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

TEXT 11:

prathamatah krishnam smaran iti smaranasyatra raganugayam mukhyatvam ragasya manodharmatvat. preshtham nija bhavocita lila vilasinam krishnam vrindavanadhisvaram. asya krishnasya janam ca kidrisam nija samihitam svabhilashaniyam sri vrindavanesvari lalita visakha sri rupa manjaryadikam. krishnasyapi nija samihitatve’pi tajjanasya ujjvala bhavaika nishthatvat nija samihitatvadhikyam. vraje vasam iti asamarthye manasapi. sadhaka sarirena vasas tu uttara slokarthatah prapta eva. sadhaka rupena yathavasthita dehena. siddha rupenantas cintitabhishta tat sakshat sevopayogi dehena. tad bhava lipsuna – tad bhavah sva preshtha krishna vishayakah sva samihita krishna janasrayakasca yo bhava ujjvalakhyas tam labdhum icchata. seva mana-saivopasthapitaih sakshad apyupasthapitais ca samucita dravyadibhih paricarya karya. tatra prakaram aha vraja lokanusaratah sadhaka-rupenanugamyamana ye vrajalokah sri rupa gosvamyadayah ye ca siddha-rupenanugamyamanah vrajalokah sri rupa manjaryadayas tad anusaratah. tathaiva sadhaka-rupenanugamyamana vrajalokah prapta krishna-sambandhino janas candrakantyadayah dandakaranya-vasi munayas ca brihad-vamana prasiddhah srutayas ca yathasambhavam jneyah. tad anusaratas tat tad acara drishtyety arthah. tad evam vakya-dvayena smaranam vrajavasam ca uktva sravanadinapy aha – sravanotkirtanadiniti. guru padasrayanadini tvakshepa labdhani. tani vina vrajalokanugatyadikam kim api na sidhyed ity ato manishibhir iti manishaya vimrisyaiva sviyabhava samucitany eva tani karyani na tu tad viruddhani.

“First of all, through the words ‘remembering Krishna’ (Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu 1.2.294), it is indicated that remembrance (smarana) is the main item of raganuga bhakti. Raga is a special feature of the mind. The beloved is the Lord of Vrindavana, Sri Krishna, who enjoys pastimes suitable to His own feeling. With ‘His people also’ is meant: His beloved eternal associates in Vraja, that transcendental personality that the practising devotee favours, like Vrindavanesvari Sri Radhika, Sri Lalita, Visakha, Sri Rupa Manjari, and so on. Although they are Krishna’s favorites, they are also more favorite to those devotees who desire to enter into the brilliant erotic relationship with Krishna. If one can not live in Vraja physically, one must at least mentally do so. But the next verse (1.2.295) clearly explains how one must live in Vraja physically. Living with the sadhaka rupa means in the physical body of the practising devotee, and the siddha rupa means one’s own desired mentally conceived spiritual body, that is suitable for direct transcendental service to Sri Krishna. tad bhava lipsuna means: being eager to attain the brilliant erotic feelings towards Krishna of one’s favorite devotees in that feeling, like Sri Radhika and the gopis. How to serve? With paraphernalia that are collected either mentally or physically. How to follow in the footsteps of the people of Vraja? In one’s physical body one follows in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami and other saints that lived in Vraja and in the mentally conceived spiritual body one follows in the footsteps of Srimati Rupa Manjari and other eternal associates of Krishna.
The people of Vraja that should be followed in the sadhaka rupa, such as Candrakanti, the sages of the Dandaka-forest, whose story is related in the Brihad Vamana Purana, as well as the srutis (Upanishads), have attained their spiritual relationship with Krishna. One should act like these Vrajavasis. In this way the first two verses described smarana and living in Vraja and the third verse (1.2.296) describes practices such as hearing about Krishna’s pastimes. All other limbs of devotional practice, such as taking shelter of the feet of the guru, are attained through the practice of hearing and chanting. Without hearing and chanting one’s allegiance to the people of Vraja will be unsuccessful, hence the word manishibhih was used. This means that intelligent persons will, with the help of their sense of discrimination, practise those limbs that are favorable to one’s own devotional feelings and not those that are opposed to that.

