Śrī Rādhikāṣṭakam
Eight verses in prayer for the service of Śrī Rādhikā
By Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda
Sādhana-bhakti
yathāgnim edhasy amṛtaṁ ca goṣu
yathāgnim edhasy amṛtaṁ ca goṣu
bhuvy annam ambūdyamane ca vṛttim |
yogair manuṣyā adhiyanti hi tvāṁ
guṇeṣu buddhyā kavayo vadanti ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.6.12; cited in Rāga-vartma-candrikā: 1.7)
“As human beings by [various] means attain fire from wood, milk from cows, food and water from the land, and a livelihood from exertion, so the wise [attain and] speak of you [even] amid the guṇas with the intellect.”
yathāgnim edhasy amṛtaṁ ca goṣu Read on →
yasya svarūpaṁ kavayo vipaścito
yasya svarūpaṁ kavayo vipaścito
guṇeṣu dāruṣv iva jāta-vedasam |
mathnanti mathnā manasā didṛkṣavo
gūḍhaṁ kriyārthair nama īritātmane ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.18.36)
“Obeisance unto he of manifested self whose true nature, hidden by activities and objects, the wise and learned, desirous of seeing, kindle amid the guṇas with the kindling rod of the mind like fire amid pieces of wood.”
yasya svarūpaṁ kavayo vipaścito Read on →
jñāna-niṣṭho virakto vā mad-bhakto vānapekṣakaḥ
jñāna-niṣṭho virakto vā mad-bhakto vānapekṣakaḥ |
sa-liṅgān āśramāṁs tyaktvā cared avidhi-gocaraḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.18.28)
“One who is detached and fixed in jñāna, or, one who is disinterested and my bhakta, shall relinquish the duties of one’s āśrama along with their paraphernalia and proceed outside the scope of injunctions.”
jñāna-niṣṭho virakto vā mad-bhakto vānapekṣakaḥ Read on →
hariṁ surāga-mārgeṇa sevate yo narottamaḥ
hariṁ surāga-mārgeṇa sevate yo narottamaḥ |
kevalenaiva sa tadā gopikātvam iyād vraje ||
(Attributed to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda in Aṣṭa-kālīya-līlā-smaraṇa-paddhati (148) of Gopāla Guru Gosvāmī and Dhyānacandra Govsāmī (151))
“An exalted human being who worships Hari by means of the excellent path of rāga [i.e., the path of rāgānugā-bhakti-sādhana] alone then attains the state of being a gopikā in Vraja.”
hariṁ surāga-mārgeṇa sevate yo narottamaḥ Read on →
lakṣeṣu śṛṇute kaścit koṭiṣv ekas tu budhyate
lakṣeṣu śṛṇute kaścit koṭiṣv ekas tu budhyate |
bhakti-tattvaṁ parijñāya kaścid eva samācaret ||
(Padma Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.543)
“[Śrī Prahlāda to Śrī Bhagavān:] Among lakhs [of people], someone [i.e., a rare person] hears about the nature (tattva) of bhakti, yet among crores [of those who hear], one understands it, and only someone [i.e., an exceedingly rare person] can perform it after having thoroughly understood it.”
lakṣeṣu śṛṇute kaścit koṭiṣv ekas tu budhyate Read on →
ka utsaheta santyaktum uttamaḥśloka-saṁvidam
ka utsaheta santyaktum uttamaḥśloka-saṁvidam |
anicchato’pi yasya śrīr aṅgān na cyavate kvacit ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.47.48)
“[The gopīs to Uddhava:] Who could completely give up perception of [alt., private conversations with] he of highest praise, from whose chest Śrī never strays even when he is nonchalant?”
