F: Raga-marga and Vidhi-marga in a Nutshell

The following are some reflections sent to a friend in clarifying the concepts of raga and vidhi.
 

1. There are two distinct paths. One is called vidhi-marga, and the other is called raga-marga. The difference between the two is not in the external practice: it is in the inner impetus for activity. On raga-marga, the impetus is in a great inner yearning called lobha, a burning desire that drives us onward with the aim of attaining emotions and services similar to Krishna's dear companions in Vraja. On vidhi-marga, the impetus for activity is born of a sense of duty or a fear of reprimand, drawing from the mandates of the scriptures. Only raga-marga leads us to Vraja-dhama and to the attainment of manjari-bhava. Vidhi-marga does not lead to attainments beyond relationships that are mixed with knowledge of god's majesty.

2. There are identical practices. Practices such as hearing, chanting, worship and so forth take on an almost identical appearance on the two paths. Then, unless one is sensitive and experienced, it will be hard to assess another's path by the mere observance of the outer form of the activity; the impetus determines the path. Raga-marga, aside the shared practices with vidhi-marga, features a whole unique internal world of practice; the inner cultivation of a specific loving emotion that gives rise to the revelation of the siddha-svarupa, or one's eternal companion-form that is suited for direct service for Radha and Krishna in the land of Vraja. It has been specifically noted (BRS 1.2.296) that "In the opinion of the wise, the practices of vidhi-marga are also to be employed on the raga-marga".

3. There are different stages on the path of raga. The journey is sometimes divided into two basic phases called ajata-ruci and jata-ruci. The first, ajata-ruci, literally "when taste is yet to awaken", is the stage where one has taken a keen interest in topics of raga-marga, but a mature, burning desire is yet to fructify in the core of one's heart. At this stage, one's raganuga-sadhana is practically a blend of raganuga and vaidhi in terms of one's impetus; one is not spontaneously and constantly pushed onward by the power of the mere desire. The second, jata-ruci, literally "when taste has awakened", is the stage we can justly call "actual raganuga", for in that a deep, overwhelming taste for both the practice and the goal has arisen, and in that there is truly following (anuga) of passion (raga).

All things considered, I am then personally shy to say thing such as "I am following raga-marga" or "I practice raganuga-bhakti", for I feel that, with all the mundane still upon my shoulders, it would be but a mockery of this beautiful and pristine path. The best I can say is, "I am trying to practice bhakti." Where are the tears in my eyes, where is the choking of my voice, and where are the bristling of my hair and the tremors of my body? And with that, where is my raganuga? If I had even a scent of divine emotion and a feeling that more lies ahead on the path, surely all of that would be a part of my reality as I reflected on my prospects.

Therefore, with folded hands and a straw between our teeth, we shall have to say, "I am not truly following much any path at all; with the wishes of guru and Vaisnavas, I am chanting a little bit and with their mercy I find some joy in that, hopeful that my heart would be purified in due course with the name's benevolent effect. I remain praying that one day I could also embark on the path of bhakti proper – as all real devotees have done, leaving behind the interests of the worldly world, offering their hearts at the service of their lord's feet."

UP 0: Sri Upadeshamrita - The Nectarine Teaching

The following is a series of post from a brief study group I led on the first verse of Rupa Goswami's Upadeshamrita at the Vilasa Kunja forums. The study follows a formula of opening text followed by questions and answers. Sometimes the initial questions I drafted weren't taken up, though they would have been pertinent; in such cases, I have left them in the end for the reader to reflect on.

Introduction to the work

Sri Upadeshamrita, included in Sri Rupa Goswamipad's Stava-mala, is perhaps the most famous, yet concise, delineation of the sequence of bhajan to be adopted in our sampradaya.

In its eleven verses, the author examines the following themes:

1. The urges to be overcome for gaining eligibility for bhakti-sadhana;
2. The six items that destroy the practice of devotion;
3. The six items that perfect the practice of devotion;
4. The six flavors of loving exchange with devotees;
5. Behavior to be adopted with three different kinds of devotees;
6. Relating to the apparent flaws and shortcomings of devotees;
7. Purifying the heart through worshiping the name;
8. The sequence of bhajan, embracing the raga-marga;
9. The gradation of divine abodes, the glories of Radha-kunda;
10. The gradations of dearness to Krishna, the glories of Sri Radha;
11. The great fortune and blessing of this path of worship.

One who wishes to perfect his practice of bhajan, and become accomplished like mahatmas of yore, should diligently study this text and implement the instructions into his life of bhajan. The sequential path presented by the author contains immeasurable potency for the upliftment of the sadhaka when applied in all earnestness and sincerity of heart.

