Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī opens his Abhīṣṭa Sūcana Stava by writing:

“The desire to serve the lover of the son of the king of the cowherd-village is like a strong rider. May he mount the spotless horse of remembrance of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. This should be the desire of the wild horse of my heart.”

In other words: It is not good to have my own thoughts about how to attain Śrī Rādhā’s service. Those who are like bumblebees, intoxicated by drinking the honey that oozes from Śrī Caitanya’s lotus feet, are always eager to attain the intimate service of Śrī Rādhā, and they cannot attain it and experience it without following in the footsteps of the teachers of Vraja-rasa, Śrī Rūpa and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. 

rūpa raghunātha pada hobe ākuti; kobe hām bujhabo sei yugala prīti (Narottama Dāsa): “When I become eager for Rūpa and Raghunātha Dāsa’s grace I will understand the love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.”

Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, in his spiritual absorption as Tulasi Mañjarī, is decorating Svāminī’s beautiful body. What a great thing this is in the life of sādhana! By the grace of Rūpa and Raghunātha the sādhaka’s mind becomes qualified to relish these flavours and to think of Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Without great eagerness this sweetness cannot be known. How great is the eagerness of Rūpa and Raghunātha!

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s ‘Utkalikā Vallari’ and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s ‘Vilāpa Kusumāñjali’ are proof of that. They are lamenting over Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and if the neophyte devotees can also lament like that over them (the Gosvāmīs) their ecstatic mood can be infused in them.

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura lamented: kāhā mora svarūpa rūpa kāhā sanātana; kāhā dāsa raghunātha patita pāvana kāhā mora bhaṭṭa yuga kāhā kavirāja; eka kāle kothā gelā gorā naṭarāja pāṣāṇe kuṭibo māthā anale paśibo; gaurāṅga guṇera nidhi kothā gele pā’bo se saba saṅgīra saṅge ye koilo vilāsa; se saṅga nā pāiyā kāṅde narottama dāsa  – “Where is my Svarūpa Dāmodara and where is my Sanātana Gosvāmī? Where is Raghunātha dāsa, the saviour of the fallen? Where are My Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, and where is Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja? Where has Lord Gaura, the king of dancers, gone this time? I will smash my head against the wall and enter into the fire. Where shall I go to find the ocean of qualities, Śrī Gaurāṅga? Narottama dāsa weeps when he cannot get their association, and the association of all those who sported with them.”

The fire of this love-in-separation is like the reviving nectar churned from the transcendental ocean of joy, sorrow, happiness and distress. The remembrance of this great love-in-separation tastes like nectar and keeps the rasika devotees alive. The rāga sādhakas should always pray: “Hā Svāmini! In exchange for my life I just want to understand that You are everything to me! Although I am unqualified to attain Your lotus feet please make it clear to me at least that I have no one but You in this world!”

Śrī Raghunātha dāsa is weeping, feeling great heartache. His loyalty is immeasurable. He wants to see Śrīmatī Kuṇḍeśvarī directly, so he falls on the bank of Śrī Rādhakuṇḍa with an unshakable vow: “I will not go anywhere outside of Rādhākuṇḍa without having seen my Kuṇḍeśvarī!”

This enthusiasm will also awaken in the hearts of any fortunate sādhaka who serves the mahā-vāṇī (great words) of the Gosvāmīs. mahā śakti-śālī vāṇī – these words are very powerful, and they will take the rāga sādhaka by the hand and bring him to the lotus feet of the beloved deity. This vāṇī will awaken a deep awareness of one’s spiritual identity within the heart.

“Unfortunately I have no self-identification as Rādhā’s kiṅkarī; I’m always intoxicated by bodily consciousness. I am boasting about my learning and knowledge, but I have never recognised my true self. How tender is the thought: “I am Rādhā’s maidservant!”, and how much flavour awakens within the heart then! Please awaken my svarūpa, O Svāmini! I don’t want anything else!”

Srila Ananta das Babaji (commentary to Sri Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali)