F: An Eulogy to Six Goswamis

kRSNotkIrtana-gAna-nartana-parau premAmRtAmbho-nidhI

dhIrAdhIra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pUjitau |

zrI-caitanya-kRpA-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhArAvahantArakau

vande rUpa-sanAtanau raghu-yugau zrI-jIva-gopAlakau || 1 ||

“Absorbed in praising Krishna with songs and dance, they are oceans of the nectar of prema; Dear to the serious and the capricious, they give joy to all, free of envy and worshipable; Bearing the grace of Sri Chaitanya, they are deliverers of the burden of the world. Praise to Rupa-Sanatana, the two Raghus, Sri Jiva and Gopala!”

Immersed in Krishna-kirtana, these six saints are oceans of prema personified – such is the nature of kirtana! We have many forms of kirtana, the two basic forms being nAma-kIrtana and padAvalI-kIrtana, and the latter is further divided into a number of sections such as guNa-kIrtana, in praise of Krishna's qualities, rUpa-kIrtana, in praise of the beauty of Krishna's form, and lIlA-kIrtana, in praise of pastimes. Padavali-kirtana in particular has wondrous power to uplift the heart of the sadhaka – so much so that kIrtana naturally transforms into utkIrtana, a loud, whole-hearted crying out of the soul, as the waves of the song sweep the heart afar to the shoreless ocean of prema. kIrtana is the natural state of a spotless heart – entranced in kIrtana, the heart blossoms with joy.

This loving emotion transforms the devotee's heart with its diverse tastes, creating a loving nature that makes him dear to all, the gentlemen and the ruffians alike. They spare their love from none, and even the greatest of fools can appreciate the beautiful, well-wishing nature of their hearts. The language of love is universal, felt by all people regardless of education or cultural sophistication. Only the vilest of men, naturally inclined to slander devotees and the Lord in their firm conviction to be the hedonistic enjoyers of the world, find fault even in places where good qualities are present in abundance, in hearts where envy shines with its absence and where there is only good will for all.

Such a wondrous state of heart is brought about with the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; without that, the hearts of the fallen folk of the age of Kali hardly transform and take on the qualities of supreme devotion. With the presence of such a treasure in their hearts, the loving devotees become deliverers of the world; whosoever comes in touch with them will find their lives naturally effected, their hearts' concerns transformed from the petty affairs of the world to something far beyond, something so meaningful and beautiful.

Praise to Rupa-Sanatana, the two Raghus, Sri Jiva and Gopala!

Raganuga - 1.4: The Flavours of Raganuga-bhakti

Sri Krishna, the Original Personality of Godhead, descended to this world along with His associates some five thousand years ago in the land of Vraja, displaying His ever-sweet pastimes to attract the souls of this world to His divine abode.

anugrahAya bhaktAnAM mAnuSaM deham AzritaH |

bhajate tAdRzIH krIDA yAH zrutvA tat-paro bhavet || (bhag. 10.33.36)

"To show favor to His devotees He appears in a human form, enjoying such pastimes upon hearing of which one must become completely devoted to Him."

After Sri Krishna and His associates disappeared from the visible realm of Vraja, various schools of thought and practice, intent on attaining His service, arose. In due course of time, Sri Krishna Himself, eager to taste the sweetness of His own service, descended to this world in the form of a great teacher and devotee named Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Visvambhara during His earlier life.

prema-rasa-niryAsa karite AsvAdana |

rAga-mArga bhakti loke karite pracAraNa ||

rasika-zekhara kRSNa parama-karuNa |

ei dui hetu haite icchAra udgama || (cc 1.4.15-16)

"Sri Krishna is the crest-jewel of relishers and the most merciful one. His desire [to descend to this world] arose out of two reasons, as he wished to taste the essence of loving rapture and to broadcast devotion on the path of raga to the world."

