Various References on the Raganuga Tradition - ...and related discussion...

Here's something I just finished writing to another BB. I thought it may have its place here as well. Any further considerations?

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Here are some teachings from the acaryas in this regard.

It is true that one must have the adhikara (qualification) for hearing about gopi-bhava, and that it is not meant for one and all, but the qualification may be something else than freedom from anartha.

To begin with, on being free from anarthas (Madhurya Kadambini, third shower), Visvanatha explains the various stages of anartha-nivrtti. The five kinds of cessation of four types of anarthas is given as follows:

The four types of anarthas are as follows: aparAdhottha-anartha (born of offences), duSkRtottha-anartha (born of wicked deeds), sukRtottha-anartha (born of pious deeds) and bhaktyuttha-anartha (born of bhakti). The five stages of cessation are as follows: eka-deza-vArttinI (partial), bahu-deza-vArttinI (pervasive), prAyikI (almost complete), pUrNA (complete) and AtyantikI (absolute).

These appearance of these five stages of anartha-nivrtti varies depending on the category of anartha, and spans from nistha to prema. Therefore, we would have to carefully define anartha-nivrtti before giving it as a qualification for anything.

I’ll now proceed to present the impetus for raganuga-bhakti and eligibility for the same, based on Visvanatha’s Raga Vartma Candrika. I’ll now proceed to present the impetus for raganuga-bhakti and eligibility for the same, based on Visvanatha’s Raga Vartma Candrika. First of all, the eligibility for raganuga-bhakti (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 1.2.291):

rAgAtmikaika nisThA ye vrajavAsi janAdayaH
teSAM bhAvAptaye lubdho bhaved atrAdhikAravAn
“Those who are anxious (‘greedy’) to attain the mood of the eternal ragatmika Vrajavasis, are eligible to enter into raganuga bhakti.”

Visvanatha defines lobha, or sacred greed, which is the beginning for the path of raganuga (Raga Vartma Candrika, 1.5):

tatra lobho lakSitaH svayaM zrI-rUpa gosvAmI caraNair eva -

tat tad-bhAvAdi mAdhurye zrute dhIr yad apekSate
nAtra zAstraM na yuktiM ca tal lobhotpatti lakSaNam (BRS 1.2.292)
vraja-lIlA-parikarastha zRGgarAdi-bhAva-mAdhurye zrute dhIr idaM mama bhUyAt iti. lobhotpatti-kAle zAstra-yukty-apekSA nA syAt, satyAM ca tasyAM lobhatvasyaivAsiddheh. nahi kenacit zAstra-dRSTyA lobhaH kriyate nApi lobhanIya-vastu prAptau svasya yogyAyogyatva-vicArah ko 'py udbhavati. kintu lobhanIya-vastuni zrute dRSTe vA svata eva lobha utpadyate.

“Sri Rupa Gosvamipada himself has described the symptoms of greed as follows:

‘If, upon hearing about the sweetness of loving emotions, one experiences a longing in his mind for attaining the same, from that moment onwards he no longer depends on scriptural injunctions and logic; such is the symptom of greed.’

After hearing about the sweetness of the loving emotions of Sri Krishna’s associates in Vraja-lila headed by the ones in sringara-rasa, one may think, ‘I wish they would be mine’. Upon the arising of greed, scriptural injunctions and logic no longer remain as an impetus, and if it does, the greed is not actual. No-one develops greed because of scriptural injunctions, and for the one in whom greed is manifest, in him there is no consideration of qualification or disqualification in obtaining the object of his greed. Rather greed arises only by hearing about or seeing the object of one’s greed.”

Freedom from scriptural injunctions and logic in this connection indicates that if after such hearing one has to still scripturally and logically consider whether he experiences attraction to these pastimes or not, genuine lobha has not arisen. In such a case, genuine qualification for raganuga-bhakti is not present.

