We see that in public Caitanya Mahāprabhu engaged only
in saṅkīrtana of Kṛṣṇa’s holy names; when among His devotees
He spoke on general topics relating to Kṛṣṇa; and only with two
confidential associates would He reveal His inner aspiration—the
shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
It is these meetings of the Lord during the late hours of the
night that give us a hint as to how devotees may disclose their
spontaneous attachment. In the privacy of His personal quarters,
Caitanya Mahāprabhu conversed exclusively with Rāmānanda
Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. These two were His
sajātīya associates and the only ones who knew directly of the
Lord’s inner aspirations.
By conducting Himself accordingly in a variety of different
circumstances, Lord Caitanya spread the mission of saṅkīrtana
among the common man, encouraged His followers in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, and cultivated His inner aspirations.
We should also do the same. It is what Śrīla Prabhupāda
expects of his followers.
In summary: to the question “when is one qualified to practise
rāgānuga-bhakti in iskcon?”, the short answer is that because
rāga can arise at anytime, when it truly does one may take up
rāgānuga-bhakti. Greed may arise in the stage of practice but it
will certainly arise at the stage of ecstasy. In either case, although
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s preference was for the latter, his expectation
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Chapter Eleven
was that devotees keep their attainments and aspirations internal

and confidential.15 Such conduct is in keeping with the dignity
of spontaneous devotion.
Sometimes devotees fear that strictly keeping to the conduct
of regulated devotees will stifle the awakening of spontaneity.
Such a fear is unfounded and indicative of an immature under-
standing of the science of devotion. A graphic episode that dispels
such concern is the appearance of Rādhā-ramaṇa to Gopāla
Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī to
worship śālagrāma-śilās, a practice that is traditionally associated
with South Indian regulated devotion. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa followed
this order, and when his hankering for serving Kṛṣṇa matured,
one of the śilās manifested the form of Rādhā-ramaṇa. The indis-
putable implication of this event is that devotees who practise
regulated devotional service under the guidance of Caitanya
Mahāprabhu and His followers will see their devotion transform
to spontaneous service. As Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura writes,
“… when one follows vidhi-mārga prompted by greed, that is
called rāgānuga-bhakti.”16
To experience that transformation, devotees need to be patient
as well as submissive to the process left to us by our ācāryas
and by Śrīla Prabhupāda. I shall conclude this book by quoting
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura’s song on rāgānuga-bhakti.17 It encap-
sulates the proper mood and practices of an aspirant. Without a
doubt, if we follow his guidance we shall be rewarded with the
jewel of true rāga.
* * * *
152
rāgera bhajana-patha kahi ebe abhimata

loka-beda-sāra ei bāṇī
sakhīra anugā hañā braje siddha-deha pāñā
ei bhābe juḍābe parāṇī
“I shall now describe the path of spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa,

which is glorified by the exalted devotees and the Vedas. By
traversing this path of spontaneous love one becomes a follower of
the gopīs and attains the perfect spiritual body of a liberated soul.”
śrī-rādhikāra sakhī jāta tāhā bā kahiba kata

mukhya sakhī kariye gaṇana
lalitā biśākhā tathā sucitrā campakalatā
raṅgadevī sudevī kathana
tuṅgabidyā indurekhā ei aṣṭa-sakhī lekhā

ebe kahi narma-sakhī gaṇa
ihoṅ sebā saha carī priya-preṣṭha nāma dhari
prema-sebā kare anukṣaṇa
“Let me describe the most important of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s

gopī-friends. Lalitā, Viśākhā, Sucitrā, Campakalatā, Raṅgadevī,
Sudevī, Tuṅgavidyā, and Indulekhā are the eight most important.
The others are divided into groups such as close friends, dear
friends, and most dear friends. All these gopīs constantly render
loving service to Śrī Rādhā.
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī āra śrī-rati-mañjarī sāra

labaṅga-mañjarī mañjunālī
śrī-rasa-mañjarī-saṅge kasturikā-ādi raṅge
prema-sebā kare kutūhalī
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Chapter Eleven
“Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī, Śrī Rati-mañjarī, Lavaṅga-mañjarī, Manjulālī,

and Śrī Rasa-mañjarī eagerly and lovingly serve Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī, supplying Her musk and various other articles.
ei-sabara anugā hañā prema-sebā niba cāñā

