NOI – Nectar of Instruction—Part 11

Giriraj Swami: In the beginning of the purport to Text Eight, Srila Prabhupada discusses the importance of the mind. The mind can be one’s best friend or one’s worst enemy.

And Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the importance of one’s thoughts at the time of death that if one can think of Krishna and the pastimes of Krishna at the time of death, he can enter the pastimes of Krishna, so we should practice now.

Therefore, Srila Rupa Gosvami advises devotees to train their minds in order that they will be unable to remember anything other than Krishna. Similarly, the tongue should be trained to speak only of Krishna and to taste only kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Srila Rupa Gosvami further advises tiṣṭhan vraje one should live in Vrindavan. The land of Vrindavan is supposed to be eighty-four krośas in area. When one makes Vrindavan his residence, he should take shelter of an advanced devotee there. In this way one should always think of Krishna and His pastimes. This is further elucidated by Srila Rupa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.294.

So the following two verses from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu form part of a larger discussion of rāgānugā sādhana-bhakti in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. In the beginning of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami gives the definition of sādhana-bhakti. Sādhana-bhakti are activities engaging the senses by which dormant love for Krishna or bhāva-bhakti is awakened. And he explains there are two divisions in sādhana-bhakti. One is vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti and the other is rāgānugā-sādhana-bhakti. In vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti, one is impelled by the arguments and logic and injunctions of the scriptures, and Srila Rupa Gosvami cites one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as an example; that one who wishes to be fearless at the time of death, should always hear, glorify, and remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So even if one has no spontaneous attraction for hearing, chanting, or remembering, but if one wants to become fearless and we all want to become fearless, especially at the time of death, he must hear and glorify and remember Krishna. So there are so many things which we may not like to do, like rising early in the morning and so many things. But on the order of the scripture, we follow the instructions in order to achieve the results. There is no question of liking or not liking. We must perform the activities as a matter of obedience to the scripture or to the order of the spiritual master.

But there is another division of sādhana-bhakti called rāgānugā, where the devotee is spontaneously attracted by the service of the residents of Vrindavan when hearing from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or other sources about the pastimes of Krishna with the residents of Vrindavan. Now such spontaneous attraction is extremely rare but still Rupa Gosvami has explained in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and here in Upadeśāmṛta, and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has described in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta about rāgānugā-sādhana-bhakti also.

So I will read some related verses which include the two verses quoted in the purport of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā Chapter Twenty-two. We will begin with Text 149.

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda
jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda        [3 times]

So anugā, what is the meaning of anugā? Any idea—following. So rāgānugā means following the ways of rāga. So first we will read the definition of rāga which comes in Text 150.

TEXT 150

iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ

paramāviṣṭatā bhavet

tan-mayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ

sātra rāgātmikoditā

TRANSLATION

“ ‘When one becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to one’s natural inclination to love Him and is fully absorbed in thoughts of the Lord, that state is called transcendental attachment (rāga), and devotional service according to that attachment is called rāgātmikā, or spontaneous devotional service.’

PURPORT

This verse is found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.272).

COMMENT

So rāga means deep attachment and complete absorption in some object. And devotees who possess such attachment are called rāgātmikā. 

TEXT 151

iṣṭe ‘gāḍha-tṛṣṇā’ — rāgera svarūpa-lakṣaṇa
iṣṭe ‘āviṣṭatā’ — ei taṭastha-lakṣaṇa

TRANSLATION

“The primary characteristic of spontaneous love is deep attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Absorption in thought of Him is a marginal characteristic.”

TEXT 152

rāgamayī-bhaktira haya ‘rāgātmikā’ nāma

tāhā śuni’ lubdha haya kona bhāgyavān

TRANSLATION

“Thus devotional service which consists of rāga [deep attachment] is called rāgātmikā, spontaneous loving service. If a devotee covets such a position, he is considered to be most fortunate.”

COMMENT

So this brings us to the point of eligibility. Eligibility for rāgānugā-bhakti is covetousness to possess what mood of service the residents of Vrindavan have in relation to Krishna. The general eligibility for devotional service is sraddha. So this is one type of sraddha. It can be said that there are two types of sraddha—one for vaidhī-bhakti and one for rāgānugā-bhakti, or particularly this can be called lobha or transcendental covetousness to possess the same mood of service as the residents of Vrindavan.

