The concept of ekanta-bhakti -

In another thread, I wrote:



Commenting on that, Sadhaka108 wrote:


And this is the separate thread. So let's discuss the topic.

This idea is fairly well represented in the entire Gaudiya canon. Exclusivity may be measured in a number of ways, but I am herein primarily referring to the exclusivity on a particular ishta-devata.

Quoting from Thakur Mahashaya's Prema-bhakti-chandrika.



The commentary is also informative. However, much of it is repeated in the comments on the following verse, so we shall not repeat it.



This is the general consideration, exclusivity of longing for prema. Sri Ananta Das Pandit comments:


Therefore, each devotee will remain in the company of sajAtiya-sAdhus, dedicated to his very own specific mood.



The story of Hanuman's single-minded attachment to Rama to the exclusion of Dvarakadish Krishna is very famous. The following tripadi is most informative with regard to single-minded focus in gopi-bhava:



Such nistha he has for his own particular mood as a manjari in Vraja-dham! We read of the moods of the gopikas in Caitanya Caritamrita (1.17.278-280):



Hence Sripad Raghunath Das Goswami, our foremost manjari-bhava-upasaka, instructs his mind: tyaktvA lakSmI-pati-ratiM ... vraje rAdhA-kRSNau sva-rati-maNi-dau tvaM bhaja manaH -- "Giving up attachment for the husband of Lakshmi-devi, O mind, in Radha and Krishna, the givers of the gem of their love, in Vraja!"

With regards to the idea of participating in many pastimes according to our moods, how will you properly engage in astakalin seva of Radha and Krishna if you constantly tell them, "Please excuse me for a moment, right now my mind is drawn to other moods that attract me more than your seva-rasa. I'll be back shortly." Certainly that is not possible. At the time of siddhi, the mukta-jiva may certainly be present in many locations at once due to the arrangements of yogamaya, participating in many rasas simultaneously, but as sadhakas, it is already a full-time engagement to tend to the development of a single mood. And such sweetness and depth there is in just one of those moods! Whosoever thinks that one particular mood has insufficient amrit for flooding the pond of your heart far beyond its boundaries certainly has not truly tasted a drop of it.

Having once come to the feet of Sri Radha in the mood of a palya-dasi, one will never let go of them. Again, in the words of Srila Das Goswamipad:

sakala tyAjiyA se rAdhA carane/
dAsi hoye bhaja parama jatane// (Bhaktivinoda)

I'm with you on this one Madhava. Since I received siddha pranali from Srila Lalita Prasad Thakur, I feel a special kinship to Jagat and by extension to Gadadhar Pran who I have learned of through these discussions. I have been following the discussions on nadia-nagari-bhava with interest and an open mind. I have been worshipping Gaur Gadadhar for thirty years as avatars of Sri Sri Radha Krishna and the idea of worshipping them in an amorous manner never crossed my mind. I never heard of it until recently and I still have no such desire. My allegience is strictly to the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani. I can imagine no other attraction.

Very nice!
These are my initial questions about ekanta-bhajan:

Where this idea comes from? Who begun to preach it? Where are the quotes about ekanta-bhakti in the shastras?


How we choose a ishta-devata?


Since I'm not fixed only at spiritual matters, it's very difficult to be a ekanti. How can I be a ekanti while having to pay my bills?

I think that one can really be a ekanti when he attained nishta. Before that he's not too fixed at his ishta-devata. When that occur, he will become fixed at only one specified form of God, like Radha-Madana-Mohana, Radha-Gopinatha, etc, and he will see that ishta-devata at all places. He can go to another temple and say: "hey, this is my ishta-devata taking another form!". He can see all people and see his beloved deity at his hearts.


I don't think that you need to tell Radha-Madhava that you are going to another lila with another mood. It's just happens. You go on with the flux, following your lobha (greed). And Radha-Madhava will be always there anyway. If you are too attached to Srimad Radhika, why can't you see that she is Gadhadar Pandit?

I think that Gouranga is the paramattva and the ishta-devata of Gaudiya Vaishnavas. I guess this is the idea of the Navadvipa-vasis and your idea is the main idea of Vrajavasis.

Maybe we need another Narottam Das Thakur?

I just cited from Narottama Das Thakur Mahashaya. You'll also find the theme in the writings of the Goswamis, and indeed in the writings of just about any one of our acharyas.



Initially you will likely hear of the glories of a particular bhagavat-svarupa. Then you will approach a guru, who will initiate you in the worship of that particular form of bhagavan, giving you diksha-mantras containing divine wisdom on that particular bhagavat-svarupa and your particular relationship with him.



It isn't a mere matter of not doing anything else. You can do only sadhana and not be ekanti within. Likewise, you can, as a householder, take care of many things that are related with maintaining your life, and since your life is devoted to bhajana, your samsara becomes Krishna's samsara. Doing things in such a manner, there is no material thing there in your life.



There are certainly gradations there. However, we should adopt a means of sadhana that recognizes this goal of being truely ekanti, aiding us in cultivation of this mood. Otherwise, if we always head here and there, the chances of our attaining nistha in bhajana are rather slim.




But the point is that once attracted by a particular bhagavat-svarupa, your greed will not wonder here and there. Otherwise, it is not truely greed, but rather a form of curious connoisseurism. Once you come to the feet of your Svamini, you will feel that you will always need to be there for her. And as for seeing her being Gadadhar, we rather like to see her presence in the form of Gadadhar, and thus in effect we are seeing Radha who has come with concern to oversee how her priyatama is relishing her flavours of prema. And in the presence of Radha, how will Shyama go and flirt with so many girls? That would result in a very bad case of maan indeed! Perhaps the Gaura-avatar would need to be recalled to pacify her. He would do that to break her maan, trust me.



Well, all Gaudiyas headed by Sri Rupa and others are Vraja-vasis. They are all concerned with serving the feet of Sri Radha in allegiance to Sri Rupa Manjari. That is their heart and soul. zrI-rUpa-mañjarI-pada sei mora sampada, sei mora bhajana-pUjana says Thakur Mahashaya. The feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are our treasure, our bhajana and our puja. sei mora prANa-dhana, sei mora abharana, sei mora jIvaner jIvan. Her feet are the treasure of our live, our ornaments, and indeed the very life of our life. How can we, then, wander off to any other moods that do not reflect the pAlya-dAsI-bhAva she embodies? That would be like tearing life out of our hearts.

Madhava,

Thanks for the reply. I see many insightful hints here. However, my mind was stolen by Rasaraja GorA since the first time I saw the Gadai-Gouranga drawing of Gadhadar Pran Das at Dhamali. This was the best example of srngara-rasa to me. Now I really don't care about scriptural injuctions or any other thing that could take me away from that. Since this kind of nectar turned me crazy, I quote another crazy ones song:

AmAr prANer mAnuSh Achhe prANe
tAi heri tAye sakal-khAne
Achhe se nayan-tArAy, Alok dhArAy
tAre nA hArAye
ogo tAi heri tAye JethAye sethAye tAkA-i Ami Jedik pAne


The man after my heart lives inside me,
That is why I see him everywhere.
In the gaze of my eye, in the sparkle of light
Oh I can never lose him --
Here, there, everywhere,
Wherever I look, he is right there for me.

So I hope that someday I can write GorA at my chest (just like Lalita prasada) and let everyone knows that GorA is the man of the heart.