iṅgite bhūjiba saba kaje
rūpa-guṇa-dagamagi sadā haba anurāgī
basati kariba sakhī mājhe
“I am the follower of all these gopīs. One day I shall serve them
with great love, understanding their orders even when couched
in casual hints or gestures. I shall be immersed in wonder at their
transcendental virtues and beauty, I shall dearly love them, and
I shall certainly remain in their company always.
bṛndābane dui jana cāri-dike sakhī-gaṇa

samayera sebā rasa-sukhe
sakhīra iṅgita habe cāmara dhūlaba tabe
tāmbūla jogāba cāṅda-mukhe
“One day in Vṛndāvana I will come to know the happiness of

serving the Divine Couple, Who are surrounded by Their gopī-
friends. Following a gopī’s hints I shall take up a cāmara whisk to
fan Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and for Their pleasure I will also place betel
nuts in Their moon-like mouths.
jugala-caraṇa sebi nirantara ei bhābi

anurāge thākiba sadāya
sādhane bhābiba jaha siddha-dehe pāba tāhā
rāga pathera ei sei upāya
154
“Someday I will constantly serve the lotus feet of the Divine

Couple with great love. But at present I will follow the rules of
sādhana-bhakti until I attain a perfected spiritual body and until
I am able to love the Divine Couple spontaneously.
sādhane je dhana cāi siddha-dehe tāhā pāi

pakwāpakwa mātra sei bicāra
pakile sei prema-bhakti apakwe sādhana khyāti
bhakati-lakṣaṇa-anusāra
“That treasure of pure love of God, for which I hanker while I

follow the regulative practices of sādhana-bhakti, I will attain
when I have the spiritual body of a liberated soul. Actually sādha-
na-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the same devotional service. In
the former, love for Kṛṣṇa is still unripe and in the latter the same
love has reached the mature, ripened stage. That is the description
of devotional service.
narottama dāsa kahe ei jena mora haye

braja-pure anurāge bāsa
sakhī-gaṇa-gaṇanāte āmāre gaṇibe tāte
tabahuṅ pūriba abhilāṣa
“Narottama dāsa says, ‘I hope that I shall attain the stage of

spontaneous love for the Divine Couple in the town of Vraja. I
hope that I will be counted among the gopī-friends of Rādhā-
Kṛṣṇa. O Divine Couple, in this way I will be able to serve You
and satisfy all Your desires!’
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Chapter Eleven
tathā hi-
sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām
ātmānaṁ vāsanā-mayīm
ājñā-sevā-parām
tat-tat-kṛpālaṅkāra-bhūṣitām
“Prema-bhakti is described in the following statements: ‘One

should meditate on oneself as the maidservant of the gopīs, and
in this way attain their mercy.
kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya

preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam
tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau
kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā
“The devotee should always think of Kṛṣṇa within himself, and

one should choose a very dear devotee who is a servitor of Kṛṣṇa
in Vṛndāvana. One should constantly engage in topics about
that servitor and his loving relationship to Kṛṣṇa, and one should
live in Vṛndāvana. However, if one is physically unable to go to
Vṛndāvana, he should mentally live there.”
156
NOTES
1. Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.35-36, January 12, 1975, Bombay.

2. Śrīla Prabhupāda translates sādhaka-rūpeṇa as “neophyte devotee” in the
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.156-157.
3. The Gopī-bhāva Club was formed in Los Angeles in 1976, when devotees
interested in reading and talking about Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs regularly met
together. Śrīla Prabhupāda quickly disbanded the group and instructed the
devotees to stick to the basics of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
6. The following is a conversation with Śrīla Prabhupāda in which His Divine
Grace urges devotees to keep their spiritual experiences a personal affair:
Satsvarūpa: But we’ve been discussing, and Pṛthu-putra Mahārāja is saying
that some devotees are very sensitive about thinking that they’re having these
experiences. And if we tell them, “Ignore this. It’s not important,” that will
not be good for them, because they are definitely feeling visits from persons
from another plane, and if you simply tell them, “No...”
Prabhupāda: No, that’s all right. You say that “You are fortunate that you’re
having, but do your business.” That’s all.
Pṛthu-putra: They want to feel satisfaction from a Kṛṣṇa consciousness
point of view.
Prabhupāda: That’s all right. Sometimes it may be fact. There is no wonder.
But we have to proceed with the figure. (Conversation, January 28, 1977,
Bhubaneshwar)
11. Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.35-36, January 12, 1975, Bombay.
12. Some other statements are: “When a pure devotee follows the footsteps of
a devotee in Vṛndāvana, he develops rāgānuga-bhakti.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Madhya-līlā 22.149) and, “When an advanced, realised devotee hears about
the affairs of the devotees of Vṛndāvana…” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-
līlā 22.155)
157
Chapter Eleven