In the subsequent verses (6-7), Visvanatha goes on to explain the ontological nature of lobha, and the relevance of abiding by the scripture after the appearance of lobha. In the eight verse, the gradual purification of the raganugiya-sadhaka is explained:

sa ca lobho rAga vartma vartinAM bhaktAnAM guru-padAzraya lakSaNam Arabhya svAbhISTa vastu sAkSAt prApti samayam abhivyApya ‘yathA yathAtma parimRjyate ‘say mat punya gAthA zravaNAbhidhAnaiH / tathA tathA pazyati vastu sUkSmaM cakSur yathayvAJjana samprayuktam’. iti bhagavad ukter bhakti hetukAntaH karana zuddhi tAratamyAt prati dinam adhikAdhiko bhavati.

“Lord Krishna describes (Srimad Bhagavata 11.14.26) how the devotee on the path of sacred passion advances and becomes more purified and more obsessed with sacred greed day by day, from the initial stage of surrender to the feet of a guru up to the point in which he directly attains the Lord: ‘The more one’s mind gets purified by hearing and chanting of My beautiful pastimes, the better one is able to discern the subtle reality, just as the eye is better able to perceive more and more subtle things when it is treated with medicinal ointment.”

Visvanatha then explains at length the three core verses of Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu for the practice of raganuga bhakti, as well as items consisting of, directly causing, favorable for, neutral for, and opposed to one’s desired feelings.

In the second prakasa (2.7), Visvanatha confirms that the raganugiya bhakta, whose path began upon hearing of the sweet pastimes of Sri Krishna and the Vraja-gopis, goes through the stages of anartha-nivritti, nistha and so on until the direct attainment of his beloved deity on the stage of prema.

atha rAgAnugA-bhakti majjanasyAnartha-nivRtti-niSThA-rucy-Asakty-antaraM prema-bhUmikArUDhasya sAkSAt svAbhISTa-prApti-prakAraH pradarzyate || rvc 2.7 ||

“Then it will be described how the one, who has progressed on the path of raganuga-bhakti through the cessation of the evils (anartha-nivritti), firmness (nistha), taste (ruci), and attachment (asakti) all the way to the attainment of ecstatic love (prema), will directly come to attain his desired object.”

Hence, we may conclude that freedom from material desire is neither the qualification for hearing about the pastimes of Sri Krishna and the gopis nor the qualification for practicing raganuga bhakti sadhana. The qualification for practicing raganuga bhakti is lobha, or sacred greed, which arises from the hearing of “srngaradi bhava madhurye”, or the sweetness of loving emotions headed by amorous love. The qualification for such hearing is outlined in a famous verse of the Srimad Bhagavata (10.33.39):

vikrIDitaM vraja-vadhUbhir idaM ca viSNoH
zraddhAnvito ’nuzRNuyAd atha varNayed yaH
bhaktiM parAM bhagavati pratilabhya kAmaM
hRd-rogam Azv apahinoty acireNa dhIraH
“One who faithfully hears or describes the loving sports of Sri Krishna and the young maidens of Vraja will quickly drive away the heart-disease of lust, become sober, and attain supramundane devotion of the Lord.”

In this verse of Suka Muni, faith is given as the eligibility for such hearing, and the heart-disease of lust is not considered an impediment for the same. One who does not have faith in the supramundane purifying potency of the Lord’s pastimes is not eligible for such hearing, and therefore intelligent men should refrain from describing these confidential pastimes to them. Indeed, it is stated in the Padma Purana (Brahma-khanda 25.15-18):

azraddadhAne vimukhe ’py azRNvati
yaz copadezaH ziva nAmAparAdhaH
”He who describes the auspiciousness of the Name unto those who are faithless, opposed and unwilling to hear is an offender unto the Holy Name.”

If this is true for name only, then what to speak of the form, qualities and pastimes of Bhagavan Sri Krishna! However, for the faithful class of men, such narrations act as the healing herb, as is evident from the very beginning of the tenth canto of the Bhagavata (10.1.4):

nivRtta-tarSair upagIyamAnAd
bhavauSadhAc chrotra-mano-’bhirAmAt
ka uttamazloka-guNAnuvAdAt
pumAn virajyeta vinA pazughnAt
“Description of the qualities of Sri Uttama-sloka is sung and relished in the minds of those whose thirst for the mundane is quenched, and it is the remedy for material existence as well. Who else than a butcher could keep himself away from hearing such descriptions?”

