Recently I meditated a lot about these two very wonderful verses:

Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu
|| 1.2.294 || 

kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam |
tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā ||294||

Remembering the Vṛndāvana form of Kṛṣṇa and His dear associates who have inclinations for service similar to one’s own, absorbing oneself in hearing topics related to them, one should always live in Vraja.

Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu
|| 1.2.295 ||

sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi |
tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ ||295||

Following after the inhabitants of Vraja, one should perform service in one’s physical body and in one’s siddha body, with a desire for a particular bhāva.

The first verse advices us to always remember Krishna and His dear ones in Vrindavana.

Srila Rupa Goswami states that we should at one point in our sadhaka life develop a desire in our hearts to follow a specific mood of love in which we want to serve Krishna. He says that we should hear about Krishna and the inhabitants of Vraja and by this process of hearing, we will soon develop a desire to accept a specific “role-model” whom we want to follow.

More and more it will become clear in our heart which mood, which spiritual emotion, we want to embrace with our heart.

This will all happen by the mercy of Sri Krishna and especially by the mercy of the Vaishnavas.

In the beginning, it will not be easy to imagine who we would like to be or which “vessel of bhava” (siddha deha) we would like to attain to serve the Divine Couple. But by practicing sadhana-bhakti in sadhu-sanga it will soon become more easy.

Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu
|| 1.2.2 ||

tatra sādhana-bhaktiḥ—
kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya-bhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā |
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā ||

“Action of the senses, which produces the stage of bhava, is called sadhana-bhakti.
This attained state of bhava-bhakti (sadhyata) is an eternal sthayi-bhava which is not created, but simply manifests within the soul by the spiritual energy of the Lord.”

When we have decided in our heart which bhava we would love to attain, Krishna will send us a true Gurudeva who will guide us on our journey to attain the desired bhava and finally, the “body” made of bhava, the siddha deha.

In the second verse, Srila Rupa Goswami writes “Following after the inhabitants of Vraja, one should perform service in one’s physical body“.

We should pledge allegiance to the acaryas who showed us the way how to perform service in one´s physical body. The main activities are hearing and chanting because it is ESSENTIAL to purify our heart, so that the desired bhava may enter there.

Srila Ananta das Babaji writes in his commentary to Raga Vartma Chandrika:

The sādhaka should serve in two ways, in allegiance to the people of Vraja. As far as he is able to, the sādhaka should render service or do bhajana like Śrī-Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana by living in Vraja, keeping their example of renunciation, dispassion and loyalty before him, and in his siddha rūpa he should mentally render service in allegiance to Vraja-people like Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. Or he will attain devotional service in the form of a gopī in Vraja by doing bhajana in allegiance to nitya siddhā-gopīs, sakhīs like Candrakānti , the munis who lived in the Daṇḍaka-forest or the goddesses who preside over the śrutis and that were described in the Bṛhad Vāmana Purāṇa.

The sādhaka should mentally render service while following in their footsteps, in allegiance to their activities.
sādhane bhāvibo yāhā, siddha dehe pābo tāhā (Prema Bhakti Candrikā) “According to what I have thought of during my sādhana I will get a siddha deha.”

Following this rule the sādhaka will be blessed by attaining the service he meditated upon in the līlā-kingdom with his siddha-body. There are two kinds of rāgānugā bhajana –
‘bāhya’ ‘antara’ ihāra dui to sādhana; bāhya – sādhaka dehe kore śravaṇa kīrtana
mane – nija siddha deha koriyā bhāvana; rātri dine kore vraje kṛṣṇera sevana
(C.C. Madhya 22)

“There are two kinds of practice: External and internal. Externally one practises hearing and chanting within one’s physical sādhaka-body, and internally one meditates on one’s own siddha-body, in which one serves Kṛṣṇa in Vraja day and night.”

Without practising limbs of bhajana such as hearing and chanting within the external sādhaka body the sādhaka can not attain perfection in either destroying māyā, 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 Śrīmat Rūpa Gosvāmī has mentioned in his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu grantha. Some people imitate the gopī deha with the sādhaka deha, dressing and ornamenting the physical body like women do, but this is not approved of by the Vaiṣṇavācāryas like Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī. An intelligent sādhaka 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.

The verse from the Caitanya Caritamrita is actually the basis for the famous verse of Srila Rupa Goswami.

