Post by Uttamasloka on Mar 25, 2016 22:06:11 GMT -5
In my book, The Realization & Manifestation of Your Eternal Identity - Identity Transformation Through Raganuga-bhakti, there is a section in chapter 6 where I discuss the subject of rasa. At the end of this short article there is a link to my discussion forum with that excerpt from my book.
Over the course of the last few years while discussing various topics related to raganuga-bhakti, I noticed a number of strange reactions from devotees regarding the topic of rasa. For some, if not many devotees, the topic of rasa seems to cause knee-jerk reactions that are either downright negative or trepidatious at best. This appears to have been inculcated to a great extent because of various statements made by Srila Prabhupada, which were clearly misunderstood in a broader context.
Srila Prabhupada often warned us not to venture prematurely into topics associated with madhurya-rasa in Vraja lila, and rightly so. One must first progress through a significant degree of anartha-nivritti to develop a genuine spiritual attraction to those lilas, as prerequisites for understanding and discussing such topics.
However, the subject of rasa is not solely focused on madhurya-rasa, as is mistakenly believed by many devotees. Rasa is explained in great detail in Rupa Gosvami's Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, and in doing so, he only discusses madhurya-rasa briefly because of its somewhat confidential nature and exclusivity for those who are genuinely attracted to that type of relationship with Krsna. Rupa Gosvami discusses madhurya-rasa in elaborate detail in Ujjvala-nilamani.
That being said, the subject of rasa is in fact a detailed analysis of precisely how the four primary relationships in Vraja lila, namely, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya, manifest and expand. The discussion of rasa is not solely focused on Krsna’s amorous pastimes with the gopis. That is a gross mischaracterization of this vital and esoteric subject.
The goal (prayojana) of sadhana-bhakti is prema - love of God. However, it is important to understand that prema directly implies a specific ‘relationship’, since there is no question of love without a particular type of relationship, through which that love is exchanged and expressed. There is no such thing as ‘generic prema’. Prema is always relationship specific and it manifests in unique ways for each of the four types of relationships in Vraja lila.
Sadhana-bhakti is the process by which that love will eventually manifest in one’s heart. Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu explains that sadhana-bhakti leads to bhava-bhakti, which leads to prema-bhakti. All three stages must be traversed by a practitioner in this life in order to be qualified to take birth in bhauma-lila to finalize the perfection of one’s prema in a relationship with Krsna.
Raganuga-bhakti is the specific process by which one attains Vraja prema in a particular relationship with Krsna. According to Lord Caitanya, there is no other process to attain Vraja prema. Raganuga-bhakti cannot be practiced until you have come to the stage of understanding, or realizing, what type of relationship you desire to have with Krsna in Vraja lila. You must then identify a particular Vraja-vasi whose raga and bhava you aspire to emulate, and you must follow in their footsteps. Finally, you must have very intense desires (lobha) to attain that type of raga and prema. Those are the qualifications to practice raganuga-bhakti and they are explained in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and other books of the previous acaryas.
None of these qualifying elements can be induced artificially. They manifest naturally and spontaneously as a result of sadhu-sanga and sadhana-bhakti over many lifetimes of practice. Raganuga-bhakti is not just various methods of internal practices. It is in fact the process which invokes the gradual manifestation of your eternal identity, which culminates in svarupa-siddhi - the perfection of your spiritual identity, at the stage of bhava.
The reasoning is this. You cannot have prema without a relationship with Krsna, and you cannot have a relationship without a suitable ‘spiritual’ identity. You cannot develop prema for Krsna in the context of your material identity, ie: your false ego. That is impossible. So raganuga-bhakti means you have realized the ‘type’ of relationship you desire with Krsna and then your spiritual identity begins to manifest in the context of that desired relationship, during the course of your internal raganuga-bhajana.
The stage of bhava-bhakti is the beginning of bhakti on the transcendental platform - sadhya-bhakti. It marks the end of sadhana-bhakti. But there is still more progress to be made. Bhava is described as being a ray of the sun of prema. Although the stage of bhava is synonymous with svarupa-siddhi, one’s spiritual identity is not actually fully developed at that stage.
The core essence of one’s eternal, dominant, emotional mood is called sthayi-bhava. That is the basis of our eternal emotional nature and spiritual identity. Bhava is a general term related to attaining the platform of transcendental love. The specific type of love one has for Krsna is called ‘rati’, which is often used synonymously with the term bhava. Each of the four types of relationships has its corresponding type of rati.
For example, in madhurya-rasa, there are three types of rati: sadharani-rati, as exemplified by Kubja; samanjasa-rati, as exemplified by the queens of Dvaraka; and samartha-rati, as exemplified by the gopis of Vraja. These three types of madhura-rati lead to different experiences of rasa within the scope of madhurya-rasa. One’s rati manifests after attaining the stage of bhava when one’s sthayi-bhava crystalizes. Only then can prema begin to manifest in one’s heart, and only then can one experience rasa. That will be explained in more detail in the book excerpt.
