RagaVartmaCandrika Eng 2nd Ed PDF

Rāga-Vartma-
cAnDrikĀ
A Moonbeam to Illuminate the Path of S pontaneous Devotion
contributors
to the second edition
The following devotees (in alphabetical order) contributed to
the translation, fidelity checking, editing, proofreading,
layout and design of this second edition of Rāga-vartma-candrikā:
Śrīpāda B. V. Bhāgavata Mahārāja, Śrīpāda B. V. Mādhava Mahārāja,

Acintya-gaura dāsa, Amala-kṛṣṇa dāsa, Atula-kṛṣṇa dāsa,
Balabhadra dāsa, Jānakī dāsī (Belgium), Jaya-govinda dāsa (Finland),
Kuñja-kalikā dāsī, Mādhava-priya dāsa, Prāṇa-govinda dāsa (Alachua),
Prema-prayojana dāsa, Prema-vilāsa dāsa, (young) Rāgalekhā dāsī
(Delhi), Sanātana dāsa, Sītā dāsī (Alachua), Sulatā dāsī,
Sundara-gopāla dāsa, Śyāmarāṇī dāsī, Vaijayantī-mālā dāsī,
Vasantī dāsī, Vicitra dāsī, Vijaya-kṛṣṇa dāsa (Mathurā).
Acknowledgements
Śrīpāda B. K. Dāmodara Mahārāja, Brajanātha dāsa,
Anita dāsī.
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Rāga-Vartma-
cAnDrikĀ
A Moonbeam to Illuminate the Path of Spontaneous Devotion
by the crown-jewel of ā cāryas, the highly exalted preceptor

and protector of the Śrī Gauḍīya sampradāya
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
with the Śrī Candrikā-cakora-vṛtti commentary by

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Narāyāṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
gaudiya vedanta publications

vrindavan • new delhi • san francisco
Rāga-Vartma-canDrikĀ
A Moonbeam to Illuminate the Path of Spontaneous Devotion
First Edition: August 2001 – 2,000 copies
Second Edition: January 2015 – 2,000 copies
Printed at Spectrum Printing Press Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India
© 2001 Gaudiya Vedanta Publications. Some Rights Reserved.

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Painting of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura on cover

© Śyāmarāni dāsī. Used with permission.
Photo of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja
© Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Intl. Used with permission.
www.krishna.com
Verse translations and quotes that are marked with an asterisk (*)
are by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja
© Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
ISBN 978-1-935428-94-7
Library of Congress Control Number 2015900449
Cataloging in Publication Data--DK

Courtesy: D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. <docinfo@dkagencies.com>
Viśvanātha Cakravartī, approximately 1626-approximately

1708, author.
Rāga-vartma-candrikā : a moonbeam to illuminate the path of
spontaneous devotion / by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravarti Ṭhākura
; with the Śrī candrikā-cakora-vṛtti commentary by Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. -- Second edition.
pages cm
English and Sanskrit (Sanskrit in roman).
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 9781935428947
1. Bhakti. 2. Chaitanya (Sect)--Doctrines. I. Viśvanātha

Cakravartī, approximately 1626-approximately 1708.
Rāgavartmacandrikā. II. Viśvanātha Cakravartī, approximately
1626-approximately 1708. Rāgavartmacandrikā. English. III.
Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa, 1921-2010. Śrī candrikā-cakora-vṛtti.
English. IV. Title.
DDC 294.5436 23
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktivedānta Narāyāṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
ContEntS
preface..........................................................................................i
part one ~
first illumination
Text 1..............................................................................................3
Text 2..............................................................................................7
Text 3..............................................................................................8
Text 4..............................................................................................8
Text 5..............................................................................................8
Text 6........................................................................................... 10
Text 7........................................................................................... 12
Text 8........................................................................................... 13
Text 9........................................................................................... 14
Text 10......................................................................................... 15
Text 11......................................................................................... 19
Text 12......................................................................................... 35
Text 13......................................................................................... 41
Text 14......................................................................................... 43
part one ~
second illumination
Text 1........................................................................................... 53
Text 2........................................................................................... 56
Text 3........................................................................................... 56
Text 4........................................................................................... 57
Text 5........................................................................................... 58
Text 6........................................................................................... 63
Text 7........................................................................................... 68
Text 8........................................................................................... 75
part two ~
in connection with svakīya-parakīya
The Conceptions of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī......................................... 79
The Line of Thought of
Śrīla Visvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura....................................... 83
Opinions of Other Vaiṣṇavas............................................................. 91
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura on Svakīya and Parakīya........ 94
endnotes..................................................................................................105
glossary....................................................................................................111
PrefAcE
[to the hindi edition]
By the unlimited mercy and inspiration of my supremely

worshipable spiritual master, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī
Mahārāja, I am infinitely pleased today to see that this Hindi
edition of Rāga-vartma-candrikā is now being published.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the crown prince of
illustrious teachers among Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, is the
author of this book. Although in size this treatise is very
small, from the perspective of its exalted subject matter, it is
very great.
In his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu, Śrīpāda Viśvanātha
Cakravartī Ṭhākura has briefly explained the path of rāgānuga-
bhakti (spontaneous loving devotion). He has given a more
detailed description of the same subject matter in this book,
presented in two illuminations. In the First Illumination,
he ascertains the paths of vaidhī- and rāgānuga-bhakti. Vaidhī
is performed under scriptural regulations, and rāgānugā is
inspired by spiritual greed. The path of spontaneous devotion
(rāga-mārga) still relies upon scriptural direction, in spite of
the rise of such spiritual greed. In other words, when one
follows the path of regulative devotion (vidhi-mārga), being
inspired by feelings of spiritual greed, it is categorized as rāga-
mārga, and when one follows vidhi-mārga, being disciplined
by rules and regulations, it is indeed service in vidhi-mārga.
Devotional service that disregards rules and regulations
creates turmoil.
There are five limbs of rāgānuga-bhajana: (1) svābhīṣṭa-
bhāvamaya, meaning saturated with one’s cherished devotional
i
Rāga-vartma-candrikā
mood, for example servitude or fraternity, (2) bhāva-sambandhī,

activities that are related to one’s cherished mood, such as
hearing, chanting, and remembering the Lord’s names, form,
qualities and pastimes, observing vows on holy days such as
Ekādaśī and Janmāṣṭamī, and hearing discourses on Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam, (3) bhāva-anukūla, activities that are favorable
to one’s cherished mood, such as wearing neck beads made
from the holy tulasī plant, wearing the Vaiṣṇava markings of
tilaka, and decorating oneself with stamps of the holy name
and the Lord’s lotus feet, (4) bhāva-aviruddha, activities that
are not opposed to one’s cherished mood, such as serving
cows, banyan and myrobalan trees, brāhmaṇas, and especially
Vaiṣṇavas [of other sampradāyas], (5) bhāva-viruddha, activ
ities that are detrimental to one’s cherished mood, such as
ahaṅgrahopāsanā (considering oneself to be non-different
from one’s object of worship), nyāsa (various elaborate
practices for chanting mantras and performing arcana),
mudrās (different procedures of intertwining the fingers
during arcana), and dvārakā- and mahiṣī-dhyāna (meditation
upon Dvārakā and the service rendered to the Lord by His
queens, who reside there).
The Second Illumination presents concepts in relation
to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s aspects of supreme opulence (aiśvarya) and
consummate sweetness (mādhurya). Whether the Lord
exhibits His great opulences or not, if He maintains the
sweet mood of His human-like pastimes (nara-līlā), it is
known as mādhurya; if He exhibits only His divine opulences,
transgressing the unassuming mood of nara-līlā, then it
is known as aiśvarya. Some devotees are steadfast in their
awareness of Kṛṣṇa’s supreme majesty, whereas devotees
solely intent on the Lord’s sweetness, even when confronted
with His majesty, will experience no fear and will remain
firmly fixed in their own mood.
Also described are the principles of Kṛṣṇa’s sarvajñatā
(omniscience) and mugdhatā (quality of being charmingly
ii
Preface
oblivious and captivated), the concepts of svakīya (marital

love) and parakīya (paramour love), the types of cherished
eternal forms attained by rāgānuga devotees upon ascending
to the realm of perfected divine love (prema), the authority of
the Yogamāyā potency, and so on.
Life History of
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura appeared in a family
of brāhmaṇas from the community of Rāḍhadeśa in the
district of Nadia, West Bengal. He was celebrated by the name
Hari-vallabha, and had two older brothers: Rāmabhadra and
Raghunātha. In childhood he studied grammar in a village
named Devagrāma. After this, he went to a village named
Śaiyadābād in the district of Murṣidābād, where he studied
devotional scriptures in the home of his spiritual master. It
was in Śaiyadābād, while still undergoing his studies, that
he wrote three books. These three books are Bhakti-rasāmṛta-
sindhu-bindu, Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa, and Bhāgavatāmṛta-kaṇā.
A short time later he renounced his household life and went to
Vṛndāvana, where he wrote many books and commentaries.
After the disappearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
and His eternal associates who had taken up residence in
Vraja, the current of unalloyed devotion (śuddha-bhakti) was
flowing by the influence of three great personalities: Śrīnivāsa
Ācārya, Narottama Ṭhākura and Śyāmānanda Prabhu. Śrīla
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura was fourth in the line of
disciplic succession coming from Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.
One disciple of Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura was named Śrīla
Gaṅgā-nārāyaṇa Cakravartī Mahāśaya, who lived in Bālūcara
Gambhilā within the district of Murṣidābād. Śrī Gaṅgā-
nārāyaṇa Mahāśaya had no sons and only one daughter,
whose name was Viṣṇupriyā. Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura had
another disciple, named Rāmakṛṣṇa Bhaṭṭācārya, from the
iii
brāhmaṇa community of Vārendra, a rural community of

West Bengal. The youngest son of Rāmakṛṣṇa Bhaṭṭācārya was
named Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa. Śrī Gaṅgā-nārāyaṇa accepted Kṛṣṇa-
caraṇa as an adopted son. The disciple of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa
was Rādhā-ramaṇa Cakravartī, who was the spiritual master
of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura.
In his commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam entitled Sārārtha-
darśinī, at the beginning of Rāsa-pañcādhyāya (the five chapters
describing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance) Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura has written the following verse:
śrī-rāma-kṛṣṇa-gaṅgā-caraṇān
natvā gurūn uru-premnaḥ
śrīla-narottama-nātha
śrī-gaurāṅga-prabhuṁ naumi
In this verse the name Śrī Rāma refers to the spiritual

master of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Śrī Rādhā-
ramaṇa. The word kṛṣṇa refers to his grand-spiritual master
(parama-gurudeva), Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa. The name Gaṅgā-caraṇa
refers to his great grand-spiritual master (parātpara-gurudeva),
Śrī Gaṅgā-caraṇa. The name “Narottama” refers to his great-
great grand-spiritual master (parama-parātpara-gurudeva),
Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura, and the word nātha refers to the
spiritual master of Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura, Śrī Lokanātha
Gosvāmī. In this way Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura is offering
obeisances unto his disciplic succession (guru-paramparā) up
to Śrīman Mahāprabhu.
Defending the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava

Siddhānta and Lineage
The daughter of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Hemalatā Thākurāṇī,
was extremely learned and a great Vaiṣṇavī. She expelled her
estranged disciple named Rūpa Kavirāja from the Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇava community. Since then, Rūpa Kavirāja was known
iv
Preface
as atibāḍī (an extremely proud person) in the Gauḍīya

Vaiṣṇava community. He established his own concocted
doctrine opposed to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava conclusions by
proposing that only a person in the renounced order of life
is able to act as ācārya. He claimed that it was not possible
for a householder to become a spiritual master. Completely
disregarding vidhi-mārga, he propagated rāga-mārga in an
unrestrained and undisciplined manner. His opinion was
that rāgānuga-bhakti could be practiced by remembrance
alone, abandoning the practices of hearing and chanting.
Fortunately, Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura was present at that
time. In his Sārārtha-darśinī commentary on the Third Canto
of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he refuted these false conclusions.
The householder disciples in the familial disciplic
succession of Nityānanda Prabhu’s son, Vīrabhadra, and
those who are descendants of the rejected sons of Advaita
Ācārya award and accept the title of ‘Gosvāmī.’ Such action
is completely improper according to the line of ācāryas
(spiritual preceptors). Śrī Cakravartī Ṭhākura refuted this
idea of Rūpa Kavirāja and proved that it is not incompatible
for a qualified householder descendant of an ācārya to act as a
spiritual master. However, it is unlawful and contrary to the
statements of the scriptures for unfit descendants of ācārya
families who are greedy for disciples and wealth to adopt the
name of Gosvāmī. This he also proved.
Therefore, although acting as an ācārya, Śrīla Viśvanātha
Cakravartī Ṭhākura never used the title Gosvāmī with his
name. He did this just to instruct the foolish and unfit
descendants of ācārya families of modern times.
When Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura was very old, he
spent most of his time in a semi-conscious condition, deeply
absorbed in bhajana (devotional worship). At that time, in the
kingdom of Jaipur, a debate broke out between the Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavas and those Vaiṣṇavas who supported svakīyavāda (the
doctrine of marital love) in the Lord’s Vṛndāvana pastimes.
v
Jaya Singh II was the king of Jaipur at that time. The

Vaiṣṇavas of the antagonistic camp led Jaya Singh to believe
that the scriptures did not support the worship of Śrīmatī
Rādhikā along with Śrī Govindadeva. Their contention was
that Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s name was not mentioned anywhere in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, and that She was never
legally married to Kṛṣṇa according to Vedic rituals. Another
objection was that the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas did not belong to a
recognized line of disciplic succession (sampradāya). There are
but four lines of Vaiṣṇava disciplic succession, which have
descended from time immemorial: the Śrī sampradāya, the
Brahmā sampradāya, the Rudra sampradāya, and the Sanaka
(Kumāra) sampradāya.
In the age of Kali, the principal ācāryas of these four
sampradāyas are, respectively, Śrī Rāmānuja, Śrī Madhva, Śrī
Viṣṇusvāmī, and Śrī Nimbāditya. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas
were thought to be outside of these four sampradāyas and
were not accepted as having a pure lineage. In particular,
the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas did not have their own commentary
on the Brahma-sūtra (otherwise known as the Vedānta-sūtra).
Therefore, they could not be accepted as a bona fide line of
Vaiṣṇava disciplic succession.
At that time, Mahārāja Jaya Singh, knowing the promi
nent Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas of Vṛndāvana to be followers
of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, summoned them to Jaipur to take
up the challenge of debating with the Vaiṣṇavas from the
line of Śrī Rāmānuja. Because Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura was
personally very old and immersed in the transcendental bliss
of bhajana, he sent his student, gauḍīya vaiṣṇava vedāntācārya
mahā-mahopādhyāya (the great one among exalted teachers of
Vedānta), paṇḍita-kula-mukuṭa (the crown of the assembly of
learned scholars) Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, to Jaipur along
with his disciple Śrī Kṛṣṇadeva in order to address the assembly.
The caste gosvāmīs had completely forgotten their own
connection with the Madhva sampradāya. In addition to this
vi
Preface
they were disrespectful to Vaiṣṇava Vedānta and created a

great disturbance for the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Śrīla Baladeva
Vidyābhūṣaṇa, by his irrefutable logic and powerful scriptural
evidence, proved that the Gauḍīya sampradāya was a pure
Vaiṣṇava sampradāya coming in the line of Madhva. The
name of this sampradāya is the Śrī Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya
sampradāya. Our previous ācāryas, such as Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī,
Kavi Karṇapūra, and others, accepted this fact. The Śrī Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavas accept Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the natural commentary
on Vedānta-sūtra. For this reason, no separate commentary of
Vedānta-sūtra was written in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya.
In various Purāṇas the name of Śrīmatī Rādhikā is
mentioned. She is the personification of the pleasure-giving
potency (hlādinī-śakti) and the eternal beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
In several places of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and specifically in
the Tenth Canto in connection with the description of the
Lord’s Vṛndāvana pastimes, Śrīmatī Rādhikā is mentioned in
a very concealed manner. Only rasika and bhāvuka devotees,
who are conversant with the conclusions of the scriptures,
can understand this confidential mystery.
In the learned assembly in Jaipur, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
refuted all the arguments and doubts of the opposing party. He
solidly established the position of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas as
following in the line of disciplic succession descending from
Madhva, as well as the authenticity of the worship of Rādhā-
Govinda. The opposition was silenced by his presen tation.
Nonetheless, because the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya did
not have a commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra, the contesting
party did not accept it as being a pure line of Vaiṣṇava disciplic
succession.
Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa then wrote the famous Gauḍīya
commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra named Govinda-bhāṣya. Once
again the worship of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda began in the temple
of Śrī Govindadeva, and the validity of the Śrī Brahma-Madhva-
Gauḍīya sampradāya was accepted.
vii
It was only on the authority of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī

Ṭhākura that Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Prabhu was able
to write the Śrī Govinda-bhāṣya and prove the connection of
the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas with the Madhva sampradāya. There
should be no doubt in this regard. This accomplishment
of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura on behalf of the
sampradāya will be recorded in golden letters in the history of
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism.
Realizing the Meaning of Kāma-gāyatrī

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes a very
striking event in his own book entitled Mantrārtha-dīpikā.
Once, while reading Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he came upon
the verse quoted below (Madhya-līlā 21.125), which describes
the meaning of the kāma-gāyatrī mantra.
kāma-gāyatrī-mantra rūpa, haya kṛṣṇera svarūpa,

sārdha-cabbiśa akṣara tāra haya
se akṣara candra haya, kṛṣṇe kari’ udaya
trijagat kaila kāmamaya
The kāma-gāyatrī mantra is identical with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In

this king of mantras there are twenty-four-and-a-half
syllables, and each syllable is a full moon. This aggregate
of moons has caused the moon of Śrī Kṛṣṇa to rise and
fill the three worlds with divine love (prema).
The evidence of this verse proves that the kāma-gāyatrī

mantra is composed of twenty-four-and-a-half syllables.
However, in spite of considerable thought, Śrī Viśvanātha
Cakravartī could not ascertain which syllable in the kāma-
gāyatrī was considered a half-syllable. Although he carefully
scrutinized grammar books, the Purāṇas, the Tantra, the
scriptures (śāstras) dealing with drama (nāṭya) and rhetoric
(alaṅkāra), and other scriptures, he found no mention
anywhere of a half-syllable. He found in all these scriptures
viii
Preface
mention only of the vowels and consonants that make up the

fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, but found no evidence
anywhere of a half-syllable.
In Śrī Harināmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa, the grammar system
composed by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, he found mention of only fifty
letters in the section dealing with the names of the various
groups of vowels and consonants (saṅjñāpāda). By study of the
arrangement of letters (mātṛkā) in the Mātṛkānyāsa and other
books, he found no mention anywhere of a half-syllable. In
the Rādhikā-sahasra-nāma-stotra, found in the Bṛhan-nāradīya
Purāṇa, one of the names of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, the goddess of
Vṛndāvana, is given as Pañcāśad-varṇa-rūpiṇī (one whose
form is composed of fifty syllables).
Seeing this, his doubt only increased. He began to
consider whether Kavirāja Gosvāmī might have made a
mistake while writing. But there was no possibility of Kavirāja
Gosvāmī committing any mistake; he was omniscient, and
thus completely devoid of the material defects of mistakes,
illusion, and so on. If the fragmented letter t (the final letter
of the kāma-gāyatrī mantra) is taken as a half-syllable, then
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī would be guilty of the fault of
disorder, for he has given the following description in Śrī
Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 21.126–128):
sakhi he! kṛṣṇa-mukha—dvija-rāja-rāja

kṛṣṇa-vapu siṁhāsane, vasi’ rājya-śāsane
kare saṅge candrera samāja
dui gaṇḍa sucikkaṇa, jini’ maṇi-sudarpaṇa,

sei dui pūrna-candra jāni
lalāṭe aṣṭamī-indu, tāhāte candana-bindu,
sei eka pūrṇa-candra māni
kara nakha cāndera hāṭa, vaṁṣī upara kare nāṭa

tāra gīta muralīra tāna
pada nakha candra-gaṇa, tale kare sunartana
nūpurera dhvani yāra gāna
ix
In these lines, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has

described the face of Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the first full moon, and His
two cheeks are considered as the second and third full moons.
The dot of sandalwood on the upper portion of His forehead
is considered as the fourth full moon, and the region of the
forehead below the dot of sandalwood is the moon of aṣṭamī,
or in other words, a half-moon. According to this description,
the fifth syllable is a half-syllable. If the fragmented t, which
is the final letter of the mantra, is taken as a half-syllable, then
the fifth syllable could not be a half-syllable.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura fell into a dilemma
because he could not decipher the half-syllable. He considered
that if the syllables of the mantra would not reveal themselves,
then neither would it be possible for the worshipful Deity of
the mantra to be manifest to him. He decided that since he
would not be able to obtain audience of the worshipful Deity
of the mantra, it would be better to die. Thinking thus, he went
to the bank of Rādhā-kuṇḍa at night with the intent of giving
up his body.
After the second period (prahara) of the night had
passed, he began to doze off when suddenly the daughter
of Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja, Śrīmatī Rādhikā, appeared to him.
She very affectionately said, “O Viśvanātha, O Hari-vallabha,
do not lament! Whatever Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja has written is
the absolute truth. By My grace, he knows all the inner sen
timents of My heart. Do not maintain any doubt about his
statements. The kāma-gāyatrī is a mantra to worship Me and
My dear beloved. We are revealed to the devotee by the syl
lables of this mantra. No one is capable of knowing Us without
My grace. The half-syllable is described in the book known as
Varṇāgama-bhāsvat. After consulting this book, Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa
Kavirāja determined the actual identity of the kāma-gāyatrī.
You should examine this book and then broadcast its meaning
for the benefit of faithful persons.”
x
Preface
After hearing this instruction from Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī

Śrīmatī Rādhikā Herself, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura sud
denly arose. Calling out, “O Rādhā! O Rādhā!” he began to cry
in great lamentation. Thereafter, upon regaining his compo
sure, he set himself to carrying out Her order.
According to the indication of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, the letter
ya that precedes the letter vi in the mantra is considered a half-
syllable. Apart from this, all other syllables are full syllables,
or full moons.
By the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura became acquainted with the meaning of the mantra.
He obtained the direct audience of his worshipful Deity, and
by means of his perfected, spiritual body (siddha-deha), he was
able to participate in the Lord’s eternal pastimes (nitya-līlā)
as an eternal associate. After this, he established the Deity of
Śrī Gokulānanda on the bank of Rādhā-kuṇḍa. While residing
there, he experienced the sweetness of the eternal pastimes
of Śrī Vṛndāvana. It was at this time that he wrote his Sukha-
varttinī commentary on Ānanda-vṛndāvana-campū, a book
written by Śrīla Kavi Karṇapūra.
rādhā-parastīra-kuṭīra-vartinaḥ
prāptavya-vṛndāvana-cakravartinaḥ
ānanda-campū-vivṛti-pravartinaḥ
sānto-gatir me sumahā-nivartinaḥ
I, Cakravartī, completely leaving aside all else, desire

to attain Śrī Vṛndāvana. Residing in a simple hut on
the bank of Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa, which is the topmost
place of pastimes for Śrī Rādhā, I am now writing this
commentary on Ānanda-vṛndāvana-campū.
In old age, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura spent

most of his time in a semi-conscious state, deeply absorbed in
bhajana. His principal student, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, took
over the responsibility of teaching the scriptures.
xi
Re-establishment of the
Doctrine of Parakīyavāda
Because of a slight decline in the influence of the Six
Gosvāmīs in Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma, a controversy arose
regard ing the doctrines of svakīyavāda (marital love) and
parakīyavāda (paramour love) in the Lord’s Vṛndāvana
pastimes. To dispel the misconceptions regarding svakīyavāda,
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura wrote two books, Rāga-
vartma-candrikā and Gopī-premāmṛta, which are wonder
fully filled with all the conclusions of the scriptures. There
after, in his Ānanda-candrikā commentary on the laghutvam
atra1 verse of Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (1.21), he soundly refuted the
theory of svakīyavāda by scriptural evidence and irrefutable
arguments, and established the conception of parakīya. In his
Sārārtha-darśinī commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he gave
strong support to parakīya-bhāva.
It is said that at the time of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura there were some scholars (paṇḍitas) who opposed
him in regard to worship in the mood of parakīya, but he
defeated them by his deep scholarship and irrefutable logic.
On account of this, the paṇḍitas resolved to kill him. Śrīla
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura used to go out in the early
morning, before dawn, to circumambulate Śrī Vṛndāvana-
dhāma. The paṇḍitas formulated a plan to kill him at that
time in some dense, dark grove.
While performing this circumambulation, Śrīla Viśvanātha
Cakravartī Ṭhākura came upon the grove where the adversaries
desired to kill him. But suddenly they looked and saw that he
was no longer there. In his place, they saw a beautiful young
1 The full verse from Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi is as follows: “laghutvam atra yat proktaṁ
tat tu prākṛta-nāyake na kṛṣṇe rasa-niryāsasvādārtham avatāriṇi – Whatever fault
or impropriety has been pointed out (in other rasa-śāstras) in regard to the
love of paramours applies to ordinary worldly lovers and not to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, for
He is the taster of the liquid essence of rasa and the source of all incarnations.”
In other words, as Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations are the controllers of religion and
irreligion, how can He be subjected to the control of such codes?
xii
Preface
Vrajavāsī girl picking flowers along with two or three of her

friends. The paṇḍitas inquired from the girl, “Dear child, just
a moment ago a great devotee was approaching here. Where
did he go? Did you happen to see him?” The girl replied, “I saw
him, but I don’t know where he went.”
Seeing the astonishing beauty of the girl, her sidelong
glances, her graceful feminine manner and gentle smiling,
the paṇḍitas became captivated. All the impurity in their
mind was vanquished and their heart became soft. On being
requested by the paṇḍitas to introduce herself, the girl said,
“I am a maidservant of my mistress Śrīmatī Rādhikā. She is
presently at her mother-in-law’s home at Yāvaṭa. She sent
me to pick flowers.” Saying this, the girl disappeared, and in
her place they saw Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura once
again. The paṇḍitas fell at his feet and prayed for forgiveness.
He forgave them all.
Many such astonishing events are heard in the life of
Śrī Cakravartī Ṭhākura. In this way he refuted the theory of
svakīyavāda and established the truth of pure parakīya. This
work of his is of great importance for the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura not only protected
the integrity of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava dharma, but he also
re-established its influence in Śrī Vṛndāvana. Anyone who
evaluates this accomplishment of his is sure to be struck with
wonder by his uncommon genius. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
ācāryas have composed the following verse in praise of his
extraordinary work:
viśvasya nātha-rupo ’sau

bhakti-vartma-pradarśanāt
bhakta-cakre varttitatvāt
cakravarty ākhyayābhavat
Because he indicates the path of bhakti, he is known

by the name Viśvanātha, the lord of the universe, and
because he always remains in the assembly, or circle
xiii
(cakra), of pure devotees, he is known by the name

Cakravartī.
In the year 1754, on the fifth day of the light phase of

the moon of the month of Māgha (January–February), at
approximately one hundred years of age, while in a condition
of internal absorption at Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa, he entered into
aprakaṭa (unmanifest) Vṛndāvana. Even today, his samādhi
tomb can be found just next to the temple of Śrī Gokulānanda
in Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana.
Following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī,
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura composed abundant
transcendental literatures about bhakti, and thus established
the inner heart’s longing of Śrīman Mahāprabhu in this
world. He also refuted various faulty conclusions opposed
to the genuine following of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī (rūpānuga). He
is thus revered in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava society as an illustrious
ācārya and as an authoritative mahājana. He is renowned as a
great transcendental philosopher, poet, and rasika devotee. A
Vaiṣṇava composer of verse named Kṛṣṇa dāsa has written the
following lines at the conclusion of his Bengali translation of
Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s book Mādhurya-kādambinī:
mādhurya-kādambinī-grantha jagata kaila dhanya

cakravartī-mukhe vaktā āpani śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya
keha kahena-cakravartī śrī-rūpera avatāra

kaṭhina ye tattva sarala karite pracāra
ohe guṇa-nidhi śrī-viśvanātha cakravartī

ki jāniba tomāra guṇa muñi mūḍha mati
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has blessed the

whole world by writing the book Mādhurya-kādambinī.
In reality, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the speaker
of this book. He has spoken it through the mouth of Śrī
Cakravartī. Some people say that Śrī Cakravartī Ṭhākura
xiv
Preface
is an incarnation of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. He is very expert

in the art of describing extremely complex truths in an
easily understandable manner. O ocean of mercy, Śrī
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura! I am a great fool. Kindly
reveal the mystery of your transcendental qualities in
my heart. This is my prayer at your lotus feet.
Among Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, there are very few who

have written as many books as Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Even
today the following proverb regarding three of his books is
quite famous among the Vaiṣṇavas:
kiraṇa-bindu-kaṇā ei tīna niye vaiṣṇava-paṇā
These three books, Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa, Śrī Bhakti-

rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu, and Śrī Bhāgavatāmṛta-kaṇā, are
taken by the Vaiṣṇavas as their wealth.
A list is given below of his books and commentaries, all of

which form a storehouse of incomparable wealth of Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇava devotional literature:
(1) Vraja-rīti-cintāmaṇi
(2) Camatkāra-candrikā
(3) Prema-sampuṭa (Khaṇḍa-kāvyam, a poetic work that displays
only partial characteristics of poetry)
(4) Gītāvalī
(5) Subodhinī (commentary on Alaṅkāra-kaustubha)
(6) Ānanda-candrikā (commentary on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi)
(7) commentary on Śrī Gopāla-tāpanī
(8) Stavāmṛta-laharī
(9) Śrī Kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛtam
(10) Śrī Bhāgavatāmṛta-kaṇā
(11) Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa
(12) Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu
(13) Rāga-vartma-candrikā
(14) Aiśvarya-kādambinī (unavailable)
xv
(15) Śrī Mādhurya-kādambinī

(16) commentary on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
(17) commentary on Dāna-keli-kaumudī
(18) commentary on Śrī Lalita-mādhava-nāṭaka
(19) commentary on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (incomplete)
(20) commentary on Brahma-saṁhitā
(21) Sārārtha-varṣiṇī commentary on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā
(22) Sārārtha-darśinī commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
My most revered Śrī Gurudeva, aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad

Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, was a guardian
of the Śrī Gauḍīya sampradāya and founder-ācārya of the
Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, as well as the Gauḍīya maṭhas
established under its auspices. Aside from publishing his
own books, he republished the books of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda
Ṭhākura and other previous ācāryas in the Bengali language.
As of today, by his heartfelt desire, his enthusiastic blessings,
and his causeless mercy, Jaiva-dharma, Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta,
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhura Śikṣā, Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka and other
books have been printed in Hindi, the national language
of India. Gradually, other books are being published. The
present-day head and ācārya of the Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta
Samiti, my most revered godbrother, parivrājakācārya Śrī
Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja, is deeply immersed
in transcendental knowledge and is a very dear, intimate
servant of the lotus feet of our spiritual master. I humbly pray
at his lotus feet that he bless me by presenting this precious
book, Rāga-vartma-candrikā, into the lotus hands of our Śrīla
Gurudeva and thus fulfill his inner heart’s longing.
I have complete faith that those possessed of a yearning for
bhakti – and especially the practitioners of the path of sponta
neous devotion, who are captivated by the mellows of Vṛndāvana
(vraja-rasa) – will receive this book with great reverence. Faithful
persons who study this book will obtain qualification to enter
into the wealth of prema of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
xvi
Preface
Finally, I pray at the lotus feet of my most revered Śrīla

Gurudeva, the personification of the Lord’s compassion, that
he may pour upon me a shower of abundant mercy, by which I
may obtain more and more eligibility to engage in the service
of his inner heart’s longing (mano ’bhīṣṭa). This is our humble
prayer at his lotus feet, which bestow kṛṣṇa-prema, pure love
for the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
An aspirant for a particle of the mercy of

Śrī Hari, Guru, and Vaiṣṇavas,
humble and insignificant,

Tridaṇḍi-bhikṣu Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa
on the holy day of Akṣaya-tṛtīyā – April 25, 1993
xvii
Part OnE
FIRSt illUMInAtIoN
Text 1
śrī-rūpa-vāk-sudhā-svādi
cakorebhyo namo namaḥ
yeṣāṁ kṛpā-lavair vakṣye
rāga-vartmani candrikām
With great humility and veneration, I offer obeisances

again and again to those devotees who, like cakora birds, are
always relishing the nectar of the words of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī.
On the strength of just a slight, merciful glance from
them, I am beginning this book, which is like a moonbeam
illuminating the path of spontaneous devotion.
Śrī Candrikā-cakora-vṛtti
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya ācārya-siṁha-rūpiṇe
śrī-śrīmad-bhakti-prajñāna-keśava iti nāmine
I offer obeisances (praṇāma) to the lion-like ācārya, oṁ

viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī
Mahārāja.
atimartya-caritrāya svāśritānāṁ ca pāline

jīva-duḥkhe sadārttāya śrī-nāma-prema-dāyine
His character and activities are transcendental to the

modes of nature, and he protects and nurtures those
who take shelter of him. He is always aggrieved to see
the suffering of the living entities, and he bestows love
for śrī nāma.
3
gaurāśraya-vigrahāya kṛṣṇa-kāmaika-cāriṇe
rūpānuga-pravarāya vinodeti-svarūpiṇe
He is the shelter of love for Gaurāṅga and his every

action is solely to fulfill the desires of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is
best among the followers of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and
his internal identity is that of Vinoda Mañjarī.
śrī-caitanya-mano ’bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhūtale

svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam
When will Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, who established within

this world the mission to fulfill the dearmost desires of
the heart of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, personally give
me the shelter of his feet?
vairāgya-yug-bhakti-rasaṁ prayatnair
apāyayan mām anabhīpsum andham
kṛpāmbudhir yaḥ para-duḥkha-duḥkhī
sanātanaṁ taṁ prabhum āśrayāmi
I was unwilling to drink the nectar of bhakti-rasa laced

with renunciation, but Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, being
an ocean of mercy who cannot tolerate the suffering of
others, induced me to drink it. Therefore, I take shelter
of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī.
vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
I offer praṇāma again and again to the Vaiṣṇavas, who

are the saviors of the fallen, who are just like wish-
fulfilling desire-trees, and who are oceans of mercy.
namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
I offer praṇāma to that greatly munificent Lord who

bestows love for Kṛṣṇa. He is Kṛṣṇa Himself who has
4
Part One, First Illumination
assumed a golden complexion and accepted the name

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.
First of all, this insignificant and destitute person offers

obeisances over and over again to his supremely worshipful
spiritual master, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja; to
the crown-jewel of rasika devotees in the illustrious line of
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; to
those who have fulfilled the cherished innermost desire of
Śrīman Mahāprabhu by establishing in this world the path to
awaken pure love for the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; to Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Caitanya Mahāprabhu, resplendent with the mood and luster
of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and accompanied by all His associates;
and to Gāndharvā-Giridhārī Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Vinoda-bihārī.
I offer obeisances to all of them again and again in order
to obtain their causeless mercy and blessings before com
mencing this Śrī Candrikā-cakora-vṛtti on Rāga-vartma-candrikā,
composed by the topmost follower of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī,
the highly eminent preceptor Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura. He is jagat-guru, the spiritual master of the entire
universe. He is an eternal associate of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya
Mahāprabhu, who is directly Svayam Bhagavān, the Supreme
Lord Himself.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī established, preached, and distributed
the tasteful mellows of Vṛndāvana (vraja-rasa) according to
the innermost desire of Śrīman Mahāprabhu. In the sub
sequent era, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura is one of
the prominent preceptors in the line of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
He has written wonderful commentaries, saturated with
philosophical conclusions (siddhānta) and transcendental
mellows (rasa), on Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-
sindhu and Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, [Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s]
Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, and other literatures. For the distinct
benefit of rāgānuga devotees, and particularly for insubstan
tially educated practitioners [that is, those who are not well
5
versed in Sanskrit and are thus unable to deeply study or

comprehend the literatures of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī], he has
composed three very brief yet invaluable summaries [of the
aforementioned titles], Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu, Ujjvala-
nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa, and Bhāgavatāmṛta-kaṇā.
To further corroborate the thought of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī,
Śrīla Viśvanātha Carkravartī Ṭhākura has discussed divine,
spotlessly pure paramour love (viśuddha-parakīya-bhāva)
throughout all his commentaries, books, and prayers. Exam
ination of his transcendental writings confirms that he is one
of the prominent Vaiṣṇavas in the line of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
His life’s noble purpose was to follow, illuminate, and preach
the internal mood of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Therefore, in the
beginning of this treatise, he specifically expresses his deep
internal faith in him by repeatedly offering obeisances to
those cakora-bird-like devotees who relish the nectar of the
rasa-laden words of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
This book has been named Rāga-vartma-candrikā. The deep
purport of the title is that people of general faith worship the
Lord by following the rules and regulations of vaidhī-bhakti,
whereas the worship of Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara,
which is filled with ever-fresh sentiments of intense loving
attachment (anurāga), is extremely uncommon, even for great
demigods and high-class practitioners (sādhakas). Devotees pos
sessed of divine love (premi-bhaktas), such as the grandsire of
the universe, Śrī Brahmā, as well as Śrī Uddhava and Śrī Nārada,
yearn for this.
However, this path, which is based on anurāga, is practically
impossible to discover. Only a few fortunate people even realize
that such a path exists, let alone follow it. For those glorious
persons in whom spiritual greed has awakened to proceed in
this way, this book is a candrikā, an illuminating moonlight. By
means of the soothing rays of this moonlight, they can easily
detect and advance along this rarely achieved path.
6
Text 2
śrīmad-bhakti-sudhāmbhodher
bindur yaḥ pūrva-darṣitaḥ
tatra rāgānugā bhaktiḥ
saṅkṣiptātra vitanyate
In the previously published Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu,

rāgānuga-bhakti was described in brief. Now an elabo rate
explanation of that spontaneous devotion is given in this
treatise.
Here it is necessary to know the meanings of the terms
rāga, rāgānugā, and rāgātmikā. Regarding this subject, Śrīla
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that excessive attachment for
many forms of sense enjoyment, which the materialist
naturally feels through contact with sense objects, is called
rāga. Just as the eyes become agitated upon seeing something
beautiful, all the senses are ever eager to taste pleasure, and
thus the heart develops rāga for sense objects.
When Kṛṣṇa is the exclusive object of this attachment, or
rāga, it is called rāga-bhakti. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has defined
this rāga in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.272): “iṣṭe svārasikī
rāgaḥ paramāviṣṭatā – strong, deep, and natural absorption
in the cherished object of one’s devotion arising from an
unquenchable loving thirst is called rāga.” When one’s devo
tion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is situated in this stage, it is called rāgātmikā-
bhakti. This bhakti is especially found in the Vrajavāsīs, the
eternal residents of Vraja. In brief, it can be said that rāgātmikā-
bhakti is love-filled thirst for Kṛṣṇa, and devotion that follows
in its wake is called rāgānugā. In other words, when by the
mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His devotees one cultivates devotion
impelled by the covetousness to obtain the same mood as
Kṛṣṇa’s beloved associates, it is called rāgānuga-bhakti. This
rāgānuga-bhakti is of two types: sambandhānugā and kāmānugā.
7
Text 3
vaidhī bhaktir bhavet śāstraṁ
bhaktau cet syāt pravartakam
rāgānugā syāc ced bhaktau
lobha eva pravartakaḥ
Devotion impelled by injunctions of the scriptures is called

vaidhī-bhakti, and devotion incited by spiritual greed (lobha) is
called rāgānuga-bhakti.
Text 4
bhaktau pravṛttir atra syāt
tac cikīrṣā suniścayā
śāstrāl lobhāt tac cikīrṣū
syātāṁ tad adhikāriṇau
To advance in devotional life means to nurture the single-

minded desire to engage exclusively in the limbs of bhakti. One
can progress in bhakti in two different ways: (1) out of fear of
[the results of neglecting] scriptural injunctions, and (2) with
intense spiritual greed. Hence, according to one’s qualification,
there are two types of practitioners of bhakti-sādhana.
Text 5
tatra lobho lakṣitaḥ svayaṁ śrī-rūpa-gosvāmi-caraṇair eva
tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye
śrute dhīr yad apekṣate
nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca
tal lobhotpatti lakṣaṇam
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.292)
vraja-līlā-parikara-stha śṛṅgārādi-bhāva-mādhurye śrute dhīr

idaṁ mama bhūyāt iti lobhotpatti-kāle śāstra-yukty-apekṣā na
8
syāt, satyāṁ ca tasyāṁ lobhatvasyaivāsiddheḥ | na hi kenacit

śāstra-dṛṣṭyā lobhaḥ kriyate nāpi lobhanīya-vastu-prāptau svasya
yogyāyogyatva-vicāraḥ ko ’py udbhavati. kintu lobhanīya-vastuni
śrute dṛṣṭe vā svata eva lobha utpadyate ||
In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has de

scribed the symptoms of pure greed as follows: “If, by hearing
about the sweetness of the intimate loving moods exchanged
between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His cherished companions, one expe
ri
ences in his heart the natural longing to attain a loving
sentiment similar to that of Kṛṣṇa’s dear ones, without being
motivated by logic or scriptural arguments, it is to be con
sidered symptomatic of the appearance of spiritual greed.”
Upon hearing about the sweetness of the sentiment of
amorous love and other moods that exist in the associates in
Kṛṣṇa’s Vraja pastimes, one may yearn, “May such a mood
arise in my heart.” At that time, he need no longer rely on
logic or scriptural arguments. If such scriptural impetus
persists, then one’s sentiments cannot be identified as greed.
No one ever develops greed on the basis of the scriptural
injunctions, nor is there any consideration of spiritual
qualification or lack thereof for obtaining it. Rather, greed
arises spontaneously simply upon hearing about or seeing
the object of one’s longing.
In Jaiva-dharma, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura confirms
that after one has heard about the supremely sweet moods
of the Vrajavāsīs, the consequent disposition of hankering to
attain these moods signifies that spiritual greed has appeared.
Upon hearing narrations about Kṛṣṇa, a person with the
propensity for regulative devotion will scrutinize what he has
heard with his intelligence, with what is said in the scriptures,
and with reasoning. Only when these three are consistent
with what he has heard does he go forward. But rāga-mārga
9
does not work like this. On this path there is no place for
intelligence, scripture or reasoning. The only consideration
is greed for the devotional moods of the Vrajavāsīs: “What
sweet feelings do the Vrajavāsīs have for Kṛṣṇa? Can I ever
have such sentiments? If so, how can they be attained?”
Floundering in a state of intense agitation, one becomes
desperate for these moods. Such anxiety and intense covetous
ness are the prime symptoms of this greed. In the absence
of these symptoms, one should understand that passion for
rāgānuga-bhakti has not yet arisen.
Text 6
sa ca bhagavat-kṛpā-hetuko ’nurāgī bhakta kṛpā hetukaś ceti dvi
vidhaḥ | tatra bhakta-kṛpā-hetukaś dvi vidhaḥ, prāktana ādhunikaś
ca | prāktanaḥ paurva-bhavika-tādṛśa-bhakta-kṛpotthaḥ, ādhunikaḥ
etaj-janmāvadhi-tādṛśa-bhakta-kṛpottaḥ | ādye sati lobhānantaraṁ
tādṛśa-guru-caraṇāśrayaṇam | dvitīye guru-caraṇāśrayānantaraṁ
lobha-pravṛttir bhavati. yad uktam:
kṛṣṇa-tad-bhakta-kāruṇya
mātra-lobhaika-hetukā
puṣṭi-mārgatayā kaiścid
iyaṁ rāgānugocyate
There are two sources of such greed: the mercy of Bhagavān

and the mercy bestowed by devotees who have spontaneous,
loving devotion. There are again two types of greed arising
from the mercy of the devotee: ancient (prāktana, also called
prācīna) and present (ādhunika). The greed arising from
mercy received in previous lives from Kṛṣṇa’s devotees who
are endowed with the sweet sentiments of Śrī Śyāmasundara’s
eternal associates in Vraja is called prāktana. And the greed
arising from the mercy of such elevated devotees in the
present life only is called ādhunika.
10
Those whose [spiritual] hunger has already been awakened

in a previous life will immediately take shelter at the lotus
feet of a rāgānuga-rasika-guru when such greed manifests in
this life. Sādhakas whose greed is recent, however, develop
that intense thirst only after taking shelter of the lotus feet of
a spiritual master.
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu confirms that engagement in bhakti
due to greed, which arises only by the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and
His devotees, is known as rāgānuga-bhakti. Some also call it
puṣṭi-mārga.
In the Śrī Vallabha sampradāya, rāgānuga-bhakti is known
as puṣṭi-mārga, and vaidhī-bhakti is known as maryādā-mārga.
At the time of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Vallabhācārya
established puṣṭi-mārga. He met Mahāprabhu twice. The first
time was when Mahāprabhu was returning from Vṛndāvana-
dhāma, and stayed in Prayāga for a few days to instruct Śrī
Rūpa Gosvāmī.
At that time, the aged Vallabhācārya took Mahāprabhu
to his residence in the village of Adhail, on the other side
of the Yamunā. The second meeting was in Purī-dhāma,
when Mahāprabhu was sitting and discussing the mellows
of the love of the Divine Couple (yugala-rasa) with His
associates headed by Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaita
Ācārya, Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, and
Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda. At that time, Śrī Vallabhācārya was
recognized as a dig-vijayī Vaiṣṇava ācārya, a preceptor who
was undefeated in philosophical debate. He authored a well-
known commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam called Subodhinī.
His sampradāya is noted for service rendered to Bāla-gopāla in
the parental mood (vātsalya-bhāva). His Nāthadvāra-dhāma,
situated in the Indian state of Rājasthāna, is the main place
of pilgrimage for his followers and has become very famous.
11
Text 7
tataś ca tādṛśa lobhavato bhaktasya lobhanīya tad-bhāva-prāpty-
upāya-jijñāsāyāṁ satyāṁ śāstra yukty-apekṣā syāt | śāstra-vidhi-
naiva śāstra-pratipādita-yuktyaiva ca tat pradarśanāt, nānyathā
| yathā dugdhādiṣu lobhe sati kathaṁ me dugdhādikaṁ bhaved iti
tad upāya jijñāsāyāṁ tad abhijñāpta-jana-kṛtopadeśa vākyāpekṣā
syāt | tataś ca gāḥ krīṇātu bhavān ity ādi tad upadeśa vākyād eva
gavān ayana-tad-ghāsa-pradāna-tad-dohana-prakaraṇādikaṁ tata
eva śikṣen na tu svataḥ | yad uktam aṣṭama-skandhe “yathāgnim
edhasya taṁ ca goṣu bhuvy annam ambūdyamane ca vṛttim | yogair
manuṣyā adhiyanti hi tvāṁ guṇeṣu buddhyā kavayo vidanti” ||
When both of the previously mentioned types of devo

tees – those who have either previously acquired or recently
acquired greed – become fervently curious about the means
for achieving the ecstatic sentiments of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eternal
associates, they then depend on the direction of the scriptures
and the conducive systems prescribed therein. It is only
through the assertions of the scriptures that such sentiments
can be achieved. There is no other way.
For example, how can a person hankering to drink milk
acquire it? At that point he needs the guidance of a knowl
edgeable person to learn how and where he can easily obtain
milk. Since he is hankering for milk, he will accept instructions
on how to purchase a cow and maintain it. Only after the cow
has given birth to a calf will he be able to milk the cow and drink
the milk. In this way, the person thirsty for milk has to accept
different directives from a trusted source on buying a cow,
milking and feeding her, and so on.
In the same manner, a sādhaka filled with greed must
also profit from relevant instructions. One cannot gain
knowledge on his own; he must accept proper direction. In
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (8.6.12) Lord Brahmā explains, “Just as a
human being traditionally derives fire from wood, milk from
a cow, grains and water from the earth, and money from
12
enterprise, and thereby maintains his life, in the same way,

O Viṣṇu, those expert in bhakti say that we can attain You
by utilizing our intelligence to take proper association. By
this, we will overcome the three modes of nature and thus
progress gradually in bhakti.”
Text 8
sa ca lobho rāga-vartma-vartināṁ bhaktānāṁ guru-pādāśraya-
lakṣaṇam ārabhya svābhīṣṭa-vastu sākṣāt prāpti-samayam
abhivyāpya “yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate ’sau, mat-puṇya-gāthā-
śravaṇābhidhānaiḥ | tathā tathā paśyati vastu sūkṣmaṁ, cakṣur
yathaivāñjana-saṁprayuktam ||” iti bhagavad-ukter bhakti-hetu-
kāntaḥ karaṇa-śuddhi-tāratamyāt pratidinam adhikādhiko bhavati ||
Upon the rise of pure greed, the sādhaka following rāga-

mārga must engage in the hearing and chanting of tran
scendental topics from the initial stage of his sādhana (that
is, taking shelter at the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual
master) until he achieves his cherished desire of direct
darśana of his worshipful Deity. By following this process, the
innermost recesses of his heart gradually become purified,
and he achieves the desired goal according to his degree of
purification.
The Lord said to Śrī Uddhava (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.26),
“When a medicinal ointment is applied to a diseased eye, the
eye’s weakness is overcome and its power to discern very subtle
objects is restored. In the same way, to the extent that one’s
heart is purified by repeatedly hearing about and glorifying
My supremely sacred pastimes, one can receive a glimpse of
My form, which is beyond the scope of matter.”
In a heart significantly purified by bhakti, the Lord’s divine
form manifests of its own accord. For example, Śrī Nārada
took birth as the son of a maidservant. By good fortune, at the
13
age of five, he received the association of great saints during

Cāturmāsya, the four months of the rainy season, and had the
auspicious opportunity to extensively hear their discussions
about the Lord. He was also privileged to honor their remnants,
as well as to drink the pure water that had washed their sacred
lotus feet. By the end of Cāturmāsya, the young Nārada had
developed a burning desire to attain the Lord. Observing
this intense hankering in the young boy, the devotee sages
bestowed upon him the bhagavan-mantra and instructions for
practicing bhajana.
After the sages departed from that place, Nārada’s mother
left her body by the will of providence. Nārada then left his
home, and in a fearsome, desolate forest, that five-year-old boy
absorbed himself in the worship of Bhagavān, the Supreme
Lord, through the mantra given to him by the sages. Gradually
his heart was purified, and he received a glimpse of that
Supreme Lord, who is an ocean of mercy. The Lord instructed
him to continue executing sādhana-bhajana and to glorify His
pastimes throughout the universe. Nārada followed these
instructions, and upon attaining perfection, he, unseen by
others, gave up his material body made of the five elements
and received the form of an eternal associate of the Lord.
Text 9
udbhūte tādṛśe lobhe śāstra darśiteṣu tat-tad-bhāva-
prāpty upāyeṣu, “ācārya-caitya-vapuṣā svagatiṁ vyanakti”
ity uddhavokteḥ, keṣucid guru-mukhāt keṣucid abhijña-
mahodayānurāgi-bhakta-mukhāt abhijñāteṣu keṣucid bhakti-
mṛṣta-citta-vṛttiṣu svata eva sphuriteṣu, sollāsam evātiśayena
pravṛttiḥ syāt | yathā kāmārthināṁ kāmopāyeṣu ||
When the sādhaka attains greed, the Supreme Lord

inspires him by manifesting Himself in two forms: externally,
in the form of the spiritual master, He gives instructions,
14
and internally, as the Supersoul, He inspires a person from

within the heart about the means to achieve his desired
object. According to a statement made by Śrī Uddhava in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.29.6), in order to follow the method
illuminated in the scriptures for obtaining one’s cherished
devotional mood (bhāva), some sādhakas with inborn greed
gain complete knowledge by hearing instructions directly
from the spiritual master. Others acquire this knowledge by
hearing from the lotus mouths of elevated devotees who are
well-learned in the deep moods of rāgānuga-bhakti and who
are highly enlightened in such bhāvas. For a few others, this
knowledge self-manifests in their immaculate hearts through
the nectar of bhakti. Profuse, enthusiastic endeavors to attain
those moods are witnessed in all of these sādhakas, just as a
person who desires material happiness strives with great
intensity for his own sense enjoyment.
Text 10
tac ca śāstraṁ sarvopaniṣat sārabhūtaṁ yeṣām “ahaṁ priya ātmā
sutaś ca sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam” ity ādi vākya-nicayākara-
śrī-bhāgavata-mahā-purāṇam eva | tathā tat-pratipādita-bhakti-
vivaraṇa caṁ cu śrī-bhakti-rasāmṛtārṇa-vādikam api | tatratyaṁ
vākya-trayaṁ yathā – “kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija
samīhitam || tat-tat-kathā rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā ||” iti
|| “sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi | tad-bhāva-lipsunā
kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ ||” iti || “śravaṇotkīrtanādīni vaidha-
bhakty-uditāni tu | yāny aṅgāni ca tāny atra vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ
||” iti || trikam atra kāmānugā pakṣe eva vyākhyāyate ||
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the essence of all the śāstras

and Upaniṣads, Lord Kapiladeva has said (3.25.38), “For My
devotees I am their beloved, their very soul, their son, friend,
divine master, well-wisher, benefactor, and worshipful Lord.”
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a treasury of statements clarifying these
15
relationships. Hence, here it is to be understood that the word

śāstra indicates Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In addition, the word śāstra
should also be accepted for literatures such as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-
sindhu, which explain in detail the same bhakti propounded
in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The sacred text Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu explains how
rāgānuga-bhakti can be achieved. In this regard, three verses
have been cited (1.2.294–6):
kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya

preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam
tat-tat-kathā rataś cāsau
kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā
sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa
siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi
tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā
vraja-lokānusārataḥ
śravaṇotkīrtanādīni
vaidha-bhakty uditāni tu
yāny aṅgāni ca tāny atra
vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ
The purport of the first verse is that while remembering

Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His beloved associates who one desires to follow,
and being fully absorbed in narrations of their pastimes, one
should always reside in Vraja. If this is not physically possible,
then one should reside there mentally.
The meaning of the second verse is that on this path of
rāgānuga-bhakti, the sādhaka – being enchanted by the specific
intense, loving sentiment for Śrī Kṛṣṇa of any of His beloved
associates of Vraja – should serve Him in two ways: (1) In the
sādhaka-rūpa (present physical body) he should follow the
practices executed by the rāgānuga devotees, that is, the Six
Gosvāmīs and subsequent preceptors. (2) In the siddha-rūpa
(internally contemplated, spiritual body suitable for directly
16
carrying out the longed-for loving service to Kṛṣṇa), he should

emulate the moods of Kṛṣṇa’s dearmost rāgātmikā associates.
The meaning of the third verse is that scholars who are
conversant with the principles of bhakti advise that the limbs
of bhakti such as hearing, chanting, and so on, which are
practiced in vaidhī-bhakti according to one’s qualification,
should also be observed in rāgānuga-bhakti in keeping with
one’s ability.
These three verses from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu were
written with the aim of delineating the requisites for practic
ing rāgānuga-bhakti. Herein they will be explained in terms of
kāmānuga-bhakti.
The devotion naturally present in the associates of
Vraja is known as rāgātmikā-bhakti, and this is of two types:
sambandha-rūpā and kāma-rūpā. Śrīdāma, Subala, Arjuna,
Madhumaṅgala, and other cowherd boys, as well as Nanda,
Yaśodā, and other elders of the community, have sambandha-
rūpā-bhakti. In other words, Kṛṣṇa is related to them as a
friend, son, and so on. The beautiful damsels of Vraja also
have a relationship with Kṛṣṇa, but they are endowed with a
special mood known as kāma-rūpā, which is not found in the
associates in dāsya-, sakhya- or vātsalya-rasa.
Here the word kāma indicates the thirst for amorous
union, which, when changed to rāgātmikā-bhakti, gives rise
to causeless, natural affection filled with the desire to give
enjoyment to Kṛṣṇa. In other words, all efforts are directed
toward the pleasure and satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, never oneself.
Even if a gopī apparently strives for her own gratification,
ultimately that endeavor is to enhance Kṛṣṇa’s delight. This
unparalleled amorous love is present only in Kṛṣṇa’s beloved
gopīs. Having reached an exceedingly astonishing sweetness,
the prema of the milkmaids of Vraja generates playful loving
pastimes. Scholars call this unique principle of love kāma.
17
In reality, the kāma of the Vraja maidens is transcendental

and completely untainted, whereas the kāma, or lust, of the
conditioned soul is corrupt and worthless. The kāma of the
vraja-gopīs is so pure and so highly attractive that even the
Lord’s very dear devotees such as Uddhava yearn for this type
of love. There is nothing that compares with the matchless
love of the vraja-gopīs. This kāma-rūpā-rāgātmikā-bhakti is not
found anywhere except in Vraja. The kāma for Kṛṣṇa that is
seen in Mathurā is in reality not kāma, but only rati (loving
attachment) that is tinged with desire for one’s own enjoy
ment. The selfless kāma described here in relation to the gopīs
has nothing to do with the kāma of Kubjā1.
Kāma-rūpā-bhakti is of two types: sambhoga-icchāmayī and
tat-tad-bhāva-icchāmayī. Sambhoga-icchāmayī consists of play
ful amorous pastimes (or keli, also known as krīḍā or vilāsa).
The transcendental amorous playfulness in which Śrī Kṛṣṇa
engages with the Vraja maidens is called sambhoga. And
bhakti that is filled with the sole desire (icchā) to promote the
amorous union of Kṛṣṇa with one’s group leader (yutheśvarī) –
such as Rādhā or Candrāvalī – and by which one feels great
satisfaction in assisting and fulfilling the exchange of a
special loving sentiment between the hero (nāyaka) and the
heroine (nāyikā), is called tat-tad-bhāva-icchāmayī.
The thirst to follow kāma-rūpā-bhakti is called kāmānūga-
bhakti. This kāmānuga-bhakti is of two types: when in the
wake of sambhoga-icchāmayī kāma-rūpā, it is called sambhoga-
icchāmayī kāmānuga-bhakti (also known as mukhya-kāmānuga),
and when in the wake of tat-tad-bhāva-icchāmayī kāma-rūpā
(commonly known as mañjarī-bhāva), it is called tat-tad-
bhāva-icchāmayī kāmānuga-bhakti.
The permanent devotional sentiment of the maidservants
of Rādhā (the mañjarīs), which is called ullāsa-rati, is present
in Rūpa Mañjarī, Rati Mañjarī, Lavaṅga Mañjarī, and other
1 The story of Kubjā is narrated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto,
Chapter Forty-two.
18
mañjarīs. They are averse to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s proposals to relish

loving exchanges directly with Him, and rather find their
fulfillment in relishing the rasa of Kṛṣṇa’s meeting with their
mistress, Śrīmatī Rādhikā.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu descended into this world to
bestow upon sādhaka-jīvas the beauty (sva-bhakti-śriyam) of
the most radiant mellows of ecstatic divine love (anarpita-
carīṁ cirāt unnatojjvala-rasa)2 – that is, mañjarī-bhāva – and to
personally taste the unlimitedly deep mood of Śrī Rādhā, the
very embodiment of the most elevated ecstatic love known
as mahābhāva.
Text 11
prathamataḥ kṛṣṇaṁ smaran iti smaraṇasyātra rāgānugāyāṁ
mukhyatvaṁ rāgasya mano-dharmatvāt | preṣṭhaṁ nija bhāvocita
līlā vilāsinaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vṛndāvanādhīśvaram | asya kṛṣṇasya janaṁ
ca kīdṛśaṁ nija samīhitaṁ svābhilaṣanīyaṁ śrī vṛndāvaneśvarī
lalitā viśākhā śrī rūpa mañjary ādikam | kṛṣṇasyāpi nija-samīhi-
tatve ’pi taj janasya ujjvala-bhāvaika-niṣṭhatvāt nija-samīhi-
tatvādhikyam | vraje vāsam iti asāmarthye manasāpi | sādhaka
śarīreṇa vāsas tu uttara-ślokārthataḥ prāpta eva | sādhaka-rūpeṇa
yathāvasthita-dehena | siddha-rūpeṇāntaś cintitābhīṣṭa-tat-sākṣāt-
sevopayogi-dehena | tad-bhāva-lipsunā – tad bhāvaḥ sva-preṣṭha-
kṛṣṇa-viṣayakaḥ sva-samīhita kṛṣṇa-janāśrayakaś ca yo bhāva
ujjvalākhyās taṁ labdhum icchatā | sevā manasaivopasthāpitaiḥ
2 The verse being referred to here is Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 1.4):
anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam
hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ
sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ
May Śrī Śacīnandana Gaurahari, resplendent with the radiance of molten
gold (having adopted the splendor of the limbs of Śrīmatī Rādhikā),
forever manifest Himself within your heart. He has descended in the age
of Kali out of His causeless mercy to bestow upon the world that which
had not been given for a long time, the most confidential wealth of His
devotional service, the highest mellow of amorous love.
19
sākṣād apy upasthāpitaiś ca samucita-dravyādibhiḥ paricaryā

kāryā | tatra prakāram āha, vraja-lokānusārataḥ sādhaka-
rūpeṇānugamyamānā ye vrajalokāḥ śrī-rūpa-gosvāmy-ādayaḥ ye
ca siddha-rūpeṇānugamyamānāḥ vraja-lokāḥ śrī rūpa mañjaryā-
dayas tad anusārataḥ | tathaiva sādhaka-rūpeṇānugamyamānā
vrajalokāḥ prāpta-kṛṣṇa-sambandhino janāś candrakāntyādyaḥ
daṇḍakāraṇya-vāsi-munayaś ca bṛhad-vāmana prasiddhāḥ
śrutayaś ca yathā-sambhavaṁ jñeyāḥ | tad anusāratas tat-tad-
ācāra-dṛṣṭyety arthaḥ | tad evaṁ vākya-dvayena smaraṇaṁ
vraja-vāsaṁ ca uktvā śravaṇādīn apy āha-śravaṇotkīrtanādīnīti |
guru-pādāśrayaṇādīni tv ākṣepa-labdhāni | tāni vinā vraja-
lokānugatyādikaṁ kim api na sidhyed ity ato manīṣibhir iti
manīṣayā vimṛṣyaiva svīya-bhāva-samucitāny eva tāni kāryāṇi na
tu tad-viruddhāni ||
In the first Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu verse quoted in Text