In the Govinda-lilamrta (1.5) of Krishnadas Kaviraja Gosvami, it is similarly told:

yat pItaM zrutivAG manobhir anizaM tRSNApradaM tvadbhutaM
saMsArAmaya hAryapi praNayajonmAdAndhya mohAdikRt
zazvac carvitam eva bhUri rasadaM dehAdi hRt puSTidaM
taj jIyAd amRta spRhA haram idaM govinda lIlAmRtam
“All glories to Sri Govinda Lilamrta the immortal nectar pastimes of Sri Govinda, which defeats the nectar of the demigods and the desire for liberation, constantly bestows a wonderful thirst to the ears, words and mind whenever it is drunk, that cures the disease of material life, yet producing delusions and blindness of loving intoxication, and gives inexhaustible relish, even if it is consumed again and again, nourishing even the body.”

Thus we may safely conclude that faith in the divinity of the pastimes of Sri Krishna and the Vraja-gopis is the qualification for the hearing of the same, and the consequent sacred greed arising in the heart is the qualification for the path of raganuga bhakti, which evolves through the stages of anartha-nivrtti, nistha, ruci, asakti and bhava until the attainment of prema and direct perception of one’s beloved deity.

Here's another piece I put together. I would love to hear our pandits clarify the mysterious words in one of the verses there.

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Recently a question was asked about the basis in shruti for the giving of siddha-pranali and related practices. I am presently reading the Gopala Tapani Upanishad, and have discovered some interesting details there.

I’ll open with a line describing how the sadhaka should view himself in the course of upasana. Sri Gopala Tapani states:

yo gopan jivan vai atmatvenasrsti-paryantam alati sa gopalo bhavati om tat sat so ’ham param brahma krsnatmako nityanandaika-rupah so’ham om // 2.50 //
“Because since the beginning of creation He lovingly protects the conditioned souls, He is known as Gopala. Om tat sat. That I am, identical in quality with Sri Krishna, the supreme spirit, having a spiritual form eternally full of bliss, that I am. Om.”

This verse establishes the legitimacy of meditating on one's eternally blissful form. The verses after this one describe the details of meditation on Gopala, finally concluding with a phala-stuti:

dhyayaen mama priyo nityam
sa moksam adhigacchati
sa mukto bhavati tasmai
atmanam ca dadami vai //2.91//
"He who meditates in this way is eternally dear to me. He attains liberation. He becomes liberated. I give Myself to him."

It is clear from this that the meditation recommended therein is a means for attaining liberation, instead of something which only takes place on the liberated platform.

The first chapter of the Gopala Tapani Upanisad also describes something which is a root-form of the mental yogapitha-seva practiced by the Gaudiya mystics of the present day. Sri Brahmaji describes the upasana of Gopala:

tan uvaca -
yat tasya pitham hairanyasta-palasam ambujam tad antaralikana-asra-yugam tad-antarady-arnakhila-bijam krsnaya nama iti bijadhyam sa brahmanam adhaya ananga-gayatrim yathavad vyalikhya bhu-mandalam sula-vestitam krtvanga vasudevadi rukminyadi sva-saktindradi vasudevadi parthadi nidhyadi-vitam yajet //1.18//
Brahma said: “On that seat, there should be a golden lotus with eight petals. Within that flower, one should place two triangles [a hexagonal figure], properly drawing the bija with krsnaya etc. along with bija and ananga-gayatri there. Then one should worship Vasudeva and others, Rukmini and others, His energies headed by Indra, Vasudeva andothers, Arjuna and others, and His treasures and so on.”

[Kusakratha translates bhu-mandalam sula-vestitam krtvanga as “Then anga should be offered with the sula-mantra (astraya phat).” I have left it untranslated. Perhaps our pandits can help in clarifying the import of these words.]

The “krsnaya” here refers to the astadasaksara Gopala-mantra explained later in the Gopala Tapani Upanisad. Vasudeva and others -- other features of the Lord; Rukmini and others -- other consorts of the Lord (madhurya-rasa); His energies headed by Indra -- other devotees in a service mood (dasya-rasa); Vasudeva and others -- other devotees with parental affection (vatsalya-rasa); Arjuna and others -- other devotees with fraternal affection (sakhya-rasa); His treasures and so on -- all paraphernalia and so on in santa-rasa.