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

The blessed author has quoted three verses from Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu and has explained that in terms of the kamanuga devotees, beginning with the first verse, where the devotee practises the remembrance of Sri Krishna, who enjoys according to His own feelings, and his own favorite associates of Krishna, such as Sri Radha, Lalita, Visakha and Sri Rupa Manjari. Raga is the natural function (dharma) of the mind, and so is smarana. Therefore the blessed author says that smarana is the main and major item of raganuga bhajana. Srila Narottama Thakura Mahasaya has said: sadhana smarana lila, ihate na koro hela, kaya mane koriya susara. manera smarana prana, madhura madhura dhama, yugala vilasa smriti sara. sadhya sadhana ei, iha boi ara nai, ei tattva sarva vidhi sara (Prema Bhakti Candrika). “Do not neglect the practice of lila smarana, keep this as the essence with body and mind. The very life-force of the mind is smarana, which is the abode of all sweetness, and the essence of smarana is the pastimes of Radha and Krishna.This is the means, this is the goal, and there is nothing apart from this. This truth is the essence of all regulative principles.” Smarana is the very life-force of the mind; a mind that does not remember the Lord is like a lifeless corpse. The body that contains no soul serves as food for the dogs and jackals, and in the same way the enemies of lust and anger always bite the mind that is not engaged in remembering the Lord. When life is still in the body the dogs and jackals flee away in fear, and similarly when lust and greed see that the mind is animated by remembrance of the Lord they will flee far away. Not only that, the glories of smarana are unlimited. smaratah pada kamalam atmanam api yacchati; kintvarthakaman bhajato natyabhishtan jagad guruh (Bhag. 10.80.11) “The Universal Teacher Sri Krishna even gives His very self to the person who remembers His lotus feet. What then to speak of giving him money and sense gratification, which is not even desired by the devotees?” In his commentary on this verse Sri Jiva pada has written: smaratah smarate. sakshat pradurbhuya atmanam smartur vasikarotityarthah (Bhakti Sandarbhah 277) ‘Sri Krishna will personally appear before the person who remembers Him and give Himself to him, which means that He is subdued by the devotee who remembers Him.”

