Sri Sri Raga-Vartma-Chandrika (Sripad Vishvanatha Cakravartipad)

TEXT 1:

sri rupa vak sudhasvadi cakorebhyo namo namah
yesham kripa lavair vakshye raga vartmani candrikam

“Again and again I offer my humble obeisances to those devotees who are like Cakora-birds that relish the nectar of Srila Rupa Gosvami’s words.
By taking shelter of a drop of their mercy I am able to speak this book ‘Raga Vartma Candrika'”

Kripa-kanika Vyakhya by Radhakunda Mahanta Srila Ananta das Babaji:

The most revered author, Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada, has named this book raga vartma candrika. Just as a traveller can easily find the way when the moonrays illuminate his inaccessible path at night and enable him to blissfully arrive at his destination without having fallen in ditches or being pricked by thorns, similarly the sadhakas that tread the difficult path of raganuga bhakti, will become well acquainted with this path by taking shelter of this book and blissfully attain their destination, the vicinity of Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava’s lotus feet, without encountering obstacles; of this there is no doubt. It will no longer be possible for them to fall off the path.

There are two kinds of sadhana bhakti – vidhi bhakti and raga bhakti. Vidhi bhakti has its roots in the orders of the sacred 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 named raga, and the devotion that is filled with such raga is named ragatmika bhakti. This is present in the eternally perfect associates of the Lord in Vraja. When one hears from the right saints about this excellent love for Sri Krishna of His eternal associates, that are fixed in this ragatmika bhakti, 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 named raganuga bhakti. But 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. Vraja’s dasya, sakhya and vatsalya rasas 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 that took 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 in the form of greed-propelled manjari bhava sadhana. This Raga Vartma Candrika casts light on this path and takes the devotees that have taken shelter of this topmost path of worship towards the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava – of this there is no doubt.

By the grace of Sriman Mahaprabhu His most beloved associate Srimat Rupa Gosvamipada has established this raga-bhajana which is so dear to Sriman Mahaprabhu. He composed two books, Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu and Sri Ujjvala Nilamani to make the difficult to comprehend subject of raga-marga accessible to the sadhakas of the world. Just as Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada composed a book named Sri Madhurya Kadambini on the basis of the verses beginning with ‘adau sraddha’ from Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, and thus greatly benefited the sadhakas that covet prema, he has similarly analysed a number of slokas from Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu about raga marga in this book, and thus greatly benefited the raganugiya sadhakas.

The path of raga marga is very rarely attained and hard to understand, and it is very difficult to enter into without the mercy of the great saints that are fixed in bhajana, hence Srila Granthakara (the author) has praised the devotees that are like Cakora-birds eager for one drop of nectarean mercy from Srila Rupa Gosvamipada in this mangalacarana sloka (auspicious invocation). Thus he depends on their grace while commencing this book. The sadhakas should also try to understand the secrets of the path of raga bhajana while depending on the grace of such great souls. (1)