devo bhūtvā yajed devaṁ nādevo devam arcayet |
(Tantra-śāstra; cited in Tattva Sandarbha: 22, Bhagavat Sandarbha: 64, and Bhakti Sandarbha: 306)
“Becoming a deva, worship the deva. A non-deva cannot worship a deva.”
idaṁ hi yogeśvara yoga-naipuṇaṁ
hiraṇyagarbho bhagavāñ jagāda yat |
yad anta-kāle tvayi nirguṇe mano
bhaktyā dadhītojjhita-duṣkalevaraḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.19.13)
“O Master of yoga, that which Bhagavān Hiraṇyagarbha [i.e., Lord Brahmā] has spoken of is certainly expertise in yoga: at the time of death, the wavering mind, abandoning the contemptible body, should be placed with bhakti on you who are nirguṇa.”
prayujyamāne mayi tāṁ śuddhāṁ bhāgavatīṁ tanum |
ārabdha-karma-nirvāṇo nyapatat pāñca-bhautikaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.6.29; cited in Prīti Sandarbha: 11)
“[Nārada:] When that pure figure related to Bhagavān [i.e., the form of an associate (pārṣada) of Bhagavān] was being bestowed upon me, the body [made] of the five elements, the commenced (prārabdha) karma of which was exhausted, fell away.”
evaṁ dīkṣāṁ cared yas tu puruṣo vīta-kalmaṣaḥ |
sa loke vartamāno’pi jīvan-mukta pramodate ||
uditākṛtir ānandaḥ sarvatra sama-darśakaḥ |
pūrṇāhantāmayī sākṣād bhaktiḥ syāt prema-lakṣaṇā ||
(Bṛhad Gautamīya Tantra; cited in Prīti Sandarbha: 32)
“A person freed from sin who shall abide by [the] dīkṣā [they have received] rejoices as a jīvan-mukta [i.e., as one who is liberated while living] even while present in the world, being endowed with a manifested form [i.e., a siddha-deha] and bliss, and seeing equally in regard to everything. Direct bhakti possessed of prema and constituted of complete ‘I’-ness [i.e., the ultimate form of self-identification] shall come about [in that person].”
ajāta-tādṛśa-rucinā tu sad-viśeṣādara-mātrādṛtā rāgānugāpi vaidhī-saṁvalitaivānuṣṭheyā, tathā loka-saṁgrahārthaṁ pratiṣṭhitena jāta-tādṛśa-rucinā ca | atra miśratve ca yathā-yogyaṁ rāgānugayaikīkṛtyaiva vaidhī kartavyā | kecid aṣṭādaśākṣara-dhyānaṁ go-dohana-samaya-vaṁśī-vādya-samākṛṣṭa-tat-tat-sarvamayatvena bhāvayanti, yathā caike “tādṛśam upāsanaṁ sākṣād vraja-jana-viśeṣāyaiva mahyaṁ śrī-guru-caraṇair mad-abhīṣṭa-viśeṣa-siddhy-artham upadiṣṭaṁ bhāvayāmi, sākṣāt tu śrī-vrajendra-nandanaṁ sevamāna evāsa” iti bhāvayanti |
(Excerpted from Bhakti Sandarbha: 312)
“Rāgānugā [-bhakti] too, which is honored just by honoring a particular sādhu [i.e., a particular rāgātmikā associate of Bhagavān], is to be practiced in conjunction with vaidhī [-bhakti, i.e., bhakti directed by śāstric injunctions] by those in whom such taste (ruci) has not appeared [i.e., those in whom taste for a specific form of rāgātmikā-bhakti that produces disinterest in everything apart from such bhakti has not appeared], and [is also to be practiced] by those in whom such taste has appeared and who are established [in society, i.e., those whose conduct is followed by others] for the sake of social cohesion. Also, in regard to this mixture [of vaidhī-bhakti with rāgānugā-bhakti], vaidhī [i.e., bhakti directed by śāstric injunctions] is to be performed befittingly making it one with rāgānugā [-bhakti, i.e., in a manner that supports the sādhaka progressing on the path of rāgānugā-bhakti]. [For example,] Some [i.e., some rāgānugā-sādhakas performing rāgānugā-sādhana-bhakti in conjunction with vaidhī-bhakti] visualize a meditation on the eighteen-syllable mantra with [Kṛṣṇa] being accompanied by them all [i.e., all the groups of his associates, viz., Śrī Rādhā and other young gopīs; Nanda, Yaśodā, and other elders; Baladeva and other peers; and so forth] drawn together by the song of the flute at the time of milking the cows [i.e., in the late afternoon when Kṛṣṇa plays his flute as he returns from the pastures into the village with the cows so they can be milked before the end of the day], and accordingly in one [i.e., in the midst of this general meditation] visualize this [integrated specific meditation as well], ‘I am performing such worship (upāsana) [i.e., worship in the form of the aforementioned meditation as enjoined in vaidhī-bhakti], taught to me—[I am who am] directly a particular person [i.e., native resident] of Vraja—by [my] revered guru, for the purpose of attaining my particular cherished object (abhiṣṭa) [i.e., the particular rāga and service to Bhagavān therewith that I aspire to attain]; [in this way] I am directly serving the beautiful Prince of Vraja [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa].’”