Srimat Jiva Gosvamipada has mentioned four kinds of smarana: nama smarana, rupa smarana, guna smarana and lila smarana. Of them, lila smarana is the best, for it automatically includes nama, rupa and guna smarana. The remembrance of the pastimes of Radha and Krishna is the essence of all regulative principles, for it is both the means and the goal. Therefore it is the remembrance of the pastimes of Radha and Krishna that make raganuga bhajana so special. The raganugiya sadhaka remembers the eightfold daily pastimes of Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava and Their girlfriends like Lalita and Visakha and they meditate how they render devotional service in allegiance to the manjaris headed by Sri Rupa Manjari. Such raga bhajana is the unprecedented merciful gift of Sriman Mahaprabhu. The remembrance of Sri-Sri Radha Madhava’s intimate pastimes is not possible without the remembrance of Sri Gauranga’s pastimes, and thus we see that in the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya there is a system of remembering the eight-fold daily pastimes of Sri-Sri Gaura Govinda.
The raganugiya sadhakas perform their bhajana while residing in Vraja, and it is said that when one is unable to reside in Vraja physically one must reside there mentally. For instance, madhvabhave gudam dadyat. “Honey is needed, but when that is not available one must use brown sugar.” Vraja Vasa is one of the five main items of bhajana that has inconceivable potencies. This is a most confidential item of bhajana. In the Puranas it is desribed that simply by living in Mathura-mandala for one day one attains Haribhakti, which is prayed for even by the liberated souls. Therefore it is always advised to the sadhakas to live in Vraja and to engage in discussing topics of the pastimes of the beloved deity. Living in Vraja-bhumi specifically enables one to visualize the pastimes of one’s beloved Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava.
In his commentary to Brihad Bhagavatamrita 2.4.1 Srimat Sanatana Gosvamipada has written: kutracid brahmandasyantar bahis ca muktipade’pi adrishtam ato vananam antar madhye nivasata tat parshadoktam sri vaikunthaloka sadhananushthanadikam sarvam eva vismritam vimohad iveti yathatyanta mohat sarvam vismritam bhavet tathetyarthah. yad va vismrtam ivetyanvayah. tatas ca vimohad iti etad bhumi-sobhaya cittakarshanad ityarthah. evam mathnati sarvesham mano vilodayatiti mathura sabdartho dhvanitah “The beauty I beheld in Vraja-bhumi, this extraordinary beauty I had not seen anywhere in the universe, or beyond it, or even in the muktipada, where the liberated souls dwell. By staring at the beauty of Sri Vrindavana and by living in its forests I became so enchanted that I even forgot about practising the sadhana that was prescribed to me by the Lord’s associates and that was going to elevate me to Vaikuntha. Nowhere did I experience such beauty, such bliss that attracted my mind and made me forget everything. Because Vraja-dhama thus agitates (manthana) everyone’s minds and causes one to forget everything else it is known by the name of Mathura.
In the sadhaka-body, which is the present physical body, as well as in the siddha rupa, which is the mentally conceived spiritual body which is suitable for direct service to Them, or the Guru-given manjari-svarupa, raganugiya devotees serve Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava in the wake of the people of Vraja and nourish the powerful desire to relish the wonderfully brilliant erotic sweetness of Their forms, attributes and pastimes in their hearts. Just as one serves Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava in the external sadhaka-body with different articles according to the particular time, similarly one meditates on rendering such services mentally with the same articles collected with the siddha rupa in the Yogapitha (this is called mantramayi upasana). Then again one meditates on rendering service to Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava in one’s siddha svarupa in the kingdom of the eightfold daily transcendental pastimes according to the right time (this is called svarasiki upasana).
The sadhaka should serve in two ways, in allegiance to the people of Vraja. As far as he is able to, the sadhaka should render service or do bhajana like Sri-Sri Rupa-Sanatana by living in Vraja, keeping their example of renunciation, dispassion and loyalty before him, and in his siddha rupa he should mentally render service in allegiance to Vraja-people like Sri Rupa Manjari. Or he will attain devotional service in the form of a gopi in Vraja by doing bhajana in allegiance to nitya siddha-gopis, sakhis like Candrakanti , the munis who lived in the Dandaka-forest or the goddesses who preside over the srutis and that were described in the Brihad Vamana Purana. The sadhaka should mentally render service while following in their footsteps, in allegiance to their activities. sadhane bhavibo yaha, siddha dehe pabo taha (Prema Bhakti Candrika) “According to what I have thought of during my sadhana I will get a siddha deha.” Following this rule the sadhaka will be blessed by attaining the service he meditated upon in the lila-kingdom with his siddha-body. There are two kinds of raganuga bhajana –
‘bahya’ ‘antara’ ihara dui to sadhana; bahya – sadhaka dehe kore sravana kirtana
mane – nija siddha deha koriya bhavana; ratri dine kore vraje krishnera sevana (C.C. Madhya 22)

“There are two kinds of practice: External and internal. Externally one practises hearing and chanting within one’s physical sadhaka-body, and internally one meditates on one’s own siddha-body, in which one serves Krishna in Vraja day and night.”
Without practising limbs of bhajana such as hearing and chanting within the external sadhaka body the sadhaka can not attain perfection in either destroying maya, becoming free from vices in his own bhajana or in his allegiance to the people of Vraja. With hearing and chanting is meant following as much as possible the 64 items of bhajana, starting with taking shelter of a guru, that Srimat Rupa Gosvami has mentioned in his Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu grantha. Some people imitate the gopi deha with the sadhaka deha, dressing and ornamenting the physical body like women do, but this is not approved of by the Vaishnavacaryas like Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami. An intelligent sadhaka should use his discriminating intelligence and follow the items of bhajana properly. He should not act contrary to his own feelings, for that will cause obstructions to his attainment of prema. (11)

