20211207 Sādhana-Bhakti – 2. Rāgānugā-Bhakti, Sādhya-bhakti, Bhāva-bhakti and Phalaśruti– The Result of Hearing about Abhidheya Sādhana-bhakti Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 7th December 2021 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today is the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter today is entitled:

Sādhana-Bhakti – 2. Rāgānugā-Bhakti, Sādhya-bhakti, Bhāva-bhakti and Phalaśruti– The Result of Hearing about Abhidheya Sādhana-bhakti, Part 1
Under the section: The Process of Devotional Service

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.148

(b) rāgānugā-bhaktira varṇana —

vaidhī-bhakti-sādhanera kahiluṅ vivaraṇa
rāgānugā-bhaktira lakṣaṇa śuna, sanātana

Translation: My dear Sanātana, I have now in detail described devotional service according to the regulative principles. Now hear from Me about spontaneous devotional service and its characteristics.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is explaining about this spontaneous devotional service to Sanātana Gosvāmī.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.149

rāgātmikā o rāgānugā-bhaktira paricaya —

rāgātmikā-bhakti—‘mukhyā’ vraja-vāsi-jane
tāra anugata bhaktira ‘rāgānugā’-nāme

Translation: The original inhabitants of Vṛndāvana are attached to Kṛṣṇa spontaneously in devotional service. Nothing can compare to such spontaneous devotional service, which is called rāgātmikā bhakti. When a devotee follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vṛndāvana, his devotional service is called rāgānugā bhakti.

Purport: In his Bhakti-sandarbha, Jīva Gosvāmī states:

tad evaṁ tat-tad-abhimāna-lakṣaṇa-bhāva-viśeṣeṇa svābhāvika-rāgasya vaiśiṣṭye sati tat-tad-rāga-prayuktā śravaṇa-kīrtana-smaraṇa-pāda-sevana-vandanātma-nivedana- prāyā bhaktis teṣāṁ rāgātmikā bhaktir ity ucyate… tatas tadīyaṁ rāgaṁ rucyānugacchantī sā rāgānugā.

When a pure devotee follows the footsteps of a devotee in Vṛndāvana, he develops rāgānugā bhakti.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since all the devotees in Vṛndāvana have spontaneous devotional service, following them gives one rāgānugā bhakti.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.150

rāgātmikā-bhaktira saṁjñā:— Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.270)—

iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ paramāviṣṭatā bhavet
tan-mayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ sātra rāgātmikoditā

Translation: When one becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to one’s natural inclination to love Him and is fully absorbed in thoughts of the Lord, that state is called transcendental attachment, and devotional service according to that attachment is called rāgātmikā, or spontaneous devotional service.’

Purport: This verse is found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.272).

Jayapatākā Swami: First we heard how the of the vaidhī-bhakti of following all the rules and regulation of the scriptures and now we are hearing about rāgātmikā or rāgānugā bhakti which is the spontaneous offering of devotional service.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.151

rāgātmikā-bhaktira svarūpa’ o ‘taṭastha’lakṣaṇa—‘gāḍhatṛṣṇā’ o ‘āviṣṭatā’:—

iṣṭe ‘gāḍha-tṛṣṇā’—rāgera svarūpa-lakṣaṇa
iṣṭe ‘āviṣṭatā’—ei taṭastha-lakṣaṇa

Translation: The primary characteristic of spontaneous love is deep attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Absorption in thought of Him is a marginal characteristic.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the deep attachment and love for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the primary quality and the secondary quality is always thinking about the Lord.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.152

rāgamayī-bhaktira haya ‘rāgātmikā’ nāma
tāhā śuni’ lubdha haya kona bhāgyavān

Translation: Thus devotional service which consists of rāga [deep attachment] is called rāgātmikā, spontaneous loving service. If a devotee covets such a position, he is considered to be most fortunate.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Some one asks how we can achieve this level of bhakti , here we see to have a strong desire to have it is the qualification.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.153

rāgānugā-bhaktira prakṛti vā lakṣaṇa —

lobhe vraja-vāsīra bhāve kare anugati
śāstra-yukti nāhi māne—rāgānugāra prakṛti

Translation: If one follows in the footsteps of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana out of such transcendental covetousness, he does not care for the injunctions or reasonings of śāstra. That is the way of spontaneous love.