The work contains two flavors of amrita-instructions. The first amrita is that which leads us to immortality, which lifts us beyond the mundane world in the form of the varieties of restrictions given with the aim of shielding the creeper of devotion from unwanted and destructive influences. The second amrita is the nectar flooding the heart as the gates to the kingdom of devotional worship open and one embarks on the tasteful path of bhajan.

Neglecting the instructions in this eleven-fold treatise on the sequential practice of sadhana, one wastes his precious days reaching for the flower on the sky, the utopia that will never become concrete by neglecting the recommended approach. Let us, therefore, study this text with due enthusiasm and embrace the power it yields through practical implementation.

- What is the proper spirit in which the text is to be studied?

The text should be studied with an open, receptive heart. One should feel willing to take the instructions seriously and to amend one's life accordingly. All of this, in a spirit of service to the author and to one's guru-varga, with all due gratitude, recognizing that without the said instructions we would be aimless, lost in a shoreless ocean of confusion.

- Where does the uplifting potency of the work arise from?

There are two main factors. First, following the instructions prepares our heart to contain the treasure of bhakti and molds our minds into a form in which they are always bent on engaging in devotional activities. Second, a great power arises from the satisfaction of the author, as he feels that his work has become successful, that someone has taken it seriously and applies it in all earnestness. The power of the grace of Sri Rupa and other purva-acharyas is powerful indeed. zrI-rUpa-kRpAya mile yugala-caraNa.

- How to get that uplifting potency of work? Is it only some motivation system or something even superb? By the "work" I'm assuming meaning "following the instructions perfectly".

Cast your heart at the feet of the author, your instructing guru. Hold nothing in your life as important as embracing those instructions. That'll attract the presence of the grace-potency contained in the text and propel you swiftly onward on the path of devotion.
Which Gaudiya acaryas have commented on Sri Upadeshamrita? In your class you mention Radha Raman das Goswami as an important commentator -- can anything be said about him, his life, when he lived, other writings, etc?

To the best of my knowledge, there is only one old commentary, that of Radharaman Goswami. In the commentary, the author identifies himself as a disciple and grand-son of of Jivana Lal Goswami. Though the commentary does not specifically state so, I am under the impression that Jivana Lal was a disciple of Gopinath Adhikari, a disciple of Gopal Bhatta Goswami's, reasoning by the course of the mangalacharan going directly from Gopinath to Jivana Lal.

If this assumption is correct, he lived in the fourth generation after the Goswamis. Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhan mentions that Radharaman Goswami has also written a commentary called Dipika-dipani on Sridhar Swami's Bhavartha Dipika. In that work, the author notes that he is the son of Govardhan Lal Goswami. I do not have access to that work, and cannot therefore say how elaborate it is or whether further biographical data would be contained therein. His commentary on Upadesamrita, the Upadesha-prakasika, is concice, mainly offering definitions of words and relevant references from the Bhagavata and other sources.

As for other commentaries, what is commonly available are the commentaries of Bhaktivinoda Thakur (Piyusa-varshini) and Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati (Anuvritti). Then, there are also other commentaries from Bhaktisiddhanta's followers, such as the tika of Bhaktiprasad Puri. There is a publication on the market with several commentaries from Gaudiya Math acharyas. Then, of course, there is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's rendition published as "The Nectar of Instruction", drawing largely from Bhaktivinoda's and Bhaktisiddhanta's editions.

Baladeva has commented on Stava-mala, at least on some sections of the work. I have never seen the text, it does not seem to be available on the market. I would expect that, had he commented on Upadeshamrita, it would be available in print along with Radharaman Goswami's. There may be some manuscripts of other tikas stacked up somewhere, I am not aware of anything noteworthy.

The English rendition of Radharaman Goswami's tika published from GVS leaves room for improvement in accuracy. God willing, we'll present the tika, bundled with further annotations, in the course of this study. The Sanskrit text of the tika will be available shortly, as I finish keying it in.

- Upadeshamrita doesn't seem to have received much attention back in the early days, and seems to have been first popularized by the Gaudiya Math.

Some titles just seem to come into vogue later on. The Gita, as a famous example, saw its first Gaudiya commentary with Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur, followed soon after by Baladeva's.

Commentaries on Vilapa Kusumanjali are very few and far between. The edition published by Sri Ananta Das Babaji features the rather short and technical tika of Bangeshwar Vidyalankar, and incorporates material from the comments of Madhusudan Das Adhikari and the notes made of the lectures of Ananda Gopal Goswami. I believe Bangeshwar dates to somewhere in the 19th century, and the other two are both 20th century figures.