TEXT 153

lobhe vraja-vāsīra bhāve kare anugati
śāstra-yukti nāhi māne — rāgānugāra prakṛti

TRANSLATION

 “If one follows in the footsteps of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana out of such transcendental covetousness, he does not care for the injunctions or reasonings of śāstra. That is the way of spontaneous love.”

COMMENT

We’ll have to discuss what it means—he does not care for the injunctions or reasoning of the scripture. We’ll have to discuss.

TEXT 154

virājantīm abhivyaktāṁ

vraja-vāsi-janādiṣu

rāgātmikām anusṛtā

yā sā rāgānugocyate

TRANSLATION

“‘Devotional service in spontaneous love (rāgātmikā-bhakti) is vividly expressed and manifested by the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Devotional service that accords with their devotional service is called rāgānugā bhakti, or devotional service following in the wake of spontaneous loving service.’”

PURPORT

This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.270).

TEXT 155

tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye

śrute dhīr yad apekṣate

nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca

tal lobhotpatti-lakṣaṇam

TRANSLATION

“‘When a devotee hears about the affairs of the devotees of Vṛndāvana and becomes inclined in that way and his intelligence becomes attracted. Indeed, he begins to covet that particular type of devotion. When such covetousness is awakened, one’s intelligence no longer depends on the instructions of śāstra [revealed scripture] logic and argument.’”

PURPORT

This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.292).

COMMENT

There is one other verse in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu which explains that when one follows vaidhī-bhakti, he is bound to consider the injunctions of the scriptures until the appearance of bhāva. And generally Srila Prabhupada’s books emphasize the same point that one should follow the regulative principles, and when one comes to the stage of bhāva everything will be automatically revealed, and one need not make any separate endeavor. But there is an exception. And the exception is the devotee who while hearing about the pastimes of Krishna becomes attracted to the ways of service of the residents of Vrindavan, and he wants to serve in a particular way in dāsya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, or mādhurya-rasa, and even though he is in the stage of sadhana, he hasn’t come to the stage of bhāva, but still because of intense greed to possess such love for Krishna and render such service to Krishna, he also acts spontaneously not because the scriptures say that you must do it—because the scriptures don’t say that you must do it—but because he has an intense desire. So here when we read that nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca—śrute dhīr yad apekṣate nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca—that his intelligence is spontaneously attracted and does not depend on the arguments or logic of the scripture. It means that his impetus is not anything except to have the mood of service that he covets. In other words, his reason is not to become fearless at the time of death, his reason is not to become liberated from the cycle of birth and death. There is no reason but naturally spontaneously he wants to serve Krishna following the ways of some resident of Vrindavan. But he is not independent of the scripture because when he wants to achieve his goal, he will naturally want to know, How can I achieve my goal? And then he will go to the scripture which guides him how to achieve his goal.

For example, if someone wants to drink very sweet milk. So spontaneously, he wants to drink sweet milk. Nobody is telling him that you must do it. He wants to do it, but to achieve his goal there is some process. So he will inquire, and he will find that he has to get a cow and feed the cow, and at the time of milking he will put some ghee, and he will. . . the whole procedure. Then he will take the milk, put it on the fire, boil it, add sugar, offer it to the deity, and then take milk. So spontaneously, he wants to drink very sweet milk, but in order to get what he wants, he has to follow the procedure. So in the same way a rāgānugā devotee spontaneously wants to attain the mood of service of the residents of Vrindavan for Krishna, but in order to learn how, he will go to the scripture. But in vaidhī-bhakti one will read everything in the scripture and follow everything in the scripture, whereas in rāgānugā-bhakti, one will read the parts especially that will be favorable for him developing his mood of service.

So the basic activities will remain the same śravaṇam, kīrtanam, smaraṇam, but the mood will be different. As we read in Srila Prabhupada’s description of śravaṇam, kīrtanam, smaraṇam, that when one is spontaneously attracted to a particular incarnation of Godhead, he will want to hear the pastimes of that particular incarnation from the devotees who have similar attraction.

Now we come to the verses which Srila Prabhupada quotes in the purport here.