15. It should be made clear that rāgānuga-bhakti will not awaken in every
devotee. This has already been explained earlier in the book. Those devotees
who aspire after the service of any form of the Lord awaken an attachment
that corresponds to that incarnation, but rāgānuga-bhakti is only for the son
of Mother Yaśodā. However, the thrust of Lord Caitanya’s mission and of Śrīla
Prabhupāda’s iskcon is to give devotees the opportunity to return to Goloka
Vṛndāvana and become a follower of the Vraja-vāsīs.
16. Rāga-vartma-candrikā 12
17. Prema-bhakti-candrikā, Song 5
158
Afterword
This book elaborates on the aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra that states,
upapannas tal-lakṣaṇārthopalabdher lokavat, “It is best, because
the means of attaining the goal, the Lord, is of the same nature
as what we find in the world.”*
The natural attraction for Kṛṣṇa is just like the natural attrac-
tion conditioned souls have for family members. The former
leads to the most elevated kind of liberation; the latter, however,
to material bondage. The essence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to
transfer our natural attachment to Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and more specifically the tenth canto, is
dedicated to glorifying the goal of this attachment. When devo-
tees read about the love of the Vraja-vāsīs and become inspired to
love Kṛṣṇa as they do, giving up the attachments of this world,
that is called the awakening of spontaneous devotional service.
* Vedānta-sūtra 3.3.31
159
About the Author
Śivarāma Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949, and his
family emigrated to Canada during the failed 1956 Hungarian
revolution. He became a disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, the Founder-Ācārya of iskcon, in 1973 and entered
the renounced order of life (sannyāsa) in 1979. Śivarāma Swami is
well known for his deep knowledge of Vaiṣṇava literature and has
written many books about Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, including the
Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana series. He is a member of iskcon’s Governing
Body Commission and is responsible for projects in Hungary,
Turkey, and Romania. Although he travels and speaks interna-
tionally, he spends as much time as possible at New Vraja-dhāma
(Krishna Valley), a replica of Vṛndāvana and the self-sufficient
farming project in Hungary’s countryside.
161
Sanskrit
Pronunciation Guide
The system of transliteration used in this book conforms to a
system that scholars have accepted to indicate the pronunciation
of each sound in the Sanskrit language.
The short vowel a is pronounced like the u in but, long ā like
the a in far, and short i like the i in pin. Long ī is pronounced
as in pique, short u as in pull, and long ū as in rule. The vowel
ṛ is pronounced like the ri in rim. The vowel e is pronounced
as in they, ai as in aisle, o as in go, and au as in how. The
anusvāra (ṁ), which is a pure nasal, is pronounced like the n in
the French word bon, and visarga (ḥ), which is a strong aspirate,
is pronounced as a final h sound. Thus aḥ is pronounced like
aha, and iḥ like ihi.
The guttural consonants — k, kh, g, gh, and ṅ — are
pronounced from the throat in much the same manner as in
English. K is pronounced as in kite, kh as in Eckhart, g as in
give, gh as in dig-hard, and ṅ as in sing. The palatal conso-
nants — c, ch, j, jh, and ṇ — are pronounced from the palate
with the middle of the tongue. C is pronounced as in chair, ch
as in staunch-heart, j as in joy, jh as in hedgehog, and ñ as in
canyon. The cerebral consonants — ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, and ṇ — are
pronounced with the tip of the tongue turned up and drawn back
against the dome of the palate. Ṭ is pronounced as in tub, ṭh as
163
in light-heart, ḍ as in dove, ḍh as in red-hot, and ṇ as in nut.

The dental consonants — t, th, d, dh, and n — are pronounced
in the same manner as the cerebrals but with the forepart of the
tongue against the teeth. The labial consonants — p, ph, b, bh,
and m — are pronounced with the lips. P is pronounced as in
pine, ph as in uphill, b as in bird, bh as in rub-hard, and m as
in mother. The semivowels — y, r, l, and v — are pronounced
as in yes, run, light, and vine respectively. The sibilants — ś, ṣ,
and s — are pronounced, respectively, as in the German word
sprechen and the English words shine and sun. The letter h is
pronounced as in home.
164
Bibliography
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One Hundred Condemnations of Material Rasa. Sriranga
patna: Gosai Publishers, 2008.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Los
Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1992.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Los
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Lectures. Bhaktivedanta
VedaBase. Bhaktivedanta Archives, 2011.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Nectar of Devotion. Los Ange-
les: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1982.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Nectar of Instruction. Los
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Quest for Enlightenment. Los
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Cantos
1–9; Canto 10, chapters 1–13). Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta
Book Trust, 1972–1978.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Śrī Āmnāya Sūtra. Trans. Kuśakratha
Dāsa. Vṛndāvana: Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2006.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Śrī Bhaktyāloka. Trans. Bhūmipati Dāsa.
New Delhi: Torchlight Publishing, 1996.
165
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Daśa-mūla-tattva. The Ten Foundational

