Rāgānugā-bhakti does not wait in some distant corner, reserved only for the “pure” or for those who have finished a lifetime of vaidhi-bhakti. It begins at the very first step — adau śraddhā.

When faith awakens upon hearing about the moods of the Vrajavāsīs, and even the slightest longing (kiñcid lobha) stirs to follow them, the journey of rāgānugā has already begun. This may be a gentle spark or a steady flame, but it is enough.

Śrī Jīva Goswāmī says: a touch of this greed is sufficient to seek the shelter of a rāgānugā-guru. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartipada explains: in the early stage, the sādhaka may mix in some vaidhi discipline (ajāta-ruci), but the current of rāga has started flowing.

We do not “graduate” from vaidhi into rāgānugā. Both walk the same ladder — śraddhā, sādhu-saṅga, bhajana-kriyā — yet each is moved by a different force: one by duty, the other by desire.

The moment your heart leans toward Vraja, you are already on the path. Protect that spark. Feed it with the names, the pastimes, and the moods of those whose love you seek to follow.