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Post by urmila on Jan 24, 2013 6:57:25 GMT -5
Obeisances. Jaya Prabhupada!
You quote Bhaktivinoda saying that Vakresvara was given the outer path and Raghunatha dasa Goswami was given the inner path. Then you go on to describe the path of Vakresvara Pandita and do not describe the other path of Raghunatha dasa Goswami.
How would you describe the path of Raghunatha dasa Goswami? Bhaktivinoda writes in Jaiva Dharma, "The Śrī Manaḥ-śikṣā has laid down a systematic procedure for one to enter into and become absorbed in the pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Kṛṣṇa; one should follow it without guile." Is that where you would say one can understand his path, or are there other (or different) places to learn about it?
What is your understanding of why Vakresvara Pandita's path is called the "outer" path and Raghunatha dasa Goswami's path is called the "inner" path?
Your servant
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Post by Uttamasloka on Jan 24, 2013 10:47:38 GMT -5
Other than Bhaktivinoda's statements in JD, I did not find any details about the "inner path" as he described, so I didn't write about it. I hesitate to speculate about it, but if we read Raghunatha's books, it is focused on the inner bhajan of meditation - manasi-seva in asta-kaliya-lila, which of course, is also part of the outer path.
Like the other acaryas' books of this nature, he expresses intense desires for specific services throughout the eight daily pastime periods, which of course is also part of the "outer process".
I'm not sure what the differences are between the paths, since BVT didn't give those details. Perhaps others can offer some insight?
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mpdas
New Member
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Post by mpdas on Jun 6, 2015 23:48:19 GMT -5
Dear Urmila and Uttamasloka,
by the use of the word "path" I think it is possible to say that you choose on or the other, not both. Let us say that you, by Krishna's arrangement come in contact with one of them through your guru, then you will naturally choose that one.
We also know from Jaiva dharma (JD) that they both come from Svarupa Damodar Goswami, and considering other facts, I think we also can say that they lead to the same goal.
Raganuga path and vaidhi path are externally much the same, but internally different and they lead to different goals Vaikuntha mode and Vrindavan mode.
As Uttamasloka said the practises are the same more less in the internal and external paths given by Svarupa Damodar Goswami. So we can expect that our Acaryas describe both when it comes to the higher stages of bhajan.
But what about the lower stages? I think here we should expect some differences. Aspiring devotees may be very different and they may require a different introduction to the higher stages of bhajan.
If we try to search for groups of devotees forming around these two paths we would expect to see "big" differences in the beginners' practices and qualifications.
The idea may be that it is good to keep these devotees in separate camps so they can associate with likeminded devotees.
In higher stages of bhajan they have no problem to be in same group or not. The bhajan is anyway an individual private practice. So group mentality is not an issue any longer.
Now, to be more concrete. My opinion is that BVT in his books, especially JD, presents the external path. And I think he follows the external path.
My opinion is also that Jiva Goswami in Bhakti sandarbha presents the internal path.
Again, my opinion is that these two paths have to do with our material conditioning and when we are purified they are the same. Therfore both groups can read Raghunath das' books like Vilap kusumanjali in the higher stages. Both groups can use all the foundational Goswami literature.
If we ask a staunch follower of Jiva Goswami about BVT's presentation of the external path in the end of JD, we could expect him to say that BVT is not really in truth preaching the external path, he is only trying to attract readers who are conditioned in that way. His real purpose is to preach the internal path.
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Post by Uttamasloka on Jun 7, 2015 18:24:00 GMT -5
Can you give us some references which led you to this conclusion?
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