 

TEXT 12:

tani carcana bhaktavahangropasana mudra nyasa dvaraka-dhyana rukminyadi pujadinyagama sastra vihitanyapi naiva karyani. bhakti marge’smin kincit kincit anga vaikalye’pi doshabhava sravanat. yad uktam – yanasthaya naro rajan na pramadyeta karhicit. dhavan nimilya va netre na skhalen na pated iha. iti. na hyangopakrame dhvamso mad bhakter uddhavanv api. iti ca. angi vaikalye tv asty eva doshah. yan sravanotkirtanadin bhagavad dharmanasritya ity ukteh. sruti smriti puranadi pancaratra vidhim vina. aikantiki harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate. ityuktes ca. lobhasya pravartakatve’pi nija bhava pratikulanyuktani sarvani sastra vihitanam tyaganaucityam iti buddhya yadi karoti tada dvaraka-pure mahishi jana parijanatvam prapnoti. yad uktam – riramsam sushthu kurvan yo vidhi-margena sevate. kevalenaiva sa tada mahishitvam iyat pure. kevalenaiva kritsnenaiva na tu nija bhava pratikulan mahishi pujadin kamscit kamscid amsan parityajyetyarthah.”nirnite kevalam iti trilingatveke kritsnayoh” ity amarah. kevalena vidhi-margena pure mahishitvam misrena mathurayam iti vyakhya nopapadyate. pure yatha mahishitvam tatha mathurayam kim rupatvam. kubja parikaratvam iti cet kevala vaidhi-bhakti phalad api misra vaidhi-bhakti phalasya apakarshah khalu anyaya eva. ramaniruddha pradyumna rukminya sahito vibhuh. iti gopala tapani sruti drishtya rukmini parinayo mathurayam ity ato rukmini parikaratvam iti vyakhya tu na sarva laukiki. radha-krishnopasakah katham kubjam va rukminim va prapnoti iti dvitiyas canyayah. vastu tastu lobha pravartitam vidhi-margena sevanam eva ragamarga ucyate vidhi pravartitam vidhi-margena sevanam ca vidhi-marga iti. vidhi vinabhutam sevanam tu sruti smrityadi vakyad utpata prapakam eva.

Worshipping oneself as the Supreme Lord, using mudras (making ritualistic signs with the hands) or nyasa, meditating on Krishna’s pastimes in Dvaraka, worshipping Krishna’s Queens in Dvaraka are practices not to be done by a raganuga sadhaka, although they may be described in the Vedic scriptures. If, on the path of devotion, there is a slight deficiency on the part of the devotee, that will not be a fault; that can be seen in the scriptures. In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad Bhagavata the Nine Yogendras tell king Nimi: “O King! A person who takes shelter of the path of devotion will never be in danger. Even if he runs over this path with his eyes closed he will not trip or fall!” The Lord Himself also tells Uddhava (in Srimad Bhagavata 11.29.20): “O Uddhava! In this endeavour of devotion to Me there can not be even the slightest loss or destruction!” There is a fault in failing to practise the angis (vital items of bhajana), though. The word yan in the former verse means that one must take shelter of the angis of bhagavata dharma, like hearing and chanting. It is also said (in the Narada Pancaratra) that that exclusive devotion to Lord Hari that does not follow the rules and regulations prescribed by the srutis, smritis, Puranas, or the Narada Pancaratra, is simply causing disturbance.
If someone, overcome by spiritual greed, begins on the path of bhajana, but still feels that it is not proper to give up all rules prescribed by the revealed scriptures, even if they are unfavorable to his own (sweet, spontaneous) ecstasy, and meditates on Dvaraka-lila etc., then he will attain the transcendental position of an associate of Lord Krishna’s Queens in Dvaraka. This is confirmed in the scriptures (Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu 1.2.303): “One who has the great desire to make love with the Lord, but who worships Him solely with vidhi bhakti, will become a Queen in Dvaraka.” The word kevala in this verse means kritsnenaiva, or not giving up any unfavorable item of his practice, such as worshipping the Queens in Dvaraka and being exclusively dedicated to the path of vidhi bhakti. The Amara Kosha-dictionary confirms that the word kevala can mean kritsna: nirnite kevalam iti trilingam tv eka kritsnayoh. Still, we can not suggest that, just as if one worships exclusively in vidhi marga one will become Lord Krishna’s Queen in Dvaraka, so one will attain Krishna in the abode of Mathura by practising a mixture of vidhi bhakti and raganuga bhakti. How can one, after all, become a Queen in Mathura like in Dvaraka? If you answer: You will become an associate of Kubja in Mathura, then I will say that this is unfair. (After all, the rasa of Kubja with Krishna is inferior to the rasa of the Queens of Dvaraka. This is explained in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Ujjvala Nilamani). How then can one get something inferior through the practice of mixed vidhi-raga bhakti, which is superior to plain vidhi bhakti? The Gopala Tapani Upanishad proves that Rukmini was married in Mathura. One verse of the Gopala Tapani Sruti states: “Vibhu Sri Krishna, Balarama, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Rukmini eternally dwell in Mathura”. Therefore the explanation that one will become an associate of Rukmini in Mathura as a result of mixing vidhi bhakti with raga bhakti is also not reasonable, because not everyone confirms that Rukmini is married in Mathura. How can one become an associate of Kubja or Rukmini after worshipping Sri Radha-Krishna? That is a second injustice. Actually, when one follows vidhi marga prompted by sacred greed, that is called raganuga bhakti, and when one follows vidhi marga and is prompted by scriptural injunctions, that is called vidhi bhakti. When one worships Krishna without following the rules set out by the srutis, smritis and Puranas, (as the aforementioned verse from the Narada Pancaratra proves) then that is considered a social disturbance.