10, the phrase kṛṣṇaṁ smaraṇa, meaning ‘remembering Śrī
Kṛṣṇa,’ indicates that the limb of smaraṇam, or remembrance,
is prominent in the path of rāgānuga, as rāga is a function
of the mind. Preṣṭham, meaning ‘most beloved,’ indicates Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, the beloved Lord of Vṛndāvana, who enjoys pastimes
in a form corresponding to one’s desire.
The words janaṁ cāsya refer to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nearest and
dearest. Who are they? To answer this question, the adjective
nija-samīhitam is used, indicating those associates who possess
the mood for which one is aspiring, like Vṛndāvaneśvarī
Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Lalitā, Viśākhā, Rūpa Mañjarī, and so on.
The practicing devotees who eagerly hanker for the bril
liantly lustrous, pure mood of sweet paramour love (ujjvala-
bhāva) possess an extraordinarily profound determination
(niṣṭhā) for the ujjvala-bhāva of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s associates, namely
Śrī Rādhā and the other Vraja maidens, which is greater
than their niṣṭhā for the desired object, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself.
Hence, such devotees deeply hanker for this mood of His
associates.
20
Kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā means that one should always

reside in Vraja. The implication is that if this is physically
impossible, one should dwell there mentally. However, the
next verse quoted from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu clearly explains
that the sādhaka should take up residence in Vraja physically.
Sādhaka-rūpeṇa indicates the present gross body of the
practicing devotee, and siddha-rūpeṇa refers to the internally
contemplated body suitable for the direct service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Tad-bhāva-lipsunā means that, being eager to attain the sweet
paramour love that is enjoyed by the beloved, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and
which is ever-present in one’s favorite Vrajavāsīs, namely
Kṛṣṇa’s darling Śrīmatī Rādhikā and other gopīs, one should
earnestly serve them with love.
How is this service to be performed? By collecting all the
required paraphernalia by mind or by body, one should engage
in loving service to them. And in what mood is this service
to be executed? The answer to this is vraja-lokānusārataḥ –
by emulating the service attitude of the Vrajavāsīs. That is,
in his physical body, the practicing devotee should follow
the example of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and other like-minded
Vrajavāsīs, and in his perfected, spiritual body (siddha-deha)
should perform service, adopting the method of Śrī Rūpa
Mañjarī and the other maidservants of Vraja.
Here, another definition of vraja-lokānusārataḥ is given.
One should understand this phrase to refer to those who
have established their relationship with Vrajendra-nandana
Śrī Kṛṣṇa due to performing sādhana in their previous lives.
Examples of this are Candrakānti and other sakhīs, the famous
sages of Daṇḍakāraṇya (as described in the Padma Purāṇa),
and the Śrutis (as mentioned in Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa). One
should follow these Vrajavāsīs; that is, by observing their
practices, one should render service as they do.
In this way, the first two verses quoted from Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu describe the subject matters of smaraṇa and
vraja-vāsa (residence in Vraja). The third verse discusses
hearing and other limbs of sādhana.
21
Śravaṇotkīrtanādīni: one should follow śravaṇa (hearing),

kīrtana (chanting), and the other limbs of bhakti, meaning
all the sixty-four limbs, beginning with accepting shelter at
the lotus feet of a spiritual master. Apart from this practice
of hearing, chanting, and so on, which is aimed at emulating
the mood of the Vrajavāsīs, no other sādhana is capable of
bestowing the desired fruit. To emphasize this point, the word
manīṣibhiḥ is used here. This means that intelligent persons
will use their power of discrimination to follow the limbs of
bhakti that are favorable to their mood. It is essential to avoid
following anything unfavorable, or that which can hinder the
appearance of bhāva, the first rays of the sun of divine love.
In Text Ten, the author quoted three verses from Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu in regard to rāgānuga-sādhana-bhakti. These
three verses are often cited in general terms for the sādhakas
who have greed for dāsya-, sakhya-, vātsalya- or madhura-rasa.
However, one should understand that in this book, Śrīla
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has explained the meaning
of these verses for kāmānuga-sādhakas, especially for those
following tat-tad-bhāva-icchāmayī. Even though Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the
object of our desires, the underlying idea is that we recognize
Him as Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s dearest beloved – Her sweetheart, Śrī
Rādhā-kānta – not that we independently consider Him our
nāyaka, our own lover. The mañjarīs regard Kṛṣṇa as the very
life-air of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, their svāminī, to whom they are
totally surrendered. Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the top
most follower of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī (rūpānuga), declares in
his Manaḥ-śikṣā (9), “mad-īśā-nāthatve vraja-vipina-candram –
always remember Vṛndāvana-candra Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the life and
soul of my svāminī, Śrī Rādhikā.”
Although the words janaṁ cāsya in the first verse quoted
from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu indicate Vṛndāvaneśvarī Śrīmatī
Rādhikā and others, we should understand that they specifically
22
refer to Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, Rati Mañjarī and other mañjarīs. Śrīla
Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī writes in Vilāpa-kusumāñjali (16):
pādābjayos tava vinā vara-dāsyam eva

nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devi yāce
sakhyāya te mama namo ’stu namo ’stu nityaṁ
dāsyāya te mama raso ’stu raso ’stu satyam
O Goddess, I have no desire other than for the topmost

attainment of loving service to Your lotus feet. I
forever offer obeisances to the position of being Your
sakhī, but may I relish being Your maidservant. This is
my avowed declaration.
Furthermore, he says in Vraja-vilāsa-stava (38):
tāmbūlārpaṇa-pāda-mardana-payo-dānābhisārādibhir
vṛndāraṇya-maheśvarī priyatayā yās toṣayanti priyāḥ
prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhī-kulād api kilāsaṅkocitā bhūmikāḥ
keli-bhūmiṣu rūpa-mañjarī-mukhās tā dāsikāḥ saṁśraye
By offering Her betel nuts, massaging Her feet, bringing

Her water, arranging for Her secret meetings with Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, and performing varieties of other loving services,
many gopī attendants constantly please Śrīmatī Rādhikā,
the queen of Vṛndā’s forest. In their rendering of loving
service to the Divine Couple, they are free from any
of the hesitation or shyness that is found in the prāṇa-
preṣṭha-sakhīs (such as Lalitā, Viśākhā, and so on). I
take shelter of these personal maidservants of Śrīmatī
Rādhikā, headed by Rūpa Mañjarī.
The sum and substance of this is that it is far more

desirable to have the mood of the tat-tad-bhāva-icchāmayī-
sakhīs than to have the mood of sambhoga-icchāmayī.
The meaning of “kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā – one should
reside in Vraja” is that rāgānuga-sādhakas should engage
in devotional practices in the places that stimulate their
23
cherished moods. Such places, where the secret pastimes of Śrī

Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala were performed, include Śrī Rādhā-
kuṇḍa, Sūrya-kuṇḍa, Śrī Govardhana, Vṛndāvana (including
Sevā-kuñja, Nidhuvana and Vaṁśīvaṭa), and Nandagaon [the
kingdom of Nanda Mahārāja] (especially Pāvana-sarovara,
Ṭer-kadamba, Śrī Uddhava-kyāri, Saṅketa, and Yāvaṭa).
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has written in his purport to this verse,
“atha rāgānugāyāḥ paripāṭīm āha kṛṣṇam ityādinā sāmarthye sati
vraje śrīman-nanda-vrajāvāsa-sthāne śrī-vṛndāvanādau śarīreṇa
vāsaṁ kuryāt, tad-bhāve manasapīty arthaḥ – if possible, a
rāgānuga-sādhaka should reside physically in Vraja; that is,
in places near the home of Nanda Mahārāja in Vṛndāvana
and in other pastime places. If this is not possible, then one
should dwell there mentally.”
These pastime places are transcendental holy places, which
quickly deliver perfection in one’s devotional practices. By their
causeless mercy, the flow of pastimes pertaining to each place
easily begins to reflect in the heart of a sincere, honest sādhaka,
without any effort on his part. In the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa it is
said, “parānandamayī siddhir mathurā-sparśa-mātrataḥ – just by
the mere touch of Mathurā (Vraja-bhūmi), one attains the per
fection of supreme bliss.” One cannot expect to understand the
inconceivable, supernatural potency of these places with one’s
material intelligence.
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī states in Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta that
the topmost devotee, Śrī Nārada, prayed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the crown
jewel of enjoyers (rasika-śiromaṇi), in the same manner. The
dhāma definitely showers its mercy upon one who takes exclu
sive shelter there, because it is Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa, His very form:
tad vai tasya priya krīḍā

vana-bhūmau sadā rahaḥ
nivasaṁs tanuyād evaṁ
sampadyetācirād dhruvam
Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (2.5.220)
24
O Gopa-kumāra, if you aspire for the servitorship of

the cowherd boys and girls of Vraja in divine love,
you should always live in Kṛṣṇa’s beloved playground
(krīḍā-bhūmi) and perform sādhana-bhakti there. In this
manner, without a doubt you will very quickly obtain
the perfection of that extraordinarily rare prema.
In the eighth verse of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

summarizes the essence of all teachings regarding living in
Vraja with niṣṭhā, resolute determination:
tan-nāma-rūpa-caritādi-sukīrtanānu-
smṛtyoḥ krameṇa rasanā-manasī niyojya
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi-janānugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram
By withdrawing the tongue and mind from all sense

objects that have no connection with Kṛṣṇa, one should,
while living in Śrī Vraja-maṇḍala, utilize one’s full time
by sequentially engaging them in meticulously chanting
and remembering Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names, form, qualities,
and pastimes, and by following the moods of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
eternal companions, who possess inherent, spontaneous
love for Him. This is the essence of all instruction.
Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī exhibits the utmost un

wavering determination and heartfelt attachment for living
in Vraja:
śrī rūpa-rati mañjaryor aṅghri-sevaika-gṛhṇunā

asaṅkhyenāpi januṣā vraje vāso ’stu me ’niśam
Śrī Prārthanāmṛtam (1)
With the sole aspiration alive in my heart to attain

the service of the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Rati
Mañjarīs, in however many births I may take, may my
vow to live in Vraja forever be fulfilled.
25
vasato girivara-kuñje lapataḥ śrī rādhike ’nu kṛṣṇeti

dhayato vraja-dadhitakraṁ nātha sadā me dināni gacchantu
Śrī Prārthanāśraya (14)
O my Lord, let me spend the rest of my days as a perma

nent resident in the groves of Govardhana, calling out,
“Alas, Rādhā! Alas, Kṛṣṇa!” and drinking the yogurt
and buttermilk of Vraja.
In the following verse, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, display

ing his deep faith and affection for Vṛndāvana-dhāma, makes
a steadfast vow to live in Vraja:
na cānyatra-kṣetre haritanu-sanāthe ’pi sujanād

rasāsvādaṁ premṇā dadhad api vasāmi kṣaṇam api
samaṁ tv etad grāmyā valibhir abhitanvann api kathāṁ
vidhāsye saṁvāsa-vraja-bhuvana eva pratibhavam
Sva-niyama-daśakam (2)
Even if in some other holy place the Deity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa

is present and the fortunate opportunity is available to
relish with great love narrations in connection with
the Lord flowing from the mouths of elevated devo
tees, I have no desire to live in such a place, even for
a moment. I prefer to live in the land of Vraja, in the
association of the villagers engaged in chatting casually
there. I will live in Vraja birth after birth.
For whatever reason, if it is not possible for a sādhaka

to actually take up residence in Vraja, then he should dwell
there mentally. In the first of the three verses quoted from
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has personally
given the order to make one’s abode in Vraja and perform
sādhana – kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā.
The phrase sādhaka-rūpeṇa in the second verse quoted
from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu means that one should perform
sādhana in the present physical body, just as Śrī Rūpa, Śrī
26
Sanātana, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, and others carried out

their bhajana. In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 19.127–
31), their process of bhajana has been described in this way:
aniketa duṅhe vane yata vṛkṣa-gaṇa

eka eka vṛkṣera tale eka eka rātri śayana
vipra-gṛhe sthūla-bhikṣā, kāhāṅ mādhukarī

śuṣka rutī cānā civāya bhoga parihari
karoṅyā-mātra hāte, kāṅthā, chiṅḍā-bahirvāsa

kṛṣṇa-kathā, kṛṣṇa-nāma, nartana-ullāsa
aṣṭa-prahara kṛṣṇa-bhajana, cāri daṇḍa śayane

nāma-saṅkīrtana-preme, seha nahe kona dine
kabhu bhakti-rasa-śāstra karaye likhana

caitanya-kathā śune, kare caitanya-cintana
Mahāprabhu’s associates would inquire about the welfare

of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs from any devotee
returning from a pilgrimage to Śrī Vṛndāvana. These
pilgrims would reply, “They have not even bothered
to construct a simple hut, and instead pass each night
under a different tree of Vraja. They are always engaged
in bhajana and performing severe renunciation, and
are always deeply immersed in bhāva. Somehow or
other they sustain their lives by going to the brāhmaṇas’
houses for sthūla-bhikṣā (accepting a full meal from one
house) and sometimes doing mādhukarī (begging small
amounts door-to-door), sometimes eating only dry
bread or fried chickpeas, and sometimes fasting.
They carry clay pots for drinking water and wear tat
tered cloth and torn quilts. Almost twenty-four hours
daily they are engaged in hearing and chanting, per
forming harināma-saṅkīrtana, and dancing in great
jubi
la
tion, being fully immersed in ecstatic moods.
They sleep for only an hour and a half at night, and
27
sometimes, being engrossed in bhajana, they do not

sleep at all. Sometimes they compose sacred texts on
bhakti, and sometimes they hear about the pastimes
of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and become deeply sub
merged in thought of Him.” Hearing this, all the devo
tees would begin to cry.
In his Ṣaḍ-gosvāmyāṣṭakam (6), Śrīnivāsa Ācārya has de

scribed the firm resolve of the Six Gosvāmīs in executing
sādhana-bhajana:
saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau
nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa-smṛter madhurimānandena sammohitau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau
I offer my prayers to the Six Gosvāmīs, who passed all

their time in chanting the holy names, performing
nāma-saṅkīrtana, and offering prostrated obeisances,
thereby humbly fulfilling their vow to complete a fixed
number daily. In this way, they utilized their valuable
lives and conquered over eating, sleeping, and other
such pleasures. Always seeing themselves as completely
worthless, they became enchanted in divine rapture by
remembering Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s sweet qualities.
Siddha-rūpeṇa means that one should perform service

within the mind (mānasī-sevā) in one’s cherished, internally
contemplated spiritual body that is suitable for directly
serving Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala, the Divine Couple. This is a
crucial matter. Without the mercy of the spiritual master or
pure, rasika devotees, a sādhaka cannot conceive of his eternal
spiritual identity. Through the merciful guidance of the guru,
the conception of one’s eternal identity arises automatically.3
3 A semblance of this perfected, spiritual body is revealed to the sādhaka at
āsakti, the stage at which one’s affection for the process of bhajana leads to a
direct and deep attachment for the object of bhajana.
28
By remembering and internally serving the Lord’s eternal

eightfold daily pastimes (aṣṭa-kālīya-līlā) in one’s siddha-
deha, one gradually attains svarūpa-siddhi (realization of
one’s eternal identity at the stage of bhāva in its maturity),
and finally vastu-siddhi (wherein the devotee is no longer
encumbered by a material body).
However, not everyone has the qualification to contem
plate transcendental daily service rendered to the Divine
Couple. It is imperative to keep this path carefully veiled.
One should not speak about these pastimes to unqualified
persons. It is proper to keep the subject matter concealed
from conditioned souls who have not experienced in their
hearts the awakening of genuine greed to enter into the path
of spontaneous devotion.
Bhagavān’s names, form, qualities, and pastimes pertain
to transcendence (aprākṛta-tattva). All are supremely pure and
sentient (cinmaya) in nature. Unless and until realization of this
arises in the heart, one is not qualified to hear about the Divine
Couple’s confidential, rasa-laden pastimes. If unqualified
persons read or hear about these pastimes, they will meditate
on the illusory, mundane association between men and
women. Thus, they are bound to fall down and become deeply
submerged in the vileness of immoral behavior. Therefore,
like Devarṣi Nārada, intelligent readers should be careful to
first acquire the appropriate saṁskāras (deep impressions
accumulated within the heart) for transcendental śṛṅgāra-
rasa, before entering into these pastimes.
The prime concern is that a sādhaka should practice
rāgānuga-bhakti only upon obtaining the appropriate qualifi
cation. Without the rise of genuine greed and while the
sādhaka is still plagued by anarthas (impediments to his
spiritual advancement), practicing this system of sādhana
will bring unfavorable results.
As factual greed for vraja-bhajana develops, one must first
of all take shelter of an intimate associate of Śrī Gaurasundara,
29
that Lord who is non-different from Vrajendra-nandana Śrī

Kṛṣṇa. That intimate devotee of Śrīman Mahāprabhu will give
us personal instructions on rāgānuga-sādhana according to our
ability. Otherwise, by keeping bad company and following the
subsequent misleading advice, one will end up imitating the
bhajana of high-class devotees and only reap ill results.
Some people wrongly interpret the phrase “one should
do bhajana in the wake of the residents of Vraja (vraja-
lokānusārataḥ).” Presuming themselves to be Lalitā and
Viśākhā, they dress their male bodies in female garb and per
form bhajana as a sakhī. In this way, they bring about not only
their own destruction, but others’ as well. “I am Lalitā, I am
Viśakhā” – thinking oneself identical with the object of worship
is called ahaṅgrahopāsanā; this is the idea of the impersonalist
māyāvādīs. By committing offenses at the lotus feet of Lalitā
and Viśakhā, they descend into a terrifying hell.
No one is qualified to enter the intimate service of the
Divine Couple without following the mood of the vraja-gopīs. It
is Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s inner desire that the sādhaka perform
bhajana by following the mañjarīs, who are themselves under
the direction of the Vraja maidens. This is also approved by
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the literatures written by our gosvāmīs.
To achieve the mood of the mañjarīs, it is essential to accept the
guidance of Rūpa and Sanātana within the family of Gaurāṅga
Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura expresses his heart-
felt burning desire for mañjarī-bhāva as follows (Prārthanā 5.16.1
and 5.17.1–4):
śrī rūpa-mañjarī-pada, sei mora sampada,
sei mora bhajana-pūjana
sei mora prāṇa-dhana, sei mora ābharaṇa,
sei mora jīvanera jīvana
The lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī are my dearmost

treasure. Remembering and serving them are my
topmost worship and inner devotional practice. Her
lotus feet are my most cherished wealth, more dear
30
than my own life. They are the beautiful ornament of

my life and, indeed, the very essence of my existence.
śuniyāchi sādhu-mukhe bole sarva-jana

śrī rūpa-kṛpāya mile yugala-caraṇa
hā! hā! prabhu sanātana gaura-parivāra

sabe mili’ vāñchā-pūrṇa karaha āmāra
śrī rūpera kṛpā jena āmā prati haya

se pada āśraya jāra, sei mahāśaya
prabhu lokanātha kabe saṅge laiyā jābe

śrī rūpera pāda-padme more samarpibe
Narottama dāsa, also, says that he has heard from the

mouths of Vaiṣṇava holy men that one can attain the
lotus feet of the Divine Couple only by the mercy of Śrī
Rūpa Gosvāmī. He cries out, “O Sanātana Prabhu, O most
merciful Vaiṣṇavas in Gaura’s family! All of you together,
please fulfill my earnest desire. I pray again and again
that Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī may always shower his mercy
upon me. Aho! Those who have received the shelter of
Śrī Rūpa’s lotus feet are very fortunate. When will my
spiritual master, Śrī Lokanātha Gosvāmī, take me with
him to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and offer me at his lotus feet?”
To attain his perfected spiritual body (siddha-deha), Śrīla

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura prays at the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and
Kṛṣṇa (Kalyāṇa-kalpataru, Śrī rādhā-kṛṣṇa pada-kamale mana 7, 8):
siddha-deha diyā, vṛndāvana mājhe
sevāmṛta-kara’ dāna
piyāiyā prema, matta kari’ more
śuna’ nija guṇa-gāna
yugala sevāya, śrī rāsa-maṇḍale

niyukta kara’ āmāya
lalitā sakhīra, ayogyā kiṅkarī
vinoda dhariche pāya
31
Please bestow upon me my siddha-deha. Place me in

the midst of Śrī Vṛndāvana and shower upon me the
nectar of Your devotional service. Allow me to drink
the nectar of Your prema and let me be fully absorbed
in it, so much so that I become totally maddened.
Then You will be able to hear me sing about Your
astonishing attributes. Bhaktivinoda, the unworthy
servant of Lalitā Sakhī, holding Your lotus feet
close to his heart, begs to be engaged in confidential
service unto You in the arena of the rāsa dance.
Please hear my supplication and appoint me as Your
maidservant.
In his Kārpaṇya-pañjikā-stotra, Utkalikā-vallarī, Gāndharvā-

samprārthanāṣṭakam, and other works, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
has to some extent shed light on the service rendered to the
Divine Couple in one’s siddha-deha, as has Śrī Raghunātha dāsa
Gosvāmī in compositions such as Vilāpa-kusumāñjali, Prema-
pūrābhigha-stotram, Utkaṇṭhā-daśakam, Sva-saṅkalpa-prakāśa-
stotram, Śrī Prārthanāmṛta-stotram, and Abhīṣṭa-prārthanāṣṭakam.
The author, Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura, has also described
similar moods in his Saṅkalpa-kalpadrumaḥ. For practitioners
of rāgānuga-bhakti, all these confidential moods are the
topmost treasure, a cintāmaṇi gem, which fulfills all desires.
Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī has expressed his innermost
moods as follows in Vilāpa-kusumāñjali (72):
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī-karārcita-pādapadma-
goṣṭhendra-nandana-bhujārpita-mastakāyāḥ
hā modataḥ kanaka-gauri padāravinda-
samvāhanāni śanakais tava kiṁ kariṣye
After enjoying an amorous pastime, the happily

exhausted Śrīmatī Rādhikā puts Her head in the lap
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who runs His soft, fragrant lotus fingers
slowly and gently through Her hair, thus untangling
32
Her disheveled curls. At that time, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī

takes her mistress’s extremely soft lotus feet in her
lap, and lovingly massages them. When will the day
come when Rūpa Mañjarī beckons me with a gesture
and grants me this service? Alas! When will I get
the opportunity to perform this service to Śrīmatī’s
supremely precious and so rarely attained lotus feet?
Someone may argue that the phrase vraja-loka in the

second verse quoted from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu refers only
to Śrī Rādhā, Lalitā, and so on. This would mean that a sādhaka
should perform service with his physical body according to
the mood of these Vraja maidens. If that were the case, since
the scriptures have not mentioned anywhere that Śrī Rādhā
and Lalitā have ever performed such activities as taking
shelter of a spiritual master, observing fasting on holy days
(such as Ekādaśī), worshiping a śālagrāma-śilā or rendering
service to the tulasī plant, it would follow that it would not be
important for practitioners following these eternal associates
to execute these limbs of bhakti.
However, the true meaning of the phrase vraja-loka
refutes all such misconceptions presented by the present-
day skeptical, opposing theorists. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda,
in his commentary on this verse from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-
sindhu (1.2.295), explains that the phrase vraja-loka refers to
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dearmost associates and their intimate followers
like Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. Thus one should perform service
within the mind (mānasī-sevā) in one’s [eventually attained]
perfected form (siddha-deha) by following Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī
and other such Vrajavāsīs, and one should perform physical
service in one’s [current form as] a practitioner (sādhaka-
deha) by emulating Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and so on.
Municari-gopīs
According to the Padma Purāṇa, some sages residing in the
forest of Daṇḍakāraṇya worshiped Kṛṣṇa by the gopāla-mantra,
33
but in spite of praying to Him for a long time, they were unable
to attain their cherished desires. Fortunately, Śrī Rāmacandra
arrived in that forest. Upon seeing His charming beauty, a deep
amorous attraction for Kṛṣṇa arose in the sages’ hearts.
Feeling restless because of their intense hankering, within
their minds they prayed at the lotus feet of Śrī Rāmacandra
for fulfillment of their wishes. He understood their hearts
and granted them a boon to satisfy their desire. Afterwards,
by Śrī Rāmacandra’s mercy, they intently engaged in the
appropriate bhajana, and upon maturation of their bhāva,
Yogamāyā arranged for them to enter the wombs of gopīs in
their next lives. Thus they took birth as cowherd damsels.
Some of them received the association of the eternally
perfect (nitya-siddha) gopīs and easily participated in the
rāsa dance. The others, who did not receive that association,
associated with their husbands and bore children. At the
time of the rāsa-līlā, their husbands prevented them from
participating in the rāsa dance. As a result, these gopīs, being
deeply agitated in separation from Kṛṣṇa, burned up all
inauspiciousness (aśubha) in the fire of that separation. By
meditating on Śrī Kṛṣṇa and embracing Him within their
heart, they received the bliss of union, which washed away
their auspiciousness (śubha), allowing them to directly meet
with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the arena of the rāsa dance.4
Upaniṣadcari, or Śruticari-gopīs
Some of the prominent Śrutis (Upaniṣads), who were
thoroughly versed in subtle and profound philosophical
considerations, were completely astonished to witness the
unparalleled fortune of the gopīs. To attain the same fortune
as the Vraja maidens, they began to worship the Lord with
intense desire. After a long time, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was pleased with
their worship and appeared before their eyes. Seeing Him,
4 There are no exact English equivalents for the words śubha and aśubha. For an
in-depth explanation of this topic, one can refer to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura’s Śārārtha-darśini commentary of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.28.10–11).
34
they offered their internal desire at His lotus feet, saying,

“O Kṛṣṇa, after gazing at Your full beauty, which defeats that
of millions of Kāmadevas, or Cupids, we are submerged in
amorous emotions, and like the gopīs, we are bewildered by
feelings of kāma. Just as the maidens of Gokula, enamored
by Your sweetness, served You with the intent of engaging in
romantic pleasure, we fervently yearn to be related with You
in the same manner. Please fulfill our hearts’ desire.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa was pleased with their prayers and replied, “O
Śrutis, your desire is so exalted. It is extremely rare and most
difficult to attain the mood of the gopīs. Nevertheless, by My
mercy your desires will be fulfilled in your next life, when you
will take birth as young cowherd maidens from the wombs of
gopīs in Vraja.”
In this way, it has been recommended to engage in sādhana-
bhajana by following the procedure adopted by these above-
mentioned sādhakas, who achieved a gopī form in the manifest
Vraja after executing severe austerities for many, many births.
However, just as final instructions are more authoritative,
one will reap greater benefit and quicker results by following
Śrīman Mahāprabu’s special associates, that is, Śrī Rūpa-
Raghunātha and the other gosvāmīs.
Text 12
tāni cārcana bhaktāv ahaṅgrahopāsanā mudrā nyāsa dvārakā-
dhyāna rukmiṇy ādi-pūjādīny āgama-śāstra-vihitāny api naiva
kāryāṇi | bhakti-mārge ’smin kiñcit kiñcit aṅga-vaikalye ’pi
doṣābhāva śravaṇāt | yad uktam – “yān āsthāya naro rājan na
pramādyeta karhicit | dhāvan nimīlya vā netre na skhalen na pated
iha ||” iti ||“nahy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso mad bhakter uddhavāṇv
api |” iti ca ||“aṅgi vaikalye tv asty eva doṣaḥ | yān śravaṇotkīrtanādīn
bhagavad-dharmān āśritya ity ukteḥ |” “śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva
kalpate ||” ity ukteś ca | lobhasya pravartakatve ’pi nija bhāva
35
pratikūlāny uktāni sarvāṇi śāstra-vihitānāṁ tyāgānaucityam iti

buddhyā yadi karoti tadā dvārakā-pure mahiṣī-janaparijanatvaṁ
prāpnoti. yad uktam – “riraṁsāṁ suṣṭhu kurvan yo vidhi-
mārgeṇa sevate. kevalenaiva sa tadā mahiṣītvam iyāt pure ||”
kevalenaiva kṛtsnenaiva na tu nija bhāva-pratikūlān mahiṣī-
pūjādīn kāṁścit kāṁśid aṁśān parityajyety arthaḥ | “nirṇīte
kevalam iti triliṅgan tv eka kṛtsnayoḥ” ity amaraḥ | kevalena
vidhi-mārgeṇa pure mahiṣītvaṁ miśreṇa mathurāyām iti vyākhyā
nopapadyate | pure yathā mahiṣītvaṁ tathā mathurāyāṁ kiṁ
rūpatvam? kubjā parikaratvam iti cet kevala vaidhī bhakti phalād
api miśra-vaidhī bhakti phalasya apakarṣaḥ khalu anyāya eva |
“rāmāniruddha pradyumna rukmiṇyā sahito vibhuḥ” || iti gopāla
tāpanī śruti dṛṣṭyā rukmiṇī pariṇayo mathurāyām ity ato rukmiṇī
parikaratvam iti vyākhyā tu na sarva laukikī | rādhā-kṛṣṇopāsakaḥ
kathaṁ kubjāṁ vā rukmiṇīṁ vā prāpnoti iti dvitīyaś cānyāyaḥ |
vastutas tu lobha-pravartitaṁ vidhi-mārgeṇa sevanam eva rāga-
mārga ucyate vidhi-pravartitaṁ vidhi-mārgeṇa sevanañ ca vidhi-
mārga iti | vidhi-vinābhūtaṁ sevanaṁ tu śruti-smṛtyādi-vākyād
utpāta-prāpakam eva ||
Rāgānuga-sādhakas are herein advised to not practice

ahaṅgrahopāsanā (considering oneself identical with the object
of worship), nyāsa (various elaborate practices for chanting
mantras and performing arcana), meditation on the moods
of Dvārakā, or worship of Rukmiṇī and the other queens of
Dvārakā, even though these are included in the limb of arcana
as mentioned in the Tantras. It is understood from the scrip
tures that on the path of spontaneous devotion, there is no fault
if some of the limbs of sādhana are not followed completely.
In the conversation between Mahārāja Nimi and the Nava-
yogendras recorded in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.35), it is said:
yān āsthāya naro rājan

na pramādyeta karhicit
dhāvan nimīlya vā netre
na skhalen na pated iha
36
O King, followers of this devotional path, having taken

shelter of spiritual virtue (bhagavad-dharma), are never
afflicted by misfortune. Even if one runs along with
eyes closed, he will never slip or fall from the path.
The word yān in the above verse refers to taking shelter of

the principal limbs of bhakti (śravaṇa, kīrtana, and so on), in
which it is not considered a fault to overlook certain other limbs.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.29.20), Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa said
to Uddhava:
na hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso
mad-bhakter uddhavāṇv api
Shortcomings in one’s performance of certain limbs

of bhakti do not prove detrimental in this devotional
path (bhakti-dharma), even for one who has just begun
to follow it.
In addition, the Brahma-yāmala declares:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate
Even though one may be engaged in exclusive devo

tion to the Lord, if one transgresses the regulations
of scriptures like the Śruti, Smṛti, Purāṇas or the
Pañcarātra, his bhakti will simply be the cause of
disturbance.
When a sādhaka is overcome by devotional greed, he is no

longer controlled by the regulations of the scriptures. However,
if in his bhajana he continues to follow those scriptural instruc
tions that are unfavorable to his own moods, such as medita
tion on Dvārakā and so on, considering them to be compulsory,
he will become an associate of the queens of Dvārakā upon
attaining perfection. The scriptures provide proof for this.
37
riraṁsāṁ suṣṭhu-kurvan yo
vidhi-mārgena sevate
kevalenaiva sa tadā
mahiṣītvam iyāt pure
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.303)
Even if one has a strong desire to enter into the closest

amour with the Lord, if he performs service in vidhi-
mārga only, he will become an associate of the queens
of Dvārakā.
In this verse the word kevala indicates that if one is

exclusively dedicated to following vidhi-mārga without fore
going worship of the queens of Dvārakā or any other limb
that is unfavorable to his desired mood, he will attain the
position of an eternal associate of the Dvārakā queens. The
Amara-koṣa Sanskrit dictionary confirms the definition of the
word kevala as ‘only.’
Some propose that by engaging in sādhana in vidhi-mārga
only, one attains the servitorship of the queens of Dvārakā,
and if one performs sādhana in which vidhi-mārga is mixed
with rāga-mārga, one becomes a maidservant of the queens
of Mathurā. However, such an explanation gives rise to many
questions, as it contains no logical reasoning. The first ques
tion is this: if becoming a servant of a queen of Dvārakā means
to become an associate of Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, and other
queens, then what does it mean to become an associate of the
Mathurā queens? It is inconsistent to reply that it means to
become an eternal associate of Kubjā. From the viewpoint of
rasa as described in the rasa-śāstras, the position of Kubjā is
inferior to that of Rukmiṇī and the other queens. Thus, the
conclusion would be that the path of mixed rāga and vidhi
gives a result inferior to that of vidhi alone. There is not a
shadow of a doubt that this conception is highly unjustified.
One may present the statement from Gopāla-tāpanī
Upaniṣad, “The omnipotent Śrī Kṛṣṇa resides eternally
38
in Mathurā-dhāma with Śrī Baladeva, Śrī Aniruddha, Śrī

