By Babhru Dāsa
As all things that are to be achieved, are done so in natural progression, so are those manifestations of spiritual sentiment (rasa) that are in connection with Sri Krsna, the darling of Vrindavan. The scientific process of such is known by the wise as rägänugä-sadhana. For the pure and simple hearted, this process is not difficult to understand, although it’s fruits are certainly rarely attained. But with good guidance and a heart full of humility, even the seemingly impossible, becomes very possible.
In this regard, even with knowledge, it must be applied properly and under careful guidance, otherwise many unfortunate results can been seen. Just as a person desiring milk must learn how to take care of a cow in many aspects from an expert cowherd, so the sadhaka, must also learn how to attend to the sweet existential process of awakening rasa (rapturous emotion) within their heart.
Furthermore, application of any knowledge is done in parallel tracks with ones own sincere interest. Without sincerity of heart, how can one do anything? And this stands the most true for matters of metaphysical nature. The Divine Lord Sri Krsna promises such in the following way,
“All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Påthä.” – 4.11 Bhagavad-Gita
With that being said, the following concise essays have been written in hopes of helping to light the way on the path of raga-sadhana.
Lobha-mayi-shraddha
In the understanding of rägänugä-sadhana, the first words are lobha-mayi-shraddha. And what is it? It is faith that is constituted of divine hankering. A hankering to attain emotional feeling for the sweet prince of Vraja, namely Sri Krsna.
And this type of faith is a faith that manifests within the heart. It never arises within the mind or intellect. Faith that arises within the mind due to intellectual understanding and acceptance of scriptural injunctions is known as āstra- avadhāraṇā-mayī-śrāddha. So it should be understood that these two types of faith are the building blocks for two very different operating systems that are practiced by bhaktas, namely raganuga-bhakti, and vaidhi-bhakti.
So we should ask ourselves, “Can a gigantic and beautiful palace ever be built without a very strong and purely manufactured foundation?” Simply put, the answer is unequivaclly, no. In the same way, there is simply no possibility of raga-sadhana without the seed of lobha-mayi-shraddha being planted in the heart. Shraddha is the first stage of bhakti in general, and so it is also for raga-sadhana. As all the theistic acharyas have stated, “ādau śraddhā, first comes faith.” It is the life force of the bhakta’s forward progression.
So where does this very special and rare type of shraddha come from? Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakura tells all very plainly that there are three ways this is attained,
“Thus, some devotees attain knowledge about the moods of Kåñëa and His Vraja associates from the mouth of a guru, some from the mouth of a learned rägänugä devotee, and some, whose hearts have been purified by the practice of devotional service, will have this knowledge directly revealed to them from within their hearts. They advance in great transcendental bliss, just as one sees a lusty man enjoying great pleasure when his desires are fulfilled. Raga-Vartma-Chandrika, 1.9
And furthermore Sri Uddhava says, “Kåñëa reveals Himself through the äcärya and through the agency of the Supersoul.” –Çrémad-bhägavatam, 11.29.6:
It should be known, most will attain this lobha through the mercy of the vaishnavas, by always attempting to serve and hear from them with great heartfelt affection. By staying close to such rasik-vaisnavas in the form of Srila Gurudeva or the sadhu-vaishnava, the constant waves of rasa (in the form of nectarean topics of Sri Hari and His loved ones (ragatmikas) will wash over the coarse beach of ones heart, and ultimately something will appear that was not seen before. That is divine greed (lobha.)
But again, this is not automatic. Because association with the vaishnava is a heart affair, it is not an external affair. So many souls come into proximity with the sadhu, but very few are blessed with such a rare gift as lobha. Therefore, the sadhaka’s sincerity is of crucial importance. In this regard, calculation will not help the sadhaka. Full-fledged surrender (to Hari, Guru, Vaishnava) must be attempted before one can even conceive of receiving such a blessing. And in surrender, there is no calculation. Calculation cannot and will not help the sadhaka in this regard.
The third way that a sadhaka can become extremely fortunate, is by reciving the seed of lobha from Bhagavan directly. Although this is more rarely attained, nonetheless, it is certainly possible, and does happen from time to time.
One may ask, “why would this latter circumstance ever even occur, instead of the former?” It is a good question, but one with many answers.
Generally, the latter occurs when a extremely sincere sadhaka repeatedly hears the nectarean sweet topics of Lord Krsna’s pastoral pastimes in Vraja (due to their own efforts in bhajan.) Hearing, and contemplating thus, Sri Bhagavan and His associates’s take notice and happily bestow their causeless mercy upon such a soul.
Yet, something to keep in mind, is that when one is attempting to understand the difference between these two categories, it is not that one category is completely bereft of the other. It is just that they are each constituted more heavily of one or the other type of mercy. It should also be noted that there are certain circumstances, which may augment one more towards being in the position to receive lobha from the sadhu or Bhagavan respectively.
And how does one understand if the very wonderful seed of lobha-mayi-shraddha has been planted in their heart? It takes a heart that is with sincerity and without duplicity. And then everything becomes very obvious. Just imagine, does a person ever wonder if they are hungry or thirsty? Of course not. It is self evident and they will do whatever they can to attain food and water. They will not stop thinking about the thirst or hunger until the sustenance is attained. Of course in the case of raga-sadhana, one is never really fully satisfied, but the concept can be understood in that way. The most revered Srila Visvanatha Chakravartipada explains this all in the following way,
This greed never arises in anyone on such basis, nor does the candidate ever consider whether or not he is qualified for the path of rägänugä-bhakti. Rather, simply after hearing about the subject matter, or seeing it, that greed will arise in him. Raga-Vartma-Chandrika, 1.5
With all of this being said, one still may wonder, “I do not have lobha-mayi-shraddha, but I do want to awaken it and focus entirely on attaining the raga-marga. So what can I do until then?”
If a sadhaka is fortunate enough to be within the direct proximity of an advanced raga-bhakta, they can attempt to practice a “semblance of raga-bhakti” under the sadhu’s guidance.
In this instance, the sadhaka, is mostly benefiting by getting some sort of intellectual understanding of these topics, as well as culturing an inner desire for awakening that intense interest in Sri Krsna’s vraja-rasa. Sri Jiva Goswamipada mentions this in the following way,
“The path of rägänugä-bhakti is honored simply by feeling special regard for the rägätmikä associates of Lord Kåñëa. Yet, a person in whom such ruci as defined above has not yet sprouted (ajäta-ruci) should still execute rägänugä-bhakti combined with the practices of vaidhé-bhakti.
Those who have acquired this ruci (jäta-ruci) and are respected within a larger social framework should also execute rägänugä mixed with vaidhé in order to set an ideal for others. In this mixture, vaidhé should be performed as far as possible so that it becomes one in nature with rägänugä. BS, Anuccheda 312
jaya.