 
Kripa-kanika Vyakhya:

Here the blessed author mentions the kind of conduct that works against the feelings desired by the raganugiya sadhakas. ahamgropasana. That is, while engaged in formal worship, worshipping the Lord with a sense of nondifference: “I am Sri Krishna!”. mudra. To show signs to the demigods with both hands during formal worship. avahani, sthapani, sannidhapani, sannirodhani, sakalikarana, avagunthani, amritikarani and paramikarani – these eight mudras are being used. After that sankha, cakra, gada, padma, mushala, sarnga, khadga, pasa, ankusa, garuda, srivatsa, kaustubha, venu, abhaya, vara and vanamala are shown. At the time of offering asana also special mudras are shown – padma, svasti, artha, padya, acama and others, totalling sixteen. nyasa – There are many, like matrika-nyasa (shad-anga nyasa), anta matrika nyasa, bahya matrika nyasa, samhara matrika nyasa, pitha-nyasa, rishyadi nyasa, anga nyasa, kara nyasa, vyapaka nyasa and so on. Although meditation on Dvaraka, worship of Rukmini and other Queens and other practices have been mentioned by the Vedic scriptures these items of worship should not be practised by a raganugiya sadhaka during their formal worship, since they oppose the feelings of the raganugiya sadhakas.
One may ask here: “Will there not be a fault by thus not following the Vedic injunctions?” To this the author answers: “Even though there may be some discrepancies or loss in the different items of bhakti sadhana, there will be no fault in that!” To prove this the blessed author quotes a verse from Srimad Bhagavata:

yanasthaya naro rajan na pramadyeta karhicit
dhavan nimilya va netre na skhalen na pated iha (11.2.35)