Truths of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Philosophy. Vṛndāvana:
Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2009.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Songs of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura:
Gītamālā. Trans. Bhūmipati Dāsa. Vṛndāvana: Rasbihari
Lal & Sons, 2004.
Gopījanavallabha Dāsa. Rasika-maṅgala. Supplementary
Vedabase.
Jīva Gosvāmī. Śrī Bhakti-Sandarbha. 3 vols. Trans. Satya
Nārāyaṇa Dāsa. Vṛndāvana: Jiva Institue, 2006.
Jīva Gosvāmī. Durgama-saṅgamanī. In: Rūpa Gosvāmī. Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu. With the commentary of Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī (Durgama-saṅgamanī) and Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura (Bhakti-sāra-pradarśinī). Vols. 1–2. Trans. Bhanu
Swami. Chennai: Sri Vaikuntha Enterprises, 2006.
Jīva Gosvāmī. Krama-sandarbha. Ed. Purīdāsa Mahāśaya.
Vṛndāvana: Haridās Śarma, 1952.
Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura. Prārthanā. Trans. Bhūmipati Dāsa
and Sandhyā Dāsī. Vṛndāvana: Touchstone Media, 1999.
Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura. Śrī Prema Bhakti-candrikā. Touch-
stone Media, 2000.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī. Śrī Manaḥ-śikṣā. Gauḍīya Vedānta
Publications, 1996
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī. Śrī Vilāpa-kusumāñjali. Trans.
Kuśakratha Dāsa. Vṛndāvana: Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2009.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī. Vraja-vilāsa-stava. The Krishna
Institute, 1987.
Rūpa Gosvāmī. Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu. Trans. Bhānu Swami.
Chennai: Sri Vaikuntha Enterprises, 2006.
Rūpa Gosvāmī. Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta. Trans. Kuśakratha Dāsa.
Vṛndāvana: Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2007.
166
Bibliography
Rūpa Gosvāmī. Padyavali. Trans. Kuśakratha Dāsa. Vṛndāvana:

Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2007.
Sanātana Gosvāmī. Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. 5 vols. Vṛndāvana:
Rasbihari Lal & Sons, 2005–2006.
Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā (Fifth Chapter), with commentary by Jīva
Gosvāmī, translation and purport by Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust,
1989.
Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka. Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. Bhaktivedanta Archives,
2011.
Śrī Tulasī-pūjā-kīrtana. Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. Bhaktivedanta
Archives, 2011.
The Padma Purāṇa. Trans. N. A. Deshpande. Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass, 1991.
The Vedānta-sūtras of Bādarāyaṇa with commentary of Baladeva.
Trans. Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vasu. New Delhi:
Munshiram Manoharlal, 1979.
The Viṣṇu Purāṇam. Trans. H.H. Wilson. Delhi: Parimal Publi-
cations. 2005.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu.
Gaudiya Vedanta Publications, 2003.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Rāga Vartma Candrikā. Trans.
Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Swami. Delhi: Gauḍīya Vedānta
Samiti, 2001.
167
Index of Verses Quoted
Numerals in boldface type refer to verses quoted in full; numerals
in roman type refer to partially quoted verses.
A bhāvite bhāvite kṛṣṇa 29