TEXT 156-157

bāhya, antara, — ihāra dui ta’ sādhana
‘bāhye’ sādhaka-dehe kare śravaṇa-kīrtana
‘mane’ nija-siddha-deha kariyā bhāvana
rātri-dine kare vraje kṛṣṇera sevana

TRANSLATION

“There are two processes by which one may execute this rāgānugā bhakti — external and internal. When self-realized, the advanced devotee externally remains like a neophyte and executes all the śāstric injunctions, especially those concerning hearing and chanting. But within his mind, in his original, purified, self-realized position, he serves Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in his particular way. He serves Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, all day and night.”

TEXT 158

sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa

siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi

tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā

vraja-lokānusārataḥ

TRANSLATION

“ ‘The advanced devotee who is inclined to spontaneous loving service should follow the activities of a particular associate of Kṛṣṇa’s in Vṛndāvana. He should execute service externally as a regulative devotee as well as internally from his self-realized position. Thus he should perform devotional service both externally and internally.’”

PURPORT

This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.295).

COMMENT

So sādhaka-rūpa and siddha-rūpa—sādhaka-rūpa means one’s position as a sādhaka, as a practicing devotee still in the material world, and siddha-rūpa means as a liberated soul.

So the same principle applies in both conditions but here some persons called sahajiyās misunderstand. One should do seva both in sādhaka-rūpa with the external body as a devotee practicing regulative devotional service and siddha-rūpeṇa with a body suitable for eternal self-realized service. Tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā—desiring to obtain the bhāva of the particular resident of Vrindavan whose mood he wants. Vraja-lokānusārataḥs—he will follow in the footsteps of that particular servant of Krishna in Vrindavan.

So the defect of the sahajiyās is that they don’t accept the Gosvamis like Rupa and Sanatana in the category of residents of Vrindavan. They only accept Srimati Radharani and Chandravali and others. And they think that to follow them in the body of a sādhaka means to dress the body as a sakhī. In other words, they don’t really follow in the footsteps, but they imitate. Even now from what we hear, there is one man in Navadvipa, he dresses as a sakhī and considers himself to be a manifestation of Lalita devi. But the true understanding given by Srila Rupa Gosvami and his followers in disciplic succession is that we follow Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and others in the form of a sādhaka in the way that they served. Means—the six Gosvamis always used to chant the holy names. They used to do kirtan, they used to dance in ecstasy, they used to meet and discuss, they used to do parikramā, they used to write books. So in the sādhaka’s body, we should follow Rupa Gosvami or our own spiritual master as we have seen our own spiritual master do sadhana. And when we come to the position of Siddha, then we can serve them as they serve in kṛṣṇa-līlā—not that with the physical body we try to imitate.

For example, the residents of Vrindavan in kṛṣṇa-līlā they don’t accept guru, they don’t observe Ekādaśī, they don’t worship śālagrāma-śilā or Tulasi-devi. So if someone thinks that with the body of a sādhaka, we should imitate the residents of Vrindavan in kṛṣṇa-līlā and not observe Ekādaśī, it is wrong. So we should follow the Gosvamis who are also residents of Vrindavan, and the Gosvamis established the principles in their books, and they set the example. They accepted spiritual masters, they observed Ekādaśī and so many things that the residents of Vrindavan and kṛṣṇa-līlā don’t do.

And when the time comes that our siddha-deha becomes manifest, then we can serve as Nanda and Yasoda, Sudama and Sridham, Raktaka and Patraka, or Srimati Radharani, Lalita, Vishaka, Rupa Manjari, and so on.

TEXT 159

nijābhīṣṭa kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha pācheta’ lāgiyā

nirantara sevā kare antarmanā hañā

TRANSLATION

“Actually the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana are very dear to Kṛṣṇa. If one wants to engage in spontaneous loving service, he must follow the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana and constantly engage in devotional service within his mind.”

COMMENT

And, the other verse quoted by Srila Prabhupada in the purport:

kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya

preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam

tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau

kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sa

TRANSLATION

“ ‘The devotee should always think of Kṛṣṇa within himself and should choose a very dear devotee who is a servitor of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. One should constantly engage in topics about that servitor and his loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and one should live in Vṛndāvana. If one is physically unable to go to Vṛndāvana, he should mentally live there.’”

COMMENT

So when one is spontaneously attracted to follow a particular servant of Krishna in Vrindavan, he should constantly hear and talk and remember Krishna’s pastimes with that particular devotee whose mood of service he wants to follow.