Pradyumna, and Śrī Rukmiṇī-devī.” This would mean that
Rukmiṇī was married in Mathurā, and that Śrī Kṛṣṇa also
resides there with her and His other associates. Therefore,
attaining the servitorship of the Mathurā queens, which
is the [supposed] fruit of vaidhī-bhakti mixed with rāga,
means becoming an associate of Rukmiṇī in Mathurā. This
explanation is also illogical, because not everyone accepts
that Rukmiṇī was married in Mathurā.
Why should a sādhaka become the eternal associate of
Kubjā or Rukmiṇī by worshiping Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa? This is
a second inconsistency. In rāga-mārga one is inspired by
genuine greed and serves according to vidhi, the regulated
path, whereas in vidhi-mārga one serves being prompted by
the words of the scriptures. The previously quoted śruti-smṛti-
purāṇādi verse from the Nārada-pañcarātra provides evidence
that serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa without following regulations causes
disturbance only.
The rules and regulations meant for ahaṅgrahopāsanā,
mudrā, nyāsa, meditation on the moods of Dvārakā, and
worship of Rukmiṇī and the other queens of Dvārakā,
although mentioned in the Tantras, need not be followed by
rāgānuga-sādhakas. Here ahaṅgrahopāsanā means the worship
by which one thinks, “I am Brahman.” The practitioner
of spontaneous devotion should execute sādhana-bhajana
by remembering and following the specific mood of his
cherished Vrajavāsīs – such as Subala, Śrīdāma and other
sakhās, Nanda Bābā and Mother Yaśodā, or Lalitā, Viśākhā,
Rūpa Mañjarī, and other Vraja maidens – for which he has
greed. He should not imagine himself to be Śrīdāma, Subala
Sakhā, Yaśodā or Lalitā.
This type of worship is prohibited here. Some neophyte, so-
called sādhakas, considering themselves to be Lalitā, decorate
39
their male bodies with ornaments meant for a woman and call
themselves Lalitā Sakhī. This improper behavior is forbidden in
established rules of conduct. Such people bring disgrace to the
name of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas.
In the scriptures we find descriptions of different types
of nyāsa: ṣaḍ-aṇga-nyāsa, pīṭha-nyāsa, aṅga-nyāsa, kara-nyāsa,
and many others. These are various elaborate procedures
prescribed for chanting mantras and performing arcana. As
they are unfavorable to the mood of rāgānuga-bhakti, they too
have been forbidden.
Meditation on Dvārakā and worship of the queens there
are dominated by aiśvarya-bhāva, an awareness of the Lord’s
supreme majesty. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, decorated like the emperor of
emperors, sometimes resides there in His four-armed form,
holding the conch, disc, club, and lotus flower. He and His
associates identify themselves as kṣatriyas (of the ruling
military class). The royal queens, being kṣatriyāṇīs, are also
endowed with a high degree of majesty. They are the wives of
Kṛṣṇa, married according to Vedic injunctions. Their love for
the Lord is classified as samañjasā, inhibited.
However, in Vraja, Kṛṣṇa is an eternally youthful ado
lescent, expert in dancing, attired as a cowherd, and forever
accompanied by His flute. His intimate associates there are
the gopas and gopīs of Vraja. The gopīs possess samarthā-rati,
a powerful love capable of controlling Kṛṣṇa, which is far
superior to the Dvārakā queens’ inhibited samañjasā-rati.
Therefore, a rāgānuga-sādhaka need not follow the rules and
regulations of the scriptures related to meditation on Dvārakā
and worship of the queens there.
In rāgānuga-bhakti, if a person takes shelter of the essential
practices, such as śravaṇa and kīrtana, which are considered
to be the very body of bhagavad-dharma (devotional service
to the Supreme Lord), there is no fault if he fails to observe a
few of the other limbs. One important point to be noted here
is that the nine kinds of bhakti (śravaṇa, kīrtana, and so on),
its five limbs (sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa,
40
vrajavāsa, and śrī-vigraha-sevā), or its three limbs (śravaṇa,

kīrtana, and smaraṇa) are not only the main limbs of bhakti,
but are actually the origin of all other limbs. That is, besides
being the primary practice, they are also the goal. On the
other hand, the previously mentioned processes of nyāsa,
mudrā, meditation on Dvārakā, and so on do not constitute
that sādhana which has the nature of the original limbs; they
are merely limbs of arcana, which is one of the primary limbs.
Therefore, as they are unfavorable to the cultivation of the
moods of rāgānuga-bhakti, exclusion of these activities is not
harmful. However, any neglect of the primary limbs, which
are in fact the original, or primary, limbs, will prove harmful.
Especially when one is absorbed in the principal limbs of
hearing, chanting, remembrance, and so on, any laxity in
observing other limbs is not considered a fault.
Some people have the mistaken belief that it is not
necessary to follow the rules and regulations delineated in
the Vedic scriptures or to accept Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the
crown jewel of all evidence. They think that one can become
a rasika devotee by practicing intense, single-pointed bhakti
according to one’s own whim. Due to their firm conviction
in this misconception, they fail to follow the indispensable
practices of taking shelter of a bona fide spiritual master,
understanding the elevated devotional sentiments described
in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and observing vows such as those
prescribed for the holy day of Ekādaśī and the holy month
of Kārttika. They impudently advertise themselves as being
rasika and take pride in being devotees on the path of
spontaneous devotion. To emphasize this point, the verse
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi has been cited in Text 12.
Text 13
atha rāgānugāyā aṅgāny anyāni bhajanāni kāni kīdṛśāni kiṁ
svarūpāṇi kathaṁ kartavyāny akartavyāni vety apekṣāyām
ucyate | svābhīṣṭa-bhāvamayāni, svābhīṣṭa-bhāva-sambandhīni,
41
svābhīṣṭa-bhāvānukūlāni, svābhīṣṭa-bhāvāviruddhāni, svābhīṣṭa-

bhāva-viruddhāni, iti pañca-vidhāni bhajanāni śāstre dṛśyante |
tatra kānicit sādhya-sādhana-rūpāṇi, kānicit sādhyaṁ premāṇaṁ
prati upādāna-kāraṇāni, kānicit nimitta-kāraṇāni, kānicit
bhajana-cihnāni, kānicid upakārakāṇi, kānicit apakārakāṇi,
kānicit taṭasthāni, iti | etāni vibhājyadarśyante ||
Which limbs are to be practiced in rāgānuga-bhakti? How

many types are there? What are their characteristics? Which
are essential, and which are to be disregarded? To answer
these questions, the scriptures have revealed five types of
devotional practices:
(1) svābhīṣṭa-bhāvamaya – saturated with one’s cherished mood

(2) svābhīṣṭa-bhāva-sambandhī – related to one’s cherished mood
(3) svābhīṣṭa-bhāva-anukūla – favorable to one’s cherished mood
(4) svābhīṣṭa-bhāva-aviruddha – neutral, or not opposed, to
one’s cherished mood
(5) svābhīṣṭa-bhāva-viruddha – detrimental to one’s cherished
mood
Here, svābhīṣṭa means ‘the mood that a sādhaka aspires

to attain.’ Some of these five categories are both the practice
(sādhana) and the goal (sādhya). That is, the nature of the
practice never changes; the only difference is that in the stage
of sādhana they are in an immature state, while in the stage
of sādhya they are mature. To achieve the goal of prema, some
are direct, or ingredient, causes (upādāna-kāraṇa) and others
are indirect, or instrumental, causes (nimitta-kāraṇa); some are
signs of bhajana (such as wearing the Vaiṣṇava markings of
tilaka, wearing neck beads made from the holy tulasī plant, and
wearing attire meant for the different stages of life, āśramas;
some are helpful; some are neutral; and some are harmful. All
of these classifications will be explained further on.
42
Text 14
tatra dāsya-sakhyādīni svābhīṣṭa-bhāva-mayāni, sādhya-sādhana-
rūpāṇi | guru-pādāśrayato mantra-japa-dhyānādīni sādhya-
pratyupādāna-kāraṇatvād bhāva-sambandhīni “japen nityam
ananya-dhīḥ” ity ādy-ukte nitya kṛtyāni, “japyaḥ svābhīṣṭa-
saṁsargī kṛṣṇa-nāma mahā-manuḥ” iti gaṇoddeśa-dīpikokteḥ,
siddha rūpeṇānugamyamānānām api mantra-japa-darśanād
upādāna kāraṇatvena bhāva sambandhīni “gāḥ sarvendriyāṇi
vindann eva san mama gopa-strī-jana-vallabho bhavaty abhīṣṭa
saṁsargi kṛṣṇa nāma eva mahā-manuḥ sarva-mantra-śreṣṭha ity
aṣṭādaśākṣaro daśākṣaraś ca mantra eva arthād ukto bhavatīti
gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā-vākyārtho jñeyaḥ | svīya-bhāvocita nāma-rūpa-
guṇa-līlādi smaraṇa śravaṇādīni upādāna-kāraṇatvāt bhāva-
sambandhīni | tathā hi – “gītāni nāmāni tad arthakāni gāyan
vilajjo vicared asaṅga” iti |“śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanty abhīkṣṇaśaḥ,
smaranti nandanti tavehitaṁ janāḥ” ity ādy ukter abhīkṣṇa-
kṛtyāni | atra rāgānugāyāṁ yan mukhyasya tasyāpi smaraṇasya
kīrtanādhīnatvam avaśayaṁ vaktavyam eva kīrtanasyaiva etad
yugādhikāratvāt sarva bhakti-mārgeṣu sarva śāstrais tasyaiva
sarvotkarṣa pratipādanāc ca | “tapāṁsi śraddhayā kṛtvā premāḍhyā
jajñire vraje” ity ujjvala-nīlamaṇy ukter anugamyamānānāṁ
śrutīnāṁ premāṇaṁ prati tapasāṁ kāraṇatvāvagamāt kalāv
asmin tapo ’ntarasya vigītatvāt “mad arthaṁ yad vrataṁ tapaḥ”
iti bhagavad-ukter ekādaśī-janmāṣṭamy-ādi vratāni tapo rūpāṇi
iti nimitta-kāraṇāni naimittika-kṛtyāni akaraṇe pratyavāya
śravaṇān nityāni | tatraivaikādaśī vratasyānvaye “govinda-
smaraṇaṁ nṛṇāṁ yad ekādaśy-upoṣaṇam” iti smṛter upādāna-
kāraṇa-smaraṇasya lābhād aṁśena bhāva-sambandhitvam
api, vyatireke tu “mātṛ-hā pitṛ-hā caiva bhrātṛ-hā guru-hā
tathā” ity ādi skāndādi-vacanebhyo guru-hantṛtvādi śravaṇān
nāmāparādha lābhaḥ “brahma-ghnasya surāpasya steyino guru-
talpinaḥ” iti viṣṇu-dharmottarokter anapāyi pāpa-viśeṣa-lābhaś
ca, iti nindāśravaṇād atyāvaśyaka-kṛtyatvam | kiṁ bahunā,
“paramāpadam āpanne harṣe vā samupasthite | naikādaśīṁ
43
tyajed yas tu tasya dīkṣāsti vaiṣṇavī | viṣṇavārpitākhilācāraḥ sa

hi vaiṣṇava ucyate |” iti skāndavākyābhyām ekādaśī-vratasya
vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇatvam eva nirdiṣṭam | kiṁ ca vaiṣṇavānāṁ
bhagavad-anivedita-bhojana-niṣedhāḥ, “vaiṣṇavo yadi bhuñjīta
ekādaśyāṁ pramādataḥ” ity atra bhagavan-niveditānnasyaiva
bhojana-niṣedho ’vagamyate |
kārttika vratasya ca tapo ’ṁśena nimitta tvaṁ śravaṇa-kīrtanādy-

aṁśena upādānatvam api | śrī-rūpa-gosvāmi-caraṇānām asakṛd
uktau kārttika-devateti kārttika-devīty ūrjja-devīti ūrjjeśvarīti
śravaṇād viśeṣataḥ śrī-vṛndāvaneśvarī prāpakatvam avagamyate |
“ambarīṣa śuka-proktaṁ nityaṁ bhāgavataṁ śrṇu” iti smṛteḥ
krameṇa śrī bhāgavata-śravaṇāder nitya-kṛtyatvam uktam | “kathā
imās te kathitā mahīyasām” ity anantaraṁ “yas tūttama-śloka-
guṇānuvādaḥ prastūyate nityam amaṅgala-ghnaḥ tam eva nityaṁ
śṛṇuyād abhīkṣṇaṁ kṛṣṇe ’malāṁ bhaktim abhīpsamānaḥ ||”
iti dvādaśokter daśama-skandha-sambandhi sva-preṣṭha śrī-
kṛṣṇa-carita-śravaṇāder yathāyogyaṁ nitya-kṛtyatvam abhīkṣṇa-
kṛtyatvaṁ bhāva-sambandhitvaṁ ca | nirmālya-tulasī-gandha-
candana-mālā-vasanādi-dhāraṇāni bhāva-sambandhīni |
tulasī kāṣṭha-mālā gopīcandanādi-tilaka-nāma-mudrā-caraṇa-
cihnādi-dhāraṇāni vaiṣṇava-cihṇāny anukūlāni | tulasī-sevana-
parikramaṇa-praṇāmādīny apyanu-kūlāni | gavāśvattha-dhātrī-
brāhmaṇādi-sammānāni tad bhāvāviruddhāni upakārakāṇi |
vaiṣṇava-sevā tūkta samasta lakṣaṇavatī jñeyā | uktāny etāni
sarvāṇi kartavyāni | yathaiva poṣyāt kṛṣṇād api sakāśāt tat
poṣakeṣv āvartita dugdha-dadhi-navanītādiṣu vrajeśvaryā adhi-
kaivāpekṣā, śrī-kṛṣṇaṁ sva-stanya-payaḥ pibantaṁ bubhukṣum
apy apahāya tadīya dugdhottāraṇārthaṁ gatatvāt | tathaiva raga-
vartmānugamana-rasābhijña-bhaktānāṁ poṣyebhyaḥ śravaṇa
kīrtanādibhyo ’pi tat poṣakeṣv eteṣu sarveṣu paramaivāpekṣaṇaṁ
naivānucitam | ahaṅgrahopāsana nyāsa mudrā dvārakā-dhyāna
mahiṣy-arcanādīny apakārakāṇi na kartavyāni. | purāṇāntara-
kathā-śravaṇādīni taṭa-sthāni | atra bhakteḥ saccidānanda-
rūpatvān nirvikāratve ’pi yad upādānatvādikaṁ tat khalu
44
durvitarkyatvād eva bhakti-śāstreṣu “tatra prema-vilāsāḥ syur

bhāvāḥ snehādayas tu ṣaṭ” ity ādiṣu vilāsa-śabdena vyañjitaṁ,
yathā rasa-śāstre vibhāvādi śabdena, atra khalu sukha-bodhārtham
eva upādānādi-śabda eva prayukta iti kṣantavyaṁ sadbhiḥ ||
The devotional sentiments of servitude, fraternity, parent

hood, and amorous love are called bhāvamaya, meaning
‘saturated with one’s cherished mood.’ Hearing, chanting, and
performing other limbs of bhajana in these moods nourish
the sādhaka’s creeper of prema. Thus, these activities are called
bhāvamaya-sādhana. Upon the manifestation of prema, the
performance of such hearing, chanting, and so on is called
bhāvamaya-sādhya. Hence, these practices of bhajana are both
the means and the goal.
The practices of bhajana, beginning with taking shelter
of a genuine spiritual master and including the utterance
of mantras, meditation, and so on, are upādāna-kāraṇa (the
ingredient cause) for attaining the goal of prema. They are
therefore called bhāva-sambandhī, those activities related to
one’s desired feeling or mood.
The scriptures enjoin a perpetual duty in phrases such
as, “japen nityam ananya-dhīḥ – one must perform japa (soft
utterance of a mantra) every day with one-pointed attention.”
The Gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā states that it is one’s duty to chant the
great mantra comprised of Kṛṣṇa’s names that is associated
with one’s desired relationship with Kṛṣṇa (japyaḥ svābhīṣṭa-
saṁsargī kṛṣṇa-nāma-mahāmanuḥ). The japa or kīrtana of
those names of Kṛṣṇa that specifically allude to the eternal
relationship with the Lord that one aspires for in one’s
perfected form should be understood to be bhāva-sambandhī,
because it is upādāna-kāraṇa, the ingredient cause of bhāva, or
ecstatic devotion.
What is the great mantra comprised of Kṛṣṇa’s names that
is associated with one’s desired relationship? In reply to this
question, Gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā explains that in the word govinda,
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the syllable go means ‘having pervaded all my senses.’ Thus,

govinda means ‘the beloved of the cowherd girls, Gopījana-
vallabha, having pervaded all my senses, splendidly resides
there.’ Therefore, the term mahā-mantra here refers only to
the name of Kṛṣṇa that is associated with one’s own desired
relationship with Him. Because of this explanation, the
eighteen-syllable gopāla-mantra has been referred to as the
best of all mantras.
In conclusion, the sādhana comprised of the hearing and
chanting of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, qualities, and pastimes as
appropriately related to one’s own cherished mood is known
as bhāva-sambandhī (due to its being the upādāna-kāraṇa, or
ingredient cause of bhāva).
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.39, 1.8.36) advises:
gītāni nāmāni tad arthakāni

gāyan vilajjo vicared asaṅgaḥ
Completely giving up material attachments, one should

wander freely without embarrassment, while singing
about the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name and beauty.
śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanty abhīkṣṇaśaḥ

smaranti nandanti tavehitaṁ janāḥ
The devotees achieve supreme bliss by incessantly hear

ing about, glorifying, and remembering Your pastimes.
These proofs from the scriptures confirm that continuous

engagement in bhāva-sambandhī-sādhana is obligatory.
It has been mentioned earlier that remembrance is the
primary limb of rāgānuga-bhakti. But one should understand
that remembrance is dependent on kīrtana. In the present age
of Kali, it is the practice of kīrtana that grants the eligibility
to enter into bhajana, because as all the scriptures proclaim,
kīrtana is superior to all the other limbs of bhakti and bestows
the highest result.
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It is said in Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi that the personified

Śrutis, following the mood of the gopīs, performed austerities
(tapasya) with deep faith, and upon completely attaining
prema, took birth in Vraja. This proves that performance of
penances is one cause for attaining gopī-prema.
Here, tapasya means fasting on holy days such as Ekādaśī
and Janmāṣṭamī, because in the present age of Kali, other
types of austerities are condemned. The Lord has personally
said, “Vows performed for My sake are called tapasya.”
Thus, fasting on holy days like Ekādaśī and Janmāṣṭamī
and performing other such austerities are nimitta-kāraṇa,
instrumental causes for enhancing one’s specific devotional
sentiment. Failure to perform these occasional duties is
harmful, and thus they are to be accepted as perpetual
obligations. In this vein, the scriptures known as Smṛti further
explain that to fast on Ekādaśī is accepted as govinda-smaraṇa,
remembrance of Govinda. On the basis of this evidence, we
can see that observing vows such as those pertaining to holy
days like Ekādaśī and Janmāṣṭamī leads to attaining smaraṇa,
remembrance, which is upādāna-kāraṇa, the ingredient cause
of attaining one’s cherished mood. Therefore such vows are
considered to be partial bhāva-sambandhī.
From the perspective of prohibitions, the Skanda Purāṇa
declares that people who fail to observe Ekādaśī take on sin
equal to killing one’s mother, father, brother, and spiritual
master. Disregarding Ekādaśī and other fasts is regarded as
an offense to the holy name. It is also written in the Viṣṇu-
dharmottara that while the scriptures offer various means of
atonement for crimes such as killing a brāhmaṇa, drinking
liquor, kidnapping, and harboring lusty desires for the
wife of one’s spiritual master, there are no penances that
can eradicate the sin incurred by taking grains on Ekādaśī.
Therefore regular observance of the Ekādaśī vow is accepted
as obligatory and should be followed without question. In the
Skanda Purāṇa it is said, “People who do not abandon their
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Ekādaśī fast, even in the presence of dreadful calamities or

untold happiness, have attained Vaiṣṇava initiation (dīkṣā) in
the true sense,” and, “Those who dedicate all their activities
to the lotus feet of Viṣṇu are genuine Vaiṣṇavas.”
These two statements confirm that it is incumbent upon
Vaiṣṇavas to observe Ekādaśī. Vaiṣṇavas are always forbidden
to accept anything not offered to the Lord, but on Ekādaśī
they are even prohibited from accepting mahā-prasāda that
contains grains, and offence is incurred even if such grains
are taken unintentionally.
The vow observed during the holy month of Kārttika,
as an aspect of the performance of austerities, is nimitta-
kāraṇa, the instrumental cause of attaining one’s cherished
devotional sentiment. And the Kārttika vow, as an aspect
of the performance of primary devotional limbs such as
hearing and chanting, is upādāna-kāraṇa, the ingredient
cause. In many places, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī has mentioned
that Śrīmatī Rādhikā, as the presiding Deity of the Kārttika
month, is called Kārttika-devī, Urjā-devī, Urjeśvarī, and so on.
Observing the Kārttika vow presents a special opportunity
for the sādhaka to achieve the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, the
Goddess of Vṛndāvana. Hence, it is compulsory.
“O Ambarīṣa, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, spoken by Śrī Śukadeva
Gosvāmī, should be heard every day.” This statement from
the Smṛti declares that hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a
perpetual duty.
“I have glorified the lives of great personalities to you.
Those who are aspiring for pure devotion at the lotus feet
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa should regularly hear the attributes of the Lord,
the destroyer of all inauspiciousness, who is glorified with
immaculate poetry.” This statement from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(12.3.15) establishes that hearing about the character of one’s
beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa as related in the Tenth Canto is a continual
duty in the category of bhāva-sambandhī, activity related to
one’s cherished mood.
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Accepting tulasī leaves, sandalwood paste, perfume,

garlands, and garments that have been offered to the Lord
is bhāva-sambandhī. Activities such as wearing neck beads
made from the holy tulasī plant and adorning the body with
Vaiṣṇava markings such as tilaka, stamps of the holy name and
of the Lord’s footprints marked with gopī-candana are bhāva-
anukūla, favorable to the development of one’s desired mood.
Serving tulasī, circumambulating her, and offering obeisances
to her are also bhāva-anukūla. Since it is helpful to honor the
cow, the banyan tree, the myrobalan tree, the brāhmaṇas, and so
on, such limbs of devotion are called bhāva-aviruddha, neutral to
the development of the desired sentiments.
Service to the Vaiṣṇavas possesses a special characteristic
in that it is included within all the practices of bhajana
already described (that is, bhāvamaya, bhāva-sambandhī,
bhāva-anukūla, and bhāva-aviruddha), and therefore must be
performed along with them.
All of the practices mentioned above are to be accepted as
one’s duties. For example, it is seen that Mother Yaśodā gives
more importance to diligently looking after the ingredients
of nourishment (poṣaka) – such as boiling milk, curd, and
butter – than she does to Kṛṣṇa Himself, who is the object to be
nourished (poṣya). As described in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam, even though her son was not yet satisfied, Mother
Yaśodā put Him down in the middle of feeding Him breast-
milk, so she could rescue the milk, which was boiling over.
Similarly, though śravaṇa, kīrtana, and so on may be
considered as poṣya (objects to be nourished) for rāgānuga-
bhaktas conversant in the principles of rasa, the special effort
they may make to practice the above-mentioned limbs –
which are considered poṣaka, objects that nourish śravaṇa,
kīrtana, and so on – cannot be considered improper.
Since ahaṅgrahopāsanā, nyāsa, mudrās, meditation on
Dvārakā, and worship of the Dvārakā queens are hindrances to
rāga-mārga-sādhana, they are prohibited. Hearing discourses
49
on Purāṇas other than Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is neutral – that is,

neither favorable nor unfavorable.
Bhakti is by nature eternally existent, fully sentient, and
spiritually blissful (sac-cid-ānanda-svarūpa) and is not subject
to transformation. Still, just to help us more easily under
stand this difficult subject matter, we have employed terms
such as upādāna-kāraṇa. In the scriptures that delineate the
science of devotional mellows, terms such as vibhāva and
anubhāva have been used to describe rasa. Similarly, upādāna
and other words have been used here to make this subject
easy to comprehend. May the saintly devotees forgive me
for this.
In Bhakti-sandarbha (Anuccheda 273), Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī
says, “ataeva yady anyāpi bhaktiḥ kalau kartavyā tadā tat
saṁyoge naivety uktam – in Kali-yuga, if one is practicing other
limbs of bhakti, it is obligatory to perform them along with
harināma-saṅkīrtana.” Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has also said
that harināma-saṅkīrtana is topmost of all the limbs of bhakti,
including smaraṇa:
manyāmahe kīrtanam eva sattamaṁ

lolātmakaika sva-hṛdi sphurat smṛteḥ
vāci sva-yukte manasi śrutau tathā
dīvyat parān apy upakurvad ātmavat
We consider that kīrtana (chanting the names of the

Lord) is superior to smaraṇa (remembrance of Him),
because smaraṇa appears in the heart only, and the
heart is flickering and unsteady by nature. Kīrtana,
however, directly manifests on the organ of speech
and automatically paints the mind with its own hue.
In the end, the sound of kīrtana not only satisfies one’s
own ears, but pleases all those who hear it.
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Smaraṇa does not have this power. Only kīrtana is

capable of subduing the mind, which is more restless than
the wind. Moreover, without kīrtana the mind is incapable
of performing smaraṇa. The mind cannot be made steady by
any means other than kīrtana. This is the deep meaning of the
above verse by Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī.
kṛṣṇasya nānā-vidha-kīrtaneṣu
tan-nāma-saṅkīrtanam eva mukhyam
tat-prema-sampajanane svayaṁ drāk
śaktaṁ tataḥ śreṣṭhatamaṁ mataṁ tat
Among the many types of śrī-kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, the

kīrtana of the Lord’s name is topmost and supremely
worshipful. Through śrī nāma-saṅkīrtana, the supreme
wealth of kṛṣṇa-prema manifests in the sādhaka’s heart
very quickly. This śrī nāma-saṅkīrtana is independently
capable of bestowing pure love for Kṛṣṇa, and therefore,
compared to smaraṇa and other limbs of bhakti, it is
considered the foremost.
Furthermore, śrī nāma-saṅkīrtana is both the practice

