Rupa Gosvami About Eligibility for Bhakti (Vaidhi and Raganuga) - Translated by Bhanu Swami (Iskcon)

Rūpa Gosvāmī About Eligibility for Bhakti (Vaidhī and Rāgānugā)

Translated by Bhānu Swāmī (Iskcon)

    

                

                 

Commentaries by Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī

Translation from Sanskrit to English and Annoted: Bhānu Swāmī (Iskcon)

Eligibility for Vaidhī-Bhakti: Faith (śraddha)

tatra adhikārī—

yaḥ kenāpy atibhāgyena jāta-śraddho ’sya sevane |

nātisakto na vairāgya-bhāg asyām adhikāry asau ||14||

(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.14)

Translation: The qualified person is described as follows:

The person who has developed faith in serving the Lord by impressions arising from previous association with devotees, who is not too attached to material objects, and who is not too detached, is qualified for vaidhi-bhakti.

Jīva Gosvāmī’s Commentary

The word atibhāgyena (by extreme good fortune) means “by distinctive impressions arising from association with devotees.” 63

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Commentary

Atibhāgyena means by special impressions arising from association with great devotees. Vairāgyam means false renunciation, which is unfavorable for worship. The devotee does not indulge in that false vairāgya. However, it is understood, he will endeavor for detachment from desires for material enjoyment (since that is favorable for development of bhakti). 64

Eligibility for Rāgānugā-Bhakti: Greed (lobha)

tatra adhikārī—

rāgātmikāika-niṣṭhā ye vraja-vāsi-janādayaḥ |

teṣāṃ bhāvāptaye lubdho bhaved atrādhikāravān ||291||

(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.291)

Translation: The qualification for rāgānuga-bhakti is as follows:

That person who is greedy for attaining a bhāva similar to that of the inhabitants of Vraja—who are fixed solely in rāgātmika-bhakti—is qualified for rāgānuga-bhakti.

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Commentary

Having described the characteristics of rāgātmika-bhakti of the siddha-bhaktas, the author now describes the characteristics of rāgānuga-bhakti of the sādhakas. He who is greedy to attain a bhāva similar to that of the people of Vraja—who are fixed in rāgātmika-bhakti—is qualified for rāgānuga-bhakti.

Indication of the Appearance of Greed (lobha)

tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrute dhīr yad apekṣate |

nātra śāstraṃ na yuktiṃ ca tal-lobhotpatti-lakṣaṇaṃ ||292||

(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.292)

Translation: The appearance of that greed is indicated when the intelligence does not depend on rules of scripture and logic, after realizing to some degree the sweetness of their (inhabitants of Vraja) love through the process of hearing from the scriptures.

 

 Jīva Gosvāmī’s Commentary

When a person realizes to some degree the sweetness of the love and activities of the inhabitants of Vraja through hearing from the scriptures such as Bhāgavatam, which describe these siddha devotees, his intelligence may develop disregard for the injunctions of scripture (śāstram) and logic (yuktim), though logic is certainly employed. 122

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Commentary

... One can infer (lakṣaṇam) that greed has arisen in the person from recognizing this symptom. Nevertheless, it is not possible to say that the condition described is the real essence (svarūpa) of that greed, since that greed does not always include disregard for scriptural injunctions and logic 123 as a necessary component.

Notes by Bhānu Swāmī

Note 63 Thus, the cause of faith is not material action, but bhakti in the form of association of devotees.

Note 64 He will endeavor by yukta-vairāgya.

Note 122 To make any sense of scripture, logic must be used to understand the meaning of a statement. As well, where there are contradictions in scripture, logic must be used to bring about a conclusion.

Note 123 These are usual by-products of greed. One may also develop greed without showing symptoms of disregard for rules of scripture and logic.

Source: Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmī with the Commentaries by Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī, translated from Sanskrit to English and Annoted by Bhānu Swāmī (Iskcon), Iskcon Chennai, No date of publishing.  (This book is the main work on gauḍīyā vaiṣṇava theology.)

Translation Sanskrit to English: Bhānu Swāmī (Iskcon)

Compilation: David Britto 04 August 2017. Updated on 06 August with subtitles to each verse.

Text font diacritics: Arial Unicode MS (System Harvard-kyoto)

Download this Compilation here at Google Drive


Portuguese translation 

RūpaGosvāmī Sobre a Elegibilidade para Bhakti (Vaidhī e Rāgānugā)