The unprecedented contribution of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the realm of raganuga-bhakti has been narrated as follows:

anarpita-carIM cirAt karuNayAvatIrNaH kalau |

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasAM sva-bhakti-zriyam ||

hariH puraTa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandIpitaH |

sadA hRdaya-kandare sphuratu vaH zacI-nandanaH || (Vidagdha-madhava 1.2)

"Out of His causeless mercy, He descended in this age of Kali to bestow the matchless treasure of the rapture of amorous love in His own service, which had not been given since a long time. May this son of Saci, Hari radiant with the enchanting complexion of multitude of gold, always be manifest in the core of your heart!"

The concept of amorous love was certainly present in the bhakti-traditions predating Sri Caitanya. What, then, is His unique contribution? It is a unique variety of amorous love in servitude. Amorous love (kama-rupa-bhakti) is divided into two distinct categories.

kAmAnugA bhavet tRSNA kAma-rUpAnugAminI || (brs 1.2.297)

"The following of amorous feelings (kamanuga) appears as a thirst for following in the wake of that which consists of amorous feeling (kama-rupa)."

sambhogecchA-mayI tat-tad-bhAvecchAtmeti sA dvidhA || (brs 1.2.298)

"Its two divisions are (1) filled with desire for union (sambhogecchamayi) and (2) consisting of a desire for Her feelings (tad-bhaveccatma)."

keli-tAtparyavaty eva sambhogecchA-mayI bhavet |

tad-bhAvecchAtmikA tAsAm bhAva-mAdhurya-kAmitA || (brs 1.2.299)

"That which aims for amorous sports is known as sambhogecchamayi, and that which longs for the sweetness of the feelings is known as tad-bhavecchatmika."

The desire for union is understood to consist of four kinds of longing for union.

sandarzana-saMjalpa-saMsparza-samprayoga-lakSaNa-bheda-catuSTaya-bhinnatvaM dRzyate || (Priti-sandarbha 375)

"The four different categories are understood as the various appearances of seeing, discussion, touching and sexual union."

Particularly the last two forms of sambhoga characterize the sambhogecchamayi-devotion. The second division of amorous devotion, which consists solely of the longing to relish the sweetness of the feelings of Sri Radha, devoid of even a scent of desire for bodily enjoyment with Sri Krishna, is known as manjari-bhava; this is the mood of the maidservants of Sri Radha. The eminent glories of the love of Sri Radha, the foremost among the consorts of Sri Krishna, are narrated throughout the scriptures and the poetry of the saints. Indeed, She is the very embodiment of love for the Lord.

hlAdinIra sAra aMza tAra 'prema' nAma |

Ananda-cinmaya-rasa premera AkhyAna || (cc 2.8.159)

"The essential aspect of the pleasure-giving potency (hladini) of Sri Krishna is called ecstatic love (prema), which is understood as joy filled with rapturous mellows."

premera parama-sAra 'mahAbhAva' jAni |

sei mahAbhAva-rUpA rAdhA-ThAkurANI || (cc 2.8.160)

"The supreme pinnacle of prema is known to be maha-bhava, and Sri Radha Thakurani is the embodiment of this maha-bhava."

premera 'svarUpa-deha' prema-vibhAvita |

kRSNera preyasI-zreSThA jagate vidita || (cc 2.8.162)

"Her body is the very embodiment of prema and a transformation of prema. Throughout the world, She is known to be the dearmost among Sri Krishna's beloveds."

sei mahAbhAva haya 'cintAmaNi-sAra' |

kRSNa-vAJchA pUrNa kare ei kArya tAGra || (cc 2.8.164)

"This maha-bhava is the the essence of a divine touch-stone; Her task is to fulfill all the desires of Sri Krishna."

When one's love for the beloved of Sri Krishna exceeds one's love for Him, this condition is known as the jubilant arising of attachment (bhavollasa-rati), the foundational mood of a maidservant of Sri Radha.

saJcArI syAt samAno vA kRSNa-ratyAH suhRd-ratiH |

adhikA puSyamANA ced bhAvollAsa itIryate || (brs 2.5.128)

"When the affection for Sri Krishna and a dear one are equal, the feeling is known as a transitory feeling, but when devotion to a dear one is nourished and becomes dominant, the feeling is known as bhavollasa-rati."

The pinnacle of divine joy which is present in the heart of Sri Radha becomes reflected into the hearts of Her dedicated maidservants, thus causing them to taste love which far exceeds any other form loving relish both in quantity and in quality.

pataty asre sAsrA bhavati pulake jAta-pulakAH |

smite bhAti smerA malimani jAte sumalinAH ||

anAsAdya svAlIr mukuram abhivIkSya sva-vadanaM |

sukhaM vA duHkhaM vA kimapi kathanIyaM mRgadRzaH ||

(krishnahnika-kaumudi 5.128)

"Oh doe-eyed beauties! When your girlfriends are absent, you may have to look at a mirror before you can say whether you are happy or sad. They reflect every mood of yours, they perform all the services of a looking glass! When tears fall from your eyes they also cry; when you are excited, their hairs stand on end; when you laugh they also do so; and when you become depressed, they also look down-hearted."

This manjari-bhava is the unique contribution of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the cherished treasure of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. One who desires to attain the ultimate goal of life should diligently study the writings of the saints on the subject matter of raganuga-bhakti.

Raganuga - 1.1: General Overview of Bhakti

The word rAgAnugA literally means "to follow loving attachment", love directed towards God. To gain a deeper understanding of the concept, let us first examine the concept of bhakti, loving devotion for God, in general.

Bhakti is divided into three main categories in accordance with its development.

sA bhaktiH sAdhanaM bhAvaH premA ceti tridhoditA || (brs 1.2.1)

"This devotion is said to be of three kinds, namely practice (sAdhana), feeling (bhAva) and love (prema)."

The initial stage of practice (sAdhana) is the time when the aspiring servant of God begins to cultivate his relationship with God. Practice is understood as follows:

kRti-sAdhyA bhavet sAdhya-bhAvA sA sAdhanAbhidhA |

nitya-siddhasya bhAvasya prAkaTyaM hRdi sAdhyatA || (brs 1.2.2)

"That, which is accomplished through the functions of the senses, and through which a loving devotional feeling (bhAva) is attained, is called devotion in practice (sAdhana-bhakti). The appearance of an eternally perfected feeling within the heart is called the stage of the attainment of perfection."

As the practice ripens, it culminates into specific loving feelings (bhava) towards God.

zuddha-sattva-vizeSAtmA prema-sUryAMzu-sAmya-bhAk |

rucibhiz citta-mAsRNya-kRd asau bhAva ucyate || (brs 1.3.1)

"A distinct manifestation of divine existence, akin to a ray from the sun of prema, the cause of tenderness of consciousness experienced as different tastes - this is called bhAva."

Foundational feelings of love of God are known to be of five kinds, namely (1) a peaceful, neutral relationship, (2) the affection of a servant, (3) the affection of a friend, (4) the affection of a parent, and (5) the affection of a consort, either as a wife or as a paramour lover. As the foundational feeling is further cultivated, it ripens into a wholesome rapturous experience of love for God (prema).

samyaG-masRNita-svAnto mamatvAtizayAGkitaH |

bhAvaH sa eva sAndrAtmA budhaiH premA nigadyate || (brs 1.4.1)

"When bhava softens the heart altogether, endowed with an abundance of possessive feelings towards Him, being very intense by nature, the wise call it prema."

God, being the infinite reservoir of love, is naturally the object of varieties of individual loving feelings. He appears to each individual devotee in that very form in which the devotee sincerely longs to see Him. This being the fact, there is a need to examine the two prominent varieties of practice of bhakti which lead to two distinct perfections.