In the following letters, appearing in the book Prabhupader Patravali, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura Prabhupāda clearly defines the qualification of raganuga bhakti:
apnara patre sastra-sara-sangraha darsana kariya badi ananda labha karilam. ei sakala katha cinte bala kariya alocana karilai janite pariben ye, alaya haite jata trancade paka-buddhi prakrta prastabe phala-pradane asamartha haya / amara ksudra jiva, vidhi-pather pathik; tabe rager virodhi nahi / rager katha bada, tabe amader mukhe uha sobha paya na / chota mukhe bada katha sunile bhajananuragi-gana hasya kariya udaiya diben / krishna ki vastu, taha yahara upalabdhi haya nai, tahara anuraga-pathe unnatadhikara praptir cesta – alasya jnapak; ihai mahajana-gana pade pade boliyacen /
shri bhagavan-nama u bhagavan eki vastu / yahader nijer bandavicare nama-namite bheda buddhi acche, tahader anartha-nivrttir janya bhajana-kusala janer seva kara nitasta avasyka; iha dekhaibar janya shri gaurasundarer parsad-bhakta-gana taha varnana karen / totapathir nyaya amara yadi uha audayite yai, taha haile loke amadigke ‘prakrta-sahajiya’ baliya nirdesa purvaka amader atmastarita kamaiya dibe / prakrta sahajiya-gana ei rupa durgatipakse duriya giyacche baliya sei sakala ‘panke gauriva sidati’ dalke raganuga bhaktir mahima pradarsana karite haile svayam bhajanachatura haiya apararer mangala vidhana karite haya / sutaram likhita kathaguli apani bhalo kariya bujhibar yatna kariben / ‘bhajana’ bahirer va loka dekhaibar vastu nahe / ucchaihsvare hari-nama kariben, taha haile alasyarupa bhoga amadigke grasa karite paribe na
I was extremely glad to see in your letter the very gist of all the sayings of sastra!After deliberating over the matter nicely in your heart you will find out that precocious thinking born of laziness can bear no real fruit. We are tiny jivas, traversing the path of vidhi, yet we are not inimical to raga. Raga-katha is high, but in our small mouth it doesn’t look nice. Hearing such high words from our little mouth, devotees whose life and soul is bhajana will laughingly push us away.Having no idea of Who is Kṛṣṇa ,one’s trying to raise oneself up onto the path of raga exposes his laziness; Mahajanas proclaim this on every step. Śri Bhagavān and the Name of Bhagavān are one entity.One who has conditioned perception of difference between nama and nami is utterly required to serve devotees accomplished in bhajana for rectification of one’s anarthas; to demonstrate this, the eternal associates of Śrī Gaurasundara have described the kind of bhajana such devotees engage in. If we go to repeat it like parrots, people will designate us as ‘prakrta-sahajiyas’ and thus bear down our self-assurance.But if we want to show all these prakrta-sahajiyas mired in their misconceptions the real glory of raganuga-bhakti, we have to learn the art of bhajana ourselves and only then try for others’ eternal benefit. So try to carefully understand what is written. ‘Bhajana’ is nothing external nor any means for showing off. Loudly call out nama, then the spirit of enjoyment in the form of laziness won’t be able to swallow us.
apnara se tarikher patra paiya samacara jnata hailam / apni vrndavane giya vaishnava-ganer nikata ye asta-kaliya-lila-smaranadir visaya jnaniyachen, uha adaraniya, sandeha nai / kintu yebhave e sakala visaya anarthamayi avastaya dharana kara haya, visayati serupa nahe / shri hari-nama grhana karite karite se-sakala visaya vyaktivisesa jnanite paren, uhai svaruper paricaya / anartha-nivrtti haile svarupa uddhudh haya / svaruper udbodhane nityapratiti apnate asiya upasthita haya / uha keha kahakeu kapatata kariya siksa deya na va nirnaya kariya deya na / tabe niskapatacite pracur hari-nama karite karite ye upalabhdir visaya haya, taha sadhu-gurur pada-padma nivedana kariya sei visayer dharana suddha u samartana kariya lite haya / uhai eka-dasa prakara svaruper paricaya / nana sthaner avivecaka guru-gana ye-sakala katha ayogaya sadhaker upara krtrimabhaver capaiya dena, uhake siddhir paricaya bala jaya na / jini svarupa-siddhi labha karen, tini e sakala paricaye svatah siddhi paricita hana evam shri-gurudeva sei sakala visaye bhajanaonntir sahaya kariya thaken matra / amara ei visaye adhika vaktavya nai / sadhaker siddhir unnatikrame ei sakala katha svabhaviki bhave akapata sevonmukha hrdaye prakasita haya /
“I have noted your letter dated the 24th. The aṣta-kālīya-līlā about which you have heard from the Vaiṣṇavas in Vṛndāvana should be highly regarded no doubt. But the way in which these pastimes are conceived of in the contaminated state is totally corrupt. Some fortunate individuals are capable of knowing these things after chanting for a long time, for that is the identity of the true self. But it can only be known after one is freed of mental contaminations. With the awakening of this spiritual identity, one automatically has constant cognition of his spiritual form. Those who say that they can teach or reveal this identity are practicing a kind of deception; it cannot be done. On the other hand, if a devotee receives some inspiration after sincerely chanting for a long time, he should go to the sad-guru or advanced devotees and ask for it to be confirmed and purified by them. The spiritual identity has eleven aspects (eka-dasa-bhava). There are many cases of unscrupulous gurus who artificially force-feed these designations on unqualified practitioners, but we cannot call this the mark of spiritual perfection. Those who have achieved the perfection of being fixed in their spiritual identity (svarupa-siddhi) have attained such a realization through internal revelation and the spiritual master’s only involvement in these matters is to help the further advancement of a disciple. As a practitioner progresses toward spiritual perfection, all these things are revealed naturally within the heart that sincerely seeks service.