Radha-rasa-sudhanidhi of Prabodhananda Sarasvati is another such title. I don't have a copy at hand just now, but I believe Babaji Maharaj mentions some earlier work of Madhusudana Das Adhikari's in his preface - beyond that, I am not aware of any tikas.

I believe Baladeva has written a tika on the entire Stava-mala. I've never gotten my hands on a copy of the work, I would be very interested. Many of the smaller works of the Goswamis are really not very extensively commented on.

- Is the content of Upadeshamrita entirely original?

Verses one though three are adaptations of earlier verses on similar themes. The source of the first is unknown to me. The second and the third are near-identical adaptations from Hatha-yoga-pradipika, a 13th century yogic text. SaDbhir yogo prasidhyati! The principles are fairly universal, so I guess there's no need to re-invent the wheel - just polish it a bit.

Raganuga - 3.6: External Sadhana

zravaNotkIrtanAdIni vaidha bhaktyuditAni tu |
yAnyaGgAni ca tAnyatra vijJeyAni manISibhiH || (brs 1.2.296)

"Hearing, chanting and all the other limbs of vaidhi-bhakti are also to be engaged in. This is what the learned ones have ascertained."

Mere internal practice which neglects the external practices of bhakti, such as hearing, chanting and worshiping, is forbidden. For absorption in remembrance, a peaceful mind is required, and the mind can never be peaceful when the heart is filled with impurities.

zuddhAntaH-karaNaz cet "etan-nirvidhyamAnAnAm icchatAm akutobhayam" ity Ady-uktatvAn nAma-kIrtanAparityAgena smaraNaM kuryAt || (bhakti-sandarbha 265)

"According to the statement 'etan-nirvidhyamAnAnAm icchatAm akutobhayam' (Bhag. 2.1.11), to purify the mind, one should engage in smarana without neglecting kirtana."

Indeed, on the virtue of its power of captivating all the senses and connecting them with the Lord, kirtana has been declared as the emperor among the practices of devotion in the present age of disturbance.

Indeed, one who neglects the practice of hearing and chanting the holy names is to be blamed on account of his disobedience of the scriptures.

zruti-smRti-purANAdi-paJcarAtra-vidhiM vinA |
aikAntikI harer bhaktir utpAtAyaiva kalpate || (brs 1.2.101)

"Exclusive devotion to Hari, which does not follow the rules prescribed by the Srutis, Smritis, Puranas and the Pancaratras, is only a cause of disturbance."

Though the impetus for the practice of raganuga-bhakti is independent from the scriptural commandments, nevertheless one who desires to learn about the path of practice must turn to the scriptures for guidance. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti illustrates the principle in his Raga-vartma-candrika:

tataz ca tAdRza lobhavato bhaktasya lobhanIya tad bhAva prAptyupAya jijJAsAyAM satyAM zAstra yuktyapekSA syAt | zAstra-vidhinaiva zAstra-pratipAdita yuktyaiva ca tat pradarzanAt nAnyathA | yathA dugdhAdiSu lobhe sati kathaM me dugdhAdikaM bhaved iti tad upAya jijJAsAyAM tad abhijJApta jana kRtopadeza vAkyApekSA syAt | tataz ca gAM krINAtu bhavAn ityAdi tad upadeza vAkyAd eva gavAnayanatad ghAsa pradAna tad dohana prakaraNAdikaM tata eva zikSen na tu svataH || (rvc 1.7)

"Now, when the aforementioned greedy devotees become inquisitive about attaining their desired feelings, we see that they depend on scriptures and logic. The attainment of the desired feelings is taught through scriptural injunctions and scriptural logic, not in any other way. Just as when greed for milk awakens, what is the means for acquiring it? One desires to know the means, and at that time he relies on the instructions of a trusted person on the means for acquiring milk. He will say, 'You should purchase a cow', and so forth, instructing how to bring a cow, how to feed her with grass, and how to milk her. One cannot gain knowledge independently, without being instructed."

Thus one must depend on the scriptures while pursuing the desired goal.

There is no substantial difference between the external practice of vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti; the difference lies in motivation. When one engages externally in the various aspects of vaidhi-bhakti with greed for attaining vraja-bhava as his driving force, such practice is called raganuga-bhakti-sadhana.

