During a transcendental vision Śrī Raghunātha, in svarūpāveśa, hangs disc-shaped hairpins above Śrīmatī’s ears, and now he proceeds by placing a musk-drop on Her chin. When the vision of placing the hairpins disappears Raghunātha dāsa laments. The pain of separation that a jāta-prema devotee (a devotee whose love for Kṛṣṇa has awakened) feels is very intense, no doubt, but Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī is in the kingdom of mahā bhāva (far beyond that). When the devotee reaches the stage of rati he gets visions of the Lord’s forms and qualities and he experiences great transcendental ecstasy. But when the stage of prema is attained there is not so much bliss felt from perceiving the Lord’s form in a sphūrti anymore. The mind then becomes greedy after something even more special – that is the attainment of the Lord’s direct darśana. Śrī Raghunātha dāsa is on the level of mahā bhāva, so his heart is always filled with great eagerness to see the Lord directly. Between sphūrti (visions) and sākṣāt darśana (direct seeing) there is an medium-stage which is called sākṣātkāra kalpa or visphūrti, a more vivid kind of sphūrti. All the transcendental visions of Śrī Raghunātha dāsa are in that category. Both in his external consciousness and during transcendental visions he is focused on Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. Wherever there is full surrender there can be no question of a division of interests.

The perfection of prema cannot be attained by thinking: “I will give something to my body and my family, and the rest I will give to my beloved deity.” Everything must be surrendered to the lotus feet of the beloved deity! A devotee must take shelter unequivocally. niṣkapaṭe nā bhajinu tomā (Śrī Narottama dāsa) “O Lord! I did not worship You without hidden motives!” If there are any other motives within the heart it is called deceitfulness. Without being free from ulterior motives the prema sādhanā cannot be done. The desire for distinction is a great enemy of the practising devotee. Even a person who has renounced everything may desire to touch the hog-stool of the desire for distinction: “I’m a great scholar, I’m very qualified, I’m very wise, I’m absorbed in bhajan, I’m very famous! I will lord it over everyone and thus become very happy!” These desires are called pratiṣṭhāśā, or desire for distinction, and there’s no greater obstacle to the development of devotion than that. This desire is like a band of pirates that enters the boat of sādhanā and plunders it, dragging it down to hell.

In his ‘Manaḥ Śikṣā (teachings for the mind)’ Śrī Raghunātha dāsa writes:

pratiṣṭhāśā dhṛṣṭā śvapaca ramaṇī me hṛdi naṭet kathaṁ sādhu-prema spṛśati śucir etan nanu manaḥ sadā tvaṁ sevasva prabhu dayita sāmantam atulam yathā tām niṣkāśya tvaritam iha taṁ veśayati saḥ

“O mind! The shameless dogeating woman of the desire for prestige, distinction and position is dancing in my heart. How can beautiful pure prema ever touch it then? Therefore always serve the matchless leading devotees who are dear to the Lord, so that this pariah woman can quickly be chased out of the heart and prema may enter it!”

nā koriho asat ceṣṭā, lābha pūjā pratiṣṭhā, sadā cinta govinda caraṇa sakala vipatti yābe, mahānanda sukha pābe, prema bhakti parama kāraṇa

(Prema Bhakti Candrikā)

“Do not endeavour for the false, like profit, adoration and distinction. Always think of Govinda’s lotus feet! All calamities will then go and you will become very happy. This is the greatest cause for loving devotion!”

Unequivocal surrender cannot take place when we keep on pulling between different interests. “I am Śrī Rādhā’s maidservant! I don’t have a relationship with anyone else!” This kind of loyalty will arise in the heart of a pure, independent devotee. Śrī Raghunātha dāsa falls on the bank of Rādhākuṇḍa and weeps. What to do, how to become Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s beloved, that must be learned from the ācāryas.
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Although we may repeat the words of the ācāryas our prayers to Svāminī’s lotus feet must become pure. There seems to be no practice more delightful than this. Those who want to make their bhajan a success must depend on this vāṇī, these great words. Each syllable crystallizes one-pointed loyalty to Rādhā’s lotus feet.

Śrī Ananta das Bābājī

Śrī Ānanda Gopāla Gosvāmī