Attached is a chart which shows the various elements of rasa and how they are related to one another. It will be a useful guide while reading the excerpt about rasa. And finally, here is a reference from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Teachings of Lord Caitanya:
The process of transcendental realization is to follow in the footsteps of the associates of the Supreme Lord; therefore, to think oneself a direct associate of the Supreme Lord is condemned (ahaṅgrahopāsana). According to authorized Vaiṣṇava principles, one should follow a particular devotee and not think of himself as Kṛṣṇa’s associate.
In this way Rāmānanda Rāya explained that one should accept the mood of the damsels of Vraja. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is clearly said that one should accept the emotional activities of the associates of Kṛṣṇa, not imitate their dress. One should also always meditate upon the dealings between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in the transcendental world.
One should think of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day and engage in Their service within one’s mind, not externally change one’s dress. By adopting the mood of the associates and friends of Rādhārānī and following in their footsteps, one can ultimately achieve the perfectional stage of being transferred to Goloka Vṛndāvana, the transcendental abode of Kṛṣṇa.
By adopting this emotional mood of following in the footsteps of the gopīs, one attains his siddha-deha. This word indicates the pure spiritual body, which is beyond the senses, mind and intelligence. The siddha-deha is the purified soul who is just suitable to serve the Supreme Lord. No one can serve the Supreme Lord as His associate without being situated in his perfectly pure spiritual identity. That identity is completely free from all material contamination.
As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, a materially contaminated person transmigrates to another material body by material consciousness. At the time of death he thinks materially and is therefore transferred to another material body. Similarly, one who at the time of death is situated in his pure spiritual identity thinks of the spiritual loving service rendered to the Supreme Lord and is transferred to the spiritual kingdom, to enter into the association of Kṛṣṇa.
In other words, the qualification for being transferred to the spiritual kingdom at the time of death is to think, in one’s spiritual identity, of Kṛṣṇa and His associates. No one can contemplate the activities of the spiritual kingdom without being situated in his pure, spiritual identity (siddha-deha).
Thus Rāmānanda Rāya said that without attaining one’s siddha-deha one can neither become an associate of the damsels of Vraja nor render service directly to the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and His eternal consort, Rādhārānī. In this regard, Rāmānanda quoted a nice verse from Śrīmad-bhagavatam (10.47.60):
“Neither the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, nor the damsels of the heavenly kingdom can attain the facilities of the damsels of Vrajabhumi – and what to speak of others?” TLC, page 321
Here is the link to the book excerpt...
raganugabhakti.freeforums.net/thread/69/book-excerpt-ultimate-convergence-element
Over the course of the last few years while discussing various topics related to raganuga-bhakti, I noticed a number of strange reactions from devotees regarding the topic of rasa. For some, if not many devotees, the topic of rasa seems to cause knee-jerk reactions that are either downright negative or trepidatious at best. This appears to have been inculcated to a great extent because of various statements made by Srila Prabhupada, which were clearly misunderstood in a broader context.
Srila Prabhupada often warned us not to venture prematurely into topics associated with madhurya-rasa in Vraja lila, and rightly so. One must first progress through a significant degree of anartha-nivritti to develop a genuine spiritual attraction to those lilas, as prerequisites for understanding and discussing such topics.
However, the subject of rasa is not solely focused on madhurya-rasa, as is mistakenly believed by many devotees. Rasa is explained in great detail in Rupa Gosvami's Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, and in doing so, he only discusses madhurya-rasa briefly because of its somewhat confidential nature and exclusivity for those who are genuinely attracted to that type of relationship with Krsna. Rupa Gosvami discusses madhurya-rasa in elaborate detail in Ujjvala-nilamani.
That being said, the subject of rasa is in fact a detailed analysis of precisely how the four primary relationships in Vraja lila, namely, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya, manifest and expand. The discussion of rasa is not solely focused on Krsna’s amorous pastimes with the gopis. That is a gross mischaracterization of this vital and esoteric subject.
The goal (prayojana) of sadhana-bhakti is prema - love of God. However, it is important to understand that prema directly implies a specific ‘relationship’, since there is no question of love without a particular type of relationship, through which that love is exchanged and expressed. There is no such thing as ‘generic prema’. Prema is always relationship specific and it manifests in unique ways for each of the four types of relationships in Vraja lila.
Sadhana-bhakti is the process by which that love will eventually manifest in one’s heart. Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu explains that sadhana-bhakti leads to bhava-bhakti, which leads to prema-bhakti. All three stages must be traversed by a practitioner in this life in order to be qualified to take birth in bhauma-lila to finalize the perfection of one’s prema in a relationship with Krsna.