In his Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, Sri Rupa Gosvami has delineated the 64 principle aspects of devotion in practice. In the end, he repeats five of them, declaring these five to be eminent among all the practices of devotion.

zraddhA vizeSataH prItiH zrI-mUrter aGghri-sevane ||
zrImad-bhAgavatArthAnAm AsvAdo rasikaiH saha |
sajAtIyAzaye snigdhe sAdhau saGgaH svato vare ||
nAma-saGkIrtanaM zrIman-mathurA-maNDale sthitiH ||
aGgAnAM paJcakasyAsya pUrva-vilikhitasya ca |
nikhila-zraiSThya-bodhAya punar apy atra kIrtanam || (brs 1.2.90-92)

1. Serving the lotus feet of the Deity with faith and particular loving disposition;
2. Relishing the taste of the meanings of the Bhagavata with those who are expert in tasting the moods of loving rapture;
3. Associating with saints who have similar inclinations, who are soft-hearted and affectionately disposed towards oneself, and who are more advanced than is;
4. Engaging in congregational chanting of the holy names, and
5. Residing in the area of Mathura-mandala (the land of Vraja).

"These aforementioned five limbs are understood as the essence of everything, and therefore they are glorified again."

Raganuga - 3.5: Internal and External Sadhana

sevA sAdhaka rUpeNa siddha rUpeNa cAtra hi |
tad bhAva lipsunA kAryA vrajalokAnusArataH || (brs 1.2.295)

"One should serve both in his present sadhaka-body and in his siddha-form, following in the wake of the residents of Vraja, desiring to have feelings similar to theirs."

This very verse, in particular the interpretation of what is meant with serving with the sadhaka-form while following the residents of Vraja, was the root of a great controversy in the Gaudiya tradition at the time of Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti. His interpretation of the verse, which came to be accepted as conclusive, reads as follows:

"With the sadhaka-form" means in the present body, "with the siddha-form" means with one's own desired, internally conceived body suitable for the direct service of Sri Krishna, "desiring to attain their feelings" means to take shelter of one's most cherished associate of Sri Krishnaand one's desired Sri Radha, the beloved of Sri Krishna, being anxiously desirous to attain the passionate feelings they have.

"Service", how is it done? It is described as being performed with either items collected mentally or items collected with the physical body. The nature of this service is described as "following the people of Vraja". Following the residents of Vraja means to serve according to the model of Sri Rupa Gosvami and other residents of Vraja in the sadhaka-form and to serve according to the model of Sri Rupa Manjari and other residents of Vraja in the siddha-form.

The same is echoed, though more concicely, in an earlier work of Sri Krishna Das Kaviraja:

bAhya, antara, ihAra dui ta sAdhana |
bAhye sAdhaka-dehe kare zravaNa-kIrtana ||
mane nija-siddha-deha kariyA bhAvana |
rAtri-dine kare vraje kRSNera sevana || (cc 2.22.156-157)

"External and internal, these are indeed the two sadhanas. Externally, in the sadhaka-form, one engages in hearing and chanting, and in the mind, in one's own siddha-form, day and night one thinks of and serves Sri Krishna in Vrindavana."

The meaning of the sadhaka-form is evident: it means the present physical body. However, the concept of siddha-form deserves further examination. How is one to serve in a siddha-form, if one has not attained perfection (siddhi)? After all, the siddha-devotee is the one who has attained prema, and this verse appears in a section describing sadhana-bhakti. Is this not an oxymoron?

To this, the commentators (Jiva Gosvami, Mukunda Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti) answer in chorus:

siddha-rUpeNa antaz-cintitAbhISTa-tat-sevopayogi-dehena ||

"In the siddha-form means in an internally thought, desired form suitable for His service."

The chorus is slightly broken by Mukunda Gosvami, who states "manas-cintita", "mentally thought" in the place of "antas-cintita", "internally thought". Furthermore, the word "abhista", "desired", reveals that we are speaking of something which is yet to be attained. The concept is further illuminated by Sri Narottama Das Thakura:

sAdhane bhAvibe yAhA, siddha dehe pAbe tAhA |
rAga mArge ei sei upAya || (prema-bhakti-candrika 57)

"Whatever you think of during your sadhana, you will attain in your siddha-body. Such is the means on the path of raga."

sAdhane ye dhana cAi, siddha dehe tAhA pAi |
pakkApakka mAtra se vicAra || (ibid. 58)

"The treasure I covet during my sadhana, I will attain in my siddha-body. It is merely a matter of its being ripe or raw."

It naturally follows that one should integrate contemplation of the mood, activities and so forth of those who are siddha into one's practice of raganuga-sadhana.

siddhasya lakSaNaM yat syAt sAdhanaM sAdhakasya tat || (br. bhag. tika)

"The characteristics of the siddha are what the sadhaka should make his sadhana."

Thus, both in the present body and in the internally contemplated siddha-form, one should follow the residents of Vraja, desiring feelings akin to theirs. The service in the present, physical body is further explained in the following verse.