TEXT 161

dāsa-sakhā-pitrādi-preyasīra gaṇa

rāga-mārge nija-nija-bhāvera gaṇana

TRANSLATION

“Kṛṣṇa has many types of devotees — some are servants, some are friends, some are parents, and some are conjugal lovers. Devotees who are situated in one of these attitudes of spontaneous love according to their choice are considered to be on the path of spontaneous loving service.”

COMMENT

So are there any questions?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: One can preach in different ways, like Rupa Gosvami, Santana Gosvami lived in Vrindavan and they wrote books which we are reading, which we are distributing, which we are preaching. If one is not able to live physically in Vrindavan, then he should live in Vrindavan mentally. But he should always be thinking of. . . But this is not for everyone. These are just first very few persons, who are on the path of rāgānugā-bhakti. They should always be thinking, Where is Krishna? What time is it now? What time is it? 6:10. Where is Krishna? Yes, He has come back from herding the cows. He is in Nanda-bhavan in Nandgaon taking milk. So okay, so now we know where Krishna is, and where is that servant of Krishna who I want to follow? Where is he right now? What is he doing? So this is what we should be thinking wherever we are.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes. It is mentioned in the purport when one has taste. . . We haven’t read that part together, but. . .

“After developing a taste for such things, one should try to live in Vṛndāvana and pass his time constantly remembering Kṛṣṇa’s name, fame, pastimes and qualities under the direction and protection of an expert devotee.” [The Nectar of Instruction 8 Purport]

One has to have taste, and then he can constantly try to do these things, but we don’t have such taste but how to develop taste?

Yes, people are saying by hearing and by chanting, but we also discussed it—by serving a pure devotee;

śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya
vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ
syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ
puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt        [Śb 1.2.16]

TRANSLATION

By serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one develops ruci, affinity for the message of Vāsudeva.

COMMENT

So service is very important. Without service we can’t develop such taste. It’s true we can develop it by practicing hearing and chanting, but how many hours can we hear, chant? Not so many hours. So what will we do the rest of the time? So if we serve the pure devotee, if we serve Srila Prabhupada in the mission of the previous acharyas, then we can develop taste. And to the extent that we have taste, we can try to live in Vrindavan and absorb ourselves as Rupa Gosvami says—by chanting and hearing and remembering Krishna.

So we discussed in the beginning that different instructions apply at different stages, or to different devotees at different times. Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Now when we talk about the residents of Vrindavan, we mean the eternal residents of Vrindavan—Nanda Maharaja, Mother Yasoda, the cowherd boys headed by Sridham and Subala, Srimati Radharani and the gopīs, not the rickshaw-wallas, not the chai, not the tea-wallas, or the dacoits or the gundas or the murderers. We qre not talking about them. We qre talking about the eternal residents of Vrindavan, Srimati Radharani, the gopīs, the cowherd boys, Nanda and Yasoda, and others and their followers, Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and their followers. But they also had children, but they were always thinking of Krishna. Whatever they did they were always thinking of Krishna. So we can learn from them how to always be absorbed in thoughts of Krishna. Mother Yasoda also used to churn butter, and she was thinking of Krishna, singing about Krishna. The residents of Vrindavan cannot forget Krishna for one moment. They never forget Krishna. So if one wants to serve Krishna in motherly affection, so he should especially think of Mother Yasoda’s service to Krishna. If one wants to serve Krishna as a cowherd boy, then he should think of Subala’s service for example—those residents of Vrindavan.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Oh yes, well the goal of every resident of Vrindavan is to increase the pleasure of Krishna. So Krishna always wants more and more girlfriends, boyfriends, and devotees in different rasas. So any servant of Krishna will want to increase Krishna’s pleasure by bringing more devotees to serve Krishna. So there is no question that they won’t want us. If we are qualified to come and serve with them or in subordination to them, but it’s true we also have to be qualified and the qualification is we have to have very intense desire, and we have to practice as the Gosvamis have taught and shown, and we should also have the seed of that prema within us. Like Murari Gupta was a devotee of Lord Rama but he was also a devotee of Lord Caitanya. He was in the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Chaitanya was always glorifying the sweetness of Krishna, and he wanted Murari Gupta to worship Krishna. Although he wanted to, but he couldn’t give up the service of Rama because he was by nature the eternal servant of Rama so he couldn’t give up the service of Rama, and in the end Lord Chaitanya congratulated him. He said you are the incarnation of Hanuman. But if we have the seed of that particular type of prema within us, and if we have a strong desire to serve in that way, and if we practice as far as possible, then when Krishna and his devotees are satisfied and give us their mercy, then we can enter.