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā 149
agni-putrā mahātmānas 126 bṛndābane dui jana 154
aikāntikī harer bhaktir 38, 101
aiśvarya-jñānete saba jagat 19 D
aiśvarya-jñāne vidhi-bhajana 19
ājñā-sevā-parām 156 devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ 142
amāninā māna-dena 101 dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ 142
ānandita hañā hiyā 123 doṅhāra sammukhe la ’ye 123
ananyāś cintayanto māṁ 148
anarpita-carīṁ cirāt 128 E
antar-gṛha-gatāḥ kāścid 117
antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ 131 e tina saṁsāre mora 125
anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ 14 ei naba-dāsī bali 122
āpana bhajana-kathā 147 ei nivedana dhara 100
api tyaktvā lakṣmī-pati 108 ei-sabara anugā hañā 154
asad-vārtā-veṣyā visṛja 108
ataeva gopī-bhāva kari 98 G
ati namra-citta āmi 124
ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure 135
B gopyaḥ kāmād bhayāt kaṁso 49
gurau goṣṭhe goṣṭhālayiṣu 107
barhāpīḍaṁ naṭa-vara 30
bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍā 14 H
bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir 117
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati 64 hā hā prabhu lokanātha 124
bhartāram ca jagad-yoniṁ 126 hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti 128
169
he rādhe vraja-devike 135 N

hena tattwa doṅhākāre 124
na dharmaṁ nādharmaṁ 107
na hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso 105
I na karhicin mat-parāḥ 41
ihoṅ sebā saha carī 153 nā kariha keha roṣa 147
iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ 26 na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya 55
nā uṭhiyā vṛkṣopari phala 134
naitat parasmā ākhyeyaṁ 132
J nāma-kīrtana 24, 91
jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ 28 narottama dāsa kahe 155
jugala-caraṇa sebi 154 nikuñja-yūno rati-keli 78
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya 16
K
P
kevalena hi bhāvena 128
kintu eho 87 pādābjayos tava vinā vara 114
kintu rahasya-līlā tu 130 pakile sei prema-bhakti 27, 155
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-janma-mūla 24 pālya-dāsī kari’ 76
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā 36 para-vyasaninī nārī 88
kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya 58, 130, prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus 117
156 prati-kṣaṇāsvādana-lolupasya 78
kṛṣṇaṁ tad-bhāvanā-yuktā 117 premaiva gopa-rāmāṇāṁ 49
kṛṣṇeti yasya giri taṁ 104 prema-nāma pracārite 87
kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya 16
kṣaumaṁ vāsaḥ pṛthu-kaṭi-taṭe 21 R
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-līlā-guṇa 125
L rāgātmikāika-niṣṭhā ye 58
lalitā biśākhā tathā 153 rāgātmikām anusṛtā 27
lokanātha prabhu tumi 81 rāgera bhajana-patha 153
rajjv-ākarṣa-śrama-bhuja 21
randhrān veṇor adhara 30
M ruci-mūlā hi rāgānugā bhaktiḥ 31
mām anusmara yudhya ca 89 rūpa-guṇa-dagamagi 154
mama vartmānuvartante 34
mano-bāñchā siddhi tabe 125 S
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā 18
mayā vyavasitaḥ samyaṅ 106 sa goloka yathā brahma 120
sā sambandhānugā bhaktiḥ 121
170
Index of Verses Quoted
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute 133 striya uragendra-bhoga 116

śacī-sūnuṁ nandīśvara-pati 107 śuddha habe mana 65
sadā dambhaṁ hitvā 107 śuśrūṣayā bhajana-vijñam 104
sadaya hṛdaye doṅhe kahibena 124 svarūpaṁ śrī-rūpaṁ 108
sādhane bhābiba jaha 154 svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ 90
sādhane je dhana cāi 155
sādhu-saṅga 24, 91 T
sajātīyāśaye snigdhe 150
sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha 91 tabe se haibe mora bāñchita 81
sakhī-gaṇa-gaṇanāte 155 tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā 69
sakhī-gaṇa-jyeṣṭha jeṅho 81 tad evāsvādayaty antar 88
sakhīnāṁ saṅginī-rūpām 156 taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya 126
sakhīra anugā hañā 153 tan-mayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ 26
sakhīra iṅgita habe 154 tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo 142
sākhyāya te mama namo 114 tasmād vairānubandhena 72
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu 149 tasmāt kenāpy upāyena 61, 72
sambandhād vṛṣṇayaḥ snehād 49 tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ 79
sarvaṁ sampadyate devi 132 tathā tathā paśyati vastu 40
sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur 110 tathāpi bhakta-svabhāva 104
satya ei hetu 87 tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalaṁ 36
saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ 87 tatrāti-dākṣyād ati-vallabhasya 78
sebāra sāmagrī ratna 123 tat-tad bhāvādi-mādhurye 34
sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa 69, 119 tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau 58, 156
siddha-dehe cinti’ kare 98 tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta 18
śīghra ājñā karibena 123 tenāṭavīm aṭasi tad vyathate 47
smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur 110 teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ 148
snehāt kāmena vā yuñjyāt 72 tomāra sahita ṭhāki 81
śravaṇotkīrtanādīni 96 tṛṇād api su-nīcena 101
śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ 90 tumi nā karile dayā 125
śrīmad-bhāgavatārthānām 150 tuṅgabidyā indurekhā 153
śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā 87 tvayopabhukta-srag-gandha 102
śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor 78
śrī-rādhikā-pade 76 U
śrī-rādhikāra sakhī jāta 153
śrī-rasa-mañjarī-saṅge 153 ucchiṣṭa-bhojino dāsās 102
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī āra 153
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī sakhī 81 V
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī tabe 124
śrī-rūpa paścāte āmi rahiba 123 vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir 64
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi 38, 101 virājantīm abhivyaktāṁ 27
171
Y
yasya deve parā bhaktir 79, 80
yā mābhajan durjaya-geha 55 yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ 47
yā pitṛtvādi-sambandha 121 yat tu goloka-nāma syāt 120
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas 133 yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate 40
yadi vo ’sti mayi prītiḥ 60 ye ’nye mūḍha-dhiyo nāgāḥ 128
yadīccher āvāsaṁ vraja-bhuvi 108 ye yathā māṁ prapadyante 34
yadyanyā bhaktiḥ kalau 98 yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā 41
yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ 126 yuga-dharma pravartāimu 35
yāny aṅgāni ca tāny atra 96
172