pati-putra-suhṛd-bhrātṛ-pitṛvan mātṛvad dharim | ye dhyāyanti sadodyuktās tebhyo’pīha namo namaḥ || iti | atra paty-ādivad iti dhyeyasya pitṛvad iti dhyātur viśeṣaṇaṁ jñeyam | tathā mātṛvad iti vati-pratyayena prasiddha-tan-mātṛ-janābheda-bhāvanā naivāṅgīkriyate, kintu tad-anugata-bhāvanaiva | evaṁ pitṛ-bhāvādāv api jñeyam | anyathā bhagavaty ahaṅgrahopāsanāvat teṣv api doṣaḥ syāt | tathā dhyāyanti iti pūrvoktaṁ manaḥ-pradhānatvam evorīkṛtam | api-śabdena tat-tad-rāga-siddhānāṁ kaimutyam ākṣipyate |
(Excerpted from Bhakti Sandarbha: 312)
“‘Obeisance and obeisance even unto those in this world who always eagerly meditate on Hari as a husband, son, friend, or brother, or [meditate on him] like a father, or like a mother.’ Here [in this verse from Nārāyaṇa-vyūha-stava], [the word] ‘husband’ and so forth [i.e., as well as the words ‘son,’ ‘friend,’ and ‘brother’] is to be understood as an adjective of the object to be meditated on [i.e., Bhagavān], and ‘like a father’ (pitṛvat) [is to be understood as an adjective] of the meditator. Furthermore, in regard to ‘like a mother’ (mātṛvat) [which is also to be understood as an adjective of the meditator], a meditation of non-difference from a person well known to be his mother [i.e., meditating on oneself as being non-different from a mother of Bhagavān, such as Yaśodā or Devakī] is not accepted by means of the vati suffix [which can in some cases convey a sense of equivalence but in this case should be understood in the sense of similarity and not in the sense of equivalence], and rather, only a meditation of following her is [accepted, i.e., the intended meaning of one meditating ‘like a mother’ on Bhagavān is that one meditates on oneself as a follower of his mother and not that one meditates that one is oneself one of his mothers, such as Yaśodā]. Such is to be understood in regard to the bhāva of a father and so forth [i.e., the same principle applies to those who meditate on Bhagavān on the basis of ruci for the bhāva of a father of Bhagavān or any other type of bhāva in relation to Bhagavānl, and thus in practice one should not meditate that ‘I am Nanda Mahārāja, or, ‘I am Yaśodā,’ but rather that ‘I am a follower of Nanda Mahārāja,’ or, ‘I am a follower of Yaśodā’]. Otherwise [i.e., if those alluded to in the verse under discussion who meditate on Bhagavān ‘like a father,’ ‘like a mother,’ or like another rāgātmikā associate of Bhagavān, neglect to meditate on themselves as followers of they who are well known to be parents of Bhagavān or primary, leading associates of Bhagavān with other relationships with him], [then,] similar to [the fault of] ahaṅgrahopāsanā in relation to Bhagavān, a fault shall occur in them as well [i.e., such meditators will commit a fault similar to the fault of ahaṅgrahopāsanā, that is, taking oneself to be the object of worship, since they in that case would be taking themselves to be bhaktas who are direct eternal manifestations of Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti, that is, those who, in terms specifically of their constitution as svarūpa-śakti, are non-different from Bhagavān]. Furthermore, by ‘mediate’ (dhyāyanti), the aforementioned predominance of the mind [in rāgānugā-sādhana-bhakti] is alluded to [as was discussed in BKS 311]. By the word ‘even’ (api) is implied ‘how much more (kaimutya) [shall obeisance be offered]?’ to those in whom those particular rāgas are established (siddha) [i.e., if even sādhakas who meditate on themselves as being followers of those who have rāga for Bhagavān are worthy of honor by means of repeated obeisance, then how much more are siddha-bhaktas possessed of rāga for Bhagavān itself worthy of honor?].”
