Svarupa and Svarupa-siddha-bhakti - Three classes of devotion in BhS

svarUpa-siddhA bhakti is something different from svarUpa all by itself.

The word svarUpa can be translated as "essence" or "(true) identity." Thus the statement, muktir hitvAnyathA-rUpaM svarUpeNa vyavasthitiH "Liberation means to be situated in one's true identity." (Bhag. 2.10.6)

Svarupa-siddha bhakti means: "Devotion in its essential or pure form, true to its identity."

Jiva Goswami explains that there are several types of bhakti--(1) Aropa-siddha, (2) sanga-siddha, and (3) svarupa-siddha.

(1) The word Aropa means "applying" or "adding." Most varnashram type activities are Aropa-siddha. You do some activity and then, by giving up the results in some way to Krishna, you add a devotional value to it.

(2) Sanga-siddha means that you add some devotional activity like chanting Harinam, to another non-devotional activity, thus giving it devotional value.

(3) Svarupa-siddha devotion means that you are directly engaged in bhakti activities like hearing and chanting, using all your senses, without the admixture of any other non-devotional activity. That's why Harikatha is so powerful--when it's right--because it fully engages the brain and heart, as well as the ears.

Since most of us are unable to engage in svarupa-siddha bhakti all the time, we top up our other activities through aropa or sanga to give them devotional value--like chanting japa while we watch television.

Since real liberation means being situated in one's svarupa, the most svarupa-siddha bhakti of all is devotional activity that is done in consciousness of one's spiritual identity. This is called sAsaGga-bhajan. (Unfortunately the terms get mixed up a bit here).

AsaGga means "close attention", or "full emotional, mental and intellectual involvement." The prefix an means "without," the prefix sa means "with."

Rupa Goswami writes in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu--

sAdhanaughair anAsaGgair alabhyA sucirAd api
hariNA cAzv adeyeti dvidhA sA syAt sudurlabhA

Prema-bhakti is rare in two different ways: on the one hand if you engage in devotional practices for many lifetimes in a way that is anAsaGga, in other words, not sAsaGga, then you'll never get it. And second, Krishna does not easily give it even if you do!" (BRS 1.1.35)

So Raganuga bhaktas (no different from Rupanuga bhaktas) try to engage in sAsaGga-svarUpa-siddha bhakti.

Or we could use Braja's example--Praying while you smoke could be called "sanga-siddha" bhakti. Smoking while you pray could be called "anAsaGga-svarUpa-siddha-bhakti."

This verse is frequently interpreted to mean that through sAdhana-bhakti, prema-bhakti is attained. However, I would be interested in pursuing a more general trail of thought, namely that of bhakti, and bhakti alone, being the source of inspiration for bhakti.

Certainly, there may be various factors in life that help us out in our human quest, but they do not directly touch our devotion. Only items that are directly connected with bhakti will cause bhakti to flourish. Even in the category of uddIpana-vibhAva, as we perceive various elements not directly related to bhakti, the potency is there only due to their activating the residual impressions of items related with hari-lIlA within the heart, acting as the catalyst for hari-smaraNa.

[ OK. I began writing something for some other purpose and nothing remotely coherent or complete came out of it, so I'll just put this piece in here, since it is relevant to the matter of svarUpa-siddhA-bhakti. With a cliché in the end to make it seem a bit more relevant. ]

Therefore, let us seek to connect ourselves with items in direct relation to bhakti, and always prefer them over indirect pursuits that may or may not end up supporting the growth of our bhakti.