ये तु रागानुगाभक्तिः सर्वथैव सर्वदैव शास्त्रविधिमतिक्रान्त एव इति ब्रुवाते, ‘ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्वितः’ इति ‘विधिहीनमसृष्टान्नम्’ इत्यादिगीतोक्तेर्गार्हमर्हन्तो मुहुरुत्पातमनुभूतवन्तोऽनुभवन्तोऽनुभविष्यन्ति चेत्यलमतिविस्तरेन । हन्त रागानुगावर्त्म दुर्दर्शं विबुधैरपि । परिचिन्वन्तु सुधियो भक्ताश्चन्द्रिकयानया ।
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].”