Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī

kintu yadi latāra saṅge uṭhe ‘upaśākhā’

kintu yadi latāra saṅge uṭhe ‘upaśākhā’ |
bhukti-mukti-vāñchā, yata asaṅkhya tāra lekhā ||
‘niṣiddhācāra’, ‘kuṭīnāṭī’, ‘jīva-hiṁsana’ |
‘lābha’, ‘pūjā’, ‘pratiṣṭhādi’ yata upaśākhā-gaṇa ||
seka-jala pāñā upaśākhā bāḍi yāya |
stabdha hañā mūla-śākhā bāḍite nā pāya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.19.160)

“With the creeper [of bhakti] arise weeds, desires for enjoyment and mukti, which are innumerable. Forbidden behavior, deceit, harming living beings, [seeking] profit, adoration, prestige, and so on, are some of these weeds. These weeds grow by absorbing the sprinkled water [i.e., the water meant for the creeper of bhakti], and the host plant becomes stunted and unable to grow.”

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sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga

sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga |
kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pā̐cera alpa-saṅga ||
(Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: 2.22.125)

“These five limbs are the best of all sādhanas. Even slight connection with these five gives rise to Kṛṣṇa-prema.”

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ātmendriya-prīti-icchā—tāre bali ‘kāma’

ātmendriya-prīti-icchā—tāre bali ‘kāma’ |
kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-ichchā —dhare ‘prema’ nāma ||
ataeva kāma-preme bahuta antara |
kāma andha-tamaḥ, prema nirmala bhāskara ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.4.165, 172)

“The desire to please one’s own senses—that we call ‘kāma,’ and the desire to please Kṛṣṇa’s senses bears the name ‘prema.’ … Therefore, there is a vast difference between kāma and prema: kāma is [like] blinding darkness, and prema is [like] a taintless sun.”

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karma, tapa, yoga, jñāna

karma, tapa, yoga, jñāna, vidhi-bhakti, japa, dhyāna,
ihā haite mādhurya durlabha |
kevala ye rāga-mārge, bhaje kṛṣṇe anurāge,
tāre kṛṣṇa-mādhurya sulabha ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.21.119)

“Karma [i.e., observing the duties of one’s varṇa and āśrama], tapa (austerity), yoga, jñāna [i.e., deliberation on the meaning of the Upaniṣads], vidhi-bhakti [i.e., devotion motivated by śāstric injunctions], japa (repetition of a mantra), dhyāna (meditation)—through these [Kṛṣṇa’s] mādhurya is difficult to attain. Only for one who worships Kṛṣṇa with anurāga (loving attachment) according to the path of rāga is Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya easy to attain.”

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ataeva gopī-bhāva kari aṅgīkāra

ataeva gopī-bhāva kari aṅgīkāra |
rātri-dine cinte rādhā-kṛṣṇera vihāra ||
siddha-deha cinti kare tāhā̐i sevana |
sakhī-bhāve pāya rādhā-kṛṣṇera caraṇa ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.8.227–8)

“[Rāmānanda Rāya to Śrīman Mahāprabhu:] Therefore, accept the bhāva of the gopīs and think of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s play night and day. Thinking of one’s siddha-deha, engage in service specifically there [i.e., in Vraja]. With the bhāva of a sakhī, one attains the feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.”

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sabe eka sakhī-gaṇera ihā̐ adhikāra |

sabe eka sakhī-gaṇera ihā̐ adhikāra |
sakhī haite haya ei līlāra vistāra ||
sakhī vinu ei līlā puṣṭi nāhi haya |
sakhī līlā vistāriyā, sakhī āsvādaya ||
sakhī vinu ei līlāya nāhi anyera gati |
sakhī-bhāve tā̐re yei kare anugati ||
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-kuñja-sevā-sādhya sei pāya |
sei sādhya pāite āra nāhika upāya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.8.201–204)

“Among all, only the sakhīs have eligibility here [i.e., within Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s līlā], and expansion of this līlā occurs [only] through the sakhīs. Without the sakhīs, this līlā is not nourished. The sakhīs expand this līlā, and the sakhīs taste it. Apart from the sakhīs, others have no entrance into this līlā. One who with the bhāva of a sakhī follows them attains the sādhya [i.e., goal] of service in the kuñja to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. There is no other way to attain this sādhya.”

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lobhe vraja-vāsi-bhāve kare anugati

lobhe vraja-vāsi-bhāve kare anugati |
śāstra-yukti nāhi māne—rāgānugāra prakṛti ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.148)

“Out of intense desire, one [i.e., a fortunate person who has heard about rāgātmikā-bhakti] follows the bhāva of a Vraja-vāsī and does not consider śāstra [i.e., injunctions] or reasoning. This is the nature of rāgānugā [-bhakti].”

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rāgātmikā-bhakti mukhyā vraja-vāsi-jane

rāgātmikā-bhakti mukhyā vraja-vāsi-jane |
tāra anugata bhaktira ‘rāgānugā’ nāme ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.144)

“Rāgātmikā-bhakti is principal and [found] in the residents of Vraja. Bhakti which follows it is called rāgānugā [-bhakti].”

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rāgamayī bhaktira haya ‘rāgātmikā’ nāma

rāgamayī bhaktira haya ‘rāgātmikā’ nāma |
tāhā śuni lubdha haya kona bhāgyavān ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.147)

“Bhakti constituted of rāga is called rāgātmikā. Hearing of it, some fortunate person becomes intensely desirous [of it].”

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