“Oh Almighty Lord, Creator of the billions of universes! We praise Your Divine Power!
You create, maintain and annihilate Your creation.
By Your power everything is moving. Everything rests upon You like pearls resting on a thread.
Nobody can understand Your Divine energies.
In awe and reference we sing your glories. There is nobody who is more mighty than you.
Wherever we look, we see the expression of Your glorious power.
We should all bow down and worship Your almighty greatness.
By not worshiping You, we all will be living in vain.”

“Oh our Beloved!
During the day when you have gone to the forest, every moment without seeing you passes like a yuga (millennium).
Then, upon Your return from the forest at dusk, although we eagerly gaze upon Your exquisitely beautiful lotus face adorned with curly locks, we become greatly perturbed by the occasional blinking of our eyes.
At that time, it seems that creator of eyelids is really cruel to us.”

Here we can read two prayers, all directed to God, Krishna. Both prayers glorify the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna.
But still there is a big difference in the mood (bhava) of these two prayers.

The first prayer is spoken in the mood of awe and reference (aishvarya-bhava) and the second prayer in the mood of sweetness and love (madhurya-bhava).
Both address the same Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, but one is on the platform of tattva (knowledge-bound) and one is on the platform of rasa (love-bound).

Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and He is the creator of all universes. Still, He is playing His flute and He is dancing the rasa-dance in sweet Vrindavana.

There is a whole theology about “How Krishna manages the creation-affairs and all that is to it”, but this article is not about explaining all the Vishnu-forms Who are responsible for creating, maintaining and destroying.

Here we want to discuss the “inner” difference of the mood (bhava) of the above mentioned prayers.
Especially we want to focus on the inner bhava of the second prayer.
This prayer we can find in the “Gopi-Gita” of the Srimat Bhagavatam. In this beautiful “gita” (song) the Gopis declare their unique love to Vrajendra Nandana Sri Krishna.

Now, we can approach God in these two moods: Awe and reference or love and intimate sweetness.

When we read these two prayers, we can feel where our heart is drawn to.

If it is attracted by the power, the majesty and the sheer almightiness of the Lord, we will be able to practice a path similar to this inner mood. We call this path vaidhi-bhakti.

If our heart is attracted by the second prayer, where the most loving, intimate and sweet aspects of the Lord are described, we will be able to practice a path similar to this inner mood. We call this path raganuga-bhakti.

vaidhi-bhaktir bhavet sastram bhaktau cet syat pravartakam
raganuga syac ced bhaktau lobha eva pravartakah

“When bhakti is caused by scriptural injunctions (HERE: How great and powerful is God!), it is called
vaidhi-bhakti, but when its cause is spiritual greed alone, it is called raganuga-bhakti.”
(Raga-vartma-candrika, text 2)

We follow bhakti because we read something like this:

cari varnasrami yadi krishna nahi bhaje
sva-dharma koriya-o raurave padi maje
(Caitanya-caritamrita)

“Those in the four social orders who do not worship Krishna will
fall into hell, even if they perform their occupational duties.”

We are driven here by the injunction and by the resulting fear of neglecting.
This devotional path or bhajana-marga that is thus prompted
by scriptural injunctions is called vaidhi-marga.

And the devotion that is prompted by greed, caused by hearing
about the pastimes of Sri Krishna, is called raganuga-marga.

vaidhi raganuga ceti sa dvidha sadhanabhidha
(Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu, Srila Rupa Goswami)

“Practice is of two kinds, namely vaidhi and raganuga.”

The word “vaidhi” is derived from the Sanskrit word “vidhi”,
referring to the commandments of the scriptures.
The word “raganuga” is a compound of two words,
namely raga, “loving attachment”, and anuga,  “following in the wake of”.
If we want to love Sri Krishna in Vrindavana, we will have to perform raganuga-bhakti. There is no other way.

In the beginning, we have to know and understand that Krishna is God, but to attain Him in Vrindavana, we have to “forget” it.
Now, who loves Krishna to the utmost degree?
Indeed, in the Vedas we learn that the inhabitants of Vrindavana love Krishna the most.
Of all of them, the cowherd-girls, the gopis, love Him the most.
Of all the cowherd-girls, Srimati Radhika loves Him the most.