ka utsaheta santyaktum uttamaḥśloka-saṁvidam Read on →
aho yūyaṁ sma pūrṇārthā bhavatyo loka-pūjitāḥ
aho yūyaṁ sma pūrṇārthā bhavatyo loka-pūjitāḥ |
vāsudeve bhagavati yāsām ity arpitaṁ manaḥ ||
dāna-vrāta-tapo-homa-japa-svādhyāya-saṁyamaiḥ |
śreyobhir vividhaiś cānyaiḥ kṛṣṇe bhaktir hi sādhyate ||
bhagavaty uttamaḥ-śloke bhavatībhir anuttamā |
bhaktiḥ pravartitā diṣṭyā munīnām api durlabhā ||
diṣṭyā putrān patīn dehān svajanān bhavanāni ca |
hitvāvṛṇīta yūyaṁ yat kṛṣṇākhyaṁ puruṣaṁ param ||
sarvātma-bhāvo’dhikṛto bhavatīnām adhokṣaje |
viraheṇa mahābhāgā mahān me’nugrahaḥ kṛtaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.47.23–27)
“[Uddhava to the gopīs:] Aho! You all, whose minds are offered to Bhagavān Vāsudeva in this way, are verily successful and worshipable to the world. Bhakti to Kṛṣṇa is certainly accomplished by means of charity, rites, austerities, sacrifices, japa, study, and sense control, as well as by various other meritorious acts. Unexcelled bhakti to Bhagavān, he of highest praise (Uttamaḥśloka), that is rare to attain even for the sages, [however,] has been performed [alt., will be propagated] by you all by great fortune. That you all have forsaken [your] sons, husbands, bodies, relatives, and homes and accepted the Supreme Puruṣa [alt., ‘another man’] known as Kṛṣṇa is by great fortune. Bhāva in full form for he who is transcendent (Adhokṣaja) has been attained by [alt., conferred upon] you all, and by separation [i.e., by your experience of separation from Kṛṣṇa with that most complete form of bhāva], O you all of great fortune, tremendous favor has been shown to me.”
aho yūyaṁ sma pūrṇārthā bhavatyo loka-pūjitāḥ Read on →
ko nu rājann indriyavān mukunda-caraṇāmbujam
ko nu rājann indriyavān mukunda-caraṇāmbujam |
na bhajet sarvato-mṛtyur upāsyam amarottamaiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.2)
“O King! Indeed who possessed of senses and subject to death from every quarter would not worship the lotus feet of Mukunda, which are the object of worship of [even] the foremost of the immortals?”
ko nu rājann indriyavān mukunda-caraṇāmbujam Read on →
ye tu rāgānugā-bhaktiḥ sarvathaiva sarvadaiva śāstra-vidhim
ye tu rāgānugā-bhaktiḥ sarvathaiva sarvadaiva śāstra-vidhim atikrānta eva iti bruvāte, ‘ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitaḥ’ iti ‘vidhi-hīnam asṛṣṭānnam’ ity ādi-gītokter gārham arhanto muhur utpātam anubhūtavanto’nubhavanto’nubhaviṣyanti cety alam ati-vistarena | hanta rāgānugā-vartma durdarśaṁ vibudhair api | paricinvantu sudhiyo bhaktāś candrikayānayā |
(Rāga-vartma-candrikā: 2.8–9)
“But as per statements of Śrī Gītā such as [17.1], ‘O Kṛṣṇa, what is the position of those possessed of śraddhā who perform worship [while] rejecting the injunctions of śāstra? Is it sattva, rajas, or tamas?’ and [17.13], ‘Yajña (sacrifice) that is devoid of injunctions [from śāstra], is without distribution of food, is devoid of mantras, is without donations, and is devoid of śraddhā is called tāmasa,’ those who say that rāgānugā-bhakti is absolutely always and absolutely in all respects exclusively beyond the injunctions of śāstra are deserving of censure and have experienced [in the past], are experiencing [in the present], and will experience [in the future] repeated calamities. Enough excessive elaboration [i.e., saying this much is sufficient to stress this point]. Oh! The rāganugā-path (vartma) is difficult to see, even for the devas! May wise bhaktas recognize it with [the help of] this moonlight (candrikā) [i.e., with the help of this book].”
ye tu rāgānugā-bhaktiḥ sarvathaiva sarvadaiva śāstra-vidhim Read on →