Sripada Kavi Yogindra told Maharaja Nimi: “O King! A person who takes shelter of this theistic path (bhagavata dharma) will never be bewildered. Even if he transgresses the scriptural injunctions while treading this bhakti path, he will not stumble or fall.” The blessed author writes in his Sarartha Darsini Tika to this verse: yatha padanyasa sthanam atikramya paratah pada nyasena gatir dhavanam tasyalpatve skhalanam bahutaratve patanam api sambhavet atra tu bhakti marge bhajana dharmasyangino vihitanganam alpataratikrame bahutaratikrame va karma marga iva na pratyavayi bhavet. atah phalan na bhrasyet, tatrapi netre nimilyeti vartamane api netre mudrayitvetyanena jnatvapyatikrame na doshah kim utajnatveti jnapitama “Overrunning the place of one step to proceed to the next place is called dhavana (running), and it is possible to fall after tripping even a little. If a person makes a few small mistakes or many mistakes on the path of devotion, which consists of items like hearing and chanting, he will not fail or be hampered like on the path of karma, and he will also not be deprived of the result. It is described that even though one may have eyes one may run with eyes closed. If a sadhaka knowingly overlooks or ignores one particular item of devotion, he will still not be at fault. Then it is needless to say that he does not commit a fault when he acts out of ignorance.
The Lord told His dear devotee Sri Uddhava with His own lotusmouth: nahyangopakrame dhvamso mad bhakter uddhavanvapi (Bhag. 11.29.20) “O Uddhava! From the very outstart this religion of devotion to Me cannot bring even the slightest ruination due to faults committed by the practitioner!” Although there is no fault on the path of devotion due to a lapse or a failure in one of its limbs, still there will be a fault if one makes a failure in the angis (main limbs of devotion) such as arcana (formal worship), or if one acts in a contrary way. It is said before; yanasthaya. The word yan in this verse means that if there is a failure in the proper execution of the angis hearing and chanting of bhagavata dharma, while one attempts to follow them correctly, there is no fault, but if one fails to execute the angis like hearing and chanting altogether one will certainly be at fault. In the Brahma Yamala it is said:
sruti smriti puranadi pancaratra vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate

“If one violates the devotional principles that have been defined by the Srutis, Smritis, Puranas and Pashcaratra, and concocts some new path of unalloyed devotion, he will simply cause social disturbance.” The purport of this is that devotional practices that do not correspond with the definitions and divisions given in the aforementioned scriptures, that have been narrated by realized sages with flawless visions, are not accepted as bonafide devotional practices. This is because all the transcendental truths are revealed to the sages, who are endowed with superior vision. Therefore when some new kind of devotion is revealed that is not mentioned by them, then this is considered a social disturbance, since it certainly violates the basic principles of devotion (mula angis). Thus the verse from the Yamala defines that there is a fault in improper execution of devotion.
It has been described that scriptural injunctions prompt vidhi bhakti and sacred greed prompts raganuga bhakti, and that the raganugiya sadhakas that have become greedy after the love of Vraja also do bhajana according to the scriptural injunctions. When one begins bhajana, being overwhelmed by sacred greed, but still practises items that have been mentioned as unfavorable to one’s own feelings in raga marga, such as meditating on Dvaraka, thinking: “It is not proper to give up all activities enjoined by the scriptures”, then one will attain the position of an assistant of the Queens of Dvaraka pura. To prove this, the blessed author quotes a verse from Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu:

riramsam sushthu kurvan yo vidhi margena sevate
kevalenaiva sa tada mahishitvam iyat pure (B.R.S. 1.2.303)

