Sādhana-bhakti

tad evaṁ rāgānugā sādhitā | sā ca śrī-kṛṣṇa eva mukhyā ‘gopyaḥ kāmāt’ ity-ādinā tasminn eva darśitatvāt, daityānām api dveṣeṇāpi tasminn evāveśa-lābha-darśanāt, siddhi-prāpteś ca | nānyatra tu kutrāpy aṁśiny aṁśe vā | ata evoktam, ‘tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet’ ity-ādi | atas tādṛśa-jhaṭity-āveśa-hetūpāsanā-lābhād eva svayam ekādaśe vaidhopāsanā svasmin noktā, kintv anyatra caturbhujākāra eva | tatra ca śuddhasya rāgasya śrī-gokula eva darśanāt, tatra tu rāgānugā mukhyatamā, yatra khalu svayaṁ bhagavān api teṣāṁ putrādi-bhāvenaiva vilasati … | tataś ca bhakta-kartṛka-bhojana-pāyana-snapana-vījanādi-lakṣaṇa-lālanecchāpi tasyākṛtrimaiva jāyate | … nānena caiśvaryasya hāniḥ tadānīm api tasyaiśvaryasyānyatra sphurad-rūpatvāt, bhaktecchā-mayatvasya ceśitari praśaṁsanīya-svabhāvatvād eva | yathā śrī-vrajeśvarī-baddha eva yamalārjuna-mokṣaṁ kṛtavān | tādṛśaiśvarye’pi tasmin śrī-vrajeśvarī-vaśyataiva śrī-śukadevena vanditā … | tasmād ye cādyāpi tadīya-rāgānugā-parās teṣām api śrī-vrajendra-nandanatvādi-mātra-dharmair upāsanā yuktā | yathā śrī-govardhanoddharaṇa-labdha-vismayān śrī-gopān praty uktaṁ svayaṁ bhagavataiva viṣṇu-purāṇe—yadi vo’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi | tadātma-bandhu-sadṛśī buddhir vaḥ kriyatāṁ mayi || iti | … tathā—nāhaṁ devo na gandharvo na yakṣo na ca dānavaḥ | ahaṁ vo bāndhavo jāto nātaś cintyam ato’nyathā || iti | … ata eva jñānājñānayor anādareṇa kevala-rāgānugāyā evānuṣṭhitiḥ praśastā, ‘jñātvājñātvātha ye vai mām’ ity-ādinā | tasmāt śrī-gokula eva rāgātmikāyāḥ śuddhatvāt tad-anugā bhaktir eva mukhyatamā iti sādhv evoktam | tad evam anyatrāsambhavatayā rāgānugā-māhātmya-dṛṣṭyā pūrṇa-bhagavattā-dṛṣṭyā ca śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajanasya māhātmyaṁ mahad eva siddham | tatrāpi śrī-gokula-līlātmakasya |
(Excerpt from Bhakti Sandarbha: 325)