So we see that externally we should follow as much of the 64 angas of bhakti as possible and which are favorable for the raganuga sadhaka.

Now clearly we can see in BOTH VERSES that the activities of the external body AND the activities of the internal body run parallel…at least from the point where we decide which inhabitant of Vraja we want to follow.

Of course, according to our individual advancement, we can practice as much as possible in both ways…maybe 90% external and 10% internal and then gradually increasing the internal. But the main thing is that BOTH ways should be practiced.

In the beginning, we may meditate on our own by imagining who we could be in the pastimes of the Divine Couple. When we read the pastimes, best case scenario would be explained and narrated by Sri Gurudeva or an advanced rasik-Vaishnava, we should think that we are “there” too…witnessing the pastimes…in our desired form.

sadā-śiva uvāca parakīyābhimāninyas / tathāsya ca priyāḥ janāḥ pracureṇaiva bhāvena / ramayanti nija-priyam

Sadāśīva said, “Śrī Hari’s beloved damsels in Vraja, who have the sentiments of parakīya-bhāva towards Him, please the darling of their hearts with profuse moods of divya-prema.

ātmānaṁ cintayet tatra / tāsāṁ madhye manoramām rūpa-yauvana-sampannāṁ / kiśorīṁ pramadākṛtim

He Nārada! You should contemplate your ātma-svarūpa in the following manner. You are a kiśorī (pre-adolescent) gopī and you reside in the very heart of transcendental Vṛndāvana, amidst the beloved damsels of Kṛṣṇa, who are endowed with paramour sentiment for Him. You have a charming youthful form, and enchanting, intoxicating beauty.

nānā-śilpa-kalābhijñāṁ / kṛṣṇa-bhogānurūpiṇīm prārthitām api kṛṣṇena / tato bhoga-parāń-mukhīm

You are accomplished in many fine arts for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure. Yet even if Kṛṣṇa earnestly requests to meet with you, you are ever averse to pleasure unrelated to the pleasure of your Svāminī.

rādhikānucarīṁ nityam / tat-sevana-parāyaṇām kṛṣṇād ’apy adhikaṁ prema / rādhikāyāṁ prakūrvatiṁ

You are the maids ervant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s most beloved consort Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and are wholly and exclusively dedicated to Her sevā. You always have more prema for Śrī Rādhikā than for Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

prītyānudivasaṁ yatnāt / tayoh sańgama-kāriṇīm tat-sevana-sukhāhlāda-bhāvenātisunirvṛtām

Everyday with much endeavor you arrange for the youthful couple’s meeting, and remain forever content with the ecstatic bliss of Their service.

ity ātmānaṁ vicintyaiva / tatra sevāṁ samācaret brāhma-mūhūrttaṁ ārabhya / yāvat tu ṣyān mahāniśi

Thus, while conceiving of your ātma-svarūpa in this particular way, you should painstakingly render mānasi sevā in transcendental Vṛndāvana from brāhma-muhūrta to the end of niśānta-līlā (pastimes at night’s end).”

 

Srila Thakura Mahasaya writes in his Prema-bhakti-candrika:

sakhinam sangini-rupam atmanam vasanamayim |
ajna-seva-param tat-tad-rupalankara-bhushitam || PBC 58

“One should meditate on oneself in a form that is a female associate of the sakhis, engaged in services on their command, decorated by Her ornaments.”

Sri Visvanatha Cakravartipada comments in his tika as follows:

sakhinam sri-lalita-sri-rupa-manjary-adinam sangini-rupam atmanam dhyayed iti seshah |
kimbhutam? ajna-seva-param ajnaya tasam anumatya seva-param sri-riadha-madhavayor  iti seshah |
punah kimbhutam? tat-tad-rupalankara- bhushitam suprasiddha-sri-krishna-manohara-rupena sri-radhika- nirmalyalankarena bhushitam nirmalya-malya-vasana-bharanas tu dasya ity ukteh |
punah kimbhutam? vasanamayim cintamayim ikshate cintamayam etam isvaram ity adivat || 58

Sakhinam – One should think of himself as a female associate of sakhis such as Sri Lalita, Sri Rupa Manjari and others. In which way? Ajna-sevaparam – Serving Sri Radha-Madhava with their consent and according to their orders. And again, in which way? Tat-tad rupalankara bhushitam – Decorated with an exquisite form captivating the mind of Sri Krishna and the left-over ornaments of Sri Radhika; in service, ornamented with the left-over flower garlands. Thus it is said. And again, in which way? Vasanamayim – Seeing oneself in contemplation in this capacity; and so forth.