“A person who desires to make love with Sri Krishna, but serves only through the vidhi marga, will attain the position of a Queen of Dvaraka.” The blessed author has personally commented upon this verse. Here the word kevala means kritsnenaiva, or to the full extent. This means that one does not give up even one item of pure vidhi marga sadhana that may be unfavorable to one’s own desired mood, like worshipping the Queens that are situated in Dvaraka-dhama. The word kevala means kritsna. This is described with the words trilinganteka kritsnayoh in the Amara Kosha, from the verse nirnite kevalam iti.
If someone wants to give the following explanation that: “Simply by sticking to vidhi marga sadhana one will become a maidservant of the Queens of Dvaraka, and when one mixes raga marga sadhana with vidhi marga bhajana one becomes an associate of the Queens of Mathura, then this is completely illogical and incompatible, for this kind of explanation would arouse all kinds of questions. The first question is: Just as it is understood that becoming an associate of the Queens of Dvaraka means becoming an associate of Queens like Rukmini, which queen’s servants are we supposed to become in Mathura? If the answer to this is that you are understood to become an associate of Kubja-devi, then that is completely unjust, because the rasa-sastras proclaim that the rasa of Kubja-devi is inferior to that of the Queens like Sri Rukmini. Dvaraka’s Queens have ‘samanjasa rati’ and Kubja has ‘sadharani rati’. Sadharani rati is the abode of sambhogeccha (desires for personal sexual satisfaction), while samanjasa rati may occasionally be interrupted by sambhogeccha; from this we can understand that samashjasa rati is to be considered better than sadharani rati. Then again, if one attains the status of associate of Rukmini in Dvaraka by following only vaidhi bhakti, and one attains the status of associate of Kubja in Mathura by following a mixture of raga bhakti and vidhi bhakti, then the following of only vaidhi bhakti would bring forth a greater result than following a mixture of raga bhakti and vaidhi bhakti, and that would be very unfair – of this there is no doubt.
ramaniruddha pradyumna rukminya sahito vibhuh: “The omnipresent Sri Krishna eternally dwells in Mathura-dhama with Sri Baladevacandra, Sri Aniruddha, Sri Pradyumna and Sri Rukminidevi. If, in accordance with this sentence from the Sri Gopala Tapani Sruti, one says: “Sri Rukmini-devi was married in Mathura, therefore as a result of mixing raga bhakti with vidhi bhakti one can become an associate of the Queen known as Sri Rukmini”, then this is also not correct, for not everyone agrees that Rukmini was married in Mathura. If this was to be accepted another great incongruity would arise, for if a worshipper of Sri Radha-Krishna would attain Kubja-rani or the status of an associate of Rukmini-devi, that would be another kind of injustice. In his commentary on the verse of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu here under discussion, the blessed author has written: yesham tu vrindavane radha-krishnayor madhuryasvadane’bhilashah athaca nyasa mudradi vaidhi marganusarena bhajanam tesham dvarakayam na rukmini-kantasya praptis tatrabhilashabhavat. na va vrindavane sri radha-krishnayoh praptih raga margena bhajanabhavat. tasmat tesham vidhi margena bhajana karyasya aisvarya jnanasya pradhanyam yatra yathabhutasya sri vrindavanasyamse goloke sri radha-krishnayoh praptih na tu suddha madhuryamaye vrindavane iti jneyam “If someone desires to make love with Sri Krishna without eagerly longing for things related to that, such as Vraja, and does not give up items of worship such as worshipping the Queens or meditating on Dvaraka, however unfavorable they may be, and thus serves in the vidhi marga (through meditation and practice of the mantra of gopikanta), he will become an associate of the Queens of Dvaraka. Those who desire to relish the sweetness of Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna in Sri Vrindavana but still practise vidhi marga bhajana with items such as nyasa and mudra, will not attain Dvaraka, because they do not desire Rukmini-kanta. On the other hand, because they do not practise the pure raga marga bhajana they also do not attain Sri Radha-Krishna in Vrindavana. Therefore such a practitioner of vidhi marga bhajana will attain Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna in Sri Goloka, in the sector of Sri Vrindavana where the majesty of Krishna prevails – not the purely sweet Vrindavana. Srimat Rupa Gosvami has described Goloka as a vaibhava (majestic manifestation) of Gokula.
Actually when one follows vidhi marga, but is prompted by sacred greed, this bhajana is called raga marga, and when one practises vidhi marga bhajana prompted by scriptural injunctions then this is called vidhi marga. In Sri Narada Pancaratra worship of Sri Krishna that is not based on the regulative principles is described as a social disturbance. Especially as long as genuine taste for the expert passionate love of the eternal Vrajavasi-associates has not arisen, the raganuga-path mixed with vidhi must be followed. Ruci or lobha means that having no taste for anything else but the worship of Krishna, purely for His pleasure. The constitutional characteristic of this is hearing from the scriptures what it is that Sri Krishna likes, and worshipping accordingly with great eagerness and thirst or sacred greed, and the marginal characteristic is losing taste for everything else but that. (12)