(sādhana) and the goal (sadhya). This is the conclusion of Śrīla
Sanātana Gosvāmī and other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas who are deeply
immersed in love for the Lord.
THUS ENDS
THE FIRST ILLUMINATION
51
SecoNd illUMInAtIoN
Text 1
nanu “na hāniṁ na glāniṁ na nija-gṛha-kṛtyaṁ vyasanitāṁ
na ghoraṁ nodaghūrṇāṁ na kila kadanaṁ vetti kim api |
varāṅgībhiḥ svāṅgīkṛta-suhṛd anaṅgābhir abhito, harir
vṛndāraṇye parama-niśam uccair viharati ||” ity ādibhya eva śrī
vṛndāvaneśvaryādi-prema-vilāsa-mugdhasya śrī vrajendra-sūnor
na kvāpi anyatrāvadhāna-sambhava ity avasīyate | tathā sati nānā
dig-deśa-vartibhir ananta-rāgānugīya-bhaktaiḥ kriyamāṇaṁ
paricaryādika kena svīkartavyam? vijñaptis tava pāṭhādikaṁ ca
kena śrotavyam? tad aṁśena paramātmanaivāṁśāṁśinor aikyād
iti cet samādhir ayaṁ samyag ādhir eva tādṛśa-kṛṣṇānurāgi-
bhaktānām | tarhi kā gatiḥ? sākṣāt śrīmad-uddhavoktir eva | sā ca
yathā – “mantreṣu māṁ vā upahūya yat tvam akuṇṭhitākhaṇḍa
sad-ātma-bodhaḥ | pṛccheḥ prabho mugdha ivāpramattas tan me
mano mohayatīva deva ||” asyārthaḥ – “mantreṣu jarāsandha-
vadha rājasūyādy-artha-gamana-vicārādiṣu prastuteṣu māṁ
vai niścitam upahūya yat pṛccheḥ uddhava tvam atra kiṁ
kartavyaṁ tad brūhi iti pṛccheḥ apṛcchaḥ akuṇṭhitaḥ kālādinā
akhaṇḍaḥ paripūrṇaḥ sadā sarvadika eva ātmano bodhaḥ samvic-
chaktir yasya sa mugdha iva yathā anyo mugdho janaḥ pṛcchati
tathety arthaḥ tat tava yugapad eva maugdhyaṁ sārvajñyaṁ ca
mohayatīva mohayaty eva | atra mugdha iva tvaṁ na tu mugdha
iti | mohayatīva na tu mohayati iti vyākhyāyāṁ saṅgaty abhāvāt |
asaṅgateṣu karmāṇy anīhasya bhavo ’bhavasyety ādi-vākyeṣu
madhye etad vākyasyopanyāso vyarthaḥ syād ity atas tathā na
vyākhyeyam | tataś ca dvārakā-līlāyāṁ saty api sārvajñye yathā
maugdhyaṁ tathaiva vṛndāvana-līlāyām api saty api maugdhye
sārvajñyaṁ tasyācintya-śakti-siddham eva mantavyam | ataeva
53
varṇitaṁ śrī-līlāśuka-caraṇaiḥ “sarvajñatve ca maugdhe ca

sārvabhaumam idaṁ maha iti ||”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of rasa and is always immersed

in amorous pastimes (rasa-vilāsa).
na hāniṁ na glāniṁ na nija-gṛha-kṛtyaṁ vyasanitāṁ

na ghoraṁ nodaghūrṇāṁ na kila kadanaṁ vetti kim api
varāṅgībhiḥ svāṅgīkṛta-suhṛd anaṅgābhir abhito
harir vṛndāraṇye parama-niśam uccair viharati
Surrounded by the beautiful Vraja maidens, Śrī

Śyāmasundara, having accepted Cupid (kandarpa) as
His heart’s nearest and dearest friend, is always so
absorbed in romantic intrigues in Śrī Vṛndāvana that
He remains completely unaware of anything else – any
kind of loss, lamentation, household duties, calamity,
fear, anxiety or defeat at the hands of His enemies.
This scriptural evidence reveals that Vrajendra-nandana

Śyāmasundara is so captivated by His loving affairs with
Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the other young wives of Vraja that He
has no chance to even think about anything else. This being
the case, who, then, accepts the service rendered by countless
rāgānuga devotees situated in so many countries in all the
directions? Who listens to the various kinds of prayers and
praises they offer to Him? One may resolve this uncertainty
by saying that the aṁśa, or portion, of Śrī Vrajendra-nandana,
Paramātmā, resides in the heart of every living entity. Since
there is no difference between the portion and the origin, it is
Paramātmā who accepts the service and hears the prayers and
hymns of the rāgānuga devotees – this itself is Śrī Vrajendra-
nandana’s accepting and listening.
However, for a rāgānuga devotee of Kṛṣṇa, such a propo
sition is as painful as a crippling disease. What then is the
solution? Śrī Uddhava provides the answer with these words:
54
Part One, Second Illumination
mantreṣu māṁ vā upahūya yat tvam

akuṇṭhitākhaṇḍa-sadātma-bodhaḥ
pṛccheḥ prabho mugdha ivāpramattas
tan no mano mohayatīva deva
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.4.17)
O my Lord, while pondering Your duty in regard to

killing Jarāsandha, attending the rājasūya-yajña, and
performing other responsibilities, You called me over
and, just like an ordinary, simple-minded person,
asked me, “O Uddhava, what is My obligation in this
situation?” Although You are full of unlimited, eternal
knowledge, which is undivided and unimpeded by time
and space, still You questioned me, just as an innocent
person approaches someone wise for advice about
some weighty matter. By simultaneously displaying
child-like unawareness (mugdhatā) and omniscience
(sarvajñatā), You are bewildering me.
Uddhava is saying, “Some people say that in reality You are

not perplexed but are only acting so, and that though You appear
to be bewildering me, I am not really bewildered. However,
such an explanation is inconsistent [with the truth].” One may
try to justify such an interpretation by inappropriately citing
seemingly relevant scriptural statements, such as Uddhava’s
proclamations, “You are without endeavor, yet You perform
karma,” and, “You are unborn, yet You take birth” (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 3.4.16). However, since this context is different,
such an explanation is not proper.
We must accept mugdhatā, or Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s quality of being
innocently unaware, in His Dvārakā pastimes despite the
presence of sarvajñatā, His being omniscient. Similarly in His
Vṛndāvana pastimes we are obliged to acknowledge sarvajñatā,
brought about by His inconceivable potency, despite the
presence of mugdhatā. Līlāśuka Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura has
55
given an identical explanation in Kṛṣṇa-karnāmṛta (83): “We

see that the apparently contradictory qualities of sarvajñatā
and mugdhatā co-exist in each and every one of the Lord’s
pastimes. Therefore, we must accept this as being accomplished
by His inconceivable potency.”
Text 2
atra sarvajñatvaṁ mahaiśvaryam eva na tu mādhuryaṁ,
mādhuryaṁ khalu tad eva yad aiśvarya vinābhūta kevala-nara-
līlatvena maugdhyam iti sthūla dhiyo bruvate ||
Someone may propose: “One should understand that

sarvajñatā here indicates an abundance of divine opulence
devoid of sweetness (mādhurya), while the mugdhatā that
results from completely setting aside opulence and imitating
human-like behavior is simply mādhurya.” Only dull-headed
people speak like this.
Text 3
mādhuryādikaṁ nirūpyate | mahaiśvaryasya dyotane vādyotane
canara-līlatvānatikramo mādhuryam | yathā pūtanā prāṇahāritve
’pistana-cūṣaṇa-lakṣaṇa-nara-bāla-līlatvam eva | mahā kaṭhora
śakaṭa-sphoṭane ’py ati sukumāra caraṇa traimāsikyottāna-
śāyibāla-līlatvam | mahā-dīrgha-dāmāśakya-bandhatve ’pi mātṛ-
bhīti-vaiklavyam | brahma-baladevādi-mohane ’pi sarvajñatve ’pi
vatsa-cāraṇa-līlatvam | tathā aiśvarya sattva eva tasyādyotane
dadhi-payaś-cauryaṁ gopa-strī-lāmpaṭyādikam | aiśvarya-rahita-
kevala-naralīlatvenamaugdhyam eva mādhuryam ity ukte˙ krīḍā
capala-prākṛta-nara-bālakeṣv api maugdhyaṁ, mādhuryam iti
tathā nanirvācyam ||
The conclusion regarding the Lord’s aspect of unassuming

sweetness (mādhurya) and related topics is that whether or
56
not divine opulence is exhibited, if the mood of human-like

pastimes is not transgressed even slightly, then it is called
mādhurya.
For example, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa killed the demoness Pūtanā,
He enacted the pastime of sucking her breast, behaving just
like an ordinary human child. While smashing the terrifying
and hard-hearted cart demon (Śakaṭāsura) with His extremely
tender lotus feet, Kṛṣṇa maintained human-like behavior as a
small baby of only three months, lying flat on His back. Even
when Mother Yaśodā could not bind Him with the longest
rope, Kṛṣṇa appeared completely perturbed out of fear of her.
In brahma-vimohana-līlā1, having baffled Brahmā, Baladeva, and
everyone else, Kṛṣṇa was seen tending the cows and calves just
like an ordinary human boy, even while personally remaining
omniscient. Moreover, even though Kṛṣṇa’s great opulence
(aiśvarya) is present when He is seen performing the pastimes
of stealing milk and yogurt and acting lustily toward the en
chanting young cowherd maidens, that aiśvarya is not apparent.
If the Lord’s mugdhatā were to be called mādhurya simply
because without displaying any divine opulence it corre
sponds with human activities, then the mugdhatā shown by
any ordinary restless and playful child would also have to be
called mādhurya. Therefore, it is completely wrong to explain
mādhurya in this way.
Text 4
aiśvaryaṁ tu nara-līlatvasyānapekṣitatve sati īśvaratvāviṣkāraḥ |
yathā mātṛ-pitarau prati aiśvaryaṁ darśayitvā – etad vāṁ darśitaṁ
rūpaṁ prāg janma smaraṇāya me | nānyathā mad bhavaṁ jñānaṁ
martya-liṅgena jāyate ||” ity uktam | yathā arjunaṁ prati “paśya
me rūpam aiśvaram” ity uktvā aiśvaryaṁ darśitam | vraje ’pi
brahmāṇaṁ prati mañju-mahima-darśane paraḥ sahasra-catur-
bhujatvādikam apīti ||
1 This pastime is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter 13.
57
To exclusively manifest the sentiment of being the supreme

controller of existence (īśvara-bhāva) while disregarding the
human-like mood of nara-līlā is called aiśvarya.
When revealing His magnificence, Kṛṣṇa said to His par
ents Śrī Vasudeva and Devakī (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.3.44),
“O Father, O Mother, I have shown you My four-armed
form just to remind you of your previous birth. Otherwise,
if you had only observed My human-like characteristics, you
would not have understood Me.” In the same way, He told
Arjuna (Bhagavad-gītā 9.5), “Behold My magnificent form!”
and revealed His aiśvarya. In Śrī Vṛndāvana also, even while
displaying the glories of His charming beauty, He showed
Brahmā thousands upon thousands of His four-armed forms.
Text 5
atha bhakta niṣṭham aiśvarya-jñānam. ataeva “yuvāṁ na naḥ
sutau sākṣāt pradhāna-puruṣeśvarau” ity ādi vasudevokteḥ
“sakheti matvā prasabhaṁ yad uktam” ity arjunokteś ca īśvaro
’yam ity anusandhāne ’pi hṛt-kampa-janaka-sambhrama-
gandhasya anudgamāt svīya bhāvasyāti-sthairyam eva yad
utpādayati tan mādhurya-jñānam | yathā – “vandinas tam
upadeva gaṇā ye, gīta-vādya-valibhiḥ paribabruḥ ||” iti
“vandyamāna-caraṇaḥ pathi vṛddhaiḥ ||” iti ca yugala-gītokteḥ,
goṣṭhaṁ prati gavānayana-samaye brahmendra-nāradādibhiḥ
kṛtasya kṛṣṇa-stuti-gīta-vādyaṁ pūjopahāra-pradāna-pūrvaka-
caraṇa-vandanasya dṛṣṭatve ’pi śrīdāma-subalādīnāṁ sakhya-
bhāvasyāśaithilyam | tasya tasya śrutatve ’pi vrajābalānāṁ
madhura-bhāvasyāśaithilyam | tathaiva vraja-rāja-kṛta-tad-
āśvāsana-vākyair vrajeśvaryā api nāsti vātsalya-śaithilya gandho
’pi praty uta dhanyaivāhaṁ yasyāyaṁ mama putraḥ parameśvara
iti manasy abhinandane putra-bhāvasya dārḍhyam eva | yathā
prākṛtyā api mātuḥ putrasya pṛthvīśvaratve sati tat-putra-
prabhāvaḥ sphīta evāvabhāti | evaṁ dhanyā eva vayaṁ yeṣāṁ
sakhā ca parameśvara iti yāsāṁ preyān parameśvara iti sakhānāṁ
58
preyasīnāṁ ca sva sva-bhāva dārḍhyam eva jñeyam | kiṁ ca

saṁyoge sati aiśvarya-jñānaṁ na samyag avabhāsate, saṁyogasya
śaityāt candrātapa-tulyatvāt virahe tv aiśvarya-jñānaṁ saṁyag
avabhāsate | virahasyauṣṇayā sūryātapa-tulyatvāt | tad api
hṛt-kampa-sambhramādarāya bhāvān naiśvarya-jñānam |
yad uktam–“mṛgayur iva kapīndraṁ vivyadhe lubdha-dharmā
striyam akṛta-virūpāṁ strī-jitaḥ kāmayānām | balim api bali-
matvāveṣṭayad dhvāṅkṣavad yas tad alam asita-sakhyair dustyajas
tat kathārtha” iti | atra vrajaukasāṁ govardhana-dhāraṇāt
pūrvaṁ kṛṣṇa īśvara iti jñānaṁ nāsīt | govardhana-dhāraṇa
varuṇa-loka gamanānantaraṁ tu kṛṣṇo ’yam īśvara eveti jñāne ’py
ukta prakāreṇa śuddhaṁ mādhurya-jñānam eva pūrṇam | varuṇa-
vakyenoddhava-vākyena ca sākṣād īśvara-jñāne ’pi “yuvāṁ na naḥ
sutāv iti” vasudeva vākyavat vrajeśvarasya “na me putraḥ kṛṣṇa”
iti manasy api manāg api noktiḥ śruyate iti tasmād vraja-sthānāṁ
sarvathaiva śuddham eva mādhurya-jñānaṁ pūrṇaṁ pura-
sthānāṁ tu aiśvarya-jñāna-miśraṁ mādhurya-jñānaṁ pūrṇam ||
Now a description of devotees who are steadfast in

aiśvarya-jñāna will be presented. Śrī Vasudeva told Śrī Kṛṣṇa
and Śrī Baladeva, “You are not my sons. You are directly the
Supreme Personalities of Godhead.” Arjuna also, after seeing
Kṛṣṇa’s universal form, said, “O Kṛṣṇa, please forgive me
for whatever I may have said earlier out of carelessness or
affection, not realizing Your glories” (Bhagavad-gītā 11.41).
The statements of these devotees reveal that their respec
tive parental and fraternal moods diminished upon seeing
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s divine opulence. This is called aiśvarya-jñāna.
Inversely, even after knowing [meaning ‘after hearing’]2
that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord Himself, not the slightest
2 In footnotes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, and 14 of this chapter, summaries of
Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s additional explanations of the esoteric
truths (tattva) in this book are presented. The exact date and place of his
explanations in full are given in endnote 1.
Here, Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja has stated that ‘to know’ or
‘to have knowledge of’ (jñāna) means ‘to have heard from others,’ such as
Paurṇamāsī and Gargācārya. It does not mean, ‘I know,’ or ‘I have realization.’
59
scent of any heart-wrenching awe and reverence is produced,

but instead the mood of one’s established relationship
with Śrī Kṛṣṇa remains firm, then that awareness is called
mādhurya-jñāna.
The Yugala-gīta (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto,
Chapter Thirty-five) states, [The gopīs tell Mother Yaśodā,]
“Gandharvas and other sub-demigods devoted to the Śrutis
surrounded Śrī Kṛṣṇa on all four sides and worshiped Him
with hymns, flowers, and other paraphernalia,” and, “Lord
Brahmā and others offered obeisances at His lotus feet as He
herded the cows along the path.” These statements show that
the cowherd boys headed by Śrīdāma and Subala saw Brahmā,
Indra, Nārada, and other demigods offer prayers with songs
and musical instruments, and worship with all paraphernalia
and obeisances at Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet as He returned from the
forest. Nevertheless, their mood of natural friendship with
Kṛṣṇa was not even slightly diminished.
Upon hearing of this from the cowherd boys, the Vraja
maidens were seen to exhibit an unshakable fixation in their
amorous feelings (madhura-bhāva) for the Lord. In the same
way, there was not the slightest weakening of Vrajeśvarī
Śrīmatī Yaśodā’s maternal mood when she heard the words
that Vrajarāja Nanda Bābā spoke to pacify the Vrajavāsīs.
Rather, due to the manifestation of maternal pride, her
maternal love for Kṛṣṇa only strengthened, and she felt. “I
am blessed that my son is the Supreme Lord Himself.” 3 These
words indicate that the surge of maternal pride in the heart
3 Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja has explained that after Kṛṣṇa lifted
Govardhana Hill, the elderly gopas of Vraja talked with Nanda Bābā about
Kṛṣṇa possibly being a demigod, God, or someone like God, and that perhaps
he should refrain from chastising Him. Nanda Bābā chuckled and replied
that because Kṛṣṇa always lies, steals, becomes angry, and creates mischief,
it is impossible for Him to be so. He told them, “If my son is God, I offer my
obeisances to Him; nevertheless, I will chastise Him.” His actual meaning,
however, is “Kṛṣṇa is not God. He is my son.” Hearing her husbsand’s words,
Mother Yaśodā also laughed at the idea that Kṛṣṇa could be anyone other
than her begotten son.
60
of Yaśodā strengthened her vātsalya-bhāva in the same way

that an ordinary mother whose son becomes the ruler of the
world immediately feels even more motherly love for him.4
The sakhās said, “We, too, are blessed that our friend is the
Supreme Lord,” and the vraja-gopīs said, “We are blessed that
our beloved is the Supreme Lord.”5 From these statements we
can understand that even after the knowledge that Kṛṣṇa is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead came to their attention
(īśvara-jñāna)6, the individual moods of the Vrajavāsīs became
strengthened rather than diminished.7
4 Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja explains that the residents of Vraja, even
the grass and creepers, never believe that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. To them,
He is simply a friend, a son, or a beloved, and assertions of His Godhood by
others are met with sarcasm and humor: “Yes, you are right. Be right. Very
good! If He is the Supreme Lord, then it is my desire that all become devoted
to Him.” And thus the conversation about His Godhood ends.
5 Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja has explained that Śrīla Viśvanātha
Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s words and heart are not understood by the general
reader. They are realized and then explained by pure Vaiṣṇavas by dint of
their own unalloyed bhakti practices. Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura is quoting the
version of the gopīs here, not the version of Brahmā or Śiva. According to the
gopīs, the sakhās words are spoken in jest.
Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has also discussed this incident in his
Govinda-līlāmṛta. He writes that after the playful gopas saw the demigods
bowing down to Kṛṣṇa and glorifying Him as the Supreme Lord, as the lifter
of Govardhana Hill, as the killer of demons, and so on, they came before
Kṛṣṇa, laughing and mimicking the demigods' behavior with Him. They
considered the demigods bewildered to have glorified their friend in such a
way, for they saw that it was due to Nanda Mahārāja’s worship of Lord Viṣṇu
that Lord Viṣṇu had invested His power in Him.
6 The word īśvara-jñāna can be understood in two ways: (1) one’s own
realization that Kṛṣṇa is God and (2) hearing that He is God from others, but
not believing it. Here, it means they did not believe it.
7 Threatening Kṛṣṇa with a stick, Nanda Bābā may say with affectionate
sarcasm, “Oh, I have heard that You are the Supreme Lord; I will worship
You.” In fact, his inner meaning is the opposite: “I know that You are just an
unruly child.”
In Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s commentary on Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam, he explains that when Uddhava informed Nanda Bābā that Kṛṣṇa
is God, again Nanda Bābā responded with words of sarcasm. Similarly, at
the time of the solar eclipse, when Kṛṣṇa met the gopīs at Kurukṣetra, their
praises of His Godhood were spoken in pure jest. And in Gopī-gīta, Verse 9,
the words spoken by the gopīs in Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s party were also full of irony.
61
When the Vrajavāsīs meet with the Lord, aiśvarya-jñāna

does not manifest in them. Meeting is like the cool rays of
the moon, but separation is like the scorching rays of the
sun. Due to the burning pain of separation, aiśvarya-jñāna
sometimes momentarily manifests. Even then, because of the
absence of reverence, the heart does not palpitate and feelings
of awe are not aroused; hence, this cannot really be accepted
as aiśvarya-jñāna.
For example, in Bhramara-gīta (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
Tenth Canto, Chapter Fourty-seven) the gopīs say, “In His
incarnation as Rāma, as if an ordinary hunter, He pierced
from a hidden place the monkey king Bāli with arrows.
Generally, a hunter kills animals out of excessive greed for
flesh, but Rāma killed Bāli without reason. Thus, He is even
crueler than a hunter. Furthermore, being subjugated by
a woman (His wife Sītā), He cut off the lusty Śūrpaṇakhā’s
nose and ears. In His incarnation as Vāmana, like a crow
[who snatches a fragment of food and then kicks away the
basket from where he took it] He accepted Mahārāja Bali’s
worship and then bound him with the noose of Varuṇadeva.
Therefore, we do not want any kind of friendship with that
black-complexioned person. But still, we continue to talk
about Him, as it is extremely difficult for us to give this up.”
This verse from Bhramara-gīta (10.47.17) reflects the
distinct moods of the Vraja maidens, who did not nurture any
special awe and reverence for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, even after knowing
[hearing] of His opulence. Before Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana
Hill, the Vrajavāsīs had no aiśvarya-bhāva and never thought,
“Our Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord.” And although they were
confronted with evidence that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord
after He lifted Govardhana, and even when He returned
from Varuṇaloka,8 the Vrajavāsīs’ hearts were filled only with
feelings of pure mādhurya-jñāna, just as before.
8 When Nanda Bābā saw Varuṇadeva and his associates worshiping Kṛṣṇa,
he was astonished and considered they offered such respect simply because
Kṛṣṇa was a wonderful child.
62
Śrī Vasudeva said to Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva, “Neither of You

are my sons.” In contrast, although knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s
divine opulence arose in Nanda Bābā’s heart after he heard
from Varuṇadeva and Uddhava, Nanda Bābā never had the
sentiment that “Kṛṣṇa is not my son,” nor is it mentioned
anywhere that he ever spoke in this way to anyone.9 Thus
we can see that the Vrajavāsīs were always completely full of
spotlessly pure mādhurya-jñāna. In contrast, the mādhurya-
jñāna of the associates of Dvārakā was mixed with awareness
of the Lord’s aiśvarya.
Text 6
nanu pure vasudeva-nandanaḥ kṛṣṇo ’yam aham īśvara eva iti
nara-līlatve ’pi jānāty eva yathā tathaiva nanda-nandanaḥ kṛṣṇaṁ
svam īśvaratvena vraje jānāti na vā? yadi jānāti tadā dāma-
bandhanādi-līlāyāṁ mātṛ-bhīti-hetukāśru-pātādikaṁ na ghaṭate
| tadādikam anukaraṇam eveti vyākhyā tu manda-matīnām eva
na tv abhijña-bhaktānām | tathāvyākhyān asyābhijña-sammatatve
“gopy ādade tvayi kṛtāgasi dāma yāvad yā te daśāśru-kalilāñjana-
sambhramākṣam | vaktraṁ nilīya bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya sa
māṁ vimohayati bhīr api yad bibheti ||” ity uktavatyāṁ kuntyāṁ
moho naiva varṇyeta | tathā hi bhīr api yad bibheti ity uktyaiva
kuntyā atraiśvarya-jñānaṁ vyaktī-bhūtaṁ bhaya-bhāvanayā
sthitasya ity antarbhayasya ca tayā satyatvam evābhimatam |
anukaraṇa-mātratve jñāte tasyā moho na sambhaved iti jñeyam
| yadi ca svam īśvaratvena na jānāti tadā tasya nitya jñānānanda
ghanasya nitya jñānāvaraṇaṁ kena kṛtam iti? – atrocyate |
yathā saṁsāra-bandhe nipātya duḥkham evānubhāvayituṁ
māyāvṛttir avidyā jīvānāṁ jñānam āvṛṇoti, yathā ca mahā-
madhura-śrī-kṛṣṇa-līlā-sukham anubhāvayituṁ guṇātītānāṁ
9 Take the example of a piece of straw placed in a large pot of boiling milk.
That straw remains visible on the surface only for a second before totally
disappearing into the milk. One will not be able find it. Aiśvarya, likened to
the straw in that milk, is concealed by the fathomless ocean of mādhurya in
Vraja. One has no way of knowing that it is there.
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śrī-kṛṣṇa-parivārāṇāṁ vrajeśvaryādīnāṁ jñānaṁ cic-chakti-vṛttir

yogamāyaivāvṛṇoti, tathaiva śrī kṛṣṇam ānanda-svarūpam apy
ānandātiśayam anubhāvayituṁ cic-chakti-sāra-vṛttiḥ premaiva
tasya jñānam āvṛṇoti | premṇas tu tat svarūpa-śaktitvāt tena
tasya vyāpter na doṣaḥ | yathā hy avidyā sva-vṛttyā mamatayā
jīvaṁ duḥkhayitum eva badhnāti, yathā daṇḍanīya janasya
gātra-bandhanaṁ rajju-nigaḍādinā mānanīya-janasyāpi gātra-
bandhanam anargha-sugandha-sūkṣma-kañcukoṣṇīṣādinā, ity
avidyādhīno jīvo duḥkhī, premādhīnaḥ kṛṣṇo ’ti sukhī | kṛṣṇasya
premāvaraṇa-svarūpaḥ sukha-viśeṣa-bhoga eva mantavyaḥ, yathā
bhṛṅgasya kamala-koṣāvaraṇa-rūpaḥ | ataevoktaṁ “nāpaiṣi
nātha hṛdayāmburuhāt svapuṁsām” iti praṇaya-rasanayā
dhṛtāṅghri-padme iti ca | kiṁ ca yathaivāvidyayā svatāratamye
jñānāvaraṇa-tāratamyāt jīvasya pañca-vidha-kleśa-tāratamyaṁ
vidhīyate, tathaiva premṇāpi sva-tāratamyena jñānaiśvaryādy-
āvaraṇa-tāratamyāt sva-viṣayāśrayayor ananta-prakāraṁ
sukha-tāratamyaṁ vidhīyate iti | tatra kevala premā śrī yaśodādi
niṣṭhaḥ sva viṣayāśrayau mamatā rasanayā nibadhya paraspara-
vaśībhūtau vidhāya jñānaiśvary-ādikam āvṛtya yathādhikaṁ
sukhayati na tathā devakyādi-niṣṭho jñānaiśvarya miśra iti |
tasmāt tāsāṁ vrajeśvaryādīnāṁ sannidhau tad vātsalyādi-prema-
mugdhaḥ śrī kṛṣṇaḥ svam īśvaratvena naiva jānāti | yat tu nānā-
dānava-dāvā-nalādy-utpātāgama-kāle tasya sārvajñāṁ dṛṣtaṁ tat
khalu tat tat premī parijana-pālana-prayojanikayā līlā-śaktyaiva
sphūritaṁ jñeyam | kiṁ ca maugdhya samaye ’pi tasya sādhaka-
bhakta-paricaryādi-grahaṇe sārvajñyam acintya-śakti-siddham
iti prāk pratipāditam | tad evaṁ vidhi-mārga-rāga-mārgayor
viveka aiśvaryya mādhuryayor viveka aiśvarya-jñāna mādhurya-
jñānayor vivekaś ca darśitaḥ | svakīyā-parakīyātvayor vivekas tu
ujjvala-nīlamaṇi vyākhyāyāṁ vistārita eva |
tatra vidhi-mārgeṇa rādhā-kṛṣṇayor bhajane mahā-vaikuṇṭha-

stha-goloke khalv avivikta-svakīyā-parakīyā-bhāvam aiśvarya-
jñānaṁ prāpnoti | madhura-bhāva-lobhitve sati vidhi-mārgeṇa
bhajane dvārakāyāṁ śrī-rādhā-satyabhāmayor aikyāt satyabhāmā-
parikaratvena svakīyā-bhāvam aiśvarya-jñāna-miśra-mādhurya-
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jñānaṁ prāpnoti | rāga-mārgeṇa bhajane vraja-bhūmau śrī-rādhā-

parikaratvena parakīyā-bhāvaṁ śuddha-mādhurya-jñānaṁ prāpnoti |
yadyapi śrī rādhikā śrī kṛṣṇasya svarūpa-bhūtā hlādinī śaktiḥ, tasyā
api śrī kṛṣṇaḥ eva tad api tayor līlā sahitayor evopāsyatvaṁ na tu
līlā rahitayoḥ, līlāyāṁ tu tayor vraja-bhūmau kvāpy ārṣa-śāstre
dāmpatyaṁ na pratipāditam iti śrī rādhā hi prakaṭāprakaṭa-
prakāśayoḥ parakīyaiva iti sarvārtha niṣkarṣa-saṅkṣepaḥ ||
Here a question may be raised: Vasudeva-nandana Śrī