It is evident that although the associates of Sri Radha-Madhava certainly are the greatest inspiration for our desired service, we are not to contemplate on ourselves as being nondifferent from them. Rather, we are to envision ourselves as one among them, serving in their footsteps and under their command and anugatya.

In our tradition, the sadhaka who already feels the greed to develop a specific bhava (in our lineage “manjari-bhava”) then approaches Sri Gurudeva for further instructions and finally for revealing our true spiritual form according to our innermost desire.

Sri Gurudeva acts as a transparent medium and receives the information from Sri Krishna. He then reveals the information about the siddha deha to the worthy sadhaka.

The siddha deha can be revealed in many ways, but ultimately, Sri Krishna decides which siddha deha is most suitable for the desired bhava of the sadhaka.

Then the sadhaka needs to realize this true form by inner contemplation, journeying through the stages within bhakti, from the unripe stage to the mature stage, where the internal service in the siddha deha becomes more and more real, the purer the heart gets.

At the stage of asakti, we can start “living” constantly in the siddha deha and in the stage of bhava, we live there completely.

Sripad Dhyanacandra offers an alternative reading of this previously mentioned verse in his Paddhati:

sakhinam sangini-rupam atmanam bhavana-mayim |
ajna-seva-parakashtha-kripalankara-bhushitam |
tatas ca manjari-rupan gurvadin api samsmaret ||
DhPad 110

“One should meditate on oneself in a form that is a female associate of the sakhis, decorated with the ornaments of orders, aspiration for service and mercy. Thereafter, one should meditate on the manjari-forms beginning with the guru.”

The verse is cited as the last one in a series of verses elaborating on the specific ways in which one should meditate upon one’s identity, preceding a description of ashtakaliya-seva (eight-fold daily services) in the lila-rajya (kingdom of pastimes).

Such meditation is also known as bhuta-suddhi, or the purification of one’s being, engaged in prior to worship. There are varieties of bhuta-suddhi described for different methods of upasana; in siddha-rupa-seva, the concept of bhuta-suddhi consists of identification with a parshada-deha.

As explained by Sripad Jiva Gosvami:

tatra bhuta-suddhir nijabhilashita-bhagavat-sevopayika-tat-parshada-deha- bhavana-paryantaiva  tat-sevaika-purusharthibhih karya nijanukulyat |
evam yatra yatratmano nijabhishta-devata-rupatvena cintanam vidhiyate tatra tatraiva parshadatve grahanam bhavyam ||
Bhakti-sandarbha 286

“Thereupon one purifies his existence by contemplating on his own desired bhagavat-seva (service to the Lord) and a parshada-deha (associate-form) suitable for such service; thus one engages in the desired service for his own auspiciousness. Thus, wherever one is, he should engage in meditating on the form of his own desired devata and in the future attain the status of an associate of his.”

The “purification of one´s existence” is essential to be able to practice the internal seva. But Srila Jiva Goswami here writes that besides practicing the external seva, the internal seva purifies our existence too. Both go hand in hand, nourishing each other.

As mentioned by Sripad Dhyanacandra, in our lineage, this contemplation also involves meditation on one’s siddha-pranali, or the chain of one’s gurus in their siddha-forms. One may not directly jump into the presence of Yugala-kisora; it is imperative to approach them through one’s revered gurus, both in this world and in the siddha-realm.

tatradau manjari-rupan gurvadin tu sviyan sviyan pranaly-anusarena samsmaret sri-guru-parama-guru-krameneti tatah sri-radhikam dhyayet |
tatah sri-nandanandanam  ||
DhPad 344

“In this meditation, before anything else, the practitioner should meditate on the manjari-forms of his guru-pranali, beginning with his guru, then parama-guru, etc. Then he shall meditate on Sri Radhika, and after that Sri Nandanandana (Krishna).”