jahate shri-namer krpa haya, sarvatobhave shri-namer nikata bahai prathana kariben / asta-kala-lila smarana prabhrti anartha-bukta avasthar krtya nahe / kirtana-mukhai sravana haya evam smaraner suyoga upasthita haya / sei kalai asta-kala-lila-sevar anubhuti sambhava / krtrim-vicare asta-kala smarana karite nai /
We should constantly pray to the Holy Name for His mercy.One who is still in a contaminated state should not engage in smarana of the daily cycle of the Lord’s pastimes (asta-kaliya-lila). When we engage in chanting the Holy Names, we are simultaneously engaged in hearing and the opportunity for remembering is included in that.One should not engage in asta-kaliya-lila-smarana on false premises.
shri nama grahana karite karite anartha apasarita haila shri namai rupa, gua, u lila apna haite sphurti haibe cheshta kariya kritrim bhave rupa, guna, u lila smarana karite haibe na
There is no point in making a separate effort to artificially remember the intimate pastimes of the Lord.The Lord and His Name are one and the same.This will be understood clearly when the coverings in our hearts are removed. By chanting without offenses you will personally realize that all perfections come from the Holy Name.
No One is Even Qualified to Read Jaiva Dharma’s Rasa Vichar
(23) Śrīla Bhaktī Pragyāna Keśava Goswāmi Maharaja writes in an old copy of Jaiva-dharma 1953, in the Introduction:
“Srila prabhupader vicara-dhara anusare, bhajane kincit unnat-adhikara labh na kara parjanta ‘rasa-vicare’ kahara-o pravesa kara ucit nahe / Srila prabhupada ‘bhai sahajiya’, ‘prakrta-rasa-sata-dusani’ o anyanya bahu prabandhadir madhye iha suspastabhave vyakta kariyachen/ athaca etadin javat anadhikari byaktir nikate-o rasa-vicara-sambalita ei ‘jaiva-dharma’-grantha-khani samarpana karite haiyache/ iha Srila prabhupader vicara-dharar anukul nahe/ daivat tahar aikantika prerana-krame tahara-i mano’bhista purana-kalpe, Srila thakura bhaktivinoder krpa-kataksa-labhasay, tahar nija-janer preranay iha tin-bhage vibhakta haiyache/ ‘rasa-vicara-mulak’ trtiya khanda amra anadhikari sadharaner nikata arpan karite iccha kari na/ tajjanya, atyanta durmmulyer batsare samanya pac-ti mudra grahana kariya-i 1-m,o 2-ya khanda ekatre pradatta haibe/…”
“According to Śrīla Prabhupada’s line of thought, even if one engages in bhajana but is not highly qualified, it is improper to enter into discussions on rasa. Śrīla Prabhūpāda has expressed this very clearly in such works as Bhai Sahajiya, Prākṛta -rasa Śata-duṣaṇi and many other essays.Nevertheless, even today there are many unqualified persons who are given to studying the portions of Jaiva Dharma containing the analysis of rasa. According to Śrīla Prabhupada’s understanding, this is detrimental.Being the worthy recipient of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s merciful glance, and being destined with an increasingly intense desire to fulfill his innermost wishes, he has divided the book into three sections for his followers. According to his desire we will not be selling the third volume, viz. rasa-vicara to the unqualified public. The first two volumes will be available for a symbolic price.