Kṛṣṇa performed human-like pastimes in Dvārakā with the
awareness that “I am the Supreme Lord.” Did Nanda-nandana
Śrī Kṛṣṇa have this same perception in His Vṛndāvana pastimes
or not? If one says, “Yes, He knew it,” then at the time of being
bound by Mother Yaśodā in dāma-bandhana-līlā 10, tears would
not have flowed from His eyes out of fear of her.
It is not befitting for learned devotees to suggest that
His fear and tears of fright were simply a show. Only less
intelligent people will say this. If the learned devotees were
to accept this explanation, then Kuntī-devī would not have
said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.8.31), “O Kṛṣṇa, when You broke
the yogurt pot, Mother Yaśodā decided to punish You so
that You would not create such mischief again in the future.
When out of anger she started to bind You with a rope, Your
eyes became agitated out of fear, and tears, mixed with kajjala,
flowed down Your cheeks and drenched Your chest. At that
time, frightened of Your mother, although fear personified is
himself afraid of You, You lowered Your head and hid Your
face behind her. Remembrance of You in such a condition
leaves me bewildered.”
Through these statements, Kuntī-devī has expressed
aiśvarya-jñāna, as is indicated by the phrase ‘fear personified
is himself afraid of You.’ Her words ‘frightened of Your
mother’ signify that the fear in the heart of Kṛṣṇa was not
artificial; it was genuinely felt by Him. This is the conclusive
10 The pastime of Mother Yaśodā binding Kṛṣṇa to a grinding mortar is
narrated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter Nine.
65
opinion of Kuntī-devī. If she had thought that Kṛṣṇa was

pretending to be afraid, she would not have been puzzled.
Yet, if we say that He did not know He is the Supreme Lord,
then the question arises as to what it is that covers the eternal
knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, who is the personification of unending
bliss and knowledge.
We see that ignorance (avidyā), as the function of the
illusory potency (māyā), throws all living entities into the
bondage of the material world and veils the knowledge of
their constitutional position to make them experience only
suffering. In the same way, the embodiment of the function of
the spiritual potency (cit-śakti) – that is, the pastime potency
(līlā-śakti) Yogamāyā – covers the knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
associates such as Mother Yaśodā, who are beyond the three
modes of nature. This enables them to taste the mellows of
the happiness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s supremely sweet pastimes.
Similarly, the essence of cit-śakti, namely prema, also
covers Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s own knowledge of His nature – that He is
the very personification of divine pleasure itself (ānanda-
svarūpa) – to enable Him to relish a greater abundance of
ecstasy. Prema is also Kṛṣṇa’s internal, intrinsic potency
(svarūpa-śakti). Therefore there is no fault in its covering His
identity (svarūpa).
Ignorance binds the living entities by its tendency to
create attachment, and thereby inflicts agony upon them.
Criminals are bound by ropes and chains, causing them to
experience suffering, whereas respectable people find great
satisfaction in adorning themselves with pleasing, costly,
fragrant, fine, soft clothes – like kurtās and turbans – which
also constitute a type of bondage. Similarly, the conditioned
souls, bound by ignorance, experience only misery in the state
of bondage, whereas Kṛṣṇa becomes happy under the control
of prema. Kṛṣṇa savors great joy in being bound by love, just
as the bumblebee feels happy in being enclosed in the whorl
of a lotus flower. Therefore it is said, “O Lord, You do not
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leave the lotus-like hearts of Your devotees,” and, “Devotees

have bound Your lotus feet with ropes of love.”
In this world, the extent to which one’s knowledge is
covered depends on the degree of one’s ignorance, and
accordingly, one will experience five kinds of misery (kleśa)11.
Similarly, various degrees of prema suppress the knowledge
and opulence of both the object (viṣaya) and receptacle
(āśraya) of prema, enabling them to taste the happiness of
unlimited varieties of rasa according to the level of their
love. Thus, the love of Mother Yaśodā and other Vrajavāsīs
(the āśraya of prema) binds their viṣaya, Kṛṣṇa, with the ropes
of possessiveness (mamatā), and vice versa. By their mutual
love, viṣaya and āśraya bring one another under control, thus
showering an excess of joy upon both. On the other hand,
the prema that is mixed with awareness of the Lord’s great
opulence found in Vasudeva, Devakī, and other residents
of Mathurā and Dvārakā is not capable of bestowing such
happiness upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is so captivated by the parental love of Vrajeśvarī
Yaśodā and the other older gopīs that He is not aware that He is
the Supreme Lord. When disturbances from demons and forest
fires occur, whatever omniscience is seen in Śrī Kṛṣṇa is only
to protect His dearest devotees. One should understand that
His pastime-potency (līlā-śakti) causes Him to momentarily
display His omniscience. Furthermore, whatever omniscience
is present at the time of Kṛṣṇa’s mugdhatā is simply to allow
Him to accept the service rendered by sādhakas. This omni
science, also, is instilled in Him by His inconceivable potency,
as previously established.
In this way I have expounded a philosophical deliberation
on vidhi-mārga and rāga-mārga, the Lord’s aspects of aiśvarya
and mādhurya, and His devotees’ awareness of these aspects
11 The five types of kleśa are: avidyā (ignorance), asmitā (false ego), rāga
(attachment), dveṣa (hatred), and abhiniveśa (absorption in bodily enjoyment).
67
(aiśvarya-jñāna and mādhurya-jñāna). I have also presented an

elaborate analysis of the distinctions between svakīya-bhāva
and parakīya-bhāva in Ānanda-candrikā, my commentary on
Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda’s Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi [a summary of which
is given in Part Two].
By performing bhajana of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in vidhi-mārga,
one attains aiśvarya-jñāna, which does not differentiate
between the moods of marital and paramour love in Goloka,
and which is situated within the realm of Mahā-Vaikuṇṭha.
If by being covetous of madhura-rasa one performs bhajana
in vidhi-mārga, then, as Śrī Rādhā and Satyabhāmā are one,
the sādhaka becomes an associate of Satyabhāmā in Dvārakā
in the mood of marital love, attaining mādhurya-jñāna mixed
with aiśvarya-jñāna. By being covetous of madhura-rasa and
performing bhajana by rāga-mārga, one becomes an associate
of Śrīmatī Rādhikā in Vraja in the mood of paramour love
and attains pure mādhurya-jñāna.
Although Śrīmatī Rādhikā is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s own pleasure po
tency, and Kṛṣṇa is also Rādhikā’s very own svakīya-jana, Her
own property, it is nonetheless one’s perpetual duty to serve
the Divine Couple, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala, along with Their
pastimes, and not Kṛṣṇa alone without His pastimes.
None of the scriptures written by the sages has determined
that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa of Vraja are married. Therefore Śrīmatī
Rādhikā, in both Her manifest and unmanifest pastimes
(prakaṭa- and aprakaṭa-līlās), is attributed with having the
mood of a paramour, not that of a wife. In this way the essence
of all topics has been briefly presented here in this text.
Text 7
atha rāgānugā bhakti-majjanasyānartha nivṛtti niṣṭhā-rucy-
āsakty-antaraṁ prema-bhūmikārūḍhasya sākṣāt svābhīṣṭa-
prāpti-prakāraḥ pradarśyate | yathojjvala nīlamaṇau “tad-
bhāva-baddha-rāgā ye janās te sādhane ratāḥ | tad yogyam
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anurāgaughaṁ prāpyot-kaṇṭhānusārataḥ | ta ekaśo ’thavā

dvi-trāḥ kāle kāle vraje ’bhavan” iti | anurāgaughaṁ rāgānugā
bhajanautkaṇṭhyaṁ na tv anurāga-sthāyinaṁ sādhaka-dehe
’nurāgotpatty-asambhavāt | vraje ’bhavann iti avatāra-samaye
nitya-priyādyā yathā āvirbhavanti tathaiva gopikā-garbhe
sādhana-siddhā apy āvirbhavanti | tataś ca nitya-siddhādi-
gopīnāṁ mahā-bhāva-vatīnāṁ saṅga-mahimnā darśana-śravaṇa-
kīrtanādibhiḥ sneha-māna-praṇaya-rāgānurāga-mahābhāvā
api tatra gopikā-dehe utpadyante | pūrva-janmani sādhaka-
dehe teṣām utpattyasambhavāt | ataeva vraje kṛṣṇa preyasīnām
asādhāraṇāni lakṣaṇāni | yad uktam – “gopīnāṁ paramānanda
āsīd govinda-darśane | kṣaṇaṁ yuga-śatam iva yāsāṁ yena vinā
bhaved” iti | “truṭir yugāyate tvām apaśyatām” ityādi ca | kṣanasya
yuga-śatāyamānatvaṁ mahābhāva-lakṣaṇam |
nanu prema-bhūmikārūḍhasya sādhakasya deha-bhaṅge saty

evāprakaṭa-prakāśe gopī-garbhāj janmanā vinā eva gopikā-deha-
prāptau satyāṁ tatraiva nitya-siddha-gopikā-saṅgodbhūtānāṁ
snehādīnāṁ bhāvānāṁ prāptiḥ syād ity evaṁ kiṁ na brūṣe?
maivam | gopī-garbhāj janmanā vinā iyaṁ sakhī kasyāḥ putrī kasya
vadhūḥ kasya strī ity ādi nara-līlatā vyavahāro na sidhyet | tarhy
aprakaṭa-prakāśa eva janmāstīti cen naivaṁ, prapañcāgocarasya
vṛndāvanīya-prakāśasya sādhakānāṁ prāpañcika-lokānāṁ
ca praveśādarśanena siddhānām eva praveśa-darśanena
jñāpitāt kevala-siddha-bhūmitvāt snehādayo bhāvās tatra sva-
sva-sādhanair api tūrṇaṁ na phalanti, ato yogamāyayā jāta-
premāṇo bhaktās te prapañca-gocare vṛndāvana-prakāśe eva
śrī-kṛṣṇāvatāra-samaye nīyante tatrotpatty-anantaraṁ śrī
kṛṣṇāṅga-saṅgāt pūrvam eva tat tad bhāva siddhy-artham | tatra
sādhaka-bhaktānāṁ karmī prabhṛtināṁ siddha-bhaktānāṁ
ca praveśa-darśanenaivānu-bhūyate sādhaka-bhūmitvaṁ
siddha-bhūmitvaṁ ca | nanu tarhy etāv antaṁ kālaṁ taiḥ
paramotkaṇṭhair bhaktaiḥ kva sthātavyam? tatrocyate | sādhaka-
deha-bhaṅga-samaye eva tasmai premavate bhaktāya cira-
samaya-vidhṛta-sākṣāt-sevābhilāṣa-mahotkaṇṭhāya bhagavatā
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kṛpayaiva sa-parikarasya svasya darśanaṁ tad-abhilaṣaṇīya

sevādikaṁ cālabdha-snehādi prema-bhedāyāpi sakṛd dīyate eva
yathā nāradāyaiva | cid-ānandamayī gopikā tanuś ca dīyate |
saiva tanur yogamāyayā vṛndāvanīya-prakaṭa-prakāśe kṛṣṇa-
parivāra-prādurbhāva-samaye gopī-garbhād udbhāvyate | nātra
kāla-vilamba-gandho ’pi | prakaṭa-līlāyā api vicchedābhāvāt |
yasminn eva brahmāṇḍe tadānīṁ vṛndāvanīya-līlānāṁ prākaṭya
tatraivāsyām eva vraja-bhūmau, ataḥ sādhaka-premi-bhakta-
deha-bhaṅga-sama-kāle ’pi sa-parikara śrī-kṛṣṇa-prādurbhāvaḥ
sadaivāsti, iti bho bho mahānurāgi sotkaṇṭha-bhaktā mā bhaiṣṭa
susthiras tiṣṭhata svasty evāsti bhavadbhya iti ||
It will now be described how a rāgānuga devotee directly

attains the desired goal by gradually advancing through
the devotional stages of anartha-nivṛtti (the elimination of
impediments), niṣṭhā (resolute determination), ruci (strong
taste), āsakti (deep attachment), and finally ascention to the
realm of prema (divine love).12 Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (3.49) states:
12 The revelation of the rāgānuga sādhaka’s eternal spiritual identity begins
to manifest at the stage of āsakti. Still, rāgānuga-sādhana in its immature state
may begin at the stage of śraddhā, or faith, before the stage of anartha-nivṛtti.
Here, śraddhā refers to that very rare śraddhā imbued with intense longing,
which arises out of hearing about the unparalleled sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s
pastimes (bhagavad-līlā-mādhurya-lobhamayi-śraddhā). This type of faith is the
qualification for rāgānuga-bhakti. This is in contrast with faith that is devoid
of intense longing and is governed by the principles of the scriptures (śāstra-
avadhāraṇā-mayī-śrāddha), which is the qualification for vaidhī-bhakti.
In this text, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura is describing sādhakas
who have sufficient saṁskāras from their past lives mixed with the saṁskāras
of rasika-vaiṣṇava association in this life, or at least sufficient saṁskāras from
their past lives (as discussed in Text 6). Such rāgānuga-bhaktas will thus
advance very quickly through the stages of bhakti.
Although they were eternally perfect associates of the Lord, our gosvāmīs
played the role of rāgānuga-sādhakas passing through the various stages of
bhakti. In this way they exemplified how a sādhaka overcomes obstacles on
the path of bhakti, which are caused by anarthas.
An example is Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s learning in his
childhood how to chant harināma from Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura and learning
from Yadunandana Ācārya that he is Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant, but not
yet receiving greed. He met with obstacles even after he met Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu for the first time, and even when he met the Lord in Purī.
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tad-bhāva-baddha-rāgā ye
janās te sādhane ratāḥ
tad-yogyam anurāgaughaṁ
prāpyotkaṇṭhānusārataḥ
tā ekaśo ’thavā dvi-trāḥ
kāle kāle vraje ’bhavan
Those who were especially attracted to the moods of the

Vrajavāsīs performed sādhana-bhajana by way of rāga-
mārga. Eventually they attained a wealth of suitable
fervor required for worship in spontaneous love, and
in due time, according to their eagerness, they took
birth in Vraja-bhūmi, either alone or in groups of two
or three.
The word anurāgaugha in the verse above indicates appro

priate eagerness for performing rāgānuga-bhajana. It does not
refer to the intense attachment (anurāga) comprising one’s
permanent devotional sentiment (sthāyibhāva), because there
Later in his ‘development,’ he manifested the symptoms of a siddha, such
as getting indigestion from taking too much of Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s sweet rice
prasādam, when he had only taken it in his meditation.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, also, played the role of a sādhaka, and he mercifully
demonstrated the danger of offending a Vaiṣṇava, even when one has the
qualification to perform internal bhajana. He laughed as he meditated
on a pastime of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa just as a crippled Kañja-kṛṣṇa dāsa was
passing by. Kañja-kṛṣṇa dāsa was offended, thinking that Rūpa Gosvāmī was
laughing at him, and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s meditation broke. Rūpa Gosvāmī
immediately understood that he had offended a Vaiṣṇava.
Similarly, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, in his role, had to face so many
obstacles when leaving the service of the Mughal emperor of Bengal.
Regarding the practice of rāgānuga- and vaidhī-bhakti, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī
states in Bhakti-sandarbha (311):
ajāta-tādṛṣa-rucinā tu sad-viśeṣa-ādara-mātrādṛtā rāgānugā api vaidhī
samvalitaiva anuṣṭheyā. tathā loka-saṅgrahārtham pratiṣṭhitena jāta-tādṛśa-
rucinā ca. atra miśratve ca yathā yogyam rāgānugayaiki-kṛtyaiva vaidhī kartavyā.
If a sādhaka, though not yet having attained taste for executing the limbs of
bhakti, has regard for rāgānuga-bhakti, he may then perform vaidhī-bhakti mixed
with the practices of rāgānuga-bhakti for which he is eligible. An advanced
rāgānuga-sādhaka should also mix his practice with the practices of vaidhī-
bhakti in order to set an example for the welfare of society.
71
is no likelihood of this manifesting in the physical body of

the sādhaka.The phrase ‘took birth in Vraja’ means that the
perfected sādhakas took birth from the wombs of gopīs, just as
the eternally perfect (nitya-siddha) gopīs appeared at the time
of Kṛṣṇa’s descent. After that, the gopīs who had attained per
fection through performing sādhana (sādhana-siddha-gopīs)
gradually developed sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, bhāva,
and mahābhāva, the highest stage of prema, by the influence of
associating with – that is, by seeing directly, hearing about, and
glorifying – the nitya-siddha-gopīs, who are endowed with that
mahābhāva. These moods could not possibly have arisen in the
sādhaka’s previous material body.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.31.15) describes the extraordinary
characteristics of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved damsels of Vraja in this
way: the gopīs attained supreme pleasure by directly seeing Śrī
Govinda, and they experienced just a moment’s separation
from Him to be like the passing of hundreds of yugas13. The
maidens of Vraja have stated, “We consider even the blink of
an eye to pass like a millennium.” The gopīs’ experience of a
moment lasting for eons is a symptom of mahābhāva.
Here one may ask, “Can it be said that upon leaving his
present body, a sādhaka who has attained prema directly
receives the form of a gopī in the unmanifest (aprakaṭa) Vraja
without taking birth from the womb of a gopī, and then,
through the association of the eternally perfect gopīs, she
attains the different moods of sneha and so on?” The answer
is, “No, we cannot say this, because it cannot be reconciled
with the human-like relationships that exist there. Without
taking birth from the womb of a gopī, one cannot answer
questions like, ‘Whose daughter is this sakhī?’ and, ‘Whose
daughter-in-law and whose wife is she?’”
13 Yuga – One of the world’s four ages: Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali. The
duration of each yuga is said to be respectively 1,728,000; 1,296,000; 864,000;
and 432,000 years.
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A further question arises: “What is the harm if one says

that they directly take birth in the Vraja located in the spiri
tual world?” The answer is, “No, it cannot happen like this.”
Sādhakas, who are from this material world, cannot enter
Vṛndāvana's special manifestation, which is wholly beyond
their reach and scope. Since it is siddha-bhūmi, solely a place
of perfection, only those who are siddha, or perfect, can
enter there.
It is not possible to attain the elevated moods of sneha
and so on, through the performance of sādhana. Therefore,
before directly associating with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Yogamāyā takes the
devotee who has attained prema 14 to a manifest Vṛndāvana
that is perceivable in the material universe. One takes birth
there at the time of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s appearance so that these moods
(sneha and so on) can be perfected. It is seen that practicing
devotees, fruitive workers (karmīs), and perfect devotees all
enter the Vṛndāvana that is visible in the material world.
Therefore, this Vṛndāvana-dhāma is experienced both as a
land of sādhana, or practice, and a land of siddha, or perfection.
After leaving the sādhaka body and attaining prema,
where do these most fervent devotees stay before attaining
the gopī form? The answer is that after quitting the sādhaka
body, the devotees endowed with prema, who for a long time
have enthusiastically aspired for the direct service of the
Lord, mercifully receive darśana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa along with His
associates. This occurs even before they attain sneha and all
the other moods savored in the Lord’s sportive amorous play
(prema-vilāsa). Kṛṣṇa grants them their desired service one
time (just as He directly appeared before Nārada in Nārada’s
previous birth), and bestows upon them their transcen
dentally blissful gopī form. That very gopī form, by the sway of
Yogamāyā, emerges from the womb of a gopī in the manifest
14 It is not possible for this mortal body to contain the ecstatic transfor
mations of prema, even if Kṛṣṇa were to mercifully bestow this. The body would
die. This body can take the sādhaka only to the stage of maturity in bhāva-bhakti.
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(prakaṭa) Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa descends with His eternal

associates.
There will not be the slightest delay in this, because the
manifest pastimes (prakaṭa-līlā) continue to take place with
out any interruption in one or another of the innumerable
universes. Thus, the devotees endowed with prema take
birth from the womb of a gopī in that universe in which the
Vṛndāvana pastimes are being enacted. When a sādhaka who
has attained the full maturity of his practices leaves his body
and experiences the manifestation of prema, Kṛṣṇa always
appears before that devotee, accompanied by His associates.
Therefore, O greatly eager anurāgī devotees, do not fear. Rest
assured; all is auspicious for you.
Upon approaching the stage of prema from svarūpa-
siddhi, one cannot attain the perfection of his transcendental
identity without taking birth from the womb of a gopī in
prakaṭa Vraja. The Purāṇas relate that once, Mahādeva, lord
of the demigods, nurtured an intense yearning to witness the
rāsa dance. When he reached Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana, the gopīs
stopped him on the border of Vraja, telling him that no one
can enter without the permission of Yogamāyā Paurṇamāsī.
After hearing this from the gopīs, Mahādeva worshiped Śrī
Paurṇamāsī with severe austerities in order to please her.
Being satisfied with his worship, Yogamāyā appeared
and asked him what boon he wanted. He expressed his wish
to witness the rāsa-līlā. Holding his hand, Yogamāyā dipped
him in Brahma-kuṇḍa. Śaṅkara immediately assumed the
form of an extremely beautiful cowherd girl. Paurṇamāsī
instructed the new adolescent gopī to watch the rāsa-līlā from
one of the groves situated in the northeast corner of the rāsa
dance arena. When the rāsa dance began that night, this new
gopī watched the festivity from the appointed place. However,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs did not experience their special joy in
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that night’s pastime and wondered why they were not feeling
elated. They suspected that an unqualified person must have
somehow entered the arena. After searching in all directions,
they came to suspect the new gopī, whom they found hiding
inside the grove.
The gopīs asked her, “Today we are seeing you for the first
time. Whose daughter are you? What is your husband’s name?
From which village do you come?” But the new gopī, unable
to answer these questions, simply stared at them. The Vraja
maidens were certain that she was an unqualified outsider,
although afterward, on another occasion, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the
gopīs allowed her to witness the rāsa dance from a distance
upon the request of Paurṇamāsī.
As Mahādeva did not take birth from the womb of a gopī,
he was unable to perfect his mood as an adolescent cowherd
girl. Therefore it is imperative to take birth as a cowherd
maiden from the womb of one of the gopīs of Vraja and marry
a cowherd boy in order to perfect one’s identity. This activity
takes place through the assistance of Yogamāyā. After this,
upon attaining complete perfection through the association
of the eternally perfect associates, one renders direct service
to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the unmanifest Vraja.
Text 8
līlā-vilāsine bhakti-
mañjarī-lolupāline
maugdhya-sarvajñya-nidhaye
gokulānanda te namaḥ
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te || ity avocaḥ

prabho tasmād evāham arthaye | gopī-kucālaṅkṛtasya tava
gopendra-nandana | dāsyaṁ yathā bhaved evaṁ buddhi-yogaṁ
prayaccha me | ye tu rāgānugā bhaktiḥ sarvāthaiva sarvadaiva
śāstra-vidhim atikrāntā eva iti bruvate “ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya
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yajante śraddhayānvitaḥ” iti “vidhihīnam asṛṣtānnam” ity

ādi gītokter garhām arhanto muhur utpātam anubhūtavanto
’nubhavanto ’nubhaviṣyanti cety alam ativistārena | hanta
rāgānugā vartma durdarśaṁ vibudhair api | paricinvas tu sudhiyo
bhaktāś candrikayānayā ||
O Gokulānanda, O enjoyer of amorous pastimes (līlā-

vilāsī), You are like a honeybee attracted by and always relish
ing the beautiful, fragrant, budding flowers of devotion,
wherever they are found. You are the deep mine of mugdhatā
and sarvajñatā personified. I offer obeisances unto You.
O Lord, You have personally confirmed, “I give My
devotees the intelligence by which they can attain Me.” Thus,
I pray to You, O son of Nanda Mahārāja, please bestow upon
me that intelligence by which I can render service to You
when You are decorated by the breasts of the gopīs.
Three groups of persons are reprehensible: (1) those who
say that rāgānuga-bhakti is always beyond all the different
rules and regulations of the scriptures; (2) those who perform
arcana with faith but abandon all rules (as stated in Bhagavad-
gītā (17.1), ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya); and (3) those who perform
sacrifices in disregard of the injunctions of the scriptures
(as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (17.13), vidhi-hīnam asṛṣṭānnam).
Because they disregard the scriptures, such persons have
repeatedly experienced, are experiencing, and in the future
will experience many disturbances. It is pointless to discuss
this any further.
How astonishing! This rāgānuga-mārga is very difficult
to detect, even for the demigods. May deeply intelligent
devotees come to know of it through this moonbeam, this
candrikā.
THUS ENDS
THE SECOND ILLUMINATION
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Part TwO
In connection with
SvakĪYa – PaRaKĪyA
We are presenting here the essence of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s

and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s views on the Lord’s
marital love (svakīya) and paramour love (parakīya), as im
parted in their commentaries on verse 2.21 of Śrī Ujjvala-
nīlamaṇi. Both of these great devotees have very skillfully
given their respective visions of the same ultimate Absolute
Truth, from the viewpoint of established truth and the Lord’s
pastimes, and based on logic and proof from the scriptures.
The Conceptions of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī

(1) According to the standards of mundane society, the
characteristics that are attributed to an ordinary paramour
(upapati) are in no way applicable to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. There is no
parakīya-bhāva in the Lord’s eternal pastimes. However,
through māyā, for the nourishment of some special rasa,
there is only a belief in paramour love in the Lord’s manifest
pastimes. A similar illusion is also demonstrated in the
pastime of Brahmā’s bewilderment described in the Tenth
Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
(2) In the devotional mellow of amorous love (śṛṅgāra-rasa),

the love of a paramour gives rise to conflicting mellows
(rasābhāsa). Śṛṅgāra-rasa has been described as supremely pure:
śṛṅgo hi manmathodbhedas
tad-āgamana-hetukaḥ
uttama-prakṛti-prāyo
rāsaḥ śṛṅgāra iṣyate
Sāhitya-darpaṇa (3.188)
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In his explanation of the phrase uttama-prakṛti-prāyaḥ,

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted the words śṛṅgāraḥ śucir
ujjvalaḥ from the prominent Sanskrit dictionary, Amara-kośa,
which states that the three words śṛṅgāra, śuci, and ujjvala are
all synonymous. Therefore, the use of the word śuci (pure)
signifies that there is never any possibility of the immorality
of paramour love in the sacred and pure love (ujjvala-rasa)
shared between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. In contrast, in
Trikāṇḍaśeṣa [another Sanskrit dictionary], the word jāra is
defined as an illicit lover.
(3) The scripture known as the Nāṭya-alaṅkāra also describes

a paramour as despicable. The Sāhitya-darpaṇa states:
upanāyaka-saṁsthāyāṁ
muni-guru-patnī-gatāyāṁ ca
bahu-nāyaka-viṣayāyāṁ ratau ca
tathā ’nubhava-niṣṭhāyām
The amorous desire that a woman has for her paramour

or for many lovers, that a man has for the wife of a
sage or spiritual master, or that which exists between a
man and woman who are not faithful to each other, is
considered improper in śṛṅgāra-rasa.
(4) Śrī Kṛṣṇa personally pointed out the fault of extramarital

love:
asvargyam ayaśasyaṁ ca
phalgu kṛcchraṁ bhayāvaham
jugupsitaṁ ca sarvatra
hy aupapatyaṁ kula-striyāḥ
For a woman from a respectable family, adulterous

service to a paramour is always condemned. Such
behavior spoils her passage to the other world, bars
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her from entering the heavenly planets, and brings her

disgrace in this world as well. Such sinful conduct is
not only extremely low-class and fleeting in nature, but
even in the present, is also only a source of suffering,
leading directly to a hellish existence.
(5) Parīkṣit Mahārāja, also, has said (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

10.33.28), “āpta-kāmo yadu-patiḥ kṛtavān vai jugupsitam – with
what motive did the self-satisfied leader of the Yadus, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, perform this reprehensible activity?”
(6) These statements describing the fault of an adulterer must

be understood for lovers other than Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible
for Kṛṣṇa to possess these flaws, as He has descended for
the purpose of tasting the transcendental amorous mellow
(madhura-rasa).
(7) Kṛṣṇa has a special, eternal marital relationship (nitya-

dāmpatyamaya) with the gopīs. In verse 37 of Brahma-
saṁhitā, ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva
nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ, the word nija-rūpatayā means ‘sva-
dāratvenaiva na tu prakaṭa-līlāvat para-dāratva-vyavahāreṇety
arthaḥ – in the eternal, unmanifest pastimes, the gopīs, who
are filled with transcendental blissful rasa, do not nourish the
pastimes in the paramour mood in the same way they nourish
them in the manifest pastimes.’ In the unmanifest pastimes,
the gopīs, as the foremost goddesses of fortune, have no
sentiment other than that of being Kṛṣṇa’s eternally wedded
wives. Therefore, in the Lord’s pastimes that are manifested
in the material world, the gopīs’ mood of being the wives of
men other than Kṛṣṇa is manifested by māyā.
(8) The scriptures state that Kṛṣṇa is the pati (husband) of

the gopīs. The Gautamīya-tantra (2.23) describes that Nanda-
nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the husband of the gopīs who achieved
perfection after many births:
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aneka janma siddhānāṁ

gopīnāṁ patir eva vā
nanda-nandana ity uktas
trailokyānanda-vardhanaḥ
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, increases the

bliss of the three worlds. He is the pati and protector of
those gopīs who attained perfection after many births.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.35) also affirms that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is

the pati of the gopīs, of the gopīs’ husbands, and of all embodied
beings:
gopīnāṁ tat-patīnāṁ ca
sarveṣāṁ eva dehinām
yo ’ntaś carati so ’dhyakṣaḥ
krīḍaneneha deha-bhāk
He who lives as the overseeing witness within the gopīs

and their husbands, and indeed within all embodied
beings, assumes forms in this world for the purpose of
enjoying transcendental pastimes.
(9) The Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad (23) confirms that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is

svāmī, the husband, of the gopīs – sa vo hi svāmī bhavati.
(10) Parakīya-bhāva is not possible for the goddesses of

fortune. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s intimate beloveds (vallabhās) are
actually goddesses of fortune. They are regarded as such in
Brahma-saṁhitā (29), where it is stated, “lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-
sambhrama-sevyamānam – in Goloka Vṛndāvana, Govinda
is served by millions of goddesses of fortune in the form of
gopīs.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa has also addressed Śrīmatī Rādhikā as akhila-
loka-lakṣmī, the fountainhead of all goddesses of fortune that
are situated throughout all the worlds. Kṛṣṇa is described as
upapati only because He appears to be like a paramour in the
manifest pastimes.
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(11) Scriptures that delineate rasa (rasa-śāstras) consider the

following aspects of loving affairs to be superexcellent: (i) bahu-
vāraṇatā – repeatedly forbidding the advances of the lover
(thereby intensifying his desire); (ii) pracchanna-kāmukatā –
keeping amorous desires hidden; and (iii) durlabhatā – facing
impediments in meeting with the beloved. This is applicable
only in relation to mundane rasa-śāstra.
(12) Although the above-mentioned three aspects are not

present in samartha-rati (the love of the gopīs, which is
capable of controlling Kṛṣṇa), still śṛṅgāra-rasa is sufficiently
nourished, so much so that even mādanākhya-mahābhāva is
observed in its highest degree. Therefore, there is no neces
sity whatsoever of parakīya-bhāva. Although it seems that
parakīya-bhāva exists in the Lord’s manifest pastimes, it is
simply an invention of māyā.
In conclusion, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has written:
svecchayā likhitaṁ kiñcit

kiñcid atra parecchayā
yat pūrvāpara-sambandhaṁ
tat-pūrvam aparaṁ param
On this subject I have composed some parts according

to my own desire and some parts according to the desire
of others. Those parts [referring to parakīya] that are
related to the previous and following sections have been
written out of my wish, and whatever is not consistent
with these portions has been written out of the desire of
others. It should be understood in this way.
The Line of Thought of