So in this day and age (Kali-Yuga), we are uniquely fortunate that not long ago, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Radha and Krishna in one person) appeared here on earth to teach us EXACTLY this wonderful and totally unique love.

anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah
sada hridaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah

“May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Saci-devi be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.”
(Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi-lila 1.4)

This “unnatojvala-rasa”, this most sublime love was never available before.
This highest love can only be attained by performing raganuga-bhakti.

We heard that the inhabitants of Vrindavana are filled to the brim with this most sublime love, most of all Srimati Radhika.
Now Sriman Mahaprabhu not only gave us “the love of the Vrajavasi”, which is fantastic nevertheless, but He came to give us the love, which Radhika and her most intimate girlfriends have in their purest hearts.
Sriman Mahaprabhu is in the mood of Radhika and like Her, He lets us “experience” exactly what She feels.
So we can attain a love only experienced by the maidservants of Radhika, the so-called “manjaris”.
Sriman Mahaprabhu appeared to give us this love.
This is widely known as “manjari-bhava”.

By following the manjaris in Vrindavana, headed by Sri Rupa Manjari (who is Srila Rupa Goswami in Gaura-lila and the author of many essential books on bhakti), we can achieve the highest goal of life: pure love of Radha and Krishna. This goal is called prema.

When we follow our “role-models”, the manjaris of Radhika, we perform raganuga-bhakti.

They have raga in the heart and soul (atmika), eternally so. Their bhakti is thus called  ragatmika-bhakti.
So we actually do “anuga”, we do “follow”. We follow their raga, their inner love. Therfore our bhakti is called raganuga-bhakti.

virajantim abhivyaktam vrajavasi-janadishu
ragatmikam anusrita ya sa raganugocyate 
(BRS 1.2.270)

“The devotion which is clearly present in the associates of the
Lord in Vraja is called devotion filled with loving attachment
(ragatmika-bhakti), and devotion following in the wake of this
ragatmika-bhakti is called raganuga-bhakti.”

So we can approach Krishna differently and He always “mirrors” our approach.

ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manushyah partha sarvasah
(Bhagavad-gita 4.11)

“All of them-as they surrender unto Me –
I reward accordingly.
Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.”

It is the mood which leads and drives us on our path of bhakti.

vaidhi-raganuga-marga-bhedena parikirtitah 
dvividhah khalu bhavo’tra sadhanabhinivesajah
(BRS 1.3.7)

“The paths of vaidhi and raganuga are known to be separate from
each other. Engagement in these two forms of practice certainly
awakens two distinct varieties of bhava.”

The goals of these two paths of bhakti are understood
as follows:

Vaidhi-bhakti:

vidhi-bhaktye parshada-dehe vaikunthete yaya
(CC 2.24.87)

“Through vidhi-bhakti, one will attain the form of an associate in
Vaikuntha.”

aisvarya-jnane vidhi-bhajana kariya 
vaikunthake yaya catur-vidha mukti pana
(CC 1.3.17)

Raganuga-bhakti:

“Those who worship according to scriptural commandments,
being aware of the Lord’s superhuman prowess, attain the four
kinds of liberation in Vaikuntha.”

raga-bhaktye vraje svayam-bhagavane paya
(CC 2.24.85)

“Through raga-bhakti, one will attain the Lord Himself in Vraja.”

raganuga-marge tanre bhaje yei jana |
sei-jana paya vraje vrajendra-nandana
(CC 2.8.221)

“He who worships on the path of raganuga will attain Vrajendranandana (Sri Krishna) in Vraja.”

Sriman Mahaprabhu Himself shows us the way to attain the highest and sweetest possible love:

sakala jagate more kare vidhi-bhakti
vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhava paite nahi sakti
aisvarya-jnanete saba jagat misrita
aisvarya-sithila-preme nahi mora prita
(CC 1.3.15-16)

“Everyone in this world worships Me through vidhi-bhakti. Vidhibhakti has no power for attaining the feelings of Vraja.
The devotion of the world is mixed with knowledge of My divine prowess.
I do not delight in love deluted with prowess.”

karma, tapa, yoga, jnana, vidhi-bhakti, japa, dhyana
iha haite madhurya durlabha
kevala ye raga-marge, bhaje krishne anurage
tare krishna-madhurya sulabha
(CC 2.21.119)

“Sweetness is very difficult to attain through fruitive activities, austerity, yoga, intellectual speculation,
vidhi-bhakti, recitation of mantras or meditation. The sweetness of Sri Krishna is easily attainable
only for the one who affectionately worships Him on the path of raga.”