“Thus, in this way, rāgānugā [-bhakti] has been established [as the abhidheya]. This [i.e., rāgānugā-bhakti], furthermore, is primarily towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa in particular [i.e., as opposed to other forms of Bhagavān] because of [its] being shown specifically in relation to him by gopyaḥ kāmāt … [i.e., by SB 7.1.30, as discussed in BKS 321], and because of observation of even the daityas’ [i.e., asuras’] attainment of absorption in him in particular and achievement of perfection (siddhi) even through hatred [towards him in particular]. This does not occur in relation to any other whole (aṁśī) [i.e., any other complete manifestation of Bhagavān] or part (aṁśa) [i.e., partial manifestation of Bhagavān] anywhere. Therefore, it was said [in SB 7.1.31], ’One may absorb the mind in Kṛṣṇa by some particular means [i.e., SB 7.1.31 speaks of Kṛṣṇa specifically, and not of Bhagavān in general or of another of his forms].’
“Thus, because of the benefit of such worship (upāsanā) that is a cause of quick absorption [in Kṛṣṇa, as described in SB 7.1.25–31, i.e., because the process of rāgānugā-bhakti in relation to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, based on Śrī Nārada’s teachings in SB 7.1.25–31, is a cause of quick absorption in him], worship (upāsanā) enjoined by rule [i.e., vaidhī-bhakti, which is not a cause of quick absorption in Kṛṣṇa as rāgānugā-bhakti is] was not spoken of by he himself [i.e., by Śrī Kṛṣṇa] in the Eleventh Canto [of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] in relation to himself [i.e., in relation to his human-like two-armed form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa], but only in relation to his distinct, four-armed figure. Furthermore, because of observation of pure rāga in relation to him [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa, to be existent] only in Śrī Gokula, rāgānugā [-bhakti] there [i.e., in Śrī Gokula] where even Svayaṁ Bhagavān [himself] sports with the bhāva of [being] their [i.e., the residents of Gokula’s] son and so forth, is certainly the foremost of all [i.e., of all types of sādhana]. … Thus also, he even has entirely genuine [i.e., non-artificial] desire for the caring offered [to him] by bhaktas in the form of feeding, presenting drinks, bathing, fanning, and so forth. … Also, by this [i.e., by his adopting the bhāva of being the son and so forth of residents of Gokula], it is not that a loss of [his] aiśvarya [i.e., supreme capability] occurs because of his aiśvarya having a manifest form elsewhere [i.e., because his aiśvarya remains manifest in his other forms, activities, and abodes] even then [i.e., at the same time], and because of [his] being pursuant of the will of bhaktas being a praiseworthy disposition in a master (īśitṛ) [alt., in he who is the Supreme Master]. For example, even while bound by Śrī Vrajeśvarī [i.e., Mother Yaśodā], he liberated the Yamalārjunas [i.e., Maṇigrīva and Nalakūvera]. Even when he had [and showed] such capability [to liberate them], [however,] only his captivation by Śrī Vrajeśvarī was praised by Śrī Śukadeva [because this is even more praiseworthy than his liberating the Yamalārjunas]. … Therefore, even for those who even today are devoted to following a rāga related to him [i.e., to following the path of rāgānugā-bhakti], worship (upāsanā) in accord with his characteristics specifically of being the son of the king of Vraja [i.e., the characteristics he manifests in Śrī Gokula] is apt. For example, there is a statement in Viṣṇu Purāṇa by Svayaṁ Bhagavān himself to the beautiful gopas who had become amazed by his lifting of Śrī Govardhana: ‘If you all have love (prīti) for me, and if you all [also] consider I am praiseworthy [i.e., a worthy object of reverence], then you all should [give up your awe and reverence of me and] foster the attitude in regard me that I am like the kinsmen (bandhu) of your very self (ātmā) [i.e., that I am one of your fellow cowherds, alt., that I am like the dear friend (bandhu) of your heart (ātmā)]. I am neither a deva, nor a gandharva, nor a yakṣa, nor a dānava. I have been born as your kinsmen (bāndhava—bandhu), and thus from now on I am not to be thought of otherwise [i.e., as anyone other than one of your fellow cowherds and kinsmen; I should not be thought of as any sort of devatā].’ … Therefore, performance solely pure rāgānugā [-bhakti] without regard for understanding (jñāna) or non-understanding (ajñāna) [of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s aiśvarya] is best, as per [SB 11.11.33, wherein Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself instructs], ‘Having understood, or not having understood, me as far as I am, for who I am, and of what nature I am, those who worship me with a one-pointed (ananya) bhāva are considered by me the best of bhaktas.’
“Therefore, because of the purity of rāgātmikā [-bhakti] only in Śrī Gokula [i.e., because rāgātmikā-bhakti is most pure, that is, free from awareness of Kṛṣṇa’s aiśvarya, only in Śrī Gokula, that is, Vraja, in contrast to Mathurā, Dvārakā, Vaikuṇṭha, and elsewhere, on account of the bhāvas of rāgātmikā-bhaktas in Gokula, and not elsewhere, having no taint of the predominance of awareness of Kṛṣṇa’s aiśvarya], it was indeed rightly said that bhakti that follows that [i.e., the bhakti that follows the rāgātmikā-bhakti existent specifically in Śrī Gokula] is preeminent [i.e., is the foremost of all forms of sādhana-bhakti]. Thus, in this way, on account of impossibility elsewhere [i.e., the impossibility of pure rāgānugā-bhakti in relation to forms of Bhagavān other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and by means of recognition of the greatness of rāgānugā [-bhakti in comparison to vaidhī-bhakti and all other forms of sādhana] and recognition of complete Bhagavattā [i.e., the full nature of being Bhagavān, which is existent specifically in Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he who is Svayaṁ Bhagavān, and not in any other form of Bhagavān], it is established that the greatness of the worship (bhajana) of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and therein especially, [the worship] of he possessed of līlā in Śrī Gokula [i.e., the worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifest in Śrī Gokula specifically and not elsewhere] is the greatest [i.e., worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is greater than worship of any other form of Bhagavān, rāgānugā-bhakti worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is greater than any other form of worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, rāgānugā-bhakti worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Śrī Gokula in greater than any other form of rāgānugā-bhakti worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa elsewhere].”

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