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Śivarāma Swami

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Publishing Manager: Manorāma Dāsa

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

to criticism and disdain. That is a serious handicap for a religious

The S§dhana Leading

abode. Similarly, devotees of Kṛṣṇa who steadfastly worship Him

“Kṛṣṇa manifests His eternal human-like form and performs

The above cited word bhavet means “one must become [a

est sweetness, it is often said to be superior to service inspired

* * * *

Rūpa Gosvāmī defines sādhana-bhakti in this way:

kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya-

“When transcendental devotional service, by which love for

Śrīla Prabhupāda translates bhāva as “love for Kṛṣṇa,” for

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu or The Nectar of Devotion for a detailed

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words “they are falling down”11—they should

aiśvarya-jñānete saba jagat miśrita

“Knowing My opulences, the whole world looks upon Me with

Śrīla Prabhupāda points to Mother Yaśodā as such a role

kṣaumaṁ vāsaḥ pṛthu-kaṭi-taṭe bibhratī sūtra-naddhaṁ

“Dressed in a saffron-yellow sari, with a belt tied about her full

1. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.15

spontaneous attraction but that spontaneous attraction is gener-

sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa

kṛṣṇa-bhakti-janma-mūla haya ‘sādhu-saṅga’

“The root cause of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa is association

* * * *

The following overview of rāgānuga-bhakti begins by an appre-

of rāgātmika-bhakti. This kind of devotional service is the char-

iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ

“When one becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of

“Devotional service in spontaneous love is vividly expressed and

pakile sei prema-bhakti apakwe sādhana khyāti

“Actually sādhana-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the same devo-

reactions cover every living entity’s pure rāga.10 This covering is

jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ

“Bhakti, devotional service, dissolves the subtle body of the living

bhāvite bhāvite kṛṣṇa sphuraye antare

“When one thinks of Kṛṣṇa constantly, love for Him manifests

What subject matter will attract devotees’ thoughts? Anything

barhāpīḍaṁ naṭa-vara-vapuḥ karṇayoḥ karṇikāraṁ

“Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue

The Qualification for

J ust as regulated devotional service has faith in and knowl-

Rūpa Gosvāmī defines spiritual greed in this way:

tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrute dhīr yad apekṣate

“Greed is that quality which is said to have made its appearance

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante

“As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone

vation of greed, Śrīla Prabhupāda states that it “nourishes devo-

yuga-dharma pravartāimu nāma-saṅkīrtana

“I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age—nāma-

Mercy may be attained at any time, either in a previous life

“Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be had

rounds, following the four basic restrictive principles, and work-

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, divine grace in the form of a ray of love,

“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorised Vedic

yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate ’sau

“When a diseased eye is treated with medicinal ointment, it

na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe

“My dear mother, devotees who receive such transcendental

sincerely yearns to take birth among the bushes and blades of

1. Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.15

1. See Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.273 and Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary.

10. Cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.285

1. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.295, cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā

18. See Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 19 & 16, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.8.35