rāgānugāyāṁ pravṛttir apīdṛśī—santuṣṭā śraddadhaty etad yathā-lābhena jīvatī | viharāmy amunaivāham ātmanā ramaṇena vai || amunā iti bhāva-garbha-ramaṇena saha | ātmanā manasaiva tāvad viharāmi | ruci-pradhānasya mārgasyāsya manaḥ-pradhānatvāt tat-preyasī-rūpeṇāsiddhāyās tādṛśa-bhajane prāyo manasaiva yuktatvāt | anena śrīmat-pratimādau tādṛśīnām apy auddhatyaṁ parihṛtam | evaṁ pitṛtvādi-bhāveṣv apy anusandheyam ||
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 311)
“Engagement in rāgānugā [-bhakti, i.e., the mental, verbal, and bodily performance of rāgānugā-sādhana-bhakti] too is such [i.e., is described in another statement of Piṅgalā in SB 11.8.40], ‘Satisfied living in accord with attainment [i.e., remaining satisfied regardless of whatever is encountered] and possessed of śraddhā in this [i.e., in the resolve that I shall attain Bhagavān as my husband], I shall enjoy solely with him [i.e.. Bhagavān], my beloved, by means of the self.’ ‘With him’ (amunā) means with [my] beloved, present in the interiority of [my] bhāva. ’I shall enjoy [with him] “by means of the self”’ (ātmanā) signifies, to be specific, by means solely of the mind because of this path in which taste (ruci) is predominant [i.e., because of the path of rāgānugā-sādhana-bhakti] having a predominance of the mind because of generally only the mind being fit for such worship (bhajana) in the case of one who has not become established in the form of [one of] his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] beloveds [i.e., since it is not possible for a jīva to directly serve Bhagavān as one of his beloveds when one has not attained the spiritual form of one of Bhagavān’s beloveds in his eternal abode and one thus remains embodied in a material body bound by time and karma within saṁsāra, it is only possible for a jīva to offer such worship (bhajana) conducive to the attainment of the rāga of a rāgātmikā beloved of Bhagavān for which one has ruci by mentally taking shelter in Bhagavān with the bhāva of being his beloved and offering worship to him in the mind with a mentally conceived form of one of his beloved of Bhagavān in his eternal abode, and thus on the path of rāgānugā-sādhana-bhakti, which is based on a sādhaka having ruci for the rāga of one of Bhagavān’s rāgātmikā associates, one’s worship (bhajana), that is, practice of sādhana, is primarily performed in the mind, where one can don a mentally conceived form suited to serving Bhagavān with the rāga for which one has ruci and in that mentally conceived form engage in offering various forms of worship to him in accord with the specific nature of that rāga]. Hereby, the audaciousness of even such in relation to the sacred Deity or elsewhere is repudiated [i.e., the audaciousness of offering to an existential seat (adhiṣṭhāna) of Śrī Bhagavān outside the mind, such as a Deity, the worship a beloved offers Bhagavān, viz., engaging in acts such as dressing one’s gross body as one of Bhagavān beloveds, offering Bhagavān embraces and kisses, etc., is repudiated by Piṅgalā’s statement in SB 11.8.40 that she will enjoy with Bhagavān ‘by means of the self’ (ātmanā), that is, only by means of the mind, and not by means of the body]. Such is [also] to be determined in regard to the bhāvas of paternity and so forth [i.e., no sādhaka with ruci for any form of rāgātmikā-bhakti should engage outside the mind in dressing one’s body as rāgātmikā-bhaktas dress themselves in Bhagavān’s abode or in performing any of the activities that are specific to how such rāgātmikā-bhaktas personally relate to Bhagavān in his eternal abode unless they so happen to match the conventional manner in which one dresses one’s sādhaka-deha, that is, physical body].”
athāsya tad-veśyā-vaktrāc chrī-rādhāyāḥ śrī-kṛṣṇānurāgādi-śravaṇa-jāta-lobhatvād rāgānugā-mārgeṇaiva bhajanam | tatra rāgānugā-mārge’nutpanna-rati-sādhaka-bhaktair api svepsita-siddha-dehaṁ manasi parikalpya bhagavat-sevādikaṁ kriyate | jāta-ratīnāṁ tu svayam eva tad-deha-sphūrtiḥ | asya tūtpannā madhura-jātīyā ratiḥ krameṇānurāga-daśāṁ prāptāsti, atas tad-deha-sphūrtiḥ sadaiva |
(Sāraṅga-raṅgadā-ṭīkā on Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta: 2)
“His [i.e., Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s] bhajana was based solely on the rāgānugā-mārga because of his intense desirousness (lobhatva) produced by hearing about Śrī Rādhā’s anurāga and so forth for Śrī Kṛṣṇa from the mouth of the courtesan [i.e., Cintāmaṇi]. There in rāgānugā-mārga, even by sādhaka-bhaktas in whom rati has not [yet] manifested, service and so forth to Bhagavān is performed by meditating in the mind upon one’s desired siddha-deha. For those in whom rati has manifested, however, manifestation (sphūrti) of that deha [i.e., the siddha-deha] occurs of its own accord [i.e., without requiring any specific effort from the sādhaka to meditate upon it]. His [i.e., Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s] manifest rati of the madhura-type, however, gradually attained the stage of anurāga [even though this is normally impossible for anyone within saṁsāra apart from those who participate directly in Bhagavān’s prakaṭa-līlā], and thus manifestation of that deha [i.e., the siddha-deha] became constant [in his mind].”
rāgera bhajana-patha, kahi ebe abhimata,
loka-veda-sāra ei vāṇī |
sakhīra anugā haiyā, vraje siddha-deha pāiyā,
sei bhāve juḍābe parāṇī ||
(Prema-bhakti-candrika: 48)
“I now speak of the approved path of rāga-bhajana. This teaching is the essence of the world [i.e., worldly propriety] and the Vedas. Becoming a follower of the sakhīs, and receiving a siddha-deha in Vraja, soothe the heart with this bhāva.”
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.”