Devotee: Our relationship with Krishna is called sambandha-jñāna. [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: General sambandha-jñāna is that I am the eternal servant of Krishna, but what kind of servant and which form of Krishna is not known.

Devotee: We cannot select that will be known by practice [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: True, well now in the line of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada has given us the worship of Sri Radha and Krishna, and Krishna includes all avatars and mādhurya-rasa includes all rasas. So if we follow in the line of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the worship of all avatars and the service of all rasas is included. And according to what prema is inherent within us, we will come to whatever is natural for us—that’s true.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: There is no harm. Of course, the danger as we mentioned the other day is that hearing the pastimes of Krishna and the gopīs, we might think of material affairs of boys and girls which will be very bad because if lust comes in our mind then everything will be spoiled. But if we can hear with sraddha and just sraddha especially with lobha, then lust will not come, and then hearing will be beneficial. But if we don’t actually have lobha and we hear, then lust may come, and as Srila Prabhupada said, instead of becoming purified, we will become putrefied. So lobha should be there, sraddha should be there, then it will be beneficial.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: The basic scriptures are Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and the same principles are more elaborately described in Jaiva-dharma by Bhaktivinoda Thakura and there are books that describe about the pastimes of Krishna and the devotees of Vrindavan like. . .

Yes Prabhupada mentioned in the Vidagdha-mādhava, Lalita-mādhava, and in the Kṛṣṇa book, Srila Prabhupada mentions Krishna Bhavanamrita by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarthy Thakura. It describes Krishna’s pastimes in the eight periods of the day. So at any time of the day, we can think, Oh, what time is it? Where is Krishna? What is He doing? What are His parents doing at this time? What are His friends doing at this time? What are the gopīs doing at this time? What are the servants doing at this time?

So we can learn about all of Krishna’s pastimes and the services of the devotees in different rasas throughout the day, and then we can yearn to serve like them.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Krishna Bhavanamrita, there must be some translation. Of course, the basis is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: If one has taste, then he can do these things to some extent and the more his taste increases, the more he can do them, but if our taste is not so strong which is usually the problem then to increase our taste we should serve the devotees. If there is service to be done, and if I refuse this service because I think, Oh it’s four o’clock in the afternoon. Krishna must be coming home from the pasturing grounds, I have to meditate on Krishna, and then I fall asleep, or I’m thinking about money and women, then it’s artificial. Then we should rather do some practical service and practical service is not less in any case on the absolute platform, but if we are able to actually think of Krishna’s pastimes, then we should follow what Rupa Gosvami says, and this is upadeśa-sāram—this is the essence of all advice. This is the essence, right here, of all the advice of Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas. The essence of all advice of all scriptures is this, but to come to that stage is not easy, and if we imitate and give up our real duties then it’s bad.

The other day I read about quality and chanting when a devotee asked about how to chant with quality and Srila Prabhupada said, “When quality comes, then you’ll know what it means to chant with quality.” So there is another discussion about quantity.

In Bombay, I was there. Morning walk Bombay November 10th, 1975.

Lokanath, you know Lokanath Swami? He is here.

Lokanātha: Prabhupāda, why we have chosen this sixteen as a number to chant the rounds?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lokanātha: Why not less or more?

Prabhupāda: We have fixed up sixteen?

Lokanātha: We are chanting sixteen.

Prabhupāda: No. We say “Minimum sixteen.” Minimum.

Lokanātha: Why that sixteen minimum?

Prabhupāda: If you can, sixteen thousand you can go. Sixteen rounds is the minimum. But if you are able to chant sixteen thousand rounds, that is welcome. We have got so much engagement. Still, we say, “We don’t find engagement.” This is our misfortune. [aside:] Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was engaged in chanting, and the prostitute came. She offered, “Let us enjoy.” “Yes, let me finish. Let me finish this chanting.” So much engagement, and still we say, “No engagement.” He refused to have sex with a beautiful young girl because he had engagement. “First of all let me finish my engagement.” And we say we have no engagement. How unfortunate we are. [break]. . .says, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31]. Twenty-four-hours engagement He has given, and we see there is no engagement.