Here we see a description of the worship of the Lord conducted together with His associates in Dvaraka. In the same way, the Gaudiya mystics worship the Lord in Vrindavana, surrounded by His associates, such as Sri Radha and the eight principal sakhis.

There is certainly no objection to worshiping the Deity in the mind, for the Bhagavata (11.27.12) proclaims:

saili daru-mayi lauhi lepya lekhya ca saikati
mano-mayi mani-mayi pratimasta-vidha smrta
“The Deity forms of the Lord are known to appear in eight different ways  – in stone, in wood, in meta

l, in earth, in paint, in sand, in mind or in jewels.”

There is no gradation offered for eligibility in worshiping the Sri Vigraha in its different manifestations here. Therefore, why should mental service be reserved for the liberated persons only, leaving other varieties of arcana for the conditioned souls? It is a form of sadhana meant for the benefit of all sadhakas, as declared in the Bhagavata (7.5.23): sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam.

The spiritual master may offer a suitable form for the meditation of the sadhaka to facilitate his mental service to his internally conceived Deities, Sri Radha and Krishna. Since service of the Lord is to be done under the guidance of Sri Guru, the guru may also reveal a similar eternally blissful form of his in which he meditates on himself at the time of upasana. There is certainly no fault in this.

In this way, we have presented references for the legitimacy of traditional Gaudiya raganuga upasana from the shruti-shastra.

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tan uvaca -
yat tasya pitham hairanyasta-palasam ambujam tad antaralikana-asra-yugam tad-antarady-arnakhila-bijam krsnaya nama iti bijadhyam sa brahmanam adhaya ananga-gayatrim yathavad vyalikhya bhu-mandalam sula-vestitam krtvanga vasudevadi rukminyadi sva-saktindradi vasudevadi parthadi nidhyadi-vitam yajet //1.18//

Brahma said: “On that seat, there should be a golden lotus with eight petals. Within that flower, one should place two triangles [a hexagonal figure], properly drawing the bija with krsnaya etc. along with bija and ananga-gayatri there. Then one should worship Vasudeva and others, Rukmini and others, His energies headed by Indra, Vasudeva andothers, Arjuna and others, and His treasures and so on.”
[Kusakratha translates bhu-mandalam sula-vestitam krtvanga as “Then anga should be offered with the sula-mantra (astraya phat).” I have left it untranslated. Perhaps our pandits can help in clarifying the import of these words.]

"bhu-mandalam" -- "on earth".  "sula-vestitam" -- "surrounded by tridents".  "krtvAnga" -- performing the limbs (different aspects of worship?).

Can anyone put this together? OK, the sadhaka is on earth, and he performs the different limbs of worship. But what do the tridents do here in Vaishnava worship?

Something I put together on another BB. I am looking for more references from older Gaudiya Granthas on siddha-pranali and related topics. Feel free to contribute.

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I was hoping that some bright pundit could should us where the word SIDDHA PRANALI apears in the works of the six goswamis or even Bhaktivinoda. I read the Jaiva Dharma verse which is supposed to suggest such a practice though I did not see the wrod SIDDHA PRANALI mentioned.

It seems like the term should appear in the writtings of Rupa Goswami or Sanatana Goswami or Raghunatha das Goswami.
The support for this practice within the books of the Goswamis is very rare and difficult to find.

For something as common and standard as this in the methods of the Babajis, it seems that the support for the practice should be easy to substantiate.

To begin with, a word on the meaning of siddha-pranali: siddha -- perfected; pranali -- channel, succession. That's all. Siddha pranali means a channel or a succession of perfected souls (in siddha-deha). Its counter-part in this world is guru-pranali, or guru-parampara. Therefore it is incorrect to propose that "siddha-pranali is bogus". If siddha-pranali does not exist, it means that one's guru parampara has no footing in the spiritual world. The concern, therefore, must be on the revealing of siddha-pranali instead of on siddha-pranali itself.

There are many things not explicitly mentioned in the Gosvami Granthas. In the Gosvamis' writings, there is no injunction for congregationally chanting the Hare Krishna mantra!

"The support for this practice [congregational chanting of Hare Krishna mantra] within the books of the Goswamis is very rare and difficult to find. For something as common and standard as this in the methods of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, it seems that the support for the practice should be easy to substantiate."

