The desire to serve in one’s siddha deha in the wake of the gopīs’ feelings will remove the hardness from the heart and cause it to melt. Just as hunger helps one enjoying one’s dishes, similarly the desire to serve in the wake of the feelings of the kiṅkarīs helps one to relish the sweetness of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s pastimes. Those who desire to serve in the wake of a particular feeling can relish the sweetness of transcendental pastimes. Those who do not see to that and just perform smaraṇa according to the prescribed rules can not relish the sweetness of these transcendental pastimes in this way. The aspirant should therefore, in his mentally conceived siddha deha, follow in the footsteps of a particular gopī who is eternally engaged in the loving service of the Yugala Kiśora. If there is any trouble for a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava in following in the wake of the feelings of the eternal rādhā-snehādhikā-maidservants like Śrīmatī Rūpa or Rati Mañjarī, and one is unable to clearly perceive one’s siddha seha, or to vividly remember the līlās, it is better not to over-endeavour in līlā-smaraṇa. Instead one may find great help in hearing about these pastimes from the mouths of the mahā bhāgava¬tas (great devotees), following in the footsteps of the gopīs in one’s meditations, reading books that describe and glorify the love of the gopīs and ardently praying for the attainment of gopī bhāva. Especially ardent prayer is very helpful for entering into līlā smaraṇa.

The bhajana of a sādhaka should be that natural. At first the sādhaka should endeavour to perform sāsaṅga bhajana (worship with attachment to the Lord), depending on the eternality of bhajana, but later their bhajana will become natural. Bhagavad-bhajana is not an activity of the material body’s senses and mind. By the grace of Śrī Guru, Vaiṣṇava and Śrī Bhagavān the conditioned soul becomes favorable to bhagavad-bhajana, and he becomes able to do so when, by the will of the Lord, his mundane mind, body and senses become identical with the Lord’s innate energy (svarūpa śakti). The name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord can not be heard, glorified or remembered by material senses of a human being. When the senses of the conditioned soul become favorable to bhagavad bhajana they become identical with the Lord’s innate energy and thus become able to perform bhajana in the form of hearing, chanting and remembering. As a result of constantly performing sādhana bhajana the mind and senses of the sādhaka become purified and their natural attachment to sense objects disappear. When attachment to the Lord thus awakens bhajana becomes natural. Gradually rati appears in the heart of the sādhaka and takes him along into the kingdom of transcendental visions. When prema appears even this preceding bliss (of the stage of rati) cannot be attained anymore in visions. Then the senses of the sādhaka become extremely eager to have the direct vision of the Lord and to render direct service to Him for His pleasure.

Srila Ananta das Babaji