Lokanātha: Some devotees have fixed different number than sixteen. Some are chanting twenty minimum or twenty-five.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It should be increased.

Lokanātha: Is it recommended for our. . .

Prabhupāda: But don’t decrease. Don’t decrease; increase. Therefore one number is fixed = “At least this much I shall do.” That is sixteen rounds.

Lokanātha: But you are recommending sixteen as a minimum, and some devotees are choosing twenty as a minimum.

Prabhupāda: So who forbids? Who says that “Don’t do it"?

Lokanātha: They can chant.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is wanted. But because you cannot do it; therefore we have fixed up this minimum. Saṅkhyāta asaṅkhyāta. Saṅkhyāta means with vow, numerical strength. And asaṅkhyāta means there is no limit. [break]

Yaśomatīnandana:. . .are higher than any other activities or they are on the same platform? Any activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. . . Is chanting the most exalted, or. . .?

Prabhupāda: Everything is exalted. Therefore there are nine processes = śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam [SB 7.5.23]. So many. They are all exalted.

Yaśomatīnandana: So why is it recommended, chanting, in this age particularly?

Prabhupāda: Suppose if you have no temple, so you cannot perform arcana. So this is common, greatest common. It is not that because you have no temple, therefore your devotional service is stopped. There are other processes. You can do. [aside:] Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya.

Lokanātha: Prabhupāda? If we chant more than sixteen rounds, so how can we know whether we are imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura or following his footsteps?

Prabhupāda: Imitation is also good. If you imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, that is also your great fortune, even if you imitate. Imitating, it does not mean you are condemned. Even if you imitate, that is also good. If you have some other business and if you say, “Now I am imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura. I cannot do it,” that is very bad. “I am busy in imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura.” That is not good. That is very bad. [break] 

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Sometimes it happens that someone is inclined to a particular rasa and then realizes that his eternal rasa is something else. Like Shyamananda Prabhu, he was inclined in sākhya-rasa, but later when he came to Vrindavan and got the association of Jiva Gosvami he realized that his eternal service is in mādhurya-rasa. It can happen but generally everything is arranged by Krishna. He knows what’s in our heart, and he’ll arrange for us to get the type of association that will bring out our eternal mood of service.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: He is asking whether rāgānugā-bhakti applies to following the eternal residents of Vrindavan in service to Krishna, or whether it can also apply to following the eternal residents of Sri Navadvipa dhāma, in service to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?

Well, it specifically applies to following the eternal residents of Vrindavan. Of course, if one is attached to the service of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and simultaneously attached to the service of Krishna, he can go to both places and serve in both pastimes. Like Swarupa Damodar is Lalita devi in kṛṣṇa-līlā and Swarupa Damodar in caitanya-līlā, but the specific process of rāgānugā-bhakti is meant for following the eternal residents of Vrindavan. Because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as a devotee like us, as a sannyasi, as an acharya and except for eternal associates, or even with the eternal associates, there is some conception of Lord Chaitanya’s superiority.

Like in kṛṣṇa-līlā, nobody thinks that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They think of Him as their son, their friend, and whatever. Whereas in gaura-līlā, they think of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead or as the superior authority. Like when Lord Chaitanya was eating earth. . . Anyway, there are so many examples but the basic idea is that there is some observance of regulative principles with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu either because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead or because He is the superior authority, but in Vraja there is no conception that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead or superior in any way. And therefore the residents of Vrindavan like Mother Yasoda can take up a stick to Krishna, she can bind Krishna, she can scold Krishna, and the cowherd boys they climb on Krishna’s shoulders, they wrestle with Him and sport with Him, and if they defeat Krishna then Krishna has to carry them on His shoulders. They have no conception that He is the Supreme Lord or that they may commit any offense, but in gaura-līlā, there is consideration that He is—that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is superior and we should not commit offense. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself instructed—what we just read was from the instructions of Lord Chaitanya to Sanatana Gosvami on the subject of rāgānugā-bhakti. So he gave the process to Rupa and Sanatana and others, and they’ve written books that gives the process to us, and they also showed the way. Although they were eternal associates of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but they came to Vrindavan and internally they were remembering the pastimes of Krishna and Vrindavan and thinking how to serve Srimati Radharani and Krishna under the guidance of Lalita devi and so on. So that is actually rāgānugā-bhakti. Okay, Hare Krishna.