In this Vilāpa Kusumāñjali Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī offers flower-like lamentations at Śrīmatī’s lotus feet and renders loving devotional service to Her. With love-steeped minds and eyes the rāgānugā-devotees should see and relish the picture drawn with bhāva of the intense suffering the maidservant goes through day and night when she is separated from her beloved mistress.
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The beauty of this peerless service must be learned from the Gosvāmīs. It is the service of mahā-bhāva and must be understood through mahā bhāva. Where are the insignificant living entities, and where is that mahā-bhāva, the essence of love of God? But now, in this particular age of Kali, the afflicted souls have become so fortunate to enter into this kingdom of mahā-bhāva, which is otherwise difficult to access, by the special mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Being empowered by Mahāprabhu the Gosvāmīs have revealed this kingdom, and the only way to get the great fortune of relishing Svāminī’s devotional service is to follow in their footsteps. Rasa can only be understood through personal experience and it can only be attained by the mercy of the rasika devotees. The desired līlā-kathā (talks about Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes) cannot be done with others than with rasika devotees. Even the Lord Himself is very greedy to taste these topics with the rasika devotees. Mahāprabhu told Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya:

tumi āmi nīlācale rahibo eka saṅge;
sukhe kāṭāibo kāla Kṛṣṇa-kathā raṅge (C.C.)

“You and I will stay together at Purī and blissfully spend the time speaking about Kṛṣṇa!” The ācāryas are extraordinary knowers of rasa and by associating with their vāṇī (words) one associates with them directly. Relishing their sweet words in the company of like-minded saintly rasika devotees is both the means and the goal. For the yogīs the Lord said this in Bhagavad Gītā (6.10):

yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ
ekākī yata cittātmā nirāśīr aparigrahaḥ

“The yogī always remains within himself in a lonely place, controlling his senses and his mind, free from desires and not taking anything for himself.”

In the Sāṅkhya-darśana there is a verse saying bahubhir yoge virodho rāgādibhiḥ kumārī śaṅkhavat “When you live with many people together, anger and conflicts will arise and the resultant quarrel will ruin your yoga-practice, just as the maiden’s bangles will always jingle as long as she moves her hands, and as long as she wears even more than one bangle on each wrist.”

But when the Lord discusses the devotional practice of the devotees He says:

mac cittā mad gata prāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca

“My devotees have given their minds and their hearts to Me. They converse about Me with Each other and always enlighten Each other. This keeps them very happy and satisfied.”
(Bhagavad Gītā 10.9)

Srila Ananta das Babaji