Śrīla Cakravartīpāda maintains that Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī is
one of the prominent rūpānuga Vaiṣṇavas, and therefore, it is
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not possible for him to give an explanation in favor of svakīya,

marital love. Whatever he has explained supporting svakīya, he
has done simply to satisfy others. Therefore, concluding his
explanation, Jīva Gosvāmī himself has agreed, “likhitaṁ kiñcid
atra parecchayā – I have written this to satisfy the desires of
others.” To allow unqualified persons of different inclinations
to understand that the Lord’s inconceivable pastimes with the
vraja-gopīs are completely immaculate, he has presented his
commentary in support of svakīya so that they, too, can come
forward to meditate on these pastimes with unwavering faith.
For the surrendered, intimate devotees of Śrīman Mahāprabhu,
however, this explanation can never be acceptable, because it is
not fully consistent with the topics found elsewhere throughout
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s writings.
(1) “The paramour mood is opposed to the principles of

religious life (dharma) and leads to hellish life.” This state
ment refers only to worldly lovers. But how can there be
even the slightest doubt regarding Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the crown
jewel ruler of religiosity and irreligiosity? The meeting of
mundane romantic partners is touched by immorality, but Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, the topmost performer of pastimes (līlā-puruṣottama),
who creates and destroys the innumerable universes simply
by a movement of His eyebrow, and the gopīs, who as the
embodiments of the pleasure-giving potency (hlādinī-śakti) are
the most prominent among all His immeasurable potencies,
can never be touched by this fault.
Thus, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has written in Nāṭaka-candrikā,
“It should be understood that whatever scholars have described
as inferior about extramarital affairs between a married
woman and her paramour applies only to mundane lovers,
not to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs.” This is also the opinion of
Śrī Kavi Karṇapūra in his Alaṅkāra-kaustubha. This upapati-
bhāva for the transcendentally perfect Śrī Kṛṣṇa and parakīya-
bhāva for the gopīs are not defects (dūṣaṇa); rather, they are
their ornaments (bhūṣaṇa).
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(2) Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s manifest pastimes are not illusory. In reality,

there is no distinction between the manifest and unmanifest
pastimes. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s thought in regard to Verse 43 of
Brahma-saṁhitā is worth considering and following. When,
to show mercy to the living entities, Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifests His
incomparably sweet pastimes in the material world, this is
called prakaṭa-līlā, manifest pastimes. When these pastimes
disappear from the eyes of the living entities in the material
realm, it is called aprakaṭa-līlā, the unmanifest pastimes. In
Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (1.244) Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī states:
anādim eva janmādi

līlām eva tathādbhutām
hetunā kenacit kṛṣṇaḥ
prāduṣkuryāt kadācana
Even though Kṛṣṇa is unborn, His birth and other

pastimes are supremely wonderful. For various reasons,
He manifests such greatly astonishing, transcendental
pastimes in the material world.
(3) It is illogical to think that there is an eternal husband–

wife relationship in the unmanifest pastimes and an illusory
paramour love in the manifest pastimes, because paramour
love is splendidly manifest throughout the rāsa dance, the
crown jewel of all Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, from beginning to end.
It is totally inappropriate to consider this pastime illusory. In
each and every chapter of Rāsa-pañcādhyāyī, the five chapters
of the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that describe the
rāsa-līlā, there are many proofs supporting extramarital love
and paramourship.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī has clearly established the male
and female paramour moods (upapati- and paroḍha-bhāvas,
respectively) by quoting the following verses spoken directly
by Śrī Kṛṣṇa and by the gopīs: tā vāryamāṇāḥ patibhiḥ (10.29.8),
bhrātaraḥ patayaś ca vaḥ (10.29.20), yat-paty-apatya-suhṛdām
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anuvṛttir aṅga (10.29.32), tad-guṇān eva gāyantyo nātmāgārāṇi

sasmaruḥ (10.30.43), pati-sutānvaya-bhātṛ-bāndhavān (10.31.16),
evaṁ mad-arthojjhita-loka-veda-svānāṁ (10.32.21), kṛtvā tāvantam
ātmānaṁ yāvatīr gopa-yoṣitaḥ (10.33.19), manyamānāḥ sva-pārśva-
sthān svān svān dārān vrajaukasaḥ (10.33.37), and so on.1
(4) If the rāsa dance were illusory, a product of māyā, then how
would we be able to prove the superiority of the gopīs over
the goddesses of fortune? On the basis of the rāsa-līlā, Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (10.47.60) affirms that the gopīs are greater than
the goddesses of fortune – “nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ
prasādaḥ – the gopīs received that supremely rare mercy of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, which even the goddess of fortune Lakṣmī could never
attain.” If the rāsa dance were illusory, then the greatness of
the gopīs would be unfounded and false.
(5) The rāsa-līlā has not been described by anyone anywhere

as an affair between married couples.
(6) If we reject those sections of the Tenth Canto that validate

paramour love, considering them erroneous, then we cannot
derive any benefit from the rāsa-līlā. In this context, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
has personally said (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.22), “na pāraye
’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujām – Your meeting with Me is most
pure and faultless in all respects. I am unable to repay you for
your saintly behavior.” If the rāsa dance is illusory, then the
proof provided by this portion of the verse that substantiates
the super-excellence of the gopīs’ prema is rendered baseless
and insubstantial.
(7) In this same verse, the phrase yā mābhajan durjara-geha-

śṛṅkhalāḥ also offers evidence supporting paramour love.
Cutting the indestructible shackles of household life, the
Vraja damsels served Śrī Kṛṣṇa with single-pointed attention.
Expressing His inability to repay them for their loving service
and sacrifice, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was rendered eternally indebted to
1 Please see endnote 2 for the verses in full.
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them. He was thus controlled by their love. This is the eternal

and highest truth. If rāsa-līlā is illusory, then this actual fact
would also be false.
(8) It would be illogical to say that Kṛṣṇa is deceitful and that,

as a shrewd trick, He expressed His indebtedness to the gopīs
only to flatter them. If their selfless dedication to Him were
only illusory and transient, why then did Uddhava, the exalted
scholar and crown jewel of exclusive devotees, point out this
quality of theirs as the pinnacle of devotion? Why did he
yearn to take birth as a creeper or blade of grass in Vṛndāvana
in order to be bathed in the gopīs’ footdust? Āsām aho caraṇa-
reṇu-juṣām ahaṁ syāṁ, vṛndāvane kim api gulma-latauṣadhīnām
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.61). Is it not proved by this verse that
the gopīs’ prema is superior to that of the queens of Dvārakā?
This prema is unequalled and superexcellent, because the gopīs
demonstrate intense, undivided spontaneous love (anurāga)
for Kṛṣṇa, having forsaken their family relations and even
their virtuous conduct. If one thinks this sacrifice of the
gopīs to be an act of the illusory māyā, then the cause of the
excellence of their prema would also have to be unreal. Thus,
in turn, the statement of the one-pointed devotee Śrī Uddhava
would be proved false as well. Would the proponent of such
an opinion not be guilty of the fault of refusing to accept the
words of trustworthy authorities?
(9) The meaning of the ten- and eighteen-syllable gopāla-

mantras is also full of the paramour mood. This secret is not
hidden from those who know the extraordinary power of
transcendental sound.
(10) A glimpse of the paramour mood is seen in the different

meditations and mantras for worshiping Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
(11) Sādhakas in the fully mature stage of meditation directly

perceive the moods of the manifest pastimes. Therefore, these
pastimes are not transitory or illusory. Bhagavad-gītā (4.9)
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mentions that the birth and activities of the Supreme Lord

are all transcendental – janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti
tattvataḥ. The respected Śrī Rāmānujācārya, in his commen
tary on this verse, establishes the eternality of the birth and
activities of the Lord and His associates.
Śrī Madhusūdana Sarasvatī also explains that the word
divya means aprākṛta, beyond the material realm. The
Puruṣa-bodhanī Śruti (the Upaniṣad that is explained in the
disciplic succession of Pippalāda Ṛṣi) states that the Lord’s
pastimes are eternal – eko devo nitya-līlānurakto bhakta-vyāpī
bhakta-hṛdayādyāntarātmā. In his sacred text entitled Vidvan-
maṇḍalana, Śrī Viṭṭhalanātha affirms the timelessness of the
Lord’s birth and activities.
The Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa also testifies to the perpetual
nature of the manifest pastimes. The Lord says, “By accepting
Me as your paramour, all of you will develop boundlessly
deep feelings of love and affection for Me. Thus, every aspect
of your lives will be filled with success.”
(12) The names of Śrī Bhagavān are eternal. For each of His
pastimes, a specific name is designated. If His pastimes are
transitory, then His names like Rāsa-bihārī and so on would
also have to be impermanent. If this were so, the essence of
bhajana would also become false. To consider the Lord’s holy
name to be temporary is actually an offense, nāma-aparādha.
(13) In Bhagavat-sandarbha, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has personally

established that the Lord’s name, birth, activities, and so on
are eternal. He also proves that the pastimes pertaining to the
Lord’s form, incarnation, birth, activities, and associates are
unlimited, timeless manifestations of His internal potency
(svarūpa-śakti). If all of these are eternal according to Śrīla
Jīva Gosvāmī’s views, then how can the Lord’s pastimes that
are full of paramour love be considered illusory?
(14) It is not mentioned anywhere in the scriptures that the

Vraja maidens were married to Kṛṣṇa with the brāhmaṇas
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and the sacrificial fire present as witnesses. Would Śrī

Śukadeva Gosvāmī agree with anyone saying this? When
Parīkṣit Mahārāja raised a question, expressing doubt about
the paramour mood of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the establisher
of religious principles and whose every desire is fulfilled
(āptakāma), Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī could have clearly stated
that these gopīs were the married wives of Kṛṣṇa, not of
anyone else. Why then did he try to make Parīkṣit Mahārāja
understand the subject through the presentation of arduous
philosophical conclusions?
There is another point to be considered here. If Śrī
Kṛṣṇa had married in Vraja, the wedding would have taken
place before His sacred thread ceremony was performed in
Mathurā. Would this not be against ārya-śāstra, the scripture
governing the conduct of civilized society?
(15) We see that the word pati is mentioned in a few places.

Although it often denotes ‘husband,’ its use here does not
refer to a married man. Rather, it should be understood as
gati, meaning, “You are my everything, You are my ultimate
shelter.” It is incorrect to say that pati refers only to a married
man, the husband of a female lover (nāyikā). For example,
in the chapter in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi describing various types
of nāyikās, the term svādhīna-bhartṛkā, meaning ‘a woman
who controls her pati,’ is used in relation to paramour love.
Furthermore, although the śastras may refer to Kṛṣṇa as the
pati of the nāyikās in some places, it is described elsewhere
that He has no marital relationships with those nāyikās.
If Śrī Kṛṣṇa were their married husband, then the topic
“para-dārābhimarṣaṇa – to enjoy with another’s wife” (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.33.27) would not arise. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also
mentions the Vraja maidens’ husbands. Moreover, it is also
stated that the gopīs never had union with their husbands
at any time (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 3.32) – na jātu vraja-devīnāṁ
patibhiḥ saha saṅgamaḥ.
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(16) In the statement sa vo hi svāmī bhavati from Gopāla-

tāpanī, the word svāmī indicates aiśvarya, not marriage. This
is authenticated in Pāṇini’s grammar (5.2.126), which says
svāminn aiśvarya. However, some texts cite the following
application: “loke hi yasya hi yaḥ svāmī bhavati, sa tasya bhoktā
bhavatībhiḥ – in this world, svāmī is he who maintains and
supports others (like a king or any magnanimous benefactor)
and who is the enjoyer of all.” Therefore, the word svāmī does
not always refer to a husband.
(17) All relationships in Vraja are transcendental. Wherever

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has used the word māyā in relation to
parakīya-bhāva, it should be understood as Yogamāyā. There
fore, Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s acceptance of Abhimanyu as Her
husband should be seen as a transcendental arrangement. As
one inseparable link in the chain of the Lord’s pastimes,
this relationship is also not illusory; Yogamāyā is behind it.
(18) Śrīmatī Rādhikā is the embodiment of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s hladinī-

śakti, His pleasure potency; of this, there is no doubt. The
object of our adoration is the Divine Couple Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa,
along with Their special pastimes. To worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
devoid of Their pastimes is outside our line of thought and
our concept of bhajana.
(19) One may question why the Vraja maidens are seen to
endure bad reputation, mental agony, and torment inflicted
by their mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, who prohibit
them from meeting with Kṛṣṇa, whereas this is not so for
Satyabhāmā, Rukmiṇī, and the other queens of Dvārakā. One
might thus conclude that, compared to Rukmiṇī, the gopīs’
position is inferior. However, just as apparently mundane
distress is witnessed in the gopīs, who are filled with the most
elevated form of divine love known as mahābhāva, they are
also seen to experience happiness to a much higher degree
than others.
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(20) The gopīs’ relationship with Kṛṣṇa is the result of their

inconceivable anurāga for Him. To establish this bond with
Him, the cowherd maidens had to give up their family mem
bers, thus cutting themselves off from the path of respect
ability. However, they experienced all resultant anguish and
unhappiness as the highest pleasure. Can we find any other
example of such an elevated expression of love?
The worshipful Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also desired the unique
and supra-mundane anurāga of the gopīs, who are filled
with mahābhāva; there is no doubt about this. Therefore, the
supremely merciful Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has written the verse
svecchayā likhitaṁ kiñcit [see page 83], indicating that the
paramour relationship is also his coveted goal.
If the marriages of the young girls of Vraja had occurred
and been witnessed by a spiritual master, the sacrificial flame,
and brāhmaṇas, then all the discussions in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi
from beginning to end would be overturned. Therefore, Jīva
Gosvāmī’s statement denoting a husband-wife relationship
has been written to satisfy the desires of others – parecchā.
Verses in the Ṛg Veda (1.12.66, 1.17.117, 1.20.134, 6.55.4-5,
9.38.4, 10.162.5) and other mantras from the Śruti mention the
word jāra, a paramour, the lover of an unmarried girl. The
Chāndogya Upaniṣad (1.66.4, 1.17.117, 118) and Ānandagiri’s
commentary on Śaṅkara-bhāṣya (2.13.2) also approve of
the paramour mood as Vāmadevya’s method of worship
by sāmopāsanā (as presented in the Sāma Veda). In the
commentary of Pāṇini (3.3.20 Sūtra, 743 Vārttika), we see the
origin of the word jāra in the phrase jarayantīti jārāḥ.
Opinions of Other Vaiṣṇavas

Parakīya-bhāva is the prime specialty in both the objective
and practice of the Śrī Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Prior to them,
no Vaiṣṇava preceptor had presented this principle. A hint
of parakīya-bhāva is seen in Śrī Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (verses 9,
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51, 53, 76–77, 87, 90), and in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (verses

10.29.22, 10.29.25–26, 10.33.27, 10.33.35)2, in the commentary
on Bhopadeva Ṛṣi’s Muktāphala (5.14), and in the collections
of poems of Śrī Caṇḍīdāsa and Vidyāpati. In Śrī Jayadeva
Gosvāmī’s writings, we definitely find an indication of
parakīya-bhāva, although it is not explicitly mentioned. Gīta-
govinda (12.13) mentions the word pati – patyur manaḥ kīlitam.
However, from other references in Gīta-govinda, it does not
seem that Śrīmatī Rādhikā is the married wife of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
For example, “dehi pada-pallavam udāram – Please give Your
magnanimous feet, which are soft like the buds of lotus
flowers” (10.8). Also, in Part One, in the discussion of the
rāsa dance that takes place in springtime, Śrīmatī Rādhikā is
seen from a distance and Her jealous anger (māna) is difficult
to pacify. Further, it is said (2.18), sukham utkaṇṭhitam gopa-
vadhu-kathitaṁ vitanotu salīlam. Here, the word gopa-vadhu
means ‘wife of a cowherd.’
Prior to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, no Vaiṣṇava ācārya
had given instructions on performing bhajana in the mood of
parakīya-bhāva. Many persons are under the impression that
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī favored the concept of svakīya-vāda, but this
suspicion is unfounded. Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana, Śrī Raghunātha
dāsa, Śrī Kavi Karṇapūra, and other gosvāmīs have described
Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in terms of parakīya-bhāva. How
ever, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī saw that those qualified to appreciate
parakīya-rasa or to perform bhajana in the paramour mood
are very rare. He has, therefore, discussed mantramayī-upāsanā
(worship by the means of mantra, meditating on a single
pastime described in a single verse) in Śrī Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha
(153). In their books, Śrī Rūpa-Raghunātha and other gosvāmīs
have described svārasikī-upāsanā, service performed within a
2 Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja often quotes these verses from Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam as evidence of the superiority of parakīya, and to establish the
philosophical conclusions of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava line of thought. Please
see endnote 3 for these verses in full.
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continuous flow of pastimes that appear spontaneously within

one’s bhajana.
This svārasikī-upāsanā is indeed Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s
innermost cherished desire (mano ’bhīṣṭa). Nowhere in
their writings have the gosvāmīs emphasized mantramayī-
upāsanā. Both svāraskika-bhajana and bhajana performed in
the paramour mood are discussed in Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s
Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (1.7.82, 154–5 and 2.5.84–5), in both
the core text and its commentary. The example of bhajana given
in the second part of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta is simply presenting
the process of svārasikī-bhajana step by step. Moreover, the
method of bhajana performed in the mood of a sakhā or a
priya-narma-sakhā is also of the svārasikī method, not the
mantramayī method. Even the mantras themselves have been
explained as being svārasikī. The following description is
written in Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (2.1.77):
gopārbha-vargaiḥ sakhibhir vane sa gā

vaṁśī-mukho rakṣati vanya-bhūṣaṇaḥ
gopāṇganā-varga vilāsa-lampaṭo
dharmaṁ satāṁ laṅghayatītaro yathā
Decorated with forest flowers, my worshipful Lord

holds a flute to His mouth, and along with His sakhās,
takes the cows out to graze. Because He is a great
debauchee, He always enjoys pastimes with the gopīs
that violate the religious principles of the pious.
In mantramayī-upāsanā, the meeting of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in

one place is described, but paramour love requires the presence
of impediments and so forth. It is a more complex drama that
cannot be captured in a single scene. Thus, mantramayī-upāsanā
is not sufficient to capture the mood of parakīya-bhāva.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura,
in their commentaries on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, have presented
detailed deliberations on svakīya and parakīya. Both conclusions
93
are appropriate in their respective places, the only difference

being their angle of vision. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has favored
svakīya from the perspective of tattva (established philosophical
truth), whereas Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has sup
ported parakīya-bhāva from the viewpoint of rasa (mellows, or
taste of relationships found in the Lord’s pastimes).
Just as in the material world there are innumerable uni
verses, and in the divine realm there are countless Vaikuṇṭhas,
similarly, in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s abode of Goloka Vraja there are
infinite chambers (prakoṣṭhas). Although this is not overtly
described anywhere, there are certainly hints in the writings
of the gosvāmīs. Kṛṣṇa’s mood differs according to His diverse
manifestations. While there is meeting in one manifestation,
there is separation in another. In meeting there is the bliss
of union, and in separation, the pangs of viraha. Such experi
ences cannot be denied.
In Gopāla-campū (1.1.22), Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda describes
the prakaṭa-prakāśa (Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes appearing within this
world) and aprakaṭa-prakāśa (Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes appearing in
Goloka situated in the divine realm) as non-different mani
festations of the unlimited pastimes of Goloka. Just as innumer
able types of pastimes occur in the playful amorous sporting
of mādanākhya-mahābhāva, similarly there is no objection to
pastimes of svakīya occurring eternally, pastimes of parakīya
occurring eternally and also pastimes of simultaneous svakīya
and parakīya occurring eternally within the different chambers
(prakoṣṭhas). However, after considering them all from a neutral
standpoint, one must surely accept the superiority of parakīya.
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

on Svakīya and Parakīya
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has given a beautiful, detailed
elucidation of this subject matter in his commentary on the
verse ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis (Brahma-saṁhitā 37).
We are presenting it here for the benefit of the sādhakas.
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Our honorable preceptor Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda has

explained in his commentary on this verse of Brahma-saṁhitā,
in his commentary on Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, in Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha,
and in other places as well, that Kṛṣṇa’s manifest pastimes are
arranged by Yogamāyā. Because of their connection with the
illusory realm, they appear to have assimilated some mundane
features that cannot exist in the intrinsic fundamental reality
(svarūpa-tattva). Examples of such pastimes include [Kṛṣṇa’s]
killing of demons, associating with the wives of others,
taking birth, and so on. It is an established truth that the gopīs
are extensions of Kṛṣṇa’s personal intrinsic potency. Hence,
since they are unquestionably His own consorts, how can
there be any possibility of their being the wives of anyone
else? Still, we see that in the manifest pastimes, the gopīs do
appear to be the wives of others. But this is only an implicit
conviction created by Yogamāyā.
There is a secret meaning in Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s expla
nation, which if brought to light will automatically dispel all
types of doubt. The revered Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the foremost
follower of Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, is the tattva-
ācārya of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Furthermore, he is Śrī
Rādhā’s confidential assistant in kṛṣṇa-līlā. There is no secret
truth that is unknown to him. Those who do not understand
his profound intentions raise arguments for and against his
ideas by presenting their own concocted interpretations.
According to Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana’s vision, there
is no difference between the manifest and the unmanifest
pastimes. The only distinction is that one manifestation is
beyond the material domain and the other is seen within it. In
the region beyond the mundane sphere, everything – the seer
and the seen – is transcendentally pure.
Extraordinarily fortunate people, on receiving the mercy
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, relinquish all material connections and enter
the spiritual domain (cit-jagat). And, if it was by their perfor
mance of sādhana that they attained perfection in savoring
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the astonishing varieties of rasa, then at that time they can

see and delight in all the supremely pure pastimes of Goloka.
Others who attain perfection in bhakti and experience the
nectar of spiritual rasa by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy witness the pastimes
of Goloka in Bhauma-Gokula (where Kṛṣṇa is manifesting his
pastimes within any of the material universes).
There are some gradations of qualification in both
categories of sādhaka. As long as one has not attained vastu-
siddhi, the influence of māyā maintains some restriction in
one’s vision of the Goloka pastimes. Also, realization of one’s
svarūpa varies according to the level of one’s attainment of
svarūpa-siddhi. It must be accepted that a devotee’s darśana of
Goloka will vary according to the degree that he has realized
his intrinsic form and nature.
People who are tightly bound by māyā have no spiritual
vision. Some of them are trapped by the variegated charm
of māyā, and some, having taken shelter of impersonal
knowledge – the formless aspect of the Absolute, which is
opposed to the reality of Bhagavān’s personality – proceed
toward the path of total destruction. Even after seeing the
Lord’s manifest pastimes, both types of bound people view
such pastimes as mundane and having no connection with
the unmanifest pastimes. Thus, there is gradation in one’s
darśana of Goloka, depending upon one’s qualification.
There is a subtle point to note here. Just as Goloka is the
completely pure, divine truth beyond the illusory realm, the
Gokula that is manifest on this Earth is similarly always pure
and uncontaminated, even though it appears in the material
world by the Lord’s spiritual potency, Yogamāyā. There is not
even the slightest touch of material defect, degradation or
imperfection in either the manifest or unmanifest pastimes.
Different people perceive the pastimes differently, depend
ing on their qualification. Defect (contamination), foulness,
designation, illusion, ignorance, impurity, falsity, loathness,
and grossness are all perceived through the conditioned
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living entities’ intelligence, false ego, and eyes that have been
dulled by the material nature. They do not belong to the
object of their perception, Gokula. The more one is free from
defects, the more one is granted vision of the transcendental
truth. The truth is revealed in the scriptures, but the purity
of realization for those who deliberate on these principles of
established truth will depend upon their qualification.
According to the views of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana, what
ever pastimes are manifest in the Gokula in this world are
also present in Goloka in their pure form, without a tinge of
māyā. That is why the mood of transcendental paramourship
is also certainly present in some form or another in Goloka,
in its inconceivably pure state. All the manifestations created
by Yogamāyā are immaculate. The transcendental mood that
Yogamāyā creates of being the wife of someone other than
Kṛṣṇa, or of being His paramour, is therefore based on pure
absolute reality. But what is this pure absolute reality? This
should be discussed.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 1.10-11, 1.17,
1.21, 5.2):
pūrvokta-dhīrodattādi
caturbhedasya tasya tu
patiś copapatiś ceti
prabhedāv iha viśrutau
tatra patiḥ –
uktaḥ pitaḥ sa kanyāyā yaḥ
pāṇi-grāhako bhavet
athopapatiḥ –
rāgenollaṅghayan dharmaṁ
parakīyā-valārthinā
tadīya-prema-sarvasyaṁ
būdairupapatiḥ smṛtaḥ
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laghutvamatra yat proktaṁ

tattu prākṛta-nāyake
na kṛṣṇe rasa-niryāsasva–
svādārthamavatāriṇi.
kiṅca –
nasau nāṭye rase mukhye
yat paroḍhā nigadyate
tatu syāt prākṛt-kṣudra
nāyikād yanusārataḥ
After deep deliberation on these verses of Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi,

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī establishes that the transcendental par
amour mood, like the pastime of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, is a divine
delusion created by Yogamāyā. “Tathāpi patiḥ pura-vanitānāṁ
dvitīyo vraja-vanitānām – it is understood that the mood of
being married exists in Dvārakā, while the Vraja maidens
possess the transcendental paramour mood.” Śrīla Rūpa and
Sanātana Gosvāmīs, according to their conclusions, have
also accepted these pastimes of joyful, amorous delusion
(vibhrama-vilāsa) as the contrivance of Yogamāyā. Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī has established that there is no difference between
the pastimes of Goloka and Gokula, so it must be accepted that
the original principle of all pastimes is manifest in Gokula.
One who accepts the hand of a virgin girl according
to the sacred rites of marriage is called a husband. And he
who, being overcome by passion, violates conventional
morality in order to win another’s wife is called a paramour.
The religious obligation binding one within matrimonial
regulation does not exist in Goloka Vraja. Even the concept
of husband-hood within the bounds of matrimony does not
exist there. Therefore the gopīs, who are Kṛṣṇa’s own potency,
cannot be married to any other person and can never be the
wives of other men. In that realm of Goloka, it is not possible
for the parakīya and svakīya conditions to exist separately
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from each other. In the manifest pastimes within the illusory

realm, the strictures of marriage do exist, but Śrī Kṛṣṇa is
beyond their jurisdiction. Therefore, the form of righteous
prescription (dharma) found in the sweet realm of Vraja is
a creation of Yogamāyā. Kṛṣṇa transgresses this dharma and
enjoys the transcendental paramour mellow. Only a person
whose vision is blocked by material conceptions will see this
creation of Yogamāyā as a violation of the dharma of this world.
In reality, there is no such degradation in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
The paramour mellow is the very essence of all rasas, so a
denial of its presence in Goloka would minimize that realm. It
is not possible that the highest delight in rasa could be absent
from the topmost abode of Goloka. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the source
of all incarnations, relishes this rasa in one way in Goloka and
in another way in Gokula. Thus, even though there appears to
be a transgression of dharma according to material vision, this
truth must also exist in some form in Goloka.
“Ātmārāmo ’py arīramat (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.42) –
Kṛṣṇa performed amorous pastimes, although He is self-
satisfied (ātmārāma).” “Ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.33.25) – Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose every desire comes to
fruition, keeps in His heart the hāva, bhāva, and other anubhāvas
arising from His amorous diversions.” “Reme rameśo vraja-
sundarībhir yathārbhakaḥ sva-pratibimba-vibhramaḥ (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.33.16) – Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who gives pleasure
to the supreme goddess of fortune Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, enjoyed
with the beautiful Vraja maidens just as an innocent child
plays with his reflection without experiencing arousal.”
It is understood from these scriptural statements that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s constitutional nature is to be self-satisfied. In spiritual
planets predominated by opulence, He manifests His own
potency as Lakṣmī and consorts with her in the mellow of
wedded conjugal love. There, with the sense of wedlock
prevailing, rasa only goes up to the stage of servitorship
99
(dāsya). But in Goloka, Kṛṣṇa manifests millions of millions

of gopīs and enjoys with them continuously, oblivious to any
sentiments of wedded love.
In the svakīya conception, rasa does not remain extremely
inaccessible, as in the parakīya mood, where the obstacles
to meeting make union all the more precious. Hence, from
time without beginning, the gopīs are naturally imbued
with an innate conception of being other men’s wives. Śrī
Kṛṣṇa reciprocates with their mood and naturally assumes
the identity of their paramour. Taking the help of His flute,
which is His dearly beloved intimate companion, He thus
accomplishes the rāsa dance and other pastimes.
Goloka, which is eternally perfect and free from illusion,
is the abode of divine rapture. Thus, the flow of rasa in the
conception of paramourship finds its perfection there. Even
the parental mellow is not found in Vaikuṇṭha, due to the sense
of awe and reverence there. However, in the fountainhead
of ultimate sweetness, which is the Vraja situated in Goloka,
there exists nothing but the original conception of this rasa.
Nanda and Yaśodā are present there, but Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s birth does
not actually take place. In reality, parenthood does not exist
in the absence of birth, so Nanda and Yaśodā have the self-
conception (abhimāna) of being parents. This is substantiated
in the verse jayati jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādaḥ (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.90.48). This abhimāna is eternal for the sake of
perfect rasa.
By the same logic, there is no fault or transgression of
scriptural prohibitions in the amorous mellow, since the
bhāvas of being the wife of another and of being a paramour
are simply eternal self-conceptions. When the essential reality
of Goloka appears in manifest Vraja, both of these conceptions
(svakīya and parakīya) are seen in a tangible form by worldly
vision. This is the only difference. In the mellow of parenthood,
Nanda and Yaśodā’s mood of being parents becomes apparent
in a concrete way, through birth and other pastimes; and in
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Part Two
the amorous mellow, the idea of the Vraja maidens being the
wives of others takes on a perceptible shape in the form of
their marriages. In reality, there is no such thing as the gopīs
having husbands, either in Gokula or in Goloka.
The scriptures therefore proclaim, “na jātu vraja-devīnāṁ
patibhiḥ saha saṅgamaḥ – the vraja-devīs never had union with
their husbands.” Thus, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the master of the
truths of rasa, has written, “patiś copapatiś ceti prabhedāv iha
viśrutau – in the resplendent mellow of amorous love, there
are two types of heroes: husband and paramour.” Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī has written in his commentary on this verse, “patiḥ
puravanitānāṁ dvitīyo vraja-vanitānām – the hero of Dvārakā-
purī’s young women is called a husband, and in Vraja, the hero
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the paramour of the young women there.”
This passage shows that Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has accepted
that in Vaikuṇṭha and Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa is a husband, and in
Goloka-Gokula, He is the eternal paramour. The characteristics
of a paramour are exhibited to their full extent in the Lord of
Goloka-Gokula. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, though completely self-satisfied,
transgresses His natural state of self-satisfaction. The cause for
this transgression is His intense passion to meet with the Vraja
damsels, who are others’ wives. The state of being another’s
wife is nothing but the eternal self-conception (abhimāna)
of the gopīs. Even though the gopīs do not factually have real
husbands, their transcendental paramour mood is fulfilled
just by having the sentiment of being the wives of others.
Therefore, transgressing the rules of dharma out of their
intense attachment and all other such symptoms are eternally
present in the arena of the super-excellent amorous mellow.
In the Vraja manifest in this universe, this bhāva is partially
visible in a tangible form to people with mundane vision.
Therefore, the simultaneous divergence and non-
distinction between svakīya- and parakīya-bhāvas in Goloka
is inconceivable [by material intelligence]. It can be said
that there is no difference between them, and it can also be
101
said that there is a difference. The essence of parakīya-bhāva

