Thursday, June 08, 2017

Rāgānugā-study sequence and who gets lusty from Rāsa-līlā?

Vaiṣṇava –
Can you give a link or verses that establish the superiority of Rādhā’s mañjarīs over Her sakhīs? (Of course according to age, maryādā etc. the sakhīs are superior)

Advaitadās –

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 shall never pray to You for anything else but the excellent service of Your lotus feet! I offer my constant obeisances to the idea of becoming Your friend, but I really relish the idea of becoming Your maidservant!”  (Vilāpa Kusumānjali verse 16)

vihārais truṭitaṁ hāraṁ  gumphitaṁ dayitaṁ kadā
sakhīnāṁ lajjayā devi  saṁjñayā māṁ nidekṣyasi

O Devi! When will You, being shy before Your girlfriends, order me through a hint to restring Your dear necklace which broke during Your loving pastimes with Kṛṣṇa? (Vilāpa Kusumānjali verse 92)

tāmbūlārpaṇa-pāda-mardana-payo-dānābhisārādibhir
vṛndāraṇya-maheśvarīṁ priyatayā yās toṣayanti priyāḥ 
prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhī-kulād api kilāsaṅkocitā-bhūmikāḥ
kelī-bhūmiṣu rūpa-mañjarī-mukhās tā dāsikāḥ saṁśraye

"I take shelter of Śrī Rādhikā’s maidservants, headed by Rūpa Mañjarī, who always engage in serving betel leaves, massaging the feet, serving water, and arranging for the Divine Couple’s secret trysts. These maidservants are even more dear to the great Queen of Vṛndāraṇya (Śrī Rādhikā) than the prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhīs (the girlfriends who are dearer to Her than life), and She is therefore not at all shy before them!" (Vraja vilāsa stava 38)

Vaiṣṇava –
You often mention that “attitude i.e. humility is most essential in bhakti bhajana, more so than big numbers and big sevā-accomplishments etc. Can you supply pramān to establish this point? I remember hearing bhāva grāhi janārdana, “Krṣṇa accepts the feeling mood and attitude more than sevā”, but don’t know if this applies. 

Advaitadās –

na hi sādhana sampattyā hariḥ tuṣyati karmavat; 
bhaktānāṁ dainyam evaikaṁ hariḥ toṣaṇa sādhanam 

 ‘Hari is not pleased with a mere huge amount of sādhana, it is not like karma. Hari is only pleased with the humility of the devotees.’ (Subodhini ṭīkā of Bhāgavat, Vallabhācārya]
Yes, bhāva grāhī janārdana also applies.

Vaiṣṇava –
Could you provide a sequential reading list of books one must read, study and understand to progress in rāgānugā bhakti?

1 Bhakti rasāmṛta sindhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī - Sādhana bhakti chapter;
2 Śikṣāṣṭakam commentary by Śrī Ananta Dasji Mahārāja
3 Mādhurya-kādambinī-commentary by Śrī Ananta Dasji Mahārāja
4 Raga Vartma candrikā-commentary by Śrī Ananta Dasji Mahārāja
5 Rādhā-Krṣṇa ganoddeśa dipikā – Rūpa Gosvāmī
6 Vraja Vilāsa Stava  - Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Goswāmī
7 Stavamālā – Rūpa Gosvāmī
8 Utkalikā Vallari – Rūpa Gosvāmī
9 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam canto 10 with Śrīla Visvanatha Cakravarti’s Tīkās
10 Stavavali - Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Goswāmī
11 Vilāpa Kusumānjali - Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Goswāmī
12 Govinda Līlāmṛta – Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāja
13 Krṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta - Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī

Advaitadās - Before I put a sequence to this list, first this – Sādhu Bābā gave me Vilāpa Kusumānjali with his very own lotus-like hands, just weeks after my dīkṣā – kṛpā does not wait for a study sequence. Many of the titles you listed I read after the Vilāpa Kusumānjali. The first 4 on the list I agree should come first, in that sequence. Rādhā-Krṣṇa Ganoddeśa Dīpikā is more an index than a book, not really for systematic study but for consulting on case-by-case basis. After that one can read Sārārtha Darśinī 10th canto, though chapters 5-39 will suffice, for those who aspire for rāga bhakti, plus chapters 46-47. Then come nrs. 6-7-8-10-12-13. Vilāpa Kusumānjali should come last.

Vaiṣṇava –

The phala-śruti (concluding benediction) of the Rāsa-līlā-narration in the Bhāgavata says –

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idam ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvitaṁ nu'śṛṇuyed atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ paraṁ bhagavatiṁ pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd rogam āśv apahinoty acirena dhīraṁ

"Anyone who faithfully hears and describes the pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) with the ladies of Vraja (the gopīs) will attain supreme devotion to God and will soon become free from the heart's disease of lust. " (Śrīmad-bhāgavata 10.33.39)
Does this verse apply to everyone or to no one?

Advaitadās – Liberals say this verse is a blanket benediction, while conservatives say everyone gets lusty from hearing rasika kathā. They don’t know what to do with this verse. Neither are right. It is all a matter of bhāgya, luck. Śrīla Ānanda-gopāl Goswāmī said in his lecture on Vilāpa-kusumāñjali, verse 15 - līlā-kothā śunte śunte jāhār kāmodrek hoy, se hata-bhāgyo – “He who gets lusty from hearing about these pastimes, is unlucky.”