Srila Ananta das Babaji explains this wonderfully in his commentaries on Raga-vartma-chandrika:

“There are two kinds of sadhana-bhakti, vidhi-bhakti and raga-bhakti.
Vidhi-bhakti has its roots in the orders of the scriptures and raga-bhakti in sacred greed (lobha). 

The exclusive terrain for this raga-bhakti, born of lobha, is Sri Vraja-dhama.
The topmost absorption in the most beloved Sri Krishna or the absorbtion in great loving thirst after Him is called raga and the devotion which is filled with such raga is called ragatmika-bhakti.

This is present in the eternally perfect associates of the Lord in Vraja.
When one hears from the saints about this excellent love of Sri Krishna’s eternal associates, who are fixed in this ragatmika-bhakti, for Him, and thus starts treading the path of sacred greed in order to attain a similar feeling, then this is called
raganuga-bhakti.

Sadhakas can follow in the footsteps of the eternally
perfect people of Vraja; this path is called raganuga-bhakti. However, they can never practise ragatmika-bhakti,
for this is the innate treasure of the eternally perfect associates of the Lord.

There are again two kinds of ragatmika-bhakti:
sambandhatmika-bhakti and kamatmika-bhakti (realtionship only-bhakti and amourous relationship-bhakti).

The dasya, sakhya and vatsalya rasas of Vraja are sambandhatmika-bhakti and the
sweet love of the girls of Vraja is called kamatmika-bhakti.

Hence raganuga-bhakti is also twofold

– sambandhanuga and kamanuga.

In this particular age of Kali, Sriman Mahaprabhu has blessed the sadhakas,
who take shelter of His lotus feet by giving them the qualification to serve Sri Vrishabhanu-nandini Sri Radharani,
who is situated at the pinnacle of kamatmika-bhakti, as a maidservant by practicing the greed-propelled manjari-bhava-sadhana.”

In Raga-vartma-Chandrika (text 6), we find the sources of this important lobha (greed):

“There are two causes for the appearance of greed: The mercy of God or the mercy of another anuragi devotee.
There are again two kinds of mercy bestowed by a devotee: praktana and adhunika.
Praktana means mercy bestowed by a raganuga in a previous life, and adhunika is mercy bestowed in the present birth.
The praktana devotee takes shelter of the lotus feet of a raganuga guru after the greed has arisen in him,
and the adhunika will get that greed only after having surrendered to the feet of such a guru.
It is said (in Bhakti  Rasamrita Sindhu):
“The only causes of the appearance of greed is the mercy of  Krishna or His devotee. Therefore some call the path of raganuga bhakti pushti marga (the path of mercy).”

Both paths of bhakti, vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti are included in the “sadhana-bhakti”-stage,
since bhakti is divided into three categories in accordance with its development:

sa bhaktih sadhanam bhavah prema ceti tridhodita
(BR 1.2.1)

“This devotion is said to be of three kinds, namely practice (sadhana), feeling (bhava) and love (prema).

Sadhana-bhakti:

kriti-sadhya bhavet sadhya-bhava sa sadhanabhidha 
nitya-siddhasya bhavasya prakatyam hridi 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.

Bhava-bhakti:

suddha-sattva-viseshatma prema-suryamsu-samya-bhak 
rucibhis citta-masrinya-krid asau bhava ucyate
(BRS 1.3.1)

“A distinct manifestation of divine existence, smilar to a ray from
the sun of prema, 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 affectionof 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).

Prema-bhakti:

samyan-masrinita-svanto mamatvatisayankitah
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.”

Srila Rupa Goswami says that BOTH paths are parallel paths.
Both paths of bhakti start exactly alike:

guru-padashrayas tasmat
krishna-dikshadi-shikshanam
vishrambhena guroh seva
sadhu vartanuvartamanam
(Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, 1.2.74)

“First we accept the shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master. From him we beg for
diksha-initiation and then we try to learn how to perform devotional service from him.
We are obeying the orders of the spiritual master with faith and devotion, and we arefollowing in the footsteps of great acaryas (teachers) under the direction of the spiritual master”.

