Pure Vraja-love

Mahaprabhu recited this Sikshashtakam to teach the people of the world what are the symptoms of pure love and He personally explained these verses. Srila Kaviraja’s words at the end of the verses of instruction for the people of the world, se prema janaite loke, “This prema He taught to people”, mean that He taught vraja-prema to them. This sadhana for Vraja-prema is the unprecedented merciful gift of Sriman Mahaprabhu. He himself and the Gosvamis headed by Sri Rupa and Sanatana, who took shelter of His lotus feet, told the residents of the world about the raganuga-bhajana which is saturated with the following of the ragatmika-bhakti of the residents of Vraja. Suddha-bhakti is of two kinds, vaidhi and raganuga.

yatra raganavaptatvat pravrittir upajayate
sasanenaiva sastrasya sa vaidhi bhaktir ucyate

“Normally devotion to God is either generated by sacred greed or on the order of the scriptures. When there is no spontaneous inclination towards God one must follow the orders of the revealed scriptures. This is called vaidhi-bhakti.” This kind of devotion is based on fear of punishment in hell or in a lower species of life for not serving God according to the strict rules outlined by the revealed scriptures.

virajantim abhivyaktam vrajavasi janadishu
ragatmikam anusrita ya sa raganugocyate
(Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, 1.2.270)

“The devotion of the eternally perfect associates of Krishna in Vraja is called ragatmika-bhakti and devotion that follows in its wake is called raganuga-bhakti.”

There are two kinds of ragatmika associates of Krishna, namely sambandhatmika and kamatmika-associates. The eternally perfect sambandhatmika-associates are Krishna’s servants like Raktaka and Patraka, His eternal friends like Sridama and Subala, and His eternal parents Nanda and Yasoda, and the gopis of Vraja, headed by Sri Radha, are the kamatmika associates. The devotion of the kamatmika-associates is considered to be most intimate, and this kamatmika-bhakti is again twofold: sambhog-ecchatmika and tat bhavecchatmika. The sambhogecchatmikas are the Lord’s consorts and the tad bhavecchatmikas are the girlfriends of these consorts. In this way there are two kinds of raganuga-bhakti: sambandhanuga and kamanuga. Those devotees who follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s servants, friends and parents are the sambandhanuga-devotees and those who follow in the footsteps of the gopis are kamanuga-devotees. The manjari bhava sadhana, which belongs to the division of tad bhavecchatmika kamanuga sakhi-bhava and follows in the wake of Sri Radharani’s eternal maidservants like Sri Rupa Manjari, Sri Rati Manjari etc. is the great gift of Sriman Mahaprabhu. This practice of Vraja-rasa was practised and preached by the Gosvamis, headed by Sri Rupa and Sanatana. This manjari-bhava alone is proclaimed to be the pinnacle of raganuga-bhajana. This manjari-bhava is the goal of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas who have taken shelter of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s feet.
Sri Caitanya Caritamrita (Madhya-lila, 22.156-157) states:

bahya antara – ihara dui to sadhana
bahya – sadhaka dehe kore sravana kirtana
mone – nija siddha deha koriya bhavana
ratri dine cinte vraje krishnera sevana

“There are two kinds of transcendental devotional practices. One is external and the other is internal. The external practice consists of hearing and chanting in one’s material body and the internal practice is a mental one, in which one thinks of one’s perfect spiritual body with which one serves Krishna in Vraja day and night.”

With one’s material body the practising devotee lives in Vraja (in the district of Mathura in the state of Uttara Pradesa in India), or if he is unable to do that, he lives in Vraja mentally after at least having physically been there for some time. In the physical state he follows in the footsteps of the people of Vraja like Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami by following the process of hearing, chanting, and remembering the pastimes of Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Within his mind he conceives of his spiritual body or a manjari-body, following in the footsteps of the people of Vraja like Srimati Rupa Manjari and others, remembering Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava’s ashta kaliya lila, Their eternally revolving eightfold daily pastimes and mentally serving the Dual Divinities as is proper for the particular time of day. The following divine aspirations will constantly awaken within the minds and hearts of such devotees:

radha krishna prana mora! yugala kisora!
jivane marane gati ara nahi mora
kalindira kule keli kadambera vana
ratana vedira upore bosabo du’jana
syama gauri ange dibo (cuya) candanera gandha
camara dhulabo kobe heribo mukha canda
ganthiya malatira mala dibo donhara gale
adhare tuliya dibo karpura tambule
lalita visakha adi yoto sakhivrinda
ajnaya koribo seva caranaravinda
sri krishna caitanya prabhura dasera anudasa
narottama dasa kore seva abhilasha

“O Radha-Krishna! O Youthful divine Couple! You are My life! In life or in death, there is no one else for me but You! In a playforest of Kadamba-trees on the bank of the Yamuna I will seat Them on a jewelled throne. When will I anoint Their bluish and golden bodies with sandalwoodpulp, fan Them and behold Their moonlike faces? I will string garlands of Jasmine-flowers and hang them around Their necks and put betelleaves laced with camphor in Their mouths. I will serve Their lotus feet on the order of the sakhis like Lalita and Visakha. Narottama Dasa, who is the servant of the servants of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, desires these services.”

These aspirations fill the lives of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas! They spend their lives doing bhajana while holding these desires in their hearts and when they leave their material bodies they are blessed with the direct service of Sri Sri Gauracandra and Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava in spiritual bodies in the kingdom of Their transcendental pastimes.