In our lineage, the descriptions of oneself, one’s gurus and the other manjaris are all learned from the guru. Whenever in doubt, the sadhaka ought not to venture into the realm of creative imagination, but rather consult a person acquainted with the realm of the lila.

manjaryo bahusah rupa-guna-sila-vayo  ‘nvitah ||
nama-rupadi tat sarvam guru-dattam ca bhavayet |
tatra tatra sthita nityam bhajet sri-radhika-hari ||
bhavayan sadhako nityam sthitva krishna-priya-grihe |
tad ajna-palako bhutva kaleshv ashtasu sevate ||
DhPad 107-109

“One should meditate on the various forms, qualities, natures, blooming youth and so forth of the manjaris, as described by the guru. One should always stay with them, worshiping Sri Radhika and Hari. The practitioner shall stay in the home of Sri Radha, the beloved of Krishna, following their orders and rendering service throughout the eight phases of the day.”

In other lineages, the way may be different, but essentially the goal is the same:

Full absorption in and identification with the desired siddha deha according to the bhava longed for by the sadhaka.

Today we can find a true dilemma:

Many claim that the verse “Following after the inhabitants of Vraja, one should perform service in one’s physical body and in one’s siddha body, with a desire for a particular bhāva” means that we FIRST have to become PERFECT with our external body and THEN we can serve in the internal body.
But actually,  verse 295 is not composed in a “sequential” order.

The word “catra” is a compound of “ca” (and) and “atra” (here). So “catra” means “AND HERE”. Not first this, THEN that.

sādhana ekhāne, siddhi-o ekhāne,
bhāvera gocara se, ekhāne tā yadi,
dekhite nā pāo, marile dekhibe ke

The sadhaka has to do BOTH practices…of course not simultaneously but for example during the day some time is used for “external” and some time is used for “internal”.

So we find two extreme adaptions of this wonderful verse:

– Focusing ONLY on the external, neglecting the internal

– Focusing ONLY on the internal, neglecting the external

Both ways are utterly wrong.

Those who only practice with the external body and neglect the internal body, claiming that the internal body will appear on it´s own by our external endeavour.

Those who only practice with the internal body and neglect the external body, claiming that there is no need for external service, “rememberance is everything”.

First of all, both ways are not in harmony with Srila Rupa Goswami´s verse. And secondly, we have to be realistic and honest with ourselves.

Both ways nourish each other and by performing both services under the guidance of Sri Gurudeva, taste will increase in the life of the sadhaka.

“The perfection of allegiance to the Vraja-people cannot be achieved by giving up external practices like hearing and chanting. As much as the external practices like hearing and chanting nourish the internal practice of smaraṇa, that much the internal practice also awakens taste for external practices. Since they nourish each other equally, efforts to fix one’s mind on līlā smaraṇa without taking shelter of external practices will not become fruitful. And again, efforts to perform only external practices without practising līlā smaraṇa cannot be called rāgānugā mārga’s bhajana. Hence both are required.”
(Srila Ananta das Babaji)

We need to have a balance between external service AND internal service, according to our advancement or let us say, according to where we are at.

“Without practising limbs of bhajana such as hearing and chanting within the external sādhaka body, the sādhaka can not attain perfection in either destroying māyā, 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 Śrīmat Rūpa Gosvāmī has mentioned in his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu grantha.”

To perform lila-smaranam in it´s true form, the sadhaka needs to be on a high level of bhakti. But  nevertheless, a starting point is required, even with a conditioned mind.
Therefore Srila Rupa Goswami mentions “HEARING about the lilas first” which leads to purification of the heart. Then the sadhaka can start to try remember them.

“On the path of raganuga-bhakti, meditating on the divine pastimes is the main sadhana, however in the primary stage we are not qualified for lila-smaran (meditation on the pastimes). Therefore we should concentrate more on hearing, chanting and following the other rules of bhakti. Then as our consciuosness gets more and more purified, we are drawn towards lila-smaran. Slowly our smaran becomes more intense. Ultimately when we reach the zenith of bhajan, lila-smaran naturally becomes the major part of bhajan.”
(Srila Ananta das Babaji)

Clearly, both aspects of this wonderful verse must be followed and one without the other cannot nourish the sadhaka in his taste for practicing spiritual life.

We may begin with 90% external, but we should try to do 10% of the internal. It is possible.

krsna-tad-bhakta-karunya-matra-labhaika-hetuka
pusti-margataya kaiscid iyam raganugocyate
|| BRS 1.2.309 ||

“The mercy of Krsna and His devotees is the only cause of attaining
raganuga-bhakti . Some call this type of devotion pusti-marga.”

The path of rāga mārga 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.
(Srila Ananta das Babaji, tika to RVC)