Talk about that!

At any rate, there are passages in the Bhakti Sandarbha which indicate the existence of a guru-assigned relationship on which the disciple is supposed to meditate upon. As follows:

divyam jnanam hyatra srimati mantre bhagavatsvarupajñanam tena bhagavata sambandhavisesa-jñanam ca ||283||

[This verse is Jiva's comment on the famous "divyam jnanam yato dadyat etc." verse defining initiation as transmission of divine knowledge.] "Here divine knowledge means the knowledge about the Lord's intrinsic identity which lies within the mantra, along with specific knowledge of the living being's relationship with the Lord."

saksadvrajajana-visesayaiva mahyam srigurucaranair madabhista-visesa-siddhyartham upadistam bhavayami ||321||

"I meditate on the specific form of one of Krsna's associates in Vraja, which my Sri Guru-carana has instructed me in, so that I can attain my specifically desired siddhi."

In his paddhati, Dhyanacandra Gosvami (disciple of Gopal Guru Gosvami) speaks first about meditating on one's guru-pranali, and then about meditating on a pranali of manjaris:

tatrAdau maJjarI-rUpAn gurvAdIn tu svIyAn svIyAn praNAly-anusAreNa saMsmaret zrI-guru-parama-guru-krameNeti tataH zrI-rAdhikAM dhyAyet | tataH zrI-nandanandanam ||344||

"In this meditation, before anything else, the sadhaka should perform smarana of the manjari forms of his guru-pranali, beginning with his guru, then parama-guru, etc. Then he shall meditate on Sri Radhika, and after that Sri Nandanandana."

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In regards to the whether or not the word 'siddhi pranali' is found within the Goswami's literature there is at least a statement found in Baladeva Vidyabhusana's Siddhanta Ratna wherein he writes:

esa tu bhaktis tan nitya parikara-ganad arabhyendanintanesvapi tad bhaktesu mandakiniva pracarati...sa tathabhuta nitya dhamni nitya parsadesu nityam cakasti sura-sarid iva tad bhakta pranalya prapance vatarati

"This bhakti is being promulgated from the eternal associates of SrI Hari down to the present day sadhaka bhaktas, like the current of the Mandakini River (the celestial Ganga). Bhakti is always present within the Lord's eternal associates within the eternal abode, and flows down to the mundane world through the drain of Sri Hari's devotees like the stream of the Mandakini."

This quotation is taken out of Ananta Das Pandit's Sri Guru Tattva Vijnana.

The idea is that bhakti is an eternal accomplishment deposited within the hearts of the parishads and these associates of the Lord descended along with Sri Caitanya to help Him taste and distribute prema in this world. The Caitanya Caritamrta gives a list of the Lords associates and to which branch of the Caitanya tree they belong to. The disciplic line coming from Sri Caitanya and His associates has become known as pranali, or drain, by which the flow of Sri Caitanya's gift to this world, manjari bhava becomes available.

Thanks Radhapada and Raga Prabhus for clarifying my doubts.. Now things are getting more clearer...

Thanks also for the encouragement...

Raga prabhu

Just a query regarding the above.. Can you please clarify what is lineage here and what is meant by "Gutika" and from where can I get it?

Jai MadanaMohanaMohini

"Lineage" means one of the disciplic lineages (parivaras) descending from the associates of Sriman Mahaprabhu, such as Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, Lokanatha (Narottama), Syamananda and so forth. Such a lineage is called "guru-pranali", and its corresponding counter-part in siddha-identities is called "siddha-pranali". The sadhaka (aspirant, practitioner) serves the Divine Couple in allegiance to this pranali under their guidance.

"Gutika" actually literally means a pearl or a jewel, but it is commonly used for a manual for bhajan. "Paddhati" is another name for the same. Nowadays the Gaura Govinda Lilamrita Gutika of Siddha Krishnadas Baba in its various forms is the most commonly used manual. Presently there is no English translation of the same. However, the paddhati of Dhyanacandra Gosvami has been translated, and is available in our "Literature" - section. You may review that to get an idea about the procedures of smarana in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

Here is a direct link for the file.