is loving enjoyment outside of the sanction of wedlock, and
the essence of svakīya-bhāva is abstention from unlawful
connections. Therefore, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s loving enjoyment with
His own personal potency (svarūpa-śakti) can also be under
stood as svakīya by this definition.3 Although these two,
parakīya and svakīya, are one rasa, they exist eternally as its
dual variations. Furthermore, although the form of rasa in
Gokula is the same, mundane observers view it otherwise.
Śrī Govinda, the hero of Goloka, exhibits His qualities of
being the pati of the gopīs as well as being their upapati. Both
qualities shine forth brilliantly in their pristine splendor,
beyond all piety and impiety. These same characteristics also
exist in the hero of Gokula, but with some diversity created
by the agency of Yogamāyā.
One may raise the following point: whatever Yogamāyā
manifests is the absolute truth, so the sentiment of parakīya-
bhāva would similarly have to be accepted as absolutely true.
To dispel any doubt about this, it is said that conviction in
the parakīya conception can exist in the relishing of rasa, and
there is no fault in that, because it is not unfounded. However,
whatever base convictions exist in mundane consciousness
are faulty. They are not present in the pure, transcendental
world.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has indeed given the correct, perfect
philosophical conclusion, while the ‘opposing’ conclusions
are also inconceivably true. Simply arguing in vain about the
conclusions of parakīya and svakīya is a fruitless exhibition of
word jugglery. There is no possibility of any type of skepticism
rising in the hearts of those who make a thorough and
impartial study of the commentaries by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī
and the ‘opposing party.’
Whatever is spoken by pure Vaiṣṇavas is true and utterly
free from any bias or party spirit, but there is a mystery sur
3 Taken literally, sva means ‘one’s own.’
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Part Two
rounding their apparent verbal disagreements. Those whose

intelligence is materialistic and lacks the spirit of devotion
cannot fathom the deep secrets of the loving controversies
between pure Vaiṣṇavas, and thus they wrongly conceive of
such great personalities as philosophical adversaries.
The great devotee Śrīla Cakravartīpāda has whole
heartedly and with the utmost reverence supported the
opinion that Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī has given in his Vaiṣṇava-
toṣanī commentary on verse 10.33.35 of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
“gopīnāṁ tat-patīnāṁ ca – the gopīs and their husbands.”
When contemplating any opinion connected with the
divine pastimes of Goloka and other transcendental realms,
we should keep in mind the invaluable advice given by
Śrīman Mahāprabhu and His followers, the Six Gosvāmīs.
The Supreme Personality and Absolute Truth is never without
form and attributes. Rather, He is full with variegated qualities
and pleasurable engagements, which lie completely beyond
the material plane.
The supremely relishable and splendid form of the mel
lows of transcendental service to Bhagavān, tasted through
the four types of transcendentally variegated ingredients –
vibhāva, anubhāva, sāttvika, and vyabhicārī 4 – is eternally present
in Goloka and Vaikuṇṭha. By the agency of Yogamāyā, this very
rasa of Goloka manifests in the material realm as vraja-rasa
for the benefit of the devotees. One should know that all
the rasas seen in this Gokula must surely be found also in
Goloka in their radiantly pure state. That is why the wonder
ful varieties of hero and heroines (Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs), the
diversity of rasa in them, and all the surroundings and para
phernalia of Gokula, including the land, rivers, mountain,
residences, gateways, bowers, cows, and so on, collectively
exist in the same form in Goloka.
4 Vibhāva – causes for tasting bhakti-rasa; anubhāva – actions that display or
reveal spiritual emotions situated within the heart; sāttvika-bhāva – symptoms
of spiritual ecstasy arising exclusively from viśuddha-sattva; vyabhicāri-bhāva –
transitory spiritual emotions.
103
Only the worldly beliefs of those who are imbued with

mundane intelligence are missing in Goloka. Different
visions of the variegated pastimes in Goloka are realized
according to one’s level of qualification. Thus, it is difficult
for one to establish a fixed conclusion to determine which
aspects of those varieties of visions are illusory and which
are pure. Therefore, there is no need to argue and counter-
argue about this matter, because it will not elevate one’s
qualification. The truth of Goloka is filled with inconceivable
bhāva, and any attempt to investigate this inconceivable
reality by the mind would prove as unproductive as threshing
empty husks. Hence, one should disregard the method of
empirical knowledge, and strive for realization through the
practice of unalloyed devotion.
On the path of bhakti, it is crucial to renounce any subject
matter that would ultimately give rise to an impersonal
impression. The pure parakīya-bhāva described in the Goloka
pastimes is free from all mundane conceptions and is very
rarely attained. Devotees on the path of rāgānuga-bhakti
should adopt this concept and perform sādhana. By doing
so, they will realize this highly auspicious fundamental truth
upon attaining perfection.
When persons of gross worldly intellect endeavor for
bhakti in the parakīya mood, they generally end up engaging
in immoral activity in the material sphere. Our tattva-ācārya
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī took this into consideration and presented
his line of thought out of great concern. The spirit of pure
Vaiṣṇavism is to accept the essence of his statements. It is
an offense to disregard the ācārya by attempting to establish
another theory.
104
EndnOtes
1 References of the footnotes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12,

and 14 in Part One, Second Illumination:
Footnote 2 Darśana of 13 October 2001, Purī, India
Footnote 3 Darśana in 1991, Mathurā, India
Footnote 4 Discourse of 28 January 2002, Holland
Footnote 8 Darśana of 8 November 2001, Vṛndāvana, India
Footnote 9 Excerpt from Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvada, purport
to verse 8.76. (This books is based on a series of
discourses, delivered in August 2004, Purī, India.)
Footnote 12 Darśanas of 28 November 1991, and 3 June, 27 July,
29 July, 1994, Vṛndāvana, India; Texts 11 and 43
of Vilāpa-kusumāñjali
Footnote 14 Discourse of 24 May 1996, Bath, England
2 Verses referred to on page 86:

tā vāryamāṇāḥ patibhiḥ
pitṛbhir bhrātṛ-bandhubhiḥ
govindāpahṛtātmāno
na nyavartanta mohitāḥ
Their brothers and other relatives tried to stop them,
but Kṛṣṇa had already stolen their hearts. Enchanted
by the sound of His flute, they refused to turn back.
105
mātaraḥ pitaraḥ putrā

bhrātaraḥ patayaś ca vaḥ
vicinvanti hy apaśyanto
mā kṛḍhvaṁ bandhu-sādhvasam
Not finding you at home, your mothers, fathers, sons,
brothers, and husbands are certainly searching for you.
Don’t cause anxiety for your family members.*
yat paty-apatya-suhṛdām anuvṛttir aṅga

strīṇāṁ sva-dharma iti dharma-vidā tvayoktam
astv evam etad upadeśa-pade tvayīśe
preṣṭho bhavāṁs tanu-bhṛtāṁ kila bandhur ātmā
Our dear Kṛṣṇa, as an expert in religion You have
advised us that the proper religious duty for women
is to faithfully serve their husbands, children, and
other relatives. We agree that this principle is valid,
but actually this service should be rendered to You.
After all, O Lord, You are the dearmost friend of all
embodied souls. You are their most intimate relative
and indeed their very Self.*
tan-manaskās tad-alāpās
tad-viceṣṭās tad-ātmikāḥ
tad-guṇān eva gāyantyo
nātmagārāṇi sasmaruḥ
Their minds absorbed in thoughts of Him, they
conversed about Him, acted out His pastimes, and felt
themselves filled with His presence. They completely
forgot about their homes as they loudly sang the glories
of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental qualities.*
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Endnotes
pati-sutānvaya-bhrātṛ-bāndhavān
ativilaṅghya te ‘nty acyutāgatāḥ
gati-vidas tavodgīta-mohitāḥ
kitava yoṣitaḥ kas tyajen niśi
Dear Acyuta, You know very well why we have come
here. Who but a cheater like You would abandon
young women who come to see Him in the middle of
the night, enchanted by the loud song of His flute? Just
to see You, we have completely rejected our husbands,
children, ancestors, brothers, and other relatives.*
evaṁ mad-arthojjhita-loka-veda
svānām hi vo mayy anuvṛttaye ‘balāḥ
mayāparokṣaṁ bhajatā tirohitaṁ
māsūyituṁ mārhatha tat priyaṁ priyāḥ
My dear girls, understanding that simply for My sake
you had rejected the authority of worldly opinion, of
the Vedas, and of your relatives, I acted as I did only to
increase your attachment to Me. Even when I removed
Myself from your sight by suddenly disappearing, I never
stopped loving you. Therefore, My beloved gopīs, please
do not harbor any bad feelings toward Me, your beloved.*
kṛtvā tāvantam ātmānaṁ

yāvatīr gopa-yoṣitaḥ
reme sa bhagavāṁs tābhir
ātmārāmo ‘pi līlayā
Expanding Himself as many times as there were cowherd
women to associate with, the Supreme Lord, though self-
satisfied, playfully enjoyed in their company.*
107
nāsūyan khalu kṛṣṇāya

mohitās tasya māyayā
manyamānāḥ sva-pārśva-sthān
svān svān dārān vrajaukasaḥ
The cowherd men, bewildered by Kṛṣṇa’s illusory
potency, thought their wives had remained home
at their sides. Thus they did not harbor any jealous
feelings against Him.*
3 Verses referred to on page 92:
tad yāta mā ciraṁ goṣṭhaṁ

śuśrūṣadhvaṁ patīn satīḥ
krandanti vatsā bālāś ca
tān pāyayata duhyata
So now go back to the cowherd village. Don’t delay. O
chaste ladies, serve your husbands and give milk to
your crying babies and calves.*
duḥśīlo durbhago vṛddho

jaḍo rogy adhano ‘pi vā
patiḥ strībhir na hātavyo
lokepsubhir apātakī
asvargyam ayaśasyaṁ ca
phalgu kṛcchraṁ bhayāvaham
jugupsitaṁ ca sarvatra
hy aupapatyaṁ kula-striyaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.29.25–26)
Women who desire a good destination in the next life
should never abandon a husband who has not fallen
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Endnotes
from his religious standards, even if he is obnoxious,

unfortunate, old, unintelligent, sickly or poor. For a
woman from a respectable family, petty adulterous
affairs are always condemned. They bar her from
heaven, ruin her reputation, and bring her difficulty
and fear.*
sa kathaṁ dharma-setūnāṁ
vaktā kartābhirakṣitā
pratīpam ācarad brahman
para-dārābhimarśanam
Indeed, He is the original speaker, follower, and
guardian of moral laws. How, then, could He have
violated them by touching other men’s wives?*
gopīnāṁ tat-patīnāṁ ca
sarveṣām eva dehinām
yo ‘ntaś carati so ‘dhyakṣaḥ
krīḍaneneha deha-bhāk
He who lives as the overseeing witness within the gopīs
and their husbands, and indeed within all embodied
living beings, assumes forms in this world to enjoy
transcendental pastimes.*
* Verse translations marked with an asterisk (*) are by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī
Mahārāja.
109
GlossArY
A
ācārya – preceptor, one who teaches by example. One who
accepts the confidential meanings of the scriptures and
engages others in proper behavior, personally following
that behavior himself.
aiśvarya-jñāna – awareness of the opulences and majesty of
the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When a devotee who is fixed
in aiśvarya-jñāna hears that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord
Himself or directly sees Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s majestic exhibition,
awe and reverence is produced and the mood of one’s
established relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as a friend,
parent or beloved) diminishes. Aiśvarya-jñāna is present
in full in the inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha, partially in the
inhabitants of Mathurā and Dvārakā (where it is mixed
with mādhurya-jñāna), and completely absent in the
inhabitants of Vraja.
anurāga – an intensified stage of prema; a stage in the
development from prema up to mahābhāva. In Ujjvala-
nīlamaṇi (14.146) anurāga has been defined as follows:
“Although one regularly meets with the beloved and is
well-acquainted with the beloved, the ever-fresh sentiment
of intense attachment causes the beloved to be newly
experienced at every moment as if one has never before
had any experience of such a person. The attachment that
inspires such a feeling is known as anurāga.”
ārati – the ceremony of offering articles of worship to a Deity,
such as incense, a lamp, flowers, and a fan, accompanied
by the chanting of devotional hymns and bell-ringing.
111
arcana – Deity worship; one of the nine primary processes of

devotional service.
āśraya-ālambana – the receptacle of love for Kṛṣṇa, the bhaktas
(devotees). This is an aspect of vibhāva, one of the five essen
tial ingredients of rasa (see vibhāva). Although the word
āśraya also conveys the same meaning as āśraya-ālambana, it
may often be used in the general sense of shelter or support.
The word āśraya-ālambana, however, is specifically used
to indicate the receptacle of prema as one of the necessary
ingredients of rasa. It is not used in any other sense.
B
bhagavad-dharma – spiritual virtue; religious life based on
devotion unto the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
bhajana – performance of spiritual practices, especially the
process of hearing, chanting, and meditating upon the
holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
bhakti – the primary meaning of the word bhakti is to render
service; bhakti is the performance of activities which are
meant to satisfy or please the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which
are done in a favorable spirit saturated with love, which are
devoid of all desires, other than the desire for the Lord’s
benefit and pleasure, and which are not covered by karma
(fruitive activity), and jñāna (the cultivation of knowledge
aimed at merging one’s existence into that of the Lord).
bhāva – spiritual emotions or sentiments.
bhāva-bhakti – the initial stage of perfection in devotion. A
stage of bhakti in which śuddha-sattva, the essence of the
Lord’s internal potency consisting of spiritual knowledge
and bliss, is transmitted into the heart of the practicing
devotee from the heart of the Lord’s eternal associates.
It is like a ray of the sun of prema (pure love of God)
and it softens the heart by various tastes. It is the first
sprout of prema, and is also known as rati. In bhāva-bhakti,
a soul can somewhat realize love for Kṛṣṇa as well as the
112
Glossary
way in which he can serve Him. After some time, divine

absorption and love for Him manifests, and thus the soul
attains the final stage called prema.
bhāvuka – a devotee established in a mood of ecstatic devotion
for the Lord.
brāhmaṇa – (1) one who realizes brahma is to be known as a
brāhmaṇa; (2) a priest or teacher; one of the four varṇas, or
social divisions, in the Vedic social system (varṇāśrama).
C
caitya-guru – the Supersoul situated within the heart, who
gives spiritual instruction and guidance.
cakora – a bird that subsists only upon moonlight.
cāmara – a fan made of the hair of a yak’s tail, employed in
arcana as one of the paraphernalia offered to the Deity.
D
darśana – seeing, meeting, visiting or beholding (especially in
regard to the Deity, a sacred place or an exalted Vaiṣṇava).
dāsya – love for the Lord that is expressed in the mood of a
servant ; it is one of the five primary relationships with
the Lord that are fully established in the stage of prema.
dhāma – a holy place of pilgrimage; the abode of the Lord where
He appears and enacts His transcendental pastimes.
dharma – (1) from the verbal root dhṛ = to sustain; thus, dharma
means ‘that which sustains;’ (2) religion in general; (3) the
socio-religious duties prescribed in the scriptures for differ
ent classes of persons in the Vedic social system (varṇāśrama)
that are meant to liberate one to the platform of bhakti.
E
Ekādaśī – the eleventh day of the waxing or waning moon;
the day on which devotees fast from grains and beans and
certain other foodstuffs, and increase their remembrance
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His associates.
113
G
gāyatrī – secret mantras given to a disciple by the spiritual
master at the time of second initiation.
gopa – (1) a cowherd boy who serves Kṛṣṇa in a mood of
intimate friendship; (2) an elderly associate of Nanda
Mahārāja who serves Kṛṣṇa in a mood of paternal affection.
gopī – (1) one of the young cowherd maidens of Vraja, headed
by Śrīmatī Rādhikā, who serve Kṛṣṇa in a mood of
amorous love; (2) an elderly associate of Mother Yaśodā,
who serves Kṛṣṇa in a mood of parental affection.
gopī-bhāva – the mood of devotion for Śrī Kṛṣṇa possessed by
the gopīs.
gopī-candana – yellowish clay used to make tilaka-markings
upon one’s body. This clay originates from the vraja-gopīs’
foot-dust.
gosvāmī – (go – senses; svāmī – master of) one who is the master
of his senses; a title for those in the renounced order of life.
This often refers to the renowned followers of Caitanya
Mahāprabhu who adopted the lifestyle of mendicants.
Descendants of the relatives of such Gosvāmīs or of
their servants often adopt this title merely on the basis
of birth. In this way, the title Gosvāmī has evolved into
use as a surname. Leading temple administrators are also
sometimes referred to as Gosvāmīs
H
hari-kathā – narrations (kathā) of the holy names, form, qualities,
and pastimes of Śrī Hari (Kṛṣṇa) and His associates.
harināma-saṅkīrtana – congregational chanting of the holy
names of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
J
jīva – the eternal, individual living entity, who in the con
ditioned state of material existence assumes a material
body in any of the innumerable species of life.
114
Glossary
K
kadamba – a flowering tree with golden blossoms.
kṣatriya – an administrator or warrior; the second of the four
varṇas (castes) in the varṇāśrama system.
kuñja – a secluded forest grove; a natural, shady retreat with a
roof and walls formed by flowering trees, vines, creepers,
and other climbing plants.
kurtā – a collarless shirt.
M
madhura-rasa, or mādhurya-rasa – the mood of conjugal love;
transcendental amorous love. It is one of the five primary
relationships with Kṛṣṇa established in the stage of bhāva and
prema. This mood is eternally present in the gopīs of Vraja.
mādhurya – sweetness; when the mood of human-like pastimes
is not transgressed, even when divine opulence is exhibited,
then it is called mādhurya.
mādhurya-jñāna – awareness of the sweetness of the Supreme
Lord and absence of knowledge of His opulences and
majesty. When a devotee who is fixed in mādhurya-jñāna
hears that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord Himself or directly
sees an exhibition of such godlike opulence, not the slight
est scent of any heart-wrenching awe and reverence is pro
duced. Instead the mood of one’s established relationship
with Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as a friend, parent or beloved) remains
firm. Mādhurya-jñāna is partially present in the inhabitants
of Mathurā and Dvārakā (where it is mixed with aiśvarya-
jñāna), and it is present in full in the inhabitants of Vraja.
mahābhāva – the highest stage of prema, divine love. In Ujjvala-
nīlamaṇi (14.154), mahābhāva is defined thus: “When anurāga
reaches a special state of intensity, it is known as bhāva or
mahābhāva.”
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja further explains
in his purport to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 6.13):
“When anurāga reaches its highest limit and becomes
115
perceivable in the body, it is called bhāva. When the bodily

symptoms are not very distinct, however, the emotional
state is still called anurāga, not bhāva. When bhāva ecstasy
is intensified, it is called mahābhāva. The symptoms of
mahābhāva are visible only in the bodies of eternal asso
ciates like the gopīs.” *
mahājana – a great spiritual personality.
mahā-prasāda – literally means ‘great mercy;’ especially refers
to the remnants of food offered to the Deity; may also refer
to the remnants of other articles offered to the Deity, such
as incense, flowers, garlands, and clothing.
māna – an intensified stage of prema, in which sneha (deep
affection) reaches exultation, thus causing one to
experience the sweetness of the beloved in ever-new
varieties; when the heroine (nāyikā) assumes an outward
demeanor of pique which turns into transcendental
sulkiness and indignation arising out of jealous love. This
sentiment prevents the lover and beloved from meeting
freely, although they are together and are attracted to each
other. Māna gives rise to transient emotions like anger,
despondency, doubt, restlessness, pride, and jealousy.
mañjarī – (1) a bud of a flower; (2) a maidservant of Śrīmatī
Rādhikā.
maṭha – a temple, with attached living quarters for brahmacārīs
and sannyāsīs; a monastery; a preaching center.
māyāvāda – the doctrine of illusion advocated by the
impersonalist followers of Śrī Śaṅkarācārya. Their theory
holds that the Lord's form, this material world, and the
individual existence of the living entities are māyā, or
false. This philosophy appears to accept the authority
of Vedic texts, but interprets them in such a way as to
advance an impersonal conception of the Absolute and
deny the personal feature of Godhead. It is known as
covered Buddhism, since Buddhism is overtly atheistic.
māyāvādī – a follower of the Māyāvada doctrine.
116
Glossary
N
nāyikā – a heroine, a female lover.
niṣṭhā – firm faith; steadiness in one’s devotional practices.
It is the fifth stage in the development of the creeper of
devotion. Niṣṭhā occurs after the elimination of the major
portion of one’s spiritual impediments.
nitya-līlā – eternal pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Goloka Vṛndāvana.
nitya-siddha – eternally perfect devotees.
P
parikramā – circumambulation of holy places.
praṇaya – intimate love. In Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.108), praṇaya
has been defined thus: “When māna assumes a feature
of unrestrained intimacy, known as viśrambha, learned
authorities refer to it as praṇaya.” The word viśrambha
used in this verse means complete confidence, devoid
of any restraint or formality. This confidence causes
one to consider one’s life, mind, intelligence, body, and
possessions to be one in all respects with the life, mind,
intelligence, and body of the beloved.
R
rāga – when spontaneous loving thirst to please the object of
one’s affection becomes so intense that in the absence of
such service one is on the verge of giving up his life, it is
known as rāga.
rasa – (1) the spiritual transformation of the heart which
takes place when the perfectional state of love for Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, known as rati, is converted into “liquid” emotions
by combining with various types of transcendental
ecstasies; (2) taste, flavor.
rāsa-līlā – Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dance with the vraja-gopīs, His most confi
dential servitors, which is part of their pure exchange of
spiritual love.
117
rasika – one who relishes the mellows of devotion (rasa)

within his heart.
rūpānuga – one who follows the mood and service of Śrī Rūpa
Gosvāmī in order to receive the eternal service of Śrī
Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala in Goloka-Vraja. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī
is the most exalted servitor of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
S
samādhi – (1) Sama means ‘the same’ and dhi means ‘intelli
gence.’ When the pure devotee takes samādhi, it means that
upon departing from this world he enters the same level,
position, and spiritual mood as the personal associates of
his worshipful Deity. He is serving in that realm according
to his own constitutional form (svarūpa), with equal
qualities, intelligence, and beauty as those associates.
(2) The tomb in which a pure devotee's body is laid after
his departure from the vision of the material world.
sādhaka – practitioner; one who follows a spiritual discipline
to achieve the specific goal of bhāva-bhakti.
sādhu – a saint or saintly person; one who is perfect in sādhana
(the practice of devotional service) and who engages others
in sādhana.
sakhā – a male friend, companion or attendant.
sakhī – a female friend, companion or attendant.
sakhya-rasa – love or attachment for the Lord that is expressed in
the mood of a friend; one of the five primary relationships
with Kṛṣṇa that are established in the heart at the stage of
bhāva, or prema.
śālagrāma-śilā – self-manifesting Deities of Lord Nārāyaṇa in
the form of small, round black stones that are found in
the Gandakī River in the Himalayas.
śānta-rasa – the mood of neutrality; one of the five primary
relationships with the Lord that is fully established in the
heart when one is in the stage of prema.
118
Glossary
sarva-śaktimān – all powerful; the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

who possesses all potencies.
siddhānta – conclusive truth; authoritative principle of scripture.
sneha – that stage in which prema, attaining a state of excellence,
intensifies one’s perception of the object of love and melts
the heart. When sneha is enkindled in the heart, there is no
quenching of the ever-new thirst for seeing the beloved.
“Only that prema which melts the heart to an abundant
extent is called sneha. Due to the appearance of sneha,
even slight contact with the beloved gives rise to a great
profusion of tears. One never feels satiated in beholding
the beloved; and although Śrī Kṛṣṇa is supremely
competent, the devotee becomes apprehensive that some
harm may come to Him” (Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka, Verse Seven, Śrī
Sanmodana-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura).
śṛṅgāra-rasa – another name for mādhurya-rasa, or madhura-
rasa; the devotional sentiment in the mood of conjugal
attraction.
sthāyībhāva – permanent emotion; one’s eternal, fixed mode
of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa; the five sthāyībhāvas are śānta
(tranquility), dāsya (service), sākhya (friendship), vātsalya
(parental affection), and mādhurya (conjugal love); one of
the five ingredients of rasa.
svapaksa-gopī – a gopī who belongs to Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s own
party.
suhṛd-gopī – a gopī who is friendly to Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s party
and neutral to Her rival party.
T
taṭastha-gopī – a gopī who is neutral to Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s
party and friendly with Her rival party.
tilaka – clay markings worn on the forehead and other parts
of the body by Vaiṣṇavas, signifying their devotion to Śrī
Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, and consecrating the body as the Lord’s
temple.
119
tulasī – a sacred plant whose leaves and blossoms are used by

Vaiṣṇavas in the worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; a partial expansion
of Vṛndā-devī; the wood is used for chanting beads and
neck beads.
U
uddīpana – things that stimulate remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
such as his dress and ornaments, the spring season, the
bank of the Yamunā River, peacocks, and so on.
V
vātsalya-rasa – love or attachment for the Lord expressed in the
mood of a parent; one of the five primary relationships
with Kṛṣṇa that are established in the stages of bhāva, or
prema.
vibhava – the causes for tasting bhakti-rasa. These are of two
types: (1) ālambana, the support (this refers to Kṛṣṇa and
His devotees who possess in their hearts spiritual love
known as rati which can be transformed into rasa by
combination with the other four ingredients of rasa); and
(2) uddīpana, the stimulus (objects connected to Kṛṣṇa
which arouse one’s spiritual love for Him and cause that
love to be transformed into rasa).
vipakṣa-gopī – a gopī who belongs to Śrīmatī Rādhikā's rival
party.
vraja-līlā – the Lord’s pastimes that take place in the spiritual
land of Vṛndāvana.
vyabhicārī-bhāvas – transitory ecstacies; one of the five
essential ingredients of rasa; thirty-three internal
spiritual emotions that emerge from the nectarean ocean
of sthāyībhāva, swell, and then merge back into that ocean.
These include emotions like despondency, jubilation,
fear, and anxiety, as well as the concealment of emotions.
120
english titles published by
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Arcana-dīpikā Letters From America

Beyond Nīrvāṇa Maharṣi Durvāsā and
Bhagavad-gītā Śrī Durvāsā-āśrama
Bhajana-rahasya Manaḥ-śikṣa
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindu-bindu My Śikṣā-guru and Priya-bandhu
Bhakti-rasāyana Navadvīpa-dhāma Māhātmya
Bhakti-tattva-viveka Navadvīpa-dhāma Parikramā
Brahma-saṁhitā Nectar of Govinda-līlā
Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (Vol. 2.1) Origin of Ratha-yātrā
Butter Thief Our Eternal Nature
Caitanya Mahāprabhu – The Original Our Gurus: One in Siddhanta,
Form of Godhead One at Heart
Camatkāra-candrikā – A Moonbeam Pinnacle of Devotion
of Complete Astonishment Prabandhāvalī
Controlled by Love Prema-sampuṭa
Dāmodara-līlā-mādhurī Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā
Dāmodarāṣṭakam Rāga-vartma-candrikā
Discerning the True Sentiments Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda
of the Soul Saṅkalpa-kalpadrumaḥ
Distinctive Contribution of Secrets of the Undiscovered Self
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam
Essence of All Advice Shower of Love
Essence of Bhagavad-gītā Śikṣāṣṭaka
Eternal Function of the Soul Śiva-tattva
Fearless Prince Ślokāmṛtam
Five Essential Essays Ślokāmṛtam-bindu
Gauḍīya Gītī-Guccha Soul of Book Distribution
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism versus Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava
Sahajiyāism Gosvāmī – His Life and Teachings
Gaura-vāṇī Pracāriṇe Their Lasting Relation
Gift of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu To Be Controlled by Love
Gīta-govinda True Conception of Guru-tattva
Going Beyond Vaikuṇṭha Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa
Gopī-gīta Upadeśāmṛta
Guru-devatātmā Utkalikā-vallarī
Happiness in a Fool’s Paradise Vaiṣṇava-siddhānta-mālā
Harināma Mahā-mantra Veṇu-gīta
Harmony Śrī Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā
Hidden Path of Devotion Walking with a Saint (2007, 2008,
Impressions of Bhakti 2009, 2010)
Jaiva-dharma Way of Love
Journey of the Soul Rays of the Harmonist (periodical)
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What is the purpose of this book?

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Rāga-Vartma-

Śrīpāda B. V. Bhāgavata Mahārāja, Śrīpāda B. V. Mādhava Mahārāja,

for more information

by the crown-jewel of ā cāryas, the highly exalted preceptor

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura

with the Śrī Candrikā-cakora-vṛtti commentary by

gaudiya vedanta publications

© 2001 Gaudiya Vedanta Publications. Some Rights Reserved.

Painting of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura on cover

Cataloging in Publication Data--DK

Viśvanātha Cakravartī, approximately 1626-approximately

1. Bhakti. 2. Chaitanya (Sect)--Doctrines. I. Viśvanātha

By the unlimited mercy and inspiration of my supremely

mood, for example servitude or fraternity, (2) bhāva-sambandhī,

oblivious and captivated), the concepts of svakīya (marital

brāhmaṇa community of Vārendra, a rural community of

In this verse the name Śrī Rāma refers to the spiritual

Defending the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava

as atibāḍī (an extremely proud person) in the Gauḍīya

Jaya Singh II was the king of Jaipur at that time. The

they were disrespectful to Vaiṣṇava Vedānta and created a

It was only on the authority of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī

Realizing the Meaning of Kāma-gāyatrī

kāma-gāyatrī-mantra rūpa, haya kṛṣṇera svarūpa,

The kāma-gāyatrī mantra is identical with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In

The evidence of this verse proves that the kāma-gāyatrī

mention only of the vowels and consonants that make up the

sakhi he! kṛṣṇa-mukha—dvija-rāja-rāja

dui gaṇḍa sucikkaṇa, jini’ maṇi-sudarpaṇa,

kara nakha cāndera hāṭa, vaṁṣī upara kare nāṭa

In these lines, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has

After hearing this instruction from Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī

I, Cakravartī, completely leaving aside all else, desire

In old age, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura spent

Vrajavāsī girl picking ﬂowers along with two or three of her

viśvasya nātha-rupo ’sau

Because he indicates the path of bhakti, he is known

(cakra), of pure devotees, he is known by the name

In the year 1754, on the ﬁfth day of the light phase of

mādhurya-kādambinī-grantha jagata kaila dhanya

keha kahena-cakravartī śrī-rūpera avatāra

ohe guṇa-nidhi śrī-viśvanātha cakravartī

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has blessed the

is an incarnation of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. He is very expert

Among Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, there are very few who

kiraṇa-bindu-kaṇā ei tīna niye vaiṣṇava-paṇā

These three books, Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa, Śrī Bhakti-

A list is given below of his books and commentaries, all of

(15) Śrī Mādhurya-kādambinī

My most revered Śrī Gurudeva, aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad

Finally, I pray at the lotus feet of my most revered Śrīla

An aspirant for a particle of the mercy of

humble and insigniﬁcant,

With great humility and veneration, I offer obeisances

I offer obeisances (praṇāma) to the lion-like ācārya, oṁ

In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has de

When both of the previously mentioned types of devo

Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī exhibits the utmost un

O my Lord, let me spend the rest of my days as a perma

In the following verse, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, display

Mahāprabhu’s associates would inquire about the welfare

In his Ṣaḍ-gosvāmyāṣṭakam (6), Śrīnivāsa Ācārya has de