Question (via e-mail):

“Dear Tarunji, it seems that one of your most advanced godbrothers and leading disciples of Radhakunda Mahanta, Sri Srimat Ananta das Babaji, seems to agree with Sri Prem Prayojan´s crusade against the PRO-KANISTHA-SIDDHA-PRANALI-CAMPAIGN. I saved the following statement:

What is your comment on this?”

Answer:

“Radhe Radhe. The most important word in this statement is “PROBABLY”.

I don´t want to comment on this subject matter anymore.

I will post two videos which speak for themselves.
PLEASE WATCH and LISTEN carefully and you will see and hear what Srila Vaishnavapada das Babaji ACTUALLY says.

By the way, these videos are fantastically inspiring for any Gaudiya Vaishnava.

Everyone can judge for him/herself.

Relevant verses to the conversations:

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.”

tat tad bhavadi madhurye srute dhir yad apekshate |
natra sastram na yuktim ca tal lobhotpatti lakshanam ||
(BRS. 1.2.292)

“When one hears about the sweetness of their feelings and so forth, and a desire for attaining the same awakens in the consciousness without dependence on scripture and logic, this is a symptom of the awakening of greed (lobha).

rāgamayī bhaktira hoy rāgātmikā nāma;
tāhā śuni lubdha hoy kon bhagyavan
lobhe vrajavāsi-bhāve kore anugati;
śāstra-yukti nāhi māne – rāgānugāra prakṛti
(C.C.)

“Devotion full of sacred passion is called rāgātmikā. If a fortunate soul becomes greedy for that devotion after hearing about it he will eagerly follow the feelings of the people of Vraja without bothering about scriptural injunctions and logical arguments. Such is the nature of rāgānugā bhakti.”

The sadhaka in whom the greed for raganuga-bhakti has awakened, purifies his heart so that this sacred greed gets thicker, before turning into deep taste (RUCI). Only then can the moonlight of the raga of the eternal associates shine into the heart of the sadhaka.

Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself describes (in Śrīmad Bhāgavata 11.14.26) how the devotee on the path of sacred passion advances and becomes more purified and more obsessed with sacred greed by the day, from the initial stage of surrender to the feet of a guru up to the point in which he directly attains the Lord:

‘The more one’s mind gets purified by hearing and chanting of My beautiful pastimes, the better one is able to discern the subtle reality (of the Self), just as the eye is better able to perceive more and more subtle things when it is treated with medicinal ointment’.
(Srila Vishvanatha Cakravartipada, RVC)

After the rāgānugīya practitioner has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Guru the stream of his bhajana starts flowing as he engages in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord in the company of the devotees. Thus his heart is gradually cleansed from vices like lust and becomes completely immaculate. The purer his heart gets through this cleansing-process, the stronger the sacred greed will get in his heart.
(Srila Ananta das Babaji, tika to RVC)

Now it will be described how the rāgānugīya bhakta gradually advances through the stages of anartha nivṛtti (cessation of bad habits), niṣṭhā (fixation), ruci (taste), and āsakti (attachment to the beloved deity) up to the stage of prema (love of God) and the direct attainment of his beloved deity.
(Srila Vishvanatha Cakravartipada, RVC)

ajata-tadrisa-rucina tu sad-viseshadara-matradrita raganugapi vaidhi-samvalitaivanushtheya |
tatha loka-samgrahartham pratishthitena jata-tadrisa-rucina ca |
atra misratve ca yatha-yogyam raganugayaiki krityaiva vaidhi kartavya ||
(Bhakti-sandarbha 312)

“Those in whom such taste (ruci) has not awakened, but who have a special interest for it, should engage in a mixture of raganuga and vaidhi. For the sake of establishing an example for the people of the world, the one in whom such ruci has awakened will do the same. Therefore, as appropriate, raganuga should be performed together with vaidhi.”