Question: How can one tell the difference between a devotee who is legitimately practicing raganuga sadhana and someone who may be sincere but misguidedly and inappropriately disregarding vidhi sadhana in the name of raganuga bhakti? How would one preach to a devotee of the latter type?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
I would rather have a personal discussion with you about this rather than provide an extensive reply; the subject of your question is delicate, and to treat the subject properly a cursory response is not satisfying.
Nonetheless, I will attempt to offer a succinct to-the-point response.
First of all, raganuga-sadhana-bhakti is a valid and an important stage in the unfolding of our life in devotional service. Sometimes it is wrongly regarded as a taboo.
Eligibility is another very important consideration. Here are two passages from Srila Prabhupada’s Nectar of Instruction Text 8 – in which Srila Prabhupada addresses the raganuga-sadhana bhakti platform within the purport.
seva sadhaka-rupena
siddha-rupena catra hi
tad-bhava-lipsuna karya
vraja-lokanusaratah
“In the transcendental realm of Vraja [Vraja-dhama] one should serve the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna, with a feeling similar to that of His associates, and one should place himself under the direct guidance of a particular associate of Krsna and should follow in his footsteps. This method is applicable both in the stage of sadhana [spiritual practices executed while in the stage of bondage] and in the stage of sadhya [God realization], when one is a siddha-purusa, or a spiritually perfect soul.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has commented as follows upon this verse: “One who has not yet developed interest in Krsna consciousness should give up all material motives and train his mind by following the progressive regulative principles, namely chanting and remembering Krsna and His name, form, quality, pastimes and so forth. In this way, after developing a taste for such things, one should try to live in Vrndavana and pass his time constantly remembering Krsna’s name, fame, pastimes and qualities under the direction and protection of an expert devotee.”
NOTE: “…after developing a taste for such things” indicates Ruci.
Again, still quoting Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura –
“Caitanya-caritamrta advises those who are neophytes to give up all kinds of motivated desires and simply engage in the regulative devotional service of the Lord according to the directions of scripture. In this way a neophyte can gradually develop attachment for Krsna’s name, fame, form, qualities and so forth.”
The indication of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s commentary upon the above-quoted verse by Rupa Goswami from Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu is that one is eligible for cultivating raganuga sadhana bhakti once he/she have attained the asakti stage — a point at which sadhana-bhakti has become so elevated and matured that spontaneous devotion for Sri Krsna may be cultivated.
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Premature acceptance of a practice beyond our attainment is consistently warned against, to be avoided.
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However, there is another eligibility requirement: association with one who *IS* qualified, and through whom one may receive the seed or interest to legitimately hanker for such attainment of qualification. There are indications within Jiva Goswami’s Bhakti-sandarbha that if this great fortune occurs, one may hanker for this attainment, even prior to reaching such elevated stages as Ruci and Asakti.
If such good fortune comes into ones life, two elements are always to be exhibited: (1) The externals of vaidhi-sadhana bhakti are not ‘disregarded’, as your question states; (2) One keeps his cultivation of raga internal, as opposed to freely discussing these matters with not yet qualified individuals. [In the language of one of my godbrothers, “…as soon as devotees make an issue of what they may be feeling and try to convert others and spread their gospel, they are going against Rupa Goswami, and giving evidence of their lack of qualification for raga.”]
This final paragraph is especially pertinent, as a direct response to your question above.