Raganuga-bhakti is the specific process by which one attains Vraja prema in a particular relationship with Krsna. According to Lord Caitanya, there is no other process to attain Vraja prema. Raganuga-bhakti cannot be practiced until you have come to the stage of understanding, or realizing, what type of relationship you desire to have with Krsna in Vraja lila. You must then identify a particular Vraja-vasi whose raga and bhava you aspire to emulate, and you must follow in their footsteps. Finally, you must have very intense desires (lobha) to attain that type of raga and prema. Those are the qualifications to practice raganuga-bhakti and they are explained in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and other books of the previous acaryas.
None of these qualifying elements can be induced artificially. They manifest naturally and spontaneously as a result of sadhu-sanga and sadhana-bhakti over many lifetimes of practice. Raganuga-bhakti is not just various methods of internal practices. It is in fact the process which invokes the gradual manifestation of your eternal identity, which culminates in svarupa-siddhi - the perfection of your spiritual identity, at the stage of bhava.
The reasoning is this. You cannot have prema without a relationship with Krsna, and you cannot have a relationship without a suitable ‘spiritual’ identity. You cannot develop prema for Krsna in the context of your material identity, ie: your false ego. That is impossible. So raganuga-bhakti means you have realized the ‘type’ of relationship you desire with Krsna and then your spiritual identity begins to manifest in the context of that desired relationship, during the course of your internal raganuga-bhajana.
The stage of bhava-bhakti is the beginning of bhakti on the transcendental platform - sadhya-bhakti. It marks the end of sadhana-bhakti. But there is still more progress to be made. Bhava is described as being a ray of the sun of prema. Although the stage of bhava is synonymous with svarupa-siddhi, one’s spiritual identity is not actually fully developed at that stage.
The core essence of one’s eternal, dominant, emotional mood is called sthayi-bhava. That is the basis of our eternal emotional nature and spiritual identity. Bhava is a general term related to attaining the platform of transcendental love. The specific type of love one has for Krsna is called ‘rati’, which is often used synonymously with the term bhava. Each of the four types of relationships has its corresponding type of rati.
For example, in madhurya-rasa, there are three types of rati: sadharani-rati, as exemplified by Kubja; samanjasa-rati, as exemplified by the queens of Dvaraka; and samartha-rati, as exemplified by the gopis of Vraja. These three types of madhura-rati lead to different experiences of rasa within the scope of madhurya-rasa. One’s rati manifests after attaining the stage of bhava when one’s sthayi-bhava crystalizes. Only then can prema begin to manifest in one’s heart, and only then can one experience rasa. That will be explained in more detail in the book excerpt.
Attached is a chart which shows the various elements of rasa and how they are related to one another. It will be a useful guide while reading the excerpt about rasa. And finally, here is a reference from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Teachings of Lord Caitanya:
The process of transcendental realization is to follow in the footsteps of the associates of the Supreme Lord; therefore, to think oneself a direct associate of the Supreme Lord is condemned (ahaṅgrahopāsana). According to authorized Vaiṣṇava principles, one should follow a particular devotee and not think of himself as Kṛṣṇa’s associate.
In this way Rāmānanda Rāya explained that one should accept the mood of the damsels of Vraja. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is clearly said that one should accept the emotional activities of the associates of Kṛṣṇa, not imitate their dress. One should also always meditate upon the dealings between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in the transcendental world.
One should think of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day and engage in Their service within one’s mind, not externally change one’s dress. By adopting the mood of the associates and friends of Rādhārānī and following in their footsteps, one can ultimately achieve the perfectional stage of being transferred to Goloka Vṛndāvana, the transcendental abode of Kṛṣṇa.
By adopting this emotional mood of following in the footsteps of the gopīs, one attains his siddha-deha. This word indicates the pure spiritual body, which is beyond the senses, mind and intelligence. The siddha-deha is the purified soul who is just suitable to serve the Supreme Lord. No one can serve the Supreme Lord as His associate without being situated in his perfectly pure spiritual identity. That identity is completely free from all material contamination.
As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, a materially contaminated person transmigrates to another material body by material consciousness. At the time of death he thinks materially and is therefore transferred to another material body. Similarly, one who at the time of death is situated in his pure spiritual identity thinks of the spiritual loving service rendered to the Supreme Lord and is transferred to the spiritual kingdom, to enter into the association of Kṛṣṇa.
In other words, the qualification for being transferred to the spiritual kingdom at the time of death is to think, in one’s spiritual identity, of Kṛṣṇa and His associates. No one can contemplate the activities of the spiritual kingdom without being situated in his pure, spiritual identity (siddha-deha).
Thus Rāmānanda Rāya said that without attaining one’s siddha-deha one can neither become an associate of the damsels of Vraja nor render service directly to the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and His eternal consort, Rādhārānī. In this regard, Rāmānanda quoted a nice verse from Śrīmad-bhagavatam (10.47.60):
“Neither the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, nor the damsels of the heavenly kingdom can attain the facilities of the damsels of Vrajabhumi – and what to speak of others?” TLC, page 321
Here is the link to the book excerpt...
raganugabhakti.freeforums.net/thread/69/book-excerpt-ultimate-convergence-element