Srila Rupa Goswami states 64 angas (limbs/parts) of sadhana-bhakti and both sadhakas (vaidhi and raganuga) perform those angas, but their inner mood and motivation is different. Externally it looks the “same”, but internally it is very different.

We often hear that raganuga-bhakti is a stage of “matured” vaidhi-bhakti, meaning that we come to the stage of raganuga-bhakti after we qualified ourselves through maturity in vaidhi-bhakti.
Nowhere we can find “pramana” (evidence) to this conclusion.
Like mentioned before, both vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti are two equal and PARALLEL paths.
It is not that one follows the other.

Sometimes we also hear that “raganuga-bhakti starts with the stage of ASAKTI”.
This is not true and again, no evidence can be found for this claim.
Both paths start with bhajana-kriya and both end with the attainment of prema.
Now which kind of prema we attain was already discussed before.

By vaidhi-bhakti we attain Vaikuntha-prema and by raganuga-bhakti we attain Vrindavana-prema.

But both bhakti-paths lead the sadhaka through the stages of sraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana-kriya, anartha-nivritti, nistha, ruci, asakti, bhava and finally prema. 

The only qualification is given here in Raga-vartma-candrika:

vrajalila parikarastha sringaradi bhava madhurye srute dhir idam mama
bhuyat iti lobhotpattikale sastra yukty apeksha na syat satyam ca tasyam
lobhatvasyaivasiddheh | nahi kenacit sastra drishtya lobhah kriyate napi
lobhaniya vastu praptau svasya yogyayogyatva vicarah ko’py udbhavati.
kintu lobhaniya vastuni srute drishte va svata eva lobha utpadyate
(RVC 1.5)

“If, upon hearing of the sweetness of the feelings, headed by passion,
of Sri Krsna’s associates in the Vraja-lila, one thinks:
`Let me also attain such feelings,’ then at this time one need not depend
either on the revealed scriptures or on favorable logical considerations.`
If such dependence remains, it cannot be said that greed has appeared.
Greed never arises in anyone because of scriptural considerations, and in anyone who is desirous to attain the
object of the greed, no considerations of qualification or lack of qualification arise.
Rather, greed arises only by hearing about the object of greed or by seeing it.”

It is not that we have to be “highly” qualified and extremely pure-hearted to be able to start
raganuga-bhakti. It was discussed that actually only by the mercy of Guru and Krishna (in this life or in past lives)
is it possible to enter raganuga-bhakti. Only by being in the association of those who already have this sacre greed (lobha) we can enter the “classroom” of raganuga-bhakti.

We personally experienced such an “entrance”:

A very good friend of ours never ever heard ANYTHING from Krishna in her life and by meeting a raganuga-bhakti sadhu she was overwhelmed by hearing him speak about Radha and Krishna in Vrindavana.
She immediately took shelter of this wonderful Vraja-vasi sadhu and began practicing raganuga-bhakti.
There was no concern about “being qualified or not”.
Only by hearing about the pastimes of the Divine Couple she received that sacred greed.

vikriditam vraja-vadhubhir idam ca vishnoh
sraddhanvito yah srinuyad atha varnayed va
bhaktim param bhagavati parilabhya kamam
hrid-rogam asv apahinoty acirena dhirah
(Srimat Bhagavatm 10.33.39)

“One, who hears or describes the loving sports of Sri
Krishna and the young maidens of Vraja with full faith (sraddha), will quickly drive away
the heart-disease of lust, become sober, and attain supramundane
devotion of the Lord.”

Srila Jiva Goswami makes a wonderful point here:

Hearing about these pastimes DRIVES away lust and THEN bhakti can enter fully into the heart.
It is NOT the other way: First we must have a pure heart by performing 30 years of vaidhi-bhakti and then we can hear these wonderful pastimes.
Hearing from a bona fide source is the greatest means to attain Vraja-bhakti.
For this we have to practice raganuga-bhakti.
Vaidhi-bhakti can not bring us to Goloka Vindavana.
Only by following in the footsteps of the manjaris of Srimati Radhika under the guidance of our Guru-manjari can we enter that Supreme Abode.

Jay Sri Radhe

°> TGd