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that a devotee is attracted by the service of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana — namely the cowherd men, Mahārāja Nanda, mother Yaśodā, Rādhārāṇī, the gopīs and the cows and calves. An advanced devotee is attracted by the service rendered by an eternal servitor of the Lord. This attraction is called spontaneous attraction. Technically it is called svarūpa-upalabdhi. This stage is not achieved in the beginning. In the beginning one has to render service strictly according to the regulative principles set forth by the revealed scriptures and the spiritual master. By continuously rendering service through the process of vaidhī-bhakti, one’s natural inclination is gradually awakened. That is called spontaneous attraction, or rāgānugā-bhakti.

An advanced devotee situated on the platform of spontaneity is already very expert in śāstric instruction, logic and argument. When he comes to the point of eternal love for Kṛṣṇa, no one can deviate him from that position, neither by argument nor by śāstric evidence. An advanced devotee has realized his eternal relationship with the Lord, and consequently he does not accept the logic and arguments of others. Such an advanced devotee has nothing to do with the sahajiyās, who manufacture their own way and commit sins by indulging in illicit sex, intoxication and gambling, if not meat-eating. Sometimes the sahajiyās imitate advanced devotees and live in their own whimsical way, avoiding the principles set down in the revealed scriptures. Unless one follows the six Gosvāmīs — Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, Śrī Jīva, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and Raghunātha dāsa — one cannot be a bona fide spontaneous lover of Kṛṣṇa. In this connection, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti kabe hāma bujhaba se yugala pirīti. The sahajiyās’ understanding of the love affairs between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is not bona fide because they do not follow the principles laid down by the six Gosvāmīs. Their illicit connection and their imitation of the dress of Rūpa Gosvāmī, as well as their avoidance of the prescribed methods of revealed scriptures, will lead them to the lowest regions of hell. These imitative sahajiyās are cheated and unfortunate. They are not equal to advanced devotees (paramahaṁsas). Debauchees and paramahaṁsas are not on the same level.

Jayapatākā Swami: The paramahaṁsas because they are very attached to Kṛṣṇa naturally follow all the principles of śāstra but the sahajiyās, they make everything cheap and they do not follow. So, they may engage in different kinds of material activities which are sinful by nature.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.154

rāgānugā-bhaktira saṁjñā:— Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.268)—

virājantīm abhivyaktāṁ vraja-vāsi-janādiṣu
rāgātmikām anusṛtā yā sā rāgānugocyate

Translation: 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 rāgānugā-bhakti, or devotional service following in the wake of spontaneous loving service.’

Purport: This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.270).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana spontaneously love Kṛṣṇa and according to their different rasas they engage in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The cowherd boys serve Kṛṣṇa as friends, Nanda and Yaśodā serve Kṛṣṇa as parents and Rādhārānī and the gopīs serve Kṛṣṇa as their lover, so one of the services of the devotees of Vṛndāvana naturally is the inspiration for the devotees to do spontaneous devotional service.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.155

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.291)

tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrute dhīr yad apekṣate
nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca tal lobhotpatti-lakṣaṇam

Translation: When an advanced, realized devotee hears about the affairs of the devotees of Vṛndāvana — in the mellows of śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya — he becomes inclined in one of these ways, and his intelligence becomes attracted. Indeed, he begins to covet that particular type of devotion. When such covetousness is awakened, one’s intelligence no longer depends on the instructions of śāstra [revealed scripture] or on logic and argument.’

Purport: This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.292).

Jayapatākā Swami: In the vaidhī-bhakti one depends on the scriptures for giving different statements about Lord Kṛṣṇa but in the rāgānugā platform one naturally loves Kṛṣṇa and not dependent on the revealed scriptures.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.156-157

nivṛttānartha sādhakadehe o siddhadehe rāgānugā-bhaktira dvividha anuśīlana —

bāhya, antara,—ihāra dui ta’ sādhana
‘bāhye’ sādhaka-dehe kare śravaṇa-kīrtana

‘mane’ nija-siddha-deha kariyā bhāvana
rātri-dine kare vraje kṛṣṇera sevana

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

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the stage of rāgānugā is simply accepting that one is performing mentally, accordingly they have absorptional thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.