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Post by govinda on Aug 24, 2014 5:55:48 GMT -5
On page 67:
"A person who has the adhikara for vaidhi-bhakti tests everything on the platform of intelligence, knowledge of scripture, and reasoning; and when he hears krsna-katha, he only accepts it if these three support it.
However, there is no such consideration in raga-marga, for intelligence, knowledge of sastra, and reasoning are not desired on this path." JD, chapter21
Our acaryas very much emphasis that we should accept only bonafide pastimes of Krsna, according to scripture and reasoning. If however they are following the raga-marga then they shouldn't care. So are they coming off the raga platform in order to act as acaryas?
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Post by Uttamasloka on Aug 24, 2014 10:36:42 GMT -5
<However, there is no such consideration in raga-marga, for intelligence, knowledge of sastra, and reasoning are not desired on this path.>
This statement means that intelligence, knowledge of sastra, and reasoning are not the basis or motivating factors for one practicing raganuga-bhakti. It's not that those on the raga-marga do not use these things at all, only that they are not the cause of one's devotion at that point, nor are they absolutely necessary ingredients for their sadhana and bhajana.
<Our acaryas very much emphasis that we should accept only bonafide pastimes of Krsna, according to scripture and reasoning.>
Also, according to what was given by the acaryas, ie: their lila books in addition to Srimad-bhagavatam, etc. And this emphasis is specifically during the beginning stages of one's progress where one is still fortifying one's faith, learning all of the details of this path and its related knowledge, and attempting to become steady in sadhana.
<If however they are following the raga-marga then they shouldn't care. So are they coming off the raga platform in order to act as acaryas?>
If someone acting as an acarya has attained the stage of bhava and/or prema via raganuga-bhakti, then they are at the stage of perfection, connected to Krsna per their desired relationship. There's no coming off of that platform and at that stage they are no longer practicing, ie: sadhana - they have attained sadhya. When it is said that such acaryas "come down" to the madhyama platform it means that instead of performing bhajana 24/7 in samadhi, immersed in lila-smaranam, they choose to become active within the world to help the conditioned souls and existing devotees who are still practicing. In doing so, they are still internally situated in that realized stage but externally they act to guide others using appropriate methods according to time, circumstances and their audience, which might include teaching others about vaidhi-bhakti and engaging them as such.
If a guru is still a sadhaka engaged in raganuga-bhakti then the same principles apply except that they are not yet at the stage of bhava. And although their personal practices are guided according to the principles of raganuga, they may still teach and guide others according to vaidhi-bhakti if that is deemed appropriate for their students. So this flexibility applies to external considerations, while internally one